Chapter 55 Who will win the game?

After returning from the timeout, Webber first relied on his personal ability to single out Walker and stabilize the morale of the team.

This fat monk was the most active when shouting slogans, but when he started playing the game, he was beaten to a pulp by Webber.

However, Zheng Yang didn't expect him to be able to stop the opponent. The guy just wanted to consume Weber and prevent him from scoring so easily.

The score difference returned to 11 points, and in the Mavericks' offensive round, "the team's second" Nowitzki also demonstrated his super offensive ability.

Even if Divac and Webber double-teamed him, he was still able to score the ball. This guy is 2.13 meters tall and has the advantage of mismatch whether he plays as a power forward or a center.

Those who are shorter than him cannot defend his shooting, those who are taller than him cannot defend his breakthrough, those who are lighter than him can use his back to chase into the penalty area, and those who are heavier than him can turn around flexibly and shake off their opponents.

It's a completely unsolvable existence!
In other words, the league wanted to promote Wade, otherwise Nowitzki would have won the championship as early as the 05-06 season, and his historical status would have been further improved.

Then the two sides entered into a tug-of-war. If you scored a goal, I would score a goal. If you didn’t score, I wouldn’t score either.

By the end of the third quarter, the gap was still 10 points.

Although 10 points is a considerable difference in this era, the offensive power displayed by the Mavericks in the third quarter made the fans at the scene believe that they still had a chance to win the game.

Barkley, who was sitting in the studio, finally looked relieved, while Pippen, who was sitting opposite him, looked at the text message sent by the president of TNT on his mobile phone, especially the last two words "add money", and finally made up his mind.

Then he sneered.

"Hey Charles, you didn't think the Mavericks could win this game? Wake up, the Kings are leading by 10 points.

They didn't let their guard down for even a second. This 10-point gap was enough to wipe out this game. Don't daydream, Charles."

"If you had said that to me half an hour ago, I would have supported you Scotty.

But it's too late now, the Mavericks have fully awakened in the third quarter, and they are now only 10 points behind, which is not an astronomical number.

Trust me, the Mavericks are going to win this game, I guarantee it."

……

The fourth quarter began quickly and the two teams started a new round of tug-of-war.

Both teams are strong on offense but weak on defense in the regular season, but when the playoffs come, they also begin to invest energy in defense.

"Defense wins championships" is an undeniable truth in the NBA.

Even though the Warriors later formed the "Death Five," they just didn't have a true center, but their average height was not short, and their defense was also among the best in the league.

After all, except Curry, everyone else on the team is a good defender.

When the Kings saw the score difference change from 10 points to 9 points, 8 points, 7 points, and then to only 6 points, the psychological pressure on the Kings suddenly increased.

They were already trailing the Mavericks 1-2, and in this game they were even leading by 20 points at most. If they still lost the game under such circumstances, I believe no player on the team would think they could still win this series.

Appropriate tension is a good thing, but when it is excessive, it will affect the player's condition.

For example, Mike Bibby felt his body gradually becoming stiff, and when he was dribbling the ball in the next round, the basketball hit his foot and flew out of bounds.

Nash scored a 2+1 in the next round, immediately narrowing the gap to three points.

The Kings called a timeout, and Rick Adelman noticed something was wrong with the players.

They walked to the sidelines dejectedly, especially Mike Bibby, who lowered his head and dared not look at Rick Adelman, with self-blame written all over his face.

At this critical moment, he actually made such a low-level mistake.

This is really inappropriate.

"Hey youngsters! Listen to me for a minute!"

Rick Adelman shouted, rubbing Mike Bibby's head as encouragement and comfort.

"I know what you're thinking, it's always frustrating to see our big lead being narrowed by our opponents.

But the game is not over yet. There are still four minutes left and we still have a 3-point lead. As long as we can hold on for the remaining four minutes, we can win.

We can equalize the score.

Children, don't be afraid, don't have any psychological pressure, just play freely and show your talents to the fullest.

You guys performed well enough tonight. If you really lose this game, then the reason is obviously me, and you don’t need to blame yourself for it. "

In the NBA, Rivers, the "essence of human reversal", is not the only one who can give inspirational speeches to his players at critical moments. Rick Adelman can do the same.

He knows that blaming and pressuring the players now will not make their performance better, but only worse.

The most important thing is to let them let go of their psychological burden and return to their previous state of playing.

Rick Adelman's speech moved everyone, especially his last sentence, which directly took the responsibility of the team on himself. If the team loses, he will definitely be criticized by the media.

Not every head coach can take on this responsibility. Some head coaches even blame the players for the team's defeat in post-match interviews.

"Don't worry, coach. We will definitely win the game."

Webber said with tears in his eyes that to other players, Rick Adelman might be just an ordinary coach, but to Webber, this man changed his career.

Who was the first coach Chris Webber met in his NBA career?
It was the Mavericks head coach Don Nelson at this moment!
The two met on the Warriors in the 93-94 season, but the story that followed was not a good one.

The young Webber was a little arrogant at the time. He refused to obey the advice and arrangements of old Nelson, and expressed his dissatisfaction with old Nelson intentionally or unintentionally on and off the court. The final result was that the master and apprentice were sent away by the Warriors one after another.

Webber came to the Kings and met Rick Adelman. They were like a thousand-mile horse meeting a good horse trainer, and they made each other successful in the following years.

Under the coaching of Rick Adelman, Chris Webber became one of the most perfect offensive initiators in the Princeton system. He then made the All-Star team for four consecutive times and snatched the honor of rebounding champion from Rodman, who had won the title seven times in a row, with an average of 13 rebounds per game.

Webber was also grateful to Coach Adelman for his ability to use talented players. He changed his previous unruly attitude and became a cornerstone of the team who devoted himself to the game, helping the team become one of the Western Conference championship teams.

Because of this, the relationship between the two was very strong. When Webber heard Rick Adelman's words, he was so moved that his eyes were filled with tears!
The coach whom he admired all his life, he remained unchanged!
He must win a victory for him!
Coach, please believe me!
After the timeout, both teams returned to the court. The Kings had adjusted their status and were ready for the final battle with the Mavericks.

The first offensive possession was for the Kings. After a fake pass, Chris Webber jumped high and then slammed the basketball into the basket.

He used this to vent his inner emotions.

No matter what happens today, he must win this game. In the subsequent defensive rounds, the Kings players also tried their best to defend. Nash couldn't find a good passing opportunity and had to shoot himself.

But the basketball hit the front of the basket and bounced away.

Everyone on the Kings tried their best to position themselves and protect the rebound.

Zheng Yang, who was originally standing at 45 degrees on the right side, took advantage of Doug Christie's full attention on the basketball and rushed to the inside in two steps.

Then he jumped up, and with a sufficient running start, he was able to fully demonstrate his jumping talent.

With his excellent jumping speed, Zheng Yang quickly jumped to the highest point, and with his super long arms span, he grabbed the basketball first.

Because the distance was too far, he couldn't dunk immediately.

So after landing, he dribbled one step and then jumped again. Divac came over in time and was ready to block Zheng Yang's tip-in.

But Zheng Yang made a pull-up shot in the air, threw the ball out of his left hand, and then made a layup.

Zheng Yang's left and right hands are very balanced. He has been paying attention to this since he was in his senior year of high school, and he also focuses on practicing his weak hand in his usual training.

Therefore, the left hand's finishing ability is no weaker than the right hand.

After scoring the shot, Zheng Yang also roared in celebration.

Come on, Sacramento Kings, let’s have the final battle!
There can only be one winner!
Don't try to beat us!

In the next round, since there was no good open position, Divac started to back down Nowitzki.

Although the latter is not as tall as him, he has a big physique. Divac failed to block it twice in a row and finally had to choose to jump shot.

The basketball spun twice in the basket but didn't fall in. Walker picked it up and threw it directly to Zheng Yang.

The latter quickly advanced with the ball, but the Kings retreated quickly and did not have any good fast break opportunities.

But Zheng Yang took advantage of the gap when Doug Christie failed to defend in time and made a three-pointer directly.

Before meeting Zheng Yang, old Nelson didn't like his team to shoot three-pointers in transition during fast break counterattacks, because sometimes 2 points can be scored steadily, so why pursue the illusory 3 points.

But after seeing Zheng Yang often make such transition three-pointers, he was no longer resistant.

No matter what method of scoring is used, whether it is popular or not, as long as it can go in, it is a good shot!
With Zheng Yang's 3-pointer, the difference between the two teams came to 2 points.

There is only one round left.

But the Kings were not as nervous and stiff as before. If the Mavericks can fight back, why can't we?

The ball was passed to Chris Webber again, and after his quick pass, it finally reached Mike Bibby who was cutting to the basket.

Why did the team trade White Chocolate before and trade him here?

It is because of his stronger scoring ability that he can perform better in the Princeton system.

The two teams continued to go back and forth, and finally managed to tie the game 1 minute before the end of the game.

Rick Adelman did not choose to call a timeout. He did not want to give the Mavericks a chance to play defense. He believed in his players and they would not let him down.

In the crucial rounds, the Kings still believed in their Princeton system, but as mentioned before, when the Mavericks ignored the physical loss and tried their best to defend, it was often difficult to create open opportunities.

With only 5 seconds left in the game, Chris Webber had no choice but to solve the problem by himself.

His mind unconsciously emerged again of his previous poor performances on key balls. Although this was not the winning ball, it was just as important.

As long as they score, at least they will be in the leading position, and most of the pressure on their shoulders will be immediately reduced.

Can he score the goal this time?

Rick Adelman stared at Chris Webber, his favorite disciple. How will he perform this time?

The one defending Weber at the moment was Fat Monk. He also knew the importance of this ball, so he put his elbow directly on his waist and tried his best to defend against the opponent's attack.

There was not much time left, so Webber did not waste too long. He made a few moves into the paint and then made a small hook shot.

Fat Monk tried his best to defend, but there was no way, he really couldn't stop the opponent's attack.

The basketball bounced on the rim again, but this time God was on the Kings' side and the basketball finally fell in.

The Kings were leading by two points, Chris Webber roared and beat his chest, he scored, and this time he didn't let down!
Old Nelson chose to call a timeout. There were only thirty seconds left in the offensive time. If he wanted to win the game, he had to score this goal.

Old Nelson chose to let Nowitzki carry out this attack. Although he prefers Zheng Yang as a player, from an objective point of view, Nowitzki's personal strength is definitely above Zheng Yang.

If the final attack is given to Nowitzki, the possibility of scoring will be greater.

Back on the court, the Kings' defensive focus was still on Nowitzki. Divac stared at him, and Webber on the side was ready to assist at any time.

On Zheng Yang's side, Doug Christie is still guarding him.

They were impressed by Zheng Yang's performance at the critical moment before, so they did not forget to defend Zheng Yang.

After the ball was passed to Nash, it was passed through a pick-and-roll and finally to Nowitzki.

At this moment, Nowitzki was at the free throw line. Webber, who was always ready to assist in defense, was a little hesitant whether to double-team him immediately. He was worried that Fat Monk would receive the pass and go straight for a layup.

While Webber was hesitating, Nowitzki had already rushed forward. Remember we said before that Nowitzki now prefers to play face-to-face.

At the critical moment, he still chose the way he liked.

Divac, who was passed by one step, had no choice but to commit a foul and grabbed Nowitzki, but the latter lost his balance and threw the ball into the basket.

Divac failed to achieve his goal, but instead allowed Nowitzki to make a 2+1.

Although Nowitzki made 10 of 7 free throws today, he still scored the ball steadily at this critical moment.

The Mavericks overtook by 1 point!
The Kings called a timeout and prepared to deploy the team's final attack.

　Sorry for posting late, I just finished writing it now
　　
　
(End of this chapter)