The longest river

Chapter 98 The New Mayor of New York

The first player to step up for the Pacers was Schmitz.

He received the ball in the low post and scored with a strong one-on-one attack, drawing a foul from Grant.

Young was the biggest contributor to the Pacers' 2-0 lead in the series, but Schmitz's performance was equally crucial.

However, the loud interference from the New York fans during the free throw attempt caused him to miss the shot.

Luck ultimately failed to be on the Pacers' side.

But at that moment, a huge commotion suddenly broke out at the scene.

Yang Shuai pushed away Starks, who was entangled with him, on the outside and sprinted towards the basket!
The Knicks players on the court didn't notice Yang Shuai at first, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.

Yang Shuai leaped up from the ground like a rocket and caught the ball in mid-air...

"Oh!"

The deduction was completed immediately!
With an 84-point sprint dunk, there's no reason why Yang Shuai wouldn't be able to dunk such an opportunity as long as he jumps.

Starks was chasing Yang Shuai closely behind, and when Yang Shuai jumped, he jumped as well.

However, the difference in height and jumping speed ultimately made him the backdrop for Yang Shuai's putback dunk.

What's worse, when Yang Shuai fell, his arm caught on his neck, causing his head to slam directly onto the floor, where he didn't get up for quite a while.

This directly sparked a conflict between the two teams, with Grant and Dale Davis even engaging in a boxing match.

Both players ultimately received technical fouls.

This round is also a microcosm of this round of the playoffs.

Because of their rivalry during the regular season, the two teams faced off with unprecedented intensity in the series.

Starks was eventually helped up from the ground by his teammates, but he simply turned his head and went back into the game.

Each team gets one free throw, resulting in a tie and possession remaining with the Knicks.

There were 28 seconds left in the game.

After the technical timeout, it was the Knicks' inbounds pass.

Although Schmitz and Yang Shuai combined for 4 points in one possession, narrowing the gap to 3 points per possession, at that time, as long as the Knicks protected the ball and ran down the clock, even if they made a free throw at the end, the game would still end early.

But at this very moment, the Knicks encountered a world-class problem.

Mason's throw-in was intercepted by Robertson!

The Pacers were putting a lot of pressure on their defense at this point. Starks, who was close to the sideline, was tightly guarded by Young and had no chance to receive the ball. Mason could only pass the ball to Harper, who was further away.

At that moment, Robertson, who had been at a disadvantage with Harper behind him, suddenly turned and rushed out, pulling Harper behind him with his hand while blocking him with his body, and then jumped up to complete the steal.

Yang Shuai had been practicing defense with Robertson for quite some time, but he still couldn't help but exclaim in amazement after seeing this.

No wonder he's a three-time steals leader and a legend averaging 2.7 steals per game; it would be really hard for anyone else to steal that kind of ball.

Moreover, Robertson called a timeout immediately after making the steal.

It was only at this point that some fans in the stadium realized that during the technical timeout, Brown had substituted Robertson for Scott.

This subtle maneuver demonstrated Brown's keen sense of defense.

After the timeout, Scott substituted Robertson off the court again.

After the Pacers timeout, they continued to use the pin-down strategy.

Yang Shuai used the continuous screens to run out and receive the ball.

However, the Knicks' defensive response was also impeccable.

Because they found it difficult to chase down Yang Shuai, Grant ran directly towards Yang Shuai's receiving point in advance.

Although Yang Shuai successfully received the ball by running outwards, Grant was already standing right in front of him.

Moreover, Starks had already bypassed cover and was running towards him.

Yang Shuai didn't have the opportunity to create a three-point chance for himself by faking out from this position.

Moreover, the Knicks knew that the Pacers only had two reliable three-point shooters, Young and Scott, which is why they dared to openly double-team them.

The Pacers' tactics failed.

Van Gundy also demonstrated his defensive abilities in this round.

In a split second, Yang Shuai made the most composed choice.

Instead of forcing a three-pointer, he opted to change direction and accelerate past Grant on the other side of Starks' path, then drove straight to the basket.

26 seconds isn't a lot of time, but it's enough to score a quick two points and then commit a foul.

Yang Shuai strode towards the basket.

Because the Knicks' defensive focus was on the Pacers' three-pointers, and Schmitz had pulled Ewing to the high post, the Knicks' paint was completely open.

At this moment, Ewing also made a choice; he abandoned Schmitz and chased after Yang Shuai with all his might.

Both are two-point shots, so letting Schmitz shoot from the high post is better than letting Yang Shuai dunk for two points.

If Schmitz had missed the shot and Ewing had been able to secure the defensive rebound, the Knicks would have won the game.

Yang Shuai also saw Ewing's movement, but he did not choose to pass the ball.

It wasn't that he couldn't pass the message; rather, he sensed an opportunity.

He can score two points with a layup, but if he can draw a foul from Ewing and complete a 2+1 play, he will have a chance to tie the score directly.

This approach is far more beneficial than simply fouling and then coming back for a three-pointer.

Although there is a certain risk of drawing a foul and failing, or even missing the layup, in this situation, it's all about who has the guts.

Yang Shuai abandoned the dunk and opted for a layup, intentionally slowing down the pace. He then made a sudden stop to contest Ewing's approach, and then, while off-balance, completed a floater.

The referee blew his whistle, and Ewing's massive body couldn't stop in time.

The basketball flew over Ewing's head and headed towards the basket.

Yang Shuai's excellent body control allowed him to complete the shot well even when he was off-balance.

The fans in the stadium held their breath instantly.

If Yang Shuai makes that shot, it's practically the same as making a three-pointer.

The basketball began to fall under the watchful eyes of everyone present.

"when!"

The ball bounced off the edge of the rim.

Yang Shuai failed to score that 2+1!

The fans at the scene breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had escaped a disaster.

Albert instinctively reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Moreover, Yang Shuai's attention was completely focused on his attack, and he didn't pay attention to controlling his body. He lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.

Scott and Schmitz rushed to his side when they saw this, and after a while they pulled him up from the ground.

Yang Shuai stood up and shook his head.

It's a bit of a shame that we didn't achieve 2+1.

However, if both free throws go in, it's the same as making a layup.

Yang Shuai goes to the free throw line.

He shook his arm; he had landed on his arm when he fell.

After receiving the ball from the referee, he took a moment to catch his breath.

A huge noise burst out at the scene.

Just as Yang Shuai felt at the beginning of the season, the New York fans of this era are full of passion.

Yang Shuai's first free throw grazed the edge of the rim and slid in.

After taking the first penalty, he swung his arm again.

His mindset wasn't affected by the fans in the stadium, but the hard landing still had some impact on him.

After receiving the ball, he took another breath and then took the second free throw.

The moment Yang Shuai took the shot, he felt it was a bit too small.

He immediately rushed forward, ready to make the putback.

However, the ball didn't land in front of him, but on the side where Ewing and Schmitz were.

The two over there were frantically vying for position, and Ewing's eyes seemed to be gleaming with a green light.

Because if the Knicks get this rebound, they win.

Schmitz was in a similar situation; if he could grab that offensive rebound, the Pacers would have a chance to tie or even win the game.

However, neither of the two giants, both bursting with the strongest desire at the same time, could block the other, and could only try their best to reach the basketball that was running towards them.

Ultimately, Schmitz's height advantage came into play, and he touched the ball.

However, being stuck and unable to exert his strength, he realized that it would be difficult for him to win the rebound.

It was at this moment that he saw Yang Shuai rushing towards the basket.

He reacted quickly, aiming his racket directly at Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai then demonstrated his chemistry with Schmitz, leaping up to catch the ball as it came towards him.

Starks then demonstrated his reaction speed, jumping towards the ball almost simultaneously with Yang Shuai.

Just like in the previous round where he had to make up for the loss, his lack of talent ultimately prevented him from outmaneuvering Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai was very clever after landing, immediately raising the ball above his head to protect it.

However, Yu was already guarding the basket, and Harper was also rushing towards Yang Shuai, so he didn't have a chance for a direct second attack.

Seeing this, he didn't attack, but instead dribbled the ball out to the outside.

Just after reaching the three-point line, he gestured for the crowd to spread out while simultaneously signaling to the sidelines not to call a timeout.

The failed tactical move during the timeout just now shows that the Knicks' defensive response tonight was excellent.

Calling a timeout is indeed an opportunity to set up tactics, but it also gives the Knicks an opportunity to set up their defense.

More importantly, in the rebounding scramble just now, the person guarding him has changed from Starks to Mason.

Although Mason's defense is not weak, he is, after all, a forward, and he has a chance to score against the opponent.

Once everyone had spread out, there were only about 8 seconds left to attack.

He quickly launched an attack.

He chose to attack Mason's defensive footwork.

A drive to the right followed by a change of direction to the left, then a follow-up drive to the three-point line.

Mason thought Yang Shuai was going to use his speed advantage to beat him and then rush into the paint to score two points and try to get a chance in overtime, so he naturally leaned back.

However, at that moment, Yang Shuai dribbled the ball with his left hand and then stepped back to shoot a three-pointer.

He chose to take a big gamble!
Brown felt his breath catch in his throat.

Albert also paused in his breath.

Yang Shuai's choice was bold, but it also frightened him.

With the score trailing 1-2, if Yang Shuai makes that three-pointer, it will not only be a game-winning shot tonight, but also eliminate the Knicks from the competition!

Mason lunged forward, forcing Yang Shuai to raise his shooting angle slightly.

The basketball flew over Mason's head, tracing a high parabola in the air.

The New York fans in the stadium held their breath, their eyes fixed on the spinning ball, and silently prayed.

No one expected that they, who were leading by 7 points, would suddenly fall into such a situation.

But at that moment, there was nothing they could do but pray.

The basketball passed its highest point and began to fall, and an atmosphere of despair began to spread through Madison Square Garden.

Because this ball looked like it was going in!
"Shh!"

Amidst the despairing gazes of the fans at the stadium, the basketball slammed straight into the net!
110:109.

With only 1.1 seconds left in the game.

The Knicks have run out of timeouts.

Ewing inbounded the ball from the backcourt and eventually passed it to Starks.

Starks tried his best but couldn't shake off Yang Shuai. His final long-range three-pointer was out of time and clearly couldn't reach the rim.

The final whistle sounded.

The Pacers won!

They miraculously won the game after trailing by 7 points with 40 seconds left!
They have created a miracle once again!

And the person who created the miracle was still Yang Shuai.

He scored 6 of the Pacers' last 8 points, including the game-winning three-pointer!

He hit two game-winning shots in one series, it's unbelievable!!
Just as the New York fans were holding their heads in disbelief, Yang Shuai on the field raised his right hand towards the commentary booth and then gave a big middle finger.

(End of this chapter)