Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 735 Phoenix needs a miracle! But they excel at creating miracles.

140: 145!

There are 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the game!

On the bench, Lin Tian, ​​who had just made a crucial steal, celebrated with his teammates by high-fiving one by one. Old Nelson, however, remained silent; he was in no hurry and was waiting.

He waited until all his players were seated and had regained their composure before looking at him and said, "I will devise a complex throw-in tactic for Lin to receive the ball."

"Then everyone spread out, spread out as much as possible, clear a path for Lin, whether it's under the basket or around him! This possession, I want Lin to go one-on-one! I want him to single-handedly crush the Suns!"

"If they double-team..."

"If they double-team me, I'll crush their double-team!" Lin Tian panted heavily, his voice filled with malice. "There won't be a seventh game! Everyone, spread out and watch my performance!"

"If we pull ahead this round, it'll take us three rounds to catch up, then we can celebrate!"

"Let's do it Lin says!" Old Nelson was quite straightforward. He originally wanted Lin Tian to pass the ball when he was double-teamed, so that his teammates could take on the opponent's numbers.

But after seeing Lin Tian's eyes and sensing his determination, Old Nelson knew: There was no need!

This guy can definitely do it! Let him do it alone!

The pause ended quickly!

At this point, neither side made any substitutions to their players, and both continued with their previous lineups!

Just as Lin Tian said, if this ball goes in, then with only about a minute left, the Knicks can really start preparing for a celebration!

Hill stood on the sideline, waiting for his teammates to make their runs, while Lin Tian, ​​in the Suns' half of the court, successfully carved a path for himself through a series of screens from his teammates and by constantly changing his running route, and received the ball at the top of the arc.

Then the rest of the Knicks players quickly scattered!

Oku and Stoudemire are at the bottom corners on both sides.

Hill and Anthony stood at a 45-degree angle on either side, ready to receive the pass at any time.

The entire stadium space was completely opened up!

At this moment, the person guarding Lin Tian was changed to Nash!

"Steve, after this round, you can start crying! I'm going to kill the game!" Lin Tian didn't rush to attack, but let time pass.

For those who are ahead, time is their friend!

The Suns were in an awkward position. They didn't dare to double-team Lin Tian because his passing ability was too good, and they couldn't foul him early. With more than a minute left and trailing by 5 points, they were far from being able to send Lin Tian, ​​who had a free throw percentage of over 90%, to the free throw line.

Time flies by.

Lin Tian waited until there were only 5 seconds left on the attack time before finally launching his attack!

He suddenly switched from facing away from the basket to protecting the basketball to facing the basket, then passed the ball from his left hand to his right hand through his legs, and jumped forward again. It was Lin Tian's signature attack step combined with a change of direction as his starting move!

Nash was on high alert, lowering his center of gravity and staring intently at every pore and detail of Lin Tian's body. He knew he had to hold on to this possession; he knew that if Lin Tian scored this basket, they would be finished!

He has given it his all!

But if hard work were effective, what would be the point of using cheats?

After Lin Tian took his first attack step and jumped forward slightly, he suddenly pulled the basketball towards the far end with his right hand, making a move to accelerate past his opponent directly from there.

Nash was able to maintain his balance and keep his lower body still, but his eyes couldn't escape this moment and involuntarily looked at Lin Tian's right hand.

enough!

Or rather, Lin Tian simply didn't care whether Nash was faked out by him. When he got past Nash, why did he need to see how Nash defended him?

Just go for it!

The basketball bounced off the floor again and landed in Lin Tian's left hand. At the same time, Lin Tian pushed off with his feet and darted forward!

Now, even if it were Bolt, let alone Nash, it would be extremely difficult for him to catch up with Lin Tian!

Nash only felt a gust of wind beside his ear, but he couldn't react at all. He was completely pinned to the ground, as if Lin Tian hadn't just done a crossover, but rather used a time-stopping technique!

Lin Tian, ​​who had just broken into the paint, had no time to observe whether Nash was immobilized by him. He was giving it his all this time, pushing both his speed and focus to the limit!

Then, Lin Tian slammed his left foot down one step in front of the free-throw line, gathered the ball with both hands, and jumped with all his might, rushing towards the basket!

At this moment, Lin Tian only had eyes for the basketball hoop! He didn't care at all whether there were people in front of him or how many people there were.

All he knew was that anyone who appeared in front of him at this moment trying to defend themselves was doomed!

"puff!"

Lin Tian felt his lower body collide heavily with someone. He could tell that the unlucky guy, whose identity he didn't know, didn't jump up at all. He just stood there motionless with his arms outstretched, as if surrendering.

Lin Tian couldn't be sure if the guy didn't have time to run or didn't even think about running. All he knew was that he was about to score!

Lin Tian poured all his strength into his right arm, completely ignoring the resistance coming from his lower body, and let out a roar.

"roar!"

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Lin Tian slammed the ball into the basket with one arm!

The unlucky guy who was standing on the ground with his hands raised to try to stop Lin Tian also lost control of his body and could not withstand the incredibly powerful impact. He lost his balance and fell backward in a sorry state.

At this moment, Lin Tian finally recognized who it was.

Isn't this the top scholar?

Kenyon Martin!

However, Martin was no longer the fierce and domineering "beast" he once was; his eyes were now filled with fear and disbelief.

He was terrified by Lin Tian's move!

so horrible!

Martin is no longer a "beast"; he has become a "poultry."

"If you don't want to retire at a young age, I advise you to stay away from me when I'm dunking."

"Don't humiliate yourself!"

With 58 seconds left, the Knicks extended their lead to 7 points!

D'Antoni stood up helplessly, crossed his arms, and called another timeout.

At this point, even someone as stubborn as D'Antoni knew that his chances were running out.

"Even if the Suns can hit consecutive three-pointers and defend all of the Knicks' offense, it will still take them three possessions to catch up! If the Knicks control the full 24 seconds every time, and the Suns can hit a three-pointer every eight seconds, they won't have enough time!"

During the timeout, Kenny analyzed the current situation of both teams once again: "The Suns are in terrible shape! They can only pray for a miracle now!"

"But unfortunately," Barkley said, "the league's most skilled miracle-maker is on the other side!"

"Or rather, the person who is best at crushing miracles and best at making opponents despair is right across from them!"

Miller said, "I know that feeling all too well. I've watched Lin create countless miracles and accomplish so many feats that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of! His NBA career has always been synonymous with miracles!"

"There's not much the Suns can do right now," Payton said. "But on the next possession, when the timeout ends, they have to hit a three-pointer! And they have to be quick! Very quick! Then, if I were D'Antoni, I'd foul, foul immediately!"

"With Lin on the court, if you let the Knicks waste time with the ball, they'll definitely control the ball for the full 24 seconds, leaving you absolutely no extra time! So rather than watching Lin waste time and then score, it's better to just send him to the free-throw line; at least that saves time!"

Miller continued, "But all of this depends on them making that three-pointer! If they don't, then it's all for nothing!"

"I think they need me right now!"

"They need me to help them grab rebounds!" Barkley snorted, indicating that he was also important.

"They need me to help them keep Lin out." Payton has never backed down in this kind of situation.

Then it was Kenny's turn to be speechless.

The other three stared at Kenny, waiting for him to say something, but what could Kenny say?

Compared to these MVPs, All-Stars, Defensive Player of the Year, and league all-time three-point kings, what can a role player like him do for the Suns?

Waving towels and shouting encouragement?

Estimated line.

But I can't do anything else at all.

While a few people were chatting and analyzing, the crucial suspension, which would likely influence the final outcome of this year's NBA season, finally came to an end.

D'Antoni finally made a substitution, removing Martin, a pure inside player who is not good at three-pointers, and bringing in Jones, a shooter whose three-point shooting percentage is second only to Nash on the team.

The Suns are going all out too!

"No center! The Suns have fielded a lineup without a center! If the Knicks bring in Okur and Stoudemire at this point, they will be at a disadvantage in terms of mobility, and the Suns could very well pull off a miracle with this substitution!" Kenny quickly analyzed.

"D'Antoni really put in the effort! He gave up on rebounding; he's gambling! Betting that the Knicks will attack the paint, and then his shooters will get opportunities! Let's look at the Knicks' roster and see if D'Antoni can..."

"Okay, no way! Don Nelson anticipated D'Antoni's prediction! He also fielded a lineup with superb defense and incredible mobility! You can only say, experience counts!"

As Kenny said, the Knicks' roster is just the right counter to the Suns' five players! Don Nelson took out Okur, Stoudemire, and Anthony, three lousy players, and replaced them with Barnes, Wallace, and Smith.

He brought his five best defensive players, the most athletic players, and the fastest runners onto the court!

At this point, Don Nelson would certainly not continue to be stubborn and willful, insisting on competing offensively with the Suns.

The old man is just competitive and likes to show off, but he's not really stupid. When it's time to defend, he values ​​defense more than anyone else!

Pierce stood outside the sideline, ready to inbound the ball, while the other four players ran frantically, looking for opportunities. Meanwhile, the Knicks continued to mark their own players one by one, effectively shutting them down.

"Beep beep!"

The referee blew his whistle, and the ball went to Pierce. He held the ball, looking around, searching for and waiting for an opportunity!

Lin Tian once again relentlessly pursued Nash, giving him no chance to receive the ball!

Throughout the journey, Nash constantly changed positions, relentlessly seeking screens from his teammates. However, under Lin Tian's tight defense, Nash couldn't find any opportunities or open shots, and he couldn't get the ball at all!

Pierce was extremely anxious because D'Antoni's strategy was to get the ball to Nash first.

With the five seconds about to expire, Pierce had no choice but to quickly pass the ball to Jones, who had just come on.

Jones was about to shoot after receiving the ball, but Wallace had already closed in, leaving him no space to shoot. Given Jones' basic skill, he certainly didn't dare to force the ball at this moment.

"ball!"

Fortunately, Pierce had already broken back into bounds at that moment, reaching out to Jones for the ball.

Jones felt like he'd been granted a pardon and quickly passed the ball back. At the same time, he sprinted away from Wallace, creating space for him to play one-on-one.

Pierce faced off against Smith, who was tall, had a long reach, and was incredibly athletic. He made several feints in place but couldn't find any opportunity to shoot. Smith had him cornered!

Of course, this isn't because Smith's defensive ability is so strong that Pierce can't even get a shot off; it's because the Knicks don't defend two-pointers!

Smith was sticking to Pierce right outside the three-point line, not giving him a chance to shoot. If Pierce wanted to drive...?

No problem! You can pass easily, 2 points are yours!

But want to pull one up from beyond the three-point line? Don't even think about it!

As time flew by, Pierce grew increasingly anxious. He even considered taking a step-back jumper and throwing it up to try his luck!

Just then, an orange figure ran towards Pierce: "Ball! Paul, ball!"

Nash!

After his relentless, frantic running and countless attempts to cover his tracks, he finally managed to leave Lin Tian slightly behind.

Upon seeing his savior arrive, Pierce didn't hesitate at all. He immediately turned to the side and passed the ball to Pierce, his idea being quite simple.

With a hand-to-hand pass, he then moved to the side to block Lin Tian, ​​who was chasing Nash from behind, giving Nash a chance to jump and shoot!

An absolute open opportunity!

The only difficulty is whether I can stop Lin Tian!

Pierce gritted his teeth; he was ready for a fierce head-on confrontation with Lin Tian!

But then, Pierce's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

"That's impossible!"

This was the only thought that could pop into Pierce's mind at that moment!

Just now, the formation was Lin Tian in the back and Nash in the front.

But just as Pierce exposed the basketball in preparation for a handoff, Lin Tian suddenly found himself neck and neck with Nash! Lin Tian even pushed Nash to the perimeter!

Then, when Pierce blinked again, Lin Tian was already in front of him. As for Nash?

He was completely squeezed behind Lin Tian and lost his advantageous position!

"How can this bastard be so fast!" The thought popped into Pierce's mind, which made him waste a little bit of time.

Then, Pierce finally realized what was happening. He tried to get the ball back, to bring the exposed basketball back into his arms, but it was obviously too late!

"Snapped!"

Lin Tian's long arm slapped the basketball in Pierce's hand, and the basketball immediately rolled towards the sideline.

Then Pierce saw a dark figure suddenly dart out and pounce on the basketball.

It's Nash!

Then a second dark figure rushed out—it was Lin Tian!

Then, Pierce realized what was happening and dared not hesitate any longer. This was the closest he had ever come to a championship in his life!

He wouldn't let his mistake ruin what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

He lunged forward as well.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them rolled around on the floor. The three of them had six arms, two black, two white, and two yellow, all of which were outstretched at the same time, and all three of them hoped to touch the basketball as soon as possible.

"Josh!"

In the end, Lin Tian's better physical attributes and more exaggerated wingspan led him to touch the basketball first.

However, Lin Tian also knew that even he couldn't control the basketball and call a timeout under these circumstances. He could clearly feel that the two guys next to him were no different from vicious dogs at this moment!

He won't give them the chance to tear themselves apart.

Lin Tian reached out and poked the ball forward again.

Smith, who had just been guarding Pierce, arrived at that moment, grabbed the basketball that Lin Tian had just poked away, and charged toward the Suns' half of the court!

No one can stop us!

No one can catch up with Smith anymore!

Marion, Jones...

All the Suns players were either too far away or lying on the ground unable to get up.

Everyone could only watch as Smith charged forward.

Smith, clutching the Knicks' second championship in two years, charged toward the Suns' half of the court.

Then he leaped high into the air, caught the basketball with one hand, drew a huge circle in the air, and then slammed the ball into the basket!

This time, he not only added two more points for the team, but he also completely shattered the Suns' dream of winning the championship!

140: 149!

With 35 seconds left, the Knicks extended their lead to 9 points!

After completing the dunk, Smith knew that they had almost completely secured the victory. He no longer held back, stood still, clenched his fists, and let out a series of roars and howls towards the sky!

"Josh! Josh! Josh! Josh!"

The fans at the scene were chanting Smith's name wildly, cheering him on, and they were just as excited as he was.

Although there were still 35 seconds left in the game, they knew that even a miracle couldn't save them!

We won!

We finally succeeded in defending our title!

For the first time in team history, they successfully defended their title!

So refreshing!

Is this what it feels like to defend your title?

The Madison Square Garden crowd erupted in wild shouts, screams, and celebrations, hugging and kissing those around them, with countless fans even shedding tears once again!

Although there were still 35 seconds left in the game, and although the Suns theoretically still had a chance to turn the tide, the fans couldn't contain themselves any longer.

Their excitement and soaring pride were beyond containment!

D'Antoni was deathly pale. Amidst the cheers from the crowd, he called out his final timeout.

He knew the chances were slim, but at this point, he certainly couldn't just give up so easily. (End of Chapter)