pertwk Chapter 649 13:2 What kind of offensive climax is that? You've never seen anything like it.
Chapter 649 13:2 What kind of offensive climax is that? You've never seen anything like it.
Throughout the third quarter, Milicic failed to "show Lin Tian a good time".
In the following matches, he never found another opportunity to face off against Lin Tian or engage in a one-on-one battle. After Lin Tian had rapidly narrowed the score gap with a series of attacks, he stopped his frenzied attacks and began looking for teammates again.
Unfortunately, although the Knicks rallied in the latter part of the third quarter and kept hitting shots, Darko Milicic of the Nuggets went cold.
But at this moment, Billups stepped forward!
This big-game player, nicknamed "Mr. Clutch," hit two consecutive three-pointers late in the third quarter and also assisted Kleiza and Nene to score.
Despite Billups' sudden outburst, the Knicks were unable to mount a comeback and entered the fourth quarter trailing.
77: 83!
With a final 6-point gap, the final 12 minutes of the battle are over!
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Knicks, as usual, fielded a mixed lineup centered around Anthony as the core and main scorer, while the Nuggets fielded Milicic with Camby, Boykins, and others at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Milicic, who had a poor performance in the previous quarter and had been somewhat shut down by Lin Tian's targeting, immediately adjusted his form, scoring a low-post one-on-one against Smith and then turning around to score 2 points under the basket.
Anthony's mid-range jump shot from the wing missed, and Camby grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Boykins. This short guy, who was half a head shorter than Nate, immediately demonstrated the foundation he had in the NBA.
In a flash, Boykins made a lightning-fast run to the frontcourt and then suddenly delivered a no-look behind-the-back pass to Milicic, who was following up behind.
Milicic took the ball with both hands and leaped into the air, slamming the ball powerfully into the basket!
10 points!
In the blink of an eye, the gap between the two sides has once again reached 10 points!
"Go ahead." Old Nelson glanced at Lin Tian and Stoudemire on the bench, and with a wave of his hand, the full starting lineup returned to the field.
The Nuggets' aggressiveness truly exceeded Don Nelson's expectations; this team wasn't nearly as fierce last year.
When the two teams met last year, this was just a team with some talent, but nothing special.
This year, a qualitative change has actually occurred.
Then, Old Nelson noticed Billups, who also stood up and appeared at the same time as Lin Tian and the others.
The only reason for the Nuggets' dramatic transformation can be this guy.
Even after winning the Finals MVP, he was always underestimated and almost never made it into the top five of various point guard rankings.
This guy has really been underestimated for far too long!
Fortunately, Lin Tian, who had faced Billups multiple times and even lost to him once, would never underestimate his old rival.
Lin Tian knew better than anyone how capable Billups was.
I also know that he is the kind of guy who can single-handedly change the temperament of a team and bring about a qualitative change in the team.
In a sense, Billups is also someone who "brings his own system" within the league.
His team inevitably carries a fierce and unruly spirit, like "My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens," "Those with nothing to lose are not afraid of those wearing shoes," and "Go ahead and stab me to death if you dare."
Add to that the local culture, environment, and team members in Denver, and finding Billups to join this team is absolutely a match made in heaven!
But no matter how perfect a match they are, when they meet Lin Tian, it's all for naught!
In the first possession after both sides returned to the court, Lin Tian quickly moved to the low post and reached out for the ball.
After receiving the ball, this guy immediately started pushing hard towards the inside, and after two steps past Billups, he reached the perimeter of the three-second zone.
Even though Billups is a well-known strongman at point guard, he really couldn't withstand Lin Tian's full-on attack.
After quickly penetrating the Nuggets' territory, Lin Tian suddenly turned around to face the basket and raised his hands as if to collect the ball. Milicic had already moved to the side and blocked Lin Tian's path.
With Billups also turning around, the two of them, one above and one below, cornered Lin Tian!
Now, besides retreating and reorganizing, Lin Tian's only option is to move towards the edge of the baseline.
The remaining directions are blocked.
But these two guys have clearly forgotten that Lin Tian once scored a spectacular goal from a negative angle. This kind of defense simply can't stop Lin Tian!
He dribbled the ball again, and then floated towards the baseline!
This lateral jump was beyond Billups and Milicic's expectations; neither of them could have imagined that Lin Tian would actually jump out of bounds on his own!
Then, taking advantage of the moment when the two were stunned, Lin Tian made a direct shot, throwing the ball from a negative angle. The basketball flew precisely towards the basket and then went in accurately!
"Whoosh!"
"In 3 minutes! We've taken the lead!" After scoring, Lin Tian didn't even glance at Billups and Milicic, quickly turning back to defend while encouraging his teammates: "Give us all a push!"
"clear!"
In the next possession, Stoudemire made a rare correct defensive decision, withstanding Milicic's individual strong attacks, and then the Knicks' counterattack once again advanced to the frontcourt.
Lin Tian once again moved to the low post and gestured for the ball.
"Lin, is this all you know how to do?" Billups knew he couldn't hold off Lin Tian, so he could only talk trash to distract Lin Tian and see if he could find an opportunity to defend himself while Lin Tian was attacking him.
"Have you no shame?" Lin Tian sneered. "It's not that this is all I have to do to beat you, it's that I only have this one move!"
"If you can force me to attack using methods other than back-to-the-basket moves tonight, then you win, so what!"
After saying this, Lin Tian didn't wait for Billups' response at all. He didn't need a response. Instead, he quickly turned around and charged towards the inside, pushing past Billups.
"Help!" Billups knew all too well how fierce Lin Tian was when he entered offensive mode. He had been beaten up by Lin Tian like this countless times. So while he was defending with all his might, he also reminded his teammates behind him to help with the defense.
Lin Tian quickly chased Billups all the way to the edge of the three-second zone, then suddenly made a powerful shot, and then turned from the side to the middle. As he turned, Lin Tian held the ball in both hands and raised it into the air.
Billups and Camby, who rushed to help defend, were both tricked and jumped at the same time.
Lin Tian, unhurried and composed, took a step back and forth, slipped between the two men, and scored a layup!
"Do you like the gift I gave you?" After scoring, Lin Tian continued his taunts: "An opponent you can always see but never touch."
"Stop talking too much nonsense!" Billups cursed, turning around to catch the baseline pass from his teammate.
Just as Camby was about to pass the ball, he noticed Lin Tian sneaking back behind Billups.
Worried about making a mistake, Camby wanted to pass the ball to someone else, or take the ball back and not pass it, but the basketball had already left his hands, and his attempt to retrieve the ball was completely unsuccessful, instead appearing somewhat comical.
His hesitation had only one consequence.
The basketball was completely lacking in power! The passes were slow and weak.
If Camby had been more decisive and passed the ball faster and more aggressively, Lin Tian might not have been able to make the steal directly.
But now, this soft ball was practically handed to Lin Tian. After getting the basketball, Lin Tian didn't even need to adjust. He simply stood up and easily scored with a layup.
"Thanks, bro!" Lin Tian, who had just scored, was very polite. He picked up the basketball and handed it to Camby, and even shook hands with him to show that he appreciated his kindness.
"Oh right, what did you just say?" Lin Tian turned around and saw Billups again, revealing his innocent smile once more: "You said I talk too much nonsense?"
"FUXX!" What could Billups do? Apart from spewing out two meaningless swear words, he had no way to respond to Lin Tian.
"Be careful when passing the ball!" So, the older brother chose to ignore Lin Tian and gave advice to Camby.
This play was indeed a big problem for Cambi.
"Coward." Lin Tian shrugged, his face full of disdain, and then quickly returned to his own half of the court to continue his defense.
Just moments ago, the gap was as high as 10 points, but in the blink of an eye, it's down to only 4 points!
When the Knicks, or rather when Lin Tian wanted to close the gap, their efficiency was truly terrifying.
Although the Nuggets finally regained their rhythm and Kleiza scored 2 points on a cut to the basket, the team finally broke their brief scoring drought.
But clearly, when the Knicks wanted to start their all-out comeback, one or two scattered points were not enough!
Less than 10 seconds after Kleiza scored 2 points, Anthony, who was guarding him, successfully tricked him into losing his balance during a mid-range one-on-one, then leaned on him, drawing a foul and scoring 2 points in the process!
With Anton making the free throw, the gap between the two sides was narrowed to 3 points.
The gap can be closed in just one round.
"That's too fast! The Knicks are closing the gap so quickly!" Barkley couldn't help but exclaim. "Once they get into their rhythm, a 10 or 15-point deficit is nothing! They can erase a ten-point gap in just two or three minutes!"
"Furthermore, while achieving this level of scoring efficiency, they basically don't play defense. It's truly unimaginable that a team that doesn't play defense, relying purely on offense, can achieve this level of scoring speed!"
"That's right. Back in our day, if you wanted to catch up, you had to play defense first. You had to use defense to prevent the opponent from scoring, and then find a way to score yourself." Kenny nodded in agreement. "But the Knicks now, they really do it. You can score however you want, because my scoring efficiency is higher than yours."
"They won game after game by scoring more points and attacking better than everyone else!"
"Before the Knicks, we would say that you can't win a championship by just relying on offense, and that you can't win all the time by just shooting. There will always be times when you're not accurate, and there will always be times when your offensive touch is off."
"But for the Knicks, none of this is a problem! Or rather, they can handle everything!"
As the two commentators remarked, the Knicks had already quickly taken the lead!
On the next offensive possession, Milicic missed a layup, and Lin Tian grabbed the rebound and threw it up the court to Barnes, who was on a fast break, for an easy fast break dunk!
Then, although Milicic finally drew a foul on his second consecutive isolation play, he missed both free throws, giving the Knicks an opportunity.
Stoudemire grabbed the rebound and passed it to Lin Tian. Lin Tian dribbled quickly down the court, shaking off Billups and Kleiza, and then suddenly made a no-look behind-the-back pass to Anthony who was following up.
Anthony also sprang to his feet, slamming his fist down with both hands, and the Knicks took the lead!
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Knicks trailed by 6 points, 77-83.
With one minute played in the fourth quarter, the Knicks trailed by 10 points, 77-87.
With 7 minutes and 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks led by one point, 90-89!
In just 3 minutes, the Knicks unleashed a 13-2 offensive surge!
The Nuggets' head coach, Karl, was truly overwhelmed and had no choice but to call a timeout.
We need to make some adjustments, otherwise the team will be ruined in one fell swoop.
What alarmed Karl even more was the state of the Knicks players.
The players looked relaxed, as if nothing had just happened, as if they hadn't just scored a game-winning goal that turned the tide of the match.
But for the Knicks players: 13-2, that's only a net win of 11 points, what kind of offensive surge is that?
The real climax of the offensive is just beginning!
After the timeout, Don Nelson pulled out another surprise, replacing Barnes with Nate, who has a stronger scoring ability, and once again fielded a lineup where everyone can shoot, run, and score big!
Since I'm feeling good right now, and since I'm on fire, let's keep pushing forward like crazy!
The Nuggets did not change their lineup despite being on a scoring run. This team is somewhat similar to the SuperSonics that Karl coached back then. Both teams have a top-class guard and an excellent power forward as their core, supplemented by a few muscular players who rely on physicality, confrontation, and ruthlessness.
Therefore, Karl will not make any substitutions at this time. No matter what substitutions are made at this point, it will reduce the team's ferocity and toughness. Rather than giving up the advantage, it is better to hope that his players can find their rhythm!
On the offensive end, Billups clearly wanted to demonstrate the origin of his nickname "Mr. Clutch" at this moment, so he gestured for everyone to spread out, then suddenly accelerated with the ball, trying to force his way past Lin Tian.
But how could Billups possibly squeeze past Lin Tian's speed and strength? Lin Tian held his position firmly, preventing Billups from finding an opportunity to cut inside despite his best efforts.
Fortunately, Billups had already prepared a contingency plan. Just when it seemed that Lin Tian was about to completely shut him down, this guy, being a top-class guard, suddenly made a no-look bounce pass and passed the ball to Milicic under the basket.
The pass was quite subtle; he barely flicked his wrist, and the basketball flew towards the basket.
The problem is, this ball was too well hidden! Plus, it was so close that even Milicic couldn't react immediately and couldn't hold onto it.
In NBA games, especially in the paint, a moment's hesitation and loss of control of the ball can make it very difficult to regain possession in the next possession!
Your opponent won't give you that chance.
For example, Lin Tian immediately retreated to the basket and then slapped the basketball that Milicic hadn't held properly with his big hand!
At that moment, who cares whether you're hitting a ball or your hand? You just slap it hard and then grab the basketball.
If the referee doesn't call it, then it's a good shot! If the referee does call it, then I'm out of luck!
This time, the referee didn't blow the whistle! Because everyone saw that Milicic didn't hold the ball properly, and everyone saw that he almost made a mistake.
In this situation, the referee assumes you deserved to be dispossessed!
After Lin Tian caught the basketball, he quickly turned around, then dribbled the ball once before suddenly turning around again. In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian made two consecutive turns, one to face the frontcourt, and the other to leave Billups far behind!
Then Lin Tian finally accelerated powerfully and rushed towards the front!
The Nuggets' disadvantage was extremely obvious in this play!
Not fast enough!
After Billups was beaten, their muscular forwards Krezza and Najura, though strong and fierce, were too tall and slow. When Lin Tian charged at full speed to push the fast break, the two of them were powerless and could only watch Lin Tian's back and sigh.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian shook off everyone from the Nuggets team, then came to the basket and delivered another 360-degree spinning dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian added 2 more points!
The problem facing the Nuggets and Karl now is no longer the Knicks trying to catch up.
The problem they face now is that the Knicks have started to pull away!
Although the Nuggets stabilized the situation again, with Milicic scoring 2 points under the basket, he didn't even have time to get back on defense before Lin Tian found Anthony in the transition and made a crossover pass to Anthony on the wing, who pulled up and shot a three-pointer from beyond the arc!
"Whoosh!"
After the basketball swished through the net again, the Knicks had completely gained momentum!
Even with Billups' experience, he signaled everyone to slow down, and then slowed down his own pace, hoping to disrupt the Knicks' rhythm and touch through this method of controlling the tempo.
However, for this move to be effective, you must first be able to score points, and you must be able to score points continuously!
The Nuggets were clearly a bit bewildered at this moment, and the players were also out of sorts. Billups used his experience and vision to create an absolutely open mid-range opportunity for Kleiza, but the guy shot a rather absurd airball when he was unguarded.
The basketball fell directly into Okur's arms under the basket. After Okur got the ball, he quickly passed it to Lin Tian, who then passed it to Anthony. Anthony dribbled it once and then returned it to Lin Tian.
Then Lin Tian suddenly stopped and turned around. In the instant the Nuggets defenders were stunned and didn't know what he was going to do, Lin Tian suddenly slammed the ball from between his legs behind him. Nate had already arrived and caught the ball at the edge of the three-second zone. He pulled up and slammed it down with another dunk!
The Knicks are absolutely on fire!
They couldn't hold them back!
As the team with the most potent and incisive offense in the league today, and even in the history of the league, once they truly find their rhythm and feel, no strategy is worth mentioning in front of them! (End of Chapter)