readytorunbook Chapter 668 The Ultimate Skyhook Three-Pointer!
Chapter 668 The Ultimate Skyhook Three-Pointer!
102 is better than 97!
The Nets are still down by 5 points!
Westbrook excitedly flexed his biceps as he backed away.
Everyone wants to rest!
Carlisle immediately called a timeout.
Something's not right with the game!
From the time 3 minutes and 30 seconds ago, it's now been under two minutes and the Pacers still haven't scored a single point!
It wasn't a problem with shooting percentage; the Pacers didn't even get a chance to shoot.
It looked like just a steal and a timeout error.
But this is because the whole team suddenly lost their form.
In other words, this is because the team lacks a brain.
The impact of Halliburton's absence is particularly evident at this time!
The more crucial the moment of the game, the more the team needs a calm mind.
Clearly, Nemhard is not capable of doing that yet.
Even though he performed well most of the time, the gap between him and top guards was magnified infinitely in crucial moments.
Nemhard has already scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists tonight.
This is a figure that is comparable to that of Wang Xiucheng.
However, if you watch the game, you'll see that the gap between Nemhard and Wang Xiucheng cannot be reflected by simple statistics.
A prime example is Shepherd, who started at shooting guard tonight and only scored 3 points.
Isn't this his responsibility as the starting point guard?
Without further thought, Carlisle began to devise tactics, even though at this point, any tactics would be superfluous.
On the field, decisions are largely made by the team's strategist.
But if a brain isn't powerful enough, then the coach needs to do more to compensate for that brain, which isn't very large.
The game resumed quickly.
Nemhard dribbled the ball upfield and passed it to Siakam.
Siakam faked a shot, but Durant remained unmoved, so Siakam opted to take a contested three-pointer.
The ball slammed against the backboard with a thud and bounced off.
Towns and Turner were locked in a fierce battle, neither of them managing to jump, and Westbrook, who had wandered into the paint, snatched the ball.
Toppin, following Westbrook, positioned himself where Westbrook was turning, attempting to draw a foul on him.
However, Westbrook did not dribble the ball, but instead passed it to Dillon, who was in his line of sight.
Dillon took two steps with the ball and passed it to Wang Xiucheng, who had shaken off Nemhardt.
Wang Xiucheng quickly moved to the frontcourt and slowed down.
Knowing that Wang Xiucheng wanted to go one-on-one, Durant and his teammates pulled back to the baseline, clearing the court.
Nemhard is on high alert.
Wang Xiucheng turned his back to Nemhad and made a turning motion. Nemhad moved a step slightly and then realized he had been tricked.
Wang Xiucheng turned to another direction and broke through.
Nemhard could only turn around and run towards the inside, trying to block Wang Xiucheng's path.
However, after Wang Xiucheng entered the paint, he took a step back after receiving the ball.
Nemhard wasn't going all out; he was just trying to guard against Wang Xiucheng's move.
Seeing Wang Xiucheng step back after gathering the ball, Nemhard immediately took a step, then jumped up and reached out to cover Wang Xiucheng's head.
But Wang Xiucheng then took another step back before jumping off the floor.
At this point, Nemhard had already begun its descent.
Then a scene appeared.
Nemhardt fell, and Wang Xiucheng rose; the two passed each other like dancing musical notes!
With a whoosh, Nemhard felt the wind whipping up as the basketball flew over his head!
Swish!
Nemhardt had just landed when he heard the crisp sound of a basketball going through the net behind him.
Three-pointer, in!
Wang Xiucheng held up three fingers and waved them, but the next moment, he withdrew his hand and pointed at Uduka's wrist, reminding him again of the holiday he had promised everyone.
Udoka shook his head, feeling that his head coach's authority was not as great as a simple "vacation"!
102 is better than 100!
The Nets are now only down by 2 points.
At this point, only one minute remained.
"The King's time has come!"
The Pacers attacked again, but Turner's shot was disrupted by Towns and missed.
Durant got the basketball.
The Pacers didn't choose to foul, firstly because they were still in the lead, and secondly because fouling Durant wouldn't be very worthwhile.
If Westbrook has the ball, Turner will not hesitate to grab him and force him to take the free throws.
Durant took a few steps and saw that Wang Xiucheng had crossed the center line, so he kept his eyes on Wang Xiucheng.
Not only Durant, but the Pacers players were also watching Wang Xiucheng to prevent him from receiving the ball.
However, the expected scene of Wang Xiucheng turning around to receive the ball did not occur.
Wang Xiucheng didn't turn around, but suddenly accelerated and ran forward.
Durant immediately knew what Wang Xiucheng was up to.
The next moment, Durant threw the ball towards the basket.
He knew his long-distance passing accuracy couldn't compare to Wang Xiucheng's, but Wang Xiucheng had the ability to adjust, so all he had to do was throw the ball over.
Sure enough, Durant realized the shot was a bit too big as soon as he released it.
Wang Xiucheng shook off Nemhard and chased after the ball, but he only managed to control it just before it went out of bounds.
Although Nemhad was more than a step behind Wang Xiucheng, Wang Xiucheng didn't have a chance to shoot. So Nemhad took advantage of Wang Xiucheng controlling the ball and blocked his way behind him.
He was trying to prevent Wang Xiucheng from turning and shooting, since he was too close to the basket.
Instead of shooting, Wang Xiucheng dribbled the ball towards the sideline.
This caught Nemhard off guard, causing him to fall slightly behind.
When Wang Xiucheng's foot was already at the angle between the baseline and the sideline, Nemhad realized something was wrong!
Wang Xiucheng has a precedent of making a three-pointer from this absolute zero position!
So Nemhard immediately reached out to hug Wang Xiucheng, preventing him from making a move.
After all, the Pacers are only leading by 2 points. If Wang Xiucheng makes this shot, the Pacers will fall behind!
Nemhard's split-second decision was correct!
However, Wang Xiucheng seemed to have anticipated this, and he stretched out an arm and pushed Nemhard, giving Wang Xiucheng a little space.
It was this little bit of space that gave Wang Xiucheng time to lift his back foot and, using his front foot as a pivot, turn his body half a circle!
This half-circle range allowed Wang Xiucheng to throw the basketball in his other hand.
So, with one hand pushing against Nemhard, Wang Xiucheng used his other hand to hook the basketball over his head as he turned to the side!
Nemhard looked up as the ball, from this absolute zero position, traced an extremely high arc, flew over the top of the backboard, and plummeted towards the basket!
Swish!
A crisp sound rang out!
The net had just flown over the top edge of the rim when it plummeted and landed precisely in the basket!