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Chapter 291 The King and the Queen: Basketball - No Shortcuts

He is known worldwide as the "Mayor of Los Angeles".

Qin Yue, who is always greeted with "FUCK" by Los Angeles residents whenever he leads his team to visit the City of Angels, gained another loyal fan on the night of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Although this fan had cheered for Qin Yue from the sidelines several years ago.

But when the former little girl transforms into a beautiful and fashionable young woman.
That night, Kendall Jenner, wearing Qin Yue's No. 77 jersey, appeared on the sidelines and was undoubtedly the most beautiful sight at Staples Center.

It wasn't until Jenna took the initiative to invite Qin Yue to her birthday party in a few months that Qin Yue realized what was happening.
It turns out that while the relentless passage of time was gradually turning him into a man in his thirties, it was also quietly aging Jenna, who was about to officially turn eighteen.

"Time flies so fast."

Despite already having five titles.

But for Qin Yue, who can never have enough championships, at this moment, he couldn't help but lament the ruthlessness and cruelty of time.

On the field, the pre-match warm-up has ended.

The Staples Center's big screen then displayed the starting lineups for both the Lakers and Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

Home team Lakers: Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Klay Thompson, Chris Paul.

The visiting Warriors: Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, Curry.

Before the match began, Qin Yue, who had received an invitation to Jenna's birthday party, looked unusually serious that night.

The invitation from Jenner made Qin Yue realize this again.
In competitive sports, no one can stay young forever.

Therefore, Qin Yue, who cherishes the present moment, only wants to seize the time to continue leaving his opponent with painful memories that he will never forget.

For example, Kobe.

Qin Yue was really looking forward to seeing how his opponent would recall the experience of being thoroughly beaten by him after he retired.

The game begins with a jump ball in the center of the court.

Qin Yue, who didn't let Brown, who was comparable to James in terms of being unreliable, continue the jump ball, easily overwhelmed Gasol, who couldn't stop him from getting up.

Curry dribbles the ball across half-court.

Immediately afterwards, the Warriors quickly spread out their formation and launched the Flex tactic around Qin Yue.

Near the free-throw line, Qin Yue received a pass from Curry and scored the first points for the Warriors with a smooth and confident vertical pull-up jumper.

In the NBA, classic tactics never go out of style.

However, the teammates who once teamed up with Qin Yue to launch the Flex tactic on the field have now become his opponents who wish they could kill him every time they make physical contact with him.

On the court, the Lakers are on offense.

Faced with Qin Yue's strong delay, Paul, with a combination of elbow and push, proved with his actions why it is utterly ridiculous to consider brotherhood on the court.

Because in the NBA, interpersonal relationships should only exist off the court.

If you have to consider so-called brotherhood when you're on the court, then James, who has brothers all over the league, would have won ten or eight championships in Qin Yue's memory.
On the perimeter, as long as it's not a crucial moment, you can rely on Paul to hit a pull-up three-pointer after a screen.

In the past two Western Conference Finals games, Paul has averaged 21 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.

If you only look at the statistics, then the point guard god really does seem to be something.

However, in terms of scoring distribution, Paul's scoring distribution in the previous two Western Conference Finals games was 8 points, 4 points, 8 points, and 1 point in each of the four quarters.

What does this score distribution indicate?
This illustrates that Paul is often only the god of point guard in the first three quarters of the game.

Therefore, when Paul dared to taunt him with gestures after scoring at that moment, Qin Yue immediately responded: "Someone who can't play crucial shots can only show off his skills in regular time."

Upon hearing this, Paul, whose defense had been precisely breached by Qin Yue, seemed hesitant to speak.

The Warriors then launch their attack.

Kobe, who was helping Paul on defense, was hit hard by Qin Yue's wingman in this possession.

As we all know, Kobe is now an old man who will turn 35 in two months.

So, when Curry ran wildly around Kobe, he was on his feet.
This iconic painting, titled "Curry Walking Off Kobe," instantly made Ray Allen on the Warriors' bench feel like he was transported back to several years ago.

Back then, Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant often played a game of "running and chasing" on the court.

However, Curry, who nearly threw up Kobe at that moment, was by no means lacking in sportsmanship.

Before Qin Yue's time travel, the 37-year-old Curry could still run a young man in his early twenties until he cramped up.

run.

Running nonstop.

And they can hit those incredible three-pointers after high-intensity running.

In Qin Yue's eyes, among Curry's many talents, the baby-faced killer's cardiopulmonary ability, which is in a class of its own in history, has always been his most powerful weapon.

In this round, Kobe managed to keep up with Curry despite his immense effort.

However, with Curry drawing his attention, Qin Yue, who was in a one-on-one situation with Gasol on the wing, was unable to stop Gasol's advance even when the latter exerted all his strength.

In the Lakers' paint, Marc Gasol, who failed to provide help defense for his brother, let out a long sigh the moment Qin Yue slammed home a dunk.

Seeing this, Pau Gasol, who had already been thoroughly beaten by Qin Yue in two matches, broke down.

"Mark, what did you mean by sighing just now?"

"I...I didn't mean anything by it."

Gasol, who has always been submissive to his older brother, could not possibly have any bad intentions.

However, who could blame him when Qin Yue had already turned Pau Gasol into someone with sensitive skin?
Just like in the future, Indians who "can only win" can't stand the thought of their newly purchased plane being shot down.

At that moment, only Pau Gasol knew how much damage Marc Gasol's long sigh had done to him.

Unsurprisingly, Brown became the target of Pau Gasol's anger.

On the court, in this Western Conference Finals where one thing is the nemesis of another.

Pau Gasol, who only felt he could live with dignity in front of Brown, successfully switched Brown to face him using Marc Gasol's screen.

Then, he probed from behind before turning around and cutting in.

In the Warriors' paint, facing a somewhat enraged Gasol, Brown had no choice but to watch helplessly as his opponent scored right in front of him.

Fortunately, even if he gets beaten a hundred times, Brown won't break down.

After all, Pau Gasol has his dazzling post-up skills, and Brown has his own unique mental victory method.

For example, in Brown's eyes, he had successfully defended against Pau Gasol on this play.

What, you're asking where the success lies?

That is of course
Technical statistics and actual game footage cannot reflect Brown's value.

Yes, in Brown's mind, Pau Gasol has already paid a heavy price for this one-on-one play:

—His internal organs had suffered extremely serious internal injuries.

...In the first quarter at Staples Center, Qin Yue, who had set the tone for the team every night in the opening stages of the previous two games, once again delivered an outstanding performance.

This is also evident in the number of times Jenner stood up on the sidelines to show off her long legs to the GOAT.

However, at the end of the first quarter, the visiting Warriors were trailing 31-35.

That night, the Lakers, back at their home court Staples Center and boosted by the "whistle's power," took 12 free throws in a single quarter.

On the court, Kobe, who received an emergency "update" from the league and was enhanced with an "invisible wall" in the Western Conference Finals 2.0 version, was practically a "death sentence" to anyone who touched him.

Qin Yue, who was already used to this, did not complain about the referee's decision.

However, he simply extended a warm greeting to the families of the three referees who officiated the match.

In the second quarter, JR Smith, who was originally highly anticipated by Qin Yue, became the one who continued to increase the intensity of GOAT.

During Qin Yue's rest period, JR, who failed to find the "Jordan Mode" switch button, went 0-for-5 from the field and made three low-level mistakes that would be considered worthy of being called the "Shaqtin' a Fool" of the show.

On the court, the Lakers took the opportunity to extend their lead.

Before Qin Yue returned to the court, the score was changed to 34-51.

This is the largest Lakers lead over the Warriors so far in this Western Conference Finals series.

At the Los Angeles stadium, many Lakers fans even chanted, "You guys are done for!" when Qin Yue and Curry returned to the court together.

No chance?

At Staples Center, Qin Yue and Curry exchanged only one glance, and they both got the answers they wanted from each other's eyes.

To date, including the playoffs, Qin Yue has accumulated 68 20+ point quarters in his NBA career.

And what about Curry?

Excuse me, but in Qin Yue's memory, Curry was the NBA's king of "20+ points" in a single quarter.

Therefore, when you face this Warriors team that has both Qin Yue and Curry.
No matter when, opening champagne prematurely will undoubtedly have disastrous consequences.

On the court, in his first possession back on the court with Curry, Qin Yue executed a brilliant pick-and-roll with Curry on the perimeter.

Near the top of the arc, dribble left and then right.

Curry immediately calmed the team down with a three-pointer.

Then in the next round, it was still a pick-and-roll combination from the core Qin and core Li duo.

The only difference this time was that Qin Yue was the player responsible for finishing the attack.

On the right side of the court, Qin Yue received the ball after a pick-and-roll and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer.

This forced the Lakers to request a timeout.

They scored 6 points in two rounds.

It can be said that Mike Brown's request for a timeout at the technical table, after realizing that the combination of Core Qin and Core Li might go berserk, was timely.

but.
After the timeout ended, Lakers fans, who were still excited, witnessed Qin Yue stealing the ball from Paul during a forced turnover.

If you don't understand, just ask: Who said the Warriors are out of the running?
In the Lakers' halftime, Qin Yue scored on a fast break.

The scoreboard reads 42 to 51.

Seeing this, Kobe, who knew that the Warriors were gaining momentum, wanted to step up and stabilize the Lakers' situation.

But the instant Kobe's beautiful fadeaway jumper missed the rim, Qin Yue, who had secured the rebound for the Warriors, immediately launched a transition attack.

On the court, Curry, who was responsible for following up, was already waiting outside the three-point line.

Seeing this, Qin Yue did not hesitate at all.

The next second, Curry received an assist from Qin Yue and hit another three-pointer.

45:51.

On TNT, Barkley, who had been discussing with O'Neal how the Warriors should close the gap in the second half, shook his head repeatedly, saying, "It's terrifying. That's the Warriors' ability to come back."

After a pause, Barkley added, "From being down by 17 points to being down by 6 points, who would have thought the Warriors only needed a minute and a half?"

O'Neal said from the side, "So, when playing against this Warriors team, you really can't let your guard down for even a second."

At the Los Angeles stadium, those fans who had previously dared to provoke Qin Yue and Curry all went silent.

At Staples Center, just before the end of the first half, Qin Yue hit a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper, changing the score to 57-58.

The Lakers' original 17-point lead has been reduced to just 1 point.

During halftime, Warriors head coach Karl Malone, who was being interviewed, said, "Panic? No, even when we were down by 17 points, we didn't panic at all. Because we all knew that the Lakers could take the lead, it was just that Messiah and Stephen were still sitting on the sidelines."

That night, Malone, who had Qin Yue and Curry as his trump cards, was not as calm as he claimed.

Especially when the Warriors were down by 17 points against the Lakers.
If Hollins remembers correctly, Malone clearly said that the Warriors could start thinking about their tactical arrangements for Game 4.

However, Qin Yue and Curry's combined performance instantly erased the gap between the Warriors and the Lakers in the score.

That's why Ma Long got the chance to show off during halftime.

After halftime, in the second half, the Lakers players, having squandered a great opportunity, showed a clear mental fluctuation.

It wasn't until Klay Thompson hit two consecutive three-pointers for the Lakers that the team, which was on the verge of elimination, regained its footing.

As a player with historically great shooting talent, Klay Thompson is unlikely to turn into a bricklayer for every game. In this game, he undoubtedly once again demonstrated his greatness.

But the Warriors, who had already gained momentum, extended their lead to double digits in the latter part of the third quarter.

Entering the final quarter, Lakers coach Brown, who dared not let Kobe rest, could only hope that the Lakers could show the same resilience as the Warriors in the first half.

However, even after Qin Yue returned to the court, the Lakers were unable to close the gap between themselves and the Warriors in the score.

Because of this game, Livingston, who continued his excellent performance from the previous game, once again became the X-factor for the Warriors.

All 10 of Livingston's points in the game came in the fourth quarter.

10 points in a single quarter.

On the court, Livingston, who could score two points for the Warriors whenever Paul was called upon, even enjoyed the treatment that usually only Qin Yue could receive in the final quarter.

The final score was 117 to 106.

That night, the Warriors, who came from behind, completely shattered the confidence of all Lakers fans at Staples Center.

Because now, the score in this Western Conference Finals is 3-0.

Qin Yue, who believed that the Warriors would only be able to overcome the Lakers' tough challenge if they had patience before the Western Conference Finals began, was also caught off guard.
The Warriors, who had to take a detour to get to the straight path, so easily secured the match point in this Western Conference Finals.

"This is basketball. If you only think about taking shortcuts, you may go astray. But if you choose to go further, you may experience a different kind of scenery."

……

PS: There will definitely be an extra chapter today, but it might be a bit late. I'll try to finish it as soon as possible after a nap. (Also, I want to apologize to all Inter Milan fans. To be honest, I didn't expect Inter Milan, who had such a great pre-match situation, to become a victim of the "Mbappe formula" TnT)

(End of this chapter)