super small forward

Chapter 125 125. Veterans Don't Die!

Whiteside didn't rush to make a shot, and sure enough, Marion rushed in and slapped the backboard!

It has to be said that Marion judged the shooting route very accurately. The position where Whiteside grabbed the rebound was on the left edge of the three-second zone.

Whiteside lifted the ball high, and the Mavericks had nothing to do.

Whiteside, who was looking for a pass from his teammate, saw a familiar figure rushing into the paint, made an instant decision, and made a throw!

Whiteside doesn't have this kind of close-range shooting ability, so he strikes decisively!
The ball hit the basket and bounced high!
but!

Liu Ren's head appeared next to the basket, a pair of long hands caught the ball in the air, and made a reverse dunk!

Mavericks pause!

"I knew it, I knew you could do it!" Whiteside excitedly stepped forward and bumped Liu Ren's chest.

The fans at the scene could only sigh, the strength of the team was really failing. They were attacked by the opponent three times in one round, and the inside line seemed to be undefended.

With 7 seconds left in the clock, the Lakers lead the Mavericks by two points 127 to 125!

At this time, even D'Antoni emphasized defense.

But it is just to emphasize that it is really difficult for D'Antoni to arrange a defensive tactic. The defense he arranged is man-to-man. McCollum, Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, Liu Ren, and Ade Tokumbo.

This lineup is the best mobile combination for the Lakers. It can keep up with the opponent's outside line. If the opponent wants to hit Nowitzki inside, it may not be able to hit Liu Ren in the low post.

Even if the Mavericks score two points and enter overtime, it will be beneficial to the Lakers. In terms of physical strength, the Lakers have too much advantage.

Sure enough, the Mavericks did not put a center on the field. Calderon, Ellis, Carter, Ellington, and Nowitzki put up a three-point team on the field. More than [-]% of the three-pointers will be hit.

The Lakers expanded to defend, specifically defending the opponent's three-pointers.

The Mavericks serve in the frontcourt!

Ellington ran back and threw off Nick Young to receive the ball and hold the ball outside the three-point line to find his teammates.

Ellis and Carter are the key defensive targets for the Lakers. Liu Ren and Wesley Johnson defend the two closely. Antetokounmpo is entangled with Nowitzki, and McCollum is also actively fighting with Calderon. together.

Time passed by second by second, and Carter had to run out to catch the ball hand-in-hand.

There were only three seconds left when Carter got the ball!
There is no time to hesitate!

Carter rushed forward two steps, and was more than one meter away from the three-point line to shoot at the buzzer...

……

……

"Old soldiers don't die, they just wait to wither!" "

On January 2014, 1, after the game between the Lakers and the Mavericks, the headline on the official NBA website changed to this!
In the last second of the game, Carter hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, killing the Lakers!

The Mavericks narrowly beat the Lakers 128 to 127, ending the Lakers' 7-game winning streak!

Carter scored 27 points on 18 of 41 shots, and Nowitzki scored 25 points on 14 of 40 shots. The two scored 81 points together. It seems to be paying tribute to the guy who is still recovering in Los Angeles. By the way, he defeated The Lakers without that guy.

The performance of the two veterans in this game was astonishing, and they set a record for the oldest teammate to score 40 points in the same game!And it is the first duo in three years in which teammates on the same team both scored 40 points in the same game!
The last time two players on the same team scored 40 points in the same game was James and Wade who just got together in 2011!

James and Wade were both top five players in the league at their peak at that time, while Carter and Nowitzki were both 36 years old!
It can only be said that veterans will not die because of time, but slowly wither...

The Lakers have many reasons to explain this game, such as injuries to several important players, back-to-back and so on.

But there is only one real reason, that is, they did not play as well as their opponents.

After all, the side that wins always plays better!

After the game, Liu Ren approached Carter on his own initiative.

"Vince, don't you mind if you call it that way? Congratulations, you guys played better than us." Liu Ren was not dissatisfied with losing, but sincerely congratulated.

"Haha, we old men are here to teach you young people, we can still fight with our old bones." Carter was as bold as ever.

After the congratulations, Liu Ren stated his real purpose this time: "Vince, are you interested in playing with our team next season? I think we can win the championship together. If we have an experienced player like you on our bench Veteran, this would not have happened today."

Carter was silent for a while after hearing Liu Ren's words, and then smiled: "Everything is possible, isn't it? We can talk about this matter in summer."

"OK, I'm going back to the hotel first," Liu Ren said with a helpless expression, "You must be mentally prepared for our team next season. There are more than ten away games in January every year. What a ghost."

"Your next opponent is the Rockets? Wow, it seems that we don't have a game the day after tomorrow. I want to watch this good show." Carter said with a smirk.

Why does Carter have such a tone?

It's very simple, both the top four in the Western Conference, the Lakers and Rockets, the two teams that have been entangled with Howard, are naturally the focus of all fans' attention!

Liu Ren really wants Carter to come to the Lakers. He knows that Carter will be a representative of the veterans in the next two years.

Being able to recruit an experienced veteran is of great benefit to the young team of the Lakers!
And for such a veteran, they care about face very much. If you want to invite them to join, you have to take the initiative, instead of waiting for the other party to hug your thigh.

Shane Battier was a good example back then. Battier had been waiting for Kobe to call him to invite him to join him, but Kobe didn't think of this at all. He just made a suggestion to Kupchak, which made Battier feel Not respected by Kobe.

Later, James called Battier. Battier, who originally regarded the Lakers as his first goal, chose the Heat with more sincerity, and Battier played an important role in the Heat's two consecutive championships.

From the fact that Liu Ren knew that Carter did not take the initiative to go to the Warriors, Spurs and other teams to hug his thighs, Carter, like Battier, is a veteran with high self-esteem. Money is not the most important thing to attract this veteran. , it is important to show yourself respect!
For Liu Ren, the history already known in the future is slowly beginning to change, and there are fewer and fewer treasures that can be found. It is considered that the period of relying on foresight to find helpers has passed. To become stronger, relying on the attractiveness of the team lineup and his own charm to attract stars, his mentality has gradually changed.

(End of this chapter)