blogombal Chapter 619 It's Officially Decided! The Finals Turn of Events Takes a Dramatic Turn! Knicks
Chapter 619 It's Officially Decided! The Finals Turn of Events Takes a Dramatic Turn! Knicks
Chapter 619 It's decided! The tide of the Finals has turned dramatically! The Knicks face their biggest crisis yet!
Lin Tian barely took a shot in the first three quarters of the game that night, but in the fourth quarter, when the team was in crisis and the whole team was waiting for him to save them, Lin Tian suddenly exploded!
He scored 29 points in the fourth quarter alone! That included the game-winning block at the end!
Whether it was offense or defense, Lin Tianquan did it perfectly today!
Lin Tian racked up a massive triple-double tonight with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 18 assists. He switched between team mode in the first three quarters and individual mode in the fourth quarter without any problems.
It was incredibly smooth!
Besides Lin Tian, Stoudemire scored the second-highest points for the team tonight with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Anthony had 19 points, and Okur, Houston and Smith who came off the bench also scored in double figures!
Six players scored in double figures, securing a victory!
The Knicks successfully defended their home court and had the most dream start to the series!
别管是赢了1分、2分还是20分，2：0就是2：0！
What follows is the biggest challenge the Knicks will face in this series, or rather, this season!
The next three games will all be held in Los Angeles!
If the Lakers can also defend their home court, then it will be the Lakers' turn to take the advantage and have a 3-2 lead!
"Kenny, what's your take on the next phase of this series?" During the break between the second and third games, the major television networks certainly weren't going to sit idly by and wait; they were going to keep the series hyped up!
TNT's star duo, Kenny and Barkley, certainly wouldn't take a break at a time like this. The day before the game started, they added another segment to analyze the upcoming series.
"It's hard to say! The Knicks are on a 14-game winning streak in the playoffs so far! They haven't lost a single game in the playoffs!" Kenny said. "But the Lakers shouldn't be underestimated either! They easily eliminated two 60-win teams!"
"It's 4-1 against the Mavericks, and 4-1 against the Suns! They'll lose, but they'll also have played a near-dominant series!"
"Another noteworthy point is that they haven't lost a game in Los Angeles, at Staples Center! All five of their losses this year have been away games!"
"A perfect Knicks team versus a perfect home team Lakers team – I think Game 3 of the series will be an absolutely epic battle! This could very well be the most exciting final showdown of the season!"
……
Besides TNT, represented by Kenny and Barkley, other major sports channels such as ESPN, CBS, and NBC also broadcast various programs simultaneously to warm up for the game.
Some TV stations invited top reporters and special commentators to debate, while other programs invited current or retired players to share their views and reminisce about their stories with the two teams.
In short, before Game 3 of the Finals, if you turn on the TV and switch to the sports channel, you'll see NBA-related content 80% of the time, except for games that end in failure.
At least in the last two days, the NBA has surpassed all other sports and leagues in terms of popularity!
At least in the last two days, the NBA has overshadowed other major sports events like the NBL and MLB, which would normally have been more popular.
After all, the first two games of this series each had over 3500 million viewers! The peak viewership for the second game even exceeded 4300 million at one point!
From any perspective, this series is destined to become a blockbuster, a classic, and the most-watched super finals in the United States this century!
The only suspense is how many fans he can attract to watch, how many people who don't usually follow basketball will be drawn to watch, and what level he can reach!
Theoretically speaking, the deeper the series goes, the more intense the battle becomes, and the longer the series lasts, the more viewers there will be, and the more people will want to come and watch the game.
"According to our actuarial department's predictions and estimates, if the series goes to a Game 7, we might witness the first game in NBA history to surpass 55 million viewers! People all over New York and Los Angeles will be turning on their TVs to watch the decisive Game 7."
"This is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Not only are the players top-notch, but more importantly, the cities they represent also wield immense influence!"
"Just like the Yankees versus the Dodgers! It's always a highly anticipated battle of the century!"
Stern listened quietly to his subordinates' reports, looking relaxed at the more than 20 people sitting in front of him. These were the NBA's top executives and core personnel. This was also the last meeting of the NBA before the start of Game 3 of the Finals.
"So, what are your thoughts?" Stern asked his employees, posing the core question.
No one spoke.
Everyone chose to remain silent at this moment.
It wasn't that they didn't know the answer; quite the opposite, it was because the answer was so obvious and clear that everyone chose to remain silent at this point.
The more obvious the answer, the less benefit there is in saying it.
Who knows if there's a mine hidden behind it?
They were waiting for Stern to say that, well, the old man wouldn't be able to work for many more years before retiring, right?
In the ensuing silence, a bald man not far from Stern raised his hand and said, "I think we should change the officiating style; we've been too lenient with the calls!"
"Overly encouraging physical confrontation and ignoring many minor fouls can easily make players lose their temper and lead to conflicts during the game."
"Statistics show that 90% of conflicts in our league stem from officiating issues. Fouls not being called, flagrant fouls being called as regular fouls, or whistles being blown too slowly—all these factors can cause player dissatisfaction, leading to conflicts or even physical altercations!"
"I think this problem needs to be solved quickly. Lin, Anthony, Stoudemire, O'Neal, these guys all have fiery tempers. If we can't control their emotions and the game on a stage like the Finals, we won't be able to control them."
"So what will happen next? Nobody can predict!"
"For other competitions, for other years' finals, it wouldn't matter whether the officiating standards are changed or not, because those viewers are our die-hard fans! But this year is different!"
"This year, people all over Los Angeles and New York will turn on their TVs. Countless passersby will turn on their TVs to watch this so-called fateful battle. Countless people will go from knowing nothing about it to wanting to watch the game."
"This is our best opportunity! Our best chance to expand our reach and viewership! So, at this time, we must tighten our standards and change our previous officiating!"
"Think about it, if your family, especially your children, wanted to watch a game, you would want them to turn on the TV and see a game where everyone is playing hard, but in an incredibly civilized and calm manner."
"Is it still a barbarian game full of profanity, elbows, and fists?"
"I think the answer is self-evident!"
"Therefore, I propose that in the remaining games of the finals, the refereeing standards should be tightened, physical contact reduced, and all kinds of dirty tricks and unnecessary physical contact strictly controlled, so that both sides can play more civilly!"
After the bald man finished speaking, everyone in the room rolled their eyes inwardly.
It's not that what he said was wrong.
Rather, this guy is absolutely right.
But after all that talk and going around in circles, the core idea boils down to one thing: the referees need to blow the whistle more, find ways to blow the whistle, and use the whistle to help the Lakers take the initiative. They need to win at least Game 3 so that the series can continue and go on.
Otherwise, if the Lakers lose Game 3, what's the point of continuing the series?
To put it bluntly, isn't it just about getting the calls to favor the Lakers and giving them some opportunities?
To go through such a long and roundabout way, and to come up with such a high-sounding reason, is truly...
Promising!
Bosses love guys who can understand what they mean and express it in a creative and witty way.
The matter was handled well, and the explanation was convincing – how wonderful!
After everyone rolled their eyes inwardly, they all turned their gazes toward the bald man.
This guy is definitely going to become a powerful figure in the league!
"Very good, Adam, very good." Stern's eyes narrowed with satisfaction. Even though this was an internal meeting, Stern didn't want rumors to circulate later that "the president wants the Lakers to win" or "the president wants the whistle to favor the Lakers."
Although these are all NBA stars sitting here, you can't judge a book by its cover. Who can be sure what will happen? And who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong?
It's best if someone else tells you about this.
The person being praised was, of course, Adam Silver, Stern's former special assistant, who is now in charge of many things within the league.
In short, after Adam Silver's rant, the league quickly passed the resolution: in the upcoming games, the officiating standards will be tightened and unnecessary physical contact will be strictly prohibited!
In plain terms: find a way to make the Lakers win!
This series can't be swept again! Even if we don't go to a Game 7, we have to at least go to a Game 6!
Of course, Stern stated that he was not targeting the Knicks or Lin Tian.
If the Lakers win the next three games, he will definitely defend the Knicks to the death in Game 3, and make sure the series goes to a seventh game no matter what!
New York vs. Los Angeles!
Is there any game that can better enhance the league's image and influence?
there is none left!
Absolutely not!
We must seize this opportunity!
Meanwhile, as the league finalized its officiating guidelines, the entire Knicks team arrived in Los Angeles a day early to familiarize themselves with the venue and recover from their fatigue.
Of course, Nelson also imposed a curfew on the players; no one was allowed to go out, drink alcohol, or have fun today.
No one is allowed to enter the hotel, at least during the finals. You better behave yourselves!
As for Lin Tian?
He didn't stay at the hotel; instead, he took Pelinka's car and left early in the morning.
Well, Mr. Lin said: It's a curfew, it doesn't allow staying out all night, drinking, or having fun, but I haven't broken any rules!
It's afternoon now, and I, Lord Lin, am not going out for drinking and entertainment.
Dude, I went there to spend money!
Lin Tian's desired RV is secured!
The only downside is that this car is second-hand.
I heard that this treasure was found by Pelinka when some unlucky, bankrupt guy was selling off his assets.
But Pelinka also had something to say: Boss, the kind of top-of-the-line RV you want all have to be pre-ordered, customized, and waited for!
It takes at least six months to get the car, and even with expedited service, it will still take three months!
Lin Tian: After so long, the enthusiasm has long since faded, so it's better not to buy it at all.
Then Pelinka stopped thinking about it.
He didn't have the time to actually search the whole world for a car for Lin Tian.
What if Lin Tian is not satisfied with the results?
That would be a complete waste of effort.
So, I'll just ignore it!
But that was Pelinka's original intention. It wasn't until yesterday, when an old acquaintance called him and asked for his help, that Pelinka remembered the matter again!
This has come right to my door!
At the same time, of course, given Pelinka's character, he kept telling Lin Tian how much effort he had put in these past few days, how hard he had searched, how much trouble he had gone through and how many connections he had used, before finally finding a car that would satisfy Lin Tian.
Lin Tian didn't listen to a single word of his nonsense.
Lin Tian knew this bastard all too well. There was a 90% chance that he only remembered this matter after the car was delivered to Pelinka's face. Otherwise, why would this bastard go to great lengths to find connections for a car?
What a load of rubbish!
Then, Pelinka's lie was exposed when they arrived at a mansion in Beverly Hills.
The owner of this house is an old acquaintance of his mother's!
"Mike? Is this your house?" Lin Tian looked at the guy in front of him, who had a fierce look, a menacing aura, and an arrogant tattoo on his face. He looked exactly like a top-notch gangster. He called out his name.
This is definitely not Michael Jordan.
Jordan would probably need to get divorced eight more times before he could go bankrupt.
The man before you is Mike Tyson, a former top boxing champion!
This Tyson was no longer the dashing and debonair figure he had been when they first met. Although he was still very fierce, he now exuded a deep sense of fatigue and powerlessness.
There's no way around it; even someone once hailed as "humanity's strongest" can't maintain a high level of energy when he's bankrupt and a dozen or so staff members are constantly moving things out of his house. He just feels waves of exhaustion.
What's wrong with you?
"Oh! Lin! My good buddy, Lin!" As soon as Tyson saw Lin Tian coming over, his expression was so aggrieved that he looked like he was about to cry. He put down the bowl of meat he was carrying and the big cat in front of him, walked over to Lin Tian, and hugged him tightly.
"These past few years have been so miserable for me."
"You've gone bankrupt again?"
Hmm...again! Tyson almost went bankrupt a few years ago when he fought Lin Tian.
"Yeah, I'm sorry you had to see this." Tyson released Lin Tian and sighed.
"No, didn't you make a lot of money in that fight we had last time?"
"After paying taxes, only half was left, and it's almost all gone in the last few years."
"Don't you own shares in the UFC? With the league doing so well, it's impossible to make a living solely from profit sharing!"
"I sold my shares two years ago because I was short of pocket money at the time."
"You can't be this poor, can you?"
"I got divorced, and my wife took half of my assets."
"That's still half left."
"I bought a cat to play with."
How much does a cat cost?
"My agent is a damn liar. He didn't pay my taxes; he embezzled all my tax money! But even if he goes to jail now, I still have to pay back those taxes."
"How much could they owe? Even a few million wouldn't amount to this!"
"The total is $1340 million in US taxes and £400 million in UK taxes."
"Good heavens." Lin Tian exclaimed, "Good heavens!" indicating that he was completely astonished. "Why don't you just go to jail and kill your manager? What kind of bastard is that, managing to steal 2000 million from you and not pay back a single penny?"
"I also failed in business and lost a lot of money."
"This guy can eat more than I thought."
"I have many friends who always want to borrow money from me."
"My family also needs my support."
"Even though I'm no longer boxing, I still have to support my team, just in case I need to fight again."
"I……"
Tyson then launched into a tirade of complaints and rants directed at Lin Tian.
This guy was clearly holding it in for a long time, and he got more and more excited as he talked, and even started wiping away tears as he spoke!
This is eye-opening!
Today, Lin Tian actually witnessed a real tiger shedding tears!
But judging from Tyson's words, this guy has really had a tough time these past few years.
There's really nothing that can be accomplished.
"Thank you for coming to help me at this time, Lin. If all of these things were auctioned off by the federal court, they would probably give me less than half the price. Only my true friends would lend a helping hand at this time."
"Buy my stuff at the normal price."
"Ahem." Lin Tian coughed and said, "Friends are friends, and relationships are relationships, but discounts are still necessary!"
Tyson, you're a really bad guy!
A few tears and a pitiful act, and you think you can make me, Lord Lin, buy your used car at the original price?
That's outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous! We mustn't fall for it.
"Let's go, Mike, let's check your car." Pelinka chimed in, indicating that we could get down to business.
"Wait a minute, I need to feed my adorable cat. He's been hungry all day, poor thing. He hasn't had much of an appetite these past few days; he must be sensing he's about to be separated from his dear father!"
"Come on, child, it's time to eat. Don't worry, you're all I have now. I'll do everything I can to keep you here instead of letting them send you to the zoo!"
(End of this chapter)