novelhk Chapter 1133 Re-ascension to the Throne! The Official Return of Caesar!
Chapter 1133 Re-ascension to the Throne! The Official Return of Caesar!
After Durant got the basketball, he didn't pass it to anyone. Instead, he held the ball high and waited for his teammates to move. He was facing his old rival from tonight, Zhu Fangyu.
Although Zhu Fangyu pressed forward and tried to steal the ball, Durant also sensed the Chinese team's strategy.
No foul!
The idea is to gamble on the US team being able to defend against a 24-second shot clock, and to gamble on the US team missing this shot.
A very good choice for Lin Tian!
Having been teammates with Lin Tian for a year, Durant naturally knew Lin Tian's habits and style.
He was quite certain that Lin Tian had orchestrated the tactics for this round.
He was also quite certain that the Chinese team was going all in.
"Your idea is good, but your plan is doomed to fail!" Durant confidently shifted his weight, preparing himself for an offensive attack. "You can't stop me!"
Zhu Fangyu: What the heck? Is this guy babbling incoherently praising my good looks?
Durant's trash talk was completely ineffective, but the game time kept slipping away.
Because he needed to pressure the final shot, and because it was the last moment of the game, Durant started his attack much later than usual.
Generally speaking, star players will compress the time for this final attack to 7-9 seconds, which is a more common number. Whether the star player takes the shot himself or passes it to a teammate a couple more times, he will have enough time, which can be regarded as leaving himself a way out.
If the time is too short, and the opponent manages to defend against it, then there won't even be a chance to implement Plan B.
But this time, Durant kept the game shorter than usual.
The last 4 seconds!
This guy only started moving suddenly with 4 seconds left, trying to break through Zhu Fangyu's defense to complete the attack!
First, he used a wide loop to shake off Zhu Fangyu's arm that was draped over him. Then, Durant used a crossover dribble and a small hop to find and deceive Zhu Fangyu's center of gravity.
Then he suddenly made a sharp turn in front of his body.
This move is Durant's signature move, and also one of the most terrifying killing moves in the league today.
He has long strides, a tall stature, and strong shooting ability. In addition, he also has a crossover dribble with amazing speed and range. When he uses this move, there are very few people who can defend against him.
But this time, just before Durant completed the change of direction, he heard someone reminding him.
"Watch out, Kevin! We're double-teaming!"
Durant couldn't tell whose voice it was, but instinct and subconscious made him make a quick choice. He dribbled behind his back and moved laterally, giving away the space he had created. With this dribble, he put himself back in front of Zhu Fangyu!
Then, the people who were flanking them appeared.
It was on the side where the basketball was after he dribbled behind his back!
"Snapped!"
Then there was a crisp sound, and Durant felt his hand go light. He knew he was done for!
We made a mistake!
Durant reacted quickly, anticipating the direction of the ball and attempting to regain control with a diving tackle. However, Zhu Fangyu was faster, diving out to contest for the ball in the same manner.
But this time, their purposes were completely different.
Zhu Fangyu was trying to poke the ball out, while Durant was trying to hold onto it.
Their different goals led them to compete for the basketball in different ways.
Zhu Fangyu only needs to touch the basketball and then hit it away.
But Durant has to control the basketball; he has to keep control of it.
These subtle differences make the difference immediately apparent.
Zhu Fangyu hit the basketball away, and Durant was unable to regain control of it.
At that moment, the referee's whistle and buzzer sounded simultaneously.
"Buzz!"
24-second violation!
The US team's final attack was blocked by the Chinese team!
A perfect 24-second violation gave Hebei China Fortune a chance to equalize!
Trailing by 3 points, they have a chance to force the game into overtime!
But of course, there's also bad news.
With only 1.6 seconds left in the game, they only had one chance: grab the ball and shoot, it was a one-shot deal.
If they make it, anything is possible. If they don't, they'll just have to go home with a silver medal.
Yu Jia said, "At least we did the hardest part. We defended against the US's final attack, and we made the US team's attack fruitless."
"Now it's up to us! Let's see how the Chinese team plans their final attack!"
Zhang Weiping said, "Lin Tian is definitely our first choice for the final shot, but Zhu Fangyu and Xu Yong are also in pretty good form. For the last shot, maybe Old Nelson will send Wang Shipeng on."
"But the US team will definitely guard Lin Tian tightly, not giving him any chance to complete the attack. Preventing Lin Tian from receiving the ball is probably what the US team is planning now."
"In this situation, perhaps our other players will have openings, and maybe we can pass the ball to them so they can score the winning goal and become heroes?"
"As for the American team, their defense is actually very simple. At this point, they just need to stay on the three-point line and defend. They can easily score two points, but they absolutely cannot give them three points. As long as they can hold on for the last 1.6 seconds, the American team will be the champion! They will win the long-awaited Olympic gold medal."
"So, who on either side can do it? Who can achieve their goal?"
The two commentators analyzed the situation on the field, speculating on the players and lineups that both sides might bring onto the field in the final moments, while the timeout that the Chinese team had just requested had ended.
The players from both sides returned to the field once again.
Yu Jia said, "The Chinese team has replaced Sun Yue with Wang Shipeng! Add Lin Tian, Zhu Fangyu, Xu Yong and Yi Jianlian, and this is the most accurate outside combination on the Chinese team right now, plus Yi Jianlian, who can set screens and shoot inside."
"Old Nelson's tactical intentions are quite clear."
Zhang Weiping then analyzed the US team's lineup: "Old K took Paul out again, obviously because he was worried that Paul's height would become our breakthrough point. At the same time, Love, who lacks athleticism and is slow, was also replaced by Bosh, who can run and jump more."
"Add the three forwards and Westbrook, and that's the current roster for Team USA."
Yu Jia said, "Going up to Westbrook now might be an opportunity for us! He might make a mistake, and that might help us."
"But it also depends on how well this inbound pass goes, whether it gets to Lin Tian!" Zhang Weiping said. "Lin Tian is definitely the first choice. Let's see our current positioning..."
"Is this a square?"
As Zhang Weiping said, at this moment, apart from Xu Yong standing on the sideline preparing to serve, Lin Tian and Zhu Fangyu were standing at the bottom corner and 45-degree angle on the left side of the court, while Yi Jianlian and Wang Shipeng were standing at the bottom corner and 45-degree angle on the other side.
The four people were very far apart, and they did indeed form a square.
"What kind of tactics are they using?" Zhang Weiping asked, somewhat puzzled.
"But even if we don't succeed and our tactics fail, we still have a timeout and a chance to recover." Yu Jia noticed that the Chinese team still had a timeout.
"It's best not to use it."
As the two chatted, the referee finally blew the whistle to resume the game. The scene suddenly became extremely quiet, and everyone held their breath, afraid that their single breath would affect the course of the game.
Then, the moment the referee handed the ball to Xu Yong, the Hebei China Fortune players started running!
All four players started moving at the same time, and all four of them ran towards the free throw line area simultaneously!
It's noticeable that all four players were mindful of their speed, so they all reached the free-throw line at almost the same time!
In the blink of an eye, all eight players on the court had crowded around the free-throw line.
Then, as if someone had chanted some kind of spell to "split apart," everyone suddenly scattered again.
Lin Tian turned and ran back towards the basket. Since the direction he was running in was not threatening, Westbrook, who was with him, slowed down a little to try and predict which direction Lin Tian would run next.
He wanted to give himself time to prepare.
Because Westbrook knew that Lin Tian would never drive to the basket for an alley-oop dunk.
2 points, here you go!
He'll eventually have to run out to the three-point line to receive the ball.
Then, Lin Tian indeed changed direction and turned around!
Lin Tian actually only ran two steps toward the basket before suddenly stopping, turning around, and then running headlong toward the top of the arc.
As he ran, Lin Tian shouted, "Open the door!"
This was shouted in Mandarin, and the American players didn't know what Lin Tian meant by those words.
But Yi Jianlian and Zhu Fangyu, who were originally in the area just above the free throw line, could understand it!
They both stopped and turned around almost immediately to look at Lin Tian.
Then they separated slightly, giving Lin Tian a space to pass between them.
Then, as Lin Tian passed between the two, they suddenly merged together and stood side by side!
They were like the two doors of an elevator, closing rapidly and blocking everyone outside, leaving only Lin Tian inside!
Xu Yong didn't hesitate at this moment. Seeing the opportunity, he immediately passed the ball to Lin Tian.
"Get lost!"
Desperate to catch up with Lin Tian, Westbrook roared and then unleashed his brute force, actually breaking through the elevator and rushing towards Lin Tian.
He rushed in, somewhat recklessly.
He went a little too far.
But Lin Tian was even crazier than him!
Because the moment Lin Tian received the ball, he had already completed the preparation for turning and shooting; he had already adjusted his rhythm.
But after seeing Westbrook charging towards him recklessly, Lin Tian immediately changed his mind!
1.6 seconds is enough!
Lin Tian raised the ball and faked Westbrook, sending him flying completely away, and the ball flew straight towards him!
Then Lin Tian gathered the ball, adjusted his footwork, and finally jumped up again.
This time, he jumped at Westbrook!
Coach K on the sidelines had closed his eyes in despair. He had predicted the outcome of this round, and he knew how bad it would be.
At that moment, he felt only regret.
Why switch to this guy who's prone to impulsive decisions at this point?
At this point, even if Paul is short and easily bullied into getting shot over the head, it's still better than Westbrook sending someone straight to the free-throw line!
Paul's height is a major drawback, but he almost never makes mistakes, right?
Lin Tian's three-pointers are accurate, and Paul has plenty of experience, but ultimately, his three-point shooting percentage is only 45%, while his free throw percentage...
In this Olympics, he attempted nearly 100 free throws in 8 games, and only missed 3 in total...
Expecting him to miss one out of three free throws is harder than killing Lin Tian!
It's overtime now!
Coach K is having a headache.
Although the Chinese players were already physically exhausted, and Xu Yong and Lin Tian were visibly worn out.
But the situation isn't much better for the American team either!
Durant is already playing at an overclocked pace, and with three players on his team fouled out, the US team is short-handed. Even if they go into overtime, the US team will have a tough time!
Not to mention the frustration of being defeated by a game-winning free throw.
This kind of foul can really affect morale!
It seems that during the break, we need to give the players some motivational pep talk to help them forget about this round before going all out in overtime.
If Durant isn't feeling well, let him rest for two minutes and give him a break. Who else could he take over?
Perhaps, we should try Anthony Davis? A surprise weapon, a fresh addition, to catch the Chinese team off guard?
Okay! Let's do it this way and test the new top draft pick's level and mental fortitude! Let's see if he can help the team.
If it doesn't help, quickly find someone else; if it does help, then it will be another brilliant stroke in my career!
But how should I put it?
Coach K is clearly being overly optimistic.
He only considered that Lin Tian was almost certain to miss all three free throws, but forgot that there was another possible outcome.
"Whoosh!"
The crisp sound rang out, and Coach K, who had just been imagining the upcoming game, opened his eyes in disbelief. He had just witnessed the basketball piercing through the net and disappearing into the basket.
Coach K has never hated the sound of a basketball swishing through the net so much in his entire life!
Why is this voice so annoying?
And even more unpleasant voices followed one after another.
"Beep beep! Foul! 3 points awarded, plus one free throw!"
3+1! Another 3+1!
Lin Tian's second 3+1 in the fourth quarter tonight!
At this point, the US team only had 0.3 seconds left!
Even if the referee reviews the video now, even if the referee studies how many seconds to give the US team, it will still be roughly the same.
It's just a difference of 0.3 and 0.5 seconds.
If the US team had a timeout to inbound the ball from the frontcourt, they would still have time to make plays, but now the US team doesn't have a timeout!
They can only serve from the backcourt, which is not enough time at all.
They have to catch the ball, advance the ball, shoot, and make the shot.
If any one step goes wrong or fails, the US team will have to take the silver medal again!
From a practical standpoint, the probability of the US team catching the ball, shooting, and making the shot within a maximum of about 0.5 seconds is far less than the probability of Lin Tian making the free throw.
Instead of letting my imagination run wild, I might as well curse Lin Tianfa so he won't advance!
If he misses the free throw, it'll be overtime!
Coach K's hopes were rekindled! He began to stare intently at Lin Tian, mentally worshipping every god, superhero, villain, or other figure he knew.
His only demand was: miss the free throw! He absolutely had to miss!
Life and death are truly separated by a fine line.
At this moment, Westbrook had already covered his head with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes, and he was completely stunned.
What happened?
How did it turn out like this?
Weren't we just a few seconds away from winning the gold medal?
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"Caesar! Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!"
The fans in the stadium cheered wildly. The American fan section, which had just been full of high spirits and shouting "Defense!", suddenly fell silent. Their fans were completely quiet.
From heaven to hell, from revelry to despair.
Who knows how many fans supporting Team USA were staring blankly at their TVs outside the stadium?
They couldn't believe what was happening before their eyes.
It must have been a nightmare.
For those who support Team USA, this moment was like a bolt from the blue.
Rather than hoping that Lin Tian would miss the free throw and the game would go into overtime, they felt it was more reliable for the US team to use the last fraction of a second to complete a super long-range three-pointer and make it.
In short, the fans of Team USA have given up hope.
"In this vast world, Lin Tian has achieved godhood!" Zhang Weiping shouted. "I don't believe in gods, Buddhas, God, or the Jade Emperor, but at this moment I truly want to say: Lin Tian is the best gift this world has given to Chinese sports!"
"With Lin Tian here, we will not lose!" Yu Jia's voice was even trembling with tears as she spoke. For the Chinese, their sentiments were the exact opposite of those of the American team's supporters.
They went from hell to heaven.
In 1.6 seconds, they witnessed the miracle.
This time, the miracle's name is still Lin Tian!
Lin Tian didn't rush to the free throw line at this moment; the Chinese team players were still gathered together celebrating.
Now, of course they can celebrate, of course they can celebrate wildly and unrestrainedly.
The referee didn't urge him, because the referee also needed to review the video.
They need to determine how much time was left in the game when Westbrook committed the foul.
After reviewing the video replays from multiple angles, the referees quickly reached a consensus.
The clock resets to 0.4 seconds, which means that regardless of whether Lin Tian makes the free throw, the US team still has 0.4 seconds for their final attack.
Well, of course, everyone thinks that the difference between 0.4 seconds and none at all is really not that big.
Because the US team has run out of timeouts, if they had one more timeout, they could still run a play on the inbound pass and have a chance to fight back.
But now, they don't have timeouts. They have to inbound the ball from the backcourt or shoot immediately after grabbing a rebound. Those 0.4 seconds are practically nothing.
Not enough.
In any case, even the most steadfast American fans are starting to despair.
On one side is Lin Tian, who only missed 3 free throws throughout the entire Olympics; on the other side is the almost non-existent possibility of throwing a super long-range 3-pointer from the backcourt with 0.4 seconds left.
At this point, everyone became increasingly certain: Team America was finished.
Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Lin Tian calmly stepped onto the free-throw line. The chants of "MVP" and "Caesar" that had been blaring in the arena vanished instantly, leaving only silence.
Everyone is waiting for the final judgment.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's penalty kick landed perfectly.
He didn't give the American team any unnecessary or inappropriate expectations.
127: 126!
There are 0.4 seconds left in the game!
After making the free throw, everyone on the Chinese team immediately found their assigned defenders. Yi Jianlian didn't even come to the frontcourt; he hadn't been involved in the rebounding. Old Nelson had 100% trust in Lin Tian's free throws, and he told Yi Jianlian to return to his own half to prepare for a possible long pass from the American team.
Then Sun Yue tightly marked Anthony, frantically waving his arms to interfere with Anthony's receiving route.
Lin Tian followed Westbrook, Xu Yong followed Durant, and Zhu Fangyu kept an eye on James.
Love, who serves from the baseline, has excellent passing skills, but now he can't find any teammates to receive the ball.
At this point, the Chinese team certainly wouldn't give the American team any easy chance to receive the ball.
With a five-second violation looming, Love made a desperate gamble, throwing the ball towards midcourt. Durant, who was closest, sprinted towards the basket, but he couldn't shake off Xu Yong.
Xu Yong followed closely behind, relentlessly attacking Durant.
Although Durant had longer arms and got the basketball earlier, Xu Yong didn't give him much of a chance to shoot.
Under such fierce competition, Durant didn't even have time to get a firm grip on the ball before the game was over!
"Full time! Full time!"
"China team has won! They've won! They've won!"
"Champions! Champions! Fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal!"
Yu Jia and Zhang Weiping shouted excitedly in celebration.
Lin Tian, the biggest contributor and most frenzied star of the Chinese team tonight, lay down on the floor the moment the game ended.
He no longer had the energy to celebrate.
Lin Tian closed his eyes and gasped for breath. Although he didn't do anything crazy, when the camera was pointed at him, everyone could see the undisguised smile on his lips.
I am back!
The King of Basketball has once again ascended to the top of the world! (End of Chapter)