pertwk Chapter 255 A Bountiful Harvest in the Regular Season! The Closest Unanimous Voting MV in History
Chapter 255 A Bountiful Harvest in the Regular Season! The Closest Unanimous Voting MV in History
Chapter 255 A Bountiful Harvest in the Regular Season! The Closest to a Unanimous MVP in History!
Just as Lin Qi was wondering why Lin Tian suddenly said that, Lin Tian suddenly reached out and touched his head. Then, Carter quickly ran towards Lin Tian's position to provide cover for him.
Lin Tian moved sideways, and Iverson, who was originally chasing Carter, appeared in front of Lin Tian once again.
Taking advantage of the moment when Carter grabbed Lynch to prevent him from moving forward, Lin Tian turned to the side, stuck out his butt, and exerted force!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
After several more hard pushes, with Lin Tian now weighing almost 30 pounds more than Iverson, pushing Iverson was really not difficult for him!
So, once again, he pushed to the edge of the three-second zone. Lin Qi, who was next to him, wanted to come over to help defend, but he didn't dare to leave the Pacers' current second-leading scorer, Carter. While he hesitated, Lin Tian had already turned around and completed a very bullying jump shot!
Without using any fakes, timing, or footwork, he simply turned to face Iverson, raised the ball high, and jumped to shoot!
I'm just using my height and wingspan to bully you!
"Whoosh!!"
Lin Tian's shooting is both steady and crisp; Iverson simply can't reach it, and Lin Tian can definitely make the shot!
After this goal, Lin Tian ran towards the 76ers' bench again, wanting to celebrate happily with Brown once more.
But this time... Brown sat on the bench early, arms crossed, looking at Lin Tian with a dissatisfied expression.
Seeing Brown sitting in the chair looking wary, Lin Tian could only shrug.
This old man... has no sense of romance!
His wife is definitely cheating on him!
In the next round, when Lin Tian came to the frontcourt again and continued to have Carter screen for him, Iverson obviously received some instructions. He decisively retreated, not giving Lin Tian a chance to target him immediately. Lin Qi on the other side also desperately squeezed past Carter, wanting to come over and give Lin Tian a good beating.
Who is Ke Lintian?
The league's top three-point shooter!
He certainly wouldn't let such a large space be given to him beyond the three-point line!
"Whoosh!!"
After a crisp sound, Lin Tian retracted his shooting hand.
He raised his middle and index fingers into a gun shape and blew on them in front of his mouth!
Lin Tian's touch today is absolutely phenomenal!
Then came another round. This time, Iverson quickly stepped forward and closely guarded Lin Tian, while Lin Qi, after squeezing past Carter, also quickly stepped forward to double-team Lin Tian!
But just as the two of them formed a trap, Lin Tian had already passed the basketball to Carter next to him.
After Carter got the ball, his explosive muscles and momentum immediately came into play. The basketball slammed heavily on the floor, and Carter took a powerful leap, putting all his strength into the shot, and flew towards Gayger!
"boom!!"
After a loud bang, Carter gripped the rim tightly with one arm, pinning Gayger down beneath him!
"Roar roar roar roar roar!!!"
After another dunk, Carter let out a triumphant roar!
He felt it was so comfortable to play basketball with Lin Tian!
All you need to do is run, charge up, jump, and dunk!
Every night, he can dunk a dunk that's worthy of being in the top ten!
That's cool!
Then, when it was the Pacers' turn to attack, the 76ers changed their defensive strategy again!
This time, Iverson didn't guard Carter, but instead guarded Christie. But it was just a repeat of the previous game, except that Christie was the one who set the screen for Lin Tian.
Then, when Lin Tian was double-teamed by the 76ers, he made a behind-the-back pass to Christie, who bounced out to the three-point line.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, Christie did not disappoint Lin Tian and the Pacers fans!
With a swift stroke, the blade cleaved through the sky!
Another three-pointer!
On offense, the Pacers' relentless offensive strategy targeting Iverson was incredibly easy, with every player on the team scoring consistently. On defense, the Pacers also started double-teaming Iverson.
Because of Iverson's obvious decline in physical strength and the fact that the 76ers' role players are far inferior to those of the Pacers' players, the 76ers' scoring efficiency began to decline significantly!
Either Iverson forced a shot and missed, or he found an open teammate, but the teammate couldn't capitalize on the open shot opportunity!
In short, the gap between the second and seventh teams in the East began to emerge in the third quarter!
The 76ers can't hold on any longer!
72: 96!
At the end of this quarter, the Pacers' lead had reached 24 points!
They held the 76ers to just 9 points in this quarter!
They themselves scored 30 points!
A completely brutal quarter! This quarter not only eliminated any suspense in the game, but also showcased the Pacers' strength to everyone!
他们让上半场爆砍31分的艾弗森，在这一节7投1中只拿到2分，同时林天通过对艾弗森的针对，单节拿下了17分5篮板4助攻2抢断！加上上半场的29分7篮板6助攻，林天再一次只用了3节比赛，就轰下46分12篮板10助攻5抢断的恐怖数据！
Then, after the third quarter, almost all of the Pacers' key players sat on the bench to rest, with Bird leaving only the veteran Mullin and the tall center Schmitz to stabilize the situation in the paint.
Bird's plan was for these two, along with a group of role players, to play for another 3-4 minutes to stabilize the situation. If the score difference was still over 20 points with 8 minutes left in the game, Bird would simply substitute all the rotation players and let Lewis, Ellington, and others go in to find their rhythm.
Originally, all of this was within Bird's expectations, but when there were 9 minutes and 12 seconds left in the game, Mullin received a pass from Schmitz outside the three-point line. He pulled up and shot, but somehow, Schmitz couldn't stand properly when he landed!
The audience in the front row even heard a crisp "snap" sound!
Then, no one cared whether the ball went in or not; the entire stadium of spectators and players couldn't help but stand up!
Mulin clutched his left foot, lying on the floor screaming in agony, while pounding the floor with his other hand.
You could tell from his pained expression that he was in pain!
It really hurts!
After the three-pointer went in, the referee immediately stopped the game, and the Pacers' medical staff quickly came to Mullin's side to check on his condition.
Bird also stood up, hands on his hips, looking anxious.
Although Mullin's average stats this season are mediocre, with 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, his importance to the team is absolutely self-evident!
His experience, passing, playmaking, court control, and shooting abilities are all indispensable to the team!
Especially after Miller's injury, during Lin Tian's rest time, Mullin was the main playmaker. He was almost the only reliable playmaker for the team besides Lin Tian.
Furthermore, when the key players are all out, Mullin's experience and composure can help the team stabilize the situation and keep the score in the game!
Mullin had clearly twisted his ankle; such injuries can range from minor to serious.
It's possible that if he stands up and stomps his feet, he can continue fighting.
It could also be very serious, ending the entire season!
According to the NBA's injury severity classification, there are two types: the mildest, a Grade 1 sprain that requires 1-3 weeks of rest, and a Grade 2 sprain that causes severe pain in the muscles and joints and requires 4-6 weeks of rest.
Then there's the most serious type, which may include additional injuries such as ligament and muscle tears, severe joint contusions, and is very likely to leave lasting damage, making it difficult to fully recover from a grade three sprain!
Seeing Mullin's current state, Bird really had no idea what was wrong with him. All he could do was pray that Mullin would be alright.
The rest of the Pacers team, of course, knew how important Mullin was to the team! Everyone looked worried, concerned that this veteran who loved to drink might suffer some serious injury!
A few minutes later... the team doctor first called for a stretcher, carried Mullin off the court, and then came to Bird.
"Bad news?" Bird asked with a grim face.
"Not good news." The team doctor sighed. "It's most likely a grade one sprain. The ligaments and joints shouldn't be damaged, but we can't be sure. We need to do further MRI scans. The results should be available tomorrow."
"But considering his age and current condition, even for a grade one sprain, we would recommend that he rest for at least 4-6 weeks. If it's a grade two sprain..."
The team doctor didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.
If it's a grade 2 sprain, then Mullin's season can be declared over early.
"Fuck!" Bird cursed in frustration!
He regretted it! Why didn't they put Buckner in now? They were already so far ahead, why play it safe and put Mullin in?
Bird's guilt and self-blame made him shake his head repeatedly.
In fact, Bird was already one of the NBA coaches who paid the most attention to protecting his starters and disliked having key rotation players in garbage time. It can only be said that these kinds of non-contact injuries are really unpredictable and difficult to prevent.
"The Pacers are so unlucky! With Reggie still without a timetable for his return, and now Mullin's in trouble too! I really hope Mullin's okay! I really hope it's just a simple sprain!" Barkley said sincerely, "Otherwise, the Pacers' year is really going to be terrible!"
Kenny sighed and said, "Let's hope injuries stay away from the court! Charles and I are both former players, and we know what injuries mean for a player! Especially at Chris's age, an injury at this age could be a huge blow to him!"
Barkley continued, "This year's Pacers have been incredibly unlucky! Lin is in such good form, and Vince is clearly a future top star, yet they've been plagued by one injury after another!"
Mullin's injury was the last noteworthy event of the game. The next few minutes were uneventful, with the two sides maintaining a gap of around 20 points.
Finally, when the final whistle blew, the score was 94:111!
The Pacers won Game 1 of the series by 17 points!
Although the game was a close call and a relatively easy victory, no one on the Pacers team was happy or celebrated. Everyone left the court in silence and returned to the locker room!
Compared to a victory, injuries are clearly the Pacers' biggest enemy!
At the post-match press conference, neither Lin Tian nor Bird were in the mood to joke around or make trash talk. They simply gave interviews, turned around and left, each carrying their own thoughts as they returned home.
This worry and unease lasted until the afternoon of the following day.
As the Pacers were doing some low-intensity recovery training, Bird's phone rang. After exchanging a few words with the person on the other end, the melancholy in his eyes deepened.
"Chris has a Grade 2 sprain and will need to rest for at least 4-6 weeks, considering he'll be 36 in a month." Bird sighed deeply as he said this. "The team doctor advised that he should rest for 8-10 weeks to fully recover before considering... returning to the court."
Bird's words caused a wave of melancholy among the players.
The meaning of this statement is quite clear: Mullin, who is about to turn 36, is no longer considering whether he can return this season; he is considering whether his professional career should continue!
This former five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection is also nearing the end of his career.
The constant whispers around him were incredibly irritating to Bird; he was really furious!
He really wanted to find someone to yell at and vent his anger!
First Mullin, then Miller, it just never ends!
Moreover, the team has already released the news that Miller and Mullin are both out for the season. There's no need to hide this kind of news, but even if it's not hidden, the reporters' relentless questioning and interviews are really infuriating!
Just as Bird was thinking about who to vent his anger on, or simply going to a press conference to release his frustration, Lin Tian's voice suddenly rang out.
"Quiet! Quiet down!" Lin Tian jumped onto a high mat in the middle of the court and stood among everyone, saying, "Chris and Reggie won't be coming back this season! I think in a way, that's good news for us!"
"We no longer need to play with the illusion of waiting for them to come back, we no longer need to think about our escape route! We have no way out now! We only have ourselves now! There will be no more reinforcements, and no one else will come to help us!"
"We're in dire straits! I think expectations for us dropped significantly after Larry briefed the media and the league on the specifics of their injuries!"
"Yesterday we were the top favorite for the championship, but I think after today, we'll drop all the way down to sixth or seventh place and below! Nobody will have faith in us anymore, nobody will think we can win the championship this year!"
At this point, Lin Tian looked at everyone on the team, paused, and then said, "How is it? Doesn't it feel great? This feeling of being looked down upon by everyone, being at odds with the world, and having the opportunity to slap everyone who looks down on us in the face—doesn't it feel good?"
After pausing for a moment to allow his teammates to process what he had just said, Lin Tian continued, "I played basketball for four years at the university with the worst basketball team in the entire US. Every year, I said that our goal was to make it to March Madness, our goal was to make everyone know us!"
"Then, I was ridiculed for three years, and then in my senior year, I finally led the team to make it into March Madness for the first time in history!"
"Then you know what? I tried out for a total of 21 teams! Not one of them gave me a draft guarantee, not one team said they would draft me! I even know what they were saying about me behind my back."
"Asian people can play basketball? He's 22 and still wants to get into the NBA? My grandma was a starter on the University of Pennsylvania's basketball team! Drafting him would be a waste of a draft pick! Even if he does well in a tryout, it's still a tryout; he won't get any playing time in games!"
"It was these doubts and ridicule that sustained me to the end, allowing me to be selected by the Bulls with the 52nd overall pick!"
"Greg, you were also drafted around the same point, but my situation was much worse than yours! I will always remember being bullied in training camp, having all my clothes soaked with water, being targeted, and being made a laborer."
"Of course, everyone has probably found out the outcome through various channels. I got into a fight, I was suspended, and who knows where the people who bullied me were sent by the team."
"I'm saying all this to tell everyone that I thoroughly enjoyed everything I went through during that period! I really enjoyed it! Being questioned, looked down upon, ignored, and then putting on a brilliant performance to shut everyone up!"
"Now, we have a similar opportunity! An opportunity to silence all doubts, to break down all dissent with victory after victory, and to shut everyone up!"
"Let's start by beating the 76ers! I want to ask everyone, do you have the confidence, the guts, to join me, when no one believes we're a match, when everyone thinks we're finished, to beat everyone and win another championship!"
"Kill them all!"
"Break down the doubts!"
"Make it to the finals! Win the championship!"
"We are the champions! For Reggie and Chris! We are the champions!"
"I'm going to prove I can play in the NBA!"
Bird looked at the Pacers players with some surprise, their emotions completely stirred up by Lin Tian. Lin Tian once again demonstrated his terrifying leadership!
He exceeded Bird's expectations once again!
The training ground, which was lifeless and devoid of any vitality just five minutes ago, was instantly filled with all sorts of slogans, shouts, and confident players.
The Pacers' morale only dipped for less than 5 minutes before it fully recovered, and their momentum was even stronger than before!
Then, everyone put in a lot of enthusiasm and threw themselves into tonight's training!
The Pacers' sudden surge in morale has undoubtedly made the 76ers the biggest victim!
In the second game between the two teams, the 76ers thought they could take advantage of the Pacers' weakened state and steal a victory on the road.
But what they didn't expect was that they were facing an even more ferocious Pacers team than in the first game!
The Pacers raised their defensive intensity to an alarming level from the very first second tonight! They set up countless defensive traps against Iverson! Every time Iverson drove into the three-point line, someone would immediately come up to help defend him along with Lin Tian!
Iverson, who was already struggling to deal with Lin Tian, found it even more difficult to move forward and get shots off against the Pacers' further targeted attacks!
Unfortunately, he didn't have a single reliable teammate who could make open shots, and no one could share the pressure with Iverson. This resulted in Iverson missing many shots and making many mistakes, completely losing the dominance he displayed in the first half of the first game!
As for the offensive end, Lin Tian no longer went one-on-one with Iverson, nor did he engage in any fancy imitation one-on-one battles with him. From the very first round, Lin Tian went to the low post and kept using back-to-the-basket moves to bully Iverson!
If the 76ers help defend, Lin Tian's passing speed is extremely fast, and Christie and Carter's ability to seize opportunities is also excellent. Even without Mullin and Miller, the Pacers' offensive network is one of the most powerful and lethal in the entire league!
首节打完11：29！上半场结束30：57！第三节比赛只打了3分钟后，双方的分差来到了32分！
Then, Bird quickly substituted all the key players in the rotation. Bird would never let the situation from the last game happen again!
In the end, the Pacers easily won the game, with a score of 98-84, a 14-point advantage!
Although the final score difference was only 14 points, anyone who watched the game would know that the 76ers were constantly being dominated and relentlessly attacked from the first quarter onwards, without offering any counterattack!
They were able to close the gap to just 14 points because their bench players suddenly found their rhythm in the fourth quarter, hitting five three-pointers in that quarter, and Hughes also made several difficult jump shots.
But they couldn't even get the Pacers' starters back on the court!
In this game, Lin Tian's streak of triple-doubles finally came to an end. He only played 23 minutes, scoring 27 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. And 23 minutes was already the longest playing time among all the Pacers players tonight!
For the 76ers, Iverson scored 29 points, but his field goal percentage was only 10-for-33, and he also committed 7 turnovers! What's most painful is that in the first half against the Pacers' starters, Iverson only made 3 of 21 shots!
If Iverson hadn't racked up some points against the bench during garbage time, his stats tonight would have been even worse!
The Pacers' post-game press conference was incredibly brief!
Lin Tian only said one sentence before leaving the press conference.
"Our team is missing two very important players, and our roster is no longer complete, but our confidence has never wavered! We still firmly believe that we can win the final championship, and we still believe that we are the strongest team in this league!"
"If you don't believe me, just wait and see!"
Lin Tian's sudden departure caught the reporters on site completely off guard!
Because of the special nature of this season, the league did not announce its awards little by little as it usually does.
Instead, they announced all the awards from the regular season all at once!
Whether it's Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, MVP, or All-NBA Team, they were all announced during the break between games tonight!
The Pacers, on the other hand, became the biggest winner of this year's regular season!
Carter, with his explosive performance in the last two months, completed a comeback against Jason Williams and Paul Pierce, and successfully snatched the Rookie of the Year award!
He was also unsurprisingly selected to the All-Rookie First Team this season!
As for the Pacers' other three rookies, Lewis, Ellington, and Buckner, they did not receive similar honors, as none of them made it into the team's rotation this season!
But Carter's achievements didn't stop there! In addition to winning Rookie of the Year, he also beat Darrell Armstrong to become the second rookie player after Lin Tian to win Sixth Man of the Year in his rookie season!
This season has been a banner year for Vince Carter. He's won a signature shoe, two individual awards, and showcased his talent and ability to everyone, while leaving the Warriors with a lot of regret! Their big-money draft pick, Antawn Jamison, has had a poor season, failing to even make the All-Rookie First Team and only earning a spot on the Second Team.
Then, Alonzo Mourning, who had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3.9 blocks this season, finally won his first Defensive Player of the Year award!
Under his leadership, the Heat's defensive efficiency ranks second in the league this season!
He's completely different from players like Ratliff and Camby, who have impressive block stats but offer little in terms of overall contribution to the team – they're just "block brushes"! Mourning can truly single-handedly transform a team's defense and anchor an entire team's system!
In addition, Lin Tian ranked third in the Best Defensive Player voting! He was only behind Mourning and Mutombo, and behind Lin Tian were the famous Payton, David Robinson and Duncan.
Lin Tian is now recognized not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end, where he is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league!
Although he didn't win the Defensive Player of the Year award, Lin Tian was able to join Mourning, Payton, Duncan and Pippen in being selected for the All-Defensive First Team!
It's worth mentioning that Michael Jordan's streak of nine consecutive All-Defensive First Team selections has ended!
This year, he was only selected to the All-Defensive Second Team!
This was clearly another boost for Jordan! He felt that Lin Tian had taken his place! After losing twice in the regular season, Jordan was really eager to face Lin Tian again in the Eastern Conference Finals!
In addition, the Coach of the Year award went to Mike Dunleavy of the Portland Trail Blazers. He led the Blazers to an outstanding season, with their winning percentage increasing by a full 16% compared to the previous year! He transformed the Blazers from an ordinary playoff team into a divisional powerhouse capable of competing for the championship!
His egalitarian and team-oriented playstyle without a true core, or rather, his gang-like playstyle, has earned him much praise, with many calling him a tactical genius!
And then there's the ultimate prize of this season's regular season: MVP!
This season's MVP is arguably the least suspenseful one in recent years. In previous years, there was a battle between Jordan and Malone, and a three-way competition between Jordan, Malone, and Lin Tian.
But this year's MVP award truly belongs to Lin Tian alone!
The only pity is that Lin Tian did not become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history this year!
The MVP selection method is that each voter can choose five players in their mind as the MVP, and these five players are ranked in order from 1 to 5. The first place gets 5 points, the second place gets 4 points, and so on!
The so-called unanimous MVP is someone who received 121 first-place votes and a perfect score of 605 points!
This time, Lin Tian received 119 first-place votes out of a total of 121 votes! He is now incredibly close to winning the unanimous MVP award!
Unfortunately, two reporters still voted for Jordan in the end! Although the voting method is now anonymous, it goes without saying that these two were 99% reporters from New York!
Aside from New Yorkers, journalists from other places rarely vote so randomly.
Just like years later, LeBron James didn't get a unanimous vote because a New York reporter said, "I just like Anthony, I just don't like James!"
However, although he did not receive a unanimous vote, Lin Tian's 98% vote share still set a new NBA record! Before him was Michael Jordan in 96, who received 96% of the first-choice vote, followed by Larry Bird, who received 93% of the first-choice vote for two consecutive years.
But Lin Tian surpassed these predecessors that very night!
Of course, it was only a small part; not getting a unanimous vote in the end was still a bit imperfect!
In addition, the league's All-NBA Team of the Year has also been announced!
Lin Tian, Jordan, Duncan, Malone, and Mourning were selected to the NBA All-NBA First Team!
Among them, Lin Tian, Duncan and Mourning all successfully won the honor of being named to the All-NBA First Team twice!
The second unit consisted of O'Neal, Hill, Garnett, Iverson, and Kidd.
The third team consisted of Hakeem Olajuwon, McDyess, Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Hardaway.
Among these players, Kobe, Iverson, McDyess, and Kidd are all making their first All-NBA selections! Mourning, on the other hand, is making his first All-NBA selection. These young new faces undoubtedly mark the beginning of another generational shift in the league!
Those old guys are finally going to slowly fade away from the stage of history!
Another noteworthy point is that the Most Improved Player award this season was ultimately won by Jalen Rose. This award should have been his last season, but because he insisted on causing trouble, he was traded to the Raptors, and his performance plummeted. In the end, he not only underperformed in terms of stats, but also lost the award that he had almost certainly won!
This season, Jalen Rose, who had a poor performance at the end of last season, is one of the few players in the league who has made significant progress in a shortened season! He is averaging 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this season!
This time, he truly earned this data through his own abilities.
Finally, he got the award he wanted.
Well, if he hadn't said those things to the media after winning the award, his winning the award would have been quite inspiring.
But when this guy was receiving his award and holding a press conference in a conference room in Toronto, he said that he would definitely make the Pacers regret it, that he would be even stronger next season, and that he would show the Pacers how strong he was. He said he would beat Carter, beat Miller, and beat Lin Tian!
He will prove that the Pacers let go of an MVP-caliber star!
Lin Tian didn't have a chance to respond to Ross's boast until two days later when he arrived in Philadelphia.
"What? You want to lecture me? Sure, in which round of the playoffs did we meet again? What? You didn't make the playoffs? Forget it!"
The feud between the Pacers and Rose was ultimately just a minor episode. After that brief mention, apart from some people mocking Rose for overestimating himself and others waiting to see Rose make a fool of himself next season, it didn't cause any major stir.
After all, the two teams won't face off again until next season's regular season! It's a bit too early to start hyping it up now!
Well, of course, the most important reason is that the Raptors and Rose are not a good match! If Lin Tian were to engage in this kind of trash talk with Jordan, O'Neal, or Hill, it would cause a frenzy and a huge crowd throughout the league.
A Most Improved Player and a lottery team?
Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!
If I can remember next season, we'll talk about it then!
The focus now is on the do-or-die first-round playoff game between the Pacers and the 76ers!
The Pacers, who had almost crushed the 76ers in the first two games and had a match point, arrived in Philadelphia!
Although everyone now believes that the Pacers can easily win and enter the second round, it is still hard to say how they will get there or whether they can sweep the 76ers!
Especially with the head-to-head matchup between the super popular backcourt pair of Lin Tian and Iverson, this game garnered more attention than any other game in the first round!
Countless viewers wanted to see if this duel between the two would create any more waves!
Although Iverson suffered a complete defeat in the first two games, everyone now knows this little guy and how tenacious and unwilling he is to give up!
So when the game reached this point, many people were still hoping that Iverson would bounce back, play a great game, and extend the series!
"Kenny, do you think this game will be the last one in this series?" Barkley chatted with Kenny again 20 minutes before the game started, trying to warm up the audience for the match!
"I don't know," Kenny shook his head. "But if you ask me, I think the 76ers have a better chance! And the reason is simple: they're back in Philadelphia!"
"For a young team like the 76ers, playing at home and away are completely different experiences! Many moves that wouldn't get called on away games can get called at home! For example, the Pacers' double-teaming and shutting down of Iverson in Game 2—that would be considered good play in Indiana!"
"But things might be different in Philadelphia! The change in defensive intensity could allow the 76ers to find their offensive rhythm and style more effectively and quickly!"
"Besides, there's another set of data that proves my hypothesis! During the regular season, Iverson averaged 9.9 free throw attempts per game! But in the first game of the playoffs, he only got 4 free throw attempts! In the second game of the playoffs, although he got 7 free throw attempts, 4 of them came during garbage time!"
"Even looking at the regular season stats alone, Iverson gets 10.7 free throw attempts at home, but only 9.1 on the road! It's easier to get to the free throw line and get favorable calls at home—I think that's a fact everyone agrees on! Otherwise, teams wouldn't be fighting so hard for home-court advantage in the regular season!"
"Not getting calls and not being able to get to the free-throw line is one of the main reasons for Iverson's poor performance! If Iverson can receive the same level of treatment as in the regular season when he returns home, his performance will definitely improve significantly! That's why I think the 76ers have a chance to win tonight!"
After Kenny finished his analysis, he turned to Barkley, wanting to hear what he had to say. Of course, there was something else Kenny had in mind that he didn't say aloud.
As the highest-rated game of the first round, Stern certainly didn't want this series to end in a sweep! He must have told the referees to help the 76ers a little, at certain crucial moments, and in certain calls, to give them a win!
However, they dared not say these things, because if they did, their guaranteed minimum pay would be deducted, and if things got out of hand, they would lose their jobs!
"What you said is all correct, but you've missed one point!" Barkley said calmly after Kenny finished his analysis: "Larry Bird!"
"While Larry was a dummy, a fool, and an idiot as a player, I have to admit he's improved as a coach! His ability to set up tactics and make personnel adjustments is exceptional! He's definitely one of the best head coaches in the league today!"
"Most importantly, his unconventional and free-flowing coaching style is exactly the type Larry Brown fears most! Because it's unpredictable! Brown excels at pre-game planning, analysis, and system building, but he's not good at in-game tactical adjustments!"
"Larry will definitely execute a play that Brown can't predict tonight! Then he'll take control from the very beginning and win the game!"
(End of this chapter)