NBA Building Cardinals

Chapter 121 The decisive moment
Barkley in the TNT studio: "My God, who would have thought before the game that the Bobcats could play against the Pistons to this point."

"Although the score on the court is indeed a bit low, the Bobcats have already pushed the Pistons into a desperate situation."

"The time left for the Pistons is running out. If the Pistons fail to score this time, they will become very passive in the future. So Larry Brown is sure he doesn't want to call a timeout?!"

Partner Smith: "Yeah, the Pistons still have a timeout left. Although Larry Brown wants to keep this timeout at the end, if the goal is not scored, the Pistons will not be the last at all."

Although in this game, Prince and Wallace both felt good.

But for the sake of being conservative, Larry Brown off the court still signaled to the referee to call a timeout, and at this time there were still 27 seconds on the court.

For the Bobcats, even though they are still leading by four points, Bickerstaff is already sweating.

Obviously, at this critical moment, no matter whether it is the leading party or the lagging party, the pressure is great.

"Kapono, come down and rest. Ariza will play the small forward position for a while, and you will be responsible for marking Prince. His touch in this game is really good."

"There will be a high probability that the Pistons will let Prince perform the final attack, so you try to defend him as much as possible, but remember, you must not foul."

"Sampson, you will play in a moment. Remember, if Wallace and Prince play a pick-and-roll, you must go around the screen from behind, otherwise Wallace will pass you in one step."

"You just need to take advantage of your height and try to interfere with Wallace's shooting, but don't let it easily enter the paint."

"Duhon, I'm not sure if the Pistons are going to create a pick-and-roll for Hamilton to come out and catch and shoot."

"So you must follow Hamilton closely throughout the game. You defended him very well throughout the game, but at the end of the day, you must persevere."

Bickerstaff, who was also very nervous off the court, repeatedly urged the players.

Because although the Bobcats are currently the leading team, facing the defending champion Pistons, this point difference is obviously not safe.

So in this offense, the Pistons are bound to score, and the Bobcats are bound to want to defend.

beep~

After the timeout, the players on both sides returned to the field one after another. After a series of running positions, the Pistons sent the ball to Hunter.

While Hamilton has been running, Duhon is closely following him.

Facing the opponent's pick-and-roll, Du Hong kept calm, predicted the position very well, and bypassed it in advance.

Guaranteed to be able to keep close to Hamilton's defense.

Wallace set a pick-and-roll for Prince on the left side, and Prince looped out to catch a pass from Hunter.

Hunter, who handed the ball to Prince, ran to the bottom corner of the right three-point line to open up the space.

Prince holds the ball at the top of the arc, and Wallace immediately comes up and sets a pick-and-roll for Prince.

Facing a high pick-and-roll, Jamal Sampson quickly delayed back.

Because if Wallace chooses to break through, whether it is Okafor or Sampson, as long as the two choose to defend closely, the end will definitely be passed by in one step.

After the split, Prince passed the ball directly to Rasheed Wallace outside the three-point line without any hesitation.

What everyone didn't expect was that Wallace threw it with one hand at the top of the arc outside the three-point line.

The shot was so sudden that the defensive players didn't even react.

Because there is still plenty of time at this time, no one thought that Wallace would directly choose to shoot from the arc-stared three-point line.

If this person is McGrady, absolutely no one will feel that there is anything wrong with it.

But obviously, the Pistons are not a team that focuses on three-pointers.

Especially Billups, the team's favorite three-point shooter, is still on the sidelines in this game.

Bang~
The ball bounced out of the basket, Okafor took off from the inside with all his strength, and vigorously protected the backcourt rebound.

And as the goal missed, McDyess also hurriedly chose to foul Okafor and sent Okafor to a free throw.

Although it is difficult for the Pistons to win this game, because they are not a team with strong offensive firepower.

But since the game is not over yet, McDyess still chose to foul according to tactics.

With the goal missed, Bickerstaff on the Bobcats' bench also let out a long sigh of relief.

Because at this time, Okafor still has two free throw opportunities. Even if the two free throws only hit one goal, the Bobcats will still lead by five points in more than 20 seconds.

Unless the Pistons go down to earth, the Bobcats are basically stable in this game.

The roaring Tianzun Wallace, who missed the ball, shook his arm angrily. He didn't roar, but the expression on his face was a bit ferocious.

Obviously, he was a little unwilling to miss this shot himself, after all, the space for this ball has been completely released.

Compared with the usual open three-pointers, the shots just seemed a bit messy.

Larry Brown, who was on the Pistons coach's bench, also clapped his hands heavily, looking a little impatient and annoyed.

Although I don't know what tactics the Pistons deployed after that timeout.

But there is absolutely no problem with Wallace's shot this time, because whether it is space or position, a perfect opportunity has come out.

And if this three-pointer is scored, the point difference between the two teams will come to one point.

Then anything is possible in this game.

Standing on the free throw line, Okafor also took a deep breath, and then let it out, trying to relieve his pressure.

And all the fans at home in the Charlotte Arena, following Wallace's missed three-pointer, have gone from shouting with excitement to now the entire arena is basically silent.

Because the next free throw by Okafor will directly determine the trend of the game.

After receiving the ball from the referee and hitting the ground a few times, Okaf adjusted his state and took the first free throw.

sigh~
The first free throw was hit! !

With this free throw hit, the score on the court came:

76:71
Already have a five-point lead, the balance of victory has been tilted to the Bobcats.

After high-fiving his teammates one by one, Okafor also had a smile on his face.

After all, the first free throw has already been hit, so the pressure of the second free throw will naturally be much smaller.

Regardless of whether the second free throw can be hit or not, at least the Bobcats currently have a great advantage.

After receiving the ball from the referee, he aimed as hard as he could, and Okafor made the second free throw.

sigh~
The second free throw is still hit steadily! !

This brings the score on the field to:
77:71
There are still more than 20 seconds left on the field, but at this time, the Bobcats have already held a 6-point lead.

And with the second free throw, the atmosphere of the home fans was instantly ignited, and the loud shouts and cheers completely resounded throughout the Charlotte Arena.

And Bickerstaff, who was on the coach's bench, and the assistant coach also clenched their fists excitedly, with excited smiles on their faces.

The players on the bench even jumped up, frantically shaking their towels to celebrate ahead of time.

After all, the victory is so close, and there are only more than 20 seconds left before the end of the game, and the Pistons have no timeout...

(End of this chapter)