basketball boulder

Chapter 71 The last ball, you come to play

In the first half of the fourth quarter, it was still a bench battle.

Butler and Harrington each lead the way.

After half a quarter, 75:70, the Heat trailed by 5 points.

The crucial final half.

The head coaches of both sides replaced all the starting lineups.

Li Lei's eyes blurred, and Artest stood in front of him.

"Rookie, here is the freezing moment!"

Artest said viciously.

Li Lei didn't speak, he was a little tired.

call!call!call!
Tonight, he put in a lot of energy on both ends of the floor.

On the defensive end, he has to defend the fierce Artest, and he has to help his teammates check for omissions.

On the offensive end, Li Lei's scoring tonight is almost all by running or overpowering opponents, and he rarely has open shots.

If he hadn't learned the intermediate level of brown sugar defense, which could reduce the physical energy consumed by defense by a small amount, Li Lei might not have persisted until now.

Simply put, Li Lei's physical fitness is not enough.

The Heat attack.

Li Lei ambushed outside the three-point line, attracting Artest and opening up space for his teammates.

Old Jones backed up Reggie Miller and hit a mid-range hit.

75: 72.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Lei hid in the bottom corner and took a few breaths.

The Pacers attack.

Tinsley breaks through.

Li Lei took a step back to assist the defense, was driven into the paint by Tinsley, and a small throw went over Cato's fingertips and hit.

77: 72.

The Heat attack again.

Odom couldn't make a strong shot at the basket, and Cato made a tip-up.

77: 74.

Pacers attack.

Li Lei failed to block Artest, who was charging with the ball, and Artest dunked into the basket and scored.

79: 74.

Coach Da Fan sensed Li Lei's fatigue, and asked from the sidelines: "Stone, do you need a rest?"

Li Lei gritted his teeth: I'm fine.

The Heat attack.

Artest looked at the panting Li Lei: "Rookie, you are so weak! That guy Rick is right, you are allowed to play in the third quarter, and you will naturally be unable to play in the fourth quarter. That's right."

Li Lei suddenly realized.

No wonder Artest didn't guard him when he came back in the second half, but went to pester Old Jones instead.

This is Rick Carlisle's trick, letting himself play in the third quarter and consuming his physical energy.

But how does he know what his physical fitness is?
It's not difficult either.

You only need to study the Heat's previous games, and look at Li Lei's previous playing time and state to get a rough judgment.

NBA teams have dedicated teams to do this kind of thing.

Whether a player likes to break through from the left or the right; whether a player likes to hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner or the top of the arc; how much a player shoots from the left side of the free throw line, and how much from the right side... It's not a secret.

These things are included in the tactical manual that Li Lei studies before every match.

call!call!
Li Lei didn't answer, but took a few breaths.

Artest saw it and shook his head contemptuously.

Nearby, old Jones was forcing old Miller again.

Artest actually ignored Li Lei and rushed forward to double-team Jones.

Jones saw it and immediately passed the ball to Li Lei.

Li Lei gritted his teeth, adjusted, and shot from outside the three-point line.

Artest didn't jump back to defend, just watched the basketball fly in the air, draw a parabola, and shoot to the basket.

Swish!
in!

79:77, the Heat are only 2 points behind.

Li Lei scored the 21st point of the game, which was the first time in his career that he scored 20+ points.

Zhang Weiping and Su Qun were congratulating Li Lei.

Brin and Wharton also mentioned one thing.

Walton: "I remember Daryl Morey, the assistant general manager of the Mosaic team, said that Stone, who can only shoot three-pointers, will never score 20 points. I don't know what he says now."

Brin smiled: "Actually, Stone would have scored 20 points a long time ago if he changed teams. The Heat have too many scoring points. Odom, Jones, Wade, Butler, Stone... all five of them can score 20 points. It is double-digit average per game, and Alston, Cato, Haslem, and Grant can also score. Stone is suppressed by his teammates. You see, when Wade is absent, Odom and Jones are strictly guarded. Stone scored [-]+ right away."

on the field.

Artest opened his mouth wide: Can he continue to make shots like this?

Artest looked at Li Lei.

Li Lei smiled: "Ron, I can score 20 points tonight, thanks to you."

Artest: "..."

Li Lei continued: "You didn't guard me in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, you guarded me. Just give me an open space like the Pacific Ocean. You are really a good teammate, no! You are a good opponent."

Artest's face was grim: "Damn it, who will help you cut 20+? I will freeze you, freeze you."

Seeing that Artest was going crazy, Li Lei resolutely ran away.

This guy was found to have "anxiety disorder" when he was 8 years old. If he got anxious, he would really beat someone.

This year alone, Artest has fought several times.

In January, Artest and Pat Riley had a spat and scuffle.

Also in January, after Artest lost to the Knicks, he directly smashed a $10 camera equipment.

In February, at a gathering of NBA union players, Artest fought with Posey, a former player of the Mosaic team, in front of former President Clinton.

In March, Artest knocked Wells to the ground in a loss to the Trail Blazers.

……

"The Beast" Ron Artest has an absolutely vicious reputation.

The Pacers attack.

Artest asked for the ball directly, and he wanted to force Li Lei to see if Li Lei could still play.

call!call!call!
Li Lei panted heavily one after another, giving the impression that he was about to die.

Artest put his back against Li Lei and dug in hard.

Li Lei spread his legs apart, lowered his center of gravity, and desperately supported Artest with his chest.

Every time Artest hit him, Li Lei felt a fire in his chest that was about to ignite him, which was extremely painful.

Li Lei held his breath, not daring to let go.

Once relieved, he couldn't bear it anymore.

After a few chisels, Jones reacted and attacked Artest sideways, forcing Artest to make a mistake.

Li Lei grabbed the ball and immediately passed it to Alstom for a fast break.

Alstom assisted Odom in the frontcourt for a layup.

79: 79.

The two teams drew again.

The Pacers attacked, and Artest frowned as he looked at Li Lei, who could no longer straighten his waist.

He always feels that this guy is going to fall in the next second, but even if this guy can still make three-pointers, he can also fight with himself in the low post.

Weird!

call!call!
Li Lei panted heavily, smiled and said to Artest: "Ron, I can still fight, you continue!"

Artest frowned.

Li Lei continued: "Or, you don't believe me? You think I can't hit anymore? Then go double-team my teammates, I promise I won't score another goal!"

I believe you a ghost!
Artest didn't believe Li Lei's words at all. This guy just hit a three-pointer, and he also scored the most points in the Heat.

He stared at Li Lei, not giving Li Lei a chance.

The two teams fought against each other, and in the last 15 seconds, 89:87, the Pacers still led by 2 points.

Coach Da Fan called the last timeout and arranged tactics.

"Stone, you play the last ball!"

Li Lei had the experience of killing the Pistons before, which proved his big heart and courage at critical moments.

Moreover, Li Lei is also the Heat's highest scorer and highest shooting percentage tonight.

Everyone has no opinion.

call!call!
Just watching Li Lei panting heavily, the others were worried about whether Li Lei could hold on.

Li Lei smiled and said it was okay.

Coach Da Fan patted Li Lei on the shoulder: "Don't feel pressured, you just need to be calm and try your best. You did a great job tonight!"

Then, Coach Dafan began to arrange tactics.

(End of this chapter)