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Chapter 289 Winner's Mindset, A Leader Who Never Shirks Responsibility

Before the Western Conference Finals began, ESPN launched a poll to determine who was the "best clutch player in NBA history".

As a result, over 80% of the fans online voted for Qin Yue.

But actually...
If he could, Qin Yue would definitely be the player in the entire league who least likes playing in crucial moments.

why?
Because once the game is dragged into a decisive moment by the opponent...
That means the Warriors also have a very high probability of losing.

Moreover, even someone as strong as Qin Yue cannot always use his "god-like form" to secure victory for his team in every crucial moment.

In the past, Qin Yue, who won more than he lost, left people with the stereotype that "as long as the Qin Dynasty exerts its strength, the warriors cannot lose."

Just like Curry's "abnormal accuracy" and Kobe's "four-legged three-iron" (referring to his ability to overcome adversity and improve accuracy).

In fact, if you exclude the vast majority of Kobe's unreasonable shots, you'll find that Kobe's actual scoring efficiency in games was not low.

And what about Curry?

Who says Curry doesn't have memorable moments of missing shots?
It's just that Curry has so many "abnormally accurate" moments that people tend to selectively forget his poor performances when talking about this baby-faced killer.

In short, basketball is a sport full of chance.

Therefore, Qin Yue never likes to test his and his fans' hearts in such crucial moments.

Even so, Qin Yue would always find himself involuntarily becoming engrossed in it.

Oracle Arena, 1 minute and 35 seconds left in the game.

That night, fans of both the home and away teams experienced a rollercoaster ride.

On the court, the Warriors, who were leading by four points, had a chance to extend their lead to seven points and secure the victory when Curry was left wide open on the perimeter.

However, as Curry's three-pointer bounced off the rim, Klay Thompson hit a three-pointer in transition.

The Lakers, however, quickly returned from hell to heaven.

And in the next round
At least Paul didn't falter in this game, and he also blocked Curry's passing lanes to Qin Yue.

Fortunately, Wallace stepped in to help and successfully rescued Curry.

Moreover, since the Lakers players on the court didn't have time to stop Wallace from cutting in, even Kobe was prepared to receive the inbound pass from the baseline.

But the next second...
No one expected that Wallace, who was not disturbed at all during his layup attempt, would suddenly become like a madwoman, handing possession of the ball back to the Lakers in an inexplicable way.

As a result, the Warriors, who were destined to fail, were indeed overtaken in the next possession by Paul with a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

On the scoreboard, it's 108 to 106.

In Oakland, Oracle Arena, which had been bustling with activity just seconds before, suddenly became the quietest place of the night.

At this moment, Barkley, whose heart was pounding, exclaimed on TNT, "My God! Who would have thought that the Lakers would go from hell to heaven in just half a minute?"

On the field, there was no pause; the game continued.

In the Warriors' backcourt, Qin Yue, who hadn't touched the ball in the previous possession, personally dribbled the ball from the backcourt this time.

Meanwhile, the Lakers responded quickly, double-teaming Qin Yue near the mid-court line to force him to pass the ball.

Seeing this, Qin Yue, who was responding to the Lakers' moves in the second half, initially intended to pass the ball to his teammates first, and then use off-ball movement to receive the ball.

However, Curry's position was simply too good because he was in a good position to receive Qin Yue.

He only needs to dribble sideways to create distance between himself and Paul and get a shot off.

So Curry did it without hesitation, and Qin Yue once again missed a shot, causing his heart and lungs to stop.

In fact, Curry was very calm and composed before taking the shot in the final moments.

However, both of Curry's three-pointers, which he should have easily secured, ultimately went astray.

That's precisely the charm of basketball.

After all, if basketball could be changed by human willpower, then James, who longs for a "Jordan" to lead him to a championship every year, would surely have won at least ten championships.
Oracle Arena, with 33 seconds left in the game, the Lakers have possession.

The Lakers, who had a chance to end the game if they could score in this possession, had Kobe take the shot at the last moment to stop the clock.

Swish!
At the scorer's table, at the moment Kobe Bryant hit his mid-range jumper, head coach Karl Malone, who still couldn't believe that the Warriors had gone from leading by four points to trailing by four, called a timeout, but at the same time, he also felt a strong urge to kick Curry to death.

However, Qin Yue stopped Ma Long.

After calming down, Qin Yue realized that Curry's shot selection was indeed not a big problem.

Furthermore, Qin Yue even took the initiative to comfort Curry, whose expression was starting to turn dejected: "Stephen, everyone has times when they miss shots, it's just that when the next opportunity comes, you need to seize it."

Of course, that's what it says.

Furthermore, after the timeout, Curry remained the Warriors' first pass option after bringing in JR Smith and Ray Allen.

But on the court, when Curry failed to create an opportunity, Qin Yue, who received the inbound pass from Green using a fake screen, still chose to trust himself.

At Oracle Arena, in order to save time, Qin Yue caught the ball and pulled it up from a full meter away from the three-point line, temporarily keeping the Warriors alive.

The scoreboard reads 110 to 109.

On the timer, there were 6.8 seconds left when the Lakers called a timeout.

Barkley, who had initially criticized Malone for not calling a timeout in the previous round, changed his tune on TNT: "It now looks like Coach Mike Malone's timeout might change the course of the game."

As is well known, in the NBA, regardless of how many timeouts a team has held, the final two minutes will be converted into two timeouts, one long and one short. (If all timeouts have already been called, then there are no more timeouts.)

So, after Malone, who did not call a timeout in the previous round, requested a long timeout in the last round, the Warriors still have one opportunity to request a short timeout.

What does this short timeout mean?
This means that after the Lakers call a timeout, the Warriors can choose to foul to send Lakers players to the free-throw line, and then use the timeout to change the inbound pass from the backcourt to the frontcourt, saving as much offensive time as possible.

On the court, after the timeout, the Lakers, who had possession of the ball, did not commit a LeBron James-style turnover on the inbound pass.

Kobe was awarded two free throw opportunities.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Malone took the opportunity to call his players to the sidelines one by one and began to plan the Warriors' final attack.

Then, at the free-throw line, Kobe made both free throws.

The Warriors immediately called a timeout at the scorer's table.

"Although they will definitely bring in a shooter, I feel that their final shot will still go to Messiah." During a timeout on the Lakers' bench, Kobe said this to his teammates and coaches.

Upon hearing this, Paul, who shared the same view as Kobe, said, "We must pay attention to his positioning and not let him receive the ball easily."

As it turned out, Kobe's guess was correct.

Despite having Curry and Ray Allen by his side for the final attack.

There's also Green and JR.

But just as the Warriors were about to inbound the ball, Qin Yue used Curry's screen to get to the receiving position. In the frontcourt, Green, responsible for inbounding the ball, didn't hesitate at all.

And what about Qin Yue?

At this moment, you ask Qin Yue why he doesn't choose to trust the four sharpshooters around him?
The answer is, of course, that this is not a question of whether or not you trust your teammates.

It's not a question of who should take responsibility.

That's right, since Qin Yue is the absolute core of this Warriors team.

In such a crucial round.

If he can receive the ball and his teammates are not in obvious open positions, then naturally he should take the blame.

Perhaps this is not "smart".

But with great power comes great responsibility. Qin Yue, with his pull-up three-pointer that almost touched the logo with his heel, revitalized the Oracle Arena, which had been sluggish for a long time.

"The Messiah tied the game for the Lakers!"

On TNT, Barkley, holding his head in his hands, exclaimed, "What kind of game was this? What kind of night was this? From heaven to hell, and back to earth! Ladies and gentlemen, the Warriors are still alive, and this Western Conference Finals will continue!"

At the scene in Oakland, after the referee's review, it was determined that there were still 2.1 seconds left in the game when Qin Yue hit the three-pointer.

So, despite their excitement, the Warriors must make one last defensive play to earn a chance to go into overtime with the Lakers.

Fortunately, the Lakers, who failed to get the ball from Kobe, had Paul take the shot.

On the court, the moment Paul's "Air-Ball" fell into his arms, Qin Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

The Warriors escaped a close call in regulation time.

The scoreboard reads 112 to 112.

After a short break, the Lakers and Warriors will face an even more brutal overtime game.

During the break, looking at Qin Yue's face, which had returned to calm, Brown asked with curiosity, "If, and I mean if, you missed both of your three-pointers in the last two possessions, how would you face this night?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue said, "I'm sure I won't sleep well all night. But once I get some sleep, I'll be able to focus my attention on the next match."

Brown remarked, "You know what, that's what makes you different from the other players."

"What's the difference?"

"You have a true winner's mentality."

Two minutes later, overtime officially began.

Curry, who had missed several opportunities in regulation time, redeemed himself in overtime.

In the Warriors' first two offensive possessions, Curry hit two difficult three-pointers that left Lakers fans utterly despairing as they swished through the net.

Furthermore, after Kobe Bryant stabilized the Lakers with two free throws, Ray Allen added insult to injury with a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, further extending the Warriors' lead.

See, who said Qin Yue doesn't trust his teammates?

However, when faced with responsibility, Qin Yue did not use the excuse of "I think my teammate's position is better" to shirk responsibility, but chose to take it on.

Admittedly, Qin Yue also suffers from sleepless nights due to missed opportunities.

But compared to not sleeping well.

What Qin Yue feared even more was that he would live with the regret of why he hadn't dared to take the plunge.

In overtime, Ray Allen and Stephen Curry, who were both scheduled to play by Malone, secured the victory for the Warriors.

The final score was 119 to 129.

The Warriors, having narrowly escaped defeat at home, secured their opening victory in the Western Conference Finals.

In the post-game interview, Kwame Brown, whose performance on the court was less than satisfactory, fully demonstrated his dominance in the press conference.

Especially with his vivid description.
When Qin Yue, fearless of responsibility and rising to challenges, came into the public eye, he was a figure who embodied these qualities.
In this life, don't ask Brown why he was able to sit on the throne of "the best center in the league" through commercial marketing.

Because for the "7.7 billion" Qin fans worldwide, they love to hear Brown exaggerate Qin's achievements.

"You might not believe it, but before I made that game-winning shot, 'Da Qin' told me, 'Wait, I'm going to hit a three-pointer over there, so you guys better be prepared to go to overtime with the Lakers.'"

"To be honest, I kept thinking that 'Great Qin' must have gone mad, but as you all saw, I was the one who went mad in the end."

After the game, Brown's revelation undoubtedly added even more legendary color to Qin Yue's game-tying three-pointer that night.

Although Qin Yue himself did not know when he had said those words.

But these words, which sounded very much like what Qin Yue would say, gradually spread among the people.

As the losers, the Lakers players, who had a chance to end the game in regulation time, all had a sleepless night.

Paul, in particular.

His dreams were filled with Paul's chance to win against the Warriors, which ultimately became an "Airball," and even the next day at noon he was muttering to himself, "Why didn't I make that shot?"

According to the schedule, the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and Warriors will resume at Oracle Arena after a two-day break.

The day after the first game of the Western Conference Finals, the equally anticipated first game of the Eastern Conference Finals also came to a conclusion in New York.

This was a game that James watched for only two and a half quarters before turning off the TV and subsequently entering a state of self-isolation.

why?
Because they are the team with the best chance of ending the Warriors' dynasty.
The Knicks crushed the Heat, led by the Carmelo Gloucester brothers, in a resounding victory at Madison Square Garden.

Qin Yue had personally experienced the intensity of this Knicks team, which had replaced James with Love, during the regular season.

Howard, who is just silly in the paint but not silly enough to cause trouble when there is hope for a championship, has ushered in his most hardworking and conscientious season.

In addition, as time went on, Love, who was a perfect fit for the Knicks, also brought a variety of offensive strategies to the team.

Add to that Durant and Harden, who get stronger every season.

And Iguodala, who is becoming increasingly adept at controlling the game and organizing the offense.

It's no exaggeration to say that, in Qin Yue's eyes, this Knicks team poses an even greater threat to the Warriors than the Lakers.

Therefore, after a hard-fought victory in the first game of the Western Conference Finals, Qin Yue, who is aiming for a four-peat, really wants to lead the Warriors to quickly defeat the Lakers, if possible.

But since the Lakers won't let that happen.

Qin Yue, who always understood the principle that one must proceed step by step and eat one bite at a time, could only be patient.
Be patient.

……

PS: TnT, oh no, it didn't explode today. I'll try again tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)