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Chapter 258 Some players are born for the big stage (Third update, please vote!)
It must be said that there are many mystical phenomena in the world of basketball that cannot be explained by science.

For example, Chris Paul, who always seems to mess things up at crucial moments.

For example, you can always trust James Harden to underperform in the pivotal Game 5.

And then there's Klay Thompson, who always seems to explode when the game goes to Game 6.

At Staples Center, in the very same play where Paul was stunned by Qin Yue's punch, Klay Thompson made his entrance with his signature cheat code from Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.

On the perimeter, Klay Thompson received the ball from Kobe on the baseline and, without hesitation, flicked it towards the basket while drifting through the air.

Swish-!
It's hard to say that Curry, who was responsible for guarding Klay, didn't do a good job of defending him after that goal.

But Klay's inherent ability to perform under pressure and his fearless attitude help him make those deadly shots.

This is what's known as killer instinct.

It is also one of the important criteria for distinguishing between a champion player and a player without a title.

The Warriors then launch their attack.

The Lakers, gradually regaining their composure, successfully defended the possession.

Next, Kobe, who was responsible for dribbling the ball across half-court, intended to pass the ball to Paul through Klay Thompson.

However, Klay, who felt he could shoot as soon as he received the ball, chose to ignore Paul's call for the ball.

On the court, when rookie Klay Thompson took an unreasonable shot over Jamison, Paul, who had no idea who the Lakers' true star player was that night, was so anxious that he jumped up and down.

But the next second, Klay Thompson delivered a stunning three-pointer, slapping Paul in the face.

Why is it that, in Qin Yue's memory, you can never rely on Paul and Harden in crucial moments?
In basketball, especially in a real life-or-death battle, where is there so much logic to it?

A true killer is one who seizes opportunities that aren't really opportunities, rather than being afraid to even take a shot in a game that could decide the fate of the team.

At Staples Center, Klay Thompson's two consecutive three-pointers for the Lakers ignited the crowd.

This is the son of former Lakers legend Michael Thompson.

A son who is far more powerful than his father.

On the Warriors' bench, watching Klay Thompson suddenly go on a rampage, Malone wanted to call a timeout at the scorer's table.

But the moment he noticed the burning intensity in Qin Yue's eyes, Ma Long dismissed the idea.

The Lakers have their killer.

The Warriors also have their killers.

On the court, it's the Warriors' offensive possession.

After the "1-5" pick-and-roll, Curry quickly passed the ball to Qin Yue, who opted for an outside bounce.

Then, the once bustling Staples Center seemed to be silenced by Qin Yue.

Swish-!
At halftime, when Qin Yue's pull-up jumper swished through the net, the Lakers fans in the arena could only be described as utterly frustrated and furious.

The Lakers then launched an attack.

Qin Yue blocked Paul's pass to Gasol, who was attempting to attack the basket.

This was a typical "Paul/Harden-style" clutch play.

Having just been blocked by Qin Yue, Paul, who was in a better position, decisively gave up attacking the basket and passed the ball to his teammate in a seemingly reasonable manner.

But still the same sentence.

In a life-or-death battle, where is there any logic to it?

In a game like this, where victory or defeat is at stake, can making 3 out of 9 shots really guarantee a win? ①

Paul's cowardice at that moment made Gasol the scapegoat.

In the Warriors' paint, Wallace, who had secured the second landing spot, immediately passed the ball to Curry, who was already running down the court.

Although Curry, who was running too fast, took a full two seconds to control the basketball that was passed behind him during the receiving process.

But after adjusting, Curry, finding himself alone, displayed a mental fortitude far superior to Paul's.

Curry pulled up for a three-pointer from beyond the arc.

Swish-!
Even if we exclude the two championships during the Warriors era, Curry still had two championships in his previous life. Why?
When Curry led the Warriors to victory against the Celtics in the 21/22 season, he wouldn't pass the ball to a teammate in a seemingly reasonable way when he needed to shoot.

A killer should kill the game.

The cowardly mushroom will always only be a backdrop for others.

On the court, it was the Lakers' turn to attack.

The Lakers didn't collapse in the first quarter, and Paul definitely deserves a bow to rookie Klay and veteran Kobe.

Near the free-throw line, Kobe, who also possesses a killer instinct, still managed to send the basketball accurately into the hoop even after Green had already touched his wrist.

This is an undisputed AND-ONE.

Qin Yue did not criticize Green's defense.

Because of dealing with someone like Kobe.
When he can make the shot, it doesn't matter who you bring in.

At the free-throw line, Kobe Bryant made the extra free throw.

In Game 6, which would determine the fate of the Lakers, the former "Magic Bryant" had transformed into "Killer Kobe".

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 35-30.

For the Warriors, Qin Yue and Curry scored 17 and 14 points respectively.

The "Core Qin and Core Li" duo scored 31 of the Warriors' 35 points in the first quarter.

And what about the Lakers?

Kobe and Klay scored 14 and 12 points respectively, combining for 26 of the Lakers' 30 points in the first quarter.

On this night that truly tested the mettle of star players, it was Paul, who had previously been a consistent contributor for the Lakers, who went 0-for-3 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, managing only 1 point, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Before the start of the second quarter, Qin Yue, who didn't want Paul to find his rhythm by playing against Nash, said to Butler, "Jimmy, you'll be in charge of guarding Chris for the rest of the quarter."

Upon hearing this, Butler, who was not yet "Playoff Jimmy," nodded and said, "Don't worry, boss, I'll keep him under control."

In the NBA, even if a player is just a rookie, Qin Yue believes you can completely trust him.

In the first half of the second quarter, Butler, known for his tough and resilient playoff style, responded to Qin Yue's trust with his performance.

Although Butler's wingspan was similar to his height during the physical tests.

But as a defensive stalwart who excels at making precise cuts through anticipation, Butler used his high-intensity pressure on the ball-handling offensive player to make a certain timid player disappear for half a quarter at Staples Center.

Therefore, the Lakers had to bring in Kobe and Klay, the backcourt duo who were in excellent form, ahead of schedule.

However, the Warriors still managed to maintain their lead before Qin Yue returned to the court. This was because Dunleavy, who had a lackluster performance in the previous game, was unpredictable and went 3-for-4 from the field in the first half of the second quarter, including 3-for-3 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, scoring 11 points in just half a quarter.

In the NBA, role players are destined to have an inconsistent performance, unlike superstars.

For example, Dunleavy couldn't replicate Harden's performance in four consecutive pivotal Game 5s, as Qin Yue recalled.

On the sidelines, Qin Yue and Curry, having had a good rest, returned to the court hand in hand in the second half of the quarter.

The first round of the return of the Heqin and Heli duo to the arena.

Qin Yue, who received a screen from Curry, scored a three-point play for the Warriors that sent screams of despair echoing through Staples Center once again.

During Qin Yue's rest period, Marc Gasol, who had finally regained his form against Brown, felt extremely aggrieved and committed his third foul of the game while defending Qin Yue.

However, when Qin Yue stepped onto the free-throw line, his teasing target was Paul, who was reluctant to take a foul for Gasol: "Are you just going to watch your inside teammate get his third foul?"

After a pause, Qin Yue laughed and said, "I think I can see that there are some Lakers players who don't want to win tonight."

"."

Paul, his face flushed, was once again rendered speechless by Qin Yue's retort.

At the free-throw line, Qin Yue made the extra free throw.

Going back, at the moment when Paul tried to break through Curry's defense, Qin Yue even gave up helping Curry defend.

As Qin Yue expected, Paul, who was only interested in playing it safe, did not choose to trust his still unrecovered shooting touch.

Instead, he passed the ball to Clay, who was already being cornered by Jamison.

But it must be stated for Paul.

At least compared to before, Paul has realized who the Lakers' real star player is this night.

From beyond the three-point line, Klay Thompson made a tough shot over Jamison.

"How the hell can they even get in here?"

Meanwhile, Jamison, who had experienced the power of the "Buddha's Soup" in advance, revealed the same expression as those opponents in later generations who were mentally broken by the Golden State Splash.

No wonder Durant will choose to join a team if he can't beat them in the future.

This is the legendary abnormal accuracy.

In such a life-or-death battle, there is absolutely no logic to it.

Next, it was the Warriors' turn to attack.

Curry cleverly used Qin Yue's screen to penetrate into the Lakers' territory and made a difficult layup.

Gasol, no longer daring to commit fouls, has fully committed to the defensive support.

But Curry just can still lob the ball high into the net.

This kind of ball makes absolutely no sense.

Lakers ball.

Perhaps realizing that he was about to break Kobe and Klay's legs, Paul finally mustered his courage and scored his first field goal of the game.

However, at the end of the first half, the unstoppable combination of Qin and Li extended the Warriors' lead to 10 points.

At halftime, the score was 68-58.

After halftime, in the third quarter, Paul was once again ruthlessly blocked by Qin Yue.

"Don't do that, Chris. If you do that, people will think I'm padding my block stats." After the block, Qin Yue complained to Paul again.

As a player with a solid playing style, Paul's finishing rate at the rim during his playoff career is actually not low.

Unfortunately.
Qin Yue knew Paul's playing habits all too well.

This inevitably turned Paul into Qin Yue's little helper for padding his block stats on this night when he was having a bad shooting night and didn't trust his shooting touch.

Fortunately, Paul was unreliable, and Klay Thompson maintained his shooting touch in the second half.

On the court, Kobe, who was responsible for inbounding the ball to the Lakers, proved with his actions that as long as your fundamentals are good, inbounding the ball is not that hard.
Klay Thompson hit a mid-range two-pointer after receiving the ball around the baseline with a double screen from the Gasol brothers.

68:60.

On the other hand, because Curry's pass was cut out of bounds by Paul, Qin Yue also got a chance to prove himself.

Faced with the age-old problem of how to serve the ball out of bounds, Qin Yue easily delivered a perfect answer.

Wallace moved to the high post to receive the ball and quickly passed it back to Qin Yue.

Immediately afterwards, the horse trampled the Lakers' restricted area.

Qin Yue's play in this possession made "Black Bread" Brown, a player on the Lakers' bench, look rather unhappy.

Gasol picked up his fourth foul of the game while defending Qin Yue.

Although it was in the Lakers' paint, Kobe immediately raised his right hand to indicate that he was the one who committed the foul, not Gasol.

But Dan Crawford, who was in charge of officiating the game, saw it all clearly.

Stop messing around and let's chat.

You were at least a meter away from Da Qin just now, how could you have committed a foul?

At the free-throw line, Qin Yue made both free throws.

Lakers head coach Brown, who had no choice but to risk keeping Marc Gasol on the court, received another piece of bad news two possessions later.

That night, Paul, whose performance was already less than stellar, suddenly collapsed to the floor in obvious pain during an off-ball movement.

On the court, Qin Yue, with great gentlemanly manners, took the initiative to request a timeout for Paul, who was lying on the ground and unable to get up.

Since entering the league, the Wake Forest duo have either been on the path of bickering or have already been bickering.

Regardless, Qin Yue still doesn't want Paul to leave the game injured.

"Thank you," Paul said to Qin Yue before being carried off the court by the Lakers' team doctor.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue said, "There's no need to be polite with me, Chris."

Seeing this, Paul clenched his fist and said, "Wait, I will definitely come back."

Qin Yue nodded and said, "Of course, after all, we can't win without you."

The next second, Paul, who was amused by Qin Yue's words, said, "I hope you can still laugh when I get back."

……

PS: Third update, totaling 10,000 words! Begging for monthly votes!
①: On April 30, 2025, the great James Harden once again had a disastrous performance in Game 4, scoring only 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting. Please be aware. (This time, I really can't eat, seriously TnT)

(End of this chapter)