As early as last month, the NBA revealed that senior referee Tim Donaghy had been involved in gambling scandals many times and secretly manipulated score results. The FBI in the United States has launched a strict investigation into this.
If the referee bets on the ball and does so, it will definitely have a huge impact on the image of the NBA, and it will be even more terrifying than the Palace of Auburn Hills incident.
Fans from all over the country watching the live broadcast of the game, as well as fans on the sports website Tieba forum, were naturally filled with anger at this time and wanted to tear the assistant referee to pieces.
"Holy crap, is this white assistant referee crazy? By calling a screen foul so blatantly and expelling Van Gundy, is this a clear attempt to help the Lakers turn around?"
"Is an assistant referee so arrogant? The referee doesn't care? He completely turns a blind eye?"
"A 29-point lead, only to be chased down to only 7 points in less than half a quarter? Is this still an NBA game? Is it a sci-fi movie?"
"Coach Zhang is right. There is definitely something wrong with this assistant referee. We strongly recommend that the league headquarters conduct an investigation!"
"Without O'Neal and Wade, the Heat's overall offense and defense have indeed dropped by at least two levels. Fei Ge is under too much pressure alone!"
"Don't worry, as long as my brother Fei is here, I can't lose this game. Come back from the timeout and wait to see my brother Fei's three-point performance!"
Looking back to Staples Arena, after the timeout, the game entered the final eight minutes of the decisive battle.
Heat (89): (82) Lakers.
The Lakers fans at home were so energetic that they selectively ignored the first assistant referee's obvious favoritism at the whistle.
This game seemed to be played out in a script prepared in advance, and it felt extremely unreal.
When the Heat attacked, the Lakers continued to strangle Lin Fei and the passing line, but they relaxed their vigilance in the penalty area.
Roughly moved to the high position to cover Lin Fei, and Kobe and Odom, who were catching up, immediately intercepted Lin Fei, which also gave Roughly a chance.
"Whoosh!"
This time, he did the opposite. Instead of preparing to catch the ball from the outside, he quickly went down to the penalty area, received a pass from Jason Williams, and went straight for an empty layup.
"Uh-huh!"
Generally speaking, this easy overhead layup was very pleasant. At the end of the game, he was calm, low-key and luxurious. He also maintained his physical strength and did not deliberately try to dunk.
This is also an on-the-spot offensive tactic specially arranged by Spoelstra during the timeout just now.
In the opinion of assistant coach Spoelstra, without Wade and O'Neal, the Heat's first offensive point will inevitably fall on Lin Fei's head.
The Lakers' first defensive focus will also fall on Lin Fei.
But Lin Fei's off-ball skills still have big flaws after all. Therefore, if he wants to destroy the Lakers' defense and find more opportunities for Lin Fei to catch the ball, he must be the first to open up the inside.
Only by strengthening Haslem's low-post offense, allowing Jason Williams and Shane Battier to also strengthen their offensive roles, and seize the opportunities brought by Lin Fei's "Lin Yougravity",
Only then could the Lakers make adjustments defensively and be forced to lighten their heavy defense against Lin Fei.
At this moment, Lin Fei suddenly burst out in silence, taking away the highlight moment of the game.
It has to be said that Assistant Coach Spoelstra is worthy of being Pat Riley's proud disciple. He remains calm and rational enough, neither arrogant nor stubborn. In terms of on-the-spot adaptability, he is even better than Van Gundy.
It was precisely because of Spoelstra's tactical change that the Heat turned around at a critical moment.
Kobe turned around and continued to beat Lin Fei, but this time Lin Fei defended very well. He did not press rashly, did not take any chances, and did not lose his position. He used his long arms to constantly interfere, and concentrated on predicting accurately. Lin Fei's outside line The single defense can be said to be at a textbook level.
So far, Kobe has played nearly 40 minutes tonight. Under the huge consumption of many strong attacks and chasing Lin Fei on the defensive end, some physical problems have already appeared first.
This ball could not successfully get rid of Lin Fei's entanglement, and Kobe was not too stubborn to challenge one-on-one. In the face of the ever-approaching score, Peter Pan clearly knew that leading the team to reverse was the biggest goal.
Odom quickly moved up and set a pick-and-roll for Kobe, causing Kobe to misplace the defender. Lin Fei also bypassed the defense very quickly, and the two directly double-teamed Kobe.
Kobe was already ready to pass the ball to Odom, and Lin Fei, who came around, also accurately predicted this.
The moment Kobe passed the ball, Lin Fei quickly jumped up and took action, his long arms unsheathed like a sharp sword.
"Snapped!"
Steals +1,
This was Lin Fei's fifth steal tonight, and he also successfully set a new record for the number of steals in a single game in his career.
He scored less than 5 steals in a single game against Kobe on both offense and defense, which is enough to prove that Lin Fei's defensive ability has been improved to the league's top level.
Lin Fei, who grabbed the basketball, kept the ball in his hands, and when Kobe Bryant pounced on it, he immediately passed it to Battier, who was rushing up from his side.
Battier's dribbling level is not high, but at least he has good basic skills, which is far better than Lin Fei at this point.
Jason Williams quickly connected with Battier on the wing, took the ball and went straight to the frontcourt, and Atkins behind him was also chasing after him.
Kobe always followed Lin Fei's footsteps when retreating, but Lin Fei unexpectedly did not choose to follow up quickly this time, but instead slowly delayed, giving the opportunity to his teammates.
Jason Williams, Shane Battier and Roughly formed a partial 3-on-2 opportunity in the frontcourt. Battier positioned on the outside to open up space, and Jason Williams used Roughly's screen.
Accelerate and break through the basket to complete an underhand layup.
"Uh-huh!"
After the timeout, the Heat scored 4 points in a row, opening the point difference to double digits again.
The cheers at Staples Center instantly dropped by dozens of decibels, and the Lakers fans frowned again. There was not much time left for them to reverse.
Kobe's paranoid attitude was clearly on display. He was intercepted by Lin Fei last time. This time he asked for the ball in the frontcourt to allow his teammates to open up space. He was determined to regain face from Lin Fei.
Lin Fei's defense has always been airtight, and the sophistication and maturity he displayed are completely unlike the experience that a second-year rookie can have.
Every move and every subtle movement revealed wisdom and agility, which shocked Kobe.
From a defensive colander last season to the team's first defensive backbone today, Lin Fei's transformation has been too rapid.
Looking at the entire history of the NBA, this is definitely a mythical miracle.
Although Kobe doesn't think Lin Fei's overall performance on the defensive end is better than his own now, he is at least much better than his second-year self.
In desperation, Kobe chose to play a post-up game, using his superior strength to beat Lin Fei head-on.
"Bang, bang bang!"
Although Lin Fei is not as good as Kobe in weight and bench press strength, his lower body training is relatively stable and does not allow Kobe to easily open up space.
Kobe took advantage of the situation and made a sudden breakthrough, passing Lin Fei by half his body and speeding straight into the penalty area.
Lin Fei slid quickly behind him, chasing after him to interfere.
Haslem also immediately moved over to intercept Kobe's breakthrough dunk.
But at this time, Kobe's eyes were already red. Facing the situation of interception and pursuit, his eyes were as sharp as swords. Without any fear of the defender, he jumped directly towards Haslem.
Kobe naturally knew that Lin Fei was chasing after him on the left side, so after taking off, he put his hands on the right waist to protect the ball, soared into the air to confront Haslem, and relied on his super long airborne ability to land on Haslem's body. At that moment, he raised the basketball high and slammed it down towards the basket.
However, Lin Fei, who suddenly took off from the diagonal stab, relied on the exhaustion of Kobe and Haslem after the confrontation in the air. The last strike came first, and his big palm-like hand suddenly shot out.
"Snapped!"
The basketball was about to be dunked into the basket by Kobe. Lin Fei, who was being pursued, made a diagonal block and was directly slapped out. It bounced off the steel backboard to the right at a huge obtuse angle.
Charles Barkley, who was in front of the live commentary desk, slapped the table and jumped up, extremely excited:
"My, God, Lin chased Kobe. This was a shocking shot. We must applaud this foreign rookie!"
"Following the steal in the last defensive round, Lin once again faced a top position like Kobe Bryant and proved his defensive ability. He has become the mainstay of the Heat's perimeter defense today!"
"No one could have imagined that just 6 months ago in the Finals, Lin was still a colander who was targeted endlessly on the defensive end, but now, his defensive strength is enough to be selected for the All-Defensive Team!"
Amid the praises of Barkley and Smith, the fierce competition on the court continued for a moment.
The basketball, which was bounced off the steel backboard by Lin Fei, was pushed to the outside for the first time. Jason Williams, who has quick eyes and quick hands, took the lead in taking the ball, and the Heat once again launched a counterattack fast break.
"Swish swish!"
Kobe was still keeping an eye on Lin Fei's direction in the backcourt, which roughly delayed Chris Mihm's retreat, and the Heat formed a 3-on-3 situation in the frontcourt.
Jason Williams made a wonderful pass behind his head on a breakthrough. Shane Battier, who followed up with a diagonal stab, caught the basketball. This time, he finally did not let go again and quickly went to the basket to complete a flying dunk. .
"Boom!"
Kobe in the backcourt shook his arms angrily, complaining about his teammates' defensive retreat.
Under the influence of Lin Fei's top defensive level and huge offensive restraint, the Heat quickly stopped the decline and played a 6:0 wave, re-establishing their advantage.
Lakers coach Tomjanovich quickly called a long timeout. It seemed that adjustments had to be made on both offense and defense.
Heat (95): (82) Lakers.
The score difference returned to 13 points, and there were only 5 minutes and 9 seconds left on the timer before the end of the game.
Spoelstra's temporary tactical adjustments achieved immediate results. Under the leadership of Lin Fei, the Heat rekindled the confidence and fighting spirit of a strong team.
But Lin Fei restricted Kobe's offense twice in a row on the defensive end. A steal and a block directly helped the Heat convert to 4 points in the counterattack. This was something that Assistant Coach Spoelstra did not expect at all.
Spoelstra knew that Lin Fei's defense had improved rapidly, but he didn't expect that he would become more and more courageous in the game, and could even restrain players of Kobe's level.
What is certain is that Lin Fei's current comprehensive performance on the defensive end has surpassed Dwayne Wade.
If I could only vote for one of the Heat's Big Three in this All-Star Game, Assistant Coach Spoelstra would choose Lin Fei without hesitation.
Spoelstra has been working on the Heat's assistant coaching staff since he was 29 years old. The 34-year-old is not only the team's chief assistant, but also the Heat's scouting director, and he has made great contributions to discovering new players.
Although the Lakers fans in the audience were unwilling to admit it, they had to be deeply shocked by Lin Fei's defensive strength.
"Although Lin looks a little stronger than last season, he is still far behind Kobe. How can his defense become so strong? It's incredible!"
"Lin proved himself at a critical moment tonight. Even without three-pointers on the offensive end, he can still contribute to the team with his defense!"
"There are three-pointers and defense, but the ability to dribble and hold the ball offensively is equivalent to zero. A player like Lin can be regarded as the strongest 3D in the league, right?"
"It should be said that they are the most powerful 3D players on the planet. The Heat have really gotten a big deal this offseason. Not only is Shaquille still at his peak, but Lin is also improving rapidly. Looking at our Lakers, it's completely different!"
After the timeout, Kobe calmed down on the offensive end and beat Lin Fei with his back, looking for opportunities to turn over and fall back. Lin Fei quickly jumped up to defend and interfere.
"Clang!"
Although the ball failed to hit, the assistant referee's whistle sounded again.
"Beep!"
Lin Fei was whistled for a foul on Kobe Bryant's shooting hand, and Kobe was sent to the free throw line again.
This is Lin Fei's fourth foul tonight.
Lin Fei knew very well that his defense was completely clean and did not touch a single hair of Kobe Bryant. Faced with the unfair penalty made by the assistant referee, he was also a little angry.
But Lin Fei also knew that there was obviously something wrong with the first assistant referee. Naturally, he would not go to the critical moment and there was no need to actively question his penalty, otherwise he would probably end up like Van Gundy.
"Corvo, you know best whether I committed a foul or not!"
Lin Fei spread his hands towards Kobe, the fighting spirit in his chest getting stronger and stronger.
"Lin, this is part of the game. In our territory, you have to choose to accept it!"
Kobe, who stepped to the free throw line, was calm and took the referee's care for granted.
Kobe is right. After playing in the league for many years, he does not think that he will suffer less unfair whistleblowing than Lin Fei.
Any sports competition is only relatively fair, there is no absolute fairness, everything depends on the results.
"Uh-huh!"
Seeing Kobe hit the first free throw, Lin Fei also moved towards the frontcourt, ready to counterattack. At the same time, he responded to Kobe's back at the free throw line with a domineering cold voice:
"Corvo, I believe in the god of competition, free throws will lead to defeat!"
"Clang!"
Perhaps it was Lin Fei's resounding response that changed Kobe's mood. The second free throw that followed was a bit unstable, and the basketball bounced out of the frame.
"Snapped!"
Haslem and Su Yu formed a perfect cooperation under the basket, blocking the two Lakers insiders. Haslem used extremely fast bounce speed to take the lead in grabbing the defensive rebound.
At this time, Lin Fei was already in the middle position, running back to get rid of the pursuing Caron Butler. Seeing that Kobe had not had time to chase back, he quickly waved to his teammates in the frontcourt to ask for the ball.
Haslem's long-passing ability was not very good, but he seized the opportunity. Seeing that Lin Fei's frontcourt was empty at this time, he quickly threw the ball over with great force.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Fei not only has top-notch running ability without the ball, but also has a very clear grasp of the placement of the pass. Seeing the basketball flying over, he quickly rushed towards the frontcourt.
Lin Fei caught the basketball in one step outside the three-point line at a 40-degree angle on the left. Facing the flying Caron Butler, he turned over and jumped up, shooting a difficult and elegant chasing three-pointer.
"Snapped!"
Butler's defensive palm obviously hit Lin Fei's wrist, but Lin Fei still threw the ball quickly.
The basketball turned into a bolt of lightning and crossed a rainbow in the air, heading straight for Huanglong.
"Uh-huh!"
The tenth.
"Beep!"
Referee Stephen Jiawei's whistle also sounded, 3+1.
Compared with Lin Fei's foul in the last defensive round, Caron Butler's shooting foul this time is undisputed.
Lin Fei, who landed gracefully on the ground, was also very excited. He turned around and roared, waving his fist fiercely at the white assistant referee beside him:
"FUCK! Free throws will lead to defeat!"
Udonis Haslem, who rushed up next, completely pretended to run too fast and failed to stop the car. His strong body directly hit the white assistant referee.
"boom!"
The white assistant referee, who was holding a whistle in his mouth and was about to blow Lin Fei away, was caught off guard and was knocked out by Haslem, hitting the front row of the audience hard on the sidelines.
(End of chapter)
