NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Johnson hesitated for a moment, but still did not call a timeout.

He firmly believes that there are even more important moments to come!

He must keep his last timeout, at least until the next round.

More importantly, while the Bobcats' current roster has enough height, it is definitely inadequate in defending beyond the three-point line.

Their mobility is insufficient and their agility is too poor, especially the twin towers duo of Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer, who are unable to reach the three-point line to defend the Mavericks' shooters.

The Mavericks took the ball very quickly from the baseline, giving Lin Tian no chance to make a substitution.

Johnson believes that pausing at this point would give Lin Tian an opportunity to make a substitution.

No way! We absolutely cannot let him switch to a more mobile and dynamic lineup.

The team needs 3 points. No matter what, they must fight for 3 points in this possession. If they don't call a timeout, they can maximize their chances of scoring when the Bobcats' perimeter defense is weak.

Johnson resisted the urge to call a timeout, but Rose had already quickly set his sights on Terry, starting a full-court press on him from the backcourt.

At this point in the competition, it's certainly not the time to show off one-on-one.

Terry made a quick pass to Butler, who then carried the ball up the court.

Then the Mavericks players began a non-stop run, with all sorts of dazzling screens and constant back-cutting and weaving, which is the Mavericks' signature tactic.

Their core tactic is to create mismatches and one-on-one shooting opportunities through positioning and movement!
This team relies on shooting as a weapon more than any other strong team in the league!

After a series of runs, Nowitzki finally got a chance through a screen and went up against Jeremy Lin!
With a clear mismatch advantage, if there had been more time, Nowitzki could have easily driven into the paint and scored two points. Unfortunately, when he got the ball, there were only 47 seconds left in the game. For the Mavericks, who were racing against time, two points were not enough!
So when Nowitzki received the ball, he didn't think about anything else at all. Instead, he pulled up and shot from the top of the arc, despite Jeremy Lin's all-out interference!
He's already hit five three-pointers tonight; he's one of the most formidable three-point shooters on the Mavericks and in the entire league.

At this point, Jeremy Lin's interference obviously couldn't cause the Germans much trouble. Whether this shot went in or not depended entirely on Nowitzki's own shooting touch!
"Boom!"

Unfortunately, Nowitzki, who had been on fire throughout the second half, failed to capitalize on this golden opportunity!

A muffled thud, like a heavy hammer blow, slammed into the chests of all Dallas fans!
They all knew that missing this shot basically meant the team was finished!
Boozer grabbed the backboard, but before he could do anything else, Peja, who was incredibly quick-witted and experienced, caught him while he was still in the air.

Intentional foul, sending Boozer to the free-throw line!

In terms of shooting percentage, Boozer has the second-lowest free throw percentage among the Bobcats' five players, at only 76%, just slightly higher than Odom's 74%. However, the remaining players, Rose, Lin, and Yao, all have free throw percentages exceeding 80%.

Sending Boozer to the free-throw line to buy offensive time is definitely the most cost-effective option for the Mavericks.

Peja's choice reflects his years of accumulated experience and quick adaptability.

However, it was clear that although less than a second had passed from Boozer grabbing the rebound to going to the free-throw line, it was still too little time for the Mavericks.

44.5秒，哪怕布泽尔2罚1中，他们接下来也得连续命中2个3分球才能追平比分。

If Boozer makes both free throws, they would need to score three consecutive baskets to have any chance of catching up.

too difficult!
But no matter how difficult it is, this is not the time to give up.

Johnson made swift substitutions, bringing James and Haywood onto the court, along with Nowitzki. These three Mavericks' top rebounders were all positioned under the basket to ensure they could grab the rebound if Boozer missed a free throw.

The Mavericks' rebounding performance tonight was absolutely awful! They were already trailing the Bobcats by more than 20 rebounds throughout the game, and tonight the Bobcats completely dominated the boards.

"Boom!"

Boozer raised his hand at the free-throw line and shot, but the basketball bounced off the rim.

The entire city of Dallas erupted in cheers, with fans roaring and cheering in relief.

Every missed free throw gives the Mavericks another chance!
Then the fans quickly turned their cheers into huge boos, doing everything they could to distract Boozer from his free throws. The fans behind the basket were especially frenzied, with some girls even lifting their shirts to give Boozer a "fan service".

I just hope he misses this shot.

"Shh!"

Unfortunately, Boozer made his second free throw, and the gap between the two sides reached 6 points.

"pause!"

Johnson quickly called a timeout; at this point, there was no way to hide his final timeout.

We must devise a tactic that allows open shots to appear quickly, and then immediately launch a three-pointer!
If the Mavericks can score on this play, they might even have time to choose not to foul and instead defend the Bobcats during the 24-second shot clock, betting that the Bobcats won't score. In that case, the Mavericks would have a chance to tie the game!
Everything hinges on this attack.

"Keep calm! Stay calm and steady, there's no need to rush." ​​Lin Tian's speech became increasingly calm as he used his voice and tone to help the players calm down.

"As long as we don't let them score a 3+1, that's a success for us. So there's no need for everyone to rush. Remember, defend against 3-pointers as much as possible, but absolutely do not foul. Don't give them a 3+1, and don't let them go to the free-throw line."

"Actually, we can play a penalty shootout. We have many players with a free throw percentage of over 80%, I think..." Jordan, sitting on the bench, couldn't help but interject with his opinion.

"I think you should shut up and get lost." Lin Tian didn't even turn around to look at him: "If you spout any more nonsense about my tactics, I'll pin you to the ground and beat you up right now."

Just pretend he just farted.

"Ignore this idiot. If what he says made sense, the Bobcats wouldn't have been a lottery team for so many years, never even making the playoffs."

"So go, hold on to this round! Victory is already in our pocket, and if the Dallas guys try to snatch it from us, we'll just chop their claws off!"

"do you understand?"

"understand!"

"Great! Yao, Lamar, Marvin, Lin, and Derrick, the five of you go up. Line up outside the three-point line and give them two points. If they want to go for a layup or a mid-range shot, you can even cover for them!"

"That's it, go!"

"Go and shatter the Dallas dream, and take the victory!"

After Lin Tian finished speaking, the five people he had pointed out roared at the same time, and then walked forward side by side toward the court.

"The most crucial moment of the season, the one that will decide the championship, has arrived!" Miller's tone was noticeably higher as he quickly analyzed, "Will the Mavericks pull off a comeback and create another miracle, or will the Bobcats withstand the Dallas team's counterattack?"

"Marion inbounds the ball! Nowitzki, Peja, Butler, and Terry are positioned in the four corners, and they start running!"

"Another series of screens, everyone ran to the three-point line. Who? Who will be the one to deliver the final blow? Who will step up and become the hero at this moment?"

As the commentator passionately recounted the moment, Nowitzki and Terry once again crossed paths on the court. After this screen, the Mavericks' star duo sprinted towards the baseline, while the other ran towards the top of the key, directly opposite the basket.

The Bobcats were in a hurry to catch up, and the players were clearly divided into two groups: one group chased Terry towards the top of the arc, and the other group rushed towards the baseline to chase Nowitzki.

However, the 45-degree angle closest to the service point was completely missed at this moment.

Butler was in position at that moment, and the ball immediately came into his hands, giving him another fleeting open shot.

But that one moment was enough for Butler.

After getting the ball, this guy turned around and pulled up for a three-pointer!
The moment he pulled up, Marvin, who had been somewhat stunned by the screen set by Terry and Nowitzki, was already in position. He jumped up with all his might, trying to interfere with Butler's shot.

But clearly, it was too late!

For an NBA All-Star caliber player, that one moment of space is all it takes.

"Shh!"

Then, a crisp sound rang out as Butler hit a game-winning three-pointer, narrowing the gap between the two sides to 3 points once again!
131:128! 40 seconds left!
The Mavericks completed the attack in less than 5 seconds; their tactical setup for this possession was absolutely perfect!

Jackson immediately exclaimed, "There's no more perfect tactic! There's no better execution! Johnson has the upper hand this round, let's see how they play next!"

Miller added, "With 40 seconds left and a 3-point deficit, the Mavericks probably won't resort to fouling! At this moment, Boozer's one-for-two free throw was so glaring. If he had made both free throws, the situation would be completely different!"

"The Bobcats, the Bobcats haven't called a timeout! Lin hasn't called a timeout! Let's see how they handle this offense! Can they kill the game? Or will the Mavericks defend successfully again and give themselves a chance to survive?"

"Derrick, believe in yourself!" Lin Tian certainly wouldn't call a timeout at this moment.

Like Johnson, who didn't want the Bobcats to switch to a lineup better at defending outside shots, Lin Tian also didn't want the Mavericks to switch to a defensive lineup.

With Peja playing power forward, Nowitzki anchoring the paint, and Butler and Marion being the team's best defenders, the Bobcats are truly full of openings!
"Watch out for Rose and Yao! Watch out for those two! We must help defend the paint, we must help defend! We can choose to leave some players open!" Johnson on the sidelines was doing the same, shouting loudly as the Bobcats advanced, trying to make final arrangements without a timeout.

Rose has moved up to the frontcourt once again.

33 seconds left.

He looked up, but didn't rush. Instead, he dribbled the ball in place, then waved his hands, signaling all his teammates to spread out for him.

Duel!

At this point, Rose chose to go one-on-one!
He used a series of crossover dribbles and subtle changes of direction to create momentum and find his rhythm for his breakthroughs.

Judging from Rose's expression, he clearly had no intention of slowing down the clock; he immediately went into attack mode after seeing his teammates spread out.

With 28 seconds left, Rose suddenly accelerated and charged forward. Terry's defense was like paper, and in the blink of an eye, Rose completely left him behind.

But the Bobcats also had Marion, a defensive monster. He had obviously anticipated that Terry's defense wouldn't be enough to catch Rose, so he almost immediately moved to the side and blocked Rose's path.

But facing the tall and long-armed Marion, Rose remained calm and suddenly executed a quick, low-altitude in-and-out dribble, followed by a wide-angle crossover dribble.

With just three dribbles, gradually increasing the amplitude and speed, Rose completely shook off Marion in the blink of an eye.

He gained a considerable amount of space.

Then, just like he has done countless times this season, he pulls up, pulls up, and shoots from mid-range!
Marion did his best to close the gap, jumping and flying at an angle with all his might, trying to block Rose's shot.

From the audience's perspective, Rose's opening was only for a fleeting moment, and Marion instantly filled the gap he had created with incredible speed and physical abilities.

But those in the industry know: it's too late.

Marion's defense did not interfere with Rose at all. For a superstar of Rose's caliber, a moment's opening is enough.

Whether he can make the shot depends on Rose's own shooting touch and luck; it has nothing to do with Marion's defense anymore.

The entire American Airlines Center fell silent as they watched the basketball fly through the air and then, with perfect precision, pierce the hoop, unleashing a wave of despair that filled the Dallas crowd.

"Shh!"

133: 128!

There are only 25 seconds left!
"The game is over! The game is over!" Miller shouted dramatically. "Derrick Rose killed the game! Derrick Rose killed the game! He scored the most important goal of the season!"

"We can congratulate the Charlotte Bobcats in advance! This youngest team in the league, the team that made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, has become this year's champions!"

Jackson neither interrupted nor stopped Miller from celebrating prematurely.

Because he knew that although there were still 25 seconds left in the game, the Mavericks had no timeouts left, and they were finished!

The miracle the Mavericks need is now virtually impossible.

Although Miller had opened the champagne in advance, the Mavericks were clearly not willing to give up. Marion quickly moved to the baseline and inbounded the ball, hoping to catch the Bobcats off guard.

However, the one who received the ball was Peja, who was the weakest player on the team in terms of advancing the ball.

Peja was almost immediately marked by Marvin. The aging former Yugoslav striker was unable to move an inch and could only quickly pass the ball to Terry. Terry had just received the ball and was about to accelerate forward when he also encountered Rose, who had just become a hero.

Knowing that it wasn't the time to force things after being blocked by Rose, he tried to pass the ball to Butler after failing to create space with two crossovers. Butler was also blocked by Odom, and his drive to the basket encountered a huge problem.

Just as an 8-second violation was imminent, Marion, who had just inbounded the ball from the baseline, sprinted to the basket and saved Butler. After Marion received the ball, it finally crossed half-court under his control.

However, the Mavericks' advance was clearly a complete failure. When they needed to score the most, they almost committed an 8-second violation, wasting too much precious time.

Finally, the basketball returned to Nowitzki's hands. Yao Ming completely ignored the basket and rebounds at this point, rushing out beyond the three-point line and stretching out his hand to block Nowitzki's shot.

The rest of the Bobcats also played this kind of defense.

Completely abandon the area inside the three-point line. You can drive in and dunk all you want, but don't even think about a three-pointer!

With Yao Ming interfering, Nowitzki could easily break through by bending over, but taking a shot was much more difficult!
Terry stepped up again, sprinting to Nowitzki and setting a handoff and cross screen, but the moment he got the ball, Rose slapped it away.

"A lousy handoff has lasted an entire series! Do you guys even know anything else?!" Rose roared excitedly, slapping the basketball towards midcourt.

Terry turned around quickly to chase the basketball, and Rose, of course, was equally determined to win. Rose's actions were even more reckless; Terry wanted to regain control of the ball, but Rose didn't care.

He lunged forward and punched the basketball away again!

"Fuck!" Terry cursed in despair, and could only accelerate again, chasing after the basketball once more.

The basketball rolled all the way to a spot two steps inside the Mavericks' three-point line before Terry finally caught it.

Terry, cursing, turned around quickly, wanting to rush back to the frontcourt, but Rose, who had been secretly following behind him, suddenly rushed up and challenged him again.

Fortunately, Terry knew this wasn't the time to be stubborn, so he didn't get entangled with Rose and quickly got the ball to Butler.

After Butler received the ball, he passed it to Marion on the other side. Marion took a step inside, but found that no one was paying attention to his breakthrough. He could only turn around and pass the ball to Nowitzki.

With the 24-second shot clock running out, Nowitzki, even though Yao Ming was still tightly marking him, knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time and forced a shot, throwing out a three-pointer.

But to be covered by a 226cm giant and still shoot without any rhythm, it would be a miracle to score!
Nowitzki's shot didn't even touch the rim, let alone go in. Yao Ming's interference was too intense. He tried to raise his already high arc, but his force was too weak.

Odom grabbed the basketball and threw it straight into the air!

"Buzz!"

Almost at the same time, the sound of the 24-second shot clock ending rang out.

In such a crucial exchange, the Bobcats finally executed a perfect defensive play!
They defended against a 24-second violation!
Because Nowitzki missed the shot, there was still one second left in the game, so the Bobcats had to inbound the ball.

At this point, Lin Tian made a substitution, bringing on five players and taking them off in the last second of the game. He brought on all the players who hadn't played that night.

Itham Thomas, DJ Augustin, Shannon Brown, Lance Stephenson, Matt Barnes.

Although none of these five players played tonight, and although they were not in the team's rotation tonight or even throughout the playoffs, Lin Tian still substituted them all in at this point in the game.

Because they didn't relax on the bench either, and they did their best to cheer for their teammates. In other games, as long as Lin Tian called their names, they would immediately step onto the field without hesitation to unleash their energy.

They all had their own highlights this year, and they all contributed their strength to the team this year.

A team can win and take the championship because of the strength of the entire team!
After this five-in-five-out substitution, Jordan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He grabbed Lin Tian from behind, shaking him and shouting, "Champions! Champions! We are the champions!" (End of Chapter)