dognovel Chapter 444 The Celtics Targeted by Gladys!
Chapter 444 The Celtics Targeted by Gladys!
Durant is standing on the sidelines inbounding the ball.
Smart returned to the court with five fouls.
However, he no longer defended Wang Xiucheng, but instead followed Westbrook.
Jaylen Brown defends Wang Xiucheng.
After giving Jaylen Brown a push, Wang Xiucheng suddenly ran to the backcourt to receive the ball.
Jaylen Brown was positioned in the middle, with his hands raised high in an attempt to block the basketball's path.
Smart was also moving towards Wang Xiucheng, which left Westbrook all alone.
Durant then easily passed the ball to Westbrook.
Westbrook looked annoyed. "Does he think so little of me?"
He dribbled the ball straight past the center line and, before anyone could get close, Westbrook launched a three-pointer.
Bang!
The basketball hit the rim.
Westbrook's face darkened even more.
With no one guarding him and a wide-open shot, how did he manage to miss?
Claxton and Horford both reached for the ball, but Claxton, with his longer arms, ultimately grabbed the rebound.
While still in the air, Claxton looked towards the edge of the penalty area.
Wang Xiucheng had already crossed the halfway line. Smart was in front of Wang Xiucheng, and Jaylen Brown was on the side. Wang Xiucheng was almost surrounded.
There was still no one in front of Westbrook.
As soon as he landed, Claxton passed the ball to Westbrook.
Westbrook received the ball, a determined look on his face, and then shot another three-pointer.
Bang!
It hit the rim again.
And even the spot where it hit the rim was exactly the same!
Therefore, the ball bounces back to the same location.
Claxton grabbed the rebound again.
Horford, standing behind him, also had a dark expression on his face.
This time, Claxton didn't dare pass to Westbrook again, but instead passed to Wang Xiucheng, who had already entered the paint.
Westbrook has already missed two wide-open shots, and Claxton has no confidence in grabbing another offensive rebound.
Then, Claxton saw that after Wang Xiucheng received the ball, he didn't dribble but instead threw the ball outside.
Claxton's eyes narrowed as he saw Wang Xiucheng pass the ball to Westbrook!
So Claxton gritted his teeth, grabbed Horford with his dirty hands, and once again blocked Horford behind him, preparing to grab the rebound again.
The next moment, he saw the basketball in Westbrook's hand flying towards the basket.
Swish!
The ball went in!
Claxton looked at the basket in disbelief, then turned to look at Westbrook.
If you pass the ball yourself, you can't make the shot; but if Wang Xiucheng passes the ball, you can make it.
Are you acting like me?
Claxton released his entangled arms with Horford and started running back to the backcourt.
Westbrook was about to unleash another tirade against Jaylen Brown, who was standing idly by not far away, when Durant pulled him away.
Jaylen Brown's eyes, hidden beneath the black mask, glanced at Westbrook, then at Wang Xiucheng.
He himself had the same question as Claxton: why was Westbrook able to make the shot when the pass was from a different person?
Both are open spaces, both are in the same position, but the person passing the ball is different. Is there really such a big difference?
Jaylen Brown himself has never been teammates with Wang Xiucheng, so he cannot answer the question he posed.
But if you ask him to explain it himself, you can only say that Wang Xiucheng's pass was more comfortable than Claxton's, and Westbrook could shoot immediately after receiving the ball without having to adjust.
Perhaps it was these "comfortable catches" that unconsciously improved Westbrook's shooting percentage.
Top guards in the league have always had this ability. For example, if Nash and O'Neal both pass the ball, the shot percentage will definitely be higher after receiving the pass from Nash.
Don't ask, the answer is "top point guard"!
In Jaylen Brown's own view, his and Wang Xiucheng's physical attributes are almost identical.
Jaylen Brown is 198cm tall, has a wingspan of 213cm, and weighs 100kg.
According to Jaylen Brown, Wang Xiucheng's physical attributes are very similar to his own.
But Jaylen Brown couldn't understand why Wang Xiucheng could make passes that improved his teammates' shooting percentage, while he couldn't do the same.
This is also what he considers to be the constraint that prevents him from becoming a "top-level defender".
Seeing Smart coming with the ball, Jaylen Brown stopped thinking and started making runs.
By blocking Durant, Tatum created an open shot and immediately launched a three-pointer upon receiving the ball.
Swish!
The ball goes in!
Tatum clenched his fist and gave Jaylen Brown a high five.
With this basket, the Celtics narrowed the gap to 105-102, trailing by only 3 points.
Wang Xiucheng turned around and slowly ran forward, bringing Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart all to the center circle.
Westbrook received the ball without any hindrance and began to advance behind Claxton.
Westbrook passed the ball to Durant as soon as he crossed the midcourt line, and then ran towards the inside.
At the same time, Wang Xiucheng also ran towards the inside from the top of the arc.
The Celtics' interior defense instantly became crowded.
Neither Westbrook nor Wang Xiucheng are very tall, but when they get inside, they're as agile as eels.
When Wang Xiucheng came out of the paint, Westbrook and Claxton had already blocked Jaylen Brown and Smart.
Only Horford passively followed Wang Xiucheng to the outside.
Mazura suddenly cupped her hands into a megaphone and shouted, "Don't fall for his feints, don't..."
Mazura suddenly stopped talking halfway through her call.
Because it's no longer necessary.
With a "toot," Glacy's whistle rang out again.
Just as she finished making the valid three-pointer gesture, Gracie made a foul gesture for Horford.
At this moment, Wang Xiucheng was still sitting on the floor outside the three-point line.
Horford raised his hand and stood still.
Three-pointer scored!
And an additional penalty kick will be awarded.
Jaylen Brown, who was blocked inside the paint, did not run to the outside, but he still saw what happened.
Wang Xiucheng received a pass from Westbrook just outside the three-point line, then feigned a shot, which caught Horford off guard.
Then Wang Xiucheng jumped up a beat too late, and while shooting the three-pointer, he also drew a foul from Horford.
Holding Durant and Westbrook's hands, Wang Xiucheng stood up.
After high-fiving Durant and the others, Wang Xiucheng went to the free-throw line.
After receiving the ball from Gladys, Wang Xiucheng spun around and then took the free throw.
Swish!
The ball goes in.
A score of 4 was achieved.
The score became 109-102, with the Nets leading by 7 points.
The Celtics are on offense.
Smart passed the ball to Jaylen Brown, who stepped back and hit a three-pointer, drawing a foul on Westbrook in the process.
Jaylen Brown, who was sitting on the ground just like Wang Xiucheng had before, clenched his fist.
Swish!
Jaylen Brown also made the free throw.
Jaylen Brown scored 4 points, bringing the score difference back to 3 points.
And so, the two sides went back and forth until Nash called a timeout with three minutes left in the game, and the score difference between the two sides was still only two points.
Wang Xiucheng plopped down in the chair, stretching out his legs to relax, just like Durant did.
116:114.
The Celtics displayed their strongest willpower in this series, and even with Wang Xiucheng scoring 46 points, they were still unable to end the game prematurely.
For the Celtics, a loss in this game would mean the end of their season.
Therefore, Wang Xiucheng understood why they were so motivated tonight.
However, winning or losing a competition is not just about having fighting spirit.