Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 542 Celtics: Old bastard, have you ever been to Boston?

Lin Tian absolutely gave it his all in this game, and he was the only Knicks player who could leave TD Garden with his head held high.

That night, Lin Tian exploded for a career playoff high of 51 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. He scored 25 points in the fourth quarter alone, including a 17-point run in the final minutes that almost pulled the team back from the brink of defeat.

Unfortunately, in the final three possessions, Lin Tian was blocked once and missed two shots, failing to score in three consecutive possessions. All his previous efforts were in vain, and the Knicks ultimately lost this crucial battle.

They have been pushed to the brink by the Celtics, and even though they have two home games in their last three games, the general consensus is that the Knicks are doomed.

After all, their opponent was the powerful Celtics, and they were in dire straits under these circumstances.

More importantly, although two of the three games the Knicks lost were close and they had a chance to win, anyone with even a basic understanding of basketball could see that the Celtics controlled the pace of all four games and completely dominated the series!

This is why everyone is truly optimistic about the Celtics.

If the Knicks' offense can't work, how can they beat the Celtics?

"We don't want to go back to TD Garden for this series." After Game 4, Pierce grinned and said smugly, "We've decided to crush them in the next game! We don't like traveling and running around."

"In the next game, we will end the series. We will completely crush the Knicks! We won't give them any chance, and we won't give them any idea of ​​extending the series!"

Marbury, looking like he'd already won the game, said smugly, "I'm not afraid of Lin! Not at all! I know he once dominated the league, but he never dominated me. His era is over! The day after tomorrow, we'll end the series!"

"As for Lin, he can call Michael and ask how he felt when his dominance was ended. I believe Michael can offer him a wealth of experience from his failures!"

Rivers felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his career. Throughout his coaching career, he had always been the one to suffer comebacks, upsets, and crushing defeats. But this time, he felt he could finally hold his head high: "We will win! I have absolute confidence! Next game, end the series!"

Rivers's statement also implied a desperate measure; he wanted to push his players further, and he had already planned how to hold a meeting with them when they returned.

"You've already made your boast. If you don't want to become the laughingstock of the league, you'd better win the next game no matter what! Otherwise, you know who will become the laughingstock of everyone."

Yeah, that's it! My team will definitely unleash 120% of its strength in the next game and completely crush those New Yorkers!

What is a psychology master?

Do you really think that I, Rivers, didn't learn anything from sitting behind the coaching benches of various teams back in the day?

This is the power of accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing its full potential!

Watch me make a comeback this year, first defeating the Knicks, then destroying the Pistons, sweeping the Lakers, and becoming the league's champion!

While the entire Celtics team was basking in the glow of victory, there was one person on the team who remained sober.

Duncan said, "I know there's a Chinese saying, 'The longer the series goes, the more dangerous things become.' We know the longer the series goes, the more dangerous it becomes for us. So, we won't think about being up 3-1. We'll treat the next game as if we're down 1-3, as if it's a win or go home game!"

"Only in this way can we have a better chance of winning! Only by giving our all and not underestimating our opponents can we win!"

"This is Lin, this is the Knicks, this is the most powerful offensive team in the league. They can go on a run at any time, blow out the game, and crush us."

"In the first four games, we took the initiative and controlled the pace of the game, but we didn't win by many points. In two of the three games, the suspense lasted until the very end. If the Knicks' offense had been just a little bit better, and if they had made two more three-pointers, they might be leading us 3-1 now."

"Even today, Lin's last 17 consecutive points almost led to a comeback! If I hadn't been lucky enough to block his layup, and if we hadn't been lucky enough to miss his two usually sure three-pointers, they would definitely have won this game."

"The next game, or even the next three games, will definitely be tougher! I won't relax at all, nor will I be arrogant. For me, the series has just begun! Right now, at most, we're only leading by 5 points after the first quarter!"

Of the entire team, only Duncan remained calm and humble; he was the only one who didn't let the victory go to his head.

Unfortunately, he was just one person, or perhaps he could get his teammates to listen to him in internal meetings and put aside their arrogance.

But he couldn't control the media and the fans.

For the media and fans, there is no point or need to discuss Duncan's humble and composed remarks. They prefer to bring up controversial statements and events rather than discuss and report on Duncan's words.

So, in just one night, the topic of discussion among fans across the United States became "the Celtics are confident of victory and believe they are 100% guaranteed to advance."

As the incident spread like wildfire, before the Knicks even had a chance to discuss or analyze it internally, Lin Tian's phone was ringing off the hook.

"Are you a piece of trash? If you're trash, just retire already, stop embarrassing yourself." As the one Marbury called out, Jordan was furious and about to explode.

Who do you think you are, Stephon Marbury, to have the audacity to criticize me, Michael Jordan, from afar?

If Payton said something like that, Jordan would at most exchange a few words with Payton online to have some fun, but he wouldn't actually get angry.

But you, Marbury, are saying this? Sorry, but when my team plays your Celtics next season, I'll beat you to a pulp!

That's what Jordan thought, and that's what he said.

He forced Lin Tian to surrender, and then his Bobcats avenged Lin Tian the following season.

"Michael, take my advice, this is a dangerous place, you can't handle it! Your crappy team thinks they can teach the Celtics a lesson? Do you even think you can beat North Carolina? Leave the revenge to me! After the next game, I'll show him how stupid his words were, and I'll show him how close they are to hell."

After exchanging a few insults with Jordan, saying Marbury was nothing, Kobe called.

"You guys are going to lose to the Celtics? That lousy team, you can't possibly lose to them? Trash!"

"Lin, if you lose to those Celtics trash, don't ever say you know me again! I can't afford to lose face like that." Magic Johnson's call came about 10 minutes later than Kobe's, but the main point was almost the same.

Then another sensible person called Lin Tian: Bird.

"Lin, don't go too far. My former team, we have a deep bond." Bird, who had played with Lin Tian for 7 years, knew Lin Tian's personality and abilities all too well. If the entire Celtics team made the same post-game comments as Duncan, then it was hard to say how this series would turn out.

But after this bunch of idiots started spewing nonsense at Lin Tian and the Knicks, Bird figured the series was over.

Bird hadn't read "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," so he didn't know how to describe or compare the feeling, but if he asked Lin Tian, ​​Lin Tian could explain it to him.

Jiang Wei: General, do you know Jiang Boyue of Tianshui?

Zhao Yun: In Tianshui there is Boyue, whose spear skills are exquisite and whose resourcefulness is unparalleled.

Han De: You old scoundrel, come and meet your Grandpa Han!

Yun was furious! Han De's entire family was to die.

That's pretty much it.

The current situation is that Lin is furious!

As for how many Celts died?

None of them will die, but after this series, these guys will probably tremble at the sight of Lin Tian.

Lin Tian was confident!

For example, during the team meeting the night before, when the players were speaking, Lin Tian only said one sentence.

"Give me the ball. I want to see how those Celtics idiots send us home and how they prevent the series from ending in Boston!"

For example, during the final interview before the start of the game the next day, Lin Tian arrogantly told reporters, "The only reason we didn't book our flights and hotels to Detroit in advance is because they haven't decided who will win the game against New Jersey yet."

"But we've already booked round-trip flights and hotels to Boston, and I even thoughtfully booked the flights for them."

"After the Game 7, the plane ticket from New York to Boston is a gift to the losers, a present from the victors to the weak and self-righteous idiots."

"So, you think you're guaranteed to win this match?"

"This match?" Lin Tian looked at the reporter who asked the question, as if answering a question like 1+1=?, and said, "We can definitely win this series!"

"Have you found the secret to defeating the Celtics, or rather, have you found a way to deal with their pressing defense and impenetrable defense?"

"No, no secret techniques are needed." Lin Tian shook his head decisively and said, "You don't need any secret techniques to beat them, just fight normally."

"But if we play normally, you're down 1-3."

"1:3 isn't 4:3," Lin Tian shrugged. "Let's wait and see what happens in the remaining three matches."

Lin Tian's arrogance and disdain for others only added fuel to the fire for the Celtics, who were already confident of victory.

They were angrier, but also more excited.

"This game will be incredibly tough." Rivers stood in the middle of everyone, looking at his players, raising his arm high, and said, "But no matter how difficult it is, we will win! We will win!"

"Victory is certain!"

"Restore the glory of Boston!"

"Restore Glory!"

"Alright, let's step off the court, shatter Lin's legend, and break his so-called undefeated myth!"

"kill!"

Accompanied by bursts of passionate roars and absolute confidence, the Celtics players marched ambitiously out of the visiting team's locker room and onto Madison Square Garden.

At the same time, in the Knicks' home locker room, the atmosphere was completely opposite to that of the Celtics. There were no passionate roars or grand pronouncements, but rather an eerie silence filled the room, with a palpable sense of tension.

"Let's go." Lin Tian glanced at the time and was the first to stand up. "Let's wipe them out!"

The fifth match is about to begin!

"It's that time of year again to test the Knicks' ability and mentality in the face of adversity," Barkley's voice rang out again. "Will this be their last game of the season? Can they pull off a comeback?"

"Can the Celtics end the suspense and prevent the series from going on? Even if the next game is at TD Garden, I don't think a single Bostonian wants this series to go on any longer. They're probably eager to end it. And for Bostonians, there's actually some pretty bad news."

"Just now, the league announced this year's All-NBA First Team and MVP, which is also the last suspense of this regular season." Kenny continued, "For reasons and justifications that I completely cannot understand, for reasons that ordinary people simply cannot comprehend, who knows what these things are."

"Lin is only ranked second in the MVP rankings! He didn't win this year's MVP!"

"The MVP award went to Steve Nash, who came from a team other than the Knicks and Suns and whose stats were completely inferior to Lin's."

"Even though I have absolute respect for Steve, even though I consider Steve my brother, and I think Steve is the template for all players with mediocre physical abilities, and may even be one of the smartest players in the game, I don't understand why those stupid reporters voted for him as MVP."

"Statistically, Steve Rogers is completely outclassed by Lin. His single-season average assists and total assists are both the highest in NBA history! He led the Knicks from a lottery team all the way to second place in the Eastern Conference!"

"In the direct confrontation with the Suns, Lin not only won both games, but also outperformed Steve in terms of statistics."

"Lin's only disadvantage is the team's ranking. The Suns are first in the West, and the Knicks are second in the East. But I think that slight difference in wins can't make up for the huge gap in their basic statistics!"

"Let me put it this way: the two players' individual statistics are simply not in the same league! With such a huge difference in statistics, the difference in wins over a few games is really not worth mentioning."

Barkley also said, "The only explanation is aesthetic fatigue. It's like how Michael didn't get a three-peat MVP back then. He had the best performance, his team was the best, and his stats were the most impressive, but Michael didn't get the MVP because reporters were tired of voting for him."

"There's only one reason why Lin didn't win this year: reporters are tired of voting for Lin. They're experiencing aesthetic fatigue. They feel that even though Lin delivered a super performance that's the best in history, it's still just so-so."

"The standards are different. They didn't use the same standards to select and vote. They're being completely unfair! If Lin hadn't already won so many MVPs, I would definitely think this is racial discrimination and bullying."

"But now, I think this will provoke Lin, and it will provoke Lin along with those arrogant remarks from the Celtics players!"

"By the way, it's worth mentioning that Lin ultimately finished second in the MVP race, while Kobe came in third. He won his first scoring title this year, but unfortunately, Kobe had guards ranked first and second in the MVP race ahead of him."

"He only made the NBA Second Team. I think Patrick must be quite familiar with this scene. That year, he was fourth in the MVP race but didn't make the All-NBA Team because the top three MVP candidates were all centers!"

"Besides Lin and Steve, the first team also includes Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Tracy McGrady, who lost the scoring title."

"McGrady lost the scoring title, but because he plays the 3 position, he made the All-NBA First Team again, which is his first All-NBA First Team in his career."

"In addition to Kobe, the second unit also includes LeBron James, Garnett, Nowitzki, and Yao Ming."

"The third unit consists of Ben Wallace, Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade, and Allen Iverson."

"Aside from the suspense surrounding the final round of the NBA season, the other awards were also announced during the intervals between the first and second rounds."

"Ben became the best defensive player and led the All-Defensive Team. The remaining four were Lin, Duncan, Garnett, and Larry Hughes."

"The All-Defensive Second Team consists of Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Andre Kirilenko, Ron Artest, and Marcus Camby."

"The Rookie of the Year award went to Jahlil Okafor of the Bobcats, and he was selected to the All-Rookie First Team along with Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon."

"The All-Rookie Second Team consists of Josh Childress, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson, and Nenad Krstic." (End of Chapter)