aircannonsinc Chapter 1069 Two minutes later, the match officially began!
Chapter 1069 Two minutes later, the match officially began!
"We're on the brink of death, guys." Lin Tian stood in the middle of everyone and said, "Time to wake up!"
"Win the game, bring the score back! 2-0! I'm going to go to Dallas with a 2-0 lead! I won't give them any illusions!"
"We'll give you the ball! And we'll help you spread the floor! Go Lin!" Kobe was the first to speak up: "We'll always trust you!"
"No! This time, I can't come alone, right, Coach!" Lin Tian said, looking at Jackson.
"That's right, we can't do it alone tonight." Jackson adjusted his glasses and said, "Lin is on fire tonight. He's already scored 39 points, even though the Mavericks' defense is bad, even though the Mavericks can't stop him at all."
"But in the last two minutes, they will definitely tighten their defense on Lin and not let him get an easy shot. But of course, with our offensive level and resources, we are not afraid of them targeting Lin."
"If they dare to tighten their defense on Lin, it means we'll have a lot more space and opportunities in our other positions!"
"Kevin, you've been playing terribly tonight. You only made 6 of your first 18 shots, including 0 of 4 from three-point range. I think you should take the first possession after the timeout."
"I understand, Coach! I will seize the opportunity!" Durant nodded, showing no stage fright or lack of confidence due to his poor performance tonight.
"So, our next tactic is to create an opportunity for Kevin to catch and shoot immediately. Time isn't on our side, so we'll prioritize speed for the first shot!"
"Kevin, you inbound the ball. Kobe and Lin run from the sides toward the middle, screen for each other, and then each go to find Andrew for off-ball screens. Then one of them runs from the middle toward the top of the arc, and the other runs diagonally upwards at a 45-degree angle. Jason waits for the opportunity to run from the near post toward the far corner."
"No, Coach..." Kobe couldn't help but say, "This tactic looks familiar, doesn't it?"
"Oh? Oh, I forgot, we used the same tactic at the end of the last game, right? I'm getting old, I can't remember clearly."
"They even hit him twice more." Even the usually mild-mannered Durant couldn't help but complain, "They hit him back and forth."
"Then let's play a third time tonight," Jackson chuckled, indicating that they should do it again.
"But of course, we'll still run the same way, but we'll switch the finishing touches. Kobe and Lin, once you're in position, turn around and run towards the basket. Andrew, after you and Jason set the screen, move up to the top of the key."
"Kevin, pass the ball to Andrew now. You pretend to run over and hand it to him, then immediately run back to your favorite left 45-degree angle. Andrew, pass the ball to Kevin now. Kevin, you'll almost certainly be left out at this point, just shoot."
"If there's no space, then you handle the rest yourself—either by dribbling or passing!"
"Okay, it's that simple, understand?"
"clear!"
"Let's go then!" Jackson clapped his hands, and the few people he had just called on walked onto the court side by side.
"Beep beep!"
The referee blew his whistle, and the basketball was passed to Durant on the sideline.
Soon, the Lakers players began running according to plan.
"Same play as the game-winning shot from last game!" James immediately noticed something was wrong and, with his exceptional tactical awareness, yelled, "Ray! Watch the corner! Make sure you're there!"
"Roger!" Allen shouted. He had already been blocked by the same tactic twice in a row, and this time he would not give Terry another chance.
However, Allen soon realized something was wrong, because it was too easy!
He has been screened by Bynum countless times in this series, and he knows very well the quality of Bynum's screens, which are extremely high.
This time, however, he easily broke free of cover and caught up with Terry.
"Not here!" Allen shouted immediately, alerting his teammates to be careful.
At the same time, everyone saw Bynum quickly move up to the top of the key, and Durant had already passed the ball to him.
Kobe and Lin Tianyi simultaneously reached out for the ball from the left and right, drawing a lot of the Mavericks' defensive attention.
who is it?
Kobe or Lin Tian?
The Mavericks' defense was somewhat overwhelmed.
At that moment, Durant also broke in!
He ran toward Bynum, seemingly about to hand the ball to him, but James anticipated this and immediately moved ahead to block the path between Durant and Bynum, preventing them from handing the ball to each other.
But Durant's top-notch off-ball instincts came through again at this moment. He almost immediately changed direction and made a reverse run towards the far side.
Bynum's pass was also perfectly timed. Although he's not a particularly outstanding passer, he's still capable of passing at this level.
Durant received the basketball at a 45-degree angle on the left side, and there was no one guarding him!
James's anticipation was too quick, causing him to be completely outmaneuvered by Durant. Even if he tried to catch up and help defend, Durant's height, wingspan, and shooting ability made it impossible for him to catch up in time.
This shot depends on whether Durant can capitalize on it!
"Whoosh!"
can!
Durant's clutch performance was on full display at this moment, even though he missed all of his first few three-point attempts tonight, and even though his shooting touch was terrible.
But at this crucial moment, when Jackson trusted him to deliver that vital shot, Durant did not disappoint.
After hitting the three-pointer, the Lakers narrowed the gap to six points.
More importantly, they accomplished this attack in just 4.8 seconds!
This also includes the time the basketball spends flying through the air.
For the Lakers, there is no better or more perfect option.
They got the most points in the shortest amount of time.
With 1 minute and 55 seconds remaining, they were only down by 6 points.
If the scales had tipped almost entirely in favor of the Mavericks after their recent victory, then now the Lakers have pulled them back considerably.
The Mavericks' primary offensive strategy at this point is, of course, to control the clock and compress it as much as possible until the very end.
James held the ball at the top of the key, facing Durant. He dribbled cautiously while keeping an eye on the clock and observing the overall situation on the court, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
With 8 seconds left on the shot clock, James suddenly raised his hand and slapped his head. Nowitzki quickly stepped forward and set a screen for James.
The Mavericks' signature moves and hidden skills!
Jenner pick and roll!
But this pick-and-roll wasn't the usual pattern of Nowitzki setting the screen, cutting out, and James driving to the basket.
Instead, Nowitzki suddenly cut inside to ask for the ball, while James took a step back to create space.
This reverse maneuver immediately caught the Lakers' defense off guard, especially since Durant, relying on his usual mindset, failed to keep up with Nowitzki in time. He watched as Nowitzki charged into the paint, but it was too late to defend him.
James immediately bounced the ball through the defense to Nowitzki.
After receiving the ball, Nowitzki immediately started moving, using a contest to block Bynum from rushing over to block his shot. Nowitzki then easily made a left-handed layup, helping the Mavericks score another 2 points.
The point difference has reached 8 points again!
The combination of the Heavenly King and the Little Emperor is truly formidable!
"If the previous possession was the best outcome for the Lakers, scoring the most points in the shortest amount of time, then this possession is the best outcome for the Mavericks! They used almost the longest time, a full 20 seconds, and then successfully scored 2 points."
"With 1 minute and 35 seconds left, the Lakers are down by 8 points!"
"It's okay! Just hit our shots!" Lin Tian waved to signal everyone to calm down and not to worry, while also signaling Bynum at the baseline to serve the ball with a ground ball.
He doesn't touch the ball, but follows it, which saves time to the maximum extent.
Lin Tian followed the basketball forward, but the time on the court remained unchanged.
"Go up there! Go up and interfere, make him pick up the ball!" Van Gundy said anxiously, "The Mavericks can't do this. At a time like this, how can they just watch the Lakers save time like this? Logically and morally, they should send someone to interfere."
Unfortunately, for some reason, the Mavericks didn't try to interfere with Lin Tian or force him to get the ball. Instead, they watched as Lin Tian rolled the ball all the way across half-court before reluctantly picking it up.
Lin Tian really didn't want to pick it up. It was rare to have such a comfortable space for the ball to move forward freely, and he was truly willing to just keep following the ball.
But there was nothing he could do. After all, Bynum didn't dare to use too much force when inbounding the ball, so the basketball stopped moving just after rolling past the center line.
In other words, the NBA's flooring is quite well-made and very flat. If there were even a slight slope, it would probably roll back, and if it rolled back to the backcourt, that would be quite embarrassing.
So, after realizing that the basketball had stopped moving forward, Lin Tian picked it up and quickly entered attack mode!
On the sidelines, Jason was completely furious. He had been jumping up and down, urging Williams to come up and interfere and pressure Lin Tian ever since Lin Tian hadn't even left the three-point line.
But who knows what Williams was thinking at the time? He didn't move immediately, while the others wanted to go over, but they didn't know if Williams would move or not. If the two of them moved at the same time, it would be a huge loss if someone was missed.
Williams didn't react at first, but after he realized what was happening, he wanted to go over, but then he thought that since Lin Tian was already at this position, he might as well wait for him to come over, lest he be overtaken by Lin Tian's speed as soon as he got there...
In short, after a simple yet chaotic mental exercise and some inexplicable daydreaming, Lin Tian easily and effortlessly brought the ball to the frontcourt without wasting even 0.1 seconds.
Upon arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian immediately accelerated and charged towards the inside without any hesitation.
"Don't worry about it! Don't worry about it! Don't worry about it!" Jason shouted like a madman on the sidelines, afraid that some fool would commit a foul and get scored on by Lin Tian with a 2+1 play.
For this kind of shot, if Lin Tian wants 2 points, then give it to him!
No matter how quickly Lin Tian completes an attack, whether it's two points or two, James is not afraid!
We're way ahead!
But as the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens.
Even though Jason was jumping up and down on the sidelines, there were still some players on the Mavericks who weren't thinking straight.
Bogut!
Lin Tian drove straight to the basket, then suddenly took a step forward and raised the ball high in the air with both hands, shouting, "Jump!"
Lin Tian was already prepared for this play. If Bogut didn't jump and fall for the trap, he would immediately pass the ball to Kobe on the wing. Kobe and Durant had just completed an off-ball screen, and the opportunity had arisen.
But at this moment, Bogut once again fell for the trick. He knew that Jason's plan was to not give him a 3-pointer and absolutely not to foul or give him a 2+1 play, but he was still fooled by Lin Tian's realistic feint.
The rest is history.
Lin Tian calmly waited for Bogut to land, then jumped forcefully, made a collision with Bogut in the air, and flicked his wrist to throw the ball over Bogut toward the basket.
"Beep beep! Blocking foul!" The referee's whistle blew quickly, and there was no doubt about the foul.
At the same time, a crisp sound reached the ears of all the fans at Staples Center.
"Whoosh!"
What heavenly sound!
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!"
The cheers of the fans instantly resounded throughout the stadium, and Lin Tian's 2+1 play was of course crucial! But in addition, Lin Tian only took less than 5 seconds to execute this attack.
From dribbling at midcourt to driving all the way to the basket and shaking off Bogut, Lin Tian only took 4.7 seconds in total!
It was incredibly fast! If you add Durant's 3-pointer from the Lakers in the previous possession, they not only scored consecutively in these two possessions, but also in an astonishingly short amount of time!
It's fair to say that in these two possessions, the Lakers minimized their offensive time!
There couldn't be a more perfect or better result!
Of course, this applies to the Lakers.
James of the Mavericks was so angry that he smashed his clipboard on the ground.
He really couldn't stand it anymore after making such basic mistakes in one round; he was about to explode with anger.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
The two players who made the mistake played exceptionally well at other times tonight; they were always playing at a superb level.
But in this very round, both of them made foolish mistakes.
What can Jensen do?
Substituting those two players off the court? The team's performance will only get worse from there.
What if we give those two a good scolding, making them look like pushovers? What if they can't play basketball anymore?
FUXX!
Jason was really about to curse from the sidelines.
But he could only berate himself. After he finished, when he called a timeout, he had to put on a smiling face and encourage the players, making them forget their mistakes and say some nonsense like "no one is perfect."
Only in this way can these two players continue to perform and help the team win.
Jason, sitting on the sidelines, was furious, while Lin Tian looked at Bogut and mocked, "I've always believed in the saying: dogs are man's best friend."
"You're no exception, Andrew! You're my best friend! I couldn't have done the 2+1 without your help! You're such a good dog!"
Lin Tian continued to rant as he arrogantly retreated, all the way to the free-throw line before preparing to receive the ball and take the free throw.
The entire arena fell silent once again, with fans afraid to make too much noise for fear of affecting Lin Tian's free throws.
until……
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the shouts of "MVP!" echoed throughout the entire arena once again. The fans celebrated and cheered excitedly. With 1 minute and 30 seconds left, the Lakers were down by 5 points!
It looks like we have a much better chance than the previous 9 points!
"pause!"
The Mavericks also called a timeout at this point.
Even though the Lakers still had complete control of the game, they had to call a timeout to stabilize the situation after the Lakers scored on them in quick succession within seconds.
"It's okay, just be more careful next time. The important thing is the remaining 1 minute and 30 seconds!" Jason's first words after the timeout were almost spoken through gritted teeth.
He really wanted to scold them, but in the end, he turned it into words of encouragement.
win!
We have to win tonight!
The last game, where they were defeated by a last-minute winner, was already a huge blow to the team and caused them a lot of negative emotions. Johnson didn't even want to think about what the team would do if they lost tonight's game.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!" Jackson's words to the players from the bench were much more sincere.
"We absolutely must defend this possession! Our offense has been perfect! So all we need to improve now is our defense! Defend this possession, defend them! Then score, and we can close the gap to within one point!"
"Don't break the rules! Everyone, remember not to break the rules, and be sure to talk and communicate more, reminding your teammates to pay attention to various situations."
"They will definitely run pick-and-rolls, they will 100% have James and Nowitzki set screens together."
"So next, Kevin, you'll guard Nowitzki; Kobe, you'll handle James; Matt, you'll replace Jason later, and you'll take care of Allen—stick with him tight! The rest of you, just keep your men on!"
"If we can hold on this round, our chances of turning the tide will increase dramatically! I think it'll be at least 7%! This round is the most crucial!"
"clear!"
The players shouted in unison. After scoring two consecutive goals, the Lakers' morale was at its peak, and everyone was in top form.
Soon, the timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court. The Lakers brought in Barnes from the defensive team. Clearly, compared to Terry, who was an offensive threat, Jackson felt that the most important task in this possession was to defend him.
The Mavericks didn't make any substitutions; their five starters were still on the court.
As soon as the referee blew his whistle, what started first was not the game, but a deafening chorus of boos and curses from the Los Angeles fans.
At this point, the fans spared no effort, shouting wildly from the sidelines. They hoped to disrupt the Mavericks' offense with their noise, while also cheering for the Lakers and boosting the team's morale.
If we can defend this round, then anything is possible!
Amidst the fans' eager anticipation, Kobe broke through the crowd, lowered his center of gravity, and faced off against James head-on.
"Come on!" Kobe spread his arms, trying to interfere with and affect James as much as possible. At the same time, his small, quick steps never stopped, constantly interfering with and affecting James's judgment, making it impossible for James to find his center of gravity and thus unable to choose the direction of his breakthrough.
Despite Kobe's aggressive, offensive-defense style, James remained calm. He turned to the side, using his wider and larger body to block Kobe, trying to waste time while constantly directing his teammates to move around.
Then, with just 8 seconds left, Nowitzki came running again.
Durant followed closely behind Nowitzki as he charged out from the paint, without letting up for a second.
"Change!"
Then, the instant James and Nowitzki completed their screen, Kobe yelled and immediately stuck to Nowitzki, not giving him any chance to get the ball.
Durant was also prepared, quickly taking a step back to block James. His defensive distance control was excellent; he could use his height and wingspan to disrupt James's shots at any time, while maintaining enough distance to lateral move and block James's driving path when he made a breakthrough. (End of Chapter)