novelraw Chapter 305 Muscle against muscle! Elbow against chest! The most brutal...
Chapter 305 Muscle against muscle! Elbow against chest! The most brutal...
Chapter 305 Muscle against muscle! Elbow against chest! The most brutal Eastern Conference Finals ever!
"Exciting! So exciting!" Barkley's eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. This pace of the game was exactly the kind of playing style that old-school players like him loved!
"The ultimate showdown! The purest showdown! Both sides will give it their all tonight, fighting tooth and nail for victory! This series will definitely satisfy every basketball fan! An absolutely top-tier matchup!"
"I don't think I've seen Lin this badly in a long time! In the very first possession, he fell to the ground twice, fought for loose balls twice, and was even forced into a 24-second violation!" Kenny added, "I think in today's league, apart from these muscle-bound guys on the Heat, no one can make Lin look this bad!"
"But the more pathetic he seems, the more I look forward to Lin's next move! You know, Lin has always been known for his resilience and fighting spirit!" Barkley reiterated his support for his old friend: "I'm really looking forward to Lin's response!"
The Pacers responded with equally tough defense and aggressive physical contact against the Heat's offense. This time, it was Malone's turn to take the ball in the mid-range and isolate. After a series of fakes and a spin move, the big man elbowed Webber away. But just as he was about to raise the ball to shoot, he heard a crisp "snap" and then felt his hand go lightly.
The ball got knocked away again!
This time it's Lin Tian!
After stealing the ball, Lin Tian also lost control of it. Knowing how powerful Ma Long's hands were, Lin Tian used all his strength. As the ball broke free from Ma Long's control, it also broke free from everyone's control and flew directly towards the three-point line!
Carter and Patterson were huddled together there, both falling to the ground! The basketball went straight out of bounds.
Heat have the ball in the frontcourt!
But they only have 3 seconds left to attack!
Mourning came to the sideline and quickly passed the ball to Payton. Payton took the ball and wanted to shoot immediately, but Lin Tian was pressing him too hard! Not to mention shooting, Payton almost couldn't even dribble the ball properly. He tried to get rid of Lin Tian with two consecutive feints, but Lin Tian only pressed closer and harder!
With the three seconds already up, Payton had no choice but to force a long-range three-pointer from two meters beyond the three-point line!
Needless to say, it was another miss!
The Heat were also defended so well that they missed a three-pointer!
In the first three attacks, neither team managed to touch the rim! Both teams were playing at maximum defensive intensity!
In the Pacers' offense, Lin Tian once again faced Payton one-on-one beyond the three-point line. After dribbling the ball in front of him twice, Lin Tian finally managed to shake off Payton's hand, which had been resting on his arm. He then immediately accelerated and broke through. Just like last time, Lin Tian was immediately surrounded by Mashburn and Patterson as soon as he entered the three-point line.
But Lin Tian was prepared this time. He quickly passed the ball to Christie, and at the same time, he took a step back to the outside of the three-point line. This choice of stepping back instead of cutting inside disrupted the Heat's defense. Apart from Payton still in front of him, one of the other two guys went to guard Christie, while the other was directly shaken off by Lin Tian.
Then Lin Tian accelerated again and rushed into the paint. Christie's pass came very quickly and accurately delivered the basketball to Lin Tian when he was near the free throw line!
Lin Tian slammed the basketball hard on the floor, then took a step and drove straight into the paint. Mourning and Malone both pounced on him at the same time.
Lin Tian was fearless. Facing the two giants in the paint, Lin Tian jumped up and collided with Malone and Mourning while holding the ball in both hands.
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, even with Lin Tian's immense strength, being surrounded by two top-tier strongmen from the league caused his body to deform, and he lost his balance. The basketball was thrown almost haphazardly towards the backboard.
Lin Tian's shot had a very high arc, and even with Mourning and Malone outstretched their arms, they couldn't touch the basketball at all!
However, the price he paid was that Lin Tian's shot was very unpredictable; despite the violent collision, the shot still failed to touch the rim.
"Snapped!"
The basketball hit the backboard and came back almost exactly the same way.
Having just lost his balance after being rebuked, Lin Tian quickly regained his balance and jumped again, slapping the basketball over Ma Long's head. This time, the basketball finally rolled towards the rim.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the basketball finally went into the hoop.
2: 0!
Lin Tian finally scored on this putback, securing the first point of the game for both teams!
However, Lin Tian's comeback came at a great cost.
He just scored a layup over Malone's head, relying on his own speed and physical attributes, which Malone certainly couldn't match.
But Ma Long was no pushover. After feeling himself completely crushed by Lin Tian's overwhelming force, he raised his elbow and lashed out at Lin Tian behind him!
Despite the pain, Lin Tian didn't ask the referee for a 2+1. In this day and age, it's not fashionable to throw up your hands, scream, and shout for a 2+1.
The general consensus is that shrugging is a foul and a sign of being a girl!
A proper player wouldn't throw their hands up as if they're about to be fouled after being fouled!
Either turn around and retaliate with an elbow strike, or throw two punches directly at me.
So, after taking an elbow strike, Lin Tian quickly retreated to defend, staring intently at Ma Long, making the fierce man feel a chill run down his spine!
After one round, Lin Tian found an opportunity to retaliate. Ma Long was about to force his way into the paint with the basketball when Lin Tian seized the opportunity and slapped him on the arm!
"Snapped!"
A sharp crack echoed across almost half the court. The referee on the baseline was usually too lazy to call a foul for a group of players tangled together under the basket, but Lin Tian's slap was so loud that it would be inappropriate not to call it.
"Beep! Hand-touching foul, 2 free throws!" The referee quickly raised his hand and gave Lin Tian a hand-touching foul.
Lin Tian didn't say much, but obediently raised his hand and looked at Ma Long, saying, "If you're not afraid of dying, feel free to go inside. I still have five fouls left to play with you!"
"I still have 6 more times!" At this moment, Ben Wallace stood firmly behind his boss, baring his teeth and threatening Malone as well.
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Ma Long said. Even though his arm was trembling slightly from the pain, he didn't dare to fight Lin Tian. But he had to keep a tough exterior. This guy was really tough right now!
"Let's give it a try." Lin Tian shrugged, turning to look at Ben Wallace and saying, "When you get the chance, go all out and hit me with the maximum possible fouls!"
"It's not like I can't get a penalty for a malicious foul once," Ben Wallace grinned at Malone. "I got a big contract this year, I can afford a little fine!"
"You two, are you never going to stop?" Seeing Malone being threatened, Mo Ning quickly walked up to Lin Tian and Ben Affleck, saying fiercely, "Don't go too far! Even if I can't beat you, I'll fight you to the death if you bully my people in front of me!"
"Karl, you're Alonzo's man now? Then I'll give him some face." Lin Tian shrugged, looking at Malone, and said, "As long as you admit you're Alonzo's man now, I'll go easy on you when I foul later!"
Lin Tian's words effectively put Ma Long in a difficult position.
What could he say? Admitting it or not, neither was appropriate. This tough guy glared angrily at Lin Tian. He had never been treated like this in his entire life! A surge of anger rushed from his dantian to his head; he was so angry he felt like his hair was about to grow back!
"Enough! You lot! Enough!" At this point, the referee finally couldn't hold back any longer. He walked to the middle of the group and looked at them threateningly, saying, "Do you think we don't exist? Discussing cripples and dangerous stunts right in front of us?"
"You all better behave yourselves! I'm telling you, we're keeping a close eye on you bastards from now on! If you dare do anything out of line, I guarantee you'll all be kicked off the field! Don't believe me? Just try it!"
The referee's intervention eased Ma Long's embarrassment.
The guy snorted, walked to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and started shooting.
"Bang!"
"Whoosh!"
After making one of two free throws, the Heat finally got their first win!
However, although both teams scored their first goals, their offensive efficiency was very low due to the high-intensity physical confrontation, the non-stop muscle collisions, and the rough defensive style!
Both the Pacers and the Heat were missing their shots on the court!
The first few minutes of the game turned into a complete shooting frenzy!
Both sides could only score through free throws, but the referees, despite having just threatened the players and reminded them to watch their actions, continued to be lenient in their calls, rarely calling fouls on the players' actions. Unless it was too outrageous, the referees preferred to let the players settle the game themselves!
"I loved this game! Aside from the addition of a basketball, it was no different from a street brawl between gangsters!" Barkley said. "It's a shame I didn't get to play; otherwise, I could have given the guy I was matched up against a lot of trouble!"
"Stop bragging, Charles. When you were the team leader, you got bullied a lot by Alonzo and Karl. Now that they're together, what are you going to do on the court? Besides getting crushed, what can you do? Act cute?" Kenny didn't give Barkley any face and immediately started roasting him!
It's not that the two commentators didn't analyze the match situation and the technical and tactical levels of both sides; it's just that they didn't have much to say.
After all, while this match certainly involved a high level of skill, it wasn't exactly within the scope of these two guys' expertise.
This match needs commentators from WCB, UFC, or some other fighting league to really bring out its essence!
Barkley and Kenny, those two guys definitely can't come!
With such frenzied competition, incredibly rough defense and offense, and almost every 50 seconds two or three people falling to the floor screaming or rolling around, basketball has practically become a decoration rather than the most important tool on the court. Naturally, the scoring efficiency of both sides is extremely low.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 15-18!
The Pacers are currently leading by 3 points!
These 3 points were hard-earned, coming in with 3 seconds left in the first quarter when Miller, coming off the bench, hit a long-range 3-pointer!
Miller's three-pointer was the only three-pointer made by either team in the first quarter!
At the start of the second quarter, the Heat brought in Leonard, their main scorer from the previous two years, and veteran Mallley, along with Mashburn, Payton, and Brown, maintaining a lineup with three top-class players on the court!
The Pacers, on the other hand, brought in Davis, Webber, Mullin, Miller, and Buckner!
The Pacers' current lineup is clearly much weaker than their starting lineup. Apart from Davis, the rest of the players are visibly thin and not physically imposing at all!
The Heat quickly shifted their offensive focus once again!
Payton backs down Buckner, Mashburn backs down Mullin!
The Heat focused on these two points in the first few minutes of the second quarter! They capitalized on their advantage in physicality and weight!
This trick was indeed extremely effective!
However, the reason they were so effective was not because they could keep putting the ball in the basket. Under the Pacers' relentless defense, their shooting percentage was actually quite low, but they did have a clear advantage in terms of physique and height!
They rely on scoring by grabbing offensive rebounds after missing shots!
By attacking the paint and scoring on second-chance opportunities, the Heat quickly took the lead in the second quarter!
Then, after playing less than 3 minutes in the second quarter, Bird made a quick decision and substituted him early!
He told Webber, Buckner, and Mullin to go and rest, and took Ben, Carter, and Lin Tian with him.
The Pacers' perimeter players have shown increased intensity and energy, resulting in a significant improvement in their offensive capabilities. While their interior defense has been weakened by the addition of two role players, Ben Wallace and Anthony Davis's rebounding, defense, and tough, aggressive style have prevented the Pacers' interior from being completely overwhelmed.
The score right now is 22:20!
After returning to the court, Lin Tian immediately began to target the Heat's lineup with precise attacks!
With Malone and Mourning absent, although Brown is a formidable player and has been selected to the All-Defensive Team, his defensive ability and coverage area are clearly no match for Mourning and Malone!
Lin Tian targeted that spot!
As soon as he entered the game, Lin Tian immediately chose to forcefully break through Payton!
The Heat's two perimeter players right now, Mali is old and slow, and Leonard is a soft pure shooter. Their help defense ability is also no match for the starters Patterson and Mashburn.
While Mashburn is an outstanding defender, he was playing the power forward position at the moment and was battling Davis in the paint, so he couldn't close the gap at all!
Therefore, Lin Tian easily broke into the paint in just two steps and then charged towards Brown!
At the same time, Lin Tian deliberately exposed the basketball in his hand! He wanted Brown to make his move!
With Mourning and Malone absent, Lin Tian was unwilling to accept only scoring 2 points!
"Bang!"
The two collided violently in mid-air, and Brown, as expected, did not disappoint Lin Tian, slapping Lin Tian's exposed hand with his large palm!
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound rang out as Brown slapped Lin Tian's arm cleanly. But before Brown could strike, Lin Tian had already switched the basketball to his other hand, flicked his wrist, and sent the ball past Brown into the basket.
Lin Tian easily scored 2 points!
"beep!"
At the same time, the referee blew his whistle, and Lin Tian was awarded a penalty!
The entire Conseco Center erupted in cheers and shouts! Lin Tian's shot was incredibly inspiring!
Not only did they immediately reverse the score and turn the tide, turning the deficit into a lead, but they also made the Heat's defensive stalwarts look extremely disheveled!
After landing, Lin Tian didn't say much, but walked straight to the free throw line.
Then, he was somewhat disappointed to see Riley on the sidelines begin making substitutions!
Mourning, Malone, and Patterson all took to the court together.
The Heat have reverted to their starting five!
"I knew it wouldn't be that simple." Bird, sitting on the sidelines, shook his head in frustration. Riley's reaction was just too fast!
They didn't give the Pacers another chance to attack those two players. In just one possession, they quickly switched back to their starting lineup and filled the gaps in their wing and interior defense!
However, Bird didn't rush to switch back to the starting lineup. He still let the team's two role players fight against the Heat's twin towers in the paint, while the trio of Lin Tian, Carter, and Miller on the perimeter provided offensive support!
Although the Pacers' competitiveness has further declined without Christie, and both Miller and Carter will be at a disadvantage when facing Mashburn, Bird still decided to strengthen the perimeter offense and gamble on Miller's shooting touch!
After all, Miller hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the first quarter!
In the second quarter, Miller got a lot of playing time, but unfortunately, Bird clearly lost his gamble!
Miller focused a lot of energy on defense tonight, putting all his effort into countering Mashburn's back-to-the-basket moves, which really took a toll on him!
This resulted in him having several opportunities on offense, but failing to make a single shot! Throughout the second quarter, Miller went 0-for-3 and scored no points!
When Miller starts missing shots, the Heat's defense will naturally tighten up, leaving Miller open to help defend Lin Tian.
The more Miller missed his shots, the more pressure Lin Tian felt with the ball!
This has become a vicious cycle!
Facing the Heat's almost constant double-teams, coupled with the intimidating presence of the Heat's two short, stocky big men in the paint, Lin Tian struggled tonight. On offense, he either had to force a shot against two defenders or drive to the basket to battle with Mourning and Malone.
Even if Lin Tian has cheat codes, he's still human! Faced with this kind of defense, Lin Tian naturally can't be very efficient!
Before his teammates find their rhythm and start hitting three-pointers or mid-range shots, the defensive intensity Lin Tian faces will not change much!
When Miller missed shots, Lin Tian was double-teamed relentlessly, and Webber was out of form in the paint, forcing Bird to rely on the two role players for extended periods, the Pacers' offense naturally went terribly and was extremely inefficient.
Fortunately, although Miller missed the shot, he used his experience and skills to defend against Mashburn!
Throughout the second quarter, although Miller himself went 0-for-3, his opponent Mashburn only went 2-for-6, which was also very inefficient!
Furthermore, it wasn't just Mashburn who was inefficient on the Heat. Mourning and Malone also struggled to achieve high efficiency when facing Ben Wallace and Anthony Davis, two physically imposing players who were just as formidable as themselves. After all, the physical contact was simply too intense!
With everyone struggling to find their rhythm on offense, both teams unconsciously shifted their focus entirely to defense!
If we can't score, no problem! Then we'll make sure the opponent can't score either! With this in mind, the two sides played even more fiercely and aggressively in the second quarter, with even lower shooting percentages and very low scores!
35: 39!
Finally, when the whistle blew to end the first half, the Pacers had managed to gain a hard-fought 4-point lead, extending their lead to 4 points!
Well, actually we only won by 1 point.
But for the Pacers, this is clearly a good sign.
Because the Heat clearly controlled the pace of the game in the first half!
Playing defense, physicality, confrontation, strength, and grinding out in half-court sets! These are all things the Heat excel at.
The Pacers failed to execute their preferred three-point shooting, transition offense, and fast breaks!
In the first half, the Heat shot 33% from the field and 0-for-5 from three-point range!
步行者队命中率32%，3分球8投1中，命中率12%！
You can't even tell whether the Heat or the Pacers have a worse shooting record or a worse shooting performance!
With both teams performing so poorly, it was actually the free throws that allowed the Pacers to take a 4-point lead!
The Pacers made 9 of 10 free throws in the first half, missing only one, while the Heat only made 6 of 12, barely reaching a 50% success rate!
It was this slight difference in free throw percentage that gave the Pacers a tiny lead.
In the first half, Lin Tian was still the Pacers' best player! Although he only made 5 of 13 field goals and 0 of 2 three-pointers, he scored 15 points by making all 5 of his free throws. He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, but he also had 3 turnovers, which matched his assists.
Lin Tian, whose assist-to-turnover ratio has become increasingly consistent over the past two years, achieved a 1-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the first half, which is enough to illustrate how intense the Heat's defense was tonight!
Apart from Lin Tian's 15 points, no other Pacers player scored in double figures! The highest scorers were Carter with 7 points, followed by Webber and Miller with 5 points each! Apart from these few, no other player on the team made more than one field goal, and no one scored more than 3 points!
The situation for the Heat is similar to that for the Pacers! Only Mourning scored 11 points for the entire team. Apart from Mourning, neither Mashburn nor Malone managed to reach double digits in scoring!
All I can say is that this match was truly brutal!
Both sides were clearly determined to fight and defend until the end of the game, implementing their respective game strategies from start to finish!
Well, it's worth mentioning that during halftime, Lin Tian did something else before returning to the locker room.
Lin Tian thought it was a little trick, an underhanded tactic, that could cause some problems with the Heat's morale and performance in the second half.
Hmm...it should work!
During halftime, neither coach gave much advice, because these two seasoned veterans knew very well that tonight's game was going to be anything but easy for either side! It was all about brawn and physicality, seeing who was tougher and could hold out longer!
So, during halftime, these two guys only did one thing: boost morale! They got the players in high spirits, relaxed, and then ready to continue the physical battle with the opponents in the second half!
Since the main theme today is the fighting tournament, there's no need to avoid it!
The game has already set the tone; it's destined to be incredibly close from start to finish! Neither the Heat nor the Pacers want to lose such a close game, because a loss would severely damage the players' morale!
In the second half, the two teams switched sides and resumed play.
Riley, who had been relaxed and in excellent spirits, suddenly looked downcast after glancing unintentionally behind the bench. His face looked as bad as if he had just eaten two pounds of excrement.
As for why he did this?
Because behind the bench sat a round-headed guy with a thirst for knowledge on his face.
"Doug, shouldn't your seat be over there? Since when do spectators have to change halves with the players?" Riley looked at Rivers with a displeased expression, clearly furious.
Damn it, Eastern Conference Finals, man! I was so worried in the locker room I wanted to tear my hair out, and this guy, Riley, just sat down and started asking me questions right away!
"Mr. Pat, did you devise any new tactics at halftime? Will you continue with your first-half strategy in the second half, or will you change your tactics? I'm really looking forward to the second half! I've learned so much tonight! I've learned so much!"
Rivers mumbled a lot, but didn't answer Riley's question.
"Doug? Can't you hear me?" Riley was in no mood for playing the mentor-student game with Rivers right now; his tone was full of impatience!
"It's Lin! He's such a good guy! At halftime, he asked me if I wanted to continue learning from you in the second half, and he found me a seat behind the bench. A generous Indiana man swapped seats with me! Indiana is such a great place; not only is the scenery beautiful, but the people are also incredibly friendly!"
"FUXX!" Riley was very annoyed by Rivers' long-winded speech and cursed directly!
He has spent most of his life dealing with basketball. In the NBA alone, from player to coach, from the Lakers to the Heat, he has experienced countless games and encountered countless tough opponents.
But Riley swore that the most hateful and shameless person he had ever met in his life was Lin Tian!
FUXX!
What kind of person is that?
Who would arrange such an underhanded tactic?
Who would place another team's head coach behind them, constantly talking to them, just to disgust them?
Where does this little rascal get so many creative ideas?
Riley, feeling frustrated and angry, really wanted to give the order directly to have Malone or Mourning, or both of them, give Lin Tian a couple of elbows and let him know how powerful he was!
Unfortunately, Riley knew that if his two key players were sent off early tonight because of this, it would be a huge loss! Of course, more importantly, Riley knew that his two men... couldn't beat Lin Tian!
Lin Tian's fighting skills are almost legendary in the NBA.
Who doesn't know that this guy is the league's number one warrior?
He's a real warrior! The kind who's good at both playing basketball and fighting. In particular, Riley still remembers the time Lin Tian beat up Jerry Sloan!
When this guy goes crazy, he'll even beat up the coach.
Can't be bothered.
The second half of the game continues!
Neither side changed their starting lineups, continuing with their strategies from the first half.
Keep pushing yourself!
In the first round of the third quarter, both sides once again demonstrated their determination!
After receiving the ball at the high post, Malone did not choose his usual mid-range shot. Instead, he drove hard against Webber all the way to the basket. Webber, who had taken several elbows, was also aggressive at this moment. After yelling, he was not pushed away by Malone. Instead, he anticipated Malone's shooting line when Malone jumped to shoot.
"Snapped!"
With a loud thud, Malone's layup was slapped back by Webber! The force of the slap was so great that Malone lost his balance and was shoved onto the floor in a sorry state!
But he managed to control the ball and quickly passed it to Mourning on the other side before Webber could lunge at him again.
Webber, however, couldn't stop in time and fell to the ground, tumbling down alongside Malone!
Mourning grabbed the ball and quickly turned and elbowed Ben Wallace in the neck, almost knocking him out of his throat!
Ben Affleck isn't the type of person who would let himself be bullied.
After being pushed away by Mo Ning's elbow, he grabbed Mo Ning from behind and slapped him across the face, knocking the tough guy to the ground!
"Beep beep beep beep beep!"
The referee's whistle immediately blared wildly, and three people rushed onto the court to block between Ben Wallace and Alonzo Mourning, fearing that the two would start fighting. Meanwhile, Webber and Malone were locked in a tug-of-war on the floor for dozens of seconds without being able to get up!
"Enough! Enough! Stop it, all of you! Stop it!" the referees shouted. One of them kept an eye on Mourning, while the other two finally noticed Webber and Malone tangled together on the floor and quickly went to separate the two of them!
Mourning had recovered by now. He leaped to his feet and yelled at Ben Affleck, "You fucking tired of living, huh?! You dare touch my face? I'll smash your bones with one punch!"
"Come on! Come on! Let's see who breaks whose bones! Look at my neck!" Big Ben stretched out his neck, revealing his neck, which was red from being hit by Mourning, and said, "Was this bitten by a dog?"
"Beat him up?" A sinister voice suddenly came from behind Mo Ning's head, making Mo Ning's hair stand on end. When he turned around, he found that it was Lin Tian!
This guy somehow got behind Mo Ning and stared at him expressionlessly, as if he were looking at a corpse.
"Lin! I'm the victim! I am! I got slapped across the face by this ugly guy with the afro! My bones are about to break! What right do you have to hit me!" Mo Ning quickly retreated to create distance, and only after he was almost standing next to Ben did he start yelling at Lin Tian!
"I'm not a cop, I don't care if you're a victim or not." Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "You hit my guy, of course I'm going to beat you up!"
"Fuck! He hit me! He hit me! Is it illegal for me to get beaten up? Is it wrong for me to be fouled maliciously? Fuck! Is there no law? Is there no justice?"
Mo Ning looked ferocious and menacing, his hands flailing wildly, his emotions running high!
If someone doesn't understand English, they would definitely think that Mourning is threatening Lin Tian, insulting the referee, and yelling at the entire Pacers team!
But unfortunately it isn't!
At this moment, Mourning fully demonstrated to everyone what it means to say the most cowardly things with the most arrogant demeanor and actions!
Honestly, in today's NBA, nobody is willing to clash with Lin Tianqi over such a trivial matter.
No coach would dare to let their role players provoke Lin Tian, then have Lin Tian beat up the role players, thus resulting in Lin Tian's suspension.
That guy went too far!
If you really provoke him, this guy can beat you from the court to the bench, whether you're watching a show or playing on the court, and no matter if it has anything to do with you, he'll beat you to death!
Suspended for 20 games?
Then we'll make sure the opposing team's key players miss 30 games due to injury!
Anyway, nobody's going to have a good time!
Of course, Riley actually had another plan in mind.
The key players aren't playing, and neither is he; they're all in the locker room or some other random place, somewhere Lin Tian can't find them. Then he sends the rest of the players to provoke Lin Tian…
Well, Riley only thought about it briefly before letting it go. It wasn't that he was afraid Lin Tianzhen would rush into the locker room and beat someone up. It was such a long way. Besides, is a conflict on the court the same as chasing someone off the court and rushing into the locker room or hotel to beat them up?
The former is a conflict, the latter is illegal and criminal.
What Riley feared was that Lin Tian would tolerate it!
You can tolerate this match until your main players return for the next one, then he can retaliate.
We can't just not play in any of the remaining matches just to avoid Lin Tian's retaliation, can we?
How can we possibly beat Lin Tian and the Pacers if the key players and coaches aren't playing?
And there's another problem.
If Riley sends his players to get beaten up, the substitutes might grit their teeth and go along with it. But if Riley sends them to their deaths and then hides away, remotely directing everything...
How much do role players earn in a month? Why would he risk his life for you...?
Only a lunatic would listen.
Therefore, in conclusion, Lin Tian is undoubtedly the number one peacemaker on the court today.
With him around, fights are practically impossible to break out.
It relies on absolute military superiority!
Just like when the dean of students is present, the students will never fight no matter what!
They all operate on the exact same principle!
These factors combined have created the world-famous painting of Mourning, a tough guy who is both cowardly and fierce.
Lin Tian simply shrugged at the situation. He wasn't really going to fight anyway, and Ben Affleck hadn't lost out; in fact, he'd given Mourning a whole bunch of beans.
As for Malone on the other side, as Lin Tian's number one victim, after noticing Lin Tian's intervention, he quickly let go of Webber's arm, which he had originally intended to trip Webber again, allowing Webber to get up from the floor first.
Then he quickly got up and stood next to Mo Ning, as if that was the only way he could feel safe.
Seeing that everyone had calmed down and was no longer impulsive, the three referees gave everyone a warning look. Then the head referee quickly went to the technical table to review the replay, while the other two referees stayed behind to monitor the situation and prevent it from escalating further.
As for the players on both sides, they were clearly separated at this moment, each chatting about their own things and not exchanging any information with the other side.
"Well done, Lin!" With nothing else to do, one of the referees couldn't help but give Lin Tian a thumbs up, expressing his gratitude for once again defusing a potential brawl.
"It's nothing, it's what I should do! Besides, I love peace and hate violence! There should be no violence on the basketball court! We should use basketball to solve problems! All acts of violence on the court should be condemned!"
Lin Tian's righteous and indignant words earned him the middle finger and contemptuous looks from almost all the players on both the Pacers and the Heat.
Shameless!
Even the referee secretly avoided the camera and then gave Lin Tian the middle finger.
I can't stand it! I absolutely can't stand it!
(End of this chapter)