NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

As the regular season approaches, teams across the league are gearing up and entering the final stages of preparation.

It is worth mentioning that this year, in addition to the Pacers' disintegration, the Knicks' reorganization, and the Celtics' acquisition of two top centers, Howard and Duncan, which completed the reconstruction in the blink of an eye, there are several particularly noteworthy transfers or other news worth mentioning.

For example, the Suns only used a 5-year, $6000 million contract to snatch Steve Nash from Dallas. Phoenix's small ball storm is destined to continue sweeping the league.

But this time, although they still have Nash and D'Antoni, they are missing another most important end point in the run-and-gun tactics: Amar'e Stoudemire.

Stoudemire is now with the Knicks.

In addition, while teams across the league are scrambling to strengthen their roster and aim for a championship after the Pacers dynasty collapsed, the Timberwolves, who made it to the finals last year, are doing subtraction.

The team offered Sprewell, who was an important contributor to the team becoming the Western Conference champion last season, a three-year, $3 million contract, but the 'madman' showed his 'madman' character at this time.

"3 million US dollars in three years is not enough for me to support my family." Sprewell rejected this very sincere offer and refused to return to the Timberwolves.

Then?

Then, no one in the entire league dared to provoke this problematic player and top troublemaker again, and no one extended an olive branch to Sprewell again.

At least, as the season is about to begin, no one has offered Sprewell any contract.

If nothing unexpected happens, last year's finals would be the last game of this character player's career.

In addition, when the Celtics brought in Duncan and selected Howard during the offseason, they did the Phoenix people another favor. They brought in a talented point guard who was despised, hated and hated by the Phoenix people at a very low price, or almost for free.

'Lone Wolf' Stephon Marbury.

Under Marbury's leadership, the Suns' record has been steadily declining, and the team has missed the playoffs for many years. What's worse, Marbury's bad reputation and "cancer" attributes make him simply not worth the price.

Auerbach saw the opportunity and brought Marbury to Boston without giving away any draft picks or high-quality assets, only using some expiring contracts.

At this point, the Celtics have formed a strong lineup of Marbury, Pierce, Duncan and Howard. The rest depends on whether they can create a chemical reaction and live up to the talent and strength on paper.

In addition, after sending Nash away, the Mavericks also bought out the team's leader of the past 7-8 years: Michael Finley.

Cuban's move was really unacceptable to many Dallas people. They liked Finley and loved Finley. This guy has always been one of the most popular people in Dallas.

In addition, another star player Nash who was very popular among the locals was also sent away, even though Cuban brought in strong players such as Jason Terry, nicknamed "The Jet", North Carolina's talented scorer Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn and Dampier.

And Cuban finally came to his senses and sent away Jamison and Walker, two excellent players who had been proven to be brought in by his own nonsense and meddling and who were completely incompatible with the team's tactical system.

But the people of Dallas obviously don't buy it. They don't think the team has become stronger. They just see their favorite players being sent away one by one.

The new season for Dallas is destined to be quite difficult.

Then, Finley, who was bought out by Dallas, almost instantly joined the Mavericks' cross-state rivals, the Spurs, after a clarification period.

In this way, the Spurs have formed a good lineup with James as the absolute core, assisted by Bosh, Finley, Stoudemire and others. Many people believe that the Spurs will most likely officially start their revival journey this year!
After losing Duncan, they finally waited for the second prodigy and quickly completed the reconstruction and lineup building.

In addition, last year's champions and the league's long-time overlord, the Pacers, did not make any reinforcements after losing Lin Tian this summer.

The only free agent Bird was interested in was Duncan, but unfortunately Duncan rejected Bird's invitation and chose the Celtics. Bird really didn't like the remaining free agents, so he simply didn't make a move in the free market, but only renewed the contracts of Ginobili, Christie and others whose contracts had expired.

With Lin Tian's departure, the Pacers retained almost all of the team's main players from last season.

With the return of Ginobili and Webber, the team's core and main players, at least Bird and Indiana fans believe that even without Lin, the team can at least maintain its level in the upper half of the Eastern Conference.

The team is definitely not too bad.

After all, even without Lin Tian, ​​there are still strong players such as Miller, Webber, Artest, Ginobili, Artest, Howard and so on in the team.

Although this lineup is not luxurious, it is a well-balanced lineup with excellent tacit understanding and strength, so there is no way it can win the lottery.

Finally, the most disappointed person during this offseason is undoubtedly McGrady.

After Duncan left, he also applied to leave the team, hoping to be traded by the team, but he was not sent out by the team. He could only continue to fight alone in the Magic team for at least half a year.

Anyway, the Magic team's meaning is: Want to leave? No problem, play well, and we will definitely send you to a good place before the trade deadline, but you have to perform well and show corresponding data, so that you can be sold at a good price!

Of course, in a sense, McGrady is not fighting alone, because Hill is said to have recovered from his injury and can return to full health.

But no one is looking forward to Hill now anyway. If he returns to full health, everyone will only regard him as the starting point of another injury.

This unlucky guy has never played a serious game since he joined the Magic, especially in the playoffs, he has never played once.

I have been with the team for four seasons. When I am lucky, I can play 20 games a season. When I am unlucky, I am directly out for the season...

Who knows how many games he can play this season. Instead of looking forward to him, it is better to expect those unknown young players or young people of the Magic team to perform well.

This is roughly the change that has taken place in the league during this offseason. With another major reshuffle of the league's forces, fans are increasingly looking forward to the new season, and they can't wait to watch the opening game of the new season.

Stern once again prepared a feast for the fans in this year's opening game.

The Knicks challenge the Indiana Pacers away!
Just this one game is enough for all fans to turn on the TV.

Lin Tian, ​​the absolute king of Indiana in the past seven years, who led the team to what can be called the "first dynasty in history", returns to Indiana for the first time. What kind of fans and what kind of treatment will he face?

In particular, what will happen on this night when the championship flag is raised? How will the game go?
Is it Lin Tian who proves that you can't do without me, or is it the Indiana team that proves that even without Lin, we are still a top-notch team?
In short, all fans, colleagues and the league are paying close attention to this game.

Of course, everyone watching this game has different purposes.

Some people want to see the story of old friends reuniting, some want to watch exciting games, and some want to see the level of these two teams and whether they can become their opponents in the new season.

This evening, it is also the focus of everyone's attention!

"If the ratings of this game are higher, I will hype up the feud between Indiana and New York for three years!" Before the game started, Stern sat in his office with full concentration, waiting for reports from his subordinates and keeping up with the latest developments of the game at any time.

"Try to stir up some heat for me in the last half hour, so that the fans can turn on the TV, watch the game, and let all the people on the Internet discuss the game!"

In the TNT studio, Barkley and Kenny gathered together again, preparing to comment on this game.

"Honestly, ever since Lin left Indiana, I've been looking forward to the day when he returns to Conseco Arena," Barkley said. "But I didn't expect it to be so soon. I thought it would be Christmas at the earliest."

"In the opening game, let Lin and his former friends receive the championship ring together and watch the flag rise. Is there any more fantastic story than this?" Kenny said with a smile: "Let Lin see what he has got in the past seven years, let Lin see what the Indiana fans will give him."

"The protagonist tonight is Lin and the entire Indiana!"

"I think this will be a night full of tears. No matter who it is, the past seven years have been too dreamy. Even if Lin Tian leaves here, the fans here will welcome their king with the most sincere cheers and shouts."

Barkley added: "What I'm looking forward to is how Lin will perform when facing his old friends? Will they feel like they are in another world? What attitude will the players on both sides have towards this game?"

"Will it be a tense, life-and-death fight, with blood on the bayonets, or will it be a happy reunion of old friends?"

"Let us wait and see!"

As the two commentators warmed up the audience, the lights at the Conseco Center suddenly dimmed.

Then the big screen at the scene suddenly lit up, and Lin Tian’s face appeared on the big screen.

"I'm Lin, and I'm very happy to join Indiana. Together with Reggie, Larry, and Charles, I will win the championship for this city! I swear, not one, not two, not three, not four..."

The first thing that appeared on the big screen was Lin Tian’s first promise to the fans after joining the team.

He did it.

Then, the fans at the scene naturally cheered and shouted wildly. They gave Lin Tian enough face and respect!
Next, the pictures on the big screen kept changing. In the first year after Lin Tian joined the team, the team defeated the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost to the Heat in the playoffs in the second year, defeated the Lakers in the third year to regain the championship, consecutive 50+, consecutive triple-doubles, various decisive kills, 6 trophy-holding scenes, and various wonderful moments of Lin Tian.

After the images flashed one by one, the more than two-minute tribute video finally ended. The screen went dark again, and when it lit up again, there was only a simple sentence on it.

"Lin, thank you!"

Then, the fans shouted this sentence in unison, and it spread throughout the stadium in the blink of an eye.

"Lin, thank you!"

"Lin, thank you!"

……

The fans' unreserved roars showed the feelings in their hearts. They had no hatred or resentment towards Lin Tian, ​​only gratitude!
Then a beam of light suddenly appeared at the scene and hit Lin Tian accurately.

"Let's welcome the 6'3", 86kg, 24-year-old, point guard from the University of Pennsylvania, wearing the number 7, Lin...Tian!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The fans once again cheered along with the DJ's introduction. The DJ on the scene introduced Lin Tian as if it was the first time, using his statistics from his first year with the Pacers to introduce him.

This again brought countless people to tears.

In the blink of an eye, that was already 7 years ago!
Years are like a shuttle.

"At that time, I was still Lin's teammate. It was my last year, but also the best year of my life!"

Lin Tian, ​​who was captured by the camera, naturally stood up and waved and bowed to all the fans. Then he led the beam of light that was shining on him and jogged to the center circle of the court. Then he lay down and kissed the Pacers' logo.

This naturally caused cheers from all the fans in the stadium!

When Lin Tian stood up and waved to the fans, even he couldn't help but have tears in his eyes. The enthusiasm of the fans reminded him of his time in Indiana.

The past seven years have been truly wonderful.

"This bastard! How did he think of kissing the LOGO?" Barkley's voice was also filled with tears, and his voice was trembling a little. He was really moved by Lin Tian's action.

"Although you are very touched, I advise you not to do the same as Lin." Kenny once again acted as a firefighter at this time: "76ers, Suns, Rockets, Pacers...you are going to kiss a lot of floors."

"More importantly, your belly won't allow you to kiss the logo while lying on the floor, right? Maybe try standing upside down?"

"FUXX! Kenny, FUXX! The most wonderful moment of my life was ruined by you!" Barkley cursed, too lazy to pay attention to Kenny, and quickly changed the subject: "Watch the game, I bet you have no idea what's going to happen next."

"Because you, asshole, definitely didn't receive an invitation or any news, but I, Charles! I received an invitation, but I was afraid that you would be too lonely in the studio, so I turned down the invitation and came here to work with you!"

"Tell me the truth, why didn't you go?" Kenny sneered, "You don't have to answer this question, but you mustn't tell me nonsense, or I'll smash your pig head with my fist!"

"I was afraid I would cry too much." Barkley didn't make up a story this time. Instead, he shrugged and said, "It would be really embarrassing at that time."

On the court, Lin Tian’s special moment and tribute moment is almost over.

The next time, the championship banner was raised. The sixth championship banner was raised over Indiana. From 1998 to 2004, they blew up the entire league. Then, the championship rings were awarded.

The Pacers players stepped forward one by one and received the rings presented by their owner, the Simon brothers.

Then, Lin Tian walked to the center of the stadium, once again greeted the cheers of the fans, took the rings handed over by the Simon brothers, and hugged them.

Finally, the lights on the scene dimmed again, and when they came on again, the beam of light hit the player's tunnel.

"Please welcome Rick Schmitz from the Netherlands!"

“Let’s welcome, Chris Mullin!”

"Let's welcome Reggie Miller!"

……

As DJ called out one after another, players who had fought side by side with Lin Tian and others in Indiana in the past 6-7 years appeared one after another. Those retired celebrities and comrades-in-arms who had fought against one strong enemy after another with Lin Tian came forward one after another to hug Lin Tian.

"There will definitely be Lin's jersey flying above our stadium, and there will definitely be a statue of Lin outside our stadium!" After everyone arrived, the Simon brothers took the microphone and once again made their promise to the Indiana folks.

"In our team, apart from Lin, no one else will ever wear the No. 7 jersey!"

This promise naturally caused the fans to cheer and shout wildly.

Lin Tian hugged and chatted with his former teammates one by one. During this time, the cheers at the Conseco Center never stopped and the enthusiasm of the fans hardly diminished at all.

Many people even had hallucinations.

That is, Lin Tian did not leave at all, and these famous players who came to the front court did not retire.

It seems like it is still 1998, and the Pacers' golden age has just begun.

But unfortunately, whether it is the fans or the players, their beautiful fantasies and memories were soon shattered.

The lights in the stadium were fully lit, and Lin Tian changed into the No. 14 jersey of the Knicks. Next to him were Anthony wearing No. 7, Stoudemire wearing No. 1, Steve Jackson wearing No. 3, and Okur wearing No. 13.

The people around Lin Tian are so unfamiliar to Pacers fans.

The people they were familiar with were all wearing yellow jerseys and standing opposite Lin Tian. For a moment, the Indians were actually a little confused about which team they should cheer for.

Miller, Webber, Artest, Ginobili, Parker.

The Pacers' starting five also took to the court together.

"The game begins!" Barkley's roar brought everyone back to reality.

The referee blew the whistle and the basketball flew into the sky.

Miller defeated Okur and got the ball for the Pacers' first offensive wave.

Parker advanced cautiously with the ball. He was most likely the person in the league who had faced off against Lin Tian the most times. In the past few years, Parker had faced off against Lin Tian in every training session and was beaten by him every time.

He knew better than anyone how strong Lin Tian was, so after dribbling the ball across half court, the first thing Parker did was to pass the ball to Ginobili on the other side.

"Tony, I haven't seen you for a few months, and you haven't improved at all! How can a point guard be afraid of your opponent? If you are afraid, you can't play well!" When Lin Tian saw Parker passing the ball, he knew what he was thinking, and he immediately opened his mouth to expose his shortcomings.

Who is Parker?

As the league's number one victim of Lin Tian's trash talk in the past few years, he knows too well how to deal with Lin Tian.

Don’t respond, ignore, pretend not to hear.

Once the three no principles are brought out, even if you, Lin Tian, ​​are eloquent, it will be useless to me!
I have to say, this is the most uncomfortable part of playing with acquaintances.

Because they know each other too well, many of their tactics cannot be used.

While Lin Tian and Parker were chatting here, Webber on the other side had already received the pass from Ginobili, and then made a high-low pass to Miller under the basket, assisting Miller to complete his first attack of the night!
After Lin Tian left, Webber, who returned from injury, will undoubtedly become the Pacers' number one offensive core!
Whether the team can enter the playoffs, at least half of the burden will be on Webber!
After the Pacers scored 2 points, the Knicks' offense was also incredibly fast. Okur passed the ball from the baseline, Lin Tian ran with the ball at full speed and reached the frontcourt in the blink of an eye. Then he observed for a while and immediately passed the ball to Anthony who was following up from the side.

After Anthony got the ball, he didn't even dribble. He just made an emergency stop and shot a decisive 3-pointer!
"Shh!"

After a crisp sound, the Knicks successfully reversed the score.

"It's really fast." Carlisle shook his head off the court. The Pacers currently have a twin-tower lineup, and their mobility is definitely not comparable to that of the Knicks.

But he had no choice. He knew better than anyone how fast Lin Tian's advancement speed was and how good he was at fast breaks.

Compare with him?

Carlisle has forgotten how many teams have tried to compete with Lin Tian in speed, and then were outrun by him until they vomited blood, and then returned in defeat. He knows better than anyone that if they want to defeat Lin Tian's team, they have to ignore his advantages and then play to their own advantages.

In the end, whoever has the more obvious advantage will have a chance to win the game.

So the order Carlisle gave to the team tonight was to slow down the pace, fight a positional battle, and take advantage of the height of Webber and Miller.

Use the height and passing characteristics of the two inside players to give the Knicks a good fight!
For example, in the second round, the Pacers almost copied the same thing. Webber got the ball in the low post, and then suddenly passed the ball from behind without looking at anyone, giving the ball to Ginobili who was cutting in.

After Ginobili got the ball, he immediately used his signature snake-like dance steps to avoid Stoudemire, who was not very good at defense, and made a one-handed layup to score another 2 points.

But the system that Nelson built for the Knicks this season has one main theme: Let him be as strong as he can, I will just do my own thing!
Lin Tian didn't care how beautiful the Pacers' offense was. Instead, he came to the frontcourt and called for a pick-and-roll between himself and Stoudemire. Then when Stoudemire rushed into the inside, he made a ground pass and gave the ball to Stoudemire who was following closely.

"Oh!"

After getting the ball, Stoudemire started straight away and collided with Webber who was defending him.

After years of fighting and suffering from many injuries, Webber still has top-notch basketball IQ and skills, but his defense, which was mediocre to begin with, is no longer up to par.

Stoudemire almost jumped up after him, knocked Webber over, and then slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.

"boom!"

"Come on! Come and defend against me! Old...old man!"

Halfway through Stoudemire's trash talk, he finally remembered that Lin Tian played here last year and had been friends with Webber and the others for many years. He then changed the word "old dog" that he was about to say into "old man".

But even though it was taken back, the effect was not much different.

Weber obviously received the provocative signal from Stoudemire.

In the next few minutes, Weber started a series of singles!
In the early days of his career, his one-on-one plays, whether they were face-to-face jump shots, breakthroughs or post-up plays, were deadly as long as he didn't encounter top defenders.

However, after Weber had been working hard for several minutes, he suddenly discovered something.

But in the past few years of working with Lin Tian, ​​which was his peak period, his singles ability was slightly restrained.

He has a better, easier way to help the team.

In the past few years, his first pass, assists, free throw line organization, and ability to handle the ball after receiving the pick-and-roll are almost the best in the league, or even the top level in league history.

This year, when Lin Tian left the team and it was Webber's turn to support the team, when he was about to use one-on-one games to teach Stoudemire, who was not very good at defense, a lesson, Webber suddenly found that his athletic ability had disappeared.

In the past, he could step over most of the opponents in the league in one step. In the past, he only needed two fake moves to shake off his opponents and get an easy chance to pass the ball. In the past, no one could stop him when he rolled down the court after a pick-and-roll.

But tonight, he found that his explosiveness and speed had decreased dramatically.

With the same move, he couldn't find space, he couldn't break through to the basket with a fake move, and he couldn't crush his opponent and score easily.

Even though he was facing just Stoudemire, a player with average defense tonight, he found that he couldn't beat this rather impetuous young man!

The most obvious round was when Webber got the ball in a high position and faked a shot to trick Stoudemire, then he broke through to the basket. After reaching the basket, Webber's skills and instincts told him that someone was chasing him, so he raised his hand and faked another shot.

This time Stoudemire was fooled by him again, but when Webber made a fake move and was about to create a time difference to complete the shot, Stoudemire jumped up again!
Even if he was shaken off, even if he lost the initiative, what level is Stoudemire at now?
Let’s not talk about where his skills and abilities rank in the league, just looking at things like explosiveness, jumping ability, and jumping speed, this guy is a top 10 monster in the history of the league!

If we only look at the current players, I'm afraid only Howard, who just entered the league, can barely compare with him.

Simply put: it's a complete monster.

"Snapped!"

Stoudemire took off for the second time and, relying on his continuous jumping ability, knocked the basketball that Webber had just shot away.

Lin Tian grabbed the basketball that was shot by Stoudemire, and without hesitation, he launched his most signature and terrifying counterattack towards the front court.

Then, after rushing to the frontcourt against Parker and Ginobili, Lin Tian passed the ball from behind without even looking at anyone, and passed it to Steve Jackson who was quickly following on the other side.

After getting the ball, 'Captain Jack' jumped up with one arm and slammed the ball into the basket!

This goal fully illustrates what it means that time is unforgiving.

Webber's skills and awareness are still there. If he is made the team's second or even third player, he can still be a threat and perfectly execute the coach's arrangements.

But it would be really difficult for him to be the leader of the team now, to carry the team forward and score points at critical moments.

In fact, because Lin Tian was so powerful and so dazzling in the past few years, no one noticed Weber's decline.

His decline was completely concealed by Lin Tian's brilliance.

But now, when he has to stand up, become the leader of the team, and attack the opponent, his ill-fated knee can no longer withstand his style of play, and he is completely suppressed when facing Stoudemire.

Up to these two rounds of offense and defense, Webber played for 7 minutes in the first quarter, made 7 of 2 shots and only got 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Although he was still comprehensive, his efficiency and influence on the court were all reduced to the lowest.

相反，和他对位的小斯4投3中，罚球3罚2中，拿下8分2篮板1盖帽！

With his impact and unparalleled athleticism, Stoudemire broke into the Pacers' inside line time and time again, made crazy attacks time and time again, and scored points time and time again!
Stoudemire's function on the court is much more single-minded than Webber's. Compared to Webber who has to take into account organization, support, mid-range offense, high and low posts, hand-to-hand passes, personal back-to-the-basket and other aspects, Stoudemire only has one thing to do on the court.

Attack, shoot, score!
It turns out that it is better and more useful to do one thing and do it very well than to do many things but do none of them well.

22: 10!

When the first quarter entered the rotation stage, the Knicks had already led the Pacers by 12 points thanks to their ferocious firepower!

At this stage, Stoudemire scored the highest 8 points in the team, followed by Anthony with 6 points, Jackson with 4 points, and Okur with 3 points. On the contrary, Lin Tian, ​​who only relied on Miller's defense and moved too slowly, was called for a three-second defense by the referee and was awarded a free throw, getting 1 point!
However, although he only scored one point, he made 6 assists and did not make a single turnover during his time on the court. Just by passing and organizing the game, he revitalized the entire Knicks team!
"Faster! More accurate! Crazier!" Barkley gave his evaluation of the Knicks when the coaches of both teams paused for substitutions with more than three minutes left in the first quarter: "'Mad scientist' Nelson plus Lin, an equally crazy superstar!"

"This season, the Knicks, regardless of their record, are definitely the best in the league in terms of entertainment and excitement. They are the best, most beautiful, and most exciting team in the entire league!"

"I agree with Charles. Lin's passing and the Knicks' running ability are so fascinating. Their offensive level is so strong that it is breathtaking! Such an extreme offense may only be played when Nelson and Lin Tian are together."

Kenny once again nodded in agreement with Barkley's opinion: "This Knicks team may be able to play the craziest offensive basketball in history! And Lin can once again create a crazy, wild and violent, completely different, historic offensive team after the Pacers team a few years ago!" (End of this chapter)