Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1146 Though there be ten thousand men, I will go!

Bynum immediately turned to defend, gesturing wildly as he tried to get back into position, but he chose to help defend James first, so his defensive speed was a little slow and he couldn't get into position completely.

At most, it prevented Duncan from jumping directly to dunk. Bynum's aggressiveness forced Duncan to choose a safer option: a bank shot from the spot.

Duncan was standing on the edge of the three-second zone. At that distance, a bank shot would normally be a sure thing for him.

But now, due to Bynum's interference and his own obvious exhaustion after playing the entire second half, this close-range shot actually bounced off the rim!

With limitless physical abilities, truly a monster, there's only one LeBron James!

No, there's only one Celtics team.

The Lakers have another one!

Duncan's missed shot was slapped away by Durant and caught by Barnes. Barnes immediately passed the ball to Lin Tian, ​​who rushed past him. Lin Tian received the ball and pushed it forward without stopping, his speed instantly entering berserk mode!

No one can catch up with him! Whether it's Green or Bradley, neither of them can catch up with Lin Tian at all. They can only watch as Lin Tian gets further and further away from them as if he were riding on wheels of fire.

"boom!"

Finally, with a loud bang, Lin Tian scored 2 points with a windmill dunk.

The game has only 1 minute and 30 seconds left.

107: 112!

At this moment, Karl quickly called a timeout. He needed to make some further arrangements and also calm the players down so they wouldn't be too discouraged. After all, those two rounds of offense and defense had really affected their morale.

"What a pity!" Miller couldn't help but exclaim. "The Celtics had such a chance, but they failed to capitalize! Green's offensive and defensive plays just now gave them a chance to catch up!"

Jackson said, "But then Duncan missed his sure-fire layup, and Lin then scored on a fast break, which was 4 points! The Celtics should have narrowed the gap to 1 point, and then the Lakers couldn't mount a counterattack."

"But now they haven't scored 2 points and Lin has even launched a fast break. This huge gap and disparity could very well make the Celtics players so desperate and frustrated that they want to give up."

Van Gundy said, "That's probably the difference between a top team and an average team. It's not just about seizing opportunities and resilience, but also about luck! Duncan could have made at least 9 out of 10 shots, but he just missed this one."

"It's fate!"

"This is too mystical," Miller said, shaking his head as he looked at Van Gundy. "I don't believe in these things like fate and destiny."

"Otherwise, how do you explain it?" Van Gundy looked at Miller and said, "Duncan just missed, but Lin was able to seize the opportunity."

"Because of Lin Qiang!" Miller thought for a moment and then gave his answer firmly: "Because Lin Qiang is the strongest, he can seize the most opportunities and win the most victories."

"Well, I think I'll stick to fate," Jackson rolled his eyes. "Your explanation is even more disheartening. I'd rather believe this league was defeated by God than admit that we're simply inferior to Lin."

"But in the world of basketball, and even in the entire world of sports, Lin is God." Miller blinked and smiled. "Isn't that right? I remember Lin had a nickname, 'Yellow Jesus.'"

"No matter what," Van Gundy said, "the Celtics just missed their best chance! It's the same amount of time, but being down by one point versus five points is a world of difference! It's like the difference between heaven and hell."

"They have no chance or room for error left, and they have to pray that the Lakers make a mistake, otherwise they simply won't have enough time."

"The match has begun! Let's take a look at the lineups... No substitutions! Neither team has made any substitutions! The match continues!"

The Celtics inbounded the ball, and James dribbled at the top of the key again, looking for an opportunity. The rest of the Celtics players kept running, waiting for the play to be initiated.

Despite trailing by 5 points and with little time remaining, the Celtics demonstrated their resilience and composure.

The team's players remained focused on running the tactics, without becoming chaotic or at a loss, nor did they slacken off because they were behind.

Then Duncan moved up again and ran a pick-and-roll with James. After screening each other, the two of them rushed towards the basket at the same time.

Then James suddenly tossed the ball into the air, and Duncan took off in the air. After catching the ball in the air, he did not immediately pass it to the basket. Instead, he landed for a moment to steady himself before pulling up again for another bank shot.

Although this timing wasn't as flashy or elegant as a direct dunk, it allowed Duncan to successfully shake off Bynum's defense and easily put the ball into the basket.

It's still a 3-point difference.

Duncan redeemed himself by not missing another crucial shot and preventing the team from losing all hope.

"Hold on! Hold on! Everyone hold onto this opportunity!" James excitedly high-fived Duncan after he scored, then shouted again.

For the Celtics, it's crucial to defend the next possession, absolutely crucial to defend the next possession!

This is the most important thing to them.

Compared to the Celtics' united and prepared demeanor, Lin Tian remained as relaxed as ever, a quality his opponents found annoying. Time was on the Lakers' side, so Lin Tian dribbled with considerable ease.

It took him five seconds to get out of his own three-point line under Bradley's defense, and then just as the eight-second countdown was about to end, he suddenly accelerated and successfully got to the frontcourt.

No one would think that Bradley's defense almost caused Lin Tian to make a mistake. On the contrary, everyone was amazed by Lin Tian's level of control over timing and rhythm.

"Masterful skill!"

"Absolutely amazing!"

"Unparalleled in the world!"

The three commentators gave their evaluations one after another. Even though Lin Tian had already achieved great success, everyone was still happy to praise him.

I could praise him endlessly, it would never get old, because he's just that good.

After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian continued to control the clock. This time, he ignored Kobe's aggressive and eager calls for the ball in the low post. No matter how Kobe called for the ball, and even once when he turned around and drove straight to the basket, Lin Tian did not pass the ball to him.

"Get out of my way, Kobe! Give me some space! You've already missed your chance tonight!" Lin Tian shouted at Kobe without any politeness. If someone who didn't know them heard this exchange, they would definitely think that the two were fighting amongst themselves.

But after hearing Lin Tian's words, Kobe cursed "FUXX" and obediently walked to the corner, truly giving up the entire interior space to Lin Tian.

Then, Lin Tian finally launched his attack when there were only 5 seconds left on the clock!

Although the moment he started, Bass chose to let go of Barnes and rushed towards Lin Tian, ​​forming a double-team with him.

Lin Tian was already used to this kind of double-teaming and didn't take it seriously at all. After observing the situation for a moment, he didn't waste any time with the Celtics and directly accelerated from the other side of Bass, breaking through their defense in an instant.

Absolute speed brings absolute destruction of formations!

Lin Tian dashed past Bradley's defense in the blink of an eye. Bass's double-team was still 2-3 meters away from him. Bass, who was running, was caught off guard and didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to go back to defend Barnes or continue chasing Lin Tian.

The guy was running around there, turning his head left and right to look around, which looked quite comical.

But whether it was ridiculous or not, Lin Tian didn't care at all. After getting past Bradley, he continued to accelerate and then rushed to the basket in the blink of an eye. Facing Duncan's defense, Lin Tian finally kept his promise and charged towards him.

Even though James also collapsed into the paint at this moment, forming a double-team with Duncan to surround Lin Tian, ​​Lin Tian was not afraid at all.

Though there be millions, I will go!

Let alone two?

Lin Tian charged forward relentlessly, leaping without hesitation and colliding head-on with the two men in mid-air.

James kept his promise. His defense was quite fierce this time. He almost gave Lin Tian a bear hug in mid-air and pulled him down from the sky.

In terms of protecting Duncan's foul count, James' move was quite effective.

Faced with James's reckless defense, even Lin Tian struggled to get the ball into the basket. Although he threw the ball, it went way off course and didn't touch the rim at all. Lin Tian could only get a maximum of 2 free throws.

As James landed, he thoughtfully grabbed Lin Tian, ​​not ignoring him, and made a very obvious protective move.

Under these circumstances, after reviewing the case, the referees gave James a regular foul, rather than a flagrant foul.

"I told you, if you barge in, I'll make you regret it! I'll deal with you in the most ruthless way!" James glared at Lin Tian, ​​looking like a villain.

"That's it?" Lin Tian scoffed dismissively, casually brushing nonexistent dust off his shoulder. "When I play with my daughter, the resistance she gives me is ten times greater than what you give me!"

"If you call this ruthlessness, then my daughter is practically an ancient Tyrannosaurus Rex. So wake up, LeBron, you're a coward! Utterly useless."

"By the way, in this round, you think you successfully stopped me from getting a 2+1? You're wrong."

"The '2+1' model won't work; it will just be presented in a different way!"

After Lin Tian finished speaking, he turned around and walked to the free throw line, ready to start the free throw.

"Whoosh!"

The first goal was a foregone conclusion.

For the second ball, Lin Tian took longer to prepare than before.

He needs to make some adjustments.

For him, making a penalty kick is muscle memory, it's something he takes for granted; but missing one is much more difficult.

Especially those planned free throws where the shot is aimed at controlling the landing point, which are missed.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the basketball hit the back rim of the hoop and then bounced towards the front.

"What a pity! Lin missed a free throw, and at such a crucial moment! Does anyone remember the last time he missed a free throw?" Van Gundy analyzed regretfully, then his voice suddenly rose, almost screaming, "F***! Is this planned?! Is this planned?!"

What could make Van Gundy lose his composure like this was certainly not just an offensive rebound.

It's still Lin Tian!

After the basketball bounced three times on the back and front of the rim, it finally rolled reluctantly out of the rim. This time, the free throw was definitely going to miss. Just as Duncan had positioned himself to grab the offensive rebound, he suddenly noticed that someone had turned off the lights.

He felt the world darken, and then an immense force surged from behind him, making it impossible for him to even straighten up, let alone jump to grab the rebound.

Ruined.

That's all Duncan could think of at that moment.

Then came a loud bang, and even without looking up, Duncan knew it was that nightmare.

It was the nightmare that haunted him all his life that had returned.

"boom!"

After the explosion, the entire Staples Center erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts.

The fans celebrated wildly and roared.

The chants of "MVP" echoed through Los Angeles once again.

After missing the free throw, Lin Tian rushed into the three-second zone, then quickly took off, using his terrifying jumping ability and wingspan to overpower Duncan, who was holding the position under the basket. After grabbing the basketball with one hand, he slammed it towards the rim again.

Deducted!

And it was a putback dunk over Duncan!

After completing the putback dunk, Lin Tian glared at James once again: "See that? You can stop me from getting a 2+1, but what about a 1+2? Can you stop that too? How many fouls have you committed? How many times have you pulled me down, you softie?"

Lin Tian's words left James speechless; this time, he could only remain silent.

Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.

James originally thought Lin Tian was going to come back and attack the paint again in the next round, but who knew that Lin Tian didn't hold a grudge at all.

His grudges didn't last overnight, not even a single round.

They reported it immediately.

109: 115!

There are only 49 seconds left in the game!

The Celtics are truly in dire straits.

Karl, frustrated, called a timeout once again.

This is the Celtics' final timeout; they have very few options left in this possession.

Three points, and it must be a quick three-pointer.

Otherwise, if they continue to score two points at a time, they won't have enough time.

After all, they still need to complete at least one more defensive possession and then hit a three-pointer to tie the score. After Lin Tian's 1+2 play, the balance of the game has completely tilted in the Lakers' favor.

"That's Lin! He's so brutal! Absolutely brutal." Miller shook his head and said, "You fouled him intentionally? No problem, now that he's matured, he might not leave you in a hospital bed for a whole month like he did when he was younger. But he'll make you pay the same heavy price."

Van Gundy said, "The only one I feel sorry for is Duncan. What did he do wrong? What did he do wrong? He just wanted to grab the rebound, what did he do wrong? Why did he have to become a background figure in the top ten plays again?"

Jackson laughed and said, "This is probably the pain that a 'never out of position defender' has to endure. Duncan's play, from turning to box out to grab the rebound, from boxing out Bynum to sweeping Barnes away with his big elbow, was exactly the same as in the textbook."

"But unfortunately, textbooks don't tell you how to play basketball if Jesus were on the court. If Duncan is a basketball textbook, then Lin is the answer key at the back of every textbook—he's breaking the rules!"

Soon, the timeout ended, and neither side made any substitutions. Both teams' players returned to the court.

The Spurs have their last chance! (End of Chapter)