pertwk Chapter 451 The season hasn't even started yet, and injuries have already struck!
Chapter 451 The season hasn't even started yet, and injuries have already struck!
Lin Tian didn't care at all about the progress of the negotiations between Stern and China Television, or how the two sides were communicating and bickering.
Anyway, the negotiations definitely won't break down.
Moreover, even if the negotiations break down, Lin Tian and the entire Pacers team have no interest in such matters.
They've run into big trouble.
In the third quarter of the second game of the China Open, Webber completed a fast break dunk after a steal.
Everything was going smoothly until this guy got too excited. He seemed only thinking about celebrating when he finished the dunk, which caused him to lose his balance when he landed.
His knee visibly buckled, forming a painful-looking reverse joint bend, and then Webber screamed and collapsed onto the floor.
The scene instantly descended into chaos. The referee immediately stopped the game, the team doctors rushed forward to check on him, and the players stood together with worried expressions, looking at Webber anxiously.
Almost everyone, including the Raptors players, was filled with worry. Regardless of whether they were opponents or not, as long as they were athletes and not the kind of trash who would want to cripple someone's heart, most people did not want any injuries to occur on the court.
As is widely known, injuries sustained during physical contact on the sports field are often minor, minor bruises that will pass after a while.
However, the more non-confrontational the injury, the more likely the consequences of such seemingly unintentional problems are to be more severe.
Less than three minutes later, the team doctors stood up with regretful expressions and gestured that they needed a stretcher and an ambulance.
Weber needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.
The team doctor's gesture and his subsequent words to Carlisle and others plunged the team's spirits to rock bottom.
"It's basically confirmed to be a problem with the patellar ligament, but we can't yet confirm whether the ligament is torn. He must be taken to the hospital immediately for an MRI to determine if there is a problem and how serious it is."
After saying that, seeing everyone's anxious expressions, the team doctor continued, "If we're lucky, it's probably just a muscle strain, and he can recover in 4-6 weeks, so it might not be anything serious."
The team doctor's words did not improve anyone's mood or put them at ease, because everyone knew that if they were lucky, it would be a strain or a partial tear, and they could come back to play after 1-2 months of rest without any aftereffects.
But what if you're unlucky?
If the middle part breaks, surgery will be required, and Webber will have to stay in bed for 3 months, plus at least 3 months of recovery and physical therapy. It will take at least 6 months for him to return to play, which will be in May, after the playoffs have already gone through two rounds.
If you add in the time it takes to find form, regain your rhythm, recover your stamina, build confidence, get back into form, and integrate into the team, Webber might not be able to play seriously until the NBA Finals in June.
The eggplants are all soggy.
Even that isn't the worst consequence.
The most serious consequence is a complete fracture, requiring the insertion of rivets and a series of procedures including postoperative recovery, physical therapy, and recovery of physical condition. It would take at least 9-12 months to recover and return to the court, and there is also a high probability that it will permanently damage the player's athletic ability and mobility.
Patellar ligament injuries have always been considered one of the biggest enemies of athletes. In the modern NBA, for example, both Mutombo and Mourning retired directly because of this injury.
Webber's injury this time could be serious or minor.
Because of Webber's sudden injury, both teams lost their fighting spirit in the subsequent game, and the intensity of the game dropped rapidly, making it completely uninteresting.
Despite his injury, the fans were not dissatisfied; instead, they chanted Webber's name repeatedly in the stadium to show their support.
That evening, Weber underwent an MRI at a hospital in Shanghai, but the results were far from optimistic. He was diagnosed with a mid-patellar ligament tear and was expected to have at least 5-6 months of recovery.
After learning of this terrible result, the entire Pacers team lost all interest in staying there. They canceled all their travel plans and flew to Indiana early the next morning to give Webber another thorough check-up.
Unfortunately, returning to Indiana did not improve Webber's condition. He was diagnosed with a mid-patellar ligament tear and had to undergo surgery!
This also means that Webber is basically out for the rest of the season!
At the very least, they're basically out of the running for the regular season.
Even under the most optimistic scenario, Webber will not be able to return until April at the earliest.
Regardless of the outcome, Chris Webber will be absent from 90% of the Pacers' games this season!
With Jordan and others leaving the team, Webber is highly anticipated this season. Everyone is hoping that he can regain his form from a few years ago and continue the inside-outside duo with Lin Tian to lead the team to the championship.
But now, in the blink of an eye, the Pacers have become Lin Tian's one-man team!
Apart from him, no one else on the team has ever been selected for the All-Star Game!
Looking back at the Pacers' glory days when they often had 3-4 players selected for the All-Star Game, one can only sigh at the unpredictability of life and how fortunes can change.
In the following preseason games, the Pacers continued to perform poorly, with the players appearing somewhat distracted, and their record was negligible.
This poor form continued into the regular season.
In the past six years, regardless of whether the Pacers won the championship, their opening game has always been a dominant and exciting affair, giving their championship night a perfect ending.
This year, however, the Pacers failed to put up much resistance against the formidable Nets, and were utterly thrashed by the Nets' four stars, losing by a full 15 points in the opening game.
That wasn't the end of it. In the next three games, the Pacers still couldn't find their rhythm and suffered a series of defeats.
In the first week of the season, they suffered four consecutive losses!
Looking back at the Pacers' history, there have been worse starts, but those were a long time ago. Since the team acquired Reggie Miller and gradually got back on track, the Pacers have been a mainstay of the league for most of the time.
The last time they started a season with four consecutive losses was in the 1985-1986 season, when the Pacers won a total of 26 games and secured the third overall pick in the draft.
But this year's Pacers obviously can't just get 26 wins, nor can they aim for the lottery.
The reason they keep losing is not only because Webber's injury is still affecting the players, but also because the team really needs some time to gel, and the team's starting lineup and rotation, especially the rotation in the frontcourt, are still being experimented with.
In four games, the Pacers used four completely different starting lineups. Apart from Miller securing a starting center position, the other three players, Brezec, Matt Bonner, and Tabak, each started one game.
Unfortunately, the performance of these three as starters was far too poor. They were not only inferior to Ben Wallace and Webber, but also far behind Miller.
这三位在各自首发的比赛中，上场时间都超过了25分钟，可他们的数据分别是3分4篮板，5分2篮板和3分3篮板。
It's rotten, utterly rotten!
More importantly, these players not only have mediocre statistics, but their performance on the field and the aspects that their statistics fail to reflect are also very poor.
For example, the quality of the pick-and-roll, the awareness of positioning, the effectiveness of defense, and the speed of movement.
They're all way off.
Especially considering that the team has a top-class point guard like Lin Tian, the fact that these three players couldn't even score two goals in a game speaks volumes about how bad their performance was.
They simply can't break through or defend. If they can hold one side, Carlisle can still be used as a makeshift solution.
Their biggest similarity on the court is that they are completely incapable of holding a starting position on a team aiming for the championship.
In the fourth game after the team lost, Carlisle, driven to desperation by these big men, pulled off a crazy small lineup move.
Lin Tian, Ginobili, Christie, Artest, and Miller.
The offense of this lineup did pick up, and Artest could hold his own in the paint. However, after Ginobili was moved to the starting lineup, the team's bench strength became completely inadequate. Relying on Parker and the immature Howard, they simply couldn't support the Pacers' bench firepower.
More importantly, Parker and Lin Tian's positions overlap, so his playing time is very limited. If he plays as a double point guard with Lin Tian, the opponent will overwhelm him on the defensive end.
Therefore, the amount of effort he could contribute was truly limited.
In this match, all five starters played for more than 40 minutes, with Lin Tian playing for as long as 46 minutes.
Even with such a crazy overuse of their starters, and even with Carlisle giving his all to secure a victory, the Pacers still couldn't hold on in the final moments and lost to the Magic, a team that had become estranged this season and had also changed coaches.
Four consecutive losses since the start of the season!
After four consecutive losses, the pressure on the Pacers players has reached its peak.
Various media outlets and commentators have been extremely pessimistic about the Pacers, believing that they have no chance of winning the championship this season.
Some people think the Pacers should lower their expectations this season and focus on making the playoffs rather than winning another championship.
At the same time, many people are saying: The dynasty has come to an end!
The more spectacular their last championship win was, the more complete their downfall and collapse will be this season.
At least half the league and many fans are waiting to see the Pacers make a fool of themselves this season.
"We won't lose again. Four consecutive losses are bad enough and heartbreaking enough. I won't let the team lose again. We will win the next game! We will start getting back on track."
In Game 5 of the regular season, the Pacers will face the Warriors, a weak team that poached Arenas from the Pacers this summer.
Before the match began, Lin Tian expressed his determination to the media in an interview: "This is not the first time we have encountered this kind of predicament. We have also suffered from a serious wave of injuries before. I think everyone remembers what I did back then."
"I'll come again if necessary!"
Lin Tian's words excited all the Pacers players, especially his fans!
Of course they remembered what Lin Tian did when the Pacers last suffered a wave of injuries!
Many people even became fans of Lin Tian because of that incident.
Breaking Chamberlain's record of 8 consecutive 50+ point games!
During that Pacers injury crisis, Lin Tian set a new all-time high!
Is he coming again this time?
The Warriors' performance in the first four games of this season was fairly average, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses, and they have declared their intention to return to the playoffs.
This team is now considered to be strong and talented. The team leader is Jason Richardson, the fifth overall pick in 01, who averaged 20.5 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the first four games. Arenas, whom they just acquired from the Pacers, has also had a breakout season, averaging 19 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.
In addition, the team also has Eric Dampier, a center who played for the Pacers for less than half a year and averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds per game, and Mike Dunleavy, the team's second overall pick in 02, who averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds per game.
The team's last starter was Clifford Robinson, a veteran who was acquired by the Warriors from the Trail Blazers. He was a former Sixth Man of the Year and an All-Star.
How should I put it about this starting five?
Apart from Dampier, the other four players didn't seem to have any concept of defense; they were just going for a relentless, all-out attack!
The fact that they were able to put together such a lineup is in line with the style of their team's general manager, Chris Mullin.
When he was young, this guy was an aggressive, high-scoring type of player. The Warriors team in the early 90s was considered by many to be the originator of the league's run-and-gun offense!
If you attack when you're young, and then when you're old and in management, the lineup you assemble is still one of constant running and throwing – that makes sense, doesn't it?
Facing the Warriors, who are aiming to return to the playoffs, Carlisle brought out a fifth completely new starting lineup that night.
Of course, while it's said to be different, it's really just that the player in position 4 has been changed again.
Haslem!
After trying out several of the team's big men and confirming that they were all unfit for the task, Carlisle finally turned his attention to this guy who had average athleticism, average height, and average strength, but was extremely hardworking.
Try it!
What if it's the next big thing?
"Another completely new starting lineup!" Kenny said in the TNT studio. "Rick has been looking for a new answer at the power forward position in these few games. He's looking for someone who can take over the torch from Webber."
"But their experiments have failed in the previous few games. Even if the Pacers had won the last game against the Magic, I don't think Rick would have continued with that big-small lineup. It would have been too much of a drain on the starters!"
"Playing like this in the playoffs is fine, playing like this at the end of the regular season to boost performance is also acceptable, but doing this in early November is absolutely like drinking poison to quench thirst!"
Barkley added, "But I believe in Rick's abilities. He's just experimenting. I think Larry has been looking for the right people in free agency and the trade market. Once they find the right players for the right teams, they can immediately get back to normal and continue their championship run!"
"We all know that the Pacers are not at their best right now!"
"They could officially launch their championship run at any time! As long as Lin is there, I will always believe in them."
"Especially since Lin just made some tough statements before the match, and we all know that Lin is a man of his word. Now, the people of Auckland should be worried."
With Barkley and Kenny's analysis and research underway, tonight's game has begun.
Miller replaced Ben Wallace at center circle and jumped at the same time as Dampier on the opposite side.
"Snapped!"
Miller's height and wingspan gave him an advantage, and he passed the ball to Lin Tian. Lin Tian didn't rush after receiving the ball, but slowly dribbled it to the frontcourt, where he faced off against his old teammate Arenas.
"Lin, I've been dreaming about facing you like this on the court for ages! I'm so looking forward to this day!" Arenas bent down, opened his arms, and displayed a rare defensive passion and focus.
"What's there to look forward to?" Lin Tian said casually, showing none of the anxiety or melancholy one would expect after a team's four-game losing streak. "Is getting crushed something to be excited about?"
As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, he immediately launched an attack!
He made a simple crossover dribble past Arenas, then drove into the three-point line and charged toward the basket.
Although Miller's defensive ability is not as good as Ben Wallace's, his basketball IQ is definitely top-notch. As soon as he saw Lin Tian coming, he immediately backed down and blocked Dampier, preventing him from coming forward to help defend.
If Dampier can't come, then the rest of the Warriors are even less likely to help defend.
The word "defense" does not exist in their dictionary.
That thing is tiring, not cool, and it's hard to get any stats. It's not as satisfying as attacking.
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian slammed the ball down on the rim with one arm!
He didn't hold back at all this time, unleashing all his strength, and then slammed the ball into the basket!
"Our season begins today!" After scoring, Lin Tian fiercely shouted at Arenas, who had just caught up behind him, "You were just unlucky to run into us today!"
The Warriors were on offense. Arenas dribbled the ball quickly to the frontcourt and faced Lin Tian. He was obviously very excited and waved to his teammates to spread out. He wanted to go one-on-one!
After a series of crossover dribbles, this guy suddenly started with an attack step, then made a huge crossover to create space. As Lin Tian caught up, this guy tried to do another crossover dribble.
This is his signature double crossover dribble move!
But this time the basketball only flew halfway before it was intercepted. Lin Tian slapped the ball away and then accelerated, sprinting towards the frontcourt!
As for the Warriors players, apart from Arenas who was frantically chasing after the ball after losing possession, the rest of the players took one look and then chose to give up.
There's nothing to chase, you can't catch up.
"boom!"
After another loud bang, Lin Tian opted for a powerful two-handed dunk behind his head, slamming the ball into the basket once again.
"Gilbert, have you forgotten who taught you that move?"
"You're using the tricks I taught you on me?"
After the dunk, as Lin Tian and Arenas passed each other, Lin Tian continued his trash talk: "I can tell if you're going to take a dump or fart just by touching your belt. Showing off in front of me? You're dead tonight!"
"Just you wait, Lin! I didn't waste this summer! I've learned a lot of new moves!" Arenas gritted his teeth, showing no fear of Lin Tian. After receiving the ball, he continued to push forward and organize the offense.
After facing Lin Tian again, Arenas suddenly accelerated with the ball and tried to force his way past Lin Tian from the side. After being blocked by Lin Tian and unable to break through, Arenas quickly took a step back to create distance, and then pulled up to shoot a three-pointer.
But Lin Tian had predicted this! In the past two years, Lin Tian had fought Arenas countless times, and he knew all too well how this guy would choose and how he would attack each time.
Although Lin Tian failed to block Arenas' shot in this round, he successfully interfered with it, making Arenas' shot look very awkward. In the end, Arenas barely touched the rim and didn't completely miss the basket.
Haslem shrugged off the aging Robinson, grabbed the backboard in the crowd, and instead of making a pass, he spread his elbows wide and swung them menacingly, looking fierce and unapproachable.
Then, after confirming that there were no enemies around, Haslem passed the ball to Lin Tian, who had turned around to receive it.
"Well done, Udonis." Lin Tian patted Haslem's backside after getting the ball and said, "Here, just do what you're good at! Rebounding, defense, and mid-range shooting! Leave the rest to us!"
"Don't think about quick attacks after a pass. If you have the chance, attack; if you're not confident, just let it go. You're not a replacement for Chris; you are you, you are unique, understand?"
"Understood!" Haslem's eyes lit up at Lin Tian's words, and he ran towards the frontcourt.
After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian, who had scored two goals in a row, did not attack himself. Instead, he waved for Haslem to come up and provide him with a screen.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Haslem's screen was absolutely perfect, firmly blocking Arenas before he immediately turned and cut to the basket, looking for an opportunity to receive the ball.
This opportunity isn't hard to come by. This is the most comfortable place to play pick-and-roll with Lin Tian. All opponents are wary of Lin Tian's ability to shoot and drive after the pick-and-roll, so almost all opponents will focus their attention on Lin Tian.
If you were Jordan or Webber, the opponent would put in some effort to defend you properly.
Haslem?
Who are you?
Haslem's name wasn't even on the Warriors' scouting report, probably because he was an undrafted player last year and only played a total of 7 minutes in the first four regular season games this year.
He's just a nobody!
Arenas and Robinson both rushed towards Lin Tian.
Then, the ball came into Haslem's hands.
Aim, bend your knees, and shoot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Haslem's catch-and-shoot jumper went in cleanly and decisively!
"Well done! Let's do it again!" Lin Tian turned around and gave Haslem a high five. "If they keep letting you play, show them what you're capable of! If you play well tonight, I'll suggest to Rick that you continue as a starter!"
"I will, boss!" A rebound, a mid-range shot—a compliment and promise from the team leader.
These things are enough to get Haslem fired up and give it his all!
Kill the Warriors!
For the Warriors' next offensive possession, Arenas couldn't go it alone anymore. After all, he was a newcomer, and the team's leader, Richardson, was still eagerly waiting for the ball.
So he passed the ball to Richardson, who, facing Artest's defense, dribbled quickly and then accelerated in an attempt to break through.
But Artest's rock-hard body and innate defensive instincts allowed him to stay in front of Richardson. Richardson tried everything he could, but he couldn't shake off Artest.
Moreover, the continuous confrontations and physical contact made Richardson feel weak in the legs and waves of pain throughout his body.
This 'beast' is truly wild!
Finally, left with no other option, Richardson had to pass the ball to Dunleavy Jr., who was running over from the other side. However, by the time Dunleavy Jr. received the ball, there was very little time left on the shot clock. He didn't have time to adjust, and after a weak feint, he forced a shot.
But who is defending him?
Christie is one of the league's best technical defenders!
Christie's exceptional basketball IQ allowed him to anticipate Dunleavy's timing for receiving and shooting the ball. He completely blocked Dunleavy's shot, almost directly blocking him in the face, making Dunleavy's shot extremely off target, nearly an airball!
Miller got the rebound this time. Compared to Haslem, Miller may not be as tough, but his awareness and skills are far superior. With a long two-handed pass, the basketball crossed the court and came directly into Lin Tian's hands.
Lin Tian dribbled the ball and forced his way to the basket against the defense of Arenas and Richardson. When he got to the basket, Lin Tian looked back and saw that Christie had just finished guarding Dunleavy and was only now crossing the court.
Artest wasn't much faster than him; he was only just stepping into the three-point line.
These two are really struggling to keep up with Lin Tian's fast-paced attacks!
But since they'd already started killing, Lin Tian couldn't just force himself to hold back from firing, could he?
Holding it in for too long is bad for your health!
So Lin Tian forcefully jumped between the two men, then drew a circle in the air with both hands holding the ball, dodging their block, and easily flicked the ball into the basket with one hand!
"Whoosh!"
8: 0!
The Pacers started strong, scoring repeatedly and quickly widening the gap to almost double digits.
Despite their anxiety, the Warriors' offense lacked coherence because the Pacers' high success rate made it difficult for them to execute their signature fast breaks after securing rebounds.
Even if the Pacers miss their shots, they still have Haslem, the seemingly inexhaustible "Energy Rabbit," who runs around the Warriors' three-second zone, constantly disrupting the Warriors' rebounding and fast break rhythm and efficiency.
Especially after a few possessions, Carlisle noticed Haslem's energy, and he quickly stood up, yelling, "Ron! Go for the offensive rebounds with Udonis! Lock down their fast break completely!"
So, the two short, stocky, and incredibly aggressive players began to wreak havoc in the Warriors' paint. While the Warriors didn't lose too many rebounds as a result, their fast breaks were completely shut down.
And in the half-court game, which the Warriors are not good at, they also encountered the Pacers.
The Warriors' half-court offense is mainly based on individual one-on-one plays, supplemented by some simple passing, cutting, and pick-and-roll plays.
Simply put, it's just that the star players watch them swing.
The problem is that their two strongest offensive players are Richardson and Arenas, but these two have run into Lin Tian and Artest, who are the best counters to them.
Lin Tian knows Arenas' offensive tactics best; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's the person in the league who understands him best.
While Artest isn't good at dealing with speedy guards, he's a breeze against players like Richardson who rely on their physical attributes to brute force their way through defenses.
Even if we go further down the list, the Warriors' third-leading scorer is Mike Dunleavy, a white small forward who emphasizes rhythm and skill.
However, his opponent was Christie, who was not good at dealing with physical players but had a good way of dealing with rhythm and skill-based players.
Logically, the team's top three scorers were all at a disadvantage in their matchups, and that's when veteran Robinson stepped in to solve the problem for the team. However, he was up against Haslem, who was playing like he was on steroids and had finally gotten his chance.
What can he do?
With his old bones and limbs, he was completely helpless against this young man who was risking his life just to prove himself.
They can't break through them, they can't break through them at all.
After some calculations, it turns out that the most reliable scorer among the Warriors' starting five has become Dampier, the future "second-best center in the West".
But what can we say about Dampier? Yes, his shooting percentage is close to 60%, but his main scoring methods are dunks under the basket and second-chance opportunities. Do you expect him to score against Miller one-on-one based on his own ability?
It would be better to let Richardson or Arenas try throwing a few more.
Maybe with a bit of luck, they'll score in a row and bring the score back?
However, although the Warriors didn't have many offensive options and their game was somewhat hesitant, the Pacers didn't pull away from the score as quickly.
As for the reason, it's similar to the Warriors' situation; they don't execute fast breaks very well.
Haslem lacks the ability to pass the ball. If he gets the rebound, he definitely won't pass it. Miller, although he is aware and capable, is still no match for Webber. There are some opportunities and he could pass the ball, but he doesn't dare to.
Webber is a superstar, so two turnovers are just turnovers.
If Miller makes consecutive passing errors, Carlisle will call him off the court and give him a lecture in no time.
Besides significant issues with first pass, the Pacers also have far fewer players launching fast breaks than before.
Who were the Pacers' fast break players in the previous seasons?
Lin Tian, Carter, Jordan, and a young Christie.
What about this year?
Lin Tian, Artest who can't run anymore, and Christie who's another year older...
If the Warriors can shut down Lin Tian and prevent him from getting enough space to receive the ball, the Pacers' fast breaks will be very difficult to execute.
Fortunately, although the Pacers couldn't get their fast breaks going, they had a wide variety of ways to play half-court offense against the Warriors, and they were willing to come up with all sorts of creative and innovative strategies!
Lin Tian's pick-and-roll or ball-handling offense, Christie's cuts and positioning, Artest's post-up isolation and high-post dominance, and Miller's free-throw line playmaking—the Pacers' offense was incredibly fluid!
17: 31!
At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers already led the Warriors by 14 points! (End of Chapter)