novelhk Chapter 197 Passed on to myself 2 seconds later
Chapter 197 Passed on to myself 2 seconds later
Sitting on the bench, Wang Xiucheng draped a towel over his head.
Doncic's weight and footwork put a lot of pressure on him on the defensive end.
Fortunately, when it came to his own offense, Doncic also had no good way to deal with his speed and feints.
The two players are completely different types of point guards.
However, what they have in common is that both of them can score on their own or assist their teammates in scoring.
In the first quarter, neither Doncic nor Wang Xiucheng managed to get any assists in their short six-minute encounter.
The two players were trying to score points individually, seemingly trying to prove that they were the best scorers.
Fortunately, both players had good shooting percentages, which kept the score even between the two teams.
Both head coaches were drawing something on their whiteboards for the players, especially the Mavericks.
Without Doncic, Kidd has started to devise tactics for the team.
He also knew what the start of the second quarter meant for his team.
The pause ended quickly.
The substitutes from both sides came on.
Of course, it's not entirely made up of substitutes; the Mavericks still have Spencer Dinwiddie anchoring the lineup.
For the Nets, in addition to Wang Xiucheng, Ben West, a starter, made his return to the court.
The second quarter began with the referee's whistle.
The Nets gained possession, and Wang Xiucheng brought the ball to the frontcourt.
Zeng Fanbo ran to the top of the arc to provide cover for Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng used Zeng Fanbo's body to enter the paint and blocked Dinwiddie, who was guarding him, behind him.
However, once inside, Wang Xiucheng suddenly slowed down and leaned against Dinwiddie.
Immediately, Wang Xiucheng used Ding Weidi's strength to jump up, and at the same time, he put Ding Weidi's outstretched arm into his arms.
Swish!
Throw it in.
beep!
Gracie pointed at Dinwiddie and blew the whistle for a foul.
Dinwiddie looked completely bewildered!
He first clutched his head, intending to offer a few words of explanation.
But upon seeing that it was Gladys, Dinwiddie could only manage a wry smile.
In the first quarter, both Doncic and Wang Xiucheng engaged in this kind of deliberate flopping behavior.
But the referee seemed not to see it, and neither of them called a foul.
This can be considered a kind of balance, so neither coach had any complaints.
But at the very beginning of the second quarter, the same action was performed by a different person, so why was it called?
Kidd was also very dissatisfied at this point, and was talking to a male referee standing not far away.
The male referee crossed his arms and said something, and the next moment Kidd shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Clearly, this exchange did not yield any positive feedback.
Wang Xiucheng stood at the free-throw line, received the ball from Gladys, patted it, spun it, and then shot it.
Swish!
The ball goes in.
Three points scored successfully.
It has to be said that Doncic's move of braking in the paint and then jumping off his opponent is really effective.
Moreover, this move doesn't strain the ankle like Rose's reverse jump step.
It's just a pity that I met Doncic a little too late.
Although we faced each other four times last season, I was a substitute in the first two games and was injured for a period of time afterwards.
Otherwise, I would have learned this move long ago.
Wang Xiucheng looked smug.
Doncic, sitting on the bench with a towel draped over his shoulders, looked utterly exasperated.
That kid even glanced at me after he finished his free throw.
Doncic was able to do this move using his own body weight.
Logically speaking, Wang Xiucheng's weight makes him easy for opponents to push him from behind, causing him to make mistakes or lose his balance.
However, Wang Xiucheng intentionally leaned back, thus counteracting this force.
At this point, removing the chairs from behind would have caused Wang Xiucheng to make a mistake.
However, Doncic tried it, and when Wang Xiucheng felt the bench being pulled away, he would immediately switch to a step-back shot or pass.
This made Doncic really dislike Wang Xiucheng making that move.
The game continued, with the Mavericks on offense.
Tim Hardaway Jr. wanted to shoot a three-pointer in front of Wang Xiucheng, but Wang Xiucheng's jumping ability put a lot of pressure on him.
In the final moments, Hardaway Jr. chickened out in mid-air and passed the ball to Wood.
Wood, who is usually a center, instead took a three-pointer from the outside.
And it even went in.
Wood deliberately circled halfway around Wang Xiucheng and retreated to his own half of the court, still wearing an arrogant expression on his face.
Wang Xiucheng pretended not to see him.
After shaking off Hardaway Jr., he received Benci's serve.
Wang Xiucheng, who had caught the ball with one hand, waved his other hand, seemingly urging Benxi to run forward faster.
Little Hardaway glanced at Ben West instinctively.
Then Wang Xiucheng disappeared from sight like a phantom.
When Little Hardaway shifted his perspective back to the front, he could no longer see Wang Xiucheng's shadow.
Wang Xiucheng had already reached the center line, and Wood, who was originally defending Zeng Fanbo, quickly came over to help defend.
To prevent Wang Xiucheng from passing the ball to Zeng Fanbo, who was in an open position, Wood kept blocking Wang Xiucheng's passing lane.
But the question is, can't Zeng Fanbo move?
Wang Xiucheng slowed down slightly, and just as Wood was in front of him, Wang Xiucheng took a step to the side and then passed the ball to the inside with one hand.
Zeng Fanbo happened to be there, and without even bending over, the 208cm tall Zeng Fanbo caught the basketball, stopped abruptly, and immediately pulled up to shoot.
Swish!
The basketball went straight into the net.
Wang Xiucheng stood at the top of the arc, extended his hand, and gave Zeng Fanbo a high five when Zeng Fanbo returned to defense.
Zeng Fanbo was somewhat excited, and he slapped Wang Xiucheng's hand with a bit too much force.
This was his first two-pointer since entering the NBA, so it was impossible for him not to be excited.
Moreover, he learned this pull-up jump shot technique while training with Durant.
While it doesn't look nearly as fluid and smooth as Durant's, it's at least somewhat similar.
Durant, sitting below, raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.
The game continued, the Mavericks had possession of the ball, Tim Hardaway Jr. had the ball, and Kleber came over to set a screen for Hardaway Jr.
But Hardaway Jr. made a mistake; the basketball hit Kleber and bounced to the side.
Wang Xiucheng swiftly caught the basketball and threw it forward, sending it straight past the center line.
However, there was no one in the attacking third at that moment.
"A mistake?"
Shaquille O'Neal in the commentary booth shouted and even stood up.
Such a basic mistake is rarely seen in Wang Xiucheng.
It wasn't just O'Neal; many fans also raised this question.
But the next moment, everyone saw Wang Xiucheng dash out like a bolt of lightning.
From the moment he started moving, to crossing the center line and reaching the ball at the top of the arc, it seemed like Wang Xiucheng only took a split second.
Wang Xiucheng actually passed the ball to himself two seconds later!
Upon receiving the ball, Wang Xiucheng did not adjust his direction and charged straight towards the basket.
After stepping onto the free-throw line, Wang Xiucheng held the basketball overhead with one hand and then gracefully spun 360 degrees.
Bang!
An ordinary free throw line followed by a 360-degree spin dunk.
After landing, Wang Xiucheng swooped down two steps in the direction he had been spinning before coming to a stop.
Then he looked up at the die-hard fans in the stands in front of him.
Everyone turned around at that moment and began to dance the Poznan dance.
This time, Stallone didn't need his daughter to remind him; instead, he stood up, turned around, and jumped up with the entire crowd.
Even O'Neal and Barkley in the commentary booth stood up and then jumped up in a similar fashion.
At that moment, the entire venue seemed to tremble.
Kidd pursed his lips and asked for a timeout.
The second quarter had just begun, with only three minutes remaining.
The Mavericks seemed to be performing well, but Kidd knew the Nets were on the rise.
If Wang Xiucheng isn't interrupted at this point, the Mavericks will quickly collapse.
But in reality, even though Kidd called a timeout, Wang Xiucheng's performance continued.
Just three minutes after the timeout ended, the Nets, led by Wang Xiucheng, went on a 15-7 run.
This brought the point difference between the two teams to double digits for the first time.
Kidd checked the time; it was almost time to bring Doncic in.
So Kidd didn't want to call another timeout.
He simply shouted to his teammates on the field, "Pay attention to defense."
Wang Xiucheng was passing by Kidd with the ball.
Wang Xiucheng used a feint and footwork to get past Hardaway and into the paint, then passed the ball to Zeng on the perimeter.
Without even thinking, Zeng threw the ball.
With a loud thud, the basketball unfortunately hit the neck of the rim and bounced upwards.
Everyone looked up at the basketball, waiting for it to fall and hoping it would bounce into the basket.
Bang!
With another thud, the basketball hit the front of the rim again, but this time it bounced towards the free-throw line.
Instantly, two people jumped up from the crowded area under the basket.
Wood and Bensey.
Both players stretched out their arms and reached for the basketball, trying to grab the rebound.
Almost instantly, both of them touched the basketball, but neither could control it.
Wood suddenly increased the force, trying to swat the ball to the outside.
Just then, a large hand suddenly appeared from the side and quickly rose to a height equal to the two people's palms.
Then, from the side, the hand scooped the basketball out.
Wood and Bence watched helplessly as the basketball disappeared before their eyes.
But the next moment, a loud bang rang out behind the two of them.
After landing, the two of them looked back at the same time.
Wang Xiucheng was holding the basketball hoop with both hands, swung it once, and landed lightly on the ground.
Wood and Bensi were both completely bewildered, having no idea what Wang Xiucheng had done.
Not only the two of them, but even the entire stadium was unaware of what had happened.
Nash was standing on the sidelines when he saw that Kidd had already called up all the key players, including Doncic, so Nash immediately called up Durant and others as well.
Soon enough, Doncic and Durant were sitting down at the scorer's table.
At this moment, when Wang Xiucheng tried to intercept the ball, he slapped it out of bounds.
The referee made a throw-in gesture, and then a gesture indicating that a substitution was possible.
Five or six people stood up from below the technical table in a flurry.
With a snap, Durant reached out and slapped Wang Xiucheng together, then took off his jacket and returned to the court.
Durant was smiling, but Doncic looked grim.
After all, the Mavericks were already down by 12 points, so he couldn't possibly be smiling.
At this moment, the large screen surrounding the dome began to replay Wang Xiucheng's goal.
As the replay was played, the fans in the stadium gasped in amazement.
On the big screen, Wang Xiucheng jumped back and snatched the ball from Wood and Benxi's hands with one hand, then folded it to avoid Wood's head and slammed the ball in.
The replay was intentionally played at 0.5x speed so that everyone could clearly see the whole story.
It is evident how complex Wang Xiucheng's actions were in that split second.
Sitting on the bench, with a towel draped over his head, Wang Xiucheng took a big gulp of water before looking up at the field.
Inside the arena, Doncic and Durant began a scoring contest.
The two players practically monopolized all ball possession for their respective teams.
The Nets couldn't stop Doncic's drives and three-pointers.
The Mavericks couldn't stop Durant's pull-up jumper.
So with two minutes left in the second quarter, the score remained around 10 points.
Taking advantage of a dead ball situation, Nash quickly made a substitution.
Wang Xiucheng returned to the field to play the last two minutes of the first half.
Doncic put his hands on his hips and frowned slightly.
Unlike the Mavericks, who only have one core player.
In Doncic's view, both Wang Xiucheng and Durant are considered big core players.
The only difference is that one is the main offensive force, and the other is the main ball-handling force.
Furthermore, unlike the Nets' previous Big Three model, Doncic feels that these two core players are more difficult to deal with.
He has faced the Big Three many times, so he has a lot to say on this.
Doncic believes that the so-called Big Three is just Harden taking turns, then Irving takes turns, then Durant takes turns.
But with the current Nets team, Wang Xiucheng has the ball all the time, and there's absolutely no issue of not having enough possessions.
And Durant actually willingly became a scoring machine.
This is why Doncic finds the Nets more challenging than last year.
Judging solely from this game, Wang Xiucheng is indeed a better fit for this Nets team and a better fit for Durant than Irving.
Seeing that Wang Xiucheng was already coming with the ball, Doncic stopped overthinking and went to meet him.
When Doncic was still a dozen centimeters away, Wang Xiucheng passed the ball to Durant on the wing.
Durant received the ball and immediately pulled up for a shot.
Swish!
Three-pointer, in!
It involves no technical skill whatsoever; it's just brute force!
And that's it, it's about getting in.
Durant patted his heart and pursed his lips, his mustache twitching.
He felt that whenever Wang Xiucheng passed the ball, the shooting percentage would always be higher.
This indicates that Wang Xiucheng's passing accuracy is extremely high.
You don't need to make any adjustments at all; just throw it in.
This feeling is absolutely amazing!
Doncic received the inbound pass from the baseline, then dribbled the ball across half-court, used footwork to fake his way into the paint on Wang Xiucheng's right side, and then passed the ball to the outside when Claxton rushed in.
With his signature badass hairstyle, Brock swiftly sank his first three-pointer of the game.
The game has entered the final minute of the first half.
This time, Wang Xiucheng didn't pass the ball to anyone. Instead, he dribbled the ball just past the half-court line, stepped on the Nets logo, and shot the ball directly.
Doncic had no idea Wang Xiucheng would do that, so he was still standing at the three-point line, waiting for Wang Xiucheng to come over.
At that moment, Doncic looked up and watched the basketball trace an extremely exaggerated high arc before finally falling like a shooting star.
With a whoosh, the basketball slammed into the net and then bounced straight off the floor.
The Nets, however, only swayed slightly and did not make any major moves.
Doncic was dumbfounded!
They're in already?
Wang Xiucheng held up three fingers, and while backing away, he blew on them in front of his face, seemingly to cool down the barrel of his gun.