NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

“25.9 seconds, that’s a very delicate time!” Van Gundy said. “Theoretically speaking, if the Lakers are focused on defense and can prevent the Mavericks from committing a 24-second violation, they will still have 1.9 seconds to launch their final offensive attack.”

"But this is obviously too risky, as it would put them in a very passive position. 1.9 seconds is simply too little time."

"Firstly, it's not a problem to defend the Mavericks to 24 seconds, but it's very difficult to prevent them from getting a shot off. If they can get a shot off in the final moments, then just grabbing the rebounds might consume all 1.9 seconds."

"Secondly, if the Mavericks score in the final moments, the Lakers will lose all their chances. This kind of defense is a desperate gamble, leaving themselves no way out, which is too risky."

"Third, even if everything goes as the Lakers want and the Mavericks are forced into a 24-second violation, they will only have 1.9 seconds to attack. They will have to shoot after at most one or two dribbles, leaving no time for passing or teamwork. This is too difficult."

"So I think the Lakers will play defense first and try to steal the ball. If they can't force the Mavericks to make a mistake within 5-7 seconds, they will immediately foul and send the Mavericks players to the free-throw line."

"Or force players who are good at free throws to pass the ball out, sending players who are not good at free throws to the free throw line."

"In short, I don't think the Lakers will push the game to the very end. They will leave themselves an escape route and give themselves more options instead of going all in."

Miller said, "But anyway, let's wait and see what happens in the final 25 seconds! Let's see what happens in the last moments!"

"Still have confidence?" Jackson's first words to Terry from the Lakers' bench were: "When we brought you here, we promised you a chance, a chance to take down those guys."

So I'll say it again: do you have confidence?

“Yes! Of course!” Terry was still the same jet engine, with inexhaustible confidence: “I just hit one! I’ll hit another one! As long as you trust me.”

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have given you that ball just now." Lin Tian shrugged and said, "I'm a man of my word!"

“Me too! I’ll keep my word!” Terry patted his chest, but then looked at Jackson and said, “How to play? The coach will tell me! Whether I get the last ball or not, I won’t complain!”

“I’m a member of the team, and I won’t ask for special treatment, no matter who our opponents are! I want to shoot, I’m willing to shoot, and I dare to shoot! But I won’t ask you to let me shoot! What you just said is enough! I didn’t choose the wrong team!”

"I like the feeling of being needed, but honestly, I think Kevin, Lin, and Kobe are all better and more suited to take the last shot than me."

"So, Coach, give the instructions."

“What’s there to plan?” Jackson adjusted his glasses and said, “We only have one timeout left, so there are probably two scenarios: either we have more than 10 seconds left on the shot clock or less than 10 seconds left.”

"If it's less than ten seconds, we'll call a timeout to inbound the ball and execute the play I just outlined, with Jason going for the final shot."

"If there are still more than 10 seconds left after they finish, then we need to consider two more scenarios."

"1. Whether they score or miss, whether they make the free throw or not. In any case, we start our offense from the backcourt, give the ball to Jason and let him handle it. If you need a screen, call your teammates anytime, as needed."

"2. When we get to the frontcourt, because we haven't committed enough fouls, we won't get to the free throw line if we foul the ball handler. So they will deliberately foul to waste time and make us re-inbound the ball."

"At this point, let's use the same tactic as last timeout again! Jason, I believe you'll still get missed, so go for it."

“Coach, I…” Terry was stunned. He really didn’t expect that the final blow would fall on him, and the task of delivering the final blow would still be in his hands.

This trust brought tears to Terry's eyes, and he almost burst into tears.

"Save your thanks, emotions, and gratitude for the press conference after you hit the game-winning shot!" Lin Tian grabbed Terry's head and said, "Our task now is to win the game!"

"As for the defense," Jackson smiled but didn't respond, continuing, "If LeBron gets the ball, send him straight to the free-throw line. If anyone else gets the ball, press him hard on defense."

"Kobe, Lin, you two press the defense from the top of the key, making it harder for them to pass the ball and dribble at the top of the key, forcing them to pass."

"Everyone else, get your legs moving faster and shut down the three-point line. Make them run around like headless flies."

"They'll most likely field their full starting lineup in the final moments, so if James and Bogut, both guys with less than 80% free throw percentage, get the ball, foul them! If someone else gets the ball, force them to pass, it's that simple!"

"If you can steal the ball, then steal it; if you can't steal it, then force the ball into the hands of someone who can't shoot free throws."

"Don't foul Nowitzki or Allen, don't foul them in the last few seconds of the shot clock! If James and Bogut don't get the ball at all, great, hold the line on the last possession! Don't let them make that shot!"

"Let's bet on this final attack and defense!"

Are you confident?

"Have!"

At this moment, the Lakers showed no signs of tension, anxiety, or fear despite being behind.

On the contrary, Jackson and Lin Tian's attitude boosted everyone's morale even more.

Because everyone felt respected, felt that this was a team, a big family, not just an ordinary sports team.

We are family, partners, and brothers, not just colleagues.

Today everyone trusts Terry, but who can guarantee that they won't be the one unconditionally trusted next?
Who wouldn't want to be trusted by the whole team in a time like this?

The Lakers have given everyone that kind of expectation and aspiration.

They all believed that if they had the same need, the team would trust them!
With a team like that, who wouldn't give it their all?
Let's do it!

The timeout ended quickly, and neither side made any substitutions.

The Mavericks fielded their five starters, while the Lakers fielded a lineup featuring Terry and their four superstars.

"The Lakers are keeping Terry on the court! Even on defensive possessions, they're keeping Terry on the court!" Jackson yelled. "Trust! Absolute trust!"

"Now let's see if Terry can repay this trust!"

With a whistle from the referee, Nowitzki waited on the sideline for his teammates to make their runs, then seized the opportunity and passed the ball to Allen, who was running towards the top of the penalty area!

"It's Allen who received the ball! Not James!" Miller exclaimed. "And it looks like James isn't going to receive the ball for the time being! He's moved directly to the weak side, away from the ball! Are the Mavericks... protecting James?"

"They didn't give the Lakers a chance to foul James early!"

"After all, James' free throw percentage this season is only 72%, which is already very high, but it's still not enough to guarantee success."

"On the contrary, Allen, Williams, and Nowitzki have free throw percentages of 88%, 82%, and 89% respectively! It looks like this possession will be won by these three!"

The moment Allen got the ball, Kobe rushed up to him. Facing his competitor of the same age and position, Kobe was extremely aggressive, waving his hands around Allen and not giving Allen any easy chance to handle the ball.

Allen didn't force it. He turned to the side and didn't dribble, quickly passing the ball to James. However, James didn't even get the ball. Before Terry could rush over to foul, he had already passed the ball out again.

In other words, Terry reacted quickly and stopped his foul in time. If he had reacted slower, he might have fouled James, who didn't have the ball.

According to NBA rules, if a player fouls an opponent without the ball in the last two minutes of the game, they are entitled to one free throw and possession, which is a double loss.

Terry had the ball under control, but Nowitzki, who had the ball, still didn't attack. After dribbling once, he passed the ball to Williams. Williams dribbled twice, just about to do something, when Lin Tian's terrifying defense surged towards him.

This guy quickly passed the ball; he knew how big the gap was between him and Lin Tian.

The basketball has returned to Allen's hands at the top of the key!
The Mavericks made some pretty quick passes, circling the Lakers' defenders and not only wasting their time but also maintaining possession of the ball. Most importantly, with everything seemingly back to square one, a significant amount of offensive time was wasted.

13 seconds left in this round! Total time remaining: 14.9 seconds!
The Mavericks are getting closer and closer to victory, and the goddess of victory has even begun to wave her handkerchief and giggle.

"Hey Dallas folks, come join the fun!"

Although Kobe pressed forward relentlessly once again, this time Allen didn't pass the ball to James. Instead, he suddenly turned and blocked Kobe.

At the same time, Williams stepped forward, and the two immediately cooperated by hand-to-hand. After Williams touched it, he quickly ran towards the distance.

"Change!"

Lin Tian immediately shouted, and Kobe reacted quickly, letting go of Allen and not getting entangled with him at all. He turned around and blocked Williams again, while at the same time, Lin Tian also directly stuck to Allen.

The handoff play clearly failed; neither player got any space. "They figured it out! The Lakers' defensive reaction was incredibly fast!" Jackson couldn't help but praise. "If Kobe and Lin had hesitated even slightly or miscommunication on that play, Allen would have made them pay!"

Yes, Allen!
Because it was a fake handoff, when Williams ran past him, Allen didn't pass the ball to him. Instead, he made a passing fake and immediately turned to accelerate and break through. But Lin Tian was too fast and completely blocked his breakthrough route.

This is not counting.

The moment Lin Tian blocked Allen, one of his hands reached out and hit the basketball that Allen was dribbling.

In other words, Allen reacted quickly enough, retreating immediately and grabbing the basketball.

"Thunder! Thunder!" Just as Allen, who could no longer dribble, was about to be forced into a contest for the ball by Lin Tian, ​​a sound that was like heavenly music to Allen came.

Nowitzki!

The big man moved up to a position one step above the service line, spreading his arms to call for the ball from Allen.

Allen didn't dare hesitate any longer. He jumped to the side, slammed the ball towards the inside, and it flew straight to Nowitzki.

After receiving the ball, Nowitzki used his signature hand-raising fake to slightly shift Durant's center of gravity, then immediately bent over and accelerated, rushing towards the inside!
7 seconds!
The Mavericks' timing was absolutely perfect, quite reasonable!

Durant forcibly lowered his center of gravity, gritted his teeth and followed, blocking Nowitzki's path, while spreading his arms to interfere with Nowitzki's shot as much as possible.

5 seconds!
Nowitzki paused one step away from the free-throw line, then turned halfway to face away from the basket. After a twitching swing of his upper body from side to side, he suddenly dribbled with his left hand and turned around. The suddenness of this move, combined with the previous fake, caused Durant to be completely outmaneuvered and blocked behind Nowitzki.

3 seconds!
Nowitzki dribbles forward again, gathers the ball, and starts moving!

If the Mavericks play aggressively, they can at least guarantee a draw in regulation time!
But then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Or rather, Nowitzki suddenly noticed a figure in front of him.

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, Nowitzki and the figure collided solidly, both falling to the ground simultaneously.

"Offensive foul! Offensive foul!"

The referee's whistle blared wildly, and the baseline referee was full of passion, making an exaggerated gesture as if committing an offensive foul!

"Beautiful! Jason Terry! Jason Terry! Beautiful! He drew a foul on Nowitzki!" Miller shouted at this moment, "Former best partner, former closest teammate! Terry drew a crucial offensive foul on Nowitzki!"

"The person who knows you best is your former best partner!"

Van Gundy calmly watched the replay over and over, looking at Terry's feet and his positioning, and then said, "Without a doubt, it's an offensive foul! It was definitely an offensive foul! Terry anticipated Nowitzki's offensive choices and his playing style."

"He knew Nowitzki would be here at this time, so he showed up here."

"But Nowitzki didn't know! Nowitzki didn't know that his most trusted comrade-in-arms would be waiting for him here!"

Jackson said, "Fate! I wonder if the Mavericks regret it now? Do they regret letting Terry go?"

"Whether they regret it or not, the opportunity has now come to the Lakers!"

"3.4 seconds! There are 3.4 seconds left in the game, and the Lakers have called their final timeout! Trailing by one point, all the Lakers need to do now is make the basket, they just need to make the basket!"

"Two points, three points, or even drawing a foul and going to the free-throw line are all acceptable! As long as we can score, the Lakers can turn the tide and win!"

"Let's see what happens in those final 3.4 seconds!"

"Let's see how this dramatic and epic night ends!"

Miller said, "I also noticed that although the Lakers called a timeout, their players were quite calm! Jackson was also calm; they didn't yell at each other to boost morale, and no one seemed nervous!"

"This composure is truly admirable. The Lakers really have the look of champions, but first they need to figure out how to win tonight's game and not let the Mavericks take the lead."

"Alright, timeout over. Let's take a look at their lineup..."

"Terry! It's Terry! Terry is on the field!"

Miller exclaimed excitedly, as if he had discovered something new: "But of course, Terry deserves to play. He deserves to play at this time, even though he just missed a three-pointer and almost cost the team the victory."

"But then he saved the team with a three-pointer and drawing an offensive foul! The Lakers are at a disadvantage now, and it's Terry's fault for missing that three-pointer, but the Lakers still have a chance to win, and that's all thanks to Terry!"

"The question now is, will Terry, who has already taken two shots, take another? Will he get possession of the ball again in the end?"

3.4 seconds!
The game continues!

The referee blew his whistle and passed the ball back to Durant. Lin Tian and Kobe ran towards each other, and in an instant, they set a screen without the ball. Then they ran towards Bynum, and after setting a screen for Bynum, one of them ran to the wing and the other to the top of the key.

"That movement... same! Exactly the same as before!" Van Gundy exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Phil is insane! He's used the exact same tactic two rounds in a row! And at this crucial moment in the game!"

"Isn't he afraid of being predicted by his opponents?"

Miller calmly retorted, "Who could have predicted that? Who would have thought that a tactical mastermind would repeatedly execute the same tactics at a time like this?"

This rhetorical question can be considered an answer to Van Gundy's question.

Yes, who would have thought that Jackson would use the same tactic twice in a row?
Terry started running, using Bynum's screen to completely block Allen.

Terry caught the ball, but this time, James charged over!
"I knew it! I knew you guys were going to do this! You're done, Jason, I've got you!" James proudly spread his arms to stop Terry's shot. He was the only Mavericks player on the court who anticipated what the Lakers were going to do, so he ran to help defend in time and blocked Terry.

"Have you forgotten that we don't necessarily need 3 points?" Terry scoffed dismissively, then suddenly accelerated with his dribble.

James was startled. He had indeed lunged a bit too hard, and he had really thought that Terry would only shoot three-pointers!

3.4 seconds is more than enough time for a player like Terry to make a breakthrough!

be cheated!
He hurriedly turned around, wanting to catch up with Terry, but the moment he turned back, he knew that this time he had really been tricked.

Terry didn't break through at all!

He simply took a step forward, then immediately pulled back, retreating once again beyond the three-point line.

This time, Terry didn't hesitate. He stepped out of the three-point line and immediately raised his hand to shoot!
James couldn't catch up with Terry, so he quickly turned around to see if the shot had gone in.

"Buzz!"

The first thing to sound was the final whistle, signaling the end of the match. Whether this goal went in or not, it was the last goal of the night!

Then, amidst the anticipation of the entire stadium.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the ball went in!
Jason Terry hits a three-pointer!
The moment the ball went in, Miller roared excitedly: "Game-winner! Game-winner! Terry hit the game-winner! Terry was simply a god for the Lakers in the final moments! Two three-pointers and drawing an offensive foul on Nowitzki! Who would have thought? Who would have thought that the person who saved the Lakers in the end would be Terry!"

"Who would have thought that Terry would eventually dominate both offense and defense almost single-handedly?"

"Jason Terry! He proved everything with his actions! In the final 30 seconds of the game, Terry proved everything! He slapped everyone who looked down on him in the face!"

At this moment, Terry ignored James lying on the floor, excitedly jumped over his head, and rushed straight to the scorer's table.

"What I lost, I took back myself!"

Terry's eyes were already brimming with tears as he stood on the technical table, screaming wildly. (End of Chapter)