Chapter 523 Goal!
Yeah...
Sakuragi's rapid breathing slowed down a bit.
He turned to look at Rukawa Kaede, but saw that guy's eyes were actually a little red, but his face was full of smiles.
"Big idiot!" Rukawa Kaede said with a smile.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was startled. It had been many years since he heard this guy call this nickname.
If it was in high school, there would definitely be a fight, but now... the anger in his mind suddenly dissipated.
In the NBA these years, honor, money, marriage, too many things have come one after another, and basketball is no longer the only thing in his life.
Although his strength is improving every day, Sakuragi Hanamichi feels that he can no longer find the inspiration for the skills such as "front defense" and "comprehending prediction".
The skills are constantly solidified, and the heart begins to solidify.
But at this moment, the "big idiot" seems to call him back to the innocent days when he knew nothing, making him feel like he is back to the training ground of Xiangbei in a trance.
Hey...
The breathing sound suddenly calmed down.
Sakuragi Hanamichi took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly sparkled.
He gave Rukawa a thumbs up.
"Hahaha, you're right, don't let Rukawa carry it all alone!" Iguodala seemed to come alive, ashamed of his fear of pressure after missing the ball just now, and excited about the brotherhood between Sakuragi and Rukawa.
Rukawa is not afraid, and dares to bet everything on him, so what is he afraid of? Afraid of the next contract shrinkage? Afraid of the fans' abuse after missing the ball?
Damn it!
Iguodala's eyes became bright: "We are the strongest team!"
Chandler also leaned over and shouted like a chicken blood: "Count me in!"
Lin Dong ignored the referee's call for them to serve the baseline ball. Anyway, it's the home court, let the referee wait!
He stretched out his hand to everyone, Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately put his hand on it, and then Rukawa, Iguodala, and Chandler all came over and put their hands together.
Everyone's face was no longer confused, and was filled with fighting spirit that was almost overflowing from the face frame!
For the Supersonics! For the four consecutive championships! For the truly innocent Rukawa Kaede!
Back...
Lin Dong could feel it.
Feeling the fighting spirit in the hearts of the five Supersonics players on the court at this time, they were no longer afraid.
The five hearts of the five people were firmly condensed together at this time, and the invincible Supersonics were back!
At this time, there was no need to preach or communicate any tactics in advance. At this moment, everyone was connected in heart!
"Go." Lin Dong looked at the Lakers who were waiting for them on the opposite side, and said calmly: "Defeat them!"
…………
The Supersonics Five Tigers who returned to their positions looked very different from before. Everyone seemed to be burning with fire, and everyone's eyes were firm and sharp.
Although no one said a word, and no one grimaced, a blaze of fire was burning over the entire Sonics team, as if it was going to illuminate the entire court red and roast the Lakers on the opposite side alive!
Such a fierce momentum made the Lakers feel an inexplicable threat, and Phil Jackson frowned on the sidelines.
Damn... It seems that there are changes again.
The huge momentum pressed back against the entire Lakers team...
However, the Purple and Gold Army is not a vegetarian.
Although Sakuragi shouted in Japanese in the farce just now, Kobe and others could roughly guess what happened.
"The atmosphere in this team is really good." Doug Christie remembered the time when he was in the Nets, the Kidd who took him all the way.
Kobe touched his head and laughed.
"We're not bad either!" Kobe said, "The chance to kill the gods is right in front of us. These guys' next attack may be very fierce...Hold on, brothers!"
"Roar!" Yao Ming, Odom, Nash behind him, and Doug Christie beside him all roared.
Fighting to the extreme, everyone knows that there is no way out behind them, and even this G1 may determine the direction of the entire series.
Both sides have tried their best in this game. If G1 is lost, the morale of each side will rise and fall, and the loser may be waiting for a 4:0!
Kobe, who is only half a step away from being invincible and is extremely eager to reach the peak; Yao Ming, who has experienced ups and downs in the NBA, has the best teammates, debuted as the No. 1 pick but never won the championship; Nash, who was not valued in the Mavericks and finally got a chance to prove himself; Doug Christie, who was selected in the All-NBA First Team and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals several times with the Nets but never won a championship; and Odom, who has experienced ups and downs in the Clippers and Heat, although he played dazzling data, he could not get a big contract because of Big M and injuries. Now he finally proved himself and played his worth in the Lakers.
The brave wins when they meet on a narrow road. The Supersonics have reasons not to lose, and so do the Lakers!
The five Lakers are ready, and a luxurious and rich aura unique to the Purple and Gold Army unfolds, and the flames burning in the Supersonics each occupy half of the sky.
There are 8 minutes left in the last quarter, the score is 103:105, and the battle is about to start!
The Supersonics have the ball.
Lin Dong had the ball and three Lakers players immediately double-teamed him.
Seemingly sensing the Sonics' revived morale, the three-man double-team this time was relatively close, about one step past the center line, leaving Lin Dong with enough space to chase after the pass to fill in the Sonics' outside line.
Sakuragi Hanamichi and Chandler sank to the bottom, while Rukawa and Iguodala immediately went to the left and right sides of the three-point arc to respond.
The three-man double-team was in place, and they were rushing up aggressively.
The morale shown by the Sonics made the Lakers' double-team defense seem somewhat timid, and they were obviously beginning to be afraid of the Sonics' outside line, fearing that they would suddenly open up their touch.
The team had just experienced a series of missed three-pointers from the outside line, and Lin Dong wanted to find an opportunity to play a steady morale on his own. At this time, seeing that the three-man double-team did not seem so resolute, he felt that there was a chance, but...
Rukawa and Iguodala on the outside line both stretched out their hands to Lin Dong to signal for the ball.
Lin Dong's mouth slightly grinned, and he gave up the idea of breaking through. Without waiting for the three to surround him, he had already made a ground pass and sent the ball directly to Rukawa Kaede.
What the team needs most at this time is not points, but trust!
——Give it back to that No. 11?
Many fans at the scene felt that it was going to be bad, and they couldn't help but cover their heads, but because the previous roar of Sakuragi Hanamichi was still fresh in their memory, and the addition of No. 11 gave them two more points of tolerance, no one chose to say anything at this time.
The ball was passed too fast, and it was stuck at the moment when the three people rushed over and their center of gravity was not stable. The seemingly simple pass was a rhythm of a card point, which made the Lakers' defense quite uncomfortable.
Kobe turned around suddenly, and then his eyes lit up. He saw that Odom in front seemed to have seen through Lin Dong's pass long ago. At this time, he had already rushed towards Rukawa Kaede with ease, and he was faster than the previous 3-pointer!
I knew that the Sonics would play emotional balls. This No. 11 just missed a shot, and the Sonics wanted to make up for it for him, so they rushed him!
But...
At this moment, Rukawa's mind was clear.
Why was the ball blocked just now? Because he was too worried, too focused, and shot too slowly!
Odom's height and wingspan were both higher than his own. If he was half a second slower and let the opponent jump up, it would be difficult for him to successfully shoot.
You have to seize the time to shoot, all the time!
Rukawa's posture when receiving the ball was somewhat strange, with his legs slightly bent, as if he was ready to shoot.
Zone!
The basket, the basketball, Odom rushing over, Kobe Bryant who was about to turn around to defend...everything was clearly imaged in Rukawa's mind.
After receiving the ball, he turned around to face the basket, the angle of shooting, the distance, the strength of the shooting...
Snap!
The moment the ball reached Rukawa's hand, it was as if the mechanism of his whole body was touched, and the whole person immediately turned around and jumped up.
Odom in front was startled. The guy's jump speed was too fast, so fast that it affected Odom's jump rhythm, just like Bolt was disrupted by Su Bingtian when he started running, forcing Odom to jump up instinctively, but the lack of prediction and inadequate preparation for the jump made his jump height insufficient.
Odom's heart sank, thinking that it was bad, and he could only stretch out his hand to block Rukawa's eyes.
The other party had just turned around, so he had to take a look at it. As long as he covered his eyes...
But the next second, Odom's expression was completely frozen on his face.
Before his hand completely covered Rukawa's eyes, the other party had already shot!
Too fast... too fast!
Not only did he jump fast, but he also shot faster. The guy didn't even aim at the frame, and even gave Odom a feeling... like a machine shooting!
Blocking eyes? What's the use?
When his palm was sealed, when the ball was released, Odom even saw Rukawa Kaede close his eyes directly!
For this ball, it didn't matter whether he sealed his eyes or not!
Boom!
The sound of the two almost falling to the ground, Odom turned his head in horror and looked towards the basket.
But Yao Ming, Chandler and Sakuragi were crowded together under the basket, and Yao Ming was blocked by the two and couldn't grab the rebound position!
The basketball drew a perfect arc in the air.
Rukawa Kaede's right hand clenched hard at this moment.
Swish!
The basketball went into the net, 106:105, the Supersonics overtook!
There was a burst of cheers at the scene, fans are like this, scold you if you miss the shot, cheer if you make the shot.
Everyone on the Supersonics bench jumped up, McMillan breathed a sigh of relief, and Payton waved his towel: "I'll treat you to midnight snack!"
But the ten people on the court had no intention of cheering and celebrating.
In the fierce battle, who dares to relax for half a second?
Yao Ming immediately picked up the basketball and sent the ball out from the baseline.
The Lakers have the ball, fast break!
At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Chandler were still in the backcourt, Rukawa Kaede and Iguodala were still running back at the three-point line, and only Lin Dong was guarding the frontcourt, but there were three strong players, Kobe, Nash and Doug Chris!
Lin Dong followed Kobe, and Nash and Doug Christie immediately separated to the left and right sides and fast forward at the same time.
Yao Ming swung his arm and threw the basketball to the frontcourt, and the ball fell into Nash's hands.
The Lakers rushed forward very quickly, and in the blink of an eye they had already entered the free throw zone. Nash ran directly to the left baseline with the ball, while Doug Christie immediately inserted himself into the center line, and together with Kobe, they surrounded Lin Dong, seemingly wanting to shoot an open three-pointer from the outside first, and then use the advantage of two-on-one to secure the rebound.
But Nash had just stood still with the ball and turned around, and just as he stood up and took a look at the basket, a figure as fast as the wind had already chased him from behind.
Whoosh!
A figure flew up from the side and blocked in front of Nash, which also scared Nash.
He rushed too fast, and the opponent jumped too high for Nash.
Rukawa Kaede!
After shooting the 3-pointer, he didn't even look at the basket, and chose to return to defense immediately. Although he was still a step slower than Lin Dong and the others in the frontcourt, one had the ball and the other didn't, and Nash's shot was not fast enough, and his aim at the basket was blocked by Rukawa Kaede.
At this time, the angle was wrong. Although he could not block Nash's shot, his body and big hands blocked Nash's sight and scared him. The frame he had aimed at was stimulated and his sight was blocked. He was no longer sure of shooting.
Feeling the fighting spirit in Rukawa Kaede's eyes at this time, Nash did not choose to force a shot. After all, it was two against one under the basket.
Bang!
He changed his shot to a pass in the air and passed the ball before landing.
Doug Chris received the ball under the basket and turned around and jumped up at the first time. Lin Dong, who was already beside him, also jumped up.
After all, it was two against one, Doug Christie did not think of going to Lin Dong to force a shot. Forcing him to jump up was just to create an opportunity for Kobe.
At this time, he immediately changed his left hand for the layup to his right hand, and his right hand sank again to bypass Lin Dong and pass it to Kobe.
But the moment the ball was shot...
Bang!
A big hand that was supposed to block him in the air sank down faster than him. All of Doug Christie's intentions were exposed in Lin Dong's eyes, and even the passing route was clear.
Lin Dong slapped the ball.
Both of their palms were very large, and the mutual force at this moment made the ball stalemate in their hands.
Doug Christie reacted very quickly. The ball was in his hands. If the stalemate lasted half a second and the ball was still in his hands after landing, it would be a traveling.
At this time, he didn't care about being surprised or passing to Kobe. He changed the direction of force in a hurry, poked the ball out of the stalemate between the two, and fell towards the free throw line.
After two such moves, the backcourt players had already rushed up like chicken blood, but after all, Kobe was closer, so he rushed forward to control the ball at the first time.
A fast break that was originally three against one was blocked just because of Rukawa Kaede's block!
The stadium cheered again, and Iguodala and the faster Sakuragi Hanamichi had already caught up and taken their positions.
Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately blocked Kobe who was holding the ball, Rukawa switched to defend Doug Christie, Iguodala watched Odom, and Lin Dong targeted Nash.
Except for the slightly slower Yao Ming and Chandler who were still rushing one after the other, the frontcourt had already completed the four-on-four defense!
He couldn't beat Sakuragi Hanamichi with the ball, and Nash was watched again... huh?
Kobe noticed that although Sakuragi Hanamichi's defensive action was still perfect, he seemed to be distracted for a moment, and I don't know what he was thinking.
Opportunity!
Kobe immediately passed the ball to Odom outside the three-point line on the right, and then took advantage of the pass to distract Sakuragi Hanamichi's attention, and he had already turned around and bypassed Sakuragi Hanamichi to cut straight to the basket!
Odom understood, and the moment he received the ball, he threw it high towards the basket without hesitation.
Just now, Kobe Bryant took advantage of the moment when Sakuragi Hanamichi was distracted to get rid of him. His air cutting speed was extremely fast. The basketball just flew over and he jumped up from the paint area!
He played fast, an aerial relay!
But the next second...
Whoosh!
A sudden figure also jumped up at the same time as Kobe!
No. 10! Sakuragi Hanamichi!
Kobe was slightly startled. He knew that Sakuragi Hanamichi's reaction was very fast, and with his angle and position, he was closer to the basket than himself after turning around, which was enough to offset the slight difference in speed between Sakuragi Hanamichi and himself.
But...
The distraction just now, the pass just now, and the back-to-back escape just now, all of these should have caused Sakuragi Hanamichi trouble and delay. Not to mention catching up and intercepting, he should have looked for his own trace like a headless fly when facing himself without the ball before. How could he complete the aerial interception so seamlessly?
How could he realize that it was an aerial relay so quickly? How could he see through his air cutting route? How could he... If he could do this, he wouldn't have been able to play without the ball so smoothly before!
Why? How did No. 10 do it? !
Snap!
He grabbed the basketball with his big hand.
After all, he was in the passing route of Kobe and Odom, so Sakuragi Hanamichi had a better position to jump and intercept.
His height and wingspan advantage offset Odom's exquisite passing point, and he grabbed the ball from the air before Kobe!
Steal success!
The trick?
The trick is the ball!
When he was still ignorant of basketball, someone commented that Sakuragi Hanamichi was just chasing the ball instinctively. Although it was messy and unsystematic, it unexpectedly worked wonders at certain times.
Rukawa Kaede's experience awakened the spirituality and innocence deep in his bones that had been dormant for a long time.
As for the Lakers' successive cooperation just now, from the moment Nash, Kobe, and Doug Christie separated, and the moment Yao Ming subconsciously passed the ball to Nash, Sakuragi Hanamichi had an understanding.
Why is Yao named Nash?
Because Kobe is being guarded by Lin Dong, the risk of catching the ball is high, and Doug Christie is not good at dribbling. Isn't this an easy guess?
And Nash was blocked by Kaede Rukawa and passed to Doug Christie. Doug Christie blocked Lin Dong and passed to Kobe...
Why is it difficult to defend without the ball? Because you don’t know when the ball will be passed to your defender, let alone when your defender will attack you and seize the opportunity to take the lead. He will always be one step ahead of you!
But... what if you knew when the ball was going to be in your defender's hands?
At that moment, Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly realized.
Just like the guy who once said that he "instinctively chases the ball."
The best defense is to attack. Use offensive thinking to defend and judge when your defender will catch the ball and when he will attack. Then you can break the ball!
Kobe just turned around and disappeared after passing Odom. If it were Sakuragi before realizing this truth, the first thing he would do is to find Kobe's location and see what Kobe's intentions are.
But no more now.
Nash was on the left three-point baseline, and Doug Christie was on the right three-point baseline. Both of them were being guarded tightly. Without a three-point chance, it was impossible for Odom to pass to them.
So either Odom breaks through with the ball, or Odom makes a strong shot, or passes to Kobe. It is impossible to pass it back to Yao Ming and then slowly start a positional battle.
So, where will Kobe be?
The answer is where he is weakest, he will definitely be there, and that is where there is no one at this time - the basket!
If Odom breaks out, he must believe in Iguodala;
And if Odom makes a strong shot, he has to go to the basket to grab rebounds.
And if Odom intends to complete a pass with Kobe, then the ball will inevitably pass to the basket!
All the analysis was completed in an instant. Hanamichi Sakuragi didn't even look at where Kobe was when he turned around.
'Canceling' the step of finding Kobe without the ball, Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately turned around and rushed to the basket... Sure enough, Odom passed the ball, alley-oop, and Kobe was just as expected. Jump to the basket.
Everything seemed so natural and smooth at this moment.
Boom!
Kobe and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who looked shocked, landed at the same time.
Broken, blocked, Kobe Bryant cutting without the ball!
——Wow!
At this moment, the whole stadium was in an uproar, and all the fans jumped up with excitement.
Kobe Bryant, who was unstoppable off the ball in the first and second half, was stopped and intercepted!
"Ahhhh!" Sakuragi Hanamichi let out a frustrated roar that lasted half the game, and threw the ball in the direction of Lin Dong, who was already charging: "Quick break!"
Lin Dong, who has already started to speed up, is obviously not something that anyone can resist, and the Lakers' large force is still in the backcourt at this time.
Lin Dong changed direction and easily passed Yao Ming, who was defending, and went straight to the Lakers basket for a dunk.
108:105, SuperSonics lead by 3 points!
——Supersonic! Supersonic! Supersonic!
——Sakuragi! Sakuragi! Sakuragi!
--Forest! Forest! Forest! Forest!
The cheers at the scene were deafening. Although Kaede Rukawa, another hero of this goal, was still habitually ignored, it obviously did not damage the morale of the Sonics.
Supersonic morale is like a rainbow!
The Lakers have the ball.
The fast break failure just now obviously made the Lakers feel the horror of this wave of offensive from the Sonics.
It is indeed a team that promotes running and gunning. The pace is too fast and it suits them well.
We can't compete with the SuperSonics in such a state.
"Position war! Position war!" Phil Jackson yelled crazily from the sidelines, adjusting the rhythm immediately.
Taking advantage of Yao Ming's presence in the frontcourt, the Lakers settled down and played a wave.
Odom and Kobe connect again.
At this time, Kobe's eyes were already red. How could the Sonics get back the opportunity so easily after finally seeing it? !
Peak state 3!
With extreme speed and crazy running position, Kobe's running distance was huge at this time. Although he didn't have the ball in his hands, his extremely positive look even made the audience feel that the basketball was in his hands and he was the one in control. The same person who dominates the rhythm of the whole game.
Doug Christie stepped forward to set a pick-and-roll. Kobe once again got rid of Sakuragi Hanamichi, took advantage of the cover of his teammates, ran sideways, and slid straight into the left corner.
Odom's pass arrived just in time.
Kobe, who was holding the ball, immediately turned around and made a pull!
But the next second, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was supposed to be blocked by Doug Christie, had already appeared in front of him.
Kobe's pupils shrank slightly.
So fast! It was like running here after him for the first time, without any hindrance at all.
But... when he was slipping behind the left baseline in the pick-and-roll just now, he also relied on Yao Ming's cover. Considering Sakuragi Hanamichi's position at the time, he was blocked by Doug Christie and Yao Ming. How could he be in this position? Making such a completely correct judgment in an instant?
But for Sakuragi, this is very simple...
The moment when Yao Ming blocked him after he bypassed Doug Christie, although it blocked his sight, it was precisely because of this that he was at the same basket with Yao Ming at that time. According to his impression that he could defend Yao Ming to a certain extent, Odom would not choose to pass the ball to Yao Ming at this time to force the basket.
This ball must be aimed at Kobe who was missed, and where would Kobe be? Of course, it was only the absolute defensive weak position in Sakuragi Hanamichi's sight at this time-the left bottom corner!
Swish!
Bang!
Startled by the sudden appearance of Sakuragi Hanamichi, Kobe's shot was also slightly slower. Moreover, it was a turnaround open ball, and there was no backward or anything... The moment the ball was shot, it was touched by Sakuragi, and the trajectory of the basketball changed significantly.
Kobe's heart sank quickly.
If it was luck once, what about two times in a row?
This kid didn't guess his position by luck, this kid has the ability to defend himself without the ball!
Bang!
The cheers at the scene were about to blow off the roof. From being suppressed by the Lakers to the successive counterattacks now, the surprise after such a gap is even more precious.
The basketball whose trajectory was changed really missed and bounced high on the basket.
But...
Whoosh!
Yao Ming and Chandler under the basket jumped up at the same time.
Yao Ming's eyes were shining.
He was also the strongest center in the world, and he was also the super core of this Lakers team.
The Lakers are not only Kobe Bryant, don't underestimate me, bastard!
Yao Ming was so powerful at this time. Although Chandler had tried his best to interfere, he was ultimately unable to match Yao Ming's strength and height.
Snap! Boom!
The moment he held the ball was a double-handed dunk.
Beep!
Accompanied by the referee's whistle.
"The goal is valid, the No. 7 of the Supersonics fouled, and one penalty was added!"
Chandler was still a little reluctant to defend Yao Ming.
Chandler, who landed on the ground, was full of apologies, but was slapped on the butt by Lin Dong.
Oh, this damn Xiangyang tradition... Lin Dong was already fully in the state of excitement, and couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"Well done!" He laughed at Chandler and said, "Don't let Yao score too easily. If you want to score, let him trade his physical strength!"
"Come on, Boxing Champion! You are the Boxing Champion!" Sakuragi Hanamichi, who finally found the feeling of defending Kobe without the ball, also shouted to cheer him up.
Chandler let out a long breath.
It's great to be able to join this Supersonics team and have these teammates!
"Hahahaha! Of course! Trade your physical strength for points, Yao!"
After being beaten 2+1, the Supersonics' momentum did not decrease, but seemed even more excited. Only Barkley in the live broadcast room couldn't help but twitch his mouth when he heard the word "Boxing Champion", because it made him think of the mountain lion in the real boxing champion's home.
Yao Ming's free throws were as stable as ever.
The free throw was made steadily, 108:108, the two sides tied again, and the Supersonics picked up the baseline ball without stopping and launched a fast break again!
The completely opened Supersonics showed amazing offensive ability at this time. The Lakers still did not dare to let Lin Dong go, but at this time the Supersonics' outside line had already started. With three people separated to block Lin Dong, it was impossible to block the Supersonics' offense.
Rukawa Kaede's shot was too fast, and Odom, who came out to fill in, could not complete the interference, and would also pass the ball to Iguodala. On the offensive end, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had completely recovered and was even closer to his peak, fought for rebounds under the basket to ensure the second attack opportunity. The two made 8 of 11 3-pointers in just a few minutes and scored 24 points.
This hit rate would really be a big loss, forcing the Lakers to unlock Lin Dong's seal and use Odom to block Rukawa Kaede and Doug Christie to defend Iguodala alone.
But this made Lin Dong rush up again, and he made various inside and outside shots to break the Lakers' defense.
But turning around, the Lakers' offense also reached its climax.
Although Sakuragi Hanamichi kept interfering with Kobe, after all, that was Kobe Bryant. No matter how amazing Sakuragi was, he couldn't completely block him. Although the opportunity for empty cutting had been blocked by Sakuragi Hanamichi with his strange prediction, he made 3 of 3 shots from the outside, and his scoring efficiency was also extremely high.
Odom made 1 of 3 shots from the outside, and Doug Christie made 2 of 4 shots. It seems that the hit rate and scoring efficiency are far from comparable to the Supersonics, but the Lakers have Yao Ming under the basket.
Sakuragi was pulled to the outside by Kobe, and Chandler under the basket was almost lost to Yao Ming. He couldn't grab the rebound, and Yao Ming couldn't stop him from hitting hard.
Yao Ming dunked all the shots the Lakers missed, and Yao Ming never missed the ball passed to the inside. He scored 18 points in a single quarter, and had 11 rebounds!
Both sides had unlimited firepower, and both sides could not defend the other side.
The Supersonics scored more 3 points, but the Lakers were better in rebounding as a whole. After all, Sakuragi Hanamichi had to fight Kobe on the defensive end and could not get into the basket.
The score kept rising alternately, speeding up the rhythm of the fourth quarter to the extreme, and it was also extremely intense!
115:115, 118:118, 122:122, 131:131!
In just a few minutes, the two sides tied several times!
People on both sides were sweating profusely, but the amazing thing was that the intensity on the court did not decrease. Even Yao Ming, who always had the worst physical strength, was breathing heavily during the timeout. It seemed that he could not stand up after sitting down. But when the timeout ended and he came on the court, he gritted his teeth and became full of energy again.
Will! Determination!
At this moment, physical strength could not defeat them, and the opponent could not defeat them!
It was the same for both the Supersonics and the Lakers!
The time on the electronic scoreboard had come to the last 15 seconds, the score was 136:135, the Supersonics led by 1 point, the ball was in the hands of the Lakers, but there were only 3 seconds left for their offensive round!
The score was tied, the Lakers' last attack, the Supersonics had done their best defense in the previous 21 seconds, Kobe had run until his legs were about to cramp, but he couldn't get rid of Sakuragi, whose eyes were bloodshot at this time.
Still have to find the inside line!
Kobe and Nash both ran up to the three-point high position on both sides in a tacit understanding. It seemed like a pick-and-roll to receive the ball, but in fact it was to create opportunities for Yao Ming under the basket to prevent him from being double-teamed by Lin Dong and Sakuragi Hanamichi who reacted very quickly.
Bang!
The ball was in Yao Ming's hands.
"Ahhhhh!" Chandler really tried his best at this moment. He was suppressed by Yao Ming for the whole game. He was beaten from head to toe by Yao Ming, but he was stronger than Yao Ming in one thing, that is, physical strength!
At this time, Yao Ming was exhausted to the extreme. In the fourth quarter, the Lakers were almost supported by Yao Ming on both offense and defense. He had to run back and forth all over the court and fight against Chandler. This really put Yao Ming on the verge of physical collapse.
When Odom lobbed the ball in, Yao Ming was originally stuck at the edge of the paint area. But after the ball came in, Chandler used all his strength to force Yao Ming, who was almost exhausted, out of the paint area.
As long as they defended this ball, when the ball returned to the Sonics, the Lakers would only have the foul tactic to go. However, with the Sonics' overall league-leading free throw level, if the Lakers dared to use the foul tactic, the Sonics would almost win the game!
At this time, Yao Ming was pushed away, his center of gravity was unstable and he even staggered. There was only one second left on the electronic scoreboard, and he didn't even have time to pass the ball!
Won!
But the next second...
Yao Ming, who had been pushed out, stood on one leg with an unstable center of gravity, completely ignoring his body, holding the ball with his right hand raised high, and barely hooked it towards the basket.
Snap!
Swish! Beep!
That was the sound of Yao Ming's 226-centimeter huge body falling to the ground.
It was still quite scary for a 226-centimeter giant to fall to the ground like this, just like an earthquake, but the basketball drew a small arc in the air, accompanied by the 24-second red light and electronic sound of the basket...
Swish!
The basketball went into the net, 136:137, the Lakers overtook!
The time on the electronic scoreboard was only 12 seconds left!
Timeout?
The Supersonics had no timeouts. The team had been in trouble before, and was even overtaken by the Lakers at the beginning of the fourth quarter. McMillan had already used up all the timeouts of the Supersonics, but the Lakers still had one in their hands.
McMillan looked at Phil Jackson on the other side, but saw that although the opponent was sweating profusely, he had no intention of going to the referee's seat.
McMillan sighed.
If the ball didn't go in, Phil Jackson would definitely call a timeout to arrange a foul tactic, but now that the Lakers were leading, the Supersonics were on the last attack, and the opponent obviously couldn't choose to help the Supersonics call a timeout at this time.
"Defense! Defense! Double-team Lin Dong, don't let him catch the ball! Pay attention to the outside defense! Don't let that No. 11 go!" Phil Jackson rushed to the court and shouted loudly.
Rukawa Kaede's 3-point shooting rate in the fourth quarter was too high, and he must not let it go.
At such a critical moment, Lin Dong must not be let go.
The Lakers used the double-team tactic again, but this time it was not three-on-one, but two-on-one, and they did not come to the backcourt to press man-to-man, but stayed in their own half, waiting for the Sonics' attack.
Frankly speaking, Phil Jackson wanted to shout out the phrase "the best defense is offense", and wanted the team to pursue the victory and press.
But he also knew that the Lakers would be more likely to make mistakes if they competed with the Sonics, who were already gaining momentum.
The Sonics just relied on their willpower to almost defend the Lakers for 24 seconds, why couldn't the Lakers defend for 12 seconds? !
At such a moment, willpower will determine everything!
All the Lakers players had blazing flames in their eyes at this time, and everyone was in peak condition. Even Yao Ming, who had just fallen to the ground due to exhaustion, was breathing heavily while blocking Sakuragi Hanamichi under the basket.
The victory over the Sonics and winning G1, and even the entire series, was right in front of them, so they had to fight for everything!
The bench and even the fans in the stadium all stood up involuntarily. Even Doris and Barkley in the live broadcast room had forgotten to comment and only looked at the basketball controlled by Lin Dong.
Lin Dong controlled the ball and slowly crossed the center line.
There was still a little control in 12 seconds. Not only did he have to score, but he also couldn't leave the Lakers with a chance for the last attack.
9, 8...
Kobe and Nash rushed towards Lin Dong immediately.
Two-on-one?
No! Three-on-one!
Doug Christie!
The fear of Lin Dong made the Lakers use the three-on-one tactics again at this last critical moment, and surrounded Lin Dong at the midline.
7 seconds, the time is almost up!
Facing the three people closing in, Lin Dong threw the ball to Rukawa without hesitation.
But only at this time can we see that the Lakers' three-on-one has changed greatly compared to before.
The three people who double-teamed Lin Dong, except for Kobe, Nash and Doug Christie frantically returned to defense, Nash rushed towards Rukawa, but the distance was still far away at this time, and it seemed to be meaningless.
And Odom in the interior rushed towards Rukawa at the first time. Compared with the previous guarding in the interior, Odom's defensive position has been pulled out a lot, allowing him to rush faster than passing the ball!
Rukawa had no chance to shoot, and the first thing he thought of was to pass the ball back to Lin Dong, but at this time Nash's purpose of rushing towards him was revealed.
Nash blocked between Rukawa and Lin Dong, and Kobe's defense was also blocking Rukawa's way back to Lin Dong, so the ball couldn't be passed back.
6 seconds!
Rukawa could only pass the ball to Iguodala on the other side.
But his subconscious action of looking for Lin Dong first when passing the ball made him pass the ball half a beat slower. As soon as the ball reached Iguodala, Doug Christie's defense was already in place, and Iguodala had no room to shoot!
But fortunately... there was Chandler!
At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi was entangled with Yao Ming under the basket, and Chandler took the opportunity to slip to the left three-point baseline,
5 seconds!
The Sonics' passing the ball has long been instinctive, and Iguodala didn't stick to the ball at all, and passed it to Chandler at the first time.
Snap, the ball is in Chandler's hands!
The big open space in front of him, this is the best chance for the Sonics now.
Compared to the miraculous explosions of Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi Hanamichi, and compared to Iguodala's courage after knowing shame, the energy he exerted in the whole game was pitifully small. He even failed to make Yao Ming tired and let him rest in the fourth quarter.
And now, it is his chance to redeem himself!
The buzzer-beater!
Chandler stood up with a clean mind.
Swish!
The basketball drew an arc in the air, but...
"Ah!" Chandler shouted in frustration.
Maybe it was nervousness or pressure, or maybe Chandler's open three-pointer only had a hit rate of 70%.
Bang!
The basketball bounced high on the basket.
Fortunately, there was Sakuragi under the basket!
From Gaoren's words "the world's number one defender", to being taken advantage of by Kobe, to Rukawa Kaede's experience, to his own understanding of the trick of defending without the ball.
This game really went through too much.
Although Yao Ming in front of him was exhausted, his huge body and basic skills still pressed down on Sakuragi like a mountain.
It was never easy to deal with Yao Ming.
So heavy and powerful, Yao Ming was more powerful than usual in the fourth quarter!
But!
Fox's efforts, the puzzlement of the fans, pure basketball and innocent heart...
Win the game! Don't let Fox carry it alone!
All distracting thoughts turned into a ray of light in Sakuragi Hanamichi's heart at this moment.
"Ahhhhh!" A force bursting out from nowhere made Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly push Yao Ming back a step, and he jumped high with red eyes.
Bang!
Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed the basketball in his hand.
But at this time, Yao Ming, who was forced to leave behind him, also jumped up.
No way to make up...
Dongdong!
The two landed one after another, and there were 3 seconds left on the electronic scoreboard!
At this time, Yao Ming blocked him frantically from behind, and what was even more terrible was that Odom also filled in, so that Sakuragi Hanamichi was double-teamed the moment he landed!
Both of them were huge big men, and the space under the basket was already narrow. Sakuragi Hanamichi hugged the basketball in his hand tightly, but his sight was completely blocked by the bodies of the two people, and he didn't even have the opportunity to take a look outside!
However, he has another trick.
Brother Gaoren said that there are always two points in his heart, one is the point of the ball, and the other point is Brother Gaoren. Even if he doesn't use his eyes, he always knows where these two points are!
Sakuragi Hanamichi can feel that Lin Dong is running towards the right baseline frantically, but... three people!
Nash, Kobe, Doug Christie, the three of them actually chose to block Lin Dong at the same time at this moment, and the ball couldn't be passed!
Three people covered Lin Dong, two people covered Sakuragi, and even completely blocked Sakuragi Hanamichi's passing line of sight.
2 seconds!
There were only two seconds left, but Sakuragi Hanamichi felt a suffocation of being completely surrounded.
Are you going to lose? !
The Sonics bench on the sidelines were all worried, Chandler and Iguodala also ran up to help, but Sakuragi Hanamichi, whose sight was blocked at this time, could not see the position of the two people at all.
"Big idiot!"
A voice came from the left in time, and Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly had an idea.
Without thinking, he fell to the outside of the baseline, and then took advantage of the moment of misalignment, and passed the ball from behind Yao Ming before falling to the ground.
1 second!
He vaguely saw that it was a guy wearing a Sonics green jersey, and the moment he received the ball, he jumped up in the free throw area on the left baseline.
A huge jersey number was clearly visible in front of Sakuragi Hanamichi.
No. 11!
Whoosh!
Beep!
The sound of the shot and the whistle of the end of the game on the electronic scoreboard sounded almost at the same time.
Everyone was watching the basketball that flew across the sky at the last moment.
Sakuragi Hanamichi fell to the ground. He could not see the basketball because of Yao Ming and Odom, but he could hear the sweet sound of the basketball going into the net.
Swish!
The ball went in!