novelhk Chapter 362 The Ultimate Showdown! The strongest duel in history must have the ultimate...
Chapter 362 The Ultimate Showdown! The strongest duel in history must have the ultimate...
That night, Lin Tian fulfilled the promise he made to his teammates before the match.
打满首节的12分钟，他11次出手命中6球，其中3分球2投1中，罚球4罚全中，拿下17分4篮板4助攻2抢断的全面数据！
Although Lin Tian's efficiency was just so-so, not bad but not abnormally accurate either, the most important thing was not how high his shooting percentage was, but how strong his attitude was on the field!
Four rebounds, three of which were offensive rebounds!
Lin Tian repeatedly drove into the paint to compete with the two O'Neals for rebounds, and with his strength and speed, he grabbed three offensive rebounds, helping the team get second-chance opportunities.
Furthermore, although his efficiency rating is not high, Lin Tian has to shoot against at least two Lakers players almost every time he takes a shot, making each shot very difficult. This includes three forced shots when he received the ball with less than 3 seconds left on the shot clock.
On the defensive end, Lin Tian's aggression was far stronger than in the previous two games. He no longer entangled with Fisher on the baseline, but as soon as O'Neal or Kobe came to his area, he would immediately leave Fisher behind and rush towards those two!
If they pass the ball, Lin Tian will chase down Fisher at top speed and disrupt the play! If they don't pass, Lin Tian will use his tough and aggressive defense to make it difficult for the Lakers' ball handler to create an effective offense!
Of course, Lin Tian paid a heavy price for fighting like this.
For example, the most exciting moment of the entire first quarter came when Lin Tian helped defend Kobe and then quickly chased back, leaping high the moment Fisher released his shot, intercepting Fisher's shot in mid-air at a height of more than 3 meters above the ground!
He slapped the basketball all the way to the second-floor stands!
But Fisher also got plenty of opportunities, hitting a three-pointer and a long-range two-pointer in the first quarter!
In addition, because Lin Tian adopted an almost aggressive attitude when helping on defense and grabbing offensive rebounds, his foul count also became problematic. With two minutes left in the first quarter, he lost control of his movements while grabbing a rebound and pushed Jermaine O'Neal from behind, committing his second foul.
However, under Lin Tian's insistence, Carlisle did not substitute him, but watched with trepidation as Lin Tian played the entire first quarter on the court!
Then there's Lin Tian's immense physical exertion! Tonight, on offense, he attacked the Lakers' most concentrated defensive formation, repeatedly forcing his way into the Lakers' territory, repeatedly crashing into the Lakers' players.
On the defensive end, although Lin Tian did not primarily guard Kobe, his rapid movement, tireless running, and omnipresent presence probably took a much greater toll on his stamina than he would have in a one-on-one situation with Kobe!
This is why Lin Tian, who is always known as a physical monster, would pant heavily during breaks and frantically gulp down energy drinks to recover his strength as much as possible.
Of course, Lin Tian's consumption was not as great as it seemed. With the double buff of his runes and "Czech Iron Man", he would definitely not have any stamina problems if he didn't play for more than 45 minutes tonight.
But Lin Tian knew that at a time like tonight, it would be much more effective for his teammates to think that he was exhausted, had reached his limit, and was still giving it his all than to casually say, "I'm fine!"
The former is more likely to ignite the fighting spirit and desire to battle in teammates!
In particular, to do this, Lin Tian only needed to take a few deep breaths, drink a few bottles of beverage, cover his head with a towel, lower his head, and remain silent.
It's so easy!
It's an absolute sure way to make a fortune.
Lin Tian, a psychology master, is certainly a very effective choice!
In the first quarter, led by Lin Tian, the Pacers showed their crazy and bloodthirsty side, and the whole team fought desperately against the Lakers. The already high intensity in the previous games was raised to a new level in this game!
The Pacers' sudden increase in intensity didn't earn them many points—after all, being too excited and energetic sometimes doesn't help them score more points—but it definitely helped them prevent their opponents from putting the ball in the basket!
For example, tonight, the Pacers' field goal percentage in the first quarter was only 9 of 23, which is less than 40%, and they only scored 26 points in the first quarter!
But that's enough!
Because they made the Lakers very uncomfortable, and the Lakers players were completely unable to match their intensity!
Although the Lakers shot 47% in the first quarter, nearly 10 points higher than the Pacers, they lost the rebounding battle by 6 and committed 3 more turnovers than the Pacers!
These factors combined resulted in the Lakers, who had a higher field goal percentage, only scoring 20 points and trailing the Pacers by 6 points going into the second quarter.
Meanwhile, they didn't score a single point in the two-attack category, which means their attacks were all one-shot deals.
All these factors combined resulted in a first-quarter score of 20:26.
On the surface, it was the Lakers who were intimidated by the Pacers!
Yes, that's shocking! This is what fans saw on TV!
The Lakers were clearly unable to keep up with the Pacers' intensity, appearing hesitant on both offense and defense, as if they were a full step behind the Pacers!
The Lakers' two core players, O'Neal and Kobe, were alright; they were able to match up against the Pacers. Or rather, it was because these two were in good form in the first quarter and had a very high shooting percentage that the Lakers were able to score 20 points with a 47% shooting percentage.
If you remove these two players, the Lakers' performance in the first quarter would be truly appalling!
Apart from those two, the rest of the Lakers players combined for only 2 of 8 field goals and 0 of 3 free throws, scoring a total of just 5 points!
Yes, Fisher got them all!
Apart from these three players, no other Lakers player scored in the first quarter!
Apart from their absolute core players, the rest of the Lakers were completely overwhelmed by the Pacers!
This collapse continued for the entire match!
This consistency also made the Lakers present a very interesting performance in this game.
That is, Kobe and Shaq were in superb form, always able to score from various opportunities, and those amazing shots and difficult baskets were made effortlessly.
However, apart from those two, the rest of the team was completely unable to make shots and were constantly holding Kobe and Shaq back!
But it must be said that Kobe and Shaq's firepower and ability were truly formidable! With the rest of the team underperforming and even the rest of the squad, these two managed to keep the score close through sheer individual skill!
Even with three minutes left in the game, the score was still tied at 91-92!
The Pacers, playing at full power and with everyone's eyes gleaming, only managed a narrow 1-point lead!
For the Lakers, Kobe scored 33 points and Shaq scored 38 points. Apart from these two, only Fisher scored 7 points. No one else scored more than 4 points. In other words, apart from these three, no one else made more than one field goal!
The rest of the Lakers players were truly awful!
But the Pacers aren't doing much better!
Their intensity was too great; while it prevented the Lakers from making shots, it was also difficult for them to put the ball in the basket themselves!
Except for Lin Tian!
林天今晚已经疯狂出手了34次，命中了其中的16个，3分球10投4中，罚球14罚12中，已经拿下了48分！
Aside from Lin Tian, the Pacers' two highest scorers were Webber with 12 points and Miller with 11 points! Besides these three, no other Pacers player scored in double figures!
Tonight's game saw one team relentlessly defend, attack, grab rebounds, and engage in physical play, resulting in an extremely low shooting percentage.
On the other side, they couldn't keep up with the opponent's pace, causing the role players to collectively malfunction and fail to make shots.
After the two sides traded baskets, although the Pacers appeared to have the advantage, they were actually only leading by 1 point!
The reason is that the Lakers have two top stars who have maintained their form, while the Pacers only have Lin Tian who has maintained his level!
At this point in the game, although the outcome is still uncertain, the condition of each player tonight is clear!
If someone can't find their rhythm right now, they won't be able to put the ball in the basket for the rest of the game!
At this point, the best course of action for both sides is for the player who is not shooting to stop shooting and attacking! Just focus on defense!
There's no time or space for them to experiment and challenge their skills!
In other words, the last 3 minutes of the match will officially become a direct showdown between Lin Tian and the OK duo!
After the timeout, the Pacers had possession first, with Lin Tian facing off against Kobe!
"Come on, Lin! If you're so good, you can score 50 points, but victory will definitely belong to us!" Kobe shouted intently, challenging Lin Tian.
"If necessary, I'll score 60 or 70 points! But the victory will definitely belong to us!" Lin Tian answered calmly, then suddenly took a deep breath, accelerated again, forcefully stepped past Kobe, and then pushed Kobe with his shoulder as he desperately charged towards the inside!
At this point in the match, Lin Tian hadn't rested for a single minute, and every second he was on the field, his offensive and defensive intensity was at its maximum! Even with the double stamina buff, Lin Tian was already exhausted by now!
So his speed has visibly declined; at least when he drives to the basket, Kobe can keep up with his speed!
Kobe followed Lin Tian with his arms outstretched to the edge of the three-second zone.
Lin Tian suddenly slapped the ball hard with his outside hand at this moment, and at the same time, he used his inside foot as a pivot to make a 360-degree turn towards the middle!
After turning around, Lin Tian held the ball with both hands and faked a shot towards the basket. O'Neal under the basket and Kobe next to Lin Tian jumped up at the same time!
These two guys fell for it!
After the two men jumped, Lin Tian took a step to dodge them and scored 2 points with a layup. At the same time, Lin Tian made physical contact with O'Neal during the jump, and the referee immediately blew the whistle and gave O'Neal a defensive foul!
A brilliant, standard up-and-down step!
A 2+1 play that could put the Pacers' lead in a safe zone!
91: 95!
After Lin Tian made the free throw, his score reached 51 points, and the Pacers' lead reached 4 points!
Then, on the Lakers' possession, it was another 2-on-2 one-sided game between Kobe and Shaq. Shaq received the ball in the low post, backed down Brad Miller behind him, easily drove into the paint, then turned and made a hook shot to easily score 2 points!
The reason Miller is guarding O'Neal right now is because two minutes ago, Ben Wallace picked up his sixth foul and was ejected by the referee!
While Miller possessed a high basketball IQ and displayed impressive skills, he simply couldn't compare to Ben Wallace in terms of defensive toughness and ability.
When O'Neal hit him, he was almost always accurate!
However, just as O'Neal made his hook shot and before he even had a chance to celebrate, Lin Tian had already directed his teammates to quickly pass the ball from the baseline, launching another counterattack towards the frontcourt!
In positional play, Lin Tian's explosiveness was indeed not as good as when he was at his peak, but the Lakers players' stamina was also almost depleted! They could keep up in positional play, but when it came to running all over the court, the Lakers were truly powerless!
Even Kobe, with his strongest desire to win, couldn't keep up with Lin Tian at all. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian charged to the frontcourt and quickly completed a fast break layup!
93: 97!
With two minutes remaining, the score difference between the two teams was still four points!
The Lakers' offense passed the ball to Kobe. O'Neal, unusually, left the paint and set a screen for Kobe at the top of the arc. Kobe took a step forward with the ball, pulled up, and launched another long two-pointer from just outside the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp crack, the Lakers continued to keep the score close, giving the Pacers or Lin Tian no chance to catch their breath or relax.
And this time, after Kobe scored 2 points, the Lakers' retreat was noticeably faster than before. Fisher and Rice, in particular, were clearly instructed by Jackson. They didn't even wait for Kobe to make the shot before they started sprinting back to defend!
Ultimately, it was Lin Tian's fast-paced attacks that were so intimidating!
Unable to launch a fast break, Lin Tian stopped rushing. He dribbled slowly, almost right on the edge of the eight-second violation zone, and then, seeing that the Lakers weren't pressing him, he simply continued to stall for time.
With only 4 seconds left on the attack timer, Lin Tiancai suddenly launched another attack!
He dribbled around Kobe with a series of crossovers, gaining a half-body lead. Then, after driving to the mid-range, he pushed Kobe with his shoulder, followed by a step-back, and took off to release a mid-range jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
No need to look, the basketball went in again!
95: 99!
Lin Tian shot the ball just before the 24-second shot clock expired, demonstrating absolute mastery of time and incredible composure!
After all, he had pressed the time limit too hard just now, and if there had been any unexpected event, the goal could have easily turned into a 24-second violation!
The time has come down to 1 minute and 20 seconds!
About a minute later, O'Neal dunked again, and Lin Tian responded with a strong layup under the basket.
Kobe then launched a fast break, driving to the frontcourt and slamming home a dunk.
Then it was Lin Tian's turn on the Pacers' side. He once again drove to the basket and made a high-arc floater over O'Neal, scoring 2 points!
After several rounds of back-and-forth attacks between OK and Lin Tian, the gap between the two sides remained at 4 points!
With only 30 seconds left in the game!
At this point, Jackson couldn't sit still any longer, so he had to request a timeout!
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! Lin single-handedly withstood the double attack of the OK duo! Those last two minutes were absolutely amazing! Both sides delivered perfect performances!"
"Lin stood like a warrior guarding the team's last vestige of glory, firmly on the team's final defensive line, preventing the Lakers from crossing the line even slightly!"
After Jackson called a timeout, Barkley immediately roared excitedly, "This is the ultimate showdown we've been waiting for! This is the best Finals ever!"
"There couldn't be a more exciting and wonderful match!"
"No matter how Kobe and Shaq score, Lin will always find his own way to score and keep the team in the lead!"
"Now, with the final 30 seconds, let's see what happens next. Let's see if the Lakers can finally break through this barrier of 2-point and 4-point swings, or if Lin Tian continues to protect the team and hold onto this victory?"
On the Lakers' side, Jackson adjusted his glasses, maintaining his nonchalant demeanor, and said, "They'll guard our three-pointers tightly! They might even have four players huddled outside the three-point line! So, for this shot, we'll go for the basket!"
"Shaq, after the inbounds pass, go straight into the paint and get ready to receive the ball and start the attack. Robert, you're in charge of the inbounds pass; try to pass it directly to Shaq. If you can't get it to him, pass it to Kobe. Kobe, try to drive into the paint as soon as possible or dunk the ball on to Shaq!"
"Glenn, you and Derek stand at the left 45-degree angle and the baseline respectively, give them some space!"
"In this round, our strategy is to catch them off guard, making them think we're going to shoot a three-pointer. But what we need to do is complete an offensive play within 3-4 seconds, then defend against their attack, and finally use those 3-4 seconds to deliver the decisive blow! Understand?"
"clear!"
Jackson nodded. Although he didn't like going to the gambling table, he had a strong gambling instinct and chose an extremely risky and daring way to play for the last 30 seconds!
If his plan succeeds, then the Lakers might actually be able to pull off an incredible comeback!
"Beep beep!"
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, the Lakers players immediately scattered, drawing the Pacers' defensive attention while also making sure to create space for Kobe and O'Neal to shoot.
Then, Horry seized the opportunity. In the instant when only O'Neal and Miller remained in the three-second zone, he suddenly raised his hand and dunked the ball directly into the paint!
"Done!" Jackson on the sidelines couldn't help but clench his fist! Judging from Horry's pass trajectory and O'Neal's dominance over Miller, this play might have been completed in just 2 seconds!
But before Jackson could even loosen his clenched fist, he froze!
A huge change has occurred on the field!
Brad Miller!
This role player, who only scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds tonight, this white center who was at O'Neal's mercy, suddenly stuck his head forward and bumped right into O'Neal's elbow. Then, as if he had been hit in the face by a ton of hammers, he fell backward!
"Offensive foul!"
The baseline referees didn't hesitate and delivered their rulings!
Shaquille O'Neal, who had just caught the ball, stared wide-eyed in disbelief, spreading his hands and saying, "I didn't even move! I didn't touch him at all! This bastard is acting!"
"When it comes to acting, you Los Angeles folks are definitely better at it," the referee muttered, then turned away from O'Neal and went to the scorer's table to read out his call, while O'Neal was held down by his teammates to calm him down.
If you argue with the referee at this point and get another technical foul, you're really done for!
But O'Neal regained his composure and stopped yelling at the referee, while another person couldn't hold back.
Jackson!
Jackson, sitting on the sidelines, seemed to have completely lost his composure. He spread his hands and strode forward, looking at the referee with an equally incredulous expression.
He screamed wildly at the referee on the sidelines, spewing out all sorts of profanities one after another.
"How could that be an offensive foul! Shaq didn't even move! You bunch of idiots! Morons! How could you call an offensive foul on Shaq at this point in the game! Do you even know how to be referees?"
"If you can't be referees, then fucking send your mothers to my bed, and I'll teach them a lesson!"
"I will definitely file a complaint! I'll fight you to the bitter end! I'm telling you, this isn't over! This isn't over! You're all blatant rigging! A bunch of stupid idiots! I'll have the league investigate whether you were involved in betting! I'll also investigate whether you received money!"
"You bunch of bastards, you ruined this perfect game! You destroyed all the players' hard work all night! You're trash! A complete and utter bunch of trash!"
Looking at Jackson's furious state, an outsider might think he had suffered some great injustice. Now it was O'Neal and the Lakers players' turn to persuade Jackson to calm down and not act impulsively.
No need, no need, stay calm!
Meanwhile, the Pacers players were just watching the show.
Ben couldn't help but say, "This guy calls himself the Zen Master? It's just a whistle, what's the big deal? I've had six goals blown out, and I wasn't this impulsive! Doesn't he know his impulsiveness will cause the team to lose completely?"
"Of course he knows. He knows the team's situation better than anyone else," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Don't underestimate Phil. He's incredibly smart. He knows better than anyone when to get angry and when to put pressure on the referees and the league!"
"With just over 20 seconds left, down by 4 points, no ball possession, and only one timeout remaining, he calculated that the Lakers had virtually no chance of winning tonight. So rather than playing the last 20 seconds in frustration, he decided to find an opportunity to let the league know he was 'furious'!"
"He wants to use his anger to gain an advantage in the next three games! He wants to make the referees' calls favor them!"
"If I'm not mistaken, Phil will continue to rant about the referees in the post-game press conference, and might even actually send the videotape to the league. As for the $3 or $5 fine, this old fox doesn't care at all! That's his goal!"
"Then, most likely, if the same thing happens in the next game, the referees won't call an offensive foul on Shaq! A portion of the head coach's salary goes towards paying fines and criticizing the referees!"
After hearing Lin Tian's words, Ben suddenly realized why Jackson was as angry as if the referee had slept with his mother.
Lin Tian then patted Brad Miller on the shoulder and said, "Good choice! Brad, you did a fantastic job!"
Miller scratched his head and said, "I was just trying it out. I think the referee would definitely blow the whistle at that moment! He'd give Shaq an offensive foul!"
"Why?" Ben was confused again. He felt that his CPU was not strong enough tonight.
He also felt that these people who played tactics, how could their hearts be so dirty?
What exactly are their chests like – hearts or intestines? How can they be so convoluted?
Carlisle said casually, "Because we're down 1-2, if the Lakers come back from behind and the series becomes 1-3, the rest of the games won't be as exciting! So, while the league won't openly help us, they also won't make any outrageous calls in the Finals."
"But in situations like this, where it's a very clear foul, they'll still call it without hesitation! But if the score is 2-2 at this point, the referee probably won't call Brad's foul; he'll let us handle the game ourselves!"
"It's confirmed, this is your area." Ben pointed to his chest and said, "It's all intestines! You filthy bastards have no hearts!"
"Go to hell!" Lin Tian, Carlisle, and even the usually honest Miller all gave Ben the middle finger at the same time.
The suspense of this match has now been completely resolved!
Next, Lin Tian went to the free throw line and made the free throw, extending the team's lead to 5 points. Then the Pacers inbounded the ball, and after the Lakers tried for a few seconds but failed to steal it, they stopped doing futile things and stopped deliberately fouling to let Lin Tian score. Instead, they waited for the game to end.
99: 104!
The Pacers narrowly won Game 4 of the series at home by 5 points!
Once again, both sides are on equal footing!
That night, the biggest contributor to the Pacers' victory undoubtedly belonged to Lin Tian once again!
这个晚上的林天在队友们进攻不力，几乎没人能给与他帮助的情况下，个人39投21中，3分球10投4中，罚球16罚14中，狂砍60分14篮板6助攻4抢断2盖帽的完美数据！
In the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, Lin Tian scored all 12 points for his team! During this period, he made all five of his field goal attempts and two of his free throws, single-handedly withstanding the onslaught of the OK duo and securing this hard-fought victory for his team!
The situation was quite similar for the Lakers. Apart from the OK duo, the rest of the team provided very little help. All of the team's points in the last 3 minutes were scored by Kobe and Shaq!
其中科比今晚拿下37分8篮板4助攻2抢断2盖帽，奥尼尔则是再次轰下42分19篮板5盖帽的怪物级别数据，还把大本直接打的六犯下场！
Even though the OK duo combined for a fierce 79 points, they still couldn't defeat Lin Tian and the Pacers, and couldn't extend the series score.
They had no choice but to accept that the score would end in another draw and that the next three matches would be a best-of-three series.
The upcoming matches are destined to be even more dangerous and allow no room for mistakes!
Just as Lin Tian predicted, after the game, Jackson indeed criticized the referees at the post-game press conference and received a $3 fine as he wished. Jackson believed that after his outburst, the officiating in the upcoming pivotal game would definitely be more favorable to the Lakers!
However, Jackson never expected that the Pacers also had a tactical expert and a very dirty-minded guy.
"I want to complain about the league and the referees tonight! Their officiating was absolutely terrible! I felt like we were playing in Los Angeles; I didn't feel any home-court advantage at all! Normally, the way I played tonight should have gotten me at least 25 free throws!"
"And what was the result? The blind referee gave me 15 free throws! I know it's 16, I don't need you to remind me, but wasn't the last one a freebie?"
"Honestly, I've never seen anyone like Phil. They had an absolute advantage in the officiating. Our starting center was sent off early for a dubious foul, and they weren't satisfied; they were still protesting!"
"I don't understand why they're doing this. They clearly have the advantage in officiating! What do they want? Did the referee kick me off the court at the start of the game with two technical fouls because I was breathing too loudly?"
"I can only say that I have never seen such a shameless person!"
"We will continue to file complaints, we will continue to provide the alliance with all kinds of evidence, and we will continue to protest until we receive the treatment we deserve!"
After Lin Tian's righteous and eloquent rant, he received a $3 fine as he had hoped.
And then there was the phone call from Jackson.
"Lin, have you no shame?" Jackson cursed immediately. "I came up with this trick first! What right do you have to copy it?!"
"I like it, so what? It's none of your business! If you're so envious and jealous, come to Indiana and be an assistant coach! I guarantee you won't have to put up with this anymore!"
"Fuck you! But next time you're going to do this, can't you at least give me a heads-up? Do you have too much money to spend? Are you just going to give money to the league like this?"
"I am indeed very rich. To be honest, I don't even know how much money I have now!"
"Fuck you! I don't have that much money to waste on you! Tell me earlier next time, and I won't do this. You owe me $3!"
"No, I'm doing this so you can see your money go to waste! It makes me happy, I love seeing that!" Lin Tian chuckled as he hung up the phone, then looked at Carlisle and said, "Rick, now you know why I wanted to steal your job."
"I thought you were trying to save me money," Carlisle said helplessly. "Now I realize I overestimated you. You just want an opportunity to give Phil Jackson a piece of your mind, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" Lin Tian laughed.
"There's no more obvious piece of junk than this." Carlisle rolled his eyes and said, "The happiest people right now are the league. They received a $6 fine but don't have to do anything."
"The most heartbroken must be the referees' union," Lin Tian said. "They were just doing their job, but they got scolded twice for no reason. And in the end, the scolding canceled each other out—they got it all for nothing! More importantly, they won't get a single penny of that $6!"
"A huge loss!"
Amidst bursts of laughter, the atmosphere within the Pacers team became much more relaxed, at least much more relaxed than after they lost Game 3 of the series.
Thanks to Lin Tian's victory, the Pacers have at least managed to climb back from the brink of defeat.
More importantly, they have home-court advantage in the upcoming pivotal Game 5! Even if the final six and seven games are both held in Los Angeles, the Pacers at least now have a chance to take the lead in the series!
The final three matches, best-of-three series, are about to begin!
June 16, 2001, Staples Center, Los Angeles!
The final battle of the 2000-2001 season finals, Game 7, is about to begin here!
An hour before the game started, fans from all over Los Angeles had already flooded into the arena to warm up for the team and prepare for the upcoming ultimate battle!
Various sports channels also started their special programs 1-2 hours in advance to warm up for this Game 7 final, which has not been seen for 7 years!
After all, the last time the NBA Finals went to a Game 7 was back in the 1993-94 season. That era was dominated by the "Big Four" centers, and the Finals were a head-to-head battle between two of the best centers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing!
By 2001, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing had both retired, and David Robinson, the other of the four great centers, was still in decent form, but was no longer an MVP-caliber player.
Ironically, Shaquille O'Neal, the youngest of the four centers, became one of the main characters in this Game 7! Kenny, the Rockets' starting point guard in that Game 7, is now sitting in the commentary booth, providing commentary on the game.
As for Barkley, who was once a dominant force in the league, he became Kenny's partner in the commentary booth! These two guys, whose status and positions were worlds apart when they played basketball, have now become a top-notch duo in the commentary booth!
All I can say is that time flies and years pass quickly!
"Hi everyone! Welcome back to TNT's special program, Game 7 of the NBA Finals preview!" After a series of "GG"s, Kenny's voice came through again: "In the past half hour, we've reviewed some of the most classic Game 7s in the NBA Finals over the past 50 years."
"So, let's take a look back at what happened before this series this year!"
Barkley quickly chimed in, "In the first four games of this series, both teams won one of the other's home games, tying the series 2-2! Those four games featured game-winning shots, surprise attacks, ultimate showdowns between superstars, and incredibly close moments!"
"These countless spectacular moments have helped make this Grand Finals one of the most classic Grand Finals matchups in history!"
"And in the pivotal Game 5 that followed, neither team disappointed their fans. The game was incredibly exciting and entertaining! The two teams battled fiercely until the final 10 seconds, with the Pacers leading by 2 points!"
"With 11 seconds left, Kobe received the inbound pass, drove past Christie into the paint, but unfortunately his layup missed. Shaq's putback also missed! Then Brad Miller shoved the rebound out of bounds for three points!"
"Normally, with one second left in the game, moving the ball away from the basket is the absolutely correct choice! But this ball just happened to fall into Horry's hands at the top of the key!"
"Robert Horry once again demonstrated his clutch gene, sinking a three-pointer for another spectacular game-winning shot in this series!"
"100-99! The Lakers rallied to win this crucial Game 5 on the road!"
「这场比赛，奥尼尔拿下27分18篮板3盖帽，科比25分4篮板2助攻2抢断2盖帽，决杀功臣霍里大爆发拿下18分14篮板！」
「步行者方面，韦伯20分5篮板6助攻，米勒21分3篮板4助攻，林拿下28分7篮板10助攻，可球队却输掉了这场至关重要的天王山之战！」
Kenny added, "Without home-court advantage, losing Game 5 puts the Pacers in a truly desperate situation! If they want to win the championship, they'll face two incredibly tough and painful road games!"
"The Lakers definitely don't want a Game 7; they'll be united and determined to win in Game 6 to avoid any unforeseen complications!"
"The Pacers have already played all their cards and desperately need someone to step up and fight alongside Lin to secure an away victory for the team!"
"Fortunately, the Pacers have finally found this man! Vince Carter, who had a terrible performance in the first five games, scoring in double figures only once and shooting a mere 27% from the field, has finally broken out!"
「这个晚上，卡特命中了6个3分，全场比赛爆砍41分3篮板1助攻！他在被科比压制了整整5场之后，终于将科比掀翻！而林天没有辜负自己后场搭档的良好表现，他也拿下39分11篮板9助攻的准三双数据。」
"While Carter and Lin Tian combined for 80 points, the OK duo ran into trouble. Although O'Neal remained unstoppable, scoring 37 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, Kobe lost his touch, shooting only 7-for-21 for just 21 points!"
"When his best partner was out of form, scoring only 21 points, and Horry and others couldn't continue their magic from Game 5, O'Neal couldn't carry the team alone and lost Game 6 of the series!"
"91-104! The Pacers escaped elimination with a 13-point blowout, successfully forcing a Game 7 in the series!"
"In 20 minutes, the two sides will face off in what will truly be the ultimate battle of the season! Let's first watch a highlight reel from this series to get a feel for the intensity and unparalleled strength of both teams!" (End of Chapter)