no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 176 What year is today

Yao Ming protected the defensive rebound and Thibodeau called a timeout.

At this time, there are 41 seconds left before the end of the game, and both teams still have at least one offensive opportunity.

For the Bulls, there are now two options.

Option one is to launch a wave of quick attacks within 14 seconds. No matter whether it is successful or not, you can turn around and defend against another wave, so that you still have a chance to win in the end;
Option two is to play a patient offensive round and strive to score a goal to kill the opponent. In this way, you only need to defend the Heat's last attack to win the game directly. However, the disadvantage of this option is that once you fail to score, you can only Choose foul tactics.

But no matter which choice you make, you will have the initiative on the field only if you score in the next round.

After the players came down, Thibodeau turned around and called someone from the end of the bench.

Steve Novak.

Novak rarely had a chance to play with the Bulls in the regular season, and he basically only appeared in garbage time.

In addition, the Bulls have more wins than losses this season, so you can basically understand that he is the Bulls' victory cigar.

Basically he comes on the court and the Bulls win.

But he is such a player, he will basically enter the Bulls' 12-man activated roster in every game. 【Note 14】

The reason is very simple. Novak's fixed-point three-pointers are nuclear-weapon-level and are basically not used in ordinary games, but when needed, playing is a deterrent.

And Novak's three-pointer is absolutely functional, just like the Rockets' buzzer-beater during the Rockets' 22-game winning streak. The game only lasted 7 minutes, and he only made one goal, which was the final buzzer-beater. point.

There is no such thing as a shooting machine or cold hands.

Of course, Thibodeau's purpose of replacing Novak at this time is obviously not to let him execute the buzzer beater, but to open up the offensive space on the court and create opportunities for Xu Yong.

Xu Yong has scored 27 points tonight and is the best player on the Bulls.

Pause back, and the game continues.

"Waterfake?" At this moment, Barkley in the commentary box couldn't help beeping.

Because the Bulls replaced Rose with Novak.

Battier, Xu Yong, Artest, Novak, except for Yao Ming, the Bulls' four players with the highest three-point shooting percentage are all here.

From a tactical perspective, this is not a big problem, but Thibodeau actually replaced Rose, the new MVP, at a critical moment!

If he loses in the end, Thibodeau will definitely be criticized by the fans after the game.

I have to say, this bald guy is quite courageous.

Moreover, Novak had not played for a minute before, which was beyond Spoelstra's expectation.

But the Heat no longer have a timeout, and he can only let the Heat execute the tactics laid out during the timeout.

The Bulls served from the backcourt and Xu Yong controlled the ball and advanced.

The Heat tried to double attack, but Artest was very experienced and made the transition. After spending six or seven seconds, the Bulls successfully pushed the ball into the frontcourt.

The ball reached a 45° angle on the left, and Xu Yong faced Wade with the ball.

Although Xu Yong can only be regarded as the second-in-command of the Bulls in a strict sense now, Thibodeau has unlimited trust in him in position battles.

And before Rose was on the court, the Heat could directly pinch him, but now they don't dare.

Xu Yong observed the defense and played Wade in a post-up.

It was a similar situation to the last round, but this time Wade was very aggressive on defense and kept trying to steal.

And after Xu Yong turned around, he continued to press forward, and let go of one side to drive Xu Yong toward the basket.

This seems to be a slightly abnormal defensive method, because Xu Yong will definitely be more confident going to the basket than leaning back.

However, when Xu Yong broke through, James on the weak side and Chalmers on the strong side all attacked.

Obviously, this is Spoelstra's defensive arrangement, which is to trap Xu Yong. If Xu Yong can score the ball in one on three, then this round will be accepted.

As for other players, as long as the ball is not in Yao Ming's hands, it is difficult for role players to make shots at critical moments.

When Xu Yong broke into the penalty area, he was caught in a three-man attack and did not force the shot.

He knew that the whistle was biased tonight, and there would be no whistle if he was beaten to death, and the probability of scoring a goal in a three-man team was too low.

He jumped up directly, waited until his field of vision was completely widened, and then threw the ball directly to...Novak at a 45° angle on the right.

At this time, we have to say that different people make the same choice, resulting in different effects.

James has a high passing tendency at critical moments, so opponents will be wary of the passing lane between him and the shooter;
Xu Yong has a high tendency to play in isolation at critical moments, so when Spoelstra is setting up defense, he will tend to flank him.

And at this time, the Bulls are 1 point behind, and the probability of a two-pointer is much higher than a three-pointer.

So after the ball was passed, Novak got a completely open opportunity.

Wade's face changed drastically when he saw it. He rushed out with all his strength, but he was still too late.

Novak completed this three-point shot with an extremely calm expression, just like he did when he first arrived in Chicago and everyone in the Bulls saw him training.

A killer who has feelings.

After the basketball is released, it draws a beautiful parabola in the air with extreme backspin.

I have to say that Novak's three-pointer is truly textbook.

The basketball passed the highest point and began to fall, and the hearts of the fans at the scene jumped into their throats.

This ball is so right!

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball fell straight into the net bag, and Novak hit the three-pointer.gif!

94:92.

The Bulls overtook the score!

After scoring, Novak pumped his fist excitedly, and the scene was in an uproar. Miami fans held their heads in disbelief.

With a lead of up to 15 points in the final quarter, they were really overtaken by the Bulls.

In other words, in the past 9 minutes, they were beaten 19 to 2 by the Bulls.

This is really too abstract!

And soon there was a short whistle from the sidelines, and Rose came on to replace Novak.

In a basketball game, as long as the ball is still on the court and can be moved, it is called a live ball, otherwise it is a dead ball.

For example, if a player misses a shot and there is no out-of-bounds or foul, then it is a live ball. But if there are the above situations, or even a goal is scored, it is a dead ball.

As long as there is a dead ball situation, substitutions can be made.

In fact, Rose has been waiting at the technical table for a long time. If the Bulls fail to attack, the Bulls will foul on the spot and replace Rose on the court.

Of course, there will be certain risks in this. If the ball misses and forms a long rebound, and the Heat counterattack, it will be too late.

However, Thibodeau had already placed such a big bet on James in the fourth quarter, and now he is just raising the stakes.Judging from the results, the risk was worth taking.

Moreover, the Heat did not take a timeout, so Spoelstra could only shout and make tactical gestures at Wade on the court.

At this time, there were still 20 seconds left before the end of the game. Although the lagging Heat had the last chance to win, if they failed to score, it would be 0 to 3, and there was a high probability that they would be swept out.

From heaven to hell, it only took them 9 minutes.

The pressure now on the Heat players can be felt from the expressions on their faces.

It was as if there was a Mount Tai pressing on their chests, making them completely breathless.

Wade held the ball directly across the center line, and after reaching the three-point line, he immediately broke through inside.

His choice is clear. The Heat haven't scored a goal for too long. Just like Bosh before, even if there is a chance, they may not be able to make a shot.

On the contrary, if you commit a foul inside and get a chance to go into overtime.

At this time, Battier quickly came over and formed Chicago Hamburg with Xu Yong.

As soon as this double attack appeared, James on the outside was left empty again.

But this time Wade did not pass the ball to James. He chose to force the shot against the two defenders.

Due to the referee's problem, Battier and Xu Yong did not dare to attack or fight at this time. Wade had a pretty good shot opportunity.

but!

Just as the ball was jumping up, there was a figure moving up faster than him.

That’s Xu Yong!

Xu Yong didn't dare to fight or attack, so he aimed the ball directly at blocking the shot.

Before Wade took action, he was already a tiger ready to go.

This time, it’s [hungry tiger pounces on food]!
Before the ball reached its highest point, Xu Yong directly held down the ball, fished it back, and then confiscated the ball!

The fans at the scene were stunned. Xu Yong jumped so high.

The referee did not blow the whistle because the ball was obviously not related to the interference ball. As for the air whistle, the referee at this time was not good at this aspect of business.

And Rose was extremely smart at this time. He saw Xu Yong running forward after getting the ball, and Xu Yong also threw the ball forward after landing.

After Rose caught the ball, he did not make a fast break layup, but took the ball and dribbled it in the frontcourt to waste time.

Everyone else on the Heat team gave up, and only Chalmers, a small character, rushed over and tried to foul after seeing it.

It's just a pity that he...can't catch up!

As a result, the final moments of the game were as ironic as tonight's game. The rest of the Heat stood in the backcourt and watched, and then Chalmers chased Rose in the frontcourt at half court, but he wanted to foul but couldn't.

Until the final whistle sounded on the sidelines, the game was over.

Rose threw the ball into the air, and the Bulls players began to rush onto the court in celebration.

They completed a 15-point reversal in the last quarter!

Incredible game!
Xu Yong also raised his hands vigorously and made fists.

Before Thibodeau's timeout, when the Bulls made the strategy of letting James shoot, no one, including him, felt that it could be reversed.

But in the end they really did it!
And 5 on 8, a comeback from a 15-point deficit, a big score of 3-0, when all these elements are mixed together, everyone will feel crazy.

Novak became the object of celebration, and almost the entire team touched his head.

It was this scene that made some old fans sigh with emotion.

Three years ago, on February 2008, 2, the Rockets played against the Kings, and Novak also completed such a quasi-killer.

In addition to Novak himself, those present at the time included Yao Ming, Battier, Alston, and Artest, who was with the Kings at the time.

And then they're all present now.

What year is this eve!
In the handshake ceremony after the game, Wade and Novak hugged tightly, and the two communicated a lot.

After the game, Xu Yong and Novak followed Thibodeau to the post-game press conference.

Novak's accurate three-pointer and Xu Yong's key assist and blocked shot were the main contributors to the Bulls' victory tonight.

However, because Xu Yong has already had so many key performances, reporters have become accustomed to it. The favorite at this press conference was Novak.

You have to know that this is on the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals, which is not on the same level as the regular season that year.

In other words, the three-pointer hit by this kind of role player is worthy of extensive media coverage, and may even directly change his entire career.

"I just did the only thing I could do. That's more of Xu's credit. You know when you have a superstar to contain the defense, you will get a great shooting opportunity."

Novak's answer to reporters seemed extremely sensible.

And what he said was not flattery, because the two experiences, one with Tracy McGrady and one with Xu Yong, were all what he said.

However, Xu Yong felt extremely comfortable after saying this. After the press conference, he took Novak directly to the local shopping mall and bought him a large and thick gold chain.

Just as they were doing this, people started digging into Novak's story on social media.

Yes, there are too many role players in the NBA. They may all be Jordans in their own stories, but most of them are unknown in the NBA.

As the saying goes, "After ten years of hard work and no one asking, you become famous all over the world in one fell swoop." This is what [becoming famous overnight] means.

After Novak's story was dug out, many fans were extremely surprised.

In his last season before entering the NCAA, he averaged 17.5 points per game and was the team's leading scorer. He averaged 8.4 three-pointers per game, made 46.7% of his three-pointers, and made an astonishing 97.4% of his free throws. .

Moreover, he shot nearly 800 three-pointers in four years of college, with a shooting percentage of 46.4%. He was the top three-pointer in the draft that year.

His most brilliant game also came in his senior season. He scored 40 points and 41 rebounds in 16 minutes, leading the team to defeat the second-ranked University of Connecticut in the Big East Conference, which Xu Yong had defeated before. This season's NCAA champion UConn.

Moreover, he had the experience of beating Notre Dame in 1.8 seconds in the NCAA, showing the characteristics of a big heart.

These data show that before entering the NBA, he was already a standard shooting machine.

He also has a very iconic [championship belt] celebration.jpg.

This move later became famous for being imitated by legendary NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

Of course, the most important thing is that he comes from Marquette University.

That's right, it's the alma mater where Wade and Butler played.

Moreover, he was teammates with Wade in his freshman season, and together with Wade, he led the team to the NCAA Final Four!
This explains why Wade had such a big reaction when he saw Novak catching the ball during the game, and why the two chatted for so long after the game.

It's like a fate.

If Wade had joined the Bulls alone during the offseason, he would have even renewed his relationship with his former teammate Novak.

But now, he was almost beaten by Novak, his former teammate, and had to face the Heat's 0-3 deficit.

(End of this chapter)