20demayo Chapter 592 This Arenas, is he perhaps possessed by someone else?
Chapter 592 This Arenas, is he perhaps possessed by someone else?
After Arenas finished speaking, he suddenly accelerated and, with Jeffries' screen, rushed towards the inside at high speed!
The Knicks' defense has never been very helpful. Stoudemire and Okur only made token gestures, allowing Arenas to easily drive into the paint and score a layup for 2 points!
"Thanks! I'll definitely treat you after the game!" After scoring, Arenas continued to adhere to his newly established strategy: no trash talk, absolutely no trash talk! I'd rather die than talk trash!
Take it easy, and do your best.
Lin Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to this guy. He dribbled the ball across half-court again, then accelerated past Arenas, and found Anthony running on the wing, assisting him to score a mid-range shot!
Arenas, playing the "honest and reliable" style, dribbled the ball again. This time, instead of attacking, he passed the ball to Jamison, who then faced up against Stoudemire and scored!
Next up was the Knicks, and this time it was Okur who took the shot. He received a pass from Lin Tian outside the three-point line, pulled up and shot, and the three-pointer went straight to the bullseye!
After the Wizards' two star players had both scored, it was naturally Butler's turn next. He waited for Arenas's drive and pass in the corner, and after receiving the ball, he forced a three-pointer over Anthony's defense and it went in!
The performance of both sides in the first three rounds, along with their efficient and relaxed offensive environment, already indicated the pace and tone of this match and even this series.
That means if you don't defend and I don't defend, we all shoot together!
Hurry up and I'll push it forward, let's bang it together!
This series is destined to have little defense. This game will be all about who has the hottest shooting touch and who is the most efficient among the three top-tier offensive players from each side! Whoever does it will win!
But honestly, if we only compare the scoring efficiency and scoring ability of their respective trios, then if the Wizards' trio scores 80 points, then the Knicks' trio would probably score 95 points!
Not to mention the obvious gap between the core trio, top-tier stars can bridge that gap through periods of exceptional performance or entering the zone.
However, if you include role players, the gap between the two sides becomes even more obvious and difficult to bridge!
The Knicks have excellent role players and pieces like Okur, Houston, Wallace, Smith, and Barnes. What about the Wizards?
They only had Daniels, Haywood, Atkins, and Jeffries.
The gap between the role players was so huge that they didn't even need Lin Tian and others to exert their full strength to win the game by relying on the bench!
For example, in the first game, the starters of both sides fought back and forth in the first quarter, and the score reached 33-38!
The Wizards are only down by 5 points.
However, in the second quarter, when both sides' substitutes and rotation players began to enter the game, the score gap widened further.
In less than 3 minutes, the Knicks extended their lead to 12 points, forcing Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan to bring in their Big Three early, which finally turned the tide and allowed them to start catching up.
Meanwhile, Don Nelson of the Knicks remained calm until the gap between the two sides narrowed to 5 points again. With 6 minutes left in the second quarter, he finally brought Lin Tian and Stoudemire onto the court.
This strategy of waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out and using players from different positions to widen the score gap again!
In the final 5 minutes, the Knicks took advantage of their physical strength and extended their lead to 15 points!
60: 75!
At halftime, the Knicks had exploded for 75 points and held a 15-point lead! They had the game's pace completely under their control!
In the third quarter, the Wizards, having recovered their strength and form slightly after the halftime break, launched another counterattack. With their three key players playing the entire third quarter at full strength, they narrowed the gap to 10 points in this quarter, maintaining their possibility of winning and turning the game around.
But in the fourth quarter, when Eddie Jordan had to rest Arenas and Jamison and only let the youngest and most physically fit Butler continue to play, Don Nelson's change of tactics directly crushed the Wizards!
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the person leading the team was no longer Anthony, but Lin Tian!
Lin Tian led Houston, Nate, Smith, and Okur in the transition period of the fourth quarter.
This was Don Nelson's first and last tactical change of the game!
Because once is enough!
With Lin Tian on the court, the Knicks were able to maintain their offensive rhythm and efficiency. Under his leadership, the Knicks launched an offensive frenzy at the beginning of the fourth quarter that Eddie Jordan and the entire Wizards team could not resist!
The first offensive play of the game saw Lin Tian drive to the basket and pass to the smaller Nate beyond the three-point line. Nate showed no signs of nervousness expected of a rookie, and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer!
Then Lin Tian personally went to guard Butler, locking down the only player on the Wizards' court who could initiate the offense. Without Butler having the ball, the Wizards could only rely on Atkins' one-on-one to try to score points, but how could a player of Atkins' caliber possibly save the team?
His attack ended in a missed shot. Okur grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Lin Tian. Lin Tian dribbled the ball forward and threw it directly into the air. Smith, who was running at high speed, caught the basketball in mid-air and then soared and slammed the ball into the basket again!
It started with a 5-0 score!
Eddie Jordan wanted to make a substitution; he had already sensed something was wrong. But after glancing at Jamison and Arenas, who were panting heavily and clearly still not recovered, he decided to play it safe for now.
This decisive move completely eliminated any suspense in the match!
Daniels' next one-on-one attempt missed again, Lin Tian grabbed the rebound, and then took the lead again to launch a counterattack, driving all the way to the basket and completely flattening the Wizards' defense. He then turned around and found Okur following up outside the three-point line.
Okur received the ball and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer, which went in again!
"Give it to Caron! Give it to Caron! Let Caron play!" Eddie Jordan was already yelling angrily, hoping the team would get the ball to Butler to organize and attack.
But as soon as Butler got the ball, he was met with Lin Tian pressing him directly. Although Butler had a size advantage, being 10 centimeters taller than Lin Tian, he was no match for Lin Tian in terms of strength, speed, and skill.
He wanted to back down, but couldn't break through; he wanted to attack head-on, but couldn't find any opening.
He dribbled the ball at the top of the arc for more than 10 seconds, trying to drive in or find a shooting opportunity, but to no avail.
Butler finally decided to pass the ball with three seconds left on the shot clock, but it was too late!
Under Lin Tian's interference, his passing quality was quite low. By the time Daniels got the ball, the 24-second violation bell had already rung!
The Wizards were actually forced to commit a 24-second violation by the Knicks!
"Who says Lin doesn't deserve to be on the All-Defensive Team? Who? Step forward!" Barkley roared excitedly. "Anyone who knows basketball knows how great Lin's defense is! Go ask those guys who guarded him, ask them if Lin's defense is any good!"
"His defense isn't as good as it was during his Pacers days! But he's still the king of this league! He can still dominate any player he's matched up against!"
"FUXX! Gilbert, Antoine, go!" With the game going like this, Eddie Jordan didn't dare to be careless. Taking advantage of the dead ball, he quickly brought Arenas and Jamison up.
Honestly, it's a defensive possession right now. Bringing these two in early won't really help the team. He should hold on for another 20 seconds and let the stronger bench players finish the possession before making substitutions.
But clearly, it's too late for regrets now.
Lin Tian wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. After a pick-and-roll, he faced Jamison, whose defense was quite poor. With a forward drive and a step-back, he created a shooting space of more than 2 meters for himself.
Lin Tian glanced up at the basket, then looked down at the three-point line, and pulled up for a shot. The three-pointer went in perfectly!
"Whoosh!"
After that crisp sound, the point difference between the two sides widened to more than 20 points!
11: 0!
Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Knicks unleashed an 11-0 run, completely overwhelming the Wizards!
"Absolutely breathtaking!" Kenny couldn't help but shake his head. "These two minutes of the match were simply breathtaking! Lin's performance was just too good! He seemed to be a level above everyone else; he was simply unstoppable!"
"I think the outcome of this match is no longer in doubt!"
This time, Kenny guessed right!
Although the Wizards fielded their full starting lineup early, they were already exhausted from previous games and lacked stamina. Furthermore, they were down by 20 points, which significantly diminished their fighting spirit and motivation.
The third lineup was the Knicks' ace roster, which also made its appearance in the following minutes!
The simultaneous return of Stoudemire and Anthony turned Washington's hopes for a comeback into a pipe dream.
They were never able to narrow the gap to within 20 points again. With 5 minutes left in the game, both coaches tacitly substituted all the key players, signaling that the game was over!
109: 131!
The Knicks easily won the first game with a 22-point advantage!
The second game of the series was almost a carbon copy of the first game.
The two sides traded blows in the first and third quarters. In the second quarter, the Wizards fell behind due to a lack of bench depth. Although Eddie Jordan dared not rest his players in the fourth quarter and sent out his three musketeers early, even the three of them together could not gain the upper hand against Lin Tian.
They failed to narrow the gap at the beginning of the fourth quarter; instead, the score widened again after Anthony and others came on the court!
But Eddie Jordan's early start was a useful tactic, and the Wizards lost much less in this game.
115: 129!
They only lost by 14 points in Game 2 of the series!
It's worth mentioning that although the Wizards didn't put up much resistance in the first two games of the series and didn't create much suspense, their three musketeers all performed quite well.
阿里纳斯两场比赛分别拿下33分3篮板7助攻和36分6篮板6助攻。
Jamison also scored 20+10 in two consecutive games, while Butler scored 17 points in the first game and 28 points in the second game!
It's fair to say that the Wizards' Big Three unleashed their full offensive power! But they still couldn't win!
Because the other team performed better!
林天继续着自己连续三双的表现，他分别拿下33分11篮板17助攻和42分14篮板12助攻的数据，将自己季后赛连续3双的场次提升到了6场！同时他季后赛的场均数据比起常规赛那也是大幅度的增加！
Everyone could see that Lin Tian was starting to exert his strength in the playoffs!
Stoudemire and Anthony both performed admirably in these two games, scoring over 20 points with good efficiency!
"For the Wizards to win, they can't just rely on their usual performance. If they want to avoid being swept by the Knicks, either all three of their stars need to play exceptionally well, giving 150% of their energy and performance, or role players like Daniels and Atkins need to have a breakout performance, hitting 5-6 of their three-pointers."
After the second game, Barkley started giving the Wizards advice, something TNT does every series: offering advice to the losing team.
"Charles is right. It's almost impossible for the Wizards to win with their regular lineup," Kenny added. "To win, the Wizards need to find a surprise player, or upgrade their main players to another level. Only then will they have a chance!"
"The good news is that the next two games will be held in Washington, D.C. Perhaps then, with the home-court advantage, the Wizards will be able to find a way to turn the series around?"
"But it must be mentioned that although the Wizards lost two games in a row, the offensive battle between the two teams was really exciting! They gave us one of the league's top offensive battles and a superb performance."
"I love this series! I really hope this offensive duel continues! Ideally, it would go to a Game 7!"
"That bastard Kenny cursed us! Tell him for me I sent him a cute middle finger!" After the second game, Lin Tian heard the reporters' 'expectations' about Kenny and immediately laughed, "Our goal for this series is the same as the last one!"
"We're going to be the first team to advance, and we'll be waiting for our opponents in the Eastern Conference Finals!"
"Last season we played too hard and had too many Game 7s. This season, we need to rest and recover! That's my thought!"
"If we can play one less game, then we'll play one less game!"
Lin Tian's arrogant declaration and sweeping victory message after the game naturally reached the Wizards' press conference immediately.
The reporters were eager to throw the question at Arenas, who was equally unruly, arrogant, and domineering, and ask him for his opinion on the matter.
"Lin's statement proves that they have absolute confidence. I think the actual situation in the first two games also proves that his view is correct. Their strength is indeed far superior to ours, and they certainly have the right to be arrogant."
"They are the best team in the league, they have a historic level of offense, and Lin has had a near-perfect season. I never dreamed I would be teammates with someone who averages a triple-double! Lin is incredible, the Knicks are incredible! Their offense is breathtaking!"
"So, when they say they want to sweep us away, I have nothing to say, and I'm not angry."
"No, if I had to say, I'm just angry at myself! I'm angry at myself for being so useless, for playing so badly, for not playing well enough, for not making Lin and the others take us seriously, and for not making them see us as real competitors."
"As the leader, I am not without fault! It's my problem! But from now on, we will play better, and I will show Lin that his former little brother has grown up and can now spread his wings and soar."
How should I put it, Arenas?
It made people think he was possessed by an evil spirit and started talking nonsense. Even Lin Tian thought: This kid might have been possessed by some dirty thing.
It's one of those super popular ones, what was it again?
Things like "I'm the villain in a novel" or "I transmigrated into the body of a cannon fodder extra".
Could the soul inside Arenas also be a time traveler?
Otherwise, how could he be so humble and honest?
Lin Tian and the reporters clearly remember that in this season's game where the Timberwolves played the Wizards on the road, Iverson scored 48 points to lead his team to victory.
After the game, he arrogantly said that Arenas was just a little brat.
How did Arenas respond?
At the press conference, he launched a scathing attack on Iverson for five minutes, using both direct and indirect criticism.
Then, in their next game against the Timberwolves on the road, Arenas scored his first 50+ point game of his career, leading his team to a successful revenge!
Arenas's style and persona are characterized by his outspokenness and willingness to take a stand.
Who the hell is this honest, humble, calm, and composed guy?
Even Washington fans were unhappy: "No matter what kind of filth you are, give us back our Gilbert!"
Evil spirits, begone!
Arenas's voluntary admission of defeat, and his statement of voluntarily lowering himself while expressing a desire to improve, frankly, made the media quite bored.
That's not what they want to see.
They want to see a good show! If the whole league is just having a blast, how are we media people supposed to make a living?
There has to be controversy and hostility!
As a result, many disgruntled media outlets that failed to make a living began to fabricate stories about Arenas.
Wizards' star player openly shows weakness! His fear of Lin Tian runs deep!
"Even if the Wizards built their team around him, they would never reach the conference finals in 800 years!"
Is Washington ready with a multi-million dollar contract? This is bound to be the worst contract in history!
"You're a zero, you're utterly useless! The Wizards can't achieve glory under your leadership!"
……
Regarding the reporters' fabrication, the fans' disappointment, the teammates' doubts, and Lin Tian's speculations, Arenas said: "You guys are all being way too dramatic!"
There's only one reason why I'm such a coward!
Money!
He's supposed to sign a new contract this summer, and having learned from Hughes' experience, Arenas had already figured it out.
For money, I can endure anything!
Now he only has two paths in front of him.
1. He made outrageous remarks and argued with Lin Tian, but was then completely overwhelmed by Lin Tian's furious defense and was swept aside. The 6-year, 1 million contract that he might have gotten in the summer was directly reduced to 6 years and 8000 million.
2. He swallowed his anger and engaged in a mutual fraud scheme with Lin Tiancheng. After achieving impressive stats, he was smugly swept aside, and then in the summer, he won a contract worth hundreds of millions of yuan, reaching the pinnacle of his life.
Arenas isn't an idiot; he knows exactly what to choose! (End of Chapter)