Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 535 Don't be discouraged, young man, the future is yours!

"Three times in a row! Three times in a row Lin shut down Wade's offense! Three times in a row he prevented Wade from even getting a shot off!" Barkley shouted after the referee blew the whistle. "One steal, one offensive foul, one traveling violation!"

"I think this is the ability shown by the best defensive player in the NBA right now! This is the attitude shown by the best perimeter defender in the league today! Wade is already amazing; he is the best shooting guard of the new generation in the league. He made the All-Star team, and he led his team to the second round of the playoffs in his rookie year!"

"But against Lin, he was completely helpless! Kenny, what do you think? What are your thoughts on your favorite Wade getting beaten up by my favorite Lin?"

Kenny rolled his eyes and said, "I want to print the poster of Hakim dissing you on a T-shirt and wear it to work tomorrow."

"What the hell does that have to do with what we're talking about right now?"

Kenny said, "Yeah, Lin beat Devin to a pulp, what does that have to do with us?"

After retorting to Barkley, Kenny felt refreshed and continued, "I know very well that Devin is not as good as Lin, or rather, no one in this league can compare to Lin."

"Losing to Lin and getting crushed by him was something we expected. The question and the key point now is: with the series already decided and it's unlikely that anything will change tonight, what can Devin do tonight?"

"Or rather, what else is he willing to do? Can he regain his form, his confidence, and his own rhythm? Does he dare to continue attacking Lin, to launch a near-suicidal charge, to try and salvage the game?"

"Or will he just give up and continue playing like he was almost invisible in the first half? If you ask me, I hope Devin can keep trying and keep being reckless. At this point, it's not even about winning or losing anymore. If he's not reckless now, when is he going to be?"

"Go challenge Lin! Keep challenging Lin! Engrave this feeling of defeat deep into your bones. Remember exactly how you lost. Only by knowing how you lost can you win back in the future using your own methods!"

"I agree," Barkley nodded. "If Devin can keep launching attacks regardless and challenge Lin again and again, then I believe he can definitely become a top superstar! But if he just gives up like that, I can't say how far he can go, but I will definitely be quite disappointed."

Kenny and Barkley were watching Wade on TV, analyzing his performance. Wade couldn't hear them, of course, but his actions certainly didn't disappoint Barkley, Kenny, or his fans.

Dry!

Keep going!

So what if we lose? So what if we get completely shut down for three rounds in a row, and can't even find a chance to attack?

You, Lin Tian, ​​are the king of the league, while I, Wade, am just a little Karami who has only been in the league for two years.

"Losing to you isn't shameful, being afraid of you is!" Wade said this when he had the ball at the top of the arc again and faced Lin Tian. Then Wade started again, squeezing past Lin Tian to drive to the basket. Finally, when he was almost losing his balance due to Lin Tian's defense, he threw the ball haphazardly toward the basket.

"Whoosh!"

His strong core strength and perfect touch helped him at this moment, allowing him to put the ball in even when he lost his balance and couldn't see the basket!

"I can do it, Lin! I can do it!" Wade fell heavily to the ground after scoring, but he got up immediately and quickly blocked Lin Tian's path again: "Full-court press defense, I can do that too!"

"I like you." Lin Tian chewed his gum, still relaxed and carefree, but his admiration for Wade was no longer concealed: "I bet you can become the scoring champion, make the All-NBA First Team, but tonight, you'll get destroyed by me!"

"Completely crush them!"

For those he admires, Lin Tian's approach is to be ruthless, show no mercy, and beat them to death!

Lin Tian also believes that the worse he beats Wade tonight, the stronger Wade will be when he returns to the court next season!

The game proceeded quickly, and the one-on-one duel between Lin Tian and Wade continued until the end of the third quarter.

Throughout the entire quarter, neither of them rested. They were constantly battling each other, dedicating their entire being and attitude to the game!

As for the result...

It was quite tragic.

林天这一节12投7中，3分球4投2中，罚球5罚全中，拿下21分3篮板4助攻2抢断，并且只有1次失误。

In this quarter, Wade made 3 of 10 field goals, 0 of 3 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring only 9 points. He also committed 4 turnovers!

The matchup between the two ended with Lin Tian's overwhelming dominance, but Wade's toughness, never-give-up attitude, and unwavering fighting spirit were also evident to everyone.

"Dwyane Wade! If you say that he led his team to the second round last season, you could say it was because of good luck or weak opponents, and it can't be used as a standard to tell how much he can grow and what level he can reach."

After the third quarter ended and both Wade and Lin Tian were on the bench, Barkley once again gave his assessment: "But after tonight's defeat, after Wade being completely outplayed by Lin in the third quarter, I'm 100% certain that Dwyane can develop into a superstar!"

"He definitely can! That drive and attitude alone is enough to make him stand out from his peers!"

Kenny added, "Especially, everyone should remember that the score on the field is currently 84-60!"

"The Knicks maintained a lead of nearly 20 points throughout the third quarter, and thanks to Lin's two consecutive three-pointers at the end of the quarter, they extended the lead to 24 points!"

"In a match that was almost a foregone conclusion and whose outcome was already decided, Devin displayed unparalleled fighting spirit. Even though his performance tonight was terrible, we still have to give him some applause and recognition."

Lin Tian did not play in the fourth quarter, and most of the Knicks' starters also did not play.

That's enough for them!

At this point in the game, the morale of the entire Cavaliers team had completely dissipated after Wade was brutally dominated by Lin Tian in the third quarter.

They've stopped thinking about things like beating the Knicks or bringing a victory to their home fans; Cleveland is much more pragmatic now.

Don't lose too badly. Just lose by a dozen or twenty points, and we'll end this series as soon as possible!

So in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers' key players, such as Wade and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, did not play. They all sat on the bench to rest, and most of them looked lost and melancholy.

They never expected that the match they had put in their best effort to fight would turn out like this, and that they would lose so decisively!

The only exception might be Wade. His eyes still sparkle with fighting spirit. Judging from his appearance, it's clear that as long as the team puts him on the court now, he will immediately continue to fight!

It's just that the team doesn't want him to play anymore, and there's no need for him to play anymore.

But you could tell from Wade's eyes that he hadn't given up at all!

Since it was an away game and the two sides didn't have any deep-seated hatred, the Knicks were quite considerate and didn't continue to attack and beat the Cavaliers relentlessly in the fourth quarter. Both teams' players were quite calm and composed, getting through the garbage time of the fourth quarter.

McGinnis became the Cavaliers' saving grace. He dominated the fourth quarter against the Knicks' bench, scoring 14 points in the quarter. Thanks to his excellent performance, the Cavaliers didn't suffer a crushing defeat in the final game of the series.

115: 103!

They only lost by 12 points in the end. If you only look at the score and the post-game statistics, it would be easy to think that this was a fierce battle in which McGinnis dominated and carried the team to fight back desperately in the fourth quarter, but ultimately failed.

But anyone who watched the game would know that the real competition ended in the third quarter!

Perhaps because they had already accepted the defeat and knew from the beginning that they were no match for the Knicks, neither the Cavaliers players nor the fans showed too much grief or distress when the final whistle blew.

Many fans at the scene even cheered for the Knicks and shouted Lin Tian's name.

As for the Cavaliers players, they all went onto the court after the game to hug Lin Tian, ​​Anthony, and others.

"We lost this time, but this is just the beginning! I'm only 24, and I'll keep improving." Wade hugged Lin Tian, ​​his eyes brimming with killer instinct and confidence: "Next season, maybe the season after that, I will definitely beat you, Lin!"

"I think you might have to wait until I retire to do something like that," Lin Tian said with a smile. "But don't be discouraged, the future is yours!"

"This future isn't going to be long," Wade muttered, then turned and left the court, heading towards the players' tunnel.

He's been very busy this summer! His vacation won't be long, and he's already planned how to train and improve his weaknesses.

He even had his trainer prepare Lin Tian's match videos during the competition.

He wants to start by analyzing this series of matches, to analyze the gap between himself and Lin Tian, ​​and then find ways to improve and catch up with Lin Tian!

Wade has never been one to give up easily!

With this, the Knicks' first round of the playoffs has ended.

4: 0!

They easily swept aside the Knights and advanced to the second round.

And the first round of the playoffs in the entire Eastern Conference is basically in this format.

All four teams in the top division have been swept!

The four teams in the lower half of the bracket failed to make any impact or response, and each loss was more disastrous than the last!

In fact, the Cavaliers weren't even the team that lost the most!

The team that suffered the most crushing defeat was definitely the Wizards, who were eighth in the East, and they faced the Detroit Pistons, the current league's best defensive team, the Bad Boys 2.0!

This season's Pistons have continued their strong performance from last season. After being upset in the first round by Lin Tian's team, they have never let up or slacked off. General Manager Joe Dumars has been racking his brains, searching the entire league for the final piece of the puzzle for the team.

Just before the trade deadline this season, Dumars finally made his move, trading the team's future draft picks for "Beast" Ron Artest!

Before acquiring Artest, Dumars had some reservations. After all, his team had just gotten into a fight with Artest two months prior, and he was quite worried that his players wouldn't welcome him.

But when he revealed this idea to Ben and others, the response he received was surprisingly consistent.

"It was just a fight! My brother and I fight every day, but we're still great friends!"

"He wasn't afraid, he's got guts, so he's perfect for us! As for those little things on the field, a single sentence can solve them!"

"If we can acquire Ron without having to contribute any valuable assets, that would be the best reinforcement for us!"

"The important thing is that Ron's defense, temperament, and playing style are a perfect match for us."

"Bring him here, and I'll force his head down and make him apologize! If he dares to cause any more trouble, I'll shove him onto Ford's production line, tear him to pieces, seal him in cement, and throw him into the Atlantic Ocean."

"He's Lin's buddy, so he must be a good guy! Joe, get him here, and we'll take care of the rest!"

……

In short, everyone agreed.

This is also the biggest reason why Dumars dared to fight with Artest in December, but then brought Artest to the team in February.

Artest's performance since joining the team fully demonstrates that Dumars made a good trade!

A match made in heaven!

Artest and the original Pistons guys hit it off almost instantly, sharing the same tastes to the extreme. The group developed a tacit understanding almost immediately upon meeting, and this understanding transformed into a chemical reaction during the team's first practice session.

In the first training session, Artest walked straight up to Ben Wallace, bowed to him, and indicated that he had been wrong before.

Then Ben quickly returned the hug, indicating that he was the one in the wrong and that he had been too impulsive last time.

Then Rashid grabbed a camera and snapped a picture of this historic moment, exclaiming, "I'm sending this photo to Lin. He'll be so touched to see his best buddies back together!"

"So touching!" Upon hearing Lin Tian's name, Artest and Ben Affleck immediately put their arms around each other's shoulders, raised their hands, and shouted, "Lin will be happy!"

Billups looked at Hamilton beside him and said, "Richard, do you still have a mask? Give me one. I don't want to see these idiots anymore. Every time they mention Lin, it's so sickeningly sweet that it makes me want to kill them."

"My mask might be a little small; it can't cover all this filth," Hamilton muttered, looking at the group with disdain. "Because there used to be only two, now there are three. I'm starting to regret supporting Joe in making this deal!"

"Chansey, Richard, what are you doing? Come meet our new buddy, let's dance together!" Rashid shouted excitedly, humming his awful hip-hop tune as he pulled the two men to 'integrate' into the big family.

What can Hamilton and Billups do?

They could only close their eyes and dance, immersing themselves in this eerie, homoerotic, and indescribable atmosphere.

If you can't beat them, join them!

It's worth mentioning that Rashid actually sent the video clip of the group dancing and singing together that day to Lin Tian, ​​or rather, posted it on YouTube. Now they are all heavy users of this website.

He also took the opportunity to call Lin Tian to express his gratitude, thanking him for sending such a good buddy.

As for Lin Tian's reaction? It was quite simple.

"None of my business, get lost."

Then Lin Tian sent a text message to Hamilton and Billups, expressing his contempt.

"I thought you were a bit smarter."

Anyway, Lin Tian's two text messages made Billups and Hamilton, two "normal people," so angry that they couldn't sleep all night.

Who told them to get so engrossed in the moment they jumped up that they completely forgot that Rashid was holding a camera?

Do yourself a favor!

Ahem, I've gotten a bit off-topic, but the main point is that the Pistons really thrived after acquiring Artest, making him even more of a force to be reckoned with!

This team is now completely complete!

Among their starting five, Ben Wallace and Ron Artest are Defensive Player of the Year level defenders, while Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups are among the top three defenders in the league at their respective positions.

As for Hamilton, his absolute defensive ability may not be that strong, but in the Pistons' system, his running ability, willingness to run, and stamina that could make even his own dog vomit became the nightmare of all opponents.

This guy is everywhere, insidious and vicious. He'll always appear in unexpected places and then give you an elbow, a pinch in the stomach, or just grab the ball.

This Pistons team already had the best defense in the league, and after acquiring Artest, they completely secured that title!

Before acquiring Artest, they allowed an average of 88.5 points per game, ranking first in the league. However, compared to the Celtics, who had the second-best defense in the league and only allowed an average of 89.1 points per game, they did not have that kind of precipitous lead.

But after Artest joined the team, their average points allowed dropped to 83.4!

This was a truly precipitous lead, transforming them from an ordinary top-tier defensive team into one of the best defensive teams in history!

There might not even be one of them!

Facing the Pistons' impenetrable, high-pressure, and virtually flawless interior defense, the Wizards' Arenas and Hughes undoubtedly endured a nightmare series! (End of Chapter)