in2ebook Chapter 278 The last minute
Chapter 278 The last minute
Both sides fully demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of their respective lineups.
The Nets, playing with their small-ball lineup, almost always responded with a three-pointer or a long two-pointer after a drive to the basket.
In a full six minutes, the Nets only managed six strong drives to the basket for points.
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, look very balanced. Not only are they scoring from the outside, but Yu Jiahao is also gradually opening up his scoring opportunities in the paint.
Within six minutes, Yu Jiahao grabbed three offensive rebounds, two of which resulted in points for him.
When the game was paused in the 6th minute of the fourth quarter, the score was 97-95, with the Nets still leading, but only by one point.
Durant plopped down next to Wang Xiucheng and bumped fists with Wang Xiucheng's outstretched fist.
During those six minutes, Durant once again experienced what it felt like to be both a father and a mother.
He scored 6 points and had 2 assists in 11 minutes, carrying the team through those six minutes on his own.
Back in the Big Three era, he was like a father and mother to his children, while Harden was like a grandfather and grandmother, yet they still always lost the games.
Playing basketball now gives Durant that same joyful feeling he had in high school.
Of course, it would be great if we could win a few more games.
However, Wang Xiucheng has just joined the team and is still in the adjustment phase, so there's no rush.
Seth Curry sat not far away, looking at his palm.
Today was a nightmare; I couldn't make a single shot.
Could it be that I've been resting for too long?
The pause ended quickly.
Both sides made substitutions again, with most of the key players returning, except for Durant who was still sitting on the bench, seemingly needing to rest for another two minutes.
Nurkic, who had returned to the field, stood on the sideline and, when the referee handed him the ball, passed it directly to Lillard, who was standing right in front of him.
Wang Xiucheng stood in the backcourt, slightly bent over, waiting for Lillard.
He just glanced up at the statistics on the dome screen; Lillard had already scored 25 points.
This score seems like a lot, but for Lillard, it is clearly far from enough to satisfy him.
Jerami Grant set a screen for Lillard, who then passed the ball to Nurkic, who was calling for it inside.
Wang Xiucheng immediately turned around and rushed towards Nurkić.
If we were to say who has the biggest "flaw" on this field, it would definitely be Nurkic.
Although Yu Jiahao is taller than Nurkic and has a higher dribbling reach, Yu Jiahao either shoots the rebound himself or passes it out after grabbing it, avoiding dribbling as much as possible.
Yu Jiahao is well aware of his weaknesses, and he is intentionally avoiding them.
But Nurkic has the ability to score independently, especially since the Nets' interior defense is thin and light today, he is even less likely to let him go.
With a thud, Nurkic leaned back as the basketball fell, and he also arched back, forcing Claxton to take a step back.
"careful!"
Nurkic heard Lillard shout something and was waiting for the ball to return to his hands when he saw Wang Xiucheng's figure appear before him like a ghost, slapping the ball away with a single blow.
After taking a big step, Wang Xiucheng caught up with the basketball and passed it to Royce O'Neal with one hand.
At that moment, Lillard also rushed to Wang Xiucheng's side.
Reus O'Neal dribbled the ball forward, and after two steps, passed it to Wang Xiucheng, who had shaken off Lillard.
Without slowing down, Wang Xiucheng charged straight into the paint.
At this point, Nurkic was still running slowly behind.
Without any resistance, Wang Xiucheng easily scored his first point in the fourth quarter with a powerful dunk.
That was also his fourth steal of the game!
The Nets maintain their lead at 99-95.
In the following possessions, Lillard used pick-and-rolls to either score himself or drive and pass the ball to the perimeter, keeping the score within two points.
Even after Durant was brought back in, the Nets failed to widen the score gap.
As soon as one team seems to gain momentum, the opposing team immediately calls a timeout to suppress that lion's head.
After two timeouts, the two sides entered the final minute of the decisive battle.
Thanks to Lillard's near-miss two-pointer with just 24 seconds left, the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap to 105-104, just one point behind.
This was Lillard's 30th point in the game.
There is one minute left.
Nets possession.
After passing the ball to Wang Xiucheng, Claxton ran slowly ahead, shielding Lillard in front of him.
Upon reaching the frontcourt, Claxton stood at the top of the arc. Wang Xiucheng circled around him, and just as he was about to shoot the three-pointer himself, he saw Durant and Joe Har both rushing into the paint.
Nurkic is at the free-throw line.
Wang Xiucheng, who had already jumped up, threw the ball towards Durant's position.
Durant deftly extended one arm, intercepted the ball in mid-air, and dunked it into the basket.
With 51 seconds left, the Nets led 107-104.
Billups stood on the sidelines and did not call a timeout.
Lillard has experienced this situation countless times, and he knows how to handle it.
Moreover, Lillard had a good shooting touch today, especially from three-point range, making 6 of 11 attempts, a very good shooting percentage.
Lillard had the ball and, instead of waiting for Nurkic, forced a three-pointer in the frontcourt.
The ball bounced off the rim and then went out.
Claxton and Nurkic both jumped toward the basketball at the same time.
The basketball was touched by the two players' fingers and flew towards the outside line.
There was no one in that spot; the closest people were Wang Xiucheng and Lillard.
Both players chased after the basketball, but Lillard was closer.
Furthermore, Lillard did not accelerate at full speed, but instead focused more on the physical battle, keeping Wang Xiucheng pinned down. Otherwise, Wang Xiucheng would have had a chance to overtake him from the side or reach for the ball.
This method was very effective; Wang Xiucheng had no chance to overtake, and Lillard controlled the basketball before it went out of bounds.
There are 44 seconds left.
Nurkic ran out again and stood beside Wang Xiucheng.
Lillard then set a screen on the other side of the three-point line, took a slight step back, and shot the ball.
Swish!
The ball went in.
The score was 107-107, bringing both teams back to the same starting line.
Without time to execute his signature move, Lillard saw that Wang Xiucheng had already accelerated, seemingly about to launch a fast break.
Lillard immediately moved closer.
Even without comparing speed with Wang Xiucheng, he couldn't beat him.
Lillard simply leaned on Wang Xiucheng, using his shoulder to apply pressure and cause Wang Xiucheng to deviate from his original path.
Durant, on the baseline, ultimately decided against risking passing the ball to Wang Xiucheng.
The ball was passed to Joe Har, who, under the double protection of Claxton and Durant, made his way to the frontcourt.
Six seconds have passed, and there are 38 seconds left in the game.
Wang Xiucheng, who had always stood his ground, glanced at Claxton.
The latter, understanding the situation perfectly, suddenly ran over and blocked Lillard.
Wang Xiucheng suddenly accelerated and headed towards the top of the arc.
Joe Harper immediately passed the ball over.
Without making any adjustments, Wang Xiucheng jumped directly using his momentum, and the basketball in his hand was thrown out.
When Anfernee Simmons saw Wang Xiucheng running towards him, he abandoned his defender and rushed towards Wang Xiucheng.
Anfernee Simon jumped with all his might, aiming to block the basketball with one hand.
But the ball's arc was too high.
Anfernee Simon, who had expected to make contact with the basketball, only felt her fingernail scratch it.
But even this slight interference changed the basketball's original trajectory, and in Anfernee Simon's view, the ball had no chance of going in.
So Anfernee Simon didn't turn around, but shouted, "Rebound!"
Almost as soon as he spoke, the beautiful sound of a basketball going through the net rang out behind him.
Swish!