met free Chapter 473 Absolute Pinnacle Battle! Both sides give their all.
Chapter 473 Absolute Pinnacle Battle! Both sides give their all.
"This glass is a toast to my big brother! A toast to my forever big brother!" In the midst of the brightly lit dance floor, there stood a towering figure—no, a guy who looked like a towering figure but whose silhouette resembled a mushroom—holding a large glass of wine and howling loudly.
"My guide in this life, my most important friend, my best mentor, my forever brother, the person I am most grateful to in this life, Lin! I raise this glass to him to thank him for not holding a grudge against what I did to him during the competition!"
"I'm a villain, a complete bastard, a damned demon, I deserve to go to hell! But my brother, forgive me!"
This person, of course, is Ben Wallace.
Before Ben could finish speaking, Rashid rushed out from the side, kicked him aside, and then, holding a half-empty bottle of wine, said, "I also want to toast Lin!"
"To my best brother! A brother I'd give my life for. If Lin needs me, I'd even fight alongside him in the streets! I'd be his shield and body armor! I'd take a knife for him!"
"These two idiots." Billups huddled in the corner, feeling utterly ashamed and unable to lift his head. How could these two do something like this?
They came all the way to Indiana, but despite Brown's explicit curfew order, they insisted on bringing a few people out to have some fun.
Is this the result?
What the hell is this?
A reconciliation drink? An apology banquet? Or a stand-up comedy show for two?
How the hell did our Detroit, with its iron-blooded spirit, produce these two junks?
How embarrassing! So embarrassing!
Billups's inner turmoil had been relentless since he arrived, and he was now truly feeling extremely uncomfortable, already planning to run away.
It's just that there were a lot of people and no one had had enough to drink yet, otherwise Birups would have left much earlier.
Hmm... some have already had enough to drink.
"You two are right!" Wells, bottle in hand, rushed onto the dance floor and shouted, "Back in Portland, Lin was my idol! I always dreamed of fighting alongside him in the streets! The two of us could take on 50 people!"
"He can take on 48, I can easily take down at least 2!"
"Three idiots!" Hamilton moved closer to Billups and sat down next to him. The two looked at each other, and then the perfectly in sync backcourt duo didn't need to say another word.
Go! Go now!
So the two of them got up together and walked towards the door.
"Finally free! I never want to embarrass myself with these bastards again in my life." Billups pushed open the door of the private room, feeling liberated!
He didn't even have time to stretch before he quickly turned around to face behind him and pushed Hamilton toward the room.
"What the hell are you doing, Chang..." Hamilton hadn't even finished speaking when Billups pushed him into the room and slammed the door shut again.
"Larry's here!" Billups swallowed hard, his face ashen. "You mean he's spotted us?"
"Absolutely not!" Hamilton said confidently, as if Brown couldn't possibly have discovered their sneaking out, while pulling out a mask from somewhere and putting it on his face.
"Take that piece of junk off." Billups realized everyone tonight was an idiot, and he was the only sane one. "This lousy mask is your true form! It makes you more recognizable with that on!"
"So what do we do?"
"What do we do?" Lin Tian, having somehow noticed the two trying to escape, stealthily approached them, put his arm around their shoulders, and said, "Of course, we keep playing the music and dancing!"
Then, without saying a word, Lin Tian pushed the two of them back into the private room to enjoy Ben Affleck's performance.
As for what program it was, Lin Tian couldn't understand it or hear it. Who knows what this guy was babbling about? Anyway, according to Ben Affleck, it was the song "HERO" from last year's All-Star game!
They're not exactly the same, but at the very least, they have absolutely no connection whatsoever.
.........
The Pistons canceled all practice the day after arriving in Indiana, citing Larry Brown's illness as the reason, as the old man was unable to participate in practice.
But as for the real reason...
Rumor has it that Larry Brown was drained dry by his old flame from when he coached in Indiana, to the point that he could barely crawl and almost lost his life.
As for whether the news is true or not, since there are no sources for rumors and no legal responsibility involved, nobody cares whether it's true or not.
After receiving the news, the Pistons players didn't care whether the old man had been drained or what; they cheered and then rolled over onto their beds.
Take a rest a while longer.
We partied too much last night.
.........
A day later, the players from both sides gathered again at Conseco Center for Game 6 of the series!
This game was also considered by many to be the Pistons' last chance!
If they can't win Game 6 against an opponent like the Pacers, and the Pacers get into their rhythm and find their form, then they definitely won't win Game 7 either!
After all, this is the Pacers!
This is the league's champion for many years!
In particular, if you analyze it carefully, you will find that although both sides have won and lost in the past 5 games, the pace of the game has always been controlled by the Pistons. Both sides scored very low. 80 points is considered a high score, 70 points is not low, and 60 points is commonplace!
The two teams played five games at an extremely low and slow pace, but the Pistons failed to win the series.
The current situation is quite obvious: the Pacers are starting to adapt to the Pistons' rhythm and style of play, as evidenced by their defense in the fourth quarter of the last game! The Pacers are no longer afraid of the Pistons' defensive intensity and physicality.
They can give the Pistons the same response on the defensive end.
With both sides' defenses nearly evenly matched, whoever has the better offensive performance will win this series!
But as everyone knows, the Pistons are historically top-tier defensively, but what about offensively?
Putting aside how terrible their offense was, just look at their opponents: Lin Tian, who is already being called the "greatest attacker in history."
No matter how confident the Pistons and Brown are, and how determined they are to win, they are well aware that if they try to out-offend the Pacers, their chances of winning are probably less than 30%!
So before the game started, Brown once again bluntly emphasized their game strategy for tonight.
"Same as last game! If Lin drives into the paint, I want him to get a blood! Not just Lin, but everyone on the Pacers, if they drive into the paint, I want them to go home dead!"
"Treat our three-second zone like your own bedroom! Anyone who wants to come in will pay the price! Anyone who tries to rush in and score, let them leave some scraps here, understand?"
"Bring back the same intensity and style you had in the last two minutes of the last game! You did a fantastic job last game; the loss was just bad luck. Keep up this intensity throughout the entire match, and they simply won't be able to compete with us!"
"There's no way! They can't maintain that top level of performance and energy for the entire match. The last match was their limit! Let's go all out and win this one! Crush them!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
The Pistons players will never lack fighting spirit and courage, and they will never be afraid or back down.
Their inherent toughness will never change!
Brown's arrangements are absolutely flawless; his ideas and strategies are also without any problems. This is currently the optimal solution and the best strategy for the Pistons.
That's their best option to beat the Pacers.
But there's only one problem.
That means in the previous game, the Pacers really couldn't make any shots!
In the past five games, no one on their team except Lin Tian has averaged double-digit points!
Even with the Pacers at their lowest point, the Pistons could only maintain the upper hand but couldn't ultimately win the game. This shows that the Pistons have reached their limit!
Because the Pacers have hit rock bottom, and once they hit rock bottom, they will inevitably bounce back!
Like tonight!
After five consecutive bad games, the Pacers, including Lin Tian, have finally bounced back!
In their first offensive possession, the Pacers still gave the ball to Lin Tian, and the Pistons stuck to their previous defensive strategy.
But this time, when Lin Tian set a screen and drew a double team, then passed the ball to Haslem, who was completely left open after the screen was broken up, Haslem received the ball and shot.
This time, it finally hit!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Haslem scored!
In this series, he averaged 38 minutes of playing time in 5 games, but only 2 points and 8 rebounds per game. In the first and fourth games, Haslem didn't score a single point!
His shooting percentage plummeted from 49% in the regular season to 28%!
It's important to know that 90% of Haslem's shots are absolutely wide open, and in the previous games, the entire Pacers team failed to capitalize on these wide-open opportunities!
Given their current form and shooting touch, it's no surprise that they couldn't score in the first few games.
Haslem, whose stats and efficiency are abysmal, scored on his very first shot of the night.
An excited Haslem raised his arms and shouted, pounding his chest to celebrate his successful start.
This shot was crucial to his confidence. Even though it was just one shot, scoring the first shot of the game would have a huge impact on Haslem's confidence!
At the same time, it has also greatly boosted the confidence of all players on the Pacers team.
For example, in the Pacers' second offensive possession, Lin Tian broke through and passed the ball to Artest again. Artest received the ball and didn't hesitate at all. He didn't even make a move to break through to the inside; he just pulled up and shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Bang!"
Artest's momentum from the game-winning shot in the previous game didn't carry over into this one, as his three-pointer bounced off the rim again.
Although the basketball didn't go in, Haslem, who had just made a shot, displayed a level of intensity and ferocity rarely seen in previous games. He reached out a hand between the two Wallaces and swatted the ball away again.
Then Miller, with his height and long arms, used his advantage to catch the basketball. After landing, he took off again and made a short floater from close range!
"Those two baskets at the start are pretty good!" Kenny said. "In previous Pacers games, it was always Lin who led the charge, or even just Lin alone, and that opened up the game."
"But tonight, it was the other Pacers players who got the first shot on! Let's see if this momentum can continue! Charles, what about you? What are your thoughts on this game?"
"What do I think?" Barkley grinned, then suddenly opened his shirt, revealing a blue number 3 jersey.
"Detroit will win! Ben can grab at least 30 rebounds tonight! Charge! Destroy Indiana!"
Kenny almost spat out his water because of Barkley's crazy move.
Good grief, you've become addicted to metaphysics, haven't you?
They're getting more and more thorough, aren't they!
On the court, after Billups made a mid-range shot, Lin Tian grabbed the rebound again. After getting the ball, he changed his steady and methodical style from the previous few games and dribbled the ball towards the Pistons' half of the court!
Even though Lin Tian was incredibly fast, reaching the Pistons' half of the court almost in the blink of an eye, the Pistons' discipline and defensive habits were truly excellent. As soon as Lin Tian arrived outside the three-point line, the team had already set up their defensive formation and were ready for action!
In the previous matches, Lin Tian would have definitely chosen to play it safe, but tonight is different!
Tonight, the Pacers need to seize the initiative! Lin Tian wants to set the pace and speed of the game; he's unwilling to be led by the nose by the Pistons any longer!
So this time, Lin Tian suddenly used two consecutive crossover dribbles to find his rhythm, then suddenly accelerated and charged towards the Pistons' interior again!
Although Lin Tian was surrounded by the Pistons' defense in the blink of an eye, he quickly found his teammate and made a one-handed through pass to Christie on the other side.
Another open three-point opportunity!
Christie received the ball and didn't hesitate any longer. His teammates had all contributed and scored, and he didn't want to fall behind.
He took a decisive shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Whoosh!"
"They're back! The 'surgical knife' is back!" Kenny shouted, raising his arms. "The Pacers hit their first three-pointer of the night! Let's see if this shot can bring back their shooting touch and get them going!"
To be honest, it's very difficult to string them together.
Even though the Pacers players were in good form tonight, and under Lin Tian's leadership and spurred by their victory in the previous game, they played more decisively and aggressively. The problem was that the Pistons' defense was truly top-notch!
Even though they had to constantly double-team Lin Tian, and even though Lin Tian always managed to find open teammates, the Pistons were always able to complete their rotations and help defense immediately, filling the gaps and disrupting the Pacers' shots.
The Pacers didn't get as many open looks and great opportunities as they had imagined!
Especially after Brown realized that Lin Tian was clearly prioritizing his teammates' offense over his own, he instructed the players to increase the speed of their rotations and to further enhance their lateral movement and defensive aggression!
In their pursuit of victory, the Pistons truly pushed their defensive intensity to the limit tonight!
Whether it was the intensity, the scale, the ferocity, or the speed of rotation, the Pistons players did their best. Driven by the Pacers and Lin Tian's incredible performance, the Pistons played their best tonight!
They could quickly rotate after double-teaming Lin Tian, filling the gaps created by the double-team, and then continue to remind each other to fill any new gaps that appeared.
As long as we patch up quickly enough, there will be no gaps in our defense!
That's the principle the Pistons upheld tonight!
Despite the Pistons' relentless defense, the Pacers players remained unfazed!
They can't replicate the Pistons's insane defense, but the problem is that the Pistons don't have someone like Lin Tian who requires constant double-teaming and help defense from the Pacers.
The Pacers used one-on-one battles and an unyielding spirit to fill gaps, shut down their opponents, and withstand their physical attacks time and time again.
Lin Tian relentlessly marked Billups, completely silencing the guy who had shown outstanding performances and incredible shots in the previous few games. He was not only unable to score himself, but also found it difficult to truly organize the team's offense.
Christie, on the other hand, utilized his advantages in anticipation, experience, and awareness on the defensive end. He repeatedly bypassed screens and stood between Hamilton and the ball handler, allowing Hamilton to run frantically and relentlessly search for screens, trying to score using his off-ball skills. However, in the end, he couldn't even receive the ball.
Artest and Wells, who started the game tonight, engaged in a real physical battle, with a tank of flesh and a muscular beast wrestling and tackling each other all over the court.
As for Haslem, although he is no match for Rasheed in terms of height, skills, strength, and ability, he still plays a desperate, close-marking defense, making it difficult for Rasheed to receive the ball and shoot directly. However, if Rasheed wants to post up or score in the low post, Miller's help defense will arrive in time.
There's nothing you can do about it. Your inside partner, Ben Wallace, has an offensive impact that's completely negligible. You, Rasheed, aren't Webber. Although you're known for being all-around, you really don't have Webber's inside-out passing skills.
Once Rasheed is facing two opponents under the basket, he really can't find the open Ben Wallace, and he also lacks the explosive power of O'Neal to score continuously even when facing two opponents.
Simply put, there's not much Rashid can do on the offensive end tonight!
The intensity of this match was definitely higher for both sides than the previous five matches, and the brutality of the game was also much greater than in the previous matches.
Even though both sides raised their defensive intensity to the extreme, the players' confidence and decisiveness on the offensive end did not decrease at all. Even though their offensive efficiency was still not very high, the scores of both sides were significantly higher tonight than in the previous few games. At least by the end of the first half, both sides had scored close to 50 points.
44: 47.
The Pacers are currently leading by 3 points.
"Both sides could score over 100 points in this game!"
At halftime, Kenny remarked casually, "To maintain this level of offensive efficiency under this level of defensive intensity, I think both teams delivered some of the best performances of their careers tonight!"
"Perhaps their stats tonight weren't the best of their careers, or even among the best, but if we're just talking about form and determination, everyone on the court gave it their all tonight!"
"Charles, you... never mind, just shut up!"
Kenny had intended to ask Barkley what he thought of the game, but when he saw Barkley unbutton his shirt again, trying to reveal his blue jersey, Kenny quickly stopped him.
This is too much to bear.
It's better not to watch it.
However, Kenny's point is very valid. While the success rate and efficiency of both sides in the first half were not top-notch, the determination and attitude they showed on the court were truly the pinnacle of their careers, and even the entire league!
In addition, the two sides have another striking similarity tonight.
That is, the scoring points are very scattered, and both sides have several players who performed well.
For the Pacers, Lin Tian played the full 24 minutes, but his shot attempts and points were the lowest in this series, although his assists were the highest in the series.
The main reason for this is that the other players on the Pacers played better and had a higher shooting percentage. They were able to make shots, so Lin Tian's number of shot attempts naturally decreased, and his number of assists naturally increased.
12投5中，3分球3投1中，罚球5罚5中，林天半场拿下了16分7篮板6助攻2抢断，他的数据仍旧是全面无比，仍旧是这个晚上最闪亮的球员。
Besides Lin Tian, Christie scored the second-highest points for the team with 8 points, Artest had 6 points, and Miller, Parker, and Howard, who came off the bench, each scored 5 points.
In addition, although Haslem only made the first shot of the game, he grabbed 9 rebounds in the first half, including 4 offensive rebounds. His fighting spirit and do-or-die attitude were also one of the important reasons why the Pacers led by 3 points!
Although Lin Tian was the only Pacers player to score in double figures in the first half, it was clear that everyone's form was improving and they were all playing better and better. If they continued to play at the same pace as tonight, the Pacers would definitely not have only Lin Tian scoring in double figures again!
The situation was similar for the Pistons. Hamilton scored a team-high 12 points, and with the two Wallaces performing poorly on offense, the team's backup small forward, the little-known and almost forgotten Davin Hamm, stepped up.
This guy, who doesn't have a bump on his head yet and hasn't been to Los Angeles, displayed his aggressive playing style in the first half, making multiple cuts to the basket or scoring directly in transition.
He scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half, becoming a key player for the Pistons.
Besides these two scoring in double figures, Billups had an incredibly poor performance, scoring only 5 points on 1-of-7 shooting. Rasheed was only slightly better, scoring 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
The team's other two starters, Wells, only scored 4 points, but he didn't take many shots. He spent most of his energy battling with Artest, as if Artest wasn't there to play basketball tonight, but to wrestle, only occasionally remembering that he was a basketball player and then casually shooting a couple of baskets.
As for Ben Wallace, although he had a 100% shooting percentage, he only scored 2 points in total. However, neither Detroit fans nor Larry Brown would blame him for that.
With just 2 points, Ben Wallace had already fulfilled his offensive role. After all, his more important job is defense. Tonight, he grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and added 3 blocks in the first half, becoming a pillar of strength. Several of the Pacers' seemingly inevitable drives to the basket were swatted away by Wallace.
In summary, both sides played their own game in the first half, but were also contained by their opponents to some extent.
In the second half, the two teams switched sides and started the third quarter, where both sides once again displayed top-level competitive form.
First, Billups hit a very difficult step-back three-pointer to tie the score for the team. Then, on the Pacers' offense, Lin Tian also fired again, rushing into the paint and rising up against Ben Wallace once again, slamming the ball into the basket with both hands!
Once again, Ben became the backdrop for Lin Tian's poster moment.
"Ben, next time you see me, walk away with your head down!"
After scoring, Lin Tian immediately started trash-talking Ben Wallace.
"I saw you with your head down too." Da Ben scratched his afro and chuckled foolishly.
This time, Lin Tian was at a loss. How could trash talk be dealt with like this?
shameless!
Although Lin Tian's trash talk was ineffective, the first two balls of the game still demonstrated the attitudes of both sides.
That's determination! Even more determination than in the first half!
With both teams having reached their peak in terms of skills, tactics, and attitude, the competition now transcends mere basketball skills.
In the upcoming match, it will be a battle of wills between the two sides!
Whoever can hold on longer, maintain their intensity for longer, and grit their teeth and never back down in this extreme duel will win the game!
Besides needing to stay in the game, another crucial factor for both sides is luck! Whoever has better luck, whoever can score two incredible goals, and whoever can capitalize on more open opportunities will be the winner tonight!
After all, if both sides have done their best in what players and coaches can control but still can't decide the winner, then the rest is really up to fate.
Throughout the first half of the third quarter, the two sides were in a state of absolute equilibrium, with neither side able to gain a lead of more than 5 points. The two sides were constantly entangled, overtaking, falling behind, tying, and then overtaking again.
And the shooting percentages of both sides have improved significantly without anyone noticing.
For example, with two minutes left in this quarter, both teams had reached 25 points.
69: 72!
At this point in the quarter, the score is still tied!
Neither side was able to pull away in the third quarter!
When the game went into another pause, Kenny analyzed, "Today's game will most likely go to the final moments again. Both teams have given their all and played their best."
"But the two sides are still unable to determine a winner! I think both coaches are waiting, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the right moment to appear! But to be honest, no one can say for sure when that moment will come, or in what form it will come."
"It's even possible that such an opportunity won't arise tonight, and the two sides could very well remain deadlocked until the very end of the match! And at that point, it might just depend on the luck of both sides."
"Charles? It's okay, you don't need to say anything. I just wanted to see if you were dead. If you're not, then you can continue to cheer for the Pistons."
The commentary for this game has increasingly resembled a one-man show by Kenny. Whenever he mentions Barkley, Barkley will grin lewdly, reveal his Pistons #3 jersey, and then let out a series of lewd laughs while shouting "Pistons will win!"
Kenny has given up on him.
On the court, the timeout has ended, but neither coach has made many substitutions. In this series, both coaches' rotation lineups are getting shorter and shorter, and the number of players in the rotation is also decreasing.
Tonight, the Pistons had a total of 8 players on the court, while the Pacers only had 7 players on the court!
Tonight will be the ultimate showdown between the main players!
But it is precisely in times like these that unexpected forces are most likely to emerge!
For example, Ham scored 10 points for the Pistons in the first half.
For example, there's Parker, who's now playing as a backcourt duo with Lin Tian on the court!
In this series, because Lin Tian only rested for less than a minute in total and played almost every game, Parker's playing time was also extremely limited. He could only occasionally come on to play for a short time when Christie was resting or when the Pacers wanted to play a very small lineup.
For example, right now, in the final stages of the third quarter, Carlisle has to let Miller, who has already played 30 minutes, rest for a while, otherwise the big man really won't be able to keep up.
Haslem, Artest, Howard, Lin Tian, Parker!
With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Pacers brought out their small lineup of one big man and four small men.
In this lineup, although the Pacers have three players who are 2 meters tall, none of them are over 201 centimeters tall. In other words, the Pacers' current lineup consists of three forwards who are just over 2 meters tall and two guards who are around 190 centimeters tall.
The Pacers' small-ball lineup was clearly within Brown's expectations!
Because at this point, he had the best lineup he could get!
The frontcourt consists of 211cm Rasheed and Elden Campbell, while the forward line features the 201cm tall Darwin Hamm, who performed well in the first half. The backcourt duo consists of Hamilton, who is 198cm tall, and veteran Bob Sura!
You can't say how strong the Pistons' roster is.
But at least in terms of height, they completely overwhelmed the Pacers. Brown clearly believed that the team's height would give them the upper hand in the last two minutes of the third quarter!
It's very traditional and also very much in line with Brown's thinking.
Height and speed are key, and the closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score! (End of Chapter)