Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 554 Let's try something new with the Knicks!

Also before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals, Larry Brown gathered everyone on the team together.

He looked at his players and said, "I think the pain of last year's defeat is still etched in everyone's heart. We all want revenge, don't we?"

"I don't think I have any hatred," Ben said, raising his hand. "Losing to Lin is nothing to me. Lin is my boss! I'm willing..."

"Shut up! Even if you want to die, it's none of my business," Brown cursed, stopping Ben's nonsense. Then he addressed the rest of the group, "Those who have special feelings for Lin can shut up. The rest of you want revenge, right?"

After saying that, Brown couldn't help but laugh: "F***! That bastard Ben, I was trying to create an atmosphere of revenge and defeating my nemesis, but that bastard ruined it all. Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Because you'll definitely go all out, you'll definitely fight tooth and nail against the Knicks, and do everything in your power to beat them, right?"

"certainly!"

"Dry them to death!"

"We will win this year!"

"We want the championship! We want the championship!"

This time, the Pistons players expressed the exact same idea.

Even Ben Wallace, Ron Artest, and Rasheed Wallace, three die-hard fans of Lin Tian, ​​stopped acting silly.

"Very good! So, as we all know, Lin's greatest strength is offense! His offensive capabilities, including individual offense, playmaking, and all other aspects, are probably unparalleled in the entire history of the league!"

"Larry!" Ben Wallace raised his hand again, twisting his afro, and said, "Lin's defense is also top-notch in history. He won Defensive Player of the Year last season."

"I don't need you, you idiot, reminding me!" Brown was completely enraged. He yelled at Ben Wallace, "Why don't you tell me how many championships, MVPs, scoring titles, assist titles, and how many records Lin has broken?"

"Lin has won 8 championships, two with the Bulls and six with the Pacers, including a five-peat with the Pacers, where he was the Finals MVP in all five titles. Also..."

"Who can kick this idiot out? Or sew his mouth shut for me?" Brown was so angry at Ben that he laughed. Good grief, I told you to say it, and you actually said it, huh?

I told you to eat shit, why don't you go and eat shit?

Ben: I know the answer to your question, but as for shit, just looking at it tells you it doesn't taste good at all.

However, Ben Wallace didn't get a chance to speak after that. Billups and Hamilton sat on either side of him, covering his mouth with their hands.

"If you don't want our coach to give you a live demonstration of a brain hemorrhage, then shut up." Hamilton tightened his grip on Ben Affleck's mouth.

"You wouldn't want your coach to die in front of you, leaving you with a lifelong trauma, would you?" Billups pressed down on Ben Wallace's hands, stopping him from continuing.

"You two bastards, shut up! I'm not dead yet, I'm still 800 years away from dying!" Brown was also furious with these two bastards.

He began to wonder what kind of birds and beasts he had brought with him.

The starting five players for the team...

Brown glanced at Rasheed and Artest.

None of them are normal!

Even the three who spoke might actually be the most normal ones.

However, there was one thing Brown himself never expected: without realizing it, he was no longer so irritable or unreasonable.

After his terrible relationship with Iverson during his time with the 76ers, this incredibly stubborn, irritable, and unreasonable old man seems to have become more communicative.

He gradually became like a person again.

At the very least, when he was in Philadelphia, and even before that when he was on other teams, no one on his team dared to joke with him.

Brown didn't notice any of this.

Brown, oblivious to the Pistons' bad boys in front of him, clearly hadn't noticed.

But after the entire conference room fell silent, Brown continued, "Let's not talk about Lin's defense, let's not talk about his past achievements, let's just talk about Lin, let's just talk about the Knicks."

"They're good at offense, really good at it, but that's all they're good at! Their defense is worse than the Bobcats, who're the worst team in the league. Ben, shut the hell up! You're probably thinking our offense isn't as good as that lousy Bobcats either, right?"

After Brown answered Ben Wallace's question, he looked at his players and suddenly revealed a wicked smile that he had almost never shown before.

The fact that this thing appeared on his face is just as absurd as Van Gundy's hair growing back on his head.

That's outrageous, outrageous to the point of being ridiculous.

This was so absurd that even Brown himself didn't realize he was laughing.

"What I'm trying to say is that, whether it's the regular season or these two rounds of the playoffs, we've never been good at scoring. Our average points per game is even the worst in the league. Everyone says that we are the worst scoring team in the league."

"But so what? Don't you know in your hearts whether we're good at scoring or not? Ben, shut up, I wasn't talking to you!"

After interrupting Ben Wallace, who was about to speak, once again, Brown looked at everyone and said, "Chauncey, you were a scorer when you entered the league. You were hailed as the new generation of scoring point guard."

"Richard, you've always been an excellent shooting guard. You definitely have the ability to consistently average 20-24 points per game."

"Rasheed and Ron, you two are the same. Do you really think you're incapable of being a team leader and averaging 20+ points per game?"

"The same goes for Bonzi. Is he content to be a substitute because he can't start? No! It's because he enjoys it! If given unlimited shooting opportunities, he can still average at least 20 points per game!"

"You are all good at scoring, but our lineup and style of play don't require you to score."

"Your desire to attack has been suppressed for a long time, hasn't it? Your desire to attack has been suppressed by me for a long time, hasn't it? You dream of forgetting defense, forgetting tactics, forgetting those airtight, machine-like rotations and tactics that allow no mistakes."

"Coach, that's not true! I love your tactics! It was your tactics that got me into the All-Star game, it was your tactics that turned me from a draft bust into a top-tier point guard that no one dares to underestimate. Without you, I'm nothing. Without you, I could never have become one of the best point guards in the NBA!"

Billups immediately stood up and denied Brown's words, saying that he was wrong, that Brown was their god, their second parent!

"What about the others? Do they think so too?" Brown scanned all the players on the field.

"That's how it is!" All the players immediately expressed their trust in Brown, saying that we are not good at offense, we don't like offense, and we even hate offense!

"Alright then, that's a bit of a shame. Originally, I was thinking of letting you guys unleash your full potential in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, to go head-to-head with the Knicks on offense, and show everyone what we're like when we're running and attacking."

"But since you don't like it or need it, let's just forget about it." Brown shrugged, revealing a mischievous grin. "We'll talk about it next time."

"Coach!" Billups jumped to his feet. "Are you serious?"

"Seriously!"

"I can shoot pull-up threes, I can drive to the basket against three people, I can run at top speed after getting the ball and then handle it however I want?"

"You can do it! Well, but don't even think about going for a layup over three people. That's not your job. Ron, you can try it if you want."

"So I can move around freely, and shoot or drive whenever I want after getting the ball?" Hamilton asked.

"Can."

"Then I can attack freely, I can float around on the perimeter and shoot, right?" Rasheed got excited too.

"Can!"

"So, can I just go one-on-one and back down in the low post?" Artest's eyes lit up as well.

"Isn't this how you used to play? Or when did you ever integrate into our offensive system?" Brown rolled his eyes, indicating that Artest was talking nonsense and slandering him out of thin air. When have I ever cared about you?

"Then I..." After everyone had expressed their opinions, Ben, who had finally broken free of his restraints, also raised his hand.

"You can't do it." Brown said without hesitation, "Don't even think about using those Meteor or Flying Fire tactics you used to use with the Pacers. Just inbound the ball properly from the baseline and don't you dare throw it forward."

"On offense, all you need to do is dunk. Don't worry about anything else. I'm not kidding this time, understand, Ben?"

Brown knew Ben was going to speak, and he was prepared for it.

He knew all too well what Ben Wallace was trying to do. This idiot just wanted to replicate his passing and long-pass tactics from his time with the Pacers.

Damn it.

Thinking about this, Brown couldn't help but swear again.

When Ben Wallace first joined the team, he enthusiastically declared that he could pass the ball and organize the offense. Brown was genuinely happy about it, extremely happy.

If a defensive center also has the ability to organize and pass the ball, then the Pistons' offense would be absolutely amazing!

In particular, Brown recalled the passes Ben Wallace had made to Lin Tian.

That's really impressive!

The key is speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness!

Lin Tian always manages to catch the ball from Ben Wallace and then complete a beautiful fast break dunk.

This kid isn't bragging, he really can do it!

Anyway, that's what Brown thought at the time.

Then?

Then, when they were training, and Brown enthusiastically asked Ben to try it out, he was dumbfounded.

After Ben Wallace made several consecutive mistakes, Brown finally couldn't stand it anymore. He stopped training and called Wallace over: "Ben, are you messing with us?"

"No!"

"Are you kidding me, deliberately making some pretty ridiculous passes to liven things up?"

"No, I was passing it seriously. It's just that Chauncey and his teammates are too slow; they can't catch up with my ball!"

"Did you pass the ball to Lin like this before?"

"Yes, that's how it was passed on, and he gets them all! Every single one!"

"Then, could you slow down the ball so that Chauncey and Richard can catch it?" Brown felt he was using the most patience he had ever had in his life; he hadn't been this patient when teaching his 3-year-old grandson to speak.

"But if the ball speed is slowed down, won't other players be able to catch up with it? Then the fast break won't be possible, right?"

Hmm, good, he won't!

Brown confirmed it.

That bastard can't pass the ball at all, or rather, his haphazardly thrown balls are so bad that no one but Lin Tian can actually get them.

So from the very first day Ben Wallace joined the team for training, Brown forbade him from attempting to pass the ball.

All attempts.

Forbidden! Absolutely forbidden!

This is also a major reason why the Pistons currently have the lowest number of turnovers per game in the league.

If Ben Wallace were to pass the ball, the number of turnovers would skyrocket.

We've gone off on a tangent again.

In short, Brown made up his mind.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he'll be going to have to go head-to-head with the Knicks on offense!

Let's see who can score more points!

The reason he did this was certainly not because he suddenly decided to make the team focus on offense; that's something only guys like Don Nelson would do.

The most important reason he did this was because the Knicks had just finished a Game 7, and they were exhausted! They had reached their physical limit!

At this point, running and competing on offense will excite them and make them continue to exhaust their remaining energy, making the Pistons' next game much easier!

He learned this trick from Lin Tian! Didn't Lin Tian beat the Timberwolves with the Pacers using the same method last year?

This approach not only helps his players regain confidence and find their offensive rhythm, but also quickly depletes the Knicks' stamina. At the same time, Brown isn't afraid that the Knicks will unleash their full offensive power, overwhelming the Pistons.

Because he has already made his decision.

Although he talks about focusing on offense, he will immediately call a timeout whenever the team is down by about 10 points, so that the players can adjust their mindset and go back to focus on defense!

When the Knicks players, who had been on a winning offense, encountered high-intensity defense and could no longer make shots, and could only watch Lin Tian attack alone, the sense of frustration and contrast must have been incredibly painful for the rest of the Knicks players!

It will extinguish their fighting spirit!

By then, victory will surely belong to the Pistons!

He believes that given the current gap in strength and the relative strength of the two teams, the Pistons will have a clear advantage over the Knicks! They can absolutely crush them!

Most importantly, if we go all out on defense, we might be able to crush the Knicks in the first half. With Don Nelson's jerk-like personality, he might just bench your starters in the first half and refuse to play with you anymore.

Brown wouldn't be able to both win games and tire out the Knicks.

Only children make choices; I want them all!

Therefore, Brown wants to make the Knicks just like the Timberwolves last year, to completely exhaust them! To make them lose energy as they play, their legs get heavier as they play, and they can't put up any resistance.

Brown's goal is simple: a sweep!

A gentleman's sweep of at most 4:1!

This is his assessment and prediction of the strength of the two teams, as well as his forecast for the series between the two teams.

Next, we'll have to see how things actually go when the fighting starts!

On the evening of May 22, at the Auburn Hills Palace in Detroit.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals started right on time!

The day before this game, the Lakers had already defeated the Suns 119-110 on the road, securing their first win on the road and a winning start to the conference finals.

Now, it all comes down to the Pistons vs. Knicks matchup.

Lin Tian stepped onto the court, greeted by the frenzied boos and insults from nearly 2 fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He casually picked at his ear, as usual ignoring the boos.

"Boss! I knew I'd meet you in the divisional finals. I believed it even when you were down 1-3." Big Ben ran up to Lin Tian with a smug grin and couldn't wait to "collude with the enemy."

"We have a big surprise for you today! Want to guess what it is?"

"A surprise?" Lin Tian looked at Ben Affleck and laughed, "What, you guys are planning to fight us on offense?"

"Slap!" Before Ben could even speak, Billups slapped him on the head from behind.

Ben Affleck was jerked forward by the blow, clearly indicating that Billups had used considerable force. However, with his thick hair, Affleck didn't seem to feel much pain and instead looked at Billups curiously, asking, "Chauncey, what happened?"

"I'm telling you to go back and warm up. If you don't go back, Larry will definitely poke your dermatitis with a bottle tonight." As Billups said this, he put his arm around Ben Affleck's neck and walked away without saying another word. The 191 cm tall Billups and the 206 cm tall Ben Affleck had shoulders that were about the same height.

"These two must have lied about their height!" Lin Tian said, stroking his chin.

At the same time, I was wondering what this surprise that Ben had mentioned was.

The Pistons are a bunch of scumbags, they're probably up to no good.

I just don't know what they're planning to do.

Will they go all out from the start, forcing the Knicks into positional and physical battles? Or will they hold back and start with a few probing plays?

I'm quite curious.

Although curious, Lin Tian only mentioned it to Old Nelson briefly, just to give him some preparation. As for the other players, there was no need to mention it.

Everyone is already very nervous and has made ample preparations and mental build-up. There's no need to add unnecessary trouble and burden to them. In particular, no matter what surprises the Pistons have prepared, they have to deliver. As long as they deliver, we'll see when the game starts.

Lin Tian believed that with his and Don Nelson's abilities and experience, no matter what tricks the Pistons played, they would be able to see them immediately and respond accordingly.

As for those that are truly unmanageable and unsolvable?

Let's discuss it again then! (End of Chapter)