NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 449: Collapse of Will (6000 words chapter)
On Saturday, May 2006, 5, at the American Airlines Arena, the game was forced to be suspended again as Jason Williams and Raja Bell fell out of the sideline while scrambling to save the ball.

Plagued by tendinitis, Jason Williams has been in and out of form all season, but the Heat have no one who can replace him.

The arena suddenly became noisier as the main point guard limped toward the bench with a look of pain on his face.

Raja Bell was also grinning, and there seemed to be some problems with his right calf. The Heat had tried their best in the last quarter, and their movements were getting bigger and bigger.

With 4 minutes and 8 second left in the fourth quarter, as Wade missed his shot, O'Neal stepped up in time and the fat man scored 01 points in a row to help the team keep the game going.

O'Neal returned to the bench panting heavily, feeling a little regretful. If Jason Williams had made the open three-pointer just now, they would have overtaken the score.

Noticing that the team doctor shook his head slightly, O'Neal showed disappointment on his face and couldn't help but curse. He didn't dare to trust his teammates to come on as a substitute at the critical moment.

Although he recruited Payton, the old guy's condition is not very good and is not suitable for the current high-intensity games.

"Guard the next round, continue to double-team, move, hold on!"

Pat Riley, who was sitting in front of everyone, had already torn off his tie. He couldn't imagine the post-match public opinion after losing this game. They had too many free throws and would be endlessly ridiculed for losing.

Noticing Wade's confused look, the greasy-haired boss ignored the emotions of his teammates, patted the tactical board, and encouraged loudly:
"There's no time to think too much. We're only down by two points and this is the American Airlines Arena."

"Believe in yourself, keep attacking, and put the ball in the basket!"

Looking at the nervous championship coach in front of him, O'Neal was a little dazed for a moment, and he suddenly recalled his championship with the Lakers.

At that time, Li You on the opposite side brought Hill who had not completely corrected his playing style, Gasol in the interior was particularly green, and Artest would be affected by the whistle and his mood.

Now next to him is Wade, a third-year player. The team also has many veterans. O'Neal, who has been silent recently, suddenly spoke up, staring at Wade and said in a deep voice:

"Don't think too much about it. You know, we need you now."

The 34-year-old Shark has lost some weight in the past two years, but he is still a fat man. If he were not gifted, he would have been exhausted after playing for 35 minutes tonight.

The free throws truly reflected O'Neal's physical condition. He is no longer young. In the last few minutes, O'Neal made it difficult for him to attack efficiently.

Wade came back to his senses and looked at the serious expression of his big brother. He could only nod his head. Haslem on the side also stood up and kept clapping to encourage his teammates:

"Let's go! One more goal and we can tie the score!"

At this point in the game, facing the Knicks' deep lineup, the Heat's only theoretical advantage is their desire for victory.

The assistant coaches and Pat Riley both gave out some chicken soup, saying that tactics were secondary, after all, most of the rounds were to give the ball to the core players.

Hubie Brown, on the ESPN commentary booth, noticed that Artest, who had five fouls, and Hill, who had already reached his scheduled playing time, had not yet appeared on the court, and could not help but comment in surprise:
"It's a bold move to use Derek Fisher again at this time. It can be seen that coach D'Antoni is full of confidence."

92:90, the Knicks are still leading.

D'Antoni was standing on the sidelines with his arms folded, occasionally communicating with the linesman. Although the smile was no longer on his face, the man with a mustache was still emotionally stable.

Old Fish jumped up and down to stretch his body, preparing to catch the ball at the baseline. He looked at Payton behind him, curled his lips, and after catching the ball, he rushed forward with his head down, holding the ball in his left hand.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers from the defense, Payton worked particularly hard, constantly sliding and engaging in physical confrontation.

Fisher protected the ball sideways at the Logo position and moved to the left wing with his butt sticking out. At the same time, Li You came to the bottom of the basket and accelerated outwards under the pull of Wade.

At the free throw line, Dio made a simple screen to delay Wade briefly. As Fish turned around and made a short pass, Li You successfully caught the ball at the top of the arc.

The timeout seemed to ease Wade's nervousness. While guarding his right hand, he called on Payton to help with the double-team.

Without much instruction from his teammates, Payton ran to Li You's side along with the basketball. With two people double-teaming him in advance, Li You immediately moved sideways to the right with the ball in his right hand.

Lowering the center of gravity, as Li You leaned forward and accelerated, Wade and Payton followed and moved to the left rear.

After crossing the three-point line, Li You suddenly stopped, turned around quickly, switched to his left hand and accelerated horizontally again. Payton almost lost his defensive position and hurriedly pulled him secretly.

When Wade tried to cooperate with his teammates to complete the encirclement again, Li You, who had gained half a body position, made a short pass horizontally.

On the left wing, Fisher was still unguarded. He made no adjustments after receiving the ball. He ignored Payton who was defending from the side and made a decisive jump shot!

"Oh!"

Amid the exclamations of the fans, the basketball drew a huge arc and finally went into the net. Old Fish watched Payton fall to the ground beside him and beat his chest and screamed, then followed the opponent to the baseline.

When he crossed the midline, seeing the old fish in front of him rolling up his shorts, showing his defensive qualities, Payton yelled angrily:
"What the hell!"

Wade was never able to shake off Li You beside him, and in the end it was O'Neal who created a chance for him to receive the ball with his tough screen.

Wade slipped across the baseline from right to left, and when he caught the ball near the left sideline, Li You, who was delayed, also caught up.

The opportunity for a jump shot was fleeting, and Wade finally chose to take a tentative step again.

"Let's go Heat!."

Most of the Heat fans at the scene stood up and shouted loudly. Wade noticed that Li You intentionally let go of his right hand, so he simply let go of the ball and accelerated to break through.

Leaning against the defense, Wade lowered his center of gravity, took two big steps and immediately dribbled the ball behind his back, got into the blocking position, switched to his left hand, and tried to continue breaking through.

Wade suddenly stopped and started, trying to accelerate again and bumped into Li You. The two collided, and Wade slowed down and leaned back slightly, then he put all his strength into trying to force an attack on the basket.

After completing the screen, O'Neal moved to the lower right side of the basket. Seeing Wade reluctantly attacking, he hurriedly rushed to the basket, ready to grab the frontcourt rebound.

Near the paint area at the lower left side of the basket, Wade suddenly took a big cross step back and finally got rid of Li You with a dancing-like sway.

The moment the basketball returned to his right hand, Wade took advantage of the situation to pass the ball, and facing Li You's defense, he tried to raise the ball for a fake shot.

Li You, who came up to defend again, seemed to be prepared. Wade just raised the ball to his chest, quickly cut the ball with his right hand, and slapped the ball away.

This offense and defense happened right in front of the baseline referee. There was no whistle, and the American Airlines Arena suddenly became quiet.

Wade, who tried to steal the ball on the spot, was unable to get the basketball back. Hearing the jeers and shouts from the Knicks bench, he couldn't hold it in for a moment and slapped his thigh in frustration.

"It looks like the conference finals is your ceiling!"

Li You, who was defending, looked relaxed and even had the mood to tease Wade who was furious beside him.

After shouting "Shut up", Wade was not paying attention and was slightly staggered by Li You's sudden stop and dribble.

"Defense!."

The defensive cheers became much quieter. Seeing Li You speeding to the right wing, Pat Riley on the sidelines hurriedly shouted to O'Neal who was following him.

Gasol had just reached the three-point line when Li You suddenly threw the ball to his teammate. After completing the pass, he swayed his body to the right front and then suddenly ran back sideways.

The moment Wade was thrown away, Gasol passed the ball with a low hand, then turned around and accelerated, running towards the right blocking area.

Wade realized that something was wrong and slid desperately to defend him. O'Neal also completely gave up on the positional defense and rushed straight towards Li You.

However, the position where the ball was received was still some distance from the three-point line. Although the fat man jumped up and blocked the shot, he could only make symbolic defense and watched Li You take the ball and throw it.

"Bang!"

"Incredible range from Lee, hitting from 28 feet!"

The exaggerated shooting distance made Mike Breen scream at the top of his lungs, while the Heat fans in the front row stared at Li You who was making a gun gesture with his right hand with their eyes wide open. How could this go in?

Hubie Brown almost laughed bitterly. This exaggerated shot completely changed the Heat's defense. He really couldn't think of how to deal with it, so he could only continue to praise:

"It seems that Lee has found his touch again. This is a really confident shot."

98:90, Pat Riley requested a timeout again. The score difference was already hopeless.
Wade, who returned to the bench, seemed to have not come to his senses yet and was still in a daze. O'Neal became silent again and could not withstand any free throws.

"Move, attack the basket! Don't hesitate, we have enough time!"

At this time, Pat Riley wanted to go on the court and play himself, and loudly reminded his players not to forget their advantages tonight.

Encouraged by a lot of chicken soup, the Heat returned to the court and attacked again. Wade bounced out from the middle and then released the ball with his right hand and broke through.

Wade spun around in the paint and almost bumped into Gasol's arms when he got to the basket. Li You cut the ball again and the referee blew the whistle.

D'Antoni continued to complain to the referee on the sidelines, and the referee gave Wade two more free throws before he had fouled out.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, O'Neal quickly called everyone to hold a small meeting, and when Wade stood on the free throw line, cheers rang out again in the stadium.

To the fans' regret, Wade missed the second free throw, the rebound was secured by Gasol, and they were still trailing by 7 points.

"Defense!."

Amid the defensive cheers that resounded throughout the arena, Payton worked hard to defend Fisher, who simply walked across half court with his butt sticking out.

Near the right baseline, Li You shook off his arms and accelerated from right to left across the baseline. Wade, who was trying hard to defend, was briefly delayed by Gasol, but he did not lose his defensive position. Receiving the pass near the left sideline, facing Wade who was defending closely, Li You first raised the ball behind his head, and then noticed that no one was defending, and immediately swept the ball from left to right, released the ball with his right hand, and forced his way to the basket.

Almost being squeezed past again, Wade gritted his teeth and slid, and the moment he approached the paint area, facing O'Neal who came up to assist in defense under the basket, Li You suddenly turned around.

He wanted to pass the ball to Gasol under the basket, but found that Haslem, who was guarding the right corner, had already assisted in defending the inside.

Surrounded by many people, Li You, who was close to the basket, turned around, stretched out his right arm, and then swung the ball hard, and the basketball flew straight to the right corner.

After receiving the ball, Dio noticed that Li You accelerated his movement and did not choose to shoot. Instead, he put the ball in his left hand and dribbled forward two steps.

Haslem wanted to continue defending, but he bumped into Dio who was passing the ball between his legs.

When Li You ran to the right corner and caught the ball easily, some members of the Heat's atmosphere group pointed at the sideline and shouted, while others began to cover their faces.
Seeing Li You's calm jump shot, the American Airlines Arena fell silent again, leaving only Mike Breen in the commentary booth shouting excitedly:
"Lee! God!"

"He hits another three!"

101:91, as the basketball went into the net, D'Antoni on the sidelines raised his arms high and the Knicks bench was filled with jubilation.

Wade, standing under the basket, was completely confused. He made another mistake and the score difference reached double digits.

O'Neal patted his partner on the shoulder twice, and Payton, who was about to receive the ball, kept high-fiving, trying to encourage his teammates. Fisher, who squeezed in next to him, took the opportunity to make sarcastic remarks:
"Ball don't lie!"

Looking at the old fish who was shaking his head and gloating, Payton almost elbowed him directly. The two glared at each other. After the baseline ball was sent out, the Heat involuntarily began to speed up.

The uniform cheering disappeared again, and the past memories resurfaced in the minds of many Miami fans. They seemed to have been losing in the playoffs.

Wade started from the basket and with the help of O'Neal's screen near the left baseline, he bounced out to the left wing again.

Payton's pass was very timely. After receiving the ball, Wade seemed to feel that he had gotten rid of the defense. Facing Li You who was moving his feet, he swayed right and left, trying to break through with a cross step.

As Wade released the ball with his left hand, Li You suddenly increased his stride, accelerated and jumped out, successfully predicting the opponent's offensive choice, and poked the ball away with his right hand again.

Wade reacted quickly, but due to his declining physical strength, he was unable to recover the ball. After a pull, the ball was still picked up by Li You near the right sideline.

Screams were heard again, and Pat Riley yelled to remind Wade that he had committed a foul, but the two of them still tangled together and rushed across half court.

Nearing the right wing, Li You made a big move behind his back and switched the ball to his left hand. While moving, Wade barely twisted his body and continued to grit his teeth to chase and defend.

As if wanting to make up for his mistake, Wade never committed a foul. Instead, he waited until the two of them rushed into the paint area together, saw the opportunity, and jumped high to try to block the shot!
Right in front of the basket, Li You jumped up with both feet. When he flew into the air, he noticed that Wade in front of him had stretched out his right arm, so he simply grabbed the ball with both hands and held it behind his head.

The two bodies collided in the air, and a powerful force hit them from the front. Wade's eyes widened, but he still raised his right arm.

Seeing Li You dunking the ball with both hands in a reverse "C" shape, the Heat fans who stood up to watch the game behind the basket subconsciously covered their mouths.
"OH——!"

The two people in the commentary booth exclaimed in surprise. The moment the ball went in, the basket exploded. Wade, who was raising his right arm in the air and began to fall, was knocked across the baseline.

The moment he fell horizontally on the floor, Wade's mind went blank, and then he slid to the camera under the basket.

On the Heat bench, the atmosphere team watched Li You grab the basket with both hands and float around. Everyone couldn't help but hold their heads in their hands, and the American Airlines Arena became quiet again.

When Li You fell to the floor, referee Joe Crawford found that the basket was crooked and was stunned for a moment. The other two referees surrounded Wade.

Seeing the Heat staff rushing into the venue, Li You scratched his head subconsciously and pulled the corner of his mouth awkwardly. Before he could see his opponent, the stretcher had already entered the venue.

"God, Wade seems to be unconscious!"

Mike Breen shouted in disbelief, and Hubie Brown beside him also felt his scalp tingling. This scene was really rare:

"It's unbelievable how powerful Lee's impact was. The game had to be suspended and the staff had to replace the basket."

The arena returned to its noisy atmosphere. As Wade was carried out unconscious, applause gradually broke out in the arena, followed by huge boos.

"Guys, this is not what I wanted!"

Noticing that O'Neal and the others were looking at him as if he were an alien, Li You helplessly spread his hands and turned to walk towards the bench.

Artest showed no sympathy for his opponent. He looked at the basket that had been taken down and excitedly said to Li You who had returned to his seat:

"How did he do that? That's crazy. I swear, no one will risk blocking Lee's dunk in the future!"

Hill was also stunned. Fortunately, the rebounds were upgraded. He suspected that Li You could break the basket. This was the first time he saw this happen to a guard:
"It seems that there is no suspense in the series. If it is a concussion, Wade will not be able to return to the team the day after tomorrow."

Hearing Hill's words, everyone's faces showed joy. As division champions, they made it to the finals again!
D'Antoni let out a long sigh, four consecutive championships were beckoning him. Looking at Li You who was replenishing water, the mustache guy's desire to curry favor with someone even stronger. He just liked to win without doing anything!

The staff was still replacing the basket. The Heat bench was unusually quiet. Pat Riley said nothing, folded his arms, and stared at the scoreboard behind the basket.

103:91, the score difference is still within the catchable range, but the Heat lacks their offensive core.

O'Neal and Payton drank their drinks in silence. Only Haslem stood in front of everyone, high-fiving and encouraging loudly:

"We still have a chance, Shaq is still here, don't give up, it's dangerous!"

"."

No one responded, only Jason Williams stood up and said he wanted to return to the court.

After the fourth quarter resumed, the atmosphere at the American Airlines Arena was depressing. The Knicks' main lineup returned, and some fans quietly left the arena as they watched O'Neal have difficulty catching the ball.

The score went in and out, Payton missed an open jump shot on the left wing, and the long rebound was picked up by Li You at the free throw line, and boos resounded throughout the arena again.

Looking at Payton pulling him in front of him, Li You dribbled across half court and immediately threw the ball to Gasol in the right blocking area.

When his teammate received the ball, Li You first swayed sideways, pulled Payton to move, and immediately exerted force with his feet to accelerate and cut into the middle.

Gasol, with his back to the basket, bent down and made a ground pass. Payton, who was left half a body away, could only watch Li You take off in the paint area.

Haslem, who came to assist in the defense under the basket, was not as tough as he appeared when he spoke on the bench. He instinctively stopped and watched Li You grab the ball with his right hand and slam dunk!

"boom!"

The exploding sound of the basket seemed to remind people of how powerful the dunk was. Li You looked at Haslem and Payton calmly. The two said nothing and watched the Knicks players celebrate happily.

When O'Neal caused Gasol to foul again and stood on the free throw line, the Heat fans at the scene fell silent. Just as they expected, the fat man made one of two free throws.

105:92, the point difference is still widening.

In the relatively quiet stadium, Jason Williams double-teamed Li You in advance. As Li You passed the ball to Hill on the right wing, O'Neal under the basket gave up the rotation and helped defend, watching his open jump shot succeed.

When the Heat scored and the ball was continuously passed from the outside, Antoine Walker was directly intercepted by Artest, and Pat Riley on the sidelines went directly to the bench.

With 1 against 0 in the frontcourt, Artest noticed that there was no one defending him, so he rushed faster and faster, grabbed the ball with his right hand and slammed it down for another 2 points.

Although the Knicks' defensive intensity dropped sharply in the last few minutes and the Heat began to score points, more and more fans left the stadium quietly.

With 58.6 seconds left in the game, Pat Riley used his last timeout to announce his surrender. At that time, there was no one in the screaming seats at the back of the American Airlines Arena.

As time passed, the buzzer sounded and the final score was 115:100. The Knicks got the match point and led their opponents 3:0.

"Shh!"

Amid scattered boos, O'Neal quickly walked towards the player tunnel, followed closely by Payton. All the Heat players lowered their heads. They made 49 free throws and ultimately lost by 15 points. They could not accept such a result.

Pat Riley also did not shake hands with D'Antoni. The greasy-haired guy even ignored the staff's shouts and walked back to the locker room with a blank expression.

According to the expected plan, the core players of the home team should be interviewed at this time. Now that the Heat players have left, the staff can only jog all the way to catch up with Li You.

出场39分钟，24中14，三分线外13中7，罚球10中8，43分7篮板14助攻2抢断2盖帽2失误；

After looking at the technical statistics in advance, Scott smiled and congratulated Li You again:
"Congratulations to the Knicks for getting the match point. Lee, let's talk about your defense in the fourth quarter. Wade was 4 of 6 before he left the court, which determined the trend of the game."

Li You wiped his sweat, did not deny the other party's statement, and explained with a smile:
"This is thanks to my teammates. Everyone took turns guarding Wade. I just did what I was supposed to do in the last quarter."

It is difficult to summarize this game, as they lost 8 to 5. Scott didn't want to talk much about it. After some business exaggeration, he quickly ended the interview.

Seeing that almost all the Miami fans in the stadium were leaving, the ESPN staff looked at each other in silence. These fans looked like fence-sitters no matter how they looked at it.

No one from the Heat team attended the press conference after the game, which made the NBA extremely angry.

O'Neal was fined $1 for destroying the visiting team's locker room at Madison Square Garden. Last night, the league issued a $5 fine to the Heat for violating media interview rules.

On Sunday the 28th, still no one was discussing last night's Game 3. The Heat lost by 49 points after 15 free throws. Although the commentators didn't say anything, everyone knew that the Heat were nailed to the pillar of shame.

No reporter who likes to take advantage of hot topics went to interview the Knicks, for fear of accidentally hearing something that would be detrimental to the development of the league.

This made Li You, who was preparing to have fun in the hotel, a little disappointed.
Wade didn't show his weakness in front of his wife last night while lying in the hospital. But in the morning, while listening to the news on the radio, he finally curled up in his quilt and cried silently:
“It shouldn’t be like this!”

(End of this chapter)