Chapter 238 Lin Fei returns as king and triggers the system’s epic mission!
But he turned around and glanced at James Dolan, who was sitting in the front row on the sidelines. His fat, gloomy face seemed to be dripping with water.
Isaiah Thomas suddenly shuddered and immediately changed his mind.
How could he fall into the situation of using Lin Fei to death again just to win a regular season game that was just a big enough gimmick?
That is not only a shame for the lagging behind the Knicks, but also a shame for Isaiah Thomas, the Knicks coach!
What's more, Lin Fei's ankle is only lightly bruised now, but there is no guarantee that he will not be injured again in the fierce battle that follows. After all, the Heat guys have already lost badly tonight!
Quickly making up his mind, Isaiah Thomas decided to let Lin Fei play for at most 5 minutes in the final quarter tonight. This would not only ensure that he has sufficient physical strength to avoid further injuries,
At the same time, we must risk our lives and test whether these Knicks players can unleash their potential without Lin Fei and whether they are qualified to win.
On the court, watching Marbury make another mistake in passing the ball after being double-teamed by Wade, the Heat counterattacked in the fast break and Wade broke out from the outside to follow up with Battier. The latter caught the ball and hit another three-pointer.
"Shh!"
Isaiah Thomas also raised his fist angrily and quickly called a long timeout at the referee.
Knicks (81): (70) Heat.
Less than 3 minutes into the second half, the Heat went on a menacing 13:3 run. The original 21-point deficit was quickly reduced to only 11 points.
Wade is undoubtedly the absolute leader of the Heat's rapid counterattack. Although Lin Fei was accidentally injured by himself and ended the game, pursuing the victory would be taking advantage of others' danger.
But Wade must bear the trust of Pat Riley and the support of countless Heat fans.
Winning the Christmas Day game with a huge comeback despite losing Lin Fei seems not to be an honor for Wade and the entire Heat team.
Therefore, Wade is even more looking forward to Lin Fei's injury being fine, and even seeing his return as the king from the player's tunnel before the end of the game.
Staring at the Knicks generals walking off the court with cold eyes, Isaiah Thomas became furious instantly, and his stern tone sounded like an ice knife:
"Are you all asleep? Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes, without Lin, you guys really don't know how to play, right?"
"The 21-point advantage is about to be eroded away. Is it so embarrassing to lose the game? Let the Knicks fans feel chilled and Lin Lin in the locker room feel chilled?"
"Stephen, Eddie, how did you guarantee Lin in the locker room just now? Is this kind of playing attitude worthy of your salary? Is it worthy of Lin? Is it worthy of the Knicks jersey you are wearing?"
"I said we should play more pick-and-rolls and more off-ball coverage tactics. Why don't we do it? Why don't we do it?"
Staring coldly at Marbury and Eddie Curry, who seemed a little unconvinced, Isaiah Thomas made a quick decision and roared directly:
"Since you don't know where you went wrong, just squat on the bench and think about it carefully. When you figure it out, come on!"
"Jamal, Nate, Channing, you guys come on, replace Stephen, Eddie and Quentin!"
Isaiah Thomas has never roared so angrily to a player, and even the coaches and players on the Heat team could hear his shouts clearly.
James Dolan, sitting in the front row, originally wanted to take action on Thomas, the puppet coach, but now it seems that he has done his best, but these substitutes are too stretched.
Seeing the Knicks put on the second team, Wade and O'Neal also asked to take a rest.
The lack of Lin Fei is enough to take advantage of them. Now that they directly join the second team and use the core main force, they have no chance of winning the championship.
After the timeout, both teams were replaced by substitutes. At first glance, the fans at the scene thought, what the hell, the game has entered garbage time early?
In an instant, the Knicks fans were in commotion again, and they were shouting curses. This time they didn't curse the players, but directly cursed the head coach.
"What the hell is Isaiah Thomas? Can he be the head coach? Get out of here, you are not welcome in the Knicks!"
"Isaiah should go out with James Dolan and give me back the Knicks' glory days!"
"You're still leading by 11 points, and you just gave up the game? A dog-headed strategist, it's really not as fun as tying up a dog on the coach's bench!"
"But I think Thomas' move is quite satisfying, so I might as well just give up the game. Anyway, we can't win without Lin!"
On the court, although Pat Riley symbolically let the two core players Wade and O'Neal rest, he still retained a relatively strong offensive and defensive lineup.
Sean Battier, in particular, can be said to be the Heat's surprise player in tonight's Christmas game. He has hit 5 three-pointers and scored the team's second-highest 19 points.
At the same time, Alice, Suga, Williams, and Antoine Walker also have strong immediate combat capabilities.
As a not too outstanding All-Star player among the 96 golden generation, Antoine Walker can be said to be a forward with a unique style of play. At the beginning of the century when three-pointers were not popular, he averaged 8 three-pointers per game. It can be said that the person is addicted to food.
Now that he has come to the Heat, Pat Riley has encouraged Antoine Walker's three-point shooting and increased the pick-and-roll cooperation between him, Wade and White Chocolate.
On the court, Jamal Crawford finally got a chance to perform. Seeing Lin Fei injured and not returning, this guy's fighting will became stronger.
As soon as he came up, he held the ball and hit Monta Alice in singles at the top of the arc. He dribbled and changed direction and transformed into Jordan. He double-crossovered away the opponent and went straight into the penalty area.
Facing Antoine Walker's defense, he pulled the lever sideways for a layup and scored the ball steadily.
"Shh!"
Although he has no sense of teamwork and is not active enough in defense, Crawford's singles performance is really top-notch, and his nerves are definitely at the top of the four major shooting guards.
Looking back, Antoine Walker was also in a pick-and-roll with Jason Williams at the top of the arc. After receiving the ball, he raised his hand and shot a three-pointer.
"Shh!"
Also hit.
"Little Potato" Nate Robinson also killed one while carrying a bag of explosives. He rushed into the penalty area and made a flying throw.
When the ball changed, Alice also played in singles. She made a sudden stop and moved sideways to shake Crawford, and also made a forward throw after jumping.
"Shh!"
Without Marbury and Eddie Curry, the two teams began to play back and forth. The Knicks substitute, who was originally wilting, suddenly became active.
This was something Isaiah Thomas didn't expect, and the Knicks fans at home seemed to come to their senses.
"What's going on? Why did Jamal suddenly become so violent? Am I reading that right?"
"Damn, another one was scored. Why does this goal look so much like Jordan's buzzer beater in the 98 Finals?"
"Did we blame coach Isaiah wrongly? It seems that he did not give up the game!"
Although there was back and forth between the two sides in the game, and the offensive efficiency increased rapidly, without Lin Fei, without stars such as Wade and O'Neal, the Christmas game still reduced the enjoyment to some extent.
Taylor Swift, who was sitting in the front row on the sidelines, was really concerned about Lin Fei's situation in the locker room, so she took out her mobile phone from her LV bag and prepared to send Lin Fei a text message.
"Sister Qin, is Lin's foot injury really not serious? I'm worried that the Knicks officials are lying to maintain order among the fans at the scene!"
Qin Dongmei naturally knows Lin Fei better. After all, the two have been living together for several months and have been in a relationship for more than two years. Compared with those lovers who are passionately in love, they are already an old couple.
"Taylor, don't worry, Lin Fei is definitely fine. You can clearly tell this from the expressions of the Knicks players and coaching staff!"
"Besides, Lin Fei won't be able to turn on his phone during the game. If you send a text message now, he won't be able to receive it!"
Taylor frowned and pouted: "Lin was injured? Can't a person play with his mobile phone alone in the locker room? That's so boring!"
Qin Dongmei's beautiful eyes revealed a bit of admiration and she smiled:
"He is like this. He will do his best in every game. Even if he is injured and stays in the locker room, he will always pay attention to the game and cheer for his teammates until the last minute!"
Little Taylor said yearningly: "Lin is so good. It won't surprise me that he can become a genius in any field!"
In the Knicks locker room at this time, the team doctor had already applied medicine to Lin Fei's bruised outside of his left foot.
Lin Fei was watching the live broadcast of the game on the locker room TV while holding the backup phone in his hand and playing Super Mario leisurely.
It’s true that you’re a training fiend, and it’s true that you’re stubborn about winning, but besides competing and training day after day, you should always find opportunities to seek some leisure and entertainment, right?
After another dead game, Lin Fei looked up at the game on the TV screen. At this time, the third quarter had reached the last minute.
As Crawford dribbled back and shot Alice's three-pointer from the outside,
The Knicks actually used the second team to hold on to their advantage, extending their 11-point lead to 13 points.
"Damn, these guys on the bench are clearly acting like me!"
Knicks (94): (81) Heat.
After a long time after Lin Fei left the field, Madison Square Garden finally erupted in sparse applause and cheers again.
Pat Riley couldn't sit still anymore and quickly called a long timeout, preparing to replace the main force.
"Dwayne, come on, we must overtake the score as soon as possible!"
"If we can't reverse this game without Lin's Knicks, then where is the dignity of the defending champion?"
"Only when you perform your strongest performance will you be able to give the purest counterattack to your act of accidentally injuring Lin!"
Under some brainwashing from Pat Riley, Wade suddenly stood up from the bench with a strong fighting spirit in his eyes.
"Coach, I understand!"
Alonzo Mourning, who was still sitting on the Heat bench, was complaining in his heart. Pat Riley, the old guy, coaxed him around back then, and now he wants to continue to harm the newcomers.
For Isaiah Thomas, after seeing Marbury and Eddie Curry asking for help after deep introspection, he re-adjusted the lineup at the critical moment:
"Stephen Marbury, Eddie, Crawford, Ariza, Quentin Richardson`!"
"Next, the five of you will go up. We will fight one big and four small. Try to push up the offensive and defensive rhythm and waste time with chaotic fighting!"
On the court, Wade came back from a timeout and re-entered the game. He drove past Crawford, easily shook off his opponent with a change of direction, swayed away Eddie who was defending, and hit the board again with a flying layup.
"Shh!"
Without Lin Fei's main defense, Wade's breakthrough level tonight has reached its limit. It can be said that every time he rushes to the basket, he either scores or the whistle goes to the free throw line.
It even ended at 2+1 several times.
Knicks fans at home also had to lament that it wasn't that Wade wasn't strong enough, but that Lin Fei's defense was too abnormal.
Without Lin Fei, Wade is undoubtedly a cheat on this court.
Seeing that under the leadership of Wade, the Heat quickly played a 6:2 wave, and the point difference was also chased to single digits, Knicks fans could not help but sigh.
Marbury's shot missed the buzzer, and the game ended in the third quarter.
Knicks (96): (87) Heat.
"There are a full 12 minutes left in the game. Without Lin, the Knicks are still at a disadvantage after all. It is still quite difficult to hold on to a 9-point advantage in the final quarter without being reversed!"
"Someone must stand up for the Knicks at critical moments. Even if they cannot match Dwayne's offensive intensity, they must definitely respond strongly!"
"There is no doubt that this task can only fall on Stephon Marbury or Eddie Curry!"
In front of the courtside commentary desk, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were also worried about the Knicks' situation, and looked forward to Marbury and Eddie being able to take on the responsibility at critical moments.
Isaiah Thomas had another plan in mind at this time, praying that the Knicks could hold on for a few more minutes in the final quarter, so that at the critical moment, Lin Fei's return would be enough to finalize the game.
In Tianchao’s fifth live broadcast room, Director Zhang and Yu Jia once again confirmed the Knicks’ official news.
Lin Fei had already received simple treatment in the locker room. His ankle was not even a slight sprain, but just a slight lateral abrasion.
"Lin Fei's injury is definitely not serious, but the chance of playing in the last quarter tonight is low!"
"Winning and breaking scoring records are important, but they are insignificant compared to Lin Fei's health!"
"Let us look forward to Lin Fei's return as the king in the next game. We are gratified that his health has once again withstood the test and his physical strength is gradually increasing!"
"I believe this minor injury will not affect Lin Fei's popularity in the NBA and among global fans at all. Let's work together for Lin Fei's three consecutive All-Star votes!"
The Christmas Day game also serves as the opening day for the 2007 NBA All-Star voting. Naturally, fans at home and abroad quickly set off a wave of voting climax.
At this time, host Yu Jia also shared the three voting methods of NBA All-Stars by phone, text message and online during the commercial time.
On the PC network platform, Tianchao TV's five official websites, Sina Sports, and Sohu Sports can all conduct online voting for fans. Each fan can vote for six NBA players every day.
According to statistics from the New Wolf Sports Platform, in just over an hour since the start of the Christmas war, which is 8 a.m. Chinese time, more than 30 fans have voted.
Moreover, the number of votes Lin Fei received personally reached 29.
This means that in less than 2 hours after the voting opened, nearly 30 users voted for Lin Fei on the online platform New Wolf Sports alone.
If several other online platforms, as well as old telephone and SMS voting channels are included, this number will increase by at least 3-5 times.
"Oh my god, in just over an hour, nearly 30 fans voted for Lin Fei on the New Wolf Sports platform. The popularity is terrifying!"
"In fact, last year's All-Star Game, Fei Ge received at least 1000 million votes. However, in the end, the NBA headquarters announced only 300 million votes. It's too dark!"
"It doesn't matter, even if the NBA offers another 50% discount, this All-Star vote king will definitely belong to my brother Fei!"
"Originally, I was thinking of throwing a few shots to Marbury and Eddie Curry, but now it seems I have to forget it. These two guys are simply holding them back at critical moments!"
"The key is that Lin Fei's injury is not serious. It doesn't matter whether he wins or loses in this Christmas war. I even closed the live broadcast room in advance!"
"Without Brother Fei, this game really won't be worth watching!"
In the NBA discussion area of New Wolf Sports, many Chinese fans left comments and posts that filled the screen quickly.
Looking at Sohu Sports, the server has crashed and technicians are working hard to repair it.
Look back to Madison Square Garden.
After the game started in the final quarter, the Knicks continued to field the strongest lineup without Lin Fei, and the Heat also went all out to chase points.
Although Marbury occasionally had a stroke of genius, Eddie Curry in the low post dared to fight hard, and he was not timid in the face of O'Neal. Crawford also entered the best singles state.
But facing the defending champions who were both offensive and defensive, especially Wade who was in hot form and had continuous crazy breakthroughs, the Knicks still couldn't hold back after all.
"Beep!"
As Wade once again drove to the basket and caused a defensive foul on David Lee, David Lee also received his sixth foul tonight and was directly ejected by the referee.
"Shh!"
"Shh!"
Wade stepped to the free throw line and made both free throws. His score tonight has soared to 33 points. He also had 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block, achieving a double-double ahead of schedule.
If we don't compare it with Lin Fei's 60 points in the half, Wade's offensive and defensive performance tonight is definitely the best in league history.
Knicks (106): (102) Heat.
The point difference has been reduced to only 4 points. On the timer, there are still 7 minutes and 09 seconds left before the end of the final quarter.
Marbury was obviously a little impatient. He came to the offensive end and faced Williams and forced a breakthrough to the basket. The lever shot was directly rejected by Wade who followed up with a flying block.
"Snapped!"
The ball was still in the Knicks' possession. Eddie Curry caught the ball in the low post and beat O'Neal with his back, but still couldn't turn over and make a jump shot.
"Bang!"
Seeing O'Neal grab the defensive rebound, Eddie Curry, who was a little anxious, slapped O'Neal on the arm, and the referee's whistle sounded quickly.
"Beep!"
Eddie Curry's foul was very unwise because he already had 5 fouls and was facing ejection.
At the same time, the Knicks committed five fouls early in the final quarter, sending O'Neal directly to the free throw line.
Isaiah Thomas on the sidelines yelled at Eddy Curry to keep calm, while glancing at the timer from time to time.
In the home team's locker room, David Lee shook his head and pushed the door helplessly and walked in. He said to Lin Fei who was sitting in front of the TV:
"I'm so sorry Lin, I've tried my best!"
Although David Lee left the field tonight with six fouls and made many mistakes on the defensive end, he scored 7 points and even grabbed 10 rebounds. The "double-double machine" has begun to take shape.
Lin Fei stood up with a smile, walked to David Lee and patted him on the shoulder:
"David, you are very good at rebounding. I can see that you are very talented in this area. It seems that in the next training, haha, I will ask you for more rebounding skills!"
David Li touched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly: "Lin, stop making fun of me!"
"Huh? Where are you going?"
Lin Fei calmly took off his jacket, revealing the Knicks' No. 22 jersey with white background and orange blossoms. He walked straight past David Lee and walked out of the locker room:
"David, at the last moment, I have to fight with my teammates. Believe me, we will all do well tonight!"
A few seconds later, when Lin Fei's figure appeared at the entrance of the players' tunnel, the fans in the front row were the first to scream in surprise,
Immediately afterwards, the high-definition four-sided screen above showed a close-up shot of Lin Fei walking out of the player tunnel, and the entire Madison Square Garden fell into a complete boil.
"Mygod, Lin is back, it's really him, he's back..."
"Is Lin going to stage the return of the king? Oh my god, the Knicks are saved!"
"Lin, Lin, Lin, Lin... mvp, mvp, mvp, mvp..."
Amidst the cheers that filled the sky, Wade, who was attacking with the ball on the court, also felt an unprecedented shock. He turned his head and looked at Lin Fei on the sidelines. After a moment of surprise, an innocent smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He knew that Lin Fei would not be defeated so easily.
As if he had infinite power in an instant, Wade flew close to the ground and rushed into the basket. Under the double-team defense of Eddie Curry and Ariza,
The body floats around in the air, and with the torso almost parallel to the floor, he lies down and throws the ball to the limit.
"Shh!"
"Beep!"
The ball goes in and the buzzer sounds, and it's 2+1.
This is the fifth time Wade has scored 5+2 with the Devils tonight.
On the scoreboard at this time, the Heat have already caught up with only 1 point. As long as Wade makes a free throw, the two teams will return to the same starting line.
But the Knicks players on and off the court felt inexplicably excited because their hero was back.
Nate Robinson, the "little potato" on the bench, rushed excitedly to Lin Fei at the entrance of the tunnel. His small body looked up at Lin Fei with his eyes shining:
"Lin, you are finally back. Dwayne is simply a devil. I believe only you can deal with him!"
Lin Fei smiled and hugged Nate Robinson, who came up to him, and then whispered in his ear:
"Nate, do you feel like there's a big gap between you and Dwayne now?"
"But what I want to tell you is, never underestimate yourself!"
"When I first went to Minnesota to play in my rookie season, the distance between me and Dwayne and LeBron, and the distance between me and the four major shooting guards,"
"It's much bigger and farther than the distance between you and them now!"
At this moment, the system's voice suddenly sounded in Lin Fei's mind:
[Ding, it is detected that the host is fighting with injuries, and the system will trigger an immediate mission! 】
[Perform the return of the king, help the Knicks win the Christmas game, and perform at an epic level, and you will receive the highest level reward in the system: a lifetime injury exemption card]