497: Tear Them Apart (4000+ words)
With six minutes remaining, the Miami Heat are just two points away from leveling the score. James suddenly stepped up in the final quarter, and Spoelstra finally saw hope of winning.
Once James starts scoring, Spoelstra has little to worry about. He's now ready to enjoy a comeback performance from James and Wade.
At the end of the timeout, Spoelstra sat on the bench. Stevens, who was two points ahead, stood nervously on the sidelines. James is now scoring in a row, and the only person the Grizzlies can afford to score in a row is Link.
Link has scored 28 points so far, and if he can score 28 points under James' defense, Link is already playing at a level today.
After all, James hasn't scored 20 points today.
After the pause, Link saw that the expression on James' face was different. Compared with the first three quarters, James's expression at this time has stretched a lot.
If James plays well in crunch time, all of his previous bad performances will be undone. Scoring is also a matter of gold, even if all your previous shots are iron, but you have made a key ball that determines the outcome of the game, then others have nothing to say about you.
James may not really be able to score 30 points today, but if the Heat win the game in the end, James expects Link to dare not say anything. Therefore, the psychological burden of the "little emperor" is now much lighter. He's on the rise, and he believes that no one can stop him!
After Link came on the court, he didn't trash talk about James. At this time, James was even more firm in his opinion - this kid is afraid!
James is quite proud, and as a seasoned superstar, he knows it. Sometimes, "morale", which cannot be quantified, has a very big impact on the game.
He clung to Link and continued to press him. As long as you destroy this mind of Number 0, it's all over!
Conley didn't pass the ball to Link after half-time, but played a pick-and-roll with Gasol. James is secretly happy in his heart, Link doesn't catch the ball now?
Conley broke through to mid-range but was stopped by Wade, who had defended the defender. At this moment, Link leaned on James to cut in. At first, I just walked slowly, but then I suddenly accelerated and ran at the back!
James had just followed the pace, but Link suddenly ran back and fell back to outside the three-point line. James had no choice but to forcibly change his focus. But in the case of such a big inertia, James could not immediately reflexively chase back.
And just like that, Link got a fleeting shot.
"Play this game as if it were the grand final!"
Before the game, Stevens' remarks were still ringing in Link's ears. If it's the finals, can you waste this opportunity?
It was too late, and it was too late, and Link had just started to jump, and James sealed it. But before James interfered, Link was already aiming for the basket. In the face of James's big hand, Link didn't even blink an eye.
He still finished the shot at his own pace, and the basketball went over James's fingertips, and James didn't expect Link's shot to be so resolute. In this case, not everyone dared to take over the game.
As soon as James landed, he heard a "brush". The basketball hollow went into the net, and as soon as Link came back from a timeout, he responded to James with a three-pointer!
"The ball is in! Link's critical moment is really the Grizzlies' pinnacle! In the face of LeBron's interference, Link is undaunted! The Grizzlies have a 5-point lead, and Link is about to start his scoring show! ”
The camera gave Link a close-up, only to see Link standing outside the three-point line after retreating to the halfcourt, lifting his trouser leg, which was a signal that he was going to start defending with all his might.
Although Link doesn't play against James on the defensive end, this move will still bring a great sense of pressure to the opponent.
Wade was not so lucky, he was not only psychologically oppressed, but also physically. Link's defensive quality was high throughout today, but to Wade's surprise, Link could continue to improve his defensive intensity!
This guy's strength, where is the top.
James continued to lean on Iguodala to break through and go straight to the frame. He had expected Gasol to be afraid of too many fouls and be timid, but the Spaniard bravely made up for it. Even if he fouls, he wants James to know that the Grizzlies' box isn't something you want to come to.
The Heat No. 6 continued his old routine, ready to win the sympathy of the referee. But this time, Gasol's position is particularly thief, and it happens to be within the reasonable collision zone!
James flew halfway through and found that the referee hadn't blown the whistle yet, and knew something was wrong. So, he made a temporary decision and hastily found Wade in the air and passed the ball out!
Wade was focused enough, so when James temporarily decided to pass the ball, he still reacted immediately and hurriedly ran in the direction where the basketball was flying. However, Link's attention is more focused next to Wade! He stealthily grabbed Wade's jersey with one hand and stretched the other completely straight in front of Wade. In the end, he stabbed the basketball before Wade, causing the basketball to change its flight trajectory and fly towards the bottom line.
Wade shook his head, Link is really fighting now. But fortunately, the ball still belongs to the Heat...... Wait a minute!
Wade gave up chasing the ball because he thought it was impossible to save the ball at all, so he thought Link wouldn't chase it either. Unbeknownst to everyone, Link actually jumped over without hesitation, forming an angle in the air almost parallel to the ground! Then, stretch out your long arms and grab the basketball before it hits the ground!
Link got the ball and threw it into the field, and then the whole person rushed into the press area, and suddenly, the area became overturned.
Falling into the press section is the most dangerous because there are a bunch of cameras in addition to the reporters. If you are injured by a hard object, it can be big or small.
Link collapsed in the middle of a pile of reporters, slowly got up, and walked to the court.
But when he walked to the court, he found that Wade had already rushed over with the ball, which was another fast break from the Heat!
It turned out that although Link's save just now was successful, the Grizzlies' offense did not work. After Link fell, the Heat's side was equal to 5 defense 4. Iguodala's mid-range shot was interfered with by James and knocked out of the frame. James took the rebound and made a long pass to Wade, and the Heat got a chance to break fast.
What surprised people was that seeing Wade approaching quickly, Link didn't even run. He walked from the baseline to the basket as if he was walking, and then he exploded!
It seems that the leisurely stroll just now was to deliberately wait for Wade to come over.
At the moment when Link "lifted off", Wade found that he could no longer see the basket. In front of him, there was only Link gritting his teeth.
In Link's eyes, Wade saw a booming ambition.
In the next second, both of their hands slapped the basketball at the same time. Wade continued to exert strength, but Link's hand was pressed on the basketball, not giving an inch! In the end, the basketball was released under the tremendous pressure of the two forces. Wade's layup was blocked by Link, who came over with a "leisurely stroll"!
"What kind of cap is this!? Link walked over and risked Wade one? What the heck! "Everyone is blinded, and they will take off when they walk over, which is too cool!
Wade and James are also stupid, Link today is not at all like a young third-year youngster, but like a superstar who is exactly like them!
One steal and one block, if it were in an NBA2K game, Wade would probably be beaten by Link with a cold badge.
This time, Conley received the basketball that was covered by Link, and then made a long pass directly to the backcourt.
And in the Heat half, there was no one who crawled out of the press section to stop Iguodala.
With a one-handed gliding split, Iguodala's movements made fans at the American Airlines Center less rampant. Look, the score difference has become 7 points again!
Link was unwilling to let James steal the limelight alone in the fourth quarter, and when the Heat were about to equalize, he stepped up on a high-profile basis. Now, I think Wade and James must be very upset. Link does everything he can to hold on to the Grizzlies' victory! ”
Wade and James looked at each other, couldn't they even kill Link? No way!
In 2011, there was only one super-god Nowitzki! Nick, who had a superstar at the beginning of the season. Yang, it will only appear once!
Then on the attack, James played very smartly. He broke through and assisted Bosh to hit a shot from the open position, and the score was close again for the Heat. After this assist, James also got a double-double today.
But soon, Link was on the offensive end with his back to James and won the game. James has defended very tightly, and it can be said that he is going to deal with Link the same way he defends Kobe.
However, Link, who is on the fire, continues to score! His lean angle is very large, and when he leans back, his legs are slightly raised, and James can't get close at all!
The margin continued to return to 7 points, and Link refused to let the Heat take the lead!
"Damn, this guy's performance today is simply unreasonable!" After Link's goal, James cursed to himself.
The Heat No. 6 doesn't know yet, and this is already Link's regular operation. Every time his strength leveled up, he would go up a level.
In the next few minutes, James and Wade were still struggling. The two of them opened their bows left and right, and fought extremely hard. This may be the hardest played by the Heat in the last 12 games.
James hit a three-point shot, Wade made a steal and dunked, Ray. Aaron walked through the Yang ...... in 100 steps The Heat played not without a good game.
But every time the Heat is about to gain momentum, Link will act like a "blocker" and immediately stabilize the momentum.
Maybe it's a goal, maybe it's an assist, maybe it's a successful defense...... But no matter what, Link can just stand up! His all-round performance also made his personal stats go crazy in the fourth quarter.
So far, Link has scored 38 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals! With a 30-point triple-double, Link's performance was much better than when he played the Heat early in the season.
It was the presence of Link that James' desire to end the game in the fourth quarter was officially frustrated!
It wasn't until the final 54 seconds of the fourth quarter that James hit a crucial three-pointer from a step beyond the three-point line to rekindle the hopes of Heat fans.
This key three-pointer brought the Heat close to 5 points! It's not impossible to chase 5 points in 53 seconds!
Playing here, James has 25 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, which is also a quasi-triple-double. If he continues to play well for the next 54 seconds, maybe both the conditions of victory and 30 points per game can be met.
Just then, though, Stevens interrupted the game.
He wasn't going to let James get his way.
"Towels! Damn, give me a towel! "As soon as the time-out began, the staff were nervously preparing towels to make sure the players had plenty of rest until the final moments.
Link was the first to receive the towel, and everyone knew what he meant to the Grizzlies right now.
Stevens simply crouched in front of Link, and although there were 54 seconds left in the game, in Stevens' opinion, the key to victory was in the next round. If Link can make it after this timeout, then the game will end early.
"You suppressed both Wade and James today." Stevens smiled at Link, a 38-point triple-double, and he was proud of Link.
"But we haven't won yet." Link shrugged as he wiped his sweat.
"yes, I haven't won yet. So now, I'm giving you a chance to tear them apart completely, can you take it? ”
※※※
James and Wade are waiting for the final five points, and they are only five points away from victory.
Spoelstra, who thought he would be able to watch Wade and James perform easily, is now nervously laying out last-minute tactics, most of which have to do with Link.
"Just guard the next round and we'll have a chance! LeBron, you don't want to let your 12-game winning streak fall short! Spoelstra looked at James, and he was still determined to use the best player in the league to mark Link!
"I'll do it, I can do it!" James had just scored a crucial three-pointer and was in full swing.
"I believe in you, believe me, today will be your legendary reversal night! After the next round of defense is successful, the offensive end will try to play as fast as possible, we have to grab points, grab points! As soon as the Filipino finished speaking, the electronic beep that had ended the pause sounded.
Both sides know that this round is the key, and both sides also know who is the main attacker and who is the main defender in this round. But even then, the results are unknown.
James didn't think about losing, and was still full of thoughts about scoring 30 points and coming back to win. He has this confidence, after all, he has been invincible in these 12 games!
Link walked up to James again, but it was different from the silence he had just had. This time, before kick-off, Link said his last words to James.
"It's a shame you almost made it today. But at the end of the day, you can't score 30 points or win the game. ”
James is so angry that he has to hold his teeth tight!
Link immediately received Conley's pass after finishing speaking, and then, everyone in the Grizzlies pulled away!
Link is going to single James in this most crucial round!
James clinged tightly, and it was clear that Link's trash talk had just worked.
Link made a couple of tentative moves while holding the ball. Just when James was still thinking about how Link would break through, Link suddenly pulled out a jump shot!
James reflexively raised his hand, only to realize that something was wrong. But by the time he reacted, the referee had already blown the whistle!
James was sticking too tightly and violated Link's cylinder as soon as he raised his hand. He fouled from beyond the three-point line, and Link was going to make three free throws!
Before the Grizzlies players had time to celebrate, they saw the basketball draw a near-perfect arc and then crash hollow into the net!
Seeing this scene, James was shocked.
It's a ...... One gets a four!?
"Score four! Oh my God, a simple pull-up jumper was enough for Link to kill the game! LeBron. James was killing for the entire fourth quarter, and he would never have imagined that he would end up losing under a fatal foul! ”
As the narrator yelled, Link walked around the sidelines with a calm expression and made a gesture of tearing his clothes, as if Superman was going to tear open his suit to reveal the "S" logo on his chest.
But Stevens knew that Link wasn't imitating Superman. What this guy means is that he completely tore James and Wade apart!
He seized the opportunity.