Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 725 Textbook-worthy Teamwork VS Regardless of...

After Barbosa's clutch layup, the Suns finally tied the game! After being dominated by the Knicks all game, they finally found a chance to turn the tide!

The entire city of Phoenix erupted in cheers in an instant, with fans screaming, shouting, and celebrating wildly!

There are still 25 seconds left in the game! With the score tied, the Suns may have a chance for a final blow!

Furthermore, as long as they can stop the Knicks' final attack, they can guarantee that they won't lose at least in regulation time!

Don Nelson called a timeout, and the Knicks players gathered together, waiting for him to give them instructions.

"Lin, you go inbound the ball. That will definitely catch them off guard. Amare, set a screen for someone at the free-throw line. After the screen, immediately cut inside to the basket and see if you can find an alley-oop opportunity to score directly."

"Mero, you and Amare set the first screen, then you run to the top of the arc to find an opportunity to receive the ball. Once you get the ball, don't rush. Wait for Lin to come over, then do a handoff to him."

"Memet, you stand in the left corner. When Amaré and Melo set screens off the ball, run up the baseline, draw away the Suns' defense, and create more space for Amaré to cut to the basket."

"Grant, you're last. Stand in the far corner and don't move. Just wait there. If Amare doesn't get the ball, then after Lin receives the ball, you run towards the basket and set an off-ball screen with Amare."

"Then you run up to the top lane. Melo, at this point you drive inside and set a cross screen with Grant."

"If there isn't a direct opportunity to attack the basket this time, Mehmet, it's your turn..."

Don Nelson spoke very quickly, outlining a series of interconnected tactics. The core of his tactics was simple: if they got a chance to dunk or lay up, they should immediately take the shot and score to regain the lead.

If there isn't a 100% absolute chance, then don't rush. Everyone spread out and give Lin Tian space for a one-on-one fight!

Old Nelson's arrangement was absolutely bold and took almost everyone by surprise!

After all, at other times, Lin Tian would usually be the one dribbling and attacking one-on-one. But this time, in the tactics set up by Old Nelson, the other four players would get various opportunities one after another. Only Lin Tian was a complete feint and bait in this tactic!

Only when the tactics are completely exhausted and cannot be implemented will Lin Tian have a chance to make a move!

Lin Tian had no objection to this arrangement. He was good at playing this kind of hero ball and liked the feeling!

The reason why Don Nelson suddenly devised such an imaginative and complex tactic at this time is actually quite simple.

The old man wanted to show off his skills and demonstrate his tactical planning abilities, but he was in a very bad mood at the moment!

Having just lost a 7-point lead to a single Napier pick-and-roll by D'Antoni, a move known in the league for its inability to adapt, the old man felt he had lost face.

This is similar to the monsters in Journey to the West. If you survive being beaten by Sun Wukong, you become a hero, and your other monster companions will surround you, asking you questions like how hard, long, and thick Sun Wukong's staff is, and how satisfying it is to stab someone.

But what if you get beaten up by Sha Wujing...

That would be incredibly embarrassing. The monsters would most likely return to their caves and say, "I tripped and fell."

So embarrassing.

Now is the time for revenge!

Whether I can beat Sun Wukong or not is another matter, but I must beat you up first, Sha Wujing!

Lin Tian could also see the change in the old man's mentality, so he did not object at all, but nodded repeatedly. After all, although Old Nelson was acting out of character, his tactical arrangements were absolutely ingenious!

The league's top head coach's adaptability is no joke!

As for how cooperative Lin Tian was, when he walked onto the court after the timeout, he even added a little drama to his performance, making a fake move with Hill.

Initially, Hill walked to the sideline to inbound the ball, while Lin Tian stood near the center circle. However, just when the Suns and their fans thought this was a routine tactic, Lin Tian quickly walked to the sideline, while Hill walked to the baseline instead.

The several route maps drawn back and forth by the two of them really confused the Suns players!

Who's serving? What are those two doing?

Then, when the Suns players realized that Lin Tian hadn't actually gone onto the court but had instead gone to the sideline to inbound the ball, they were even more confused.

Half of the tactics D'Antoni just laid out were to warn them to be careful of Lin Tian.

Now, it seems like this half has been wasted.

"It's okay! Stay alert!" Nash suddenly yelled, "Guard your own men! Stick close! No matter what, don't let anyone slip through!"

"We held on to our defense in the final possession! We're going to keep this series going! Championship! Guys, championship!"

With Nash's shout, the Suns players finally regained their composure and focused intently on guarding their assigned players.

At this point in the game, they have no way out; they must hold on!

"Beep beep!"

With a whistle, Lin Tian calmly took the basketball from the referee, and the Knicks players started running and setting screens.

Then Stoudemire was the first to drive to the basket, but didn't get a chance.

Lin Tian passed the ball to Anthony according to the tactic, then rushed into the paint and handed the ball to Anthony. Anthony then quickly rushed into the paint as well.

Seeing Lin Tian get the ball, the Suns players breathed a sigh of relief, but fortunately, Marion was guarding Anthony at the moment. He stayed close and didn't give Anthony a chance to cut directly to the basket.

Lin Tian still didn't dribble; he wasn't in a hurry!

Because Hill had already rushed over, the two separated again after another screen at the top of the arc. This time, Hill quickly passed the ball to the side, moving towards the three-point line on his side.

Meanwhile, with no opportunities under the basket, Stoudemire and Anthony both had a chance. Anthony sprinted towards the corner, while Stoudemire headed towards Lin Tian to set a second screen for him!

The Suns' defense was absolutely at its best at this moment!

At this moment, no one was out of position; everyone held their ground and kept an eye on the people they needed to protect.

However, at this time every time, everyone knows: if nothing unexpected happens, something unexpected is about to happen!

Stoudemire, who was originally going to rush to Lin Tian's side to provide cover, suddenly changed direction and ran towards Okur. Just then, Okur also sprinted towards the inside!

The two big men, positioned one step inside the three-point line, switch immediately after a screen and quickly break up the defense!

At this point, the Suns' defense finally collapsed completely and they couldn't keep up at all!

This was completely unexpected. They never imagined that Lin Tian was still a feint point even now! They had focused too much attention on Lin Tian and on the pick-and-roll that Lin Tian and Stoudemire might run.

This directly led to the Suns' defense being unprepared, and Okur was left unguarded as he drove to the basket!

Marion was still watching Anthony from the baseline and didn't have time to interfere. Martin was completely blocked by Stoudemire. As for Pierce, he hesitated between defending Okur and continuing to chase Stoudemire, which made it impossible for him to catch up with Okur.

Lin Tian was naturally not going to let such an opportunity slip by!

With a one-handed bounce pass, he sent the basketball through the Suns' completely broken defense and precisely into Okur's hands.

After receiving the ball, Okur didn't need to dribble at all. He simply gathered the ball, started running, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

"boom!"

The entire city of Phoenix fell completely silent after that loud bang!

Are we going to lose?

With 15 seconds left and trailing by 2 points, are we going to lose?

How could the Knicks have pulled off such a brilliant play at this crucial moment?

How did we get overtaken again?

Is our second Grand Finals journey over just like that?

Another utter defeat, another crushing defeat by the opponent?

The Phoenix fans at the scene were filled with helplessness and despair.

Some people closed their eyes, some held their heads in their hands, some stared wide-eyed in disbelief, and some kept shaking their heads, as if hoping to banish the image of that ball from their minds.

Of course, countless fans had tears in their eyes, and some even shed tears of grief.

Having finally made it this far, are we still unable to stage a comeback?

Even though the Suns still had possession of the ball and 15 seconds left, and D'Antoni had already called a timeout, the sadness of the Phoenix fans was not diminished in the slightest.

It's so painful!

Some even felt that it would have been better if they hadn't closed the 7-point gap and had stayed a little further behind.

At least that way, it won't be so painful, right?

Unlike the Phoenix fans who were completely desperate, the Knicks fans had gone absolutely wild! Their frenzied roars could be heard all over New York.

Meanwhile, in TNT's studio, several hosts raised their arms and cheered.

"Brilliant! Brilliant tactics! No wonder it's Nelson! No wonder he's a mad scientist!" Kenny roared. "I've never seen such exquisite tactics in the final moments!"

"Great! That was fantastic!" Miller continued, "From the moment Lin inbounded the ball, the Suns fell into Don Nelson's trap! They must have thought it was a smokescreen, and that Lin would ultimately finish the job!!"

"And when Lin immediately completed the handoff with Anthony after inbounding the ball, that was the most reassuring and relaxed moment for the Suns players! Because Lin getting the ball meant their strategy was correct, and it meant they could still defend as planned!"

"They certainly didn't expect the Knicks to involve the entire team in this offense!" Payton added. "Everyone had a chance! Everyone was trying to create opportunities for themselves! That's the most exciting part of this play! Everyone was a potential offensive threat, and everyone could finish!"

"Let's take a closer look at the replay! Look! Stoudemire had the first opportunity when the ball was inbounded, then Anthony was at the top of the arc, followed by Hill running towards the basket, and after completing the handoff, Anthony cut to the basket and got another opportunity."

"Finally, the pick-and-roll between Okur and Stoudemire in the paint, and Stoudemire's reverse cut! Absolutely brilliant! Incredibly brilliant!"

"That's not all!" Barkley continued, "When Okur got the ball and cut to the basket, Hill and Anthony didn't stop moving either! In other words, if Okur still didn't get a chance, then it would be Hill and Anthony cutting to the basket again."

"I think the Knicks' tactics won't truly come to a standstill until those two players can no longer create space, and then it'll come down to their ultimate weapon: the pick-and-roll between Lin and Stoudemire, and Lin's ball-handling offense!"

"Let's count how many open drives to the basket Nelson created for the team in those short 10 seconds?"

"At least seven!" Kenny exclaimed excitedly after counting. "At least seven opportunities, seven direct shots to the basket! And that doesn't even include any open mid-range jumpers or anything like that! Unbelievable, absolutely incredible!"

"A top-tier coach paired with top-tier execution—that's what made this play!" Barkley concluded. "The Knicks' attention to detail is unparalleled! Oh, and let's not forget, in this play, they didn't even dribble!"

"Neither Anthony, who received the ball first, nor Lin, who came up to make the handoff, dribbled. They executed such a brilliant team play without dribbling! This play is textbook material, something all high school and college coaches should watch."

"Take a good look, see what team basketball really is! See what true tactics are!"

A group of commentators were excitedly praising the Knicks' exquisite teamwork and Don Nelson's attention to detail in this play, truly elevating the Knicks to new heights.

At this moment, the Suns' last timeout had ended, and the game was about to continue!

The Suns made another minor personnel adjustment. D'Antoni replaced Barbosa, who was inconsistent with his 3-point shooting, with Jones back in, continuing to field his five starters!

The final 15 seconds! The 15 seconds that could decide the outcome of this year's NBA season have begun!

In stark contrast to the Knicks' complex tactics and flashy maneuvers, the Suns stuck to their most basic strategies.

Marion inbounded the ball from the sideline, and Nash sprinted along using screens, trying to get a chance to receive the ball. However, Lin Tian's defense was too tight and too fierce, making it impossible for Nash to get a chance to receive the ball no matter how hard he tried.

Fortunately, Marion is experienced enough to pass the ball to Pierce before the 5-second violation! The Suns' Plan A has obviously failed, but fortunately, Pierce has also seen all kinds of big games. He received the ball at the top of the key and signaled to everyone to pull him away.

Then, while keeping an eye on the time, he began to slowly dribble the ball.

This guy is frighteningly calm! Anyway, Anthony across from him is holding his breath, completely focused, not daring to relax for a moment, afraid that if he blinks, Pierce will slip past him.

The last 8 seconds!

Pierce suddenly dribbled backward to create space, and everyone knew he was about to start his attack!

Then, to everyone's surprise, at that moment, Nash suddenly ran towards Pierce!

"Should we hand it over? Should we let Nash do it after all? But isn't it getting a bit late?" Kenny quickly explained the game, analyzing the situation for everyone.

"It's not a handoff! The angle is wrong, it's a pick and roll! Nash is setting a screen for Pierce!" Barkley was the first to notice something was wrong!

The Suns actually executed a reverse pick and roll!

Normally, in basketball, a pick-and-roll involves a guard who is good at passing and penetrating the defense holding the ball, while an inside player who is good at finishing, shooting, and scoring steps up to set a screen. This is known as the 1-5 pick-and-roll, or the standard pick-and-roll!

However, there are very few exceptions, where the ball is held by an inside player or a taller player, and an outside player or a shorter player steps up to provide a screen.

This is the so-called 5-1 pick-and-roll, also known as the reverse pick-and-roll!

The pick-and-roll is used by almost every professional team in the world, and it can also be seen everywhere on amateur courts of all skill levels.

However, reverse pick and roll is rarely played because it is limited by the lack of passing, vision, and dribbling ability of inside players or taller players.

Or to put it more bluntly: apart from that chubby white guy from Serbia 20 years later, there aren't many big men who can handle the 5-1 reverse pick-and-roll effectively.

In this day and age, this thing is even more of a rare and precious item.

Of course, the Suns' pick-and-roll is at most a 3-1 reverse pick-and-roll. There are almost no centers in the league who are good at handling the ball and passing, but there are still several small forwards with this style!

But clearly, Pierce is more of a finisher who excels at offense than an all-around playmaker like McGrady or James.

He rarely runs pick-and-rolls, let alone at this point in the game, with a guard of Nash's caliber!

This tactic is also a completely new thing that the Suns have come up with for the first time!

D'Antoni has even pulled out his most prized possessions.

The Knicks players, having never seen this tactic before, were unsure how to defend against it.

Carmelo Anthony, who was being matched up against Paul Pierce, was particularly bewildered.

What should I do?

"Melo, don't switch! Squeeze past him! Don't switch!" Lin Tian reacted the fastest, immediately giving Anthony guidance and reminders, telling Anthony to squeeze past Nash and continue guarding Pierce.

But Anthony didn't know whether he was distracted or reacted too slowly to gain a sufficiently advantageous position.

In short, he was blocked by Nash and couldn't get past the screen, while Lin Tian, ​​because he shouted that he wouldn't switch, also followed Nash.

"FUXX!" Then, Lin Tian realized something was wrong. Pierce had been missed, so he quickly moved to the side and rushed to Pierce's side to try to interfere with and block Pierce's attack.

But a player of Pierce's caliber won't let such an opening slip by if you leave him one!

Regardless of whether the ball goes in or not, interfering with his shot will be extremely difficult!

At this moment, Pierce, who had already fully prepared his position and stepped back beyond the three-point line to shoot, was completely focused on this one shot!

Whether the shot goes in or not is no longer about Lin Tian's defense; it's all up to Pierce himself.

With 3 seconds left, Pierce stepped back to gather the ball and decisively launched a three-pointer from beyond the arc!

After he completed his shooting motion, Lin Tiancai arrived late, leaping high in an attempt to interfere with the shot as much as possible.

But both Lin Tian and Pierce knew that Lin Tian's interference was completely ineffective on this play, and everything depended on Pierce himself!

The entire city of Phoenix fell completely silent as fans quietly awaited the final verdict.

"Whoosh!" (End of Chapter)