NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 795 "Championship experience isn't something you can just boast about." (6000-word chapter)
On Sunday, June 5, 2011, before Game 4 of the Finals, Dallas sports media suddenly broke the news of Nowitzki's finger injury.

Despite the Mavericks' 114-point blowout victory over the Heat in Game 3 on Friday, which narrowed the series, commentators remain pessimistic about their chances. Following reports of injuries, some commentators have even predicted:

"It's over! The Heat will lift their first Larry O'Brien Trophy on the road! The NBA is about to usher in the era of the 'Big Three'."

"."

In the past, sports commentators mostly discussed matches through television and radio, but with the continuous development of Twitter in recent years, it has now replaced Facebook as the most popular social media tool in the sports world.

The ability to express opinions after reading the news has led to a one-sided trend in public opinion surrounding this year's finals.

In the past, some people believed in the strength of Kobe and Duncan teaming up, but for Nowitzki, most commentators and fans thought the German was a softie.

Although Nowitzki plays a tough style and isn't afraid of contact, big men's jump shots are naturally underestimated. Even a well-known columnist like Bill Simmons was biased, and his opinion on Game 3 was quite outrageous:

"88 points? The Heat are getting back into shooting form. Statistically, their three-point shooting is better than the Mavericks'. James will bounce back strongly in Game 4."

The Heat missing shots was an accident, but the Mavericks' poor shooting in the first two games was simply due to their lack of skill!

In the past, only fans had double standards, but convenient social media has made people realize that sports commentators are the same; everyone has their own biases.
No one would willingly reveal their injury, but there's no doubt that injuries can ignite an opponent's fighting spirit. Mark Cuban was thoroughly angered by a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, with the outspoken owner even publicly criticizing him.

"Someone is betraying Dallas. If you still want to come to American Airlines Arena, then shut your stinking mouth!"

At noon, Cuban was very angry during the interview, and his face turned red with anger when he talked about the "mole". However, the big-mouthed boss smiled again after leaving the camera, and Foster became the referee for the night.

Yesterday, sources revealed the refereeing situation, and today the news has been confirmed: Steve Harvey, Scott Foster, and Derrick Stafford will officiate this important match.

Game 4 is incredibly important in the series. If the Mavericks win at home, the pivotal Game 5 will also be played at home.

In the Finals, securing a match point essentially guarantees victory, which is why Pat Riley questioned the 232 schedule. If the opponent regains control, the Heat might "crash and burn."

At 20 p.m. that night, at the American Airlines Center, 2 Dallas fans wore blue cheering T-shirts and shouted loudly as soon as the game started.

This is a must-win game. If the opponent gets match point and we're down 1-3, the series will most likely be over.

Barea, who started the game after returning to his home court, got into the game early. In the first possession, he grabbed a long rebound and launched a transition offense. He evaded Randy Foye's chasing defense and scored a high layup off the backboard!
The Mavericks lost two consecutive defensive rebounds, with Wade picking up the ball twice in a row, eventually assisting James, who had been given a slight leeway, for a jump shot on the right wing.

The chosen one, after completing the attack, didn't forget to show off his hand gestures while retreating to defense, seemingly not taking his lackluster performance in the previous game to heart.

"Shhh!!"

The boos were deafening, and Mark Jackson, witnessing the scene from the ABC commentary booth, couldn't help but sigh:
"Although it's their first time experiencing the Finals, the Heat guys are very confident! LeBron James still has great faith in himself."

"The Mavericks' zone defense is excellent. Unfortunately, if James and his teammates can get their three-point shooting percentage back to around 33%, this team will be unstoppable."

Van Gundy agreed with this view; the athleticism gap among the perimeter players was too large, and the Mavericks, who insisted on zone defense, could only hope that their opponents continued to underperform. Thinking of the stubborn Carlisle, he muttered a comment:
"Jason Terry needs to maintain his good form from the last game; this is the moment the Mavericks need him most!"

"."

As the game progressed, Terry on the bench repeatedly stood up excitedly to cheer for his teammates. The Heat were in excellent form, especially James, who had completely changed his inefficient performance from the previous game.

Bosh responded with a combination of shots and free throws, and despite the Mavericks' role players maintaining a very high shooting percentage, they were unable to widen the gap.

With 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, Terry replaced Barea. With Nowitzki and Kidd both out of the game, the Mavericks are increasingly lacking in offensive firepower.

In his first possession after entering the game, Terry broke past Randy Foye at the top of the arc and hit a long two-point pull-up jumper near the free-throw line!

"Oh!"

Wearing a white headband, Terry's dark face showed anger as he loudly ordered his teammates to retreat.

Randy Foye dribbled the ball across half-court and immediately passed it to James on the right wing.

Facing Artest's defense, the Chosen One first called to his teammate Joel Anthony, and then, before Artest could squeeze past him, suddenly placed the ball with his left hand and dribbled it sideways.

Noticing Artest's unreserved slide to the right, James suddenly made a large behind-the-back movement with the ball, then lowered his center of gravity and forcefully accelerated to break through with the ball in his right hand.

As a championship-winning forward, Artest, whose physical condition has declined, is once again struggling this season. James is extremely fast and highly competitive during his breakthroughs, making it difficult for him to stop in a one-on-one situation.

Near the right side of the defensive zone, James took the initiative to contest the shot while moving, stopped abruptly, took a step to the side, drifted towards the baseline, and made another jump shot.

On the defensive end, Nowitzki's fadeaway jumper in the right-side blocking area still missed, and as the ball bounced off the rim, players on both sides were already scrambling for it.

"Oh!"

Amidst the low cheers of the fans, Artest successfully grabbed the rebound, was blocked, fought back again, and finally put the ball into the basket while still hanging on James.

Seeing the two players shoving each other under the basket, and it seemed that Haslem and Artest had a verbal altercation, commentator Mike Breen immediately remarked from the commentary booth:
"Metta must be very eager to win, but the Mavericks don't have a good solution for the Heat's lineup right now, and they're also struggling to gain much of an advantage on the boards."

"."

With their height dropping, the Heat's offensive spacing became increasingly excellent in the latter part of the first quarter. Bosh completely abandoned the mid-range shot and, after pick-and-rolls, focused solely on attacking the basket except for three-pointers.

Mike Bibby did the same, constantly roaming beyond the three-point line and taking shots whenever he had the chance. In the final minutes, the Mavericks' four-point lead couldn't be maintained.

As James made a dramatic step-back on the right wing on the final possession, forcefully twisting his body in mid-air to finish with a drifting jump shot, the American Airlines Center suddenly fell silent.

"Yee!!"

Wearing a black away jersey, James glared at the Mavericks' bench, yelling and pounding his chest, saying he had found his shooting touch tonight.

With the score at 36:32, the first quarter ended, and the atmosphere at the Heat's are electric. The veterans are all smiles, and the game is within reach.

7中4，三分线外4中2，罚球2中2，打满首节的詹姆斯单节贡献12分2篮板2助攻1抢断的全能数据；
Bosh also had a good performance, going 2-for-4 from the field, 1-for-2 from three-point range, and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 8 points efficiently.
Continuing his good form, Wade went 2-for-5, scoring only 4 points, but contributed 5 rebounds, including 2 offensive rebounds. The Flash was full of energy on the court.

ABC broadcast the data of the Big Three to fans in front of their TVs. The three of them not only accounted for most of the points, but also performed very well on the defensive end.

When the second quarter began, Mavericks fans were disheartened. In such a crucial game, Nowitzki seemed to have faltered again.

He missed an open three-pointer, his fadeaway jumper from the restricted area also missed, his drive to the basket bounced off the rim, and his mid-range jumper from the free-throw line after a pick-and-roll also missed.

Fortunately, Jason Terry erupted again, hitting a three-pointer on a second-chance opportunity, followed by a jump shot after a pick-and-roll, and then another three-pointer in transition to stop the bleeding. He also made his free throws.

Barea and Artest took turns going to the free-throw line, and Chandler successfully secured the rebounds, preventing the Heat from extending their lead to double digits for a time.

In the final three minutes of the first half, many Mavericks fans in the arena were in despair. The Germans were simply no good; they practically bent the rim!
Despite the relentless presence of the veteran Kidd, the Heat, whose shooting percentage dropped, ultimately failed to close out the game.

With a score of 62-54, thanks to Nowitzki's dismal performance of 1-for-12 shooting and a mere 2 points, the American Airlines Center has become a library.

As they walked toward the members' tunnel, James and Wade both covered their mouths and chuckled, while McGrady, no longer pretending, grinned so wide his mouth almost reached the back of his head as he chatted and laughed with the veterans.

Even head coach Spoelstra couldn't hide his smile; the curve of his lips was enough to show how happy the Heat players were!
Social media is filled with criticism: the 180 Club? The Germans just falter in the finals?
The point difference wasn't large, but none of the three commentators spoke up for the Mavericks. Even Mark Jackson, exhausted from hyping them up, reluctantly commented:

"This was truly a disastrous performance! It's unbelievable that an MVP-caliber player only scored 2 points in the first half of such a crucial game."

"I don't want to talk about injuries. In fact, the Mavericks' role players have performed well enough."

Van Gundy, picking up where he left off, praised the other Mavericks players, but when discussing the second half, the championship-winning coach didn't waver, giving his own serious opinion:

"Eight points is not a huge difference for the Mavericks, who are good at three-pointers."

"Nowitzki needs to step up. I think the Heat wasted a great opportunity in the second quarter!"

"."

After the start of the second half, to everyone's surprise, the Mavericks continued to pass the ball to Nowitzki, seemingly forgetting the German's poor performance in the first half.

Just minutes before, the Heat players were all smiles, but as Nowitzki kept hitting the ball in response, Coach Spoelstra promptly called a timeout.

"Oh!!"

Amid cheers, a sweat-drenched Nowitzki clenched his fist in celebration. As he sat back on the bench, Artest stared at the German and loudly instructed him:

"Listen, the core players decide the game. Don't expect us to make those shots in crucial moments!"

"Abandon illusions and take decisive action."

Chandler was also cheering him on. He had never experienced such a difficult situation in the Finals with the Knicks, but he agreed with his former teammate's point of view: in crucial moments, you have to give the ball to the superstar. Jason Terry, who was about to take the court, was almost dumbfounded. The atmosphere had been a bit off at halftime, and now the championship forward was openly "passing the buck"—he had never seen anything like it before.

Fortunately, Nowitzki remained resilient at this moment, nodding repeatedly and saying, "I can do it." Coach Carlisle also interrupted the conversation and reiterated the importance of defense.

After the timeout, the Heat players quickly realized that there was something wrong with the officiating. Wade was blocked by Chandler, who knocked him to the ground with the ball, but the referee did nothing.

As Jason Terry drew a foul on Randy Foye on the fast break, Coach Spoelstra called out to Mike Bibby and angrily complained to the linesman:
"My player was pulled to the floor! This happened right before your eyes!"

"."

Complaining wouldn't solve anything; Nowitzki seemed to have suddenly unlocked his full potential, hitting mid-range jump shots one after another.

Barea and Jason Terry continued their excellent performances, scoring with drives and free throws to help the team tie the score.

Towards the end of the third quarter, James, frustrated after missing several three-pointers, started to lose his composure. Artest's relentless defense went unnoticed by the referee, and after losing the ball in the right-side penalty area, Artest simply shrugged at the referee.

Both teams missed shots in succession. When Wade squeezed under the basket, he was blocked by Chandler. Seeing his teammate fall to the floor again, the veterans on the Heat's bench also complained.

Before Wade could even stand up, he just looked up at the referee demanding an explanation, but Artest, who had just finished his help defense, stepped over the Flash from the baseline.

Halfway across, a furious Wade stood up, and the two began to tug at each other. Haslem tried to help, but was pushed and stumbled by Chandler.

"Oh"

The sudden conflict caused the American Airlines Arena to erupt in excitement, something that hadn't happened in a long time. When the referees separated them, Wade's jersey was pulled out, and James pulled his good friend to calm down.

Both sides committed fouls, resulting in free throws for both sides. Wade's face darkened after missing his shot, and seeing Artest's smug expression, he muttered angrily:
"Shet!"

In the final few possessions of the third quarter, Coach Spoelstra failed to realize that the game was spiraling out of control, with both sides becoming increasingly aggressive.

With his three-point shooting going cold and Bosh disappearing from the field, James no longer made decisive jump shots when facing zone defense on the right wing, instead trying to increase the intensity for the "smaller" players.

At this moment, Chandler was pulling Bosh at the top of the arc, while Nowitzki was moving around in the paint and occasionally glancing at Haslem behind him. Artest also collapsed towards the basket to help defend at any time. The Mavericks almost all crowded to one side.

Bosh loudly reminded James to move the ball, but by this time the Chosen One had gotten a little carried away. Facing the provocative little guy, he simply crossed his body and started backing down the smaller player.

Barea, who was rebuffed, wasn't going to hold back either. Taking advantage of James's renewed effort, he puffed out his chest and twisted his body, delivering a very natural elbow to James.
James jabbed James in the kidney and pulled his jersey, but the referee still didn't make a call. Enraged, James retaliated again, and the two collided a second time.

At this moment, Barea, who had been bumped, suddenly made a steal. James, who was dribbling with his left hand, was once again subjected to "scrubbing" defense and was almost stripped of the ball again. In his anger, he swung his right elbow!
"Oh!"

Amid gasps of alarm, Barea collapsed to the ground in pain, and the referee immediately called an offensive foul. James tried to argue with the referee, but was immediately surrounded by the Mavericks players as soon as he raised his hands.

Wade immediately rushed over, and Artest seized the opportunity to pull and scramble, causing chaos to break out again and completely disrupting the rhythm of the game.

"The Heat guys need to stay calm. There's still one quarter left, they have plenty of time to turn the game around!"

After offering his opinion, Mark Jackson in the commentary booth changed his tone and jokingly remarked with a smile:
"I liked Meta and his team's counterattacks. Facing such talented young players, you have to disrupt their rhythm. This was the Mavericks' best quarter."

Van Gundy realized the momentum had been reversed, and the entire Heat team was complaining. Even Coach Spoelstra lost his composure, reflecting on his first championship and sighing:

"Few people can remain calm when facing a championship match point!"

"5-for-8, Nowitzki found his shooting touch in this quarter. The Heat need to calm down."

During the final possession of the third quarter, James, looking sullen, tried to run down the clock by calling for Bosh to set a screen at the top of the key, but Artest managed to force his way through.

"Oh"

Amidst low cheers, Artest's fierce sliding tackle nearly sent James crashing to his knees. Coach Spoelstra on the sidelines was furious, but the referee still made no call for the foul.

Before falling, he threw the ball to Wade on the left wing. Just as James was about to straighten up, Artest forcefully stepped over him.

The "hurdle" move stunned Bosh, who was standing to the side. This time, the chosen one was completely enraged and got up to shove Artest.

The referee finally blew the whistle, and Bosh hurriedly pulled his teammate away. On the other side, Artest, who had been pulled away, grinned, completely ignoring his opponent's angry glare, and loudly mocked:

"Go find your father, West! And remember to bring that wimp, Wade, with you."

Upon hearing the sensitive words, James could no longer hold back and launched an attack. The chosen one displayed his outstanding physical abilities, which Bosh simply couldn't stop.

In the blink of an eye, the two players tore from the top of the arc to the front of the technical table, exchanging a flurry of wild punches. The referee was even knocked into the front row of the audience, and the scene was in complete chaos.

Even after being pulled apart by their teammates, the two continued to hurl insults at each other. Wade tried to stop his good friend, but James, who had been holding back his anger all quarter, finally unleashed a torrent of abuse with glaring eyes:

"**! Take back what you said! Don't think those bastards will keep helping you forever."

"."

The game was forced to stop, and the Dallas fans in the stadium started to boo loudly. When the scorer's table announced that the two players had been ejected for throwing punches, Coach Spoelstra rushed to the front and argued loudly.

Amidst the shouts and boos, James pursed his lips, ripped off his headband, and threw it away forcefully. On the other side, Artest, who had just pulled off his jersey, stood tall and proud, while fans on both sides of the tunnel cheered loudly.

Patting his chest and raising four fingers on both hands, Artest swaggered into the corridor, not forgetting to loudly instruct the staff behind him:

"Tell Dirk that if we win this game, the championship is ours!"

-

On Tuesday, June 7th, ESPN's morning program continued its coverage of the controversial Game 4, where the Heat, without LeBron James, completely collapsed in the fourth quarter, and the Mavericks tied the series 2-2 with a score of 98-106.

韦德在下半场表现十分糟糕，10中3，仅拿到8分，这和诺维斯基下半场的15中8的18分形成鲜明对比。

The Heat have appealed Game 4, with Pat Riley claiming he has mailed the videotape to the league, and Mark Cuban publicly supporting the officiating standards.

In fact, there are moments like this every year in the Finals. When you look at the statistics, you will always find that the Knicks' opponents have a surge in free throw attempts in the second half.

As for the intensity of the competition, the more crucial the game, the greater the intensity in the second half. In short, this is all standard practice, and the trailing team always gets an 8-on-5 opportunity!
The Mavericks have now seized the initiative, and if they can secure the match point, the series will completely fall into Dallas's hands.

Tonight's Game 5 saw a sudden surge in popularity, with online fans showing tremendous enthusiasm for the game, and social media was abuzz with discussions about this crucial match.

However, the general public wasn't concerned with the outcome; everyone wanted to know what Artest had said to provoke James. The chosen one had never thrown a punch since entering the league, but this time he had broken through James's defenses.

Amid this controversial environment, a reporter from the Dallas Morning News broke another story: Nowitzki had a fever today, and the German's physical condition was extremely poor.

After the game started at 20 p.m. that night, the Heat players were no longer smiling; neither team wanted to lose the game.

McGrady, who came off the bench in the final quarter of Game 4, went 0-for-5, scoring zero points in the crucial moments. At this point, he took the lead in waving a towel on the sidelines, completely losing his sleepy look.
Nowitzki, who was running a fever, had another disastrous first half, shooting 3-for-10 and scoring 10 points from free throws. He coughed repeatedly as he walked towards the player tunnel at halftime, which dampened the spirits of the fans in the stadium.

In contrast, Wade exploded again, shooting 9-for-13 and scoring 21 points in the first half. The Flash looked gloomy and pumped his fist to encourage his teammates as he walked toward the player tunnel.

James, who scored 12 points efficiently, remained silent with his lips pursed. The greasy-haired guy had scolded the entire Heat team at the hotel last night. They lost the series lead they had in their grasp, and he was still furious.

The first half ended in a 51-51 tie. In the second half, the referee stopped interfering and returned the game to the players, and both sides started to fight hard!

In the third quarter, Mike Bibby suddenly exploded with three-pointers. Before the Heat's bench could even celebrate, Artest also showed his clutch gene, responding at the crucial moment.

Nowitzki, whose form improved again in the second half, took on the offensive burden and suddenly found his touch, eliciting cheers from the Mavericks fans in the arena.

After the two sides tied again, in the final quarter, both sides shortened their rotations and began to fight hard against their main players.

With three minutes left in the game, James, who had missed both of his three-point attempts, hesitated. Instead of his usual decisive jump shots, he repeatedly drove into the crowd and missed his shots.

On the contrary, the unmarked Kidd did not hold back, not only hitting a three-pointer, but also repeatedly finding Artest who was cutting to the basket, constantly responding to Wade's strong attacks with free throws.

With 24.5 seconds left in the game, the score was tied at 95-95, and neither team had timeouts. The Mavericks had their final possession.

By the time Nowitzki pointed the ball at the three-point line and Bosh suddenly released it with his right hand and turned around quickly, most of the shot clock had already passed. When James helped defend the basket, American Airlines Arena fell silent instantly.

The German didn't waste the opportunity. As if his body had suddenly recovered, he got ahead of the two players and scored with a layup off the backboard!

"oh!!!"

Amid cheers, Wade's long-range three-pointer missed, the game ended, and the Heat players stood frozen, staring blankly at their opponents' wild celebration. The entire arena was chanting loudly:
"champion."

(End of this chapter)