Chapter 1044
Nash's Decision! Mistake or a Second Chance?
At the end of the third quarter, the score remained close.
98: 98!
The two teams were evenly matched and entered the fourth quarter with the score tied.
This match is destined to be the most exciting and entertaining game of this series so far!
The Suns are relying on the team's collective effort and godlike three-point shooting; their three-point shooting percentage is still as high as 60% tonight!
Meanwhile, the Lakers used their individual skills and one-on-one plays to repeatedly attack the Suns' interior defense.
Lin Tian scored 20+ points in the first quarter, Durant scored 20+ points in the second quarter, and although Bynum didn't get 20 points in the third quarter, he still managed to score 15 points!
For three consecutive quarters, a different player stepped up and dominated in each quarter. Not only was the Suns' defense vulnerable and completely disorganized, but even if it were the Celtics or Nuggets, who have the best defense in the league today, they wouldn't be able to withstand the Lakers' terrifying individual performances.
Not to mention, the Lakers also have Kobe on their roster right now, who hasn't been taking many shots and has been suppressing his offensive firepower!
When the Lakers are in top form, they never lack scorers; their offensive capabilities are overflowing and beyond their limits!
"Strictly speaking, the Lakers' roster is actually quite unreasonable. No team can use so many isolation specialists. In other words, if so many isolation specialists are gathered in one team, the team is likely to have internal conflicts."
During the break, Van Gundy couldn't help but comment on the Lakers again. He's commented on them countless times this season, but he still wanted to say something.
"The reason is simple: there aren't enough balls, enough stats, and enough shot attempts! How can a team have that many ball possessions and opportunities for its star players to go one-on-one?"
"But the Lakers did it. They achieved an amazing balance. They were able to play so harmoniously with such an unbalanced roster."
Miller laughed and said, "I bet you're going to praise Lin again!"
“Yes, I do want to praise Lin,” Van Gundy nodded. “But I want to praise more than just Lin.”
"First of all, Lin is the absolute core of this system and style of play. Without him, you can't expect any other point guard in the league to control the game, or distribute the ball so evenly and reasonably and satisfy everyone."
"Not to mention that Lin has sacrificed a lot of shot attempts this year. Judging from his performance this year, I think if Lin were allowed to play freely, he could definitely average 6-7 more points per game!"
"Lin's leadership in making sacrifices and taking the initiative to delegate authority is the most important reason why the Lakers have been able to maintain harmony and top-level competitiveness."
"No one else could do this but him."
"But I also want to praise Kobe and Durant. Both of them have given up and sacrificed a lot this year. They have changed their playing style and reduced the proportion of their ball-handling isolation plays."
"Simply put, this is a team that is willing to sacrifice everything for victory and the championship. Their cohesion and desire for the championship are beyond your imagination!"
Their success was inevitable.
As Van Gundy said, the Lakers' core players have seen a comprehensive decline in their statistics this year compared to their previous years.
Although Lin Tian broke the NBA record for assists per game, becoming the first player in NBA history to average 15+ assists per game in a single season, his scoring also fell below 20 points for the first time since his second season. Considering his explosive performances this season, everyone believes that he has toned down his firepower to average out his ball possession and stats.
Although the league has not yet awarded the prize, everyone is certain that Lin Tian, who averages 19.7 points, 15.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, will inevitably become another MVP with an average of less than 20 points per game after Nash!
Lin Tian's influence on the team is evident!
He's long past the stage where he needs to score points to help the team improve and win.
Besides Lin Tian, Kobe and Durant's average field goal attempts decreased by 3.7 and 2.9 respectively compared to last season, and their average points per game also decreased by 4.2 and 3.4 respectively compared to last season.
Their sacrifices were equally significant.
Including Bynum, a rising center, if he were to go to a team built around him and allowed to play freely, he would definitely have the opportunity to average 20+10 per game. But with the Lakers, Bynum is content to be the fourth option and accepts the fact that he only averages 11 points and 12 rebounds per game.
This Lakers team, though luxurious, is a team where everyone is making sacrifices.
This is the true source of their fighting power.
We've already sacrificed so much, if we don't go all out to win that damn championship, then all our sacrifices will be a joke!
We must win! We must win to the very end!
Even if our opponents also want to win, even if the Suns want a decent finish, even if the Suns fans hope to say goodbye to their home court with a victory.
The Lakers will absolutely not back down!
The bloody battle between the two sides continues.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers raised their defensive intensity and physicality significantly. They didn't treat this game as a final battle after taking a 3-0 lead; they treated it as a decisive Game 7 of the Finals!
They went all out. Kobe and Lin Tian started pressing Dragic and Nash from the backcourt, while Durant transformed into an omnipresent Spider-Man, running all over the court. You could always see Durant's shadow whenever the Suns were on offense.
The same goes for Barnes and Bynum; they all gave it their all and raised the intensity of their play!
But the Suns held on.
As a team mainly composed of veterans, having played in the Finals and won the championship, and having been established for many years, what kind of situation hasn't the Suns seen?
The Suns were neither afraid nor intimidated by the Lakers' relentless pressure and physical play.
Nash once again displayed his MVP spirit, dribbling the ball with difficulty to the frontcourt time and time again, passing the ball to his teammates to finish the game when it seemed like he was just one step away from a turnover.
His teammates, whether it was Garnett or Pierce, did not disappoint him and maintained their touch and form throughout.
Pierce seemed to have returned to his Celtics days, carrying the team single-handedly, as fierce as a hyena that hadn't eaten for three days.
Garnett also forgot that he was fighting for a contract for the new season. He stopped doing those sneaky stat-padding things, and he stopped thinking about getting more rebounds or assists.
Cover, keep covering!
Garnett's most frequent activity on the court was setting screens.
Pick and roll with the ball, double screen at the high post, screen without the ball...
In the fourth quarter, Garnett almost became a textbook example of screen setting. He was like a mobile and impenetrable wall, always appearing whenever his teammates needed him!
With three veterans giving their all, Gortat and Dragic naturally wouldn't hold them back.
Dragic is a natural big-game player; he enjoys and even revels in those kinds of games. While Gortat may lack some clutch attributes, he knows he can do his job well. He knows he can't steal the spotlight; his job is to rebound, defend, and finish plays with dunks. Gortat knows his task is simply to do those three things well.
Everyone should do their job and leave the rest to their teammates!
Lakers players are willing to sacrifice for each other, willing to forgo stats and shot attempts to become a global team.
The Suns players can completely trust their teammates and focus solely on doing their job.
This is a head-to-head battle between two of the best teams!
Although one of them is declining while the other is at the height of their power.
But this doesn't prevent both teams from unleashing the same incredible and immense energy at such moments!
The Suns' veterans won't give up easily, and the Lakers' players certainly won't hand over the victory!
With 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, Nash dribbled to the frontcourt once again. This time, he didn't call for any screens. Instead, he suddenly accelerated and drove forward, pushing past Lin Tian's defense all the way to the area just below the inbound line. Then, he suddenly stopped, pulled up, and lay back!
Nash jumped so high that his body was almost parallel to the floor. He used his signature move from back then, but has rarely used it in recent years due to a back injury.
Even Lin Tian was truly helpless in the face of this almost cheating shooting method.
This kind of shot selection, where you throw yourself out and almost certainly crash to the floor after shooting, is indeed difficult to defend.
"Shh!"
"Oh!"
A crisp sound followed by a muffled thud came one after the other.
That's the sound of a basketball going into the basket.
128: 132!
After this basket, the Suns' lead reached 4 points!
The sound behind him was Nash slamming heavily onto the floor. He had completely lost his balance after making his move and was utterly unable to control his body.
Nash lay on the floor, eyes closed, taking two deep breaths to make sure his back injury hadn't flared up. Then he opened his eyes, and what appeared before him was a large hand. Looking up, he saw it was Lin Tian.
That guy who defeated him countless times.
"The floor isn't cold, get up quickly." Lin Tian reached out and, without saying a word, pulled Nash up from the floor: "That shot was alright."
"I thought you would take this opportunity to launch a fast break." Nash was a man of emotion, and Lin Tian's gesture had touched him somewhat.
They were old rivals and old buddies who had faced off against each other countless times on the court. He never expected that Lin Tian would lend him a hand at this time.
That's what it means to cherish someone like someone.
Unfortunately, both of them are point guards, so it's really impossible for them to play on the same team.
"We did play, who said we didn't play fast breaks? I just didn't go." Lin Tianxia's words completely shattered Nash's last bit of feeling.
Not a single drop is left.
Because Nash had already seen Kobe rush to the basket, gliding through the air to avoid Garnett's block, and then sideways and thrusting the ball into the basket from the opposite direction.
The gap is still 2 points!
"Even being moved has its own context," Lin Tian said, raising his hand to slap Nash's butt. "We would never miss an opportunity like this."
"You really are a scumbag." Nash muttered, then quickly turned and ran, reaching the three-point line and taking the basketball from Dragic's hands.
"Come on!" Nash was completely fired up at this moment. Looking at the opponent in front of him, whom he rarely defeated and who had once thwarted him in the Finals, Nash dribbled between his legs twice in a row and then accelerated to break through again!
They still didn't ask for cover; they still wanted to handle the battle themselves!
Nash once again drove to the wing area, then suddenly stopped, turned around, looked for an opportunity, and then started again to try to shake off Lin Tianke, but to no avail.
Nash, blocked by Lin Tian, had no choice but to take a half step back, then accelerated forward again. After running only one step forward, Nash suddenly stopped and jumped, lying back as he was about to shoot the ball again.
"Are you ever going to stop?!" Lin Tian shouted, this time not standing directly in front of Nash.
This kind of shot is impossible to block from the front.
This time, Lin Tian stood to the side and slightly in front of Nash. He had obviously anticipated Nash's choice and changed his position in advance. Lin Tian jumped extremely high and came from the side. Even if Nash was at a negative angle to the ground, he couldn't escape Lin Tian's block.
In the midst of the crisis, Nash wanted to pass the ball, but after scanning the entire court in an instant, he found that none of his teammates had a chance to receive it.
His mind raced, and then he chose neither to shoot nor to pass the ball.
He landed directly on the ground while still holding the basketball.
Traveling violation!
A very obvious traveling violation, also known as jumping.
"Smart enough." Lin Tian didn't feel smug about his successful defense, but instead looked at Nash and praised him again.
This time, Lin Tian wasn't being sarcastic; he was serious.
If Nash had taken the shot, he would have been 100% certain to block it, then grab the ball and launch a counterattack. At that point, Nash would definitely be lying on the floor with no way back, and Gortat under the basket would also be unable to get back.
With Lin Tian's ability to advance, he can create at least a 4-on-3 fast break opportunity in the blink of an eye.
With finishing abilities like Lin Tian, Kobe, and Durant, a 4v3 situation would practically be handing points to them.
If Nash passes the ball, although it's not guaranteed to be a 100% turnover, the Lakers players have basically locked up their positions and occupied advantageous terrain. No matter who Nash passes the ball to, they have a chance to steal it and launch a counterattack.
The Suns are currently in the lead, so there's no need for them to risk a turnover that could allow the opponent to catch up on the fast break. It's completely unnecessary!
Stay calm! At this moment, the most important thing for the Suns is to stay calm.
Rather than forcing a pass and getting caught on the counter-attack, it's better to calm down, make an unforced mistake, and then defend a positional attack; you might just be able to hold on.
With 1 minute and 55 seconds left, the score is 130-132!
The Suns need to stay calm and composed.
They must hold onto their two-point advantage.
"Can the Suns hold on? The Lakers haven't called a timeout, and Lin has pushed the ball up again!" Van Gundy yelled. "Now, it's a real do-or-die moment; every possession could decide the game!"
"Let's see if the Lakers can pull off a comeback, or if the Suns can hold onto this tiny advantage!"
Lin Tian arrived at the top of the arc and passed the ball directly to Kobe. Kobe then passed it to Barnes, who passed it to Bynum. Bynum backed down Gortat, tried a couple of times but didn't think it would work, so he passed the ball back to Durant.
In the blink of an eye, all five Lakers players had touched the ball.
Even with their rapid passing, the Lakers still couldn't find an opportunity to launch an attack, demonstrating that the Suns' defense was at its highest level at this point.
They did their best even in things they weren't good at.
The veterans are truly burning their last bit of energy.
After several passes, the basketball finally came into Lin Tian's hands. He immediately accelerated and charged into the paint once again.
Garnett and Gortat immediately collapsed under the basket, surrounding Lin Tian from the left and right. Lin Tian then made a behind-the-back pass to Durant, who was left wide open.
Durant had already started his cut before he even got the ball, and after receiving it, he didn't hesitate at all, heading straight for the basket. At this point, the closer you are to the basket, the more confident you are!
Just as Durant was about to drive into the three-second zone, Nash, who had been left behind by Lin Tian, finally arrived. He took a step ahead and positioned himself with his feet just outside the three-second zone, standing firmly!
"Oh!"
With a thud, Nash and Durant collided head-on, both losing their balance and falling to the ground.
"Offensive foul!"
The baseline referee quickly issued a ruling: an offensive foul.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!" Nash lay on the floor, waving his hands wildly, celebrating his successful defensive positioning.
The player least skilled at defense helped the team in the final moments with his defense!
Nash was naturally excited, as were his teammates. Pierce even went so far as to lean in so close to Nash that his face was practically touching Nash's, and he was shouting wildly.
"It's okay, just be careful next time." The Lakers remained calm, and the whole team quickly retreated to their own half of the court. Lin Tian patted Durant on the butt to encourage him and help him relax.
"I'm fine." Durant nodded without saying much. He wasn't a rookie anymore, and he knew very well that at this moment, instead of feeling frustrated and blaming himself, it was most important to try his best to defend the play and make up for his mistakes!
The Suns didn't call a timeout. Nash dribbled slowly to the frontcourt. The current game situation was definitely in the Suns' favor!
Facing Lin Tian, Nash started to control the time. He carefully controlled the basketball, compressing the offensive time until the last 7 seconds, when Nash suddenly turned and started, trying to shake off Lin Tian.
But Lin Tian's defense wasn't so easy to get past. He knew Nash would start his offensive mode at this time, and he was prepared.
Seeing that his driving route was blocked, Nash did not hesitate at all and immediately passed the ball to Pierce on the wing.
Facing Barnes, Pierce suddenly accelerated with a crossover dribble after two consecutive probing steps. Although he is not as fast as he used to be and can no longer jump, his sense of rhythm is absolutely amazing, and it even feels like he has reached a state of perfection!
Pierce's slow but effective dribbling acceleration, combined with his experience, meant that just half a body length of space was enough for him to completely block Barnes behind him, preventing Barnes from getting back in front of him.
Pierce then took two more steps forward, firmly establishing his position, before calmly launching a shot similar to a floater, tossing the basketball towards the basket. (End of Chapter)