Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 623 The referee's call was excellent, the referee's call was brilliant, the refere

Kobe paused for a moment before he couldn't immediately utter a curse word, and was pulled away by the referee who rushed over. It wasn't until the referee pulled him away that he realized he had actually been frightened.

The thought of this made Kobe even angrier. How humiliating! How incredibly humiliating!

We must get our revenge!

So Kobe then decided to bypass the referee and challenge Lin Tian again.

Unfortunately, not only was his fighting skill mediocre, but his escape techniques after being captured were also negligible.

Despite several attempts to break free, he was unable to escape Kirilenko's grasp.

"Calm down! Calm down, Kobe! Calm down!" Kirilenko kept reassuring Kobe in his ear, trying to calm him down.

The referees quickly issued their rulings. Lin Tian received a regular foul, and at the same time, he received a technical foul for trash-talking O'Neal from above!

This means O'Neal will have to take three free throws in a row!

"Lin, we don't want to make things up like this. This isn't targeting you tonight, it has nothing to do with you. Just relax, calm down, and everything will be fine." Jia Wei, who had a good relationship with Lin Tian, ​​stood next to him and reminded him to calm down.

"Relax? Calm down?" Lin Tian sneered. "We're friends, and I rarely complain to you or cause you trouble. Even tonight, I've held my temper and maintained respect for you. But don't you find what you're saying ridiculous?"

"None of my business? Targeting me? Steve, I'd like to be friendly to you, but you'd better think before you speak next time." After saying that, Lin Tian ignored the stunned Javi and walked straight to Stig's side, giving him a high five.

"Just do what you're supposed to do. With me here, none of us will get the short end of the stick! I don't care what the referees call. If O'Neal dares to touch you, I'll make him lie on the floor like a dead fish!"

"Including everyone else, understand?"

"clear!"

The Knicks' morale is soaring!

"Absolutely correct call! The referee's call on that ball was so accurate!" Buck exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, almost like a theatrical actor, "The referee's perfect decision has prevented any potential conflict from happening."

"Look! Lin Qing clearly hit O'Neal's arm! That's definitely a foul for hitting a hand! A brilliant call!"

Listening to Barkley's somewhat nauseating voice, Kenny began to understand what the guy was up to.

Just then, the camera started replaying O'Neal's "block" of Stoudemire.

Looking at the blatant, naked thugs on the camera, Barkley continued his tirade.

"Brilliant call! A call without any problems, an absolutely precise call! This play shouldn't have been blew! Beautiful defense! Shaq is Shaq, worthy of being the league's best center, a perfectly clean block!"

"If we have to point out anything wrong with this play, guys, look at Stoudemire's left hand. There's a clear pushing motion with his left hand! His arm is sticking out way too far!"

"Let me put it this way, if I were officiating this play, I would definitely call an offensive foul! Absolutely! The referees tonight were too lenient on the Knicks players! I think I need to go and teach them a lesson on the art of officiating."

"If I were to officiate, at least three Knicks players should have been ejected by now! Their playing style and defensive actions are so dirty! They should be ejected!"

"Let's watch the game. The Knicks have started their offense again! It's Lin again. Can he keep up his hot streak from the first half?" Kenny, who already understood that Barkley was going crazy and protesting with his almost blind commentary style, quickly changed the subject.

Then, not forgetting to kick Barkley under the table again, he signaled to him that that was enough.

Yes, you've stopped criticizing the referee, but you don't have to blindly praise him like this!

If nothing unexpected happens, Barkley's comments will become countless videos on YouTube tonight, where they will be ridiculed by countless netizens!

Wait, is this Barkley's real purpose?

Kenny couldn't help but glance at Barkley again, and suddenly realized that this fat guy was actually quite something!

He wanted to use his stupid and shameless commentary to make as many people as possible remember this night, the referees' outrageous calls, and the league's shameless choices and dirty tactics in extending the series.

This trick will definitely work; this fat guy is really something!

After gaining Kenny's understanding and approval, Kenny stopped stopping Barkley from talking nonsense and even occasionally joined in.

The two commentators in the commentary booth can talk nonsense and spout rubbish, but the Knicks players on the court are really suffering!

The two consecutive calls at the start of the third quarter were enough to demonstrate how determined the referees were to kill the game in the third quarter! Their subsequent calls and their grasp of the game's standards were even more excessive and blatant!

Their whistles always sound at inexplicable times, and then become completely silent at certain times when they should be sounding.

It's worth mentioning that the referees' calls were more artistic in this section!

The free throw count for both teams in this quarter was 14 to 11!

The Knicks have overtaken the Lakers by 3 free throw attempts!

However, the number of hits differed greatly between the two sides!

With O'Neal on fire at the free-throw line, the Lakers made 10 of 11 free throws, scoring 10 points in the quarter from free throws alone.

Although the Knicks attempted 14 free throws, they only made 7, for a shooting percentage of only 50%!

This is because the referees ignored the fouls committed by Lakers players against Knicks players who were good at free throws, such as Lin Tian, ​​Stoudemire, and Anthony, who only went to the free throw line a total of 4 times in this quarter.

The remaining 10 free throws were evenly distributed among Smith (57% free throw percentage), Mourning (54% free throw percentage), and Wallace (66% free throw percentage)!

The three substitutes, who are completely bad at free throws, and even bad at driving to the basket and drawing fouls, made only 4 out of 10 free throws in this quarter!

The referee's purpose in doing this is obvious.

The goal remains the same: look at the free throw count. The Knicks were leading in the third quarter! You guys missed your free throws, so you can't blame the referees for targeting you, right?

You guys had more free throws in the third quarter, but you were still losing points, which proves even more that this game had little to do with the referees!

That's exactly what the referees are aiming for!

It has to be said that the referee team selected by the league tonight is truly world-class in terms of controlling the game, mastering the game, and the professionalism of the calls!

Fans who only look at post-match statistics and not watch the game will never connect the result of this match with the referee.

The blame shouldn't be placed on the referee!

In this quarter, the Lakers' free throws were all aimed at key players, while many of the Knicks' free throws came before the team had even gotten into offensive mode and before the ball had reached the key players, when the referee suddenly blew the whistle.

In this situation, the Knicks not only missed free throws, but they also lost their offensive rhythm and many better and more comfortable shot opportunities.

In short, with the referee's whistle blowing wildly, the Knicks' offense was a mess. All the players, including Lin Tian, ​​couldn't find their rhythm or touch, and they lost by 11 points in this quarter!

70: 92!

The Knicks are now down by 22 points!

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Lakers went on a scoring spree, with three players – Vujacic, Walton, and Kirilenko – each hitting a three-pointer within two minutes! Kobe also made two jump shots during this period.

The Knicks only managed 4 points during that period!

All four points came from free throws, all of which were made by Anthony.

Although the Lakers didn't get a single free throw during this period, they managed to go on a 13-4 run.

The point difference between the two sides has exceeded 30 points!

74:105

A 31-point deficit! With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks were finally down by more than 30 points.

With Don Nelson's timeout, the suspense of the game has essentially been eliminated.

"The referees officiated a perfect game! I hope the game ended the way they wanted! And I would also suggest that our referees organize their own sports league during the off-season."

"They can form their own teams and compete in the league."

"After all, they are so eager to dominate the game, so eager to help others win through their own efforts! They really should try playing themselves!"

"Then, let's see just how... just how... satisfying! Yes, absolutely satisfying!"

Barkley's words no longer carried that teasing and exaggerated tone.

His tone was filled with grief and indignation, and an emotion that was hard to describe.

He understands the league's thinking, but he can't accept it! He's a player too, and he really dislikes the league's practice of forcibly manipulating the game.

"Everyone, take a break now." Old Nelson sighed. With a 30-point deficit in the final quarter, he knew very well that the game was over.

Rather than letting the players continue to waste time on the field, it's better to let them rest, recharge, and prepare for the next game.

Even if the league helps the Lakers in the next game, it probably won't be as excessive as it was tonight.

There's a chance!

We have a chance to win the next game!

Just as Old Nelson was about to say something, Lin Tian stood up again. He looked at his teammates and said, "What I'm about to say might sound like crazy talk, or you might think I'm just daydreaming and spouting nonsense."

"But I still have to say: the game isn't over yet!"

"We're indeed down by 31 points, and our hopes are really slim!"

"But I'm not going to give up! I want to keep fighting! It's not because I'm unwilling to accept defeat or any other bullshit reason."

"I don't want to give up because I believe the upcoming matches will be very advantageous for us!"

"The referees didn't want to make things too ugly; they wanted to maintain at least a semblance of decorum and make the situation acceptable. You could see that in the third quarter, they gave a lot of free throws to some guys who weren't shooting well. They didn't want the statistical gap to be too large!"

"They did it their way!"

"Then, when they think the game is over and everyone feels there's no suspense left, the Lakers will relax! They'll play quite casually, and they'll definitely make a lot of basic mistakes and irrational shots."

"As for the referees, they'll focus on making the post-game statistics look better! They'll give us whistles, they'll give us lots of whistles, they'll favor us in their calls, they'll give us preferential treatment!"

"This is our chance!"

"If I'm not mistaken, once we're on the court, we can easily close the gap to within 20 points, or even around 15 points, thanks to the referees. Only then will the referees and the Lakers get nervous again!"

"And what we need to do is, just when they're trying to get nervous and turn the game around, tell them: You're too late! We're going to pull off a comeback!"

"It's difficult to come back from a 30-point deficit in one quarter, but what about coming back by 15 points in half a quarter? Or 7-8 points in 3 minutes? Doesn't that sound much easier? Doesn't it feel more promising?"

After Lin Tian said this, many Knicks players looked at each other in bewilderment, because what Lin Tian said was really damn reasonable!

"I knew it! You psychology students are all incredibly cunning!" Old Nelson laughed. "Lin's right! It's not time for us to give up! Keep fighting! Let's give them a real scare!"

"Starting five, continue!"

"Kirilenko has already committed three fouls." Lin Tian said to Stoudemire before going on the court, "Given that the referee will definitely call a foul, we'll focus on you in the opening stages! You'll be the main offensive target."

"Draw a foul! Get that guy down to at least five fouls as quickly as possible! If we can get him out of the game, that would be perfect!"

"Got it! I will!" Stoudemire, who already had four fouls, was eager and ready to go.

The rest of the Knicks were equally eager to fight, seemingly oblivious to the 30-point deficit, each player still brimming with fighting spirit.

As for the source of their fighting spirit?

That couldn't be simpler.

Lin Tian!

Lin Tian is their source of confidence!

Since Lin says it's okay, then it's okay!

Absolutely no problem, fuck it!

On their first offensive possession back on the court, the Knicks used their signature move: the pick-and-roll between Lin Tian and Stoudemire!

After the two separated, the basketball came back to Stoudemire's hands. Facing Kirilenko, Stoudemire charged decisively, grabbing the ball and crashing into Kirilenko!

After a brief exchange and confrontation, Stoudemire, bracing himself against Kirilenko, made a clear attempt to feign injury.

And then, sure enough!

"Beep beep! Blocking foul! Stoudemire gets two free throws!"

Sure enough, the referee blew his whistle!

They gave Kirilenko a fourth foul!

Stoudemire stepped up to the free-throw line and calmly made both of his shots, helping the team narrow the gap to within 30 points!

Then, as expected, the Lakers underestimated their opponent.

Fisher took the basketball and chose to drive! He drove past Houston and into the basket, then forced a shot, hoping to score 2 points!

Unfortunately, even with the Knicks' terrible defense and hardly anyone guarding them, Fisher still tries to drive to the basket? That's just too much!

"Smack!" Okur jumped up and blocked Fisher's shot. Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and quickly advanced, seeing Anthony starting his fast break on the right. He suddenly made a bounce pass, and the basketball came comfortably into Anthony's hands, assisting him to dunk and score 2 more points!

"The Knicks seem to be gaining momentum!" Kenny said. "They've scored four points in a row!"

"But compared to a 30-point gap, those 4 points are just a drop in the ocean, aren't they?" Barkley shrugged nonchalantly. "They're still a long way from winning!"

As Barkley said, in the next minute, both sides scored, and after a round of scoring, the point difference was still 27 points.

Then, sensing that things were about right, Lin Tian called out to Xiao Si again, asking Xiao Si to come up and provide cover for him. Then, Xiao Si took on Kirilenko one-on-one.

This time, Stoudemire actually showed off his footwork under the basket! He turned left and right under the basket, making a series of feints, and Lin Tian felt that this guy was most likely traveling.

But the referee didn't call a foul!

Not only did they not call a traveling violation or a three-second violation, but they also suddenly blew the whistle just as Stoudemire was about to shoot!

Because Kirilenko was faked out, Stoudemire jumped on him and easily got two more free throw opportunities!

Kirilenko's fifth foul!

After Stoudemire made both free throws, the gap between the two sides narrowed to 25 points!

There are 9 minutes left in the match!

Jackson on the sidelines didn't relax too much. Instead, he stood up, waved, and took Kirilenko out, replacing him with French center Turiaf.

He was going to use this guy, whose data skills were nothing special but whose physical abilities were decent, to deal with Stoudemire.

However, in the short term, this substitution did not have any effect.

Because after Stoudemire scored consecutive points, the Knicks changed their main offensive focus again!

It was Lin Tian's turn again.

This guy has once again turned on his unstoppable offensive mode from the second quarter, making all three of his mid-range shots in a row!

The Lakers still didn't realize the seriousness of the problem. While Lin Tian made those three jump shots, Kobe Bryant was the only one to score 2 points.

Then, after Fisher missed another open three-pointer, Lin Tian rushed into the paint to secure the rebound and dribbled the ball up the court again. He quickly reached the frontcourt and, facing the Lakers' still lazy defense, Lin Tian suddenly stopped and shot from two steps outside the three-point line!

"Whoosh!"

After a crisp sound, Lin Tian not only scored 9 points in a row, but also narrowed the gap to less than 20 points!

The gap between the two sides is now only 18 points!

There were 7 minutes left in the game!

Suddenly, the gap between the two sides seemed less exaggerated and less insurmountable.

18 minutes, 7 minutes, it's not necessarily impossible to catch up!

"pause!"

Jackson, sitting on the sidelines, called a timeout with a grim expression.

He had already figured out Lin Tian's thoughts and intentions. He had to call a timeout, to let the team calm down and get back into high gear! (End of Chapter)