Chapter 1045
A Moment of Redemption! Saving the Team Using Methods He's Not Good At!
Got it!
The moment Pierce released the shot, he felt incredibly confident that it would go in!
But before he could even clench his right fist to celebrate his shot, a tall, slender figure rushed over from the other side.
Then he leaped high into the air, at an incredible height, and with one slap, blocked the basketball that Pierce had just thrown!
Durant!
On the Lakers, apart from Durant, no one else has a height of 210 cm, a wingspan of 225 cm, and an amazing jumping ability.
Only by having so many weapons at the same time can one block Pierce's seemingly inevitable throw at this moment!
Even Lin Tian and Kobe, the two of them can bite, can play one-on-one, can help defend, and can steal the ball anywhere.
But even these two guards couldn't win this pure contest of sheer talent and sheer height.
That's almost the height of the top edge of the backboard.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, the basketball flew towards the basket and then flew back to the basket. Durant's slap was both accurate and ruthless, sending the basketball flying directly towards the half-court area.
Lin Tian reacted incredibly quickly. The instant Durant blocked the shot, he had already discerned the ball's trajectory and speed, and immediately turned and accelerated, sprinting towards the frontcourt.
Just as he was about to cross the center line, the basketball came right in front of him, which Lin Tian grabbed and charged towards the frontcourt.
No one can catch up; everyone can only watch.
He left everyone else in the dust!
"boom!"
Then a loud bang was heard, and Lin Tian completed another gliding dunk, adding 2 more points for the team!
132: 132!
The score is tied!
1 minute and 07 seconds left!
The Suns had no choice but to request a timeout.
Their 4-point lead vanished as the Lakers tied the game.
The good news is that they still have possession of the ball, and they still have a little bit of initiative left.
"Exciting! That last minute or so was definitely the most exciting minute of this year's playoffs so far!" Van Gundy said. "Both sides had some brilliant performances and moments, and both sides played some exhilarating rounds!"
"That's right!" Miller said. "More importantly, both of these teams are known for their offense, and are considered the two most offensively potent teams in the league, but they just fought a defensive battle!"
"Lin's one-on-one defense against Nash, the offensive fouls Nash drew, and Durant's incredible blocks! Three seemingly certain offensive plays were thwarted by even more perfect defense! Two offensively-oriented teams, yet they ultimately won through defense!"
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
“I think it was more of a redemption battle than a defensive battle!” Jackson added. “Nash saved the team by drawing an offensive foul after being completely shut down by Lin.”
"Then Durant bravely helped defend after Nash drew an offensive foul, blocking the Suns' lead with a shot."
"Nash and Durant both redeemed themselves in ways that weren't their signature style! Tonight's game was truly spectacular, with so many stories to tell and discuss."
As the commentators spoke, both teams' players returned to the field.
The final 67 seconds decide life or death.
Or rather, it will decide the fate of the Suns!
The ball was passed directly to Pierce, who caught it at the top of the arc, about 2 meters from the three-point line, and then waved to signal all his teammates to spread out for him.
There was plenty of time, and the Suns weren't behind, so Pierce wasn't in a hurry at all. He calmly waited for his teammates to be fully in position before suddenly dribbling and accelerating to start the attack.
Then Nash suddenly appeared next to Pierce and provided cover for him.
Barnes kept looking around, keeping an eye on the opponents' positions, and was always on the lookout for someone from the Suns to come up and screen for him. But after looking around, he never thought that it would be Nash coming up to screen for Pierce.
So this was completely unexpected for him, and he was completely blocked by Nash, unable to react at all.
"Change!"
In the midst of the crisis, Lin Tian acted decisively, shouting as he took over the defense against Pierce. If he didn't switch defense quickly, Pierce would be a real problem if he drove to the basket.
"You think you can stop me?" Pierce saw the switch and quickly turned around to block Lin Tian from the side to prevent him from stealing the ball.
"I've blocked you 783 times, you piece of trash, have you ever scored a point against me? Hmm?" Lin Tian said as he frantically increased Pierce's strength, his body almost completely hanging on Pierce. The guy tried to get past Lin Tian twice with a spin move, but failed.
Seeing that he couldn't gain an advantage over Lin Tian, Pierce passed the ball directly to Nash. The moment Nash received the ball, Garnett rushed over. After another cross screen, Nash accelerated and drove to the basket!
Although Barnes was blocked by Garnett, he did not give up. Instead, he quickened his pace and tried to catch up with Nash again. But what experience did Nash have?
After noticing Barnes chasing closely behind him out of the corner of his eye, the old fox suddenly slowed down without making a sound, then abruptly stopped, creating a rear-end collision scene!
Barnes, in his haste to catch up with Nash, failed to brake in time and crashed into Nash. At the same time, Nash launched a floater, throwing the ball toward the basket.
Then he was knocked to the ground by Barnes, who couldn't control his body, and the two of them fell to the ground at the same time.
"Shh!"
"Dudu!"
These sounds were enough to make all the Phoenix fans cheer.
2+1!
A crucial 2+1 play that could change the course of the game!
"Beautiful! Brilliant! Calm! Perfect!" Van Gundy uttered four words in quick succession to describe his delight with this attack.
That was amazing!
"Great pass, beautiful screen, and the final shot was a pinnacle of skill and experience!" Miller also gave this play extremely high praise: "The Suns' tactics in this play were truly breathtaking!"
"From the reverse pick-and-roll between positions 1-3, to Pierce deliberately mismatching and drawing Lin away, allowing Nash and Garnett to run a second pick-and-roll, it was all quite amazing! The Suns remained calm and maintained their usual level of play at this point in the game!"
"What moved me even more was who executed that play," Jackson continued. "Pierce, Garnett, Nash! At that moment, these three brought out their best and executed such a beautiful play."
"If the Suns can win tonight, this play will definitely go down in their careers and be remembered again and again."
At the free-throw line, Nash had already completed his preparatory actions of licking the soles of his shoes and blowing kisses, then he took a deep breath and calmly released the free throw.
"Shh!"
132: 135!
With 47 seconds left, the Suns regained a 3-point lead! They once again firmly grasped the opportunity in their hands.
Jackson called a timeout immediately after Nash made the free throw; it was the last minute and he needed to make some adjustments.
"Two or three points are fine, even if we play a little slower, it's okay. We have plenty of time. The only important thing is the success rate! Remember this, you must remember this."
"As for tactics, Lin receives the ball at the top of the arc, the other four players spread out, Kobe and Kevin stand on the two wings, Andrew waits for an opportunity under the basket, and Matt stands on the left corner waiting for an opportunity to cut."
"Then, Lin, you decide how to play. Whether to score or shoot, whether to shoot or go in, it's up to you."
"What a lazy fellow," Lin Tian couldn't help but complain. "You've told Phil to handle this himself at least 80 times."
"Nonsense, we don't have that many crucial moments," Jackson said dismissively, squinting his eyes. "Besides, isn't this the most suitable way for you to play, maximizing your talent and adaptability?"
"That's not entirely wrong," Lin Tian said. "After all, I'm the first in history."
"FUXX!" Kobe cursed. "You better not pass me the ball later. I'm afraid I'll deliberately miss. I've never seen such a hateful bastard as you." "Then I won't pass it to you, Kevin. Can you make it?" Lin Tian looked at Durant.
"Huh? Me? This..." Durant was stunned. What does it have to do with me if you two gods are fighting?
"I'm just asking you if you can get in, and if you want to atone for that offensive foul you just committed."
"I can make it!" Durant nodded firmly without hesitation this time, saying, "I can!"
"Then you'll take the next shot. After everyone's in position, come over and screen for me, break up the defense, and then I'll pass the ball to you. Lin, you decide how to play – whether to pass, shoot, or drive. It's up to you."
"I feel like I've heard that before?" Durant, being an honest man, scratched his head to indicate that he seemed to recognize the words.
"I copied it from a shameless person," Lin Tian said shamelessly. "Let's go, get ready to score the greatest goal of your career!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, the timeout was almost over, and the Lakers' starting five returned to the court.
With 47 seconds left, Durant stood on the sideline to inbound the ball, while the other four Lakers players lined up in a row, exactly the Starburst play that Jackson loved.
With a whistle from the referee, the basketball came to Durant's hands, and the four Lakers players immediately exploded like a nebula, running in four completely different directions. As for Lin Tian, he first ran towards the basket, and then suddenly changed direction and stopped abruptly in the free throw area.
He made a reverse run and ran back beyond the three-point line, and Durant's pass instantly reached Lin Tian's hands.
It's really difficult for the Suns to prevent the Lakers from even getting the ball inbounded by relying on their defense.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian was still facing Nash. He waved for everyone to move aside and chuckled, "You guys really have no other tricks up your sleeve? Why not bring in someone who fouls harder, and then let you play when you're on offense?"
"Our coach obviously doesn't like those trivial things. Enough talk, let's get started!" Nash lowered his center of gravity and prepared himself. He knew very well that if he were to defend this ball, Lin Tian would almost certainly choose to go one-on-one, so he had made up his mind that he definitely couldn't stop him.
My bottom line is to bet on 3 points. No matter what, I can't let Lin Tian take a 3-point shot, and I can't let him tie the game with a 3-pointer.
As for the 2 points, give them to him!
It's in! The Suns will have another possession. If they can score, everything will be fine.
Nash's plan was quite reasonable. For an offensive team, at this point, the most reliable weapon is always their own offense.
For a team like the Lakers that relies heavily on isolation plays, at this point, they will definitely trust their own one-on-one skills the most!
With 14 seconds left on the shot clock, Lin Tian waved for Durant to set a screen. Nash hadn't expected Lin Tian to specifically ask for a screen when he was attacking him, so he was completely blocked by Durant and had no strength to keep up with Lin Tian.
"Change!"
With a loud shout, Nash stopped Durant from driving into the paint, while Garnett immediately followed up with Lin Tian, trying his best to prevent him from scoring.
This time, Lin Tian didn't advance towards the inside. Instead, he quickly dribbled laterally to create space, keeping himself and Garnett away from Durant. Then, Lin Tian passed the ball to Durant at the top of the arc.
Durant received the ball and didn't hesitate at all. He immediately accelerated, passed Nash in one step, and drove into the paint in the blink of an eye. After jumping, he dodged and pulled away from Gortat's defense in the air and made a layup!
134:135!
One point short!
The last 30 seconds!
"quick!"
After Durant forcefully beat him and scored 2 points, Nash immediately waved and shouted. Dragic understood what the old captain meant, quickly went to the baseline, took the ball, and immediately inbounded it. Nash received the ball and immediately dribbled past half-court.
But Lin Tian, who was still far away from him, reacted faster. Lin Tian had a premonition that the Suns might take advantage of the situation to speed up their attack before Durant even got past Nash to make a layup. He quickly chased back and retreated, blocking Nash's path of attack in the first instance.
Knowing he couldn't take on Lin Tian one-on-one in this situation, Nash immediately passed the ball to Pierce, who was next to him. However, Pierce also had Kobe by his side, and Kobe reacted just as quickly, covering Pierce.
The Suns' fast break was shut down by the Lakers before it could even take shape.
But Pierce didn't give up completely. After a slight pause, he passed the ball forward again, this time with a very large lead, in a direction where there were no players at all.
But just before the mistake, an orange figure arrived in a flash, and Dragic completed a sprint from the baseline to the frontcourt, grabbing the ball before anyone else could react.
At this point, he actually had a huge chance to score 3 points.
But Dragic did not make a move.
With the Suns leading by one point, there was really no need to gamble on a three-pointer at this point; it was pointless and too risky. Dragic didn't shoot, but he didn't hesitate either.
Taking a three-pointer is too risky, but what if you drive straight into the paint and dunk?
There is absolutely no risk involved.
Dragic charged towards the Lakers' basket at full speed. He estimated that no one could catch him at this point, and that the two points would be his for the taking.
But as everyone knows, at times like these, things are bound to go wrong if nothing unexpected happens!
Lin Tian!
At this moment, it was naturally Lin Tian's turn.
As Dragic charged toward the basket, Lin Tian once again transformed into a superhero, shaking off Nash and heading straight for the basket.
Dragic clearly hadn't expected Lin Tian to arrive so quickly and accurately, especially since Lin Tian had already gathered the ball and jumped when Dragic spotted him, and the ball was even about to be released.
Asking him to find a teammate and pass the ball at this point is clearly something he can't do.
While in the air, Dragic tried to dodge Lin Tian by hovering and gliding. He leaned back as much as possible, trying to adjust the angle and timing of his attack to avoid the block.
Unfortunately, he was inferior to Lin Tian in every aspect, including height, weight, jumping ability, and wingspan.
His dodges not only failed to get him out of Lin Tian's defense, but also made Lin Tian's block look even more like a god descending to earth.
Lin Tian, like a god, stretched out his limbs, waiting to block the basketball in Dragic's hands. Dragic, on the other hand, resembled a brave man who overestimated himself and challenged a god. But at this moment, Dragic did not have the protagonist's halo.
What awaited him was not a comeback or an underdog victory.
What awaits him is utter destruction!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Dragic's shot, which he had no choice but to take, was practically handed to Lin Tian, as Lin Tian slapped it back.
And the speed and force of pulling back are even faster and more powerful.
With a muffled thud, the basketball hit the floor and bounced high into the air.
When Lin Tian blocked the shot, he clearly adjusted the angle of his shot, and this time the basketball bounced almost straight up and down after hitting the floor.
After landing, Lin Tian didn't even jump or move again. He stretched out his hands, waiting for the basketball to return to his arms.
Meanwhile, Dragic had already fallen to the floor in a very disheveled state.
There are 22 seconds left in the game!
The Lakers will have almost a full offensive window to get everything sorted out!
Miller roared, "Great block! A game-changing block! From Lin! From the oldest player on the court, Lin! He knocked Dragic to the ground with a Rocky Mountain-like block!"
"What will the Lakers do if they're down by one point?" Van Gundy asked.
Jackson then quickly noticed the Lakers' decision: "No timeout! In the final moments, the Lakers chose to trust their players and didn't call a timeout! This makes perfect sense, after all, they are definitely the best team in the league at making clutch plays and the most qualified to let their players decide how to play the final possession!"
"Can they hit the game-winning shot? Will this be the last play tonight? Will this be the last play of this series?"
"If you shoot a three-pointer, none of us can catch up with you." There was still plenty of time, so Lin Tian didn't rush to launch an attack. He quickly took a shot to see if he could make it.
If he can't get in, he'll foul immediately to leave himself an escape route; that's completely out of his style. (End of Chapter)