in2ebook Chapter 191 Durant: Are all Chinese people born with kung fu skills?
Chapter 191 Durant: Are all Chinese people born with kung fu skills?
VanVleet immediately looked at head coach Nick Nurse on the sidelines and wagged his finger, seemingly asking the coach to take the challenge.
Nick Nash subtly shook his head.
Although many coaches have called for an increase in the number of challenges, this season has not changed, so Nick Nurse cherishes this one and only challenge rule.
He won't use his challenge in the first quarter, even if he succeeds, because he'll be left helpless when there's controversy later.
VanVleet was not disappointed. Instead, he immediately found the referee who made the call and said in an extremely sincere tone, "I think this was a travel. I'm 100% sure. You can watch the replay if you don't believe me."
This is Toronto, after all, the Raptors' home court. The live broadcast director immediately replayed Wang Xiucheng's play on the giant screen in the dome.
The referee did look up and glance at it, but after looking at it, he took the ball and went to the baseline, preparing to let Wang Xiucheng take the free throw.
VanVleet was dumbfounded!
The entire stadium was booing loudly, proving that at least in the fans' eyes, this play was a violation.
But the referee remained unmoved.
VanVleet knew the referee couldn't overturn the decision at this point, but he could have explained it to VanVleet and subtly admitted his mistake.
Many referees do the same thing; after all, referees are human and can't be perfect.
But today, the referee, knowing full well that he might have made a wrong call, didn't say a word?
Even the usually good-tempered Van Fleet was getting angry.
But what can he do?
Both were undrafted players, yet the difference in their treatment is too great.
Somewhat speechless, VanVleet stood outside the three-point line, hands on his hips, watching Wang Xiucheng sink the free throw, completing a three-plus-one play.
Siakam picked up the basketball and slammed it to the ground again, venting his frustration.
He also saw the replay and was naturally very unhappy.
Turning his head, Siakam saw VanVleet reaching out for the ball with a gloomy expression. With a forceful flick, he sent the ball flying toward VanVleet beyond the three-point line.
However, Wang Xiucheng, who was running towards the backcourt, suddenly seemed to sense something and stretched out his hand, blocking the basketball that was flying forward.
The net was slammed to the ground with a loud thud.
At this moment, Wang Xiucheng hadn't even looked in the direction of the basketball.
The whole process was as if the basketball had deliberately hit Wang Xiucheng's outstretched hand.
Wang Xiucheng lunged to the side, scooped the basketball at the bottom with one hand, and before losing his balance, passed the ball to the wing of the three-point line.
That was Zeng Fanbo, who had turned back and was just one step away from arriving.
Perhaps due to a loss of balance, Wang Xiucheng's pass this time did not reach his usual level of accuracy.
The basketball was passed a little low, and Zeng Fanbo had to bend down to catch it.
Fortunately, the incident happened suddenly, and even VanVleet had already rushed out and didn't have time to come back.
Zeng Fanbo received the ball, and without even thinking, he took a small step before Barnes rushed over, then pulled up and shot.
Swish!
The basketball traced a perfect arc and fell into the net.
Zeng Fanbo, unusually, stretched out three hands and waved them, celebrating in a small way.
But he soon saw Wang Xiucheng lying on the ground, so he quickly ran to Wang Xiucheng's side and, together with Delon Sharp, reached out to help Wang Xiucheng up.
VanVleet's face darkened even more at this point.
Durant on the bench was so excited he stood up. If he weren't so far away, he would have bumped chests with Wang Xiucheng.
Durant looked up, waiting for the replay. That play was just too amazing. How did he do that?
But this time, the on-site director refused to provide a replay.
On the field, a bewildered VanVleet personally ran to the baseline to receive the ball and then began to advance the ball.
Upon reaching the attacking third, after seeing Barnes shake off the Chinese player whose name he didn't even recognize, VanVleet immediately passed the ball to Barnes.
Barnes took two steps forward, headbutted Daron Sharp, and then tossed the ball out.
But the basketball hit the rim.
Deron Sharp was pushed to the basket by Barnes, so he used his arm to hold Siakam down and used the momentum to swat the ball towards Wang Xiucheng on the outside with one hand.
Wang Xiucheng met the ball with both hands, then without any hesitation, turned around and dribbled past VanVleet towards the frontcourt.
VanVleet was stuck behind him and couldn't stop Wang Xiucheng without committing a foul.
Fortunately, Anunobi, who was standing next to him, had already started running forward, almost parallel to Wang Xiucheng.
However, just after crossing the center line, Anunoby found himself already half a body length behind.
Anunoby always ran in a straight line so as not to fall too far behind.
As a result, he not only failed to get close to Wang Xiucheng, but was even slightly behind in status.
Without thinking twice, Anunobi gritted his teeth and moved closer to Wang Xiucheng.
He couldn't let Wang Xiucheng get into the restricted area so easily for a powerful dunk.
Even if it's a foul, we must stop Wang Xiucheng!
However, Wang Xiucheng did not enter the restricted area.
Strictly speaking, Wang Xiucheng had one foot in the penalty area, then suddenly pulled the ball back and moved to the three-point line.
However, Anunoby, who was accelerating at full speed to get closer to Wang Xiucheng, had no ability to stop immediately.
He charged straight towards Wang Xiucheng's original position.
He just stared in disbelief at Wang Xiucheng, who had already combined the balls.
Still seemingly unwilling to give up, Anunoby reached out his right hand to grab Wang Xiucheng's wrist, preventing him from shooting.
But at this moment, Wang Xiucheng took another step back.
This left Anunobi in utter despair.
Swish!
Double step-back three-pointer, in!
Anunoby lost his balance and fell to the ground when he reached out to grab Wang Xiucheng.
The scene suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
The only sound was the ball Wang Xiucheng threw hitting the floor and bouncing.
Someone screamed, and then the whole audience suddenly gasped.
Anunoby was actually faked out?
Everyone stared in disbelief at the Chinese man in the arena who had raised one hand, as if he were a victor who had reached the summit.
Several players on the Raptors' bench even hunched over, unable to bear looking at Anunoby's expression.
Wang Xiucheng has been raising his hand in a showy manner, but he hasn't moved yet.
Behind him, Zeng Fanbo, Dai Long, Sharp, and others came over and surrounded Wang Xiucheng, each of them bumping their chests with him in celebration.
Nick Nurse finally couldn't take it anymore and called a timeout.
He didn't know what was wrong with his team members; it seemed that the whole team had been bewitched ever since Wang Xiucheng came on.
The serve could be intercepted directly, and Anunoby could be faked out completely...
What did I actually see?
Scenes that are rarely seen in normal matches suddenly appeared in just a few minutes today?
As he watched his teammates sit down on the bench one by one, Nick Nash didn't speak immediately, but instead looked at the big screen.
He needs to know exactly how Anunoby was faked out.
His position was blocked by Wang Xiucheng's body, so he wasn't sure if Wang Xiucheng had pushed Anunobi.
But as the replay appeared, the fans in the stadium gasped in disbelief.
In the replay, Wang Xiucheng and Anunobi did not have any contact at all.
Anunobi even tried to grab Wang Xiucheng, but Wang Xiucheng dodged with a double back step.
Then Anunobi lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Nick Nurse shook his head at the sight.
Holding the tactical board, Nick Nurse didn't know what to say.
These five of us are the starters, while the other team consists of substitutes. What can we say about how they've performed like this?
All I could do was offer some simple pep talk, while simultaneously trying to get the key players more focused.
Although he himself knew it wasn't a matter of attention at all.
The referee quickly began calling the players from both sides onto the field.
The motivational speech seemed to work; the entire Raptors team was revitalized, with improved offensive efficiency and greater focus on defense.
Several of the Nets' attacks failed to find the net.
Seeing that the score had been narrowed down, Nick Nash didn't dare to make any substitutions and could only continue playing with the same players.
So, near the end of the first quarter, Wang Xiucheng made a three-pointer in the final moments.
The score was temporarily set at 26-22, with the Nets leading by 4 points on the road.
Stabilized.
This was Nick Nurse's first idea.
But the next moment, he was troubled.
The five starters played the full 12 minutes, which is unusual, and none of them were substituted.
He really didn't dare to change.
The problem is that at the beginning of the second quarter, they insisted on making substitutions to ease the pressure.
At most, one or two starters will be left with the team.
Hopefully, I can get through the first few minutes.
Nick Nash watched as his five starters sat on the bench, panting heavily, his brows furrowed.
This match is going to be very difficult.
In his opinion, even if this match wasn't easy, it shouldn't have been this difficult.
The Nets just traded Wang Xiucheng not long ago, so theoretically the time for them to gel together should be extremely limited.
The Nets are also known for having a very weak bench.
The Raptors should be able to easily control the pace of the game.
But the fact is quite the opposite.
Surprisingly, the Nets controlled the pace of the game.
Strictly speaking, the one who controlled the rhythm was actually the new recruit whom he had previously thought still needed to work out.
This caught Nick Nurse off guard.
On the other side, Durant took the towel from the uniform staff and draped it over Wang Xiucheng.
"That was a great play. Your steal was really cool. How did you know he would pass the ball from that position?" Durant asked Wang Xiucheng in a low voice when he saw Nash still discussing with the assistant coaches.
Seemingly feeling ashamed, the home stadium's big screen never played the replay.
But one thing he was certain of was that Wang Xiucheng did not turn around when he intercepted the ball.
He was puzzled. Could it be that Wang Xiu had received this favor?
Wang Xiucheng took a sip of water before smiling and saying, "Although I don't know Siakam's passing route, I can see VanVleet receiving the ball."
"The direction his eyes were looking, the angle at which his hands caught the ball, and the tendency of his body movement helped me determine that the ball should be in that position."
"Of course, there was an element of gambling involved, but I won the bet."
Durant listened in a daze, and the way he looked at Wang Xiucheng changed.
He didn't know if it was really possible to judge so much information in an instant, but judging from Wang Xiucheng's calm and composed demeanor, he was already half convinced.
Is this Chinese Kung Fu?
Is it really true, as some people online say, that every Chinese person is born with kung fu skills?
Some people are just born to play basketball!
Durant couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
The pause was over quickly.
The Nets did not make any substitutions; Wang Xiucheng still led four substitutes.
However, the Raptors made a large number of substitutions despite their starters playing the entire first quarter.
Apart from VanVleet starting at point guard, all other positions have been changed.
Kroc, Achuwa, Bandon, and Thaddeus Young.
The game starts soon.
Just as Nick Nash predicted, his bench lineup simply couldn't withstand the Nets' bench attack.
In just 6 minutes, Wang Xiucheng scored 8 points with a combination of drives and shots, and also had 3 assists.
In just 6 minutes, the Nets scored an astonishing 15 points.
The Raptors, on the other hand, only scored 8 points.
This was even after Nick Nurse had already called a timeout and brought Siakam back in.
The score was now 41 to 30.
Are their substitutes really that far behind the opponents?
Nick Nash shook his head in frustration after using up another timeout.
Wang Xiucheng always managed to find an open spot to pass the ball out.
If there's no open shot, Wang Xiucheng will either drive into the paint or shoot a three-pointer.
Nick Nash didn't know how to defend against this type of player.
Those who can keep up with Wang Xiucheng's speed are at a disadvantage due to their height and wingspan, allowing Wang Xiucheng to shoot three-pointers even when facing opponents.
Even those with sufficient height and wingspan cannot keep up with Wang Xiucheng's speed.
Moreover, Wang Xiucheng would occasionally draw a foul and always get to the free throw line.
Before he knew it, Wang Xiucheng had already scored 18 points.
Nick Nash really wanted to tell the referee that his team needed at least six players, otherwise they simply couldn't defend against Wang Xiucheng.
The pause ends.
Nick Nash glanced nervously at the opposing team's lineup, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Xiucheng finally got some rest.
The Nets have changed their starting lineup.
As Nick Nash predicted, the next game was a back-and-forth battle.
Even when Nash substituted Wang Xiucheng in the last two minutes, the point difference remained around ten points.
Time quickly came to the last minute of the first half.
VanVleet took advantage of a screen and hit a three-pointer.
The difference between the two sides has finally returned to single digits.
Both Nick Nurse and the Raptors players breathed a sigh of relief.
"Defense!"
Nick Nurse, standing on the sidelines, made a megaphone shape with his hands and shouted something.
Everyone knows just how important that last minute is.
Returning to the locker room with a single-digit point difference is completely different from returning with a double-digit point difference.
Nets on offense.
Wang Xiucheng shoved VanVleet, caught Claxton's ball, then protected the ball with both hands before passing it and advancing forward.
Once in the frontcourt, Durant personally set a screen for Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng pulled up and shot without completely shaking off VanVleet.
Swish!
Three-pointer goes in.
"Guaranteed Three-Point Shot Card" activated!
Durant excitedly reached out and patted Wang Xiucheng on the shoulder, then shouted something that Wang Xiucheng didn't understand.
Wang Xiucheng also ran back with a smile.
In fact, Durant's screen quality was only average.
One reason is that he is physically weak.
Furthermore, most of his screens are fake screens, designed to allow him to receive the ball and shoot or drive to the basket after the screen.
The score difference between the two sides has once again reached ten points.
With 26 seconds left, the Raptors had the final possession of the game.
Unfortunately, the Raptors' shot didn't go in.
Although Siakam grabbed the rebound and scored off the backboard.
But the referee waved his hands vigorously, using gestures to tell everyone that the ball had exceeded the time limit and didn't count.
Durant went to the baseline to inbound the ball, but Wang Xiucheng, who was tightly guarded, failed to receive it, so Durant had to pass the ball to Claxton.
The referee blew his whistle almost as soon as he received the ball.
At halftime, the Nets led the Raptors 56-46, a 10-point advantage on the road.