NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Because the series between the Supersonics and the Kings was the only one in the first round that went to a Game 7, the day after that game ended, the teams that successfully advanced to the second round began their divisional semifinals.

No matter which team, no matter who they are, every player caught by reporters before their game starts will be asked the same question.

"Gary Payton finally decided to leave. Another top player has left the league. What do you think about this?"

In response to reporters' questions, in this league where there are almost no players of Payton's generation, most people chose to give compliments, praise and applause.

As one of the few people in the league today who has had a peak showdown with Payton, Lin Tian of course gave a completely different answer.

"I'm very grateful to Gary. For the first time in my life, I played well in front of everyone, made a name for myself in front of everyone, and let the whole world know my game. It was played against Gary!"

"I believe Gary also remembers it very clearly. In the 1996 Finals, I scored 48 points in a single game against this arrogant, shameless, evil and annoying old bastard, and then eliminated the SuperSonics in one fell swoop, ending their championship dream. That was the closest Gary ever got to the championship."

“It was also my first time winning a championship, and that was my first impression of Gary.”

"Then there was when he was on the Heat. I beat him face to face every time and broke up their championship-seeking team."

"By the way, remember the nickname 'Fingerless Gloves'? I gave it to him! This is one of the most satisfying trash talk I've ever had in my career."

"But in general, the game will be less fun without such an old bastard. I will miss him, especially the nights when I beat him. If I had known that this guy would retire after the season, I would have scored more goals against him against the SuperSonics this season!"

What do you think of Lin Tian's answer, which was different from everyone else's, his behavior of frantically uncovering Payton's scars and then constantly rubbing salt into his wounds?

It fits Lin Tian's personality very well, and Payton was quite happy to hear it.

A guy like him doesn't care about compliments and praises at all. He knows better than anyone how annoying he is and how many people he has offended.

He knew that 99% of those compliments were just compliments.

But Lin Tian's words made Payton feel very comfortable.

Because how do I say it?

What Lin Tian described were indeed his embarrassing moments, but it must be admitted that those moments were also the peak of Payton’s life.

Those past events represent his most glorious moments. It is enough that someone can remember his most glorious moments.

"Old man, are you really ready to give up? Don't you want to consider staying with us for a year with a minimum salary next season?"

Before the start of the second round of the playoffs, Lin Tian did not forget to call Payton and chat with him.

If Payton is willing to come, Lin Tian will definitely accept him.

"I'm definitely not considering it. I'd rather never win a championship than be a substitute for a bastard like you." Payton refused without even thinking about it: "I will never give in to two people in my life."

"You and Michael! You two damn bastards, don't ever try to break me down and make me join you."

"But you also joined Carl, Alonzo and the others."

"That's different." Payton snorted and said, "The three of us are about the same level. We all admit that we are not as good as you and Michael, so we stick together for warmth. We are equal in status, but this is completely different from joining you and becoming your lackey just because we can't beat you."

"So, put away your overflowing sympathy, little bastard. Even if I really want to make a comeback, the Knicks and the Bobcats are two places I will never consider. That's it. I have nothing to talk to you about."

Looking at the hung up phone, Lin Tian could only shake his head helplessly.

To be honest, he didn't quite understand Payton's logic. Why was it that joining forces with Mourning and Malone wasn't a team, but that he couldn't afford to lose face if he joined forces with himself and Jordan?
So be it!

What Lin Tian has to prepare for now is the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals!
The situation of the playoffs this year is completely different from last year's situation where the first round was extremely difficult and the next three rounds became easier and easier!

This year, the Knicks easily swept the Cavaliers in the first round, but in the second round, they will face the extremely powerful Celtics!

The Celtics are strong this season. Although their record is just so-so, everyone knows how strong this team is! Since Bird retired and left the team, this team has never been so close to the championship.

Among the starting five, the talented high school student Howard is still in his growth stage, but his physical fitness and physical talent have been revealed. Although he is now only used as a pure blue-collar worker, his various skills still need to be honed.

But everyone can see that the sky is his limit and his future is limitless. At the very least, Howard's ceiling is much higher than that of Okafor of the Bobcats!

Then there is the team's starting No. 4 Duncan! Although Duncan had a pretty bad and unhappy career with the Magic for several years, no one would think that Duncan is not strong, and no one would think that Duncan is a fake.

On the contrary, many people in the league believe that Duncan is the best power forward in active service. Even if Malone, Barkley and others are still in the league, he must be one of the candidates for the best power forward!

This guy is still continuing his stable, low-key but absolutely reliable output this year. As the leader of the team, as long as Duncan is there, the Celtics will never fall easily.

The team's top scorer today is still the talented small forward Paul Pierce who was selected by the team in 98. This season, Pierce still averages 23 points per game and is the highest scorer on the team. His singles, defense and underestimated linking ability are all very important weapons for this team.

He always uses his personal abilities to deliver powerful blows to his opponents at critical moments time and time again.

At the same time, the team also equipped Ricky Davis, an excellent swingman who once averaged 20+5+5 per game, at the second position.

After playing for the Celtics for more than a season, this guy is no longer the kind of thorn that is difficult to discipline. Davis is now hardworking and willing to do the dirty work. At the same time, he is also one of the team's most stable 3-point shooting points on the outside.

As for the team's point guard, he is another thorny talent that they bought from the Suns at a low price during the offseason this year.

Stephon Marbury!

In the past few years, Marbury has almost become a rat crossing the street. He led the Nets to the lottery, and then Kidd went there, and the Nets immediately became a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference!

He led the Suns to the lottery, then Nash went there, and the Suns immediately became number one in the Western Conference!

After these two terrible transfers, Marbury's reputation and word of mouth have hit rock bottom.

Fortunately, he is self-aware. He knows very well that the Celtics are probably his last chance. If he doesn't play well here and is labeled a "lone wolf", his career may be near the end, and he will probably have to go overseas to seek gold.

For example, China?

I heard that NBA players are paid very high salaries there, and the competition intensity is not very high.

Ahem…we’ve gone off topic.

In short, Marbury has restrained his personality this season, and with Auerbach's patient guidance and constant encouragement, it seems that Marbury has become a good boy.

Train on time, play according to tactics on the court, dilute a lot of ball possession, and let Pierce and Duncan take the main attack.

As for himself, his statistics have dropped from 20+8 last season to 15+7 this season. If you only look at the statistics, this guy has almost gone directly from an All-Star to an excellent starting level.

But anyone who watched the game would give Marbury a thumbs up and say: Stephen has matured!

His playing style is no longer so fancy but useless. He put away those useless moves and became more pragmatic.

This change allowed him to have the best shooting percentage and the fewest turnovers in his career even though his scoring and assists decreased.

The now-defunct Marbury even tried his best on the defensive end and was no longer the sieve he used to be.

This season, he has transformed into "Political Commissar Ma" ahead of schedule.

In short, the Celtics this season are quite strong!

Their starting players are all guys with both fame and strength. Three of them have All-Star or even MVP level strength. The remaining Howard and Davis are either future superstars or quasi-stars.

In addition, the forward line composed of Davis and Pierce is tall and strong. Although they are not fast, the style of this team is quite tough! Otherwise, they would not be called a top defensive team comparable to the Pistons.

Of course, their playing style is even more dull and less exciting than the Pistons. This team has almost no exciting moments and rounds. They are like a heavy, slow but indestructible siege hammer, with extremely strong strength!

They and the Knicks are like two sides of a mirror. The Knicks are crazy, passionate, and enthusiastic and almost never stop.

They are steady, calm, rational, boring and almost never get carried away.

"This round of matchup is definitely the most different and unpredictable in the second round of the series!" Barkley said excitedly before the start of the first game: "The two sides have completely opposite playing styles. The two teams are like ice and fire, heaven and earth."

"It doesn't even seem like they're playing the same sport! I know that among the four matchups in this series, the one with the highest expectations and the highest ratings is definitely the four-star showdown between the Lakers and the Timberwolves!"

"But for me personally, this set of A Song of Ice and Fire makes me look forward to it even more!"

"I'm very curious about how these two teams will play out! Will the Knicks' indestructible spear pierce the Celtics' strong shield, or will the Celtics' shield that can resist anything break the Knicks' spear?"

Kenny followed up, "The league's best offensive team facing off against the league's second-best defensive team is really exciting to think about! Which is better, a balanced offense or an extreme offense? I believe everyone is as curious as I am!"

"Another worrying thing is the state of several main players of the Knicks. Anthony and Okur did not find their form at all in the first round. Although they played quite well in the fourth game, their touch was obviously not back."

"In addition, Stoudemire played an unparalleled performance in the first round of the series and was the second contributor to the team's easy sweep of the Cavaliers! So in the second round, facing the inside combination of Duncan and Howard, can Stoudemire continue his performance?"

"If Anthony and others still can't find their form, and Stoudemire is watched closely by the twin towers of Duncan and Howard, then this series will become a one-on-one fight for Lin! He will have to hold up the team by himself and carry the team forward by himself again."

"I think this might be what some fans are looking forward to the most."

Barkley said: "Let's take a look at the keys to victory for the two teams given by our staff!"

"Celtics: 1. Control the frontcourt rebounds so that Lin can't lead the team in counterattacks; 2. Pay attention to the defense during pick-and-rolls so that Lin can't lead the team in coordination; 3. Marbury should consume Lin as much as possible and try not to be beaten too badly by Lin."

"Okay, just guard against Lin."

Kenny smiled and said, "Let's look at the Knicks again: 1. Anthony finds his touch; 2. Stoudemire continues his touch; 3. Lin continues to play steadily."

"Okay, not to be upset with my coworkers or to cause trouble, but I think the Knicks' key to winning is complete bullshit."

Following the two commentators' advance announcements, pre-match analysis and jokes in the commentary booth, the ten players from both teams have once again stepped onto the court.

Both sides knew what kind of match this was, so everyone was gearing up and determined to take the lead tonight and win the first game of the series!
Howard shook his head and stood in the center circle with a relaxed look on his face. He was also the most relaxed and nonchalant guy in the entire stadium. Even before the jump ball, he stretched out his fist and prepared to fist-bump with Okur on the opposite side.

It’s just that Okur ignored him and rolled his eyes.

What kind of monsters are the kids nowadays?
Then when the referee blew the whistle and the two players started to jump the ball, Okur once again confirmed his previous thought: Today's kids are really all monsters!
Howard jumped so high that his knees almost hit Okur's chest.

This is not the first time the two have faced off against each other, but every time they do, Okur is shocked by Howard's crazy physical fitness.

Marbury held the basketball, but instead of moving forward quickly like he did in previous games and then trying to get a good shot himself, he held the ball with his back to the basket, then directed his teammates to move, and finally slowly got into position and moved forward.

"Stephen, to be honest, you disappoint me a lot. I..." Lin Tian was about to say some trash talk to Marbury when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Hey hey hey! We are niggers, yo yo yo, we have money, lots of money and lots of girls calling for us."

Marbury interrupted what Lin Tian was about to say with a loud and unpleasant rap.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Lin Tian looked at Marbury with an expression of disbelief. Is he possessed by Jay-Z?
"I have a Ferrari, I'm moving downtown, I can drift and stun you, you're just eating my ass!"

Fuck it.

Lin Tian looked at Marbury who was immersed in his singing, and stopped talking trash. He took a step forward, blocked the position, and put up a close defense on Marbury.

While rushing forward, Lin Tian did not forget to reach out to steal the ball. After two consecutive attempts, Marbury's singing finally stopped.

There is no time to sing, Lin Tian’s defense is too fierce!

If you keep distracting yourself by thinking about the lyrics, then you don't have to attack and can just retreat and defend.

“Sing! Keep singing!” Lin Tian reached for the basketball in Marbury’s hand and taunted him, “I have plenty of money, and I haven’t heard enough!”

Do you think I'm a salesperson?
Marbury glared and was about to curse back, but suddenly he remembered what Duncan had said before the game and swallowed the curse back into his stomach.

Damn it, just sing!
Marbury quickly passed the ball to Pierce who rushed over to receive the ball, and then started towards Lin Tian.

"My gold watch is bigger than your penis, and my chain is thicker than your life! I can enter your soul and make you feel like you are in heaven!"

"Go to hell." Unexpectedly, Marbury actually started singing again. Lin Tian was in no mood to listen to him. He knocked Marbury on the stomach with his elbow without saying a word, and then he was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore.

At the same time, Lin Tian's gaze also shifted to Duncan, who had just received the ball outside the 3-second zone. This guy held his back to Stoudemire, turned his back to create space, and then made a high-handed lob shot almost without leaving the ground. The basketball left his hand and went into the net.

The Celtics took the lead.

"You're the one who taught that bastard to sing." Lin Tian looked at Duncan who was returning to defense and asked as he crossed paths with him, "Except for you, no one else on your team is so dirty."

"Hey, hey..." Duncan scratched his head and smiled innocently. Then he turned around and found Pierce, rubbing his head: "Good pass, Paul!"

Looking at this action, Lin Tian could already imagine that the thickness of Pierce's hair would decrease rapidly in the next two years.

Poor Pierce!
After mumbling something, Lin Tian turned around and looked at Stoudemire at the baseline: "Ball!"

Knicks attack! (End of this chapter)