81. Tie
75:72, with less than 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter. All the starters from both sides played.
At this point, everyone in the quick loan center in Cleveland knew that this would be the last game of the game.
As a result, the atmosphere in the arena became tense like never before.
Age has already become synonymous with the Celtics after winning the championship in '08, but the same word experience is born accordingly. At this time, although the huge physical consumption has indeed made the Celtics' aging superstars show fatigue, but again, the experience has helped them.
Paul Pierce held the ball in the high post to face Wu Dawei's defense, and after a whole game, Mr. MVP of the '08 Finals already had a general understanding of Wu Dawei.
Kong's strength, youth, and defensive prediction are all things that add up to Pierce's impression that Wu is a somewhat difficult defensive player, so he doesn't intend to go toe-to-toe with Wu, especially now that he has entered a critical moment.
After testing Wu Dawei a few times, Pierce found that Wu Dawei seemed indifferent to his shaking, so he did not force a breakthrough, but passed the basketball out after seeing an opportunity.
Ray Allen slipped to the bottom line, relying on the double block of Kevin Garnett and O'Neal to appear at the three-point line in the bottom corner of the strong side, while Anthony Parker, who was responsible for defending him, was blocked by Garnett.
For Junzi Lei, Paul Pierce naturally trusted him very much. So the moment the opportunity presented itself, he didn't even have the slightest hesitation and passed the basketball over.
Ray Allen, who had already hit five three-pointers in the game, once again shot outside the three-point line, and the basketball went through the net, sending a frustrating lament from the Rapid Loan Center.
78:72。 There was cheering from the bench for the Celtics, who had a six-point lead with five minutes remaining, which wasn't a slim advantage right now.
It's true that it's very difficult to recover a six-point deficit in less than five minutes, especially when the opponent is significantly stronger than you. But the Cavaliers will never give up so lightly.
No one gives up after 40 minutes of hard work because the chances of salvaging the game are slimmer.
The Cavaliers' offense showed a quick word from the baseline ball. They wanted to drive the pace of the game and completely bring down the aging Green Shirts.
The momentum of young people can sometimes have the opposite effect, but more often than not, it will cause the other person to be in a hurry. Just like this time, the moment the Cavaliers were about to serve the baseline ball, the five Cavaliers players on the court began to run towards the Celtics halfcourt.
They were all young and strong young men, in their prime. The oldest, Jamison, is only 33 years old. And that's probably the average age of the Green Shirts on the pitch right now.
The Cavaliers' fast break disrupted the Celtics' retreat rhythm at some point, and several old guys were forced to move their legs. Williams' acceleration was not able to escape Racho Rondo's defence for the time being, but he passed the ball.
The ball was passed to Anthony Parker, who received the ball from the three-point line and didn't lose time, but shoved it straight inside and the ball was given to Jamison.
Jamison didn't play hard in the face of Garnett, although Garnett at this time is no longer the Garnett who won the best defensive player in 08, but how to say that the background is still there. Jamison also passed the ball to his team-mate, a hand-to-hand pass between the inside lines, which was very delicate.
Vallejo got the basketball, he was standing in the paint, and Shaquille O'Neal had just run inside the three-point line, so Vallejo was facing an empty basket.
A two-handed clasp!
The Cavaliers showed their willingness to share the ball in this fast break. That's why they've been able to retain their status as No. 7 in the East after LeBron James leaves. Not only because they have dug up such a gem as Wu Dawei this season, but also because of their belief. …,
The belief that the outside world will not be looked down upon!
78:74。
Wu Dawei glanced up at the big screen, although he didn't get a chance to participate in the attack just now, he still couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart when he saw his teammates scoring goals. At least their offense didn't disappear at this point, which kept the team's hopes of victory.
But they are still 4 points behind at this time, so Wu Dawei understands that the Celtics' offense has become a top priority at this time.
The Green Shirts were still dominated by Racho Rondo across the half, and the playmaker had 10 assists in the game. He was in the high post and then Paul Pierce slipped from the baseline to the left 45-degree three-point line with Garnett's pick-and-roll.
He knows very well that the big brother's ability from beyond the three-point line may not be as great as Ray Allen, but it is also very deadly. The three-point kill is also Paul Pearce's signature specialty.
So Racho Rondo passed the ball over, and the moment he saw Paul Pearce run out of space, he threw the basketball over with a cross-pass.
But the basketball didn't fly into Pierce's hands.
Wu Dawei broke free from the crowd, and then he stretched out his right hand to touch the flying basketball, which changed direction and rushed towards the front court. And Wu Dawei also took advantage of inertia and rushed towards the front.
At this time, the other people in the actual half had not reacted. Especially Paul Pearce and Kevin Garnett. They clearly saw that Wu Dawei was blocked behind Garnett......
Wu Dawei was indeed blocked by Garnett's block, but he did not stop, although bypassing Garnett made Wu Dawei farther away from Pierce, but he predicted Rondo's upcoming pass.
So Wu Dawei didn't continue to chase Pierce, but rushed straight to the outside, shortening the basketball between the two of them less than a few meters!
The empty front court prompted Wu Dawei to complete an easy score.
At 78:76, the Cavaliers trailed by just one goal.
The cheers in the arena boiled again because of Wu Dawei's steal and fast break, and at the same time, the hearts of the Cleveland fans who came to the scene became a little more nervous at this time. It's the hope that makes them nervous, because if they defend it one more time, they can have a chance to tie the score.
Paul Pearce understands this too. He was the Celtics' top scorer on the court at this time, and having scored 20 points, he knew he had to step up at this point, so as soon as Rondo dribbled past half court, this time Pierce asked for the basketball directly from outside the three-point line.
Wu Dawei made a defensive posture the moment he saw Pierce get the ball. The two people confronted each other outside the three-point line, which made the quick loan center resound with a huge cheering voice: "DEFENSE!" ”
Led by a live DJ, the cheering sound almost resounded in the sky!
Pierce didn't hesitate for long, he began to dribble slowly, and then slowly approached Wu Dawei. At this time, it was still far from the inside line, so Wu Dawei also retreated step by step, until he retreated to the free throw line, he stopped his pace and then pounced forward.
Paul Pierce struck a chill from beyond the three-point line! But what the captain of the Celtics team didn't expect was that the moment he jumped, Wu Dawei in front of him pounced without delay!
At this time, Peel, who was already flying in the air, had no way to avoid it, and he could only bury his head in it. But in the face of Wu Dawei's getting closer and closer, Pierce's shot finally became hasty. Because he couldn't be sure if he had adjusted the timing of his shot, he would have lost the opportunity to shoot.
Basketball is inaccurate!
The rebound was pocketed by Vallejo and the Cavaliers had a chance to tie the score, with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The cheers of the fans did not stop, but quickly turned into exclamations. Wu rushed to the frontcourt the moment he landed, because he saw Vallejo get the rebound. So he rushed forward with all his strength, and at the same time stretched out his right hand and beckoned to Vallejo.
After Vallejo got the rebound, he threw a long pass directly to the frontcourt, and Wu Dawei followed closely by Paul Pearce, but it was still Wu Dawei who got the ball, because of the age advantage, Wu Dawei ran faster than Pierce.
So when Wu Dawei received the blue ball, he was already half a body ahead of Pierce. And it was precisely relying on this advantage that Wu Dawei suddenly closed the ball and took three big steps after rushing into the three-point line.
He stretched out his right arm holding the ball at the moment of jumping, and then, Pierce was exhausted, and he couldn't stop Wu Dawei from helping the Cavaliers catch up with a licking basket!
78:78!
PS: Just came back from the hospital, temporary code, finally no arrears ~ (^__^)