20demayo Chapter 492 Let's see who kills whom tonight!
Chapter 492 Let's see who kills whom tonight!
The first offensive possession of the fourth quarter presented the Pacers with an opportunity.
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, raised one hand to direct his teammates' positioning, and then passed the ball to Miller near the free-throw line, letting him organize the team's offense. As for Lin Tian, he circled around and drove into the Timberwolves' interior.
The entire Timberwolves defense was immediately on edge, with everyone tense and quickly collapsing their defense. However, this collapse left Artest exposed at the top of the arc. Artest received Miller's pass, glanced at the three-point line, and then decisively took the shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Artest hit a 3-pointer to start the game, extending the lead to 10 points!
After Artest hit the three-pointer, the entire Conseco Center erupted in cheers!
The fans were shouting wildly!
A 10-point lead gave them hope of victory!
And, sweep the series and become the hope of winning the championship again!
At the same time, the atmosphere in the entire stadium was completely ignited by this goal!
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The fans' frenzied roars greatly increased the Pacers players' defensive motivation. Lin Tian led the way, shouting to remind his teammates to play good defense, and their defensive intensity reached its peak!
But on the other side, there were two top stars, Iverson and Garnett. Facing the Pacers' relentless defense, although the Timberwolves were almost forced into a 24-second violation, in the final moments, it was Iverson who forced a fadeaway jumper over Lin Tian's defense in the mid-range and made it!
Although it was only one round, both teams' players were panting heavily after the round!
This one round of intense competition has exhausted the little energy that both sides had painstakingly accumulated during the break. The rest of the time will be a test of their willpower and endurance!
8 points!
When Lin Tian received the ball and faced double defense again during the Pacers' offense, he once again chose to pass the ball. Then, using his off-ball skills and huge off-ball threat, he led the Timberwolves players around and around, tearing the entire Timberwolves defense apart.
Under Lin Tian's pressure, the other Pacers players naturally got a lot of opportunities. This time, the opportunity came from Haslem. Haslem caught the ball and made a jump shot, scoring 2 points again!
Still 10 points!
The Timberwolves' offense still revolved around Iverson's pick-and-roll. This time, he passed the ball to Garnett, who displayed a rare toughness and ferocity on offense, driving straight to the basket and unleashing a powerful one-handed dunk!
This shot was not only powerful, but it also drew a foul from Miller, resulting in a 2+1!
With Garnett making the free throw, the score difference between the two sides returned to 7 points.
In the next round, Lin Tian simply stopped dribbling and advanced. He ran directly to the frontcourt, and Christie took over Lin Tian's job, dribbling the ball to the frontcourt and waiting for Lin Tian's run.
After the Pacers scored two goals in a row, the Timberwolves' defense finally changed slightly. They stopped chasing and blocking Lin Tian and only assigned Cassell to follow him. However, one person, especially an old man, obviously couldn't keep up with Lin Tian.
Seeing that there was only one person following him, Lin Tian was not going to give the Timberwolves any face. He quickly accelerated to one side, successfully got the basketball, and pulled up and shot it from inside the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
Lin Tian proved with his actions that if you loosen your defense against him even slightly, he will make you pay a heavy price!
Lin Tian made the Timberwolves pay the price, and the Timberwolves didn't hold back either. Their lineup of one big man and four small men had an absolute advantage in flexibility. Relying on the pick-and-roll between Iverson and Garnett to attract the defense, the two of them found Szczerbiak outside the three-point line twice in a row.
While Szczerbiak's athleticism is among the worst for a small forward, his shooting ability always gives him plenty of opportunities to drive to the basket. Also, when the Pacers are guarding Haslem, Szczerbiak's speed becomes an advantage!
In two consecutive plays, Szczerbiak caught the ball and shot directly once, and caught the ball and dribbled one step before shooting again.
While Szczerbiak scored 6 consecutive points, the Pacers' offense didn't falter either. Lin Tian once again took advantage of the Timberwolves having only one defender guarding him to drive to the basket and score a layup.
However, the Pacers' next attack failed to score because they increased their defensive intensity against Lin Tian again, no longer daring to let him score so recklessly. This time, the Pacers' opportunity came from Miller at the free-throw line, but his shot missed.
Fortunately, when the Timberwolves launched another attack, Lin Tian once again made a decisive move, swatting away Cassell's pass that he was trying to pass to Iverson.
However, the Pacers failed to mount a counterattack this time, as the Timberwolves' defense retreated too quickly!
Seeing no chance to make a transition, Carlisle simply called a timeout!
In this back-and-forth exchange, the Timberwolves managed to narrow the gap to 5 points thanks to Szczerbiak's 3-pointer.
We must address Szczerbiak's clear advantage at this point!
After a moment's thought, Carlisle substituted Parker to deal with Iverson, while Lin Tian continued to bully Cassell while also providing help defense and covering for his teammates.
As for the player who was substituted, it was Haslem, a power forward with insufficient mobility.
After some adjustments, the Pacers' Miller faced Garnett, Artest and Sprewell continued their "Beast Maniac" battle, Christie and Szczerbiak, two technical players, had a chance to go head-to-head, and Lin Tian and Parker faced the Timberwolves' backcourt duo.
The game continues!
With Parker on the court, Lin Tian unhesitatingly handed over the playmaking and dribbling duties to Parker. He then went directly to the low post, backed down Cassell, and reached out for the ball.
Parker instructed his teammates to move to the other side to give Lin Tian enough space, and then passed the ball to Lin Tian.
On the court, Lin Tian and Parker faced off against Iverson and Carlisle on the side with the ball.
The remaining six players were pulled to the other side of the basket.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian took a quick look and found that the Timberwolves' defense had once again failed to double-team him. He didn't give them any chance to double-team him, so he turned around and took a fadeaway jump shot, scoring two points again!
Still 7 points!
Lin Tian has already scored 6 points in this quarter!
"That's insane! 49 points already!" Barkley shook his head and sighed, "The Timberwolves' defense against Lin has been this crazy! They only failed to double-team Lin three times in total, just three times!"
"But Lin Tian capitalized on all three of those opportunities, scoring a whopping 6 points! The Timberwolves' defense has truly reached its peak! They've done everything in their power to deny Lin any one-on-one chances."
"Even in this situation, Lin still managed to seize every fleeting opportunity and every chance that came his way."
"What should the Timberwolves do? Kenny, what would you do if you were in their shoes?"
Kenny, who was singled out by Barkley, said, "Ask any coach in the world about this question, and they won't be able to give you the answer. This is an unsolved mystery and an intractable problem that the entire league must face!"
"If someone could solve this problem, the Pacers wouldn't have won five championships in six years and come so close to a sixth championship in seven years."
"So now you're asking me what to do? All I can say is that I'll go to church every month for a month before I play against Lin, and hope that God can feel my devotion and then use his energy to seal the rim so that Lin can't make a shot."
In the following games, the Timberwolves really didn't dare to let Lin Tian go anymore. They were completely terrified by Lin Tian's consecutive 6 points. For a long time afterward, no matter where Lin Tian was, there would be 2 people following him.
As for the rest of the Pacers?
Give it to Garnett!
This was Sanders' only option. He could only pray that Garnett's strong help defense and almost unparalleled mobility in the paint would come in handy. He hoped that Garnett could disrupt all of the Pacers' players' shots and attempts as much as possible.
Then, let's pray that the rest of the Pacers miss their shots.
Unfortunately, Garnett did his best to defend, and he disrupted or blocked the Pacers' shots on several occasions.
However, despite the numerous offensive opportunities, the Pacers players were still able to put the ball into the basket time and time again!
Fortunately, the Timberwolves' offense wasn't weak either. Their offense in the fourth quarter today focused on one thing: rationality! Extremely rationality!
They built their team around Iverson and Garnett, constantly executing pick-and-rolls, passes, and cuts.
Iverson barely made a single strong attack tonight. Every offensive move he made was carefully considered, and he would try to find the best-positioned teammate who was easiest to score against.
The Timberwolves' offense became completely cohesive in the fourth quarter, showcasing the ultimate teamwork!
What underpinned the team's coordination was their formidable individual abilities! Iverson's repeated attacks were met with Garnett's unusually fierce and tough style, as he also relentlessly assaulted the Pacers' interior defense!
130: 134!
With three minutes remaining in the game, the score difference between the two teams was four points!
Both sides played aggressive offensive basketball in this quarter, with high success rates and a fast pace!
At this point in the game, the Timberwolves' Iverson has 33 points, Garnett has 30 points, and the remaining players Sprewell, Szczerbiak, and Cassell have all scored over 20 points! The team's five starters have truly given their all tonight, and not one of them has faltered!
They all delivered the best performances of their careers!
As for the Pacers, their primary offensive weapon remains Lin Tian. Whether on offense or defense, they play with Lin Tian as the absolute core of the team.
Even though Lin Tian has only scored 8 points so far in the fourth quarter, and even though he hardly handles the ball to organize the offense, the rest of the Pacers players have gained a lot of opportunities in this quarter because of his constant shaking off the ball and off-ball movement.
Lin Tian creates opportunities, and the others seize them!
On the defensive end, Lin Tian gave his all; he was like a miniature, but deluxe, version of Garnett!
He's omnipresent on defense; he'll appear anywhere on the court, wherever there's an opening! He'll constantly roam across all areas of the court to help his teammates fill those gaps!
第四节打到这会儿，林天已经轰下了51分14篮板15助攻9抢断9盖帽了！
His data has reached an unimaginable level!
He put up numbers that no one in NBA history has ever achieved before!
Because his data tonight was so outrageous, several TV stations broadcasting the game set up a separate small area in the lower right corner of their screens specifically to display Lin Tian's real-time data!
With three minutes left in the game, everyone was hoping that Lin Tian would add another point to his stats.
A steal and a block!
The five-double event in the finals is just around the corner!
Even if he doesn't get it, everyone hopes he can at least get four pairs!
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are looking forward to this!
Barkley, a die-hard fan of Lin Tian, clenched his fists even more tightly, his palms sweating.
I'm so nervous! Extremely nervous!
He felt even more nervous than Lin Tian on the field!
Because Barkley knows better than anyone that some opportunities, once missed, will never come again in this lifetime!
If Lin Tian doesn't get five pairs today, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
Even Barkley was hoping that Lin Tian would get the quintuplet, even if the Pacers lost!
After all, there are plenty of people who lose in the finals, and it's probably impossible for anyone in the world's top basketball leagues to achieve a five-double!
"Beep beep!"
With the referee's whistle, the timeout ended, and the Pacers inbounded the ball.
This time, the basketball was finally given to Lin Tian!
He received the basketball two meters outside the three-point line, and after just one dribble, the Timberwolves' double team came in!
Iverson and Carlisle positioned themselves on the left and right sides, effectively blocking Lin Tian's dribbling and driving space.
Lin Tian originally wanted to take another step back to buy himself some space, but these two guys had obviously received Sanders' instructions during the pause and directly attacked Lin Tian's body!
The two people were like two pendants, one on each side, practically riding on Lin Tian's body. The three of them were completely piled on top of each other, like they were doing some kind of shameful performance art.
Then, Iverson reacted quickly. Since the referee hadn't blown the whistle, he took action!
A slap landed without warning, not caring whether it hit Lin Tian's arm or the ball. In any case, the basketball was sent flying out of Lin Tian's control and towards the backcourt.
Cassell and Iverson worked together seamlessly. Cassell also stepped to the side to block Lin Tian, while tugging at Lin Tian's clothes, trying to stop Lin Tian from chasing after Iverson.
"Get lost!"
Lin Tian didn't care whether the referee blew the whistle or not; since Iverson didn't stop, he had to chase!
He slapped away Cassell's hand that was grabbing his jersey, then accelerated wildly, unleashing his full speed as the king of the 100-meter dash, chasing Iverson all the way to the Pacers' basket!
Iverson never expected Lin Tian to catch up to him under these circumstances, so he shot somewhat casually, and to conserve energy, he didn't dunk but instead took a layup.
Then, to his astonishment, he saw a large hand reach out from behind him and slap the basketball onto the backboard!
"Goal-scoring! Goal-scoring! Goal-scoring!" Iverson yelled like a madman, jumping up and down on the spot. He swore that Lin Tian blocked the ball after it hit the backboard, making it an absolute goal-scoring violation!
But just as the referee had ignored the fouls committed by Iverson and Cassell, he also ignored whether Lin Tian's ambiguous and extremely extreme chase-down block was goaltending.
Without hesitation, the referee signaled: the game continues!
Iverson just jumped twice on the spot. After seeing that the referee was unmoved, he quickly threw himself into the game. He rushed to the frontcourt just a step slower than Lin Tian and double-teamed Lin Tian once again!
"You won't always be this lucky, and the referees won't always be on your side!" Iverson glared at Lin Tian, lowered his body, and prepared to continue his strong attack on Lin Tian.
"I'll say the same thing to you. Do you really think your steal just now was clean and without any problems?"
"No!"
"My blocks were just as clean! There wasn't even a hint of goaltending!"
"You're talking nonsense! That's goaltending!"
"You stole the thug's hand! You idiot!"
While the two were bickering, Cassell seized the opportunity to steal the ball again, aiming to double-team Lin Tian with Iverson once more!
Iverson reacted incredibly quickly. As soon as he saw Cassell move, he followed suit, wanting to take things to a whole new level—I mean, to increase the intensity!
Lin Tian had already suffered a loss once, so how could he possibly give these two guys another chance?
With their lazy bear-climbing-tree defensive method, even if Spider-Man came, he would still get the ball stolen!
Lin Tian immediately passed the ball to Parker, who was waiting on the other side. Parker received the ball and quickly sprinted forward, reaching the basket in the blink of an eye before making a floater and scoring again!
Parker perfectly fulfilled his role as the surprise weapon tonight! He has already scored 14 points tonight, including his 6th in the fourth quarter alone, and he also had 3 assists in the fourth quarter!
His breakthroughs and passes after tearing apart the defense kept the Timberwolves on their toes! They never expected that after Lin Tian was completely contained, the Pacers could suddenly produce such a guy who could constantly tear apart their defense!
130: 136!
The point difference between the two sides has reached 6 points!
2 minute and 30 seconds left!
It wasn't until this point, when the Timberwolves adopted a strategy of slowly dribbling forward, that Barkley finally had time to cheer!
Those last two rounds were incredibly tense! So tense that even experienced commentators like Barkley and Kenny could barely keep up with the pace of the game, instead of celebrating Lin Tian's incredible achievement!
"A quadruple-double! Lin did it! A quadruple-double!" Barkley exclaimed as if he himself had achieved it: "Fifth in NBA history! First in playoff history! First in Finals history! The first time a guard has achieved a quadruple-double in blocks! And almost a quintuple-double!"
"Furthermore, this is the first quadruple-double in history with over 40 points, and also the first quadruple-double in history with over 50 points! What's even more incredible is that there were still more than two minutes left in the game!"
「林的抢断数也是9次！他能达成前无古人后无来者的5双幺？2分30秒！这是我这辈子以来，最紧张也最期待的2分30秒！」
"The Timberwolves are on the frontcourt, is Lin going to steal the ball?" Kenny, now brimming with anticipation after Lin Tian's amazing performance, shouted, "Lin went for the steal! He didn't succeed! Too bad, he lost his defensive position, and Iverson hit a mid-range jumper!"
"Even Lin, when faced with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, would be a little careless and anxious! But we can all understand, we all understand Lin's thoughts! What if he succeeds?"
132: 136!
Iverson just dodged Lin Tian's steal with a behind-the-back dribble, then hit a mid-range jump shot, bringing the team back a valuable 2 points.
"It's mine!" Lin Tian raised his hand in apology, "I couldn't help it, this is the last time! I swear!"
Just as Ken said, Lin Tian really couldn't resist the temptation.
That's a five-double! And it was in the finals.
Lin Tian couldn't resist and fell for Iverson's trick.
But sometimes, once is enough.
The same trick can't work on a Saint Seiya twice!
Lin Tian remained unhurried, continuing to dribble past half-court. Just like before, as soon as he approached the three-point line, the Timberwolves double-teamed him!
They were determined to watch Lin Tian die tonight, and then pray that no one else could defeat them!
Lin Tian wasn't in a hurry. In his eyes, this kind of reckless defense was full of open spaces and weaknesses!
He passed the ball to Parker once again.
Parker dribbled forward two steps, then, after drawing help defense, passed the ball to Artest. Artest, however, did not continue to drive to the basket. Instead, he suddenly stopped and pulled up for a jump shot!
That was a good choice; he was wide open when he jumped.
But the pull-up jump shot is something he shouldn't be doing at all.
He doesn't have that skill in his skill set!
The good news is that Artest is quite self-aware.
"Too short!"
He shouted, reminding his teammates to grab the offensive rebound.
Then, he saw a yellow figure rush into the paint and leap into the air!
Lin Tian!
At a time like this, who else could it be but Lin Tian?
Sprewell had already grabbed the rebound, but Lin Tian jumped up from behind Sprewell and snatched the ball from his hands with a swift, behind-the-head grab.
After landing, Lin Tian didn't even give Sprewell a chance to turn around and defend him. He touched the ground with his toes and took off again as if he had springs in his body!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian grabbed the rim with both hands, shook it violently, and roared!
Sprewell, now between Lin Tian's legs, became yet another unlucky guy tonight to be dunked on by Lin Tian!
"Didn't your coach teach you to hold on tight when you get a rebound, so someone can just take it away?" Lin Tian mocked Sprewell. "Oh my God, sorry, my old buddy, I forgot you don't have a coach."
"When your coach was teaching you how to play, you were choking him so he couldn't speak, weren't you?"
"Does that count as a steal?" Barkley asked excitedly and expectantly. "Will Lin Tian get another steal?"
"Don't be silly, Charles, that was an offensive rebound. How could that be a steal?" Kenny shook his head, exasperated. "You know the rules. A ball that isn't fully under your control doesn't count as a steal!"
"Of course I know, I was just hoping the on-site data statistician would make a mistake, but unfortunately, it wasn't included!" Barkley looked at the small data box at the bottom of the screen that belonged exclusively to Lin Tian and shook his head regretfully.
Two minutes left!
Can Lin Tian break the record again?
Barkley didn't even care much about the outcome of the game anymore; he only cared whether Lin Tian could break the record tonight!
132: 138!
The Timberwolves continued their offense, maintaining their perfect offensive performance tonight!
After Iverson arrived in the frontcourt, like Lin Tian, he did not choose to forcefully attack the opponent's strongest defensive point. Instead, he passed the ball to Cassell and then quickly moved to the other side to set an off-ball screen with Garnett.
Garnett and Iverson's off-ball screens immediately drew a lot of the Pacers' defensive attention, and everyone unconsciously moved two steps closer to that side.
Who can blame them when these two guys are just as intimidating as Lin Tian?
Cassell, a seasoned veteran, immediately spotted the Pacers' defensive weakness. He suddenly drove into the paint and made a light, one-handed layup, successfully challenging Miller and scoring another 2 points for his team!
134: 138!
A 4-point difference!
There are 1 minute and 39 seconds left in the game!
In the ensuing offensive and defensive battles, neither the Pacers nor the Timberwolves managed to score. The Pacers were almost shut down to the 24-second shot clock by the Timberwolves. Finally, Lin Tian received the ball two meters beyond the three-point line and forced a three-pointer over two defenders, but it missed at the buzzer.
The Timberwolves were in a similar situation, pushed to the brink by the Pacers who were on a roll. In the end, Garnett had no choice but to take a three-pointer at the buzzer, which also missed!
The last 51 seconds!
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt once again!
He was double-teamed once again!
This time, however, Lin Tian doesn't plan to pass the ball.
Sanders clearly sensed Lin Tian's intention and yelled at the players on the court, "Watch out for Lin! Strengthen the defense! Don't give him a chance to shoot! Everyone, focus! This is the most important defensive possession of the season!"
Faced with the aggressive Cassell and Iverson, Lin Tian waved to his teammates to come forward and screen for him. Miller and Artest naturally rushed forward and set a high double screen for Lin Tian.
At the same time, Garnett and Sprewell, who were defending them, also rushed to the top of the arc.
In the blink of an eye, seven players had gathered in just this small area outside the Timberwolves' three-point line!
This momentum is just like a third-rate girls' high school's grade-level competition, the kind of game where the score is 4-2 after the match, and no traveling, dribbling, or wrist-flipping is called.
Everyone ran after the ball, and everyone crowded together.
Such a scene is rarely seen in the NBA!
The fact that this is rare means that something bad is bound to happen!
3分线外7个人，3分线内自然就是3个人！还是步行者队2打1！
Sanders noticed the problem and tried to shout to alert them, but it was too late!
No one can be faster than a ball, especially when the person passing the ball is Lin Tian.
He jumped high, then threw the basketball into the three-point line with both hands like he was throwing a bomb.
Parker received the ball and dribbled only one step, drawing the attention of the Timberwolves' only defender, Szczerbiak, before quickly passing the ball to Christie with a bounce pass.
Christie received the ball and immediately launched himself up for a powerful two-handed dunk!
"boom!"
134: 140!
The score difference between the two sides has once again reached 6 points, with only 35 seconds left in the game!
Lin Tian's pass almost sealed the game!
Time is running out for the Timberwolves!
Sanders looked desperate. He knew the chances were running out, but he still called a timeout to set up one last play for the team!
He wants to revive the team!
He's going to gamble on a miracle!
"The game's over! The game's over!" Barkley roared excitedly. "The Timberwolves' defense had a blunder! They made such a basic mistake! They completely left their interior defense open!"
"At that moment, I think the entire Timberwolves team's brains went blank! They used an incredibly flawed defensive play! They have to pay for this terrible possession!"
With 35 seconds left and trailing by 6 points, the Timberwolves can only hope for a miracle!
Kenny said, "Ideally, the Timberwolves should be able to score a three-pointer within 5-7 seconds. It has to be a three-pointer; two points are too late!"
"Then they have to defend the Pacers' offense and prevent them from scoring, so they'll have 6-7 seconds left to make the game-winning three-pointer."
"The bad thing is that this timeout is the Timberwolves' last one, which means that even if they score and successfully defend the Pacers' offense, they will only have a short time to do so many things, such as rebounding, advancing, fast breaking, and shooting."
"What's worse, the Pacers know what the Timberwolves are up to, they know what the Timberwolves will do! They'll defend the three-point line relentlessly, they'll put immense pressure on the Timberwolves from beyond the arc. As for inside the three-point line? Whatever, it's still the same old story: two-pointers, too late!" (End of Chapter)