I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 78 Lin Ze: Damn it, Kobe, give me that damn basketball! [Please subscribe]

After the timeout ended the first possession, Lin Ze once again held the ball in the low post, preparing for a one-on-one attack.

This time, even O'Neal took two steps back to give Lin Ze enough space.

The Trail Blazers have definitely changed!

They changed their strategy from double-teaming O'Neal relentlessly to double-teaming Lin Ze after he got the ball in this possession!

Because Pippen was the closest, it was naturally Pippen who double-teamed Lin Ze.

But just as Pippen arrived next to Lin Ze, ready to intensify his play, Lin Ze delivered a no-look bounce pass to Kobe, who was cutting to the basket.

Although Pippen moved laterally to block Kobe's path in time, Kobe had already thrown the ball into the air, and O'Neal under the basket forced his way up from behind Sabonis by pushing and shoving.

He is taller, younger, stronger, and more fearless!

At this moment, the aging Sabonis finally reminisced about his lost youth and his long-worn meniscus.

His experience and skills were useless at this moment.

He could only be pinned down by O'Neal and completed an alley-oop while being ridden by O'Neal!

Then, the Trail Blazers finally started scoring, but it still wasn't from the field. This time, Smith drew a foul on O'Neal and got to the free-throw line.

This is not good news.

Because this was O'Neal's fifth foul!

Tonight, O'Neal was double-teamed relentlessly by the Trail Blazers' forwards on offense. He was so frustrated by their tight defense that he lost control of his movements and committed three offensive fouls!

Will Marcus reiterated his prediction: "A five-foul O'Neal could become the Lakers' Achilles' heel! The Trail Blazers might launch a fierce attack on O'Neal, perhaps even letting Sabonis try posting up!"

But his prediction failed again.

With Smith making both free throws, the gap between the two sides returned to 4 points. However, Lin Ze then received the ball in the low post, and Smith rushed over to help defend. Lin Ze immediately passed the ball to Rice at the top of the arc.

Rice received the ball and, without hesitation, bounced it back into the paint almost instantly!

After receiving the ball, Lin Ze rushed straight towards Sabonis.

Sabonis, with his old arms and legs, didn't have time to react. He could only subconsciously reach out to try to block Lin Ze's impact, but the blow landed squarely on Lin Ze's arm!

"Beep! Foul on the hand! Two free throws!"

The referee quickly delivered his decision, which was accompanied by a deafening roar of cheers from the entire stadium!

This is Sabonis' sixth foul!

The European veteran who had plagued O'Neal throughout the entire series and made him incredibly uncomfortable can finally roll off the court!

Before you draw O'Neal's sixth foul, I'll draw yours first!

Lin Ze's move effectively neutralized one of the Trail Blazers' most reliable inside players.

Lin Ze then made both free throws, bringing his fourth-quarter score to 13 points.

"The Lakers' chance has arrived! Without Sabonis, no one on the Trail Blazers can stop O'Neal! It's time for O'Neal to take over the game!"

"Lin's drawing of the foul was crucial!"

But before Will Marcus could finish speaking, the referee blew the whistle again.

O'Neal, who was battling for position under the basket with Grant who had just entered the game, was actually called for an off-ball foul by the referee!

"Will, I advise you to shut up," Smith couldn't help but laugh while mocking his partner. "Otherwise, you'll definitely be assassinated after this match!"

"Your prediction is absolutely outrageous!"

"What's outrageous is tonight's refereeing!" Wilmarcus paused for a moment before saying, "I really can't understand tonight's refereeing. I'm not accusing them of being unfair, I just think they're really strange! There were some whistles they should have blown but didn't, and at some odd moments, they would blow their own whistles."

All I can say is that I respect them.

"Shaq, calm down!" After O'Neal was called for a foul, Lin Ze rushed to his side and hugged him. "We can't afford another technical foul right now! Calm down!"

"I can handle it, trust me, I can handle it!"

Lin Ze's words calmed O'Neal, who was about to unleash a torrent of abuse on the referee. He nodded and said, "I believe you!"

After O'Neal finished speaking, he walked towards the bench.

This was one of the few low points this big guy had experienced in the entire year, and also one of the very few times he didn't act silly or goofy.

Lin Ze could understand O'Neal's feelings.

He also had this feeling of insecurity and uncertainty about the future when he was with the Bulls.

Although their situations are completely different—one is an MVP and the other is a benchwarmer—their mentality is similar.

At the free-throw line, Grant made both free throws, and the Trail Blazers extended their lead to 4 points again.

But they still only managed one field goal in the fourth quarter!

With O'Neal out, Jackson didn't bring in Green to fill the gap in the Lakers' interior defense, but instead boldly brought in Horry!

The Lakers are now playing a centerless lineup!

The team's two nominal power forwards are both players who rely heavily on shooting for scoring.

Jackson's lineup at this point could easily give the impression that he was completely abandoning the inside game and trying to win with shooting.

This is exactly what Jackson wanted!

As the head coach, he had not forgotten Lin Ze's ability to post up and had long ago included Lin Ze's post-up game in the team's regular tactical repertoire. It's just that when O'Neal was around, Lin Ze rarely got such opportunities.

Now that O'Neal and Sabonis are both off the court, both teams' interior defenses are severely lacking. Jackson's task is to maximize Lin Ze's back-to-the-basket ability and have him destroy the Trail Blazers' interior defense!

This time, the Trail Blazers didn't double-team, but instead had Rasheed and Lin Ze face off one-on-one.

Lin Ze leaned back twice with his shoulder to find Rashid's center of gravity, and then he suddenly dribbled the ball quickly towards the baseline, but at the same time his body weight turned in the opposite direction towards the top line!

This misaligned turn completely fooled Rashid, leaving him two body lengths behind. He could only watch as Lin Ze flipped over and pulled up for a two-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

It's still working!

Wilmarcus shouted, "Lin is completely unstoppable in the fourth quarter! He's already scored 15 points!"

Moreover, Rasheed was completely outplayed by Lin Ze in the fourth quarter, and was defended so badly that he went 0-for-4 and scored no points!

Keep in mind, he scored 30 points in the first three quarters! But he hasn't scored a single point in the fourth quarter so far, which is really embarrassing.

Unwilling to give up, Rasheed called for the ball again in the low post. This time, he turned and shot, a mid-range bank shot that flew towards the basket.

But Lin Ze completely blocked Rasheed's view, causing his bank shot to only hit the backboard, with the rest going quite awry. The ball barely even touched the rim before Kobe grabbed it.

After Kobe grabbed the rebound again, the Lakers launched a counterattack!

Kobe dribbled down the middle, advanced to the vicinity of the free-throw line, and suddenly passed the ball to Rice, who received it and immediately launched a mid-range jump shot!

"Rebound!" Rice shouted as he realized something was wrong the moment he released the ball.

Kobe had already driven into the paint and, surrounded by Pippen and Smith, managed to grab the rebound with great difficulty. While still in the air, he twisted his body and barely managed to pass the ball to Lin Ze, who was cutting to the basket.

After receiving the ball, Lin Ze created a timing difference with Pippen and Smith under the basket.

With a flick of the wrist, the basketball went into the hoop!

"Tie it! The Lakers have tied the score! 79-79!" Wilmarcus shouted excitedly, "The game is almost over!"

41 seconds left! Lin makes a layup! The Lakers tie the game! That's Lin's 17th point in the fourth quarter! He's simply a basketball god!

"I suspect that the guardian spirit of the Rocky Mountains possessed Lin! The deity and Lin together completed the redemption, closing the gap of up to 15 points!"

Dunleavy clenched his teeth; he was conflicted.

He only has two timeouts left.

To call or not to call

If we don't call a timeout, the team will be tied. But if we call one now, will we have enough timeouts left?

While Dunleavy hesitated, the Trail Blazers missed another shot!

Throughout the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers and Rasheed's performance was nothing short of a nightmare.

From individuals to the team, everything is terrible.

"Guess if we'll fall behind again tonight?" Lin Ze and Allen stood before Paul Allen once more, their roles reversed, and the tide had turned.

Faced with Lin Ze's provocation, a nervous Allen did not respond. He was in no mood for it; he just wanted to see his team take the lead and win the decisive Game 7!

Kobe has the ball and initiates a pick-and-roll.

But this time, Horry was the one running the pick-and-roll with him.

However, after Kobe and Horry crossed paths at the top of the arc, the Trail Blazers players realized they had been tricked!

Because the basketball is no longer in Kobe's hands.

The basketball flew to the left at a 45-degree angle at some point, and Lin Ze once again faced Rashid with the ball!

Lower your center of gravity and use continuous feints with one foot as a probe.

After Lin Ze took two consecutive probing steps, Rashid's center of gravity remained unchanged, demonstrating that this guy's defensive fundamentals were truly solid.

Lin Ze didn't wait any longer. He suddenly stepped forward with his left foot to the right and simultaneously lobbed the ball with his right hand, pressing it towards the three-point line.

Rashid immediately moved laterally to catch up, stepping on the three-point line and having a fierce collision with Lin Ze!

With a muffled thud, Lin Ze's shoulder collided head-on with Rashid's chest!

But the result surprised countless people.

Lin Ze was actually bounced away by Rashid after the collision!

Rashid, is he that powerful?

This is the first thought in many people's minds.

But not Rashid's.

Rashid knew things were going to go wrong the moment he saw Lin Ze bounce away into the distance.

He rushed forward with all his might, reaching out to try and stop Lin Ze.

But Lin Ze's previous confrontation gave both sides a backward force, making it impossible for Rashid to get close to Lin Ze anymore.

"Whoosh!"

Another crisp sound!

Lin Ze hits another three-pointer!

"They've taken the lead!" Smith shouted. "The Lakers have taken the lead! The Lakers, who were dominated for almost the entire game, have finally taken the lead!"

"There's 1 minute and 59 seconds left in the game! 79-82! Both teams have a chance! But the scales have tipped in favor of the Lakers! As for the Trail Blazers, I think they need to break their scoring drought first! If they continue to struggle like this, there's no point in continuing the game!"

"And even more importantly! After that three-pointer, Lin's score in the fourth quarter reached 20 points! He was truly fighting against an entire team single-handedly!"

With two minutes remaining, the Trail Blazers finally broke their field goal drought. Stoudemire drove to the basket and scored the Blazers' second field goal of the quarter, coming within almost 10 minutes of the game.

The first goal from open play, minutes later.

"It's finally over." Even Vermarcus couldn't help but exclaim, "The painful moment of 13 consecutive missed shots is finally over! The difference between the two sides is 1 point! 81-82!"

In the Lakers' offense, Kobe didn't pass the ball to Lin Ze this time. Instead, he dribbled the ball himself, trying to shake off Pippen, and then pulled up for a mid-range jump shot.

"Bang!"

Kobe missed his jump shot, but fortunately his defense was solid. In the next possession, he defended Pippen's drive one-on-one, causing Pippen to miss his layup as well.

But then, for some reason, this guy grabbed the rebound and dribbled the ball up the court for a fast break. He tried to force a layup despite being guarded by two people, but after a series of quick maneuvers and a layup in the air, the basketball bounced off the rim again.

In the Trail Blazers' possession, Smith received the pass and drove hard to the Lakers' basket.

At this moment, the Lakers' player under the basket is Lin Ze.

He leaped high into the air and stood in front of Smith.

With a loud thud, the two collided head-on in mid-air. Lin Ze maintained an almost perfect defensive stance. Although he still failed to block the shot, he successfully turned Smith's layup into a block of iron.

Hubble grabbed the rebound this time. The experienced veteran was not in a hurry. He waved to signal everyone to calm down, then turned his back to push Stoudemire aside and let everyone pull away.

It's time to cut down on time!

When Hubble grabbed the rebound, there were still 44 seconds left in the game. The Lakers' task now was clearly to control the ball until the very end and compress the time as much as possible.

Hubble certainly won't attack himself; the last time he was the team's main offensive force was five years ago.

This was no longer his job. He waited until all his teammates were in position before preparing to pass the ball.

At this moment, Kobe was clearly the Lakers' primary ball handler. Kobe, who was not afraid to take responsibility, rushed out and gestured for Hubble to pass the ball.

This is also one of Kobe's greatest strengths.

This guy has an extraordinary fondness and obsession with taking the blame and being the one to shoulder the responsibility.

The more difficult the situation, the more crucial the moment, the more he wanted to throw the ball.

If he makes it, it's because he's good; if he doesn't, he'll still take the blame for it.

But now is not the time for you, Kobe, to take the blame!

"Ron! Give me that damn ball!"

Just as Hubble was about to pass the ball to Kobe, Lin Ze's shout suddenly came. He had already blocked Rasheed on the side and stretched out a hand to ask Hubble for the ball.

"Give it to me, you son of a bitch!"

Lin Ze was getting quite agitated at this point.

With the team in a great position and leading, Kobe made two consecutive unstrategic one-on-one plays, leaving the team still at risk of being defeated by a buzzer-beater. Lin Ze was not about to let Kobe continue his antics.

After a slight hesitation, Hubble still chose to pass the ball to Lin Ze. Kobe paused for a moment, but did not give up. He still wanted to run towards Lin Ze because he wanted the ball.

"Fuck you! Get out of my way!" Lin Ze waved his hand irritably when he saw Kobe coming over, telling him to go away. After a slight hesitation, Kobe turned around and ran away into the distance.

It's completely open!

One side of the field was completely empty, giving Lin Ze and Rashid a one-on-one opportunity!

He turned his back to block the position, glanced back at the timer with 6 seconds left, and then Lin Ze moved!

First, he dribbled the ball with great force and had a head-on collision with Rashid, and both of them were visibly shaken!

In terms of strength, the two are evenly matched.

Then Lin Ze suddenly turned forward and dribbled towards the baseline. Rasheed, who was fully focused, was not going to give Lin Ze such an opportunity. He quickly moved to the side to block Lin Ze's path to the basket.

But Lin Ze immediately launched a powerful shot, followed by a back turn, as if he was about to turn towards the top line.

Rashid shifted sideways again, trying to change his center of gravity, only to discover to his horror that he had been tricked!

Lin Ze's turn was just a feint; he merely lurched towards the top line before immediately turning back to the baseline.

Lin Ze stopped dribbling and instead gathered the ball, lifted it up, and jumped backwards, with a noticeable backward lean in the air.

Although Rashid jumped with all his might to interfere, he knew very well that his interference was negligible and whether the ball went in or not depended entirely on Lin Ze's own touch.

"Whoosh!"

At this moment, Lin Ze will not let his teammates and all the fans who support him down!

Two-pointer!

With 22 seconds left, the Lakers regained a 3-point lead!

81: 84!

"Fuck!" Rashid cursed angrily, extremely annoyed that he had been completely outmatched by Lin Ze in the fourth quarter and had no chance to respond.

"Don't blame yourself, Rashid!" Lin Ze offered comforting words at this moment: "You've done your best, you've done right by yourself, you've given it your all."

"You just can't beat me, there's nothing shameful about that."

"Fuck! Do I need your comfort?" Rashid glared at Lin Ze, blaming himself not only for his inability to defend Lin Ze in the fourth quarter, but also for Lin Ze's ability to defend him.

He was practically the god of Portland in the first three quarters, but in the fourth quarter, he became a complete Portland criminal.

Lin Ze on the opposing team scored a whopping 22 points, almost single-handedly leading his team to a comeback victory, while Lin Ze himself went 0-for-7 from the field and scored no points, also almost single-handedly leading his team to a comeback defeat.

Dunleavy painfully called a timeout; the Trail Blazers really didn't have many chances left.

At this moment, Lin Ze walked up to Paul Allen again and said to him, "A section, row 1, number 27, I've remembered your position, Paul. See you in the next game, this is still your position."

"How about I give you my jersey after the game? If you want an autograph, I can give you one."

"How about writing, 'Dedicated to my favorite defeated rival'?"

Paul Allen's face turned a deep purplish-blue; he went from heaven to hell in less than a quarter of the game.

"We haven't lost yet, kid! We haven't lost yet!" Allen still stubbornly insisted, but his bluster couldn't fool anyone.

Who can still believe the Trail Blazers can pull off a comeback at this point?

They were a dismal 2-for-15 in the fourth quarter!

"Get back to the bench right now! Otherwise I can call a technical foul on you!" The referee saved Allen at this moment. He walked over to the two of them and shooed Lin Ze away. Lin Ze shrugged, said nothing more, and returned to the Lakers' bench.

"What are they talking about?" Jerry West, who was sitting behind the bench, couldn't help but ask. He wanted to know what Lin Ze and Allen were talking about.

He was somewhat worried that Allen would use his financial power to seduce Lin Ze.

"That seat," Lin Ze said with a smile, "the seat he's sitting in now will be reserved for him for the next game. He'll be back; I promised he can sit there and watch the finals!"

"I'll handle it!" West laughed heartily. "I guarantee he'll get a VVVVIP experience!"

"Alright, let's talk about defense!" After a brief interlude, Jackson began his instructions: "Absolutely no three-pointers! Don't foul unless they have a sure-fire chance, then foul them hard and knock them off their feet! Make them shoot free throws, absolutely no 2+1!"

"We have a 3-point advantage; if we hold on, we'll win!"

"I won't say much more! The finals are already beckoning to us! Let's stay and fight! Let's become champions!"

"Champions!" the entire Lakers roared!

Soon, the timeout ended, and the players from both sides went onto the court.

"The game that will decide this season's Western Conference champion! Let's see who has the last laugh!" Smith said. "Rasheed inbounds the ball! The Trail Blazers start running! The basketball—passes to Pippen! It's Pippen!"

"Pippen dribbled, but didn't shoot. He didn't have a three-point opportunity. He passed to Smith, who and Rasheed set a screen, but Harper and Lin's defense was impeccable, and they didn't have a three-point opportunity either."

"The ball is passed again, Rasheed receives it, fakes, Lin doesn't fall for it! Rasheed lowers his center of gravity and walks towards the inside, very easily! Lin is obviously intentionally leaving him open, Rasheed drives to the three-second zone, double team! Kobe's double team is coming!"

"He left Pippen, the Trail Blazers' most inconsistent three-point shooter, to help defend Rasheed! Two players cornered Rasheed near the three-second zone! A pass! A pass! The Trail Blazers need someone to pass to Rasheed!"

"Rasheed has fallen! Lin and Kobe tried to steal the ball, but Rasheed shielded it with his body!"

"Lin and Kobe also lay down! The three of them are scrambling for the ball! Is it going to be a jump ball?"

"The referee is judging! He's counting! The ball is flying! None of the three players could control the basketball!"

"The basketball flew out of the three-point line!"

"Nobody could control the ball. Stoudemire almost caught it, but Rice poked it away, and the ball flew back to the Trail Blazers' backcourt! Only 3 seconds left!"

"Pippen chased after him and finally got control of the ball! But he ran out of time. With one second left, Pippen hit a super long three-pointer from a step back from midcourt —"

"Airball! The basketball flies out of bounds!"

"Game over! Game over! The Los Angeles Lakers have narrowly defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, completing an incredible comeback in Game 7! The Lakers advance to the NBA Finals! Congratulations to the Lakers!"

Smith demonstrated exceptional professionalism and eloquence in just 24 seconds, providing commentary on an entire offensive possession almost nonstop. His rapid-fire delivery and smooth delivery left his partner, Wilmarcus, completely unable to get a word in edgewise.

Taking advantage of Smith's moment to quiet down and catch his breath, Wilmarcus finally spoke: "Let's congratulate the Los Angeles Lakers!"

On the court, O'Neal, who had been ejected, rushed onto the court like a madman. The past few hours had been incredibly agonizing and painful for him, and now he could finally release his pent-up emotions.

He grabbed Lin Ze and kept babbling in his ear. No matter how much Lin Ze struggled, he couldn't get out of O'Neal's arms. This fat guy was too strong!

Rice and Hubble embraced tightly in celebration of the victory, while West, watching from the sidelines, patted Jackson on the shoulder and said, "Congratulations."

Jackson smiled and said, "There's one last round of matches to play."

These two are both champions who have won so many titles that they're practically rolling in it, so naturally they take advancing to the finals for granted.

The entire Staples Center erupted in celebration, with fans chanting in unison the Lakers' playoff aspirations for this year's season.

"TOBENO.1!"

The feeling of escaping death is amazing!

After the Lakers' wild celebration, the Trail Blazers players who hadn't left the court also walked towards them.

"Congratulations." Rashid looked at Lin Ze, with whom he had been locked in a fierce battle throughout the entire series, and generously extended his hand:

J3

Let's play ball together sometime.

"Then you'll have to be my substitute." Lin Ze, who had just broken free, smiled and reached out to bump fists with him, but Rashid rolled his eyes, pulled his hand back, and walked away cursing, not wanting to talk to Lin Ze.

"I never expected you to improve so quickly! I thought you'd only ever be a role player," Pippen said. "Keep it up, win another championship."

"One isn't enough," Lin Ze said. "We won't be satisfied with just one!"

"Lin is right!" Shaquille O'Neal, who had been defeated by the Bulls before, was now incredibly excited: "I think it's not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not—"

"That's enough, that's enough." Lin Ze covered O'Neal's mouth: "If you keep counting, you'll surpass Kirsty's."

After greeting a few people from the Trail Blazers, Lin Ze walked over to Allen on the sidelines, remembering his promise.

The guy ripped off his jersey and tossed it to Allen: "Here you go, buddy! See you in the next game! If you want an autograph, it'll be yours in the next game. This one's too sweaty to write on."

"Who wants your jersey!" Allen disdainfully picked up the jersey and threw it on the ground, but seeing that Lin Ze didn't continue talking to him and turned to leave, the top billionaire sighed, bent down and picked up the jersey, muttering to himself.

"Teasing me? Do you think I'm so easily teased? You'll see in the finals!"

After the players celebrated wildly, the league also held a small ceremony.

Awarding prizes to the regional champions.

Although this thing is arguably the stupidest and most superfluous thing in the NBA, it still has to have the proper form.

Shaquille O'Neal, microphone in hand, shouted to the entire arena: "In two weeks, we will bring the championship trophy back! We will be this year's champions!"

Similar scenes and speeches occur twice a year, in different venues!

After these ceremonies concluded, Wilmarcus began their final summary: "What an incredible series! This series has truly exceeded our expectations time and time again."

"No one expected the Lakers to lose two straight home games, and few could have predicted they would actually turn the series around. No one expected the Trail Blazers to lead by 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 7, and equally few could have imagined they would go on to win by 13 points."

0 out of 10.

"Of course, the most surprising and delightful thing for me is Lin! The Lakers are completely different after his return! In Game 3, Lin used his individual run to kill the game directly, and in Game 5, it was Lin's passing and defense in the final moments that helped the Lakers win."

"Tonight, Lin single-handedly defeated the Trail Blazers in the fourth quarter! After O'Neal was ejected, he completely carried the team, scoring 22 points in the quarter! He almost single-handedly led the team to an incredible comeback! And his performance on the defensive end was also perfect!"

"When Rasheed finished the third quarter, he had 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting, and now that the game is over, he has 13-of-25 shooting."

He still managed to score 30 points! With Lin not having any foul trouble, he kept the Trail Blazers' best player scoreless in the fourth quarter!

"If there's a Western Conference Finals MVP award, it absolutely belongs to Lin! He's the king of this year's Western Conference Finals! He was the best performer in this year's Western Conference Finals! Since his return, the Lakers have a 4-1 record, and he was the MVP and the key contributor in three of those games!"

"Now, let's look forward to seeing what kind of performance Lin and his teammates will deliver in the finals!"

The live television broadcast ended, the Staples Center fans dispersed, and the Lakers players gathered in the locker room.

"You can party tonight," Jackson said, squinting at everyone. "But of course, I also hope you won't go overboard."

"Indiana advanced two days earlier than us and had two more days of rest. They had a better physical advantage, while we only had less than 70 hours of rest. We had to have a blast and celebrate."

"But only tonight. Once we actually lift the championship trophy, we'll have a whole summer to celebrate and party!"

"At that time, we will have another name."

"The greatest championship team of all time!"

"We have the best regular season winning percentage, we have the best MVP, we have three All-Star starters, and a perfect team with teammates who trust each other!"

"Unfortunately, I was the head coach of that team, so I will only say this once, and only here."

Jackson paused for a moment, then shouted, "We are the greatest team of all time! Now, let's take that final step towards becoming the greatest of all time!"

"Forward! Forward! Forward!"

While the Lakers celebrated their victory and prepared for the NBA Finals, the Pacers, far away in Indiana in the eastern United States, gathered at their training facility.

Head coach and general manager Bird turned off the television and looked at his players, saying, "How's it going? Confident? Our opponents are far stronger than us."

"The greatest head coach in history, the best player in the league today, two All-Star starters, and countless other strong players. There is a wealth of talent in every position."

"Can we win?"

"Stop spouting nonsense, Larry." In the center of the group of players, a guy with a downturned mouth, looking like the whole world owed him $200, sneered impatiently and arrogantly: "I've never won a game in my life!"

"Whether it's New York or Chicago, or Miami or Detroit, I've always been the underdog. Nobody ever thought I could win. In fact, when I joined Indiana University, not a single person here loved me."

"When I was born, that idiot doctor said I wouldn't be able to run when I grew up! But now I'm the fastest runner in the whole league!"

'

"I may have never won a championship, but nobody who faces me will have a good time! They might be able to beat me, but I'll definitely shove a steel pipe up their ass!"

"We'll fucking kill those sons of bitches!"

Bird shrugged and said, "Next time you speak, just remove all those adjectives and swear words and you'll sound like a human being."

"But Reggie is right."

"Indiana has never been favored! We've always been the underdogs."

"But this year, let's give the world a damn surprise!"

"Let the whole world know—what a fucking surprise is!"

"Gentlemen! Give it your all! Give it your all! This final round allows no room for error, we must do our best!" At the last meeting before the final round began, Stern spoke with an unusually high level of enthusiasm.

"In 1998, 154 media outlets from around the world covered the finals, and through them, we broadcast it in 34 languages ​​to 170 countries and regions worldwide. Conservatively estimated, over 4 million people watched that round of the finals! This drastically broke our records! At that time, we thought it was the beginning of our era!"

"Unfortunately, we suffered a crushing defeat last year; in last year's finals, this number dropped by 4%!"

"But this year, it's different! Everything is different! We're back! In the first year of the new century, we're back!"

'

"177 media outlets, more than 500 journalists and related staff, and even the Arab world, which has never cooperated with us before, sent professional teams to broadcast this final round."

"This year, our grand finals will be seen in at least 64 languages ​​by people in 212 countries and regions around the world, and the number of viewers is likely to exceed 10 billion!"

"Gentlemen, I don't need to explain what this means, do I?"

-

"This year marks the beginning of the 21st century! It's also a significant step in our internationalization!"

At this point, Stern paused, suddenly feeling a surge of hatred for Ewing.

How come you're so bad at this?

Stern couldn't even imagine what it would be like if it were the Lakers vs. the Knicks!

"I suggest hiring the best and most professional security team so that they can intervene immediately and quickly quell any accidents or conflicts that occur on the field!"

"I agree." Stern nodded. This was a must! With the unprofessional and negligent equipment that the team provided to the arena, if the players from both sides actually clashed on the court, these bastards would not only not stop it, but would most likely watch with great interest!

Especially now, everyone in the league knows that although Lin Ze usually seems harmless and always smiling, he is actually a volcano that can erupt at any time. When he gets angry, he dares to beat anyone up.

Yet, this very person also possesses top-tier combat abilities—

That's fine, but the question is, who are the Lakers' opponents?

Miller + Bird.

Besides being the league's number one killer and three-point assassin, Miller is also the player who swears the most in the league's history. At least 3% of his trash talk is completely unsuitable for television broadcast.

As for Bird? The league's first king of trash talk, the king of trash talk, and the league's number one mentality destroyer.

These two, one a technical player and the other a foul-mouthed player, have completely different styles, but they are recognized as the duo who are best at messing with their opponents' mentality in the league.

If those two really said something dirty to Lin Ze, it might ignite the young man's temper—

Stern knew better than anyone how much Miller and Bird deserved to be beaten up.

Given the chance, he'd like to give those two a few slaps.

"I don't think the security team is reliable. For the first two games of the series, maybe we should contact the Los Angeles Police Department and have them send some officers to wait inside the arena," another staff member suggested.

But this suggestion from someone with cerebral palsy immediately infuriated Stern: "Are you out of your mind? Did you grow up eating shit?"

""

"You mean, if a dispute occurs, the police should just drag our star players into the police station? If someone gets angry and resists, the police should pin them to the floor and handcuff them right there, in front of the whole world?"

"Even worse, what if something really crazy happens? What if a lunatic pulls out a gun?! Holy crap! This is the NBA Finals, not some prison brawl?!"

"And even if nothing happens, even if both sides finish this Finals series smoothly, what are the fans supposed to think? Do we have to have two police cars waiting at the door at any time? What is this?! The NBA Finals or a Mafia trade show?!"

"What do you want the fans to think of us?! What do you want the media to think of us?! Are we going to make Facebook look bad next year?!"

Or maybe the CIA?! The year after next, we might as well just have the military with aircraft carriers waiting on the coast; if a fight breaks out, we can just launch missiles and blow up the stadium.

"What a fucking genius idea! Fuck! Fuck you!!"

Stern unleashed a furious tirade for several minutes, giving himself a good venting session!

>

1