I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 77 O'Neal Trade Rumors! He Rages at the Referees and the Trail Blazers Owner! [Daily Updates of 20,000 Words, Please Subscribe]

"This is the result I wanted." Jackson narrowed his eyes as he watched the entire locker room erupt in excitement with O'Neal's roar. Whether this was what he wanted or not, he was satisfied with the result.

If the result is satisfactory, does the process still matter?

The Lakers players marched onto the court with great momentum and high spirits.

They were under a lot of pressure in this game, especially O'Neal.

This is Shaquille O'Neal's fourth year with the Lakers. During the offseason before the start of this season, and throughout the middle of the season, when the Lakers were down 0-2 to the Trail Blazers, there were constant trade rumors involving him.

Although West repeatedly assured him to relax, both O'Neal and his team, as well as a large number of fans and rumors, believed that if the Lakers still failed to win the championship this season, O'Neal would be traded.

Because Los Angeles people have always lacked patience; they haven't won a championship in 10 years, and they can't wait any longer.

Breaking regular season records, missing out on a unanimous MVP by one vote, and sharing the All-Star MVP with O'Neal—while these were exciting moments, looking back now, if we had won the championship, these would all be cherished memories.

But if the Lakers fall again, all of this could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Therefore, the Lakers' locker room would be so quiet when they were down 0-2, and O'Neal would unanimously support Jackson's decision to ban everyone from going out.

But no matter how much pressure the players were under, when they walked into the arena and appeared on the court again with the Trail Blazers' starting five, the fans still gave the Lakers their wildest and most extreme cheers.

Game start!

O'Neal won the jump ball for the seventh time in this series.

Then, naturally, it was the Lakers' usual opening tactic: O'Neal held the ball in the low post, Lin Ze stood in the corner waiting for an opportunity, and Kobe was on the wing ready to provide support.

The most solid triangle in the entire league has been formed again!

As soon as O'Neal received the ball under the basket, Pippen abandoned Kobe and charged towards O'Neal. With Sabonis relentlessly pushing him from behind, the Trail Blazers maximized their defensive intensity and aggressiveness on their very first offensive possession!

They immediately double-teamed him!

O'Neal didn't hold onto the ball. When he saw Pippen coming over, he immediately passed the ball to Kobe. Kobe received the ball and accelerated towards the inside, successfully attracting Rasheed's help defense. Then the ball came to Lin Ze's hands.

Aim, fire!

"Whoosh!"

"Great shot!" Wilmarcus shouted. "Lin is showing his hot streak this series! Even including the pivotal Game 3, Lin has a 49% three-point shooting percentage in this series, making him the most accurate and consistent shooter on both sides."

Stoudemire continued to dribble the ball quickly up the court, then called Sabonis out from the inside, and then accelerated hard to attack O'Neal.

The Trail Blazers' strategy is exactly the same as in the previous few games.

Regardless of whether O'Neal can defend or not, regardless of whether Stoudemire's drives are effective, they want to wear down O'Neal's stamina, make him run around like crazy, and make O'Neal completely exhausted in the fourth quarter.

That way, they'll have a chance!

Smith said, "The Trail Blazers still consider O'Neal their biggest threat!"

Wilmarcus followed up: "But the Lakers aren't just about Shaq!"

The reason for this is that although O'Neal defended fiercely and couldn't catch up with the incredibly fast Stoudemire, Lin Ze moved back to the basket first. He spread his arms and stood firm, causing great interference to Stoudemire's attack on the rim.

With a loud "bang," after his layup missed, Lin Ze turned around and grabbed the rebound. Lin Ze quickly passed it to Hubble, and the Lakers launched a counterattack!

A few seconds later, Rice received the ball and drove to the basket, then passed it to Lin Ze who was following up in the middle. Lin Ze took the opportunity to start and make a layup, scoring 5 points in a row at the start of the game!

The Lakers got off to a great start, and the Staples Center fans immediately got into the spirit and cheered.

But the Trail Blazers didn't experience a scoring drought tonight. In the next possession, they successfully scored using a pick-and-roll. Stoudemire initiated the pick-and-roll, and this time, with Lin Ze providing help defense, he passed the ball to Rasheed.

Rasheed attacked the basket aggressively, and Lin Ze, who was guarding two defenders, had no choice but to foul Rasheed and send him to the free-throw line.

"Mine!" Kobe quickly raised his hand. He was supposed to rotate and help defend Rasheed, but he was a step too slow and couldn't catch up.

"Be faster next time!" Lin Ze paused, then added, "But he missed the free throw."

"Whoosh!"

"Who are you calling a loser, kid? Do you think I'm some fatso like you?" Rashid glared at Lin Ze after making his first shot, then raised his hand and threw out his second free throw.

"Bang!"

"I'm talking about you, you idiot, you missed that free throw!" Even Lin Ze didn't expect his chance to retaliate to come so quickly: "If it were Shaq, that shot would have been a 2+1! You can't even make a 2+1, what are you bragging about?"

"Fuck!" Rashid knew he was no match for Lin Ze in a verbal battle, so he immediately started swearing.

What else could he say?

So you're saying I couldn't score because you almost broke my arm when you fouled me? What's the difference between that and admitting defeat?

Rashid was not willing to back down; not only was he not going to back down, he also wanted revenge!

Not only him, but Sabonis, who has a good relationship with Rasheed on the Trail Blazers, is also ready to help him get revenge!

In the next possession of the Lakers, O'Neal received the ball under the basket and turned around forcefully. Just as he was about to dunk, Sabonis and Rasheed slammed the ball in from both sides, grabbing O'Neal's arms and knocking him to the ground from mid-air!

"Go for the free throws, fat guy!" Sabonis glared menacingly at O'Neal, looking like he wanted to devour him. "You guys dared to lay a hand on my brother!"

O'Neal: ? ? ?

I?

What can O'Neal do, just like Rasheed?

He told Rashid and Sabonis: Lin Chong, you fouled him, go after him.

Could he really do that?

If he does this, how will he lead the team in the future?

So O'Neal got up, smugly brushed off non-existent dust from his shoulder, and walked to the free-throw line with an air of "Is this all the revenge you've got?"

Then, O'Neal did his job and made both free throws!

"Don't compare yourself to our fat guy—" Lin Ze was about to unleash a torrent of trash talk when he abruptly stopped, then said, "You damn bitch! Don't think you can be compared to our Shaq!"

FUXX!

O'Neal really wanted to slap Lin Ze right now.

You've really let your guard down!

Don't think you can hide your true thoughts just because you cursed Rashid!

Lin Ze wasn't worried about saying the wrong thing.

"Shaq, even if you're fat, you're the fattest guy in history! Much better than Barkley or anything like that!"

"That's right!" O'Neal immediately nodded in agreement.

I'm much better than that fat pig!

The topic shifted, the conflict shifted, the Trail Blazers' offense began, and the previous topic came to an end!

In the following game, both sides were able to score and launched some good offensive plays. With five minutes left in the first quarter, the score was tied at 12-12!

However, the game then took a slight turn for the worse.

After O'Neal was once again drawn out of the three-point line by Stoudemire, Lin Ze returned to the basket in time to help O'Neal defend. However, this time, although he was in position in advance and perfectly anticipated Stoudemire's driving route, he successfully collided head-on with Stoudemire.

But the referee, of all people, called a blocking foul!

This obvious misjudgment infuriated Jackson on the sidelines, who practically launched himself off the bench and charged at the referee.

Then he launched into a barrage of questions: "Are you fucking crazy or blind? That's a blocking foul? You're telling me that's a damn blocking foul? That play could be in a textbook to teach those rookies what an offensive foul is!"

"You son of a bitch, you actually called a blocking foul?! I f*** your ass! I've never seen such a fucking bastard like you! I—"

"I didn't make that call." The referee in the middle of the court spread his hands helplessly, interrupting Jackson's spellcasting.

The baseline referee called the call, go find him!

Why are you criticizing me?

"It's all the same!" Jackson said angrily. Since it was a technical foul anyway, what difference did it make who he criticized?

He took a breath and then continued with the second phase of his frenzied outburst.

It wasn't until Mendes and others stepped forward to stop him and pull him back, and until the referee finally gave Jackson a technical foul, that the old man finally returned to the bench in a huff and sat down in his seat.

Sitting next to him now is Lin Ze, who has just been substituted.

He has already committed two fouls and needs to sit down and rest for a while.

At this moment, the slow-motion replay on the big screen began, making the difference even more obvious.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of basketball rules can immediately see that it was an absolute misjudgment!

And the remaining fans in the stadium who don't understand the rules of basketball don't need to see it!

These people don't care whether it was a misjudgment or not. Anyway, they're at home, so how could they be wrong to criticize the referee and the opponent?

Wilmarcus also expressed his dissatisfaction at this point: "If this wasn't an offensive foul, then the league could abolish offensive fouls altogether. This was an absolute misjudgment! This misjudgment will have a huge impact on the Lakers! Lin's time tonight will probably be cut into tiny pieces."

"This is definitely bad news for the Lakers' rotation and overall rhythm!"

Smith said, "Unfortunately, the call can't be overturned on the court. What's done is done. The Lakers must adjust their mindset immediately and not let a wrong call affect their performance. This is understandable! The league has always admitted that their calls are not 100% accurate. Hopefully, neither side will be affected by this wrong call and can still focus on the game."

"Did you enjoy yelling at him?" Off the court, after Stoudemire made all three of his free throws, Lin Ze suddenly asked Jackson.

"Don't look at me!" Jackson said, his eyes fixed straight ahead, his face still full of anger, and his lips barely moving. "I'm not over it yet! I'm going to keep this angry attitude in front of those bastard referees! Otherwise, they'll keep blowing those calls all night!"

"Let me do it next time!" Lin Ze turned his head away from Jackson and said with some regret, "I also want to criticize the referee."

"Why didn't you spray earlier?" Jackson was still in character, ignoring Lin Ze, his face full of anger.

"You've already opened your mouth, how am I supposed to criticize you? Are you going to give me two technical fouls because of one unfair situation? That would be too stupid."

"Shut up! The referee's here! Control your emotions!" Jackson suddenly nudged Lin Ze at that moment.

Lin Ze immediately got into character, putting on a look of resentment, anger, and irritability. He even slammed the towel in his hand onto the floor while cursing as a referee passed by the Lakers' bench.

This really startled the referee, but it was also quite effective.

Because when Kobe went one-on-one next, the referee gave him two free throws, sending him to the free throw line.

"See, my blocking and your technical foul both worked!"

As Lin Ze and Jackson chatted, Kobe made both free throws, but unfortunately, the Lakers' offensive momentum failed to continue after Lin Ze left the court.

With Lin Ze gone, the Trail Blazers double-teamed O'Neal even more fiercely and decisively. In the remaining time, whenever O'Neal got the ball, the Trail Blazers would almost rush over with three players to double-team and help defend him!

In this situation, even if O'Neal were a monster, there would be nothing he could do.

To make matters worse, the referees tonight were clearly encouraging physical play, and even though O'Neal had scratches on his arms and neck from Trail Blazers players, the referees didn't call any fouls on him.

Throughout the first quarter, O'Neal only took 3 shots, 4 free throws, and committed 2 turnovers. He was completely contained by the Trail Blazers' pack tactics.

Besides O'Neal, Kobe, Rice, and others also saw a significant decline in performance after Lin Ze left the court.

On the other hand, the Trail Blazers' offense came alive as soon as Lin Ze was gone!

Especially Rasheed, who dominated Green, Horry, and Fox in the rest of the first quarter, scoring at will and playing however he wanted!

In the first quarter, Rasheed scored 12 points, while the Lakers as a whole only managed 16 points.

This means that after Lin Ze left the game, the Lakers only scored a total of 4 points!

Lin Ze's importance to this team is evident!

23: 16!

With Rasheed's outburst, the Lakers trailed the Trail Blazers by 7 points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Lakers' performance improved, and they won the quarter by 4 points against the Trail Blazers.

42: 39!

In this half, the best player for the Trail Blazers was undoubtedly Rasheed. Although he was blocked by Lin Ze again in the second quarter and only scored 2 points, he still scored a game-high 14 points. In addition to Rasheed, Smith also scored 10 points.

For the Lakers, O'Neal had a very unlucky night. Although he took 10 free throws, he only made 5 and only attempted 5 shots.

It's not that O'Neal had fewer opportunities to handle the ball or less possession, but rather that every time he got the ball, two or three Trail Blazers players would rush up to double-team him, leaving O'Neal with virtually no space to shoot.

He either gets fouled or makes mistakes; he made a total of four mistakes in this half!

For an inside player, this number of turnovers is a bit too many, so even though he made 3 shots with a 60% shooting percentage, this performance is not enough.

Aside from O'Neal, the other Lakers players didn't perform very well either. Only Lin Ze scored in double figures and had a good shooting touch, but he picked up two fouls in the first quarter, which obviously affected his playing time.

It was during the time Lin Ze was away that Rasheed dominated, leading the Trail Blazers to an offensive surge.

In the third quarter, the referees seemed to have conspired to call a screen foul on Lin Ze on the very first possession, accusing him of moving while setting a screen for Kobe. Lin Ze was truly helpless in the face of this call.

This foul brought his total to three. Although that number isn't high given the current game time, the direction of the call is somewhat worrying.

Jackson couldn't complain about the referee anymore; he'd already received a technical foul, and any further complaints would get him ejected.

So all he could do was shake his head helplessly and pray that the referees would stop causing trouble for Lin Ze.

What you fear most is what will happen.

With about half of the third quarter played and 5 minutes and 53 seconds remaining, Lin Ze initiated a drive from the top of the key and had a fierce collision with Rashid in the mid-range.

Both of them felt like they had run into a city wall, but neither of them backed down. Lin Ze slowed down, turned around again, and then rammed into Rashid once more.

But this time, Lin Ze fell for it!

Or rather, Rashid is risking his life this time!

As Lin Ze charged forward to launch his attack, this guy suddenly stretched his head forward, exposing his forehead to Lin Ze's elbow.

With a thud, Rashid fell to the ground, his entire body slamming onto the floor, and the referee immediately blew his whistle.

Offensive foul!

Lin Ze's punishment was not unjust; it was purely because Rashid, that reckless brute, actually used his brain, which led Lin Ze to fall into the trap.

Upon seeing the referee's gesture, Rashid, who was lying on the floor, immediately began to wiggle his hips triumphantly.

Judging from how happy he was, he was clearly just short of singing.

"You've got guts!" Lin Ze gave the guy a thumbs up, then said, "See you in the fourth quarter! I won't fall for that again!"

"We'll see!" Rashid said smugly. "But you'd better hurry up and teach me a lesson, or this match will quickly become garbage time!"

"What happened?" After Lin Ze left the court, Jackson frowned. He could see that there was nothing wrong with the offensive foul just now.

"He was too reckless, I fell for it." Lin Ze shrugged, somewhat helplessly, "I didn't expect him to suddenly hit me in the face with his elbow."

"Be careful in the fourth quarter!" Jackson said. "That's four times already! Make sure there aren't any more fouls, or I'll probably be out of a job."

"Old man, what you're saying is very tempting," Lin Ze rolled his eyes and said, "It makes me really want to deliberately go up and give you a handyman, and then get lost."

Jackson: "————"

After Lin Ze left the game in the third quarter, everything became a repeat of the first quarter.

O'Neal was heavily double-teamed and unable to make an impact, Kobe was limited by Pippen's one-on-one defense and could only score sporadically, and the other players were even less reliable, and the Lakers' offense once again stagnated.

Rashid, once again, transformed into an invincible warrior and began his performance again.

Three-pointers, mid-range shots, and strong attacks under the basket!

Rasheed unleashed all his skills, giving the Lakers' Green, Horry, and others a good beating!

By the end of the third quarter, Rasheed had already scored his first 30+ point game in his playoff career!

18投13中，3分球2投2中，罚球5罚2中，爆砍30分2篮板2抢断1盖帽！

Tonight's Rasheed Wallace reminded Portland fans of their former god of war, Bill Walton! He was the MVP who led them to their only championship in franchise history!

The entire city of Portland roared in support of Rasheed at the end of the third quarter.

Led by Rasheed, the Trail Blazers scored a whopping 29 points in the third quarter and outscored the Blazers by 10!

They extended their lead to 13 points!

71: 58!

Some Portlanders are so excited they're already eager to pop the champagne!

Victory was within their grasp, and they believed they had it in the bag!

The pace of the game and the huge advantage on the Western Conference Finals stage have plunged the entire city of Portland into a frenzy!

The celebration reached its peak when Smith hit a stylish mid-range jumper at the start of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 15 points.

That night, countless fans gathered in Portland’s City Hall Square, the plaza in front of the arena, and various bars throughout the city to watch the game. They couldn’t go to the stadium, but they could cheer for their team in Portland.

When Smith hit a mid-range jumper, extending the lead to 15 points, the entire city of Portland erupted.

It was as if an earthquake had struck the city; the same sound could be heard coming from countless bars and nightclubs.

"Give me a bottle of champagne!"

Compared to Portland, where it felt like an earthquake had occurred, the Lakers fans at Staples Center were devastated. Even Nicholson sat back in his chair, looking helpless and shaking his head repeatedly.

Staples Center fell silent at that moment.

Nowadays, only a small group of about 50 Trail Blazers fans are still cheering in the stadium.

And the leader among them was none other than the Trail Blazers' owner, Paul Allen.

"Hey kid, weren't you going to treat me to a game in Los Angeles?" Allen was incredibly excited. Over the past few years, he had been ridiculed countless times for being rich and stupid. The Trail Blazers not only had the highest salaries in the league this year, but they would also be the highest for the next few years!

The team is now just one step away from its peak, and Allen can't help but be excited and eager to vent his anger!

"When are you going to invite me to a Lakers game? Next season?"

"How about the next game?" Lin Ze, who finally stepped back onto the court at the start of the fourth quarter, smiled at Allen: "I'll go talk to Jerry right now and reserve a front-row ticket for you for the next game!"

"If your friends want to come."

Lin Ze called out to the dozens of Portland fans behind Allen, "I've booked the whole place too! I'm sure the Indiana fans would be happy to see you at Staples Center."

"Next game?" Allen shouted, spreading his hands. "You think you can win? Don't dream, kid! You're going to lose!"

You're down by 15 points!

Lin Ze did not respond to Allen's words because the Lakers' offense had reached the frontcourt. O'Neal was resting on the bench, and Lin Ze received the ball in the low post with his back to the basket.

After testing Rashid's position behind him, Lin Ze cleanly and smoothly turned around and made a fadeaway jump shot, sinking the shot despite Rashid's defense.

"And now? How many points?" Lin Ze asked Allen again as he returned to defense. "Do you still think you've got this in the bag?"

"Of course we're going to win!" At this moment, Allen was terrifyingly tough!

This was inevitable. The team was leading by 15 points in the fourth quarter. If they weren't arrogant and tough at this point, when would they be?

"If you win, I'll watch the entire Finals in a Trail Blazers jersey!" Lin Ze made a simple and direct bet: "If you lose, you'll wear my jersey to watch one Finals game each in Indiana and Los Angeles, how about that?"

"It's a deal!" Allen said confidently, finalizing the bet with Lin Ze.

Lin Ze did not respond to him; he had returned to his own position and was now facing off against Rashid.

The ball was undoubtedly passed to Rasheed. Rasheed, who had already scored a career playoff high in the third quarter, was in excellent form. After receiving the ball, he quickly turned to face Lin Ze, then faked two shots before suddenly stepping back and pulling up to finish the attack with his signature straight-arm shot.

Lin Ze defended that ball very well.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, Rasheed, who had been on fire tonight, missed his shot.

"You really think you're something special just because you scored 30 points?" After successfully defending, Lin Ze saw Green grab the rebound and immediately turned to Rasheed, saying, "That's because I was in foul trouble tonight! The referees were great! Want to calculate how many points you scored over my head?"

"But I advise you not to calculate it, because that would make Rashid cry!"

"Damn it, you only saved one ball and you think you're the best defensive player?" Rashid immediately retorted, and the two exchanged barbs as they both made their fast breaks.

Lin Ze sneered, "Do I need to think I'm the best defensive player to deal with you? Even if I thought I was a monkey, I could still defend you like an elementary school student."

After saying this, Lin Ze suddenly turned to look at Allen, who was sitting outside the arena: "What did you just say? I didn't hear you. Are you going to accept the bet or not?"

"Come on!" Allen said decisively again.

Lin Ze still didn't answer him. Instead, he went to the frontcourt and quickly turned to the side to set a high screen for Kobe. He then immediately accelerated down the court. Kobe's bounce pass did not disappoint Lin Ze and came accurately into his hands.

After receiving the ball, Lin Ze rose up and sent it towards the basket.

"Whoosh!"

With another crisp sound, Lin Ze's layup evaded Grant and went in again!

"4-0, bro!" After scoring, Lin Ze turned to Allen while tracking back on defense. "Hey, are you going to accept that bet or not? Hurry up and say so! Don't wait until we take the lead and then say you're not going to accept it!"

"I told you, answer!" Allen raised his voice, shouting at Lin Ze almost like a roar.

But Lin Ze ignored him once again and confronted Rashid again!

This time, Rasheed didn't receive the ball. Instead, he set two screens for Smith and Stoudemire in quick succession at the high post. Then, he started running towards the inside and set another off-ball screen with Grant before turning again and sprinting towards the top of the key.

This time it's for real!

Lin Ze saw through it instantly. He ran at full speed to the top of the arc, squeezed past Smith, and then jumped with all his might!

Rashid had just received the ball and was about to shoot when he found Lin Ze rushing towards him.

Rashid tried to dodge, but it was too late.

With a "smack," Rasheed's three-point shot was swatted away by Lin Ze.

Kobe ran towards the basketball on the sideline with all his might. Just before the ball went out of bounds, he made a desperate lunge and grabbed the ball in mid-air. Then, relying on his instincts, he slammed the ball behind him with all his might!

Based on his intuition, that position should belong to Pippen.

"Snapped!"

With a muffled thud, the basketball hit Pippen as intended. Because the ball was moving too fast and the angle was too tricky, Pippen couldn't control it and the ball rolled out of bounds after being hit.

Lakers have possession!

Jackson hesitated for a moment on the sidelines and did not let O'Neal play.

The Lakers are in good form; now is not the time to make substitutions.

"This is the last time I'm asking you." Lin Ze, who was standing right next to Allen as he came out of bounds to serve, said impatiently, "Are you going to return it or not?"

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Even if Allen was stupid, he realized that Lin Ze was playing him, so why would he give him any kind look?

Not to mention that Allen is not only not stupid, he might even be one of the smartest people in the world. It's not that he's slow to react, it's that no one has ever tried to trick him like a child.

This thing is so naive that it's beyond his comprehension.

Lin Ze chuckled, pleased with his success. "I thought it would take you at least eight tries to react."

"Rashid, kill him! I fucking want this bastard dead!" Allen couldn't hold back any longer and openly gave Rashid instructions for the match.

Lin Ze ignored him, took the basketball from the referee, and quickly passed it out.

Unfortunately, the Lakers' offense failed to find the net.

Their momentum to catch up has been temporarily halted, and they have failed to score in three consecutive rounds.

However, they also held off the Trail Blazers for three consecutive possessions on the defensive end, and both sides once again fell into a scoring slump.

At this moment, Jackson stopped waiting, patted O'Neal on the shoulder, and put the giant under the basket back on the court.

The moment O'Neal stepped onto the court, the situation changed immediately!

Even without shooting or scoring, a scorer of his caliber possesses terrifying influence and threat. The moment he received the ball under the basket, three Trail Blazers players rushed in again! It was another frantic double-team!

This time, O'Neal didn't pass the ball, but instead managed to jump and shoot despite being guarded by three people.

With a loud "bang," O'Neal missed his shot, and the Trail Blazers didn't commit a foul.

On the other side of the basket, Lin Ze, who had gained space due to the three defenders guarding O'Neal, seized the opportunity to jump, reached out and slapped the basketball, which went into the basket.

"Nine points!" Wilmarcus shouted. "The difference is in single digits! It's Lin! He's scored six points in a row! He's saving the team once again!"

"The Trail Blazers called a timeout. They had to call a timeout. If they can't score quickly, they might lose this great opportunity again."

"I don't have much to say," Jackson said, looking at all the Lakers players during the timeout. "Trust! I have 100% trust in each and every one of you, whether you scored a lot tonight or had a bad night."

"I have 100% trust in you all! I hope you can trust each other 100% too, and play the best team basketball in the final moments of the game!"

"Look, the 20,000 fans in the stadium have rediscovered their passion because of that scoring spree."

"Now, it's up to you!"

Jackson's words were indeed inspiring for the players, who watched as the Lakers cheered again upon their return.

Keep going!

Both sides returned to the field.

The Trail Blazers' latest offensive move still involves selecting Rasheed!

Rashid stopped indulging in his own form and this time he put all his strength into charging towards the three-second zone.

Lin Ze, of course, refused to back down, and the two engaged in a direct physical confrontation and a terrifying brawl on one side of the basket.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three muffled thuds made Wilmarcus gasp: "I was really afraid Lin's sternum would break! Rasheed's shot was really brutal!"

"Lin Ye is really tough! He shows absolutely no intention of backing down!"

After Rasheed bumped into the basket three times without creating any space for himself to attack, he simply used his elbow to clear a path, raising his big elbow as he tried to turn and get past Lin Ze.

But just as he raised his elbow, Lin Ze suddenly took half a step forward, making himself face the opponent.

This time, Rashid's elbow hit the bullseye! Lin Ze fell to the ground with a thud.

"Beep! Offensive foul!"

The referee finally blew the whistle this time, and finally gave Lin Ze an advantage in the ruling tonight.

Or rather, it's just that they didn't suffer any losses.

"Here you go!" Lin Ze didn't need his teammates' help to stand up quickly from the floor, raising his head to look at Rashid, clearly seeking revenge for his previous offensive foul.

"That's ruthless." Rashid didn't say anything more, quickly turned around, and went to join the defense.

During the Lakers' offense, O'Neal was double-teamed in the paint once again. When he tried to get up for a layup, Pippen, who was helping from behind, slapped the ball away. Then, a group of people under the basket immediately scrambled for the ball. In the end, O'Neal had the most power and slapped the ball back out of the three-point line.

However, because his layup didn't touch the rim, the 24-second shot clock didn't restart. When Lin Ze received the ball outside the three-point line, there were only two seconds left on the shot clock. He moved half a step to the side, slightly avoiding Rasheed, who was defending him right in front of him.

A buzzer-beating three-pointer, a forced shot after a strong challenge!

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz!"

A buzzer-beating three-pointer goes in with 24 seconds left!

The gap between the two sides has narrowed to 6 points!

"Rashid really gave it his all on that play; he did everything he could," Wilmarcus said, shaking his head. "But unfortunately, he was up against Lin! A Lin who was firing on all cylinders and completely in his element."

"A buzzer-beating three-pointer! This shot will definitely give the Lakers a huge morale boost!"

Smith said, "Normally, after a play like this, the Trail Blazers should call a timeout to calm things down, but they just called one, and if they call another now, they won't have enough timeouts left."

"Now it depends on the players' self-adjustment!" Wilmarcus said. "The good news is that the Trail Blazers have a lot of veterans, and what veterans are best at is self-adjustment!"

But what happened on the field was a slap in the face for Wilmarcus.

No!

No!

Still no luck!

Apart from Smith's jump shot at the start of the game, the Trail Blazers haven't scored a single point so far!

In other words, apart from Lin Ze, no one else on the Lakers team could score, otherwise the Trail Blazers' advantage would probably have been gone long ago!

7 consecutive irons, 9 consecutive irons —

With 4 minutes and 23 seconds left in the game, after Stoudemire missed another layup and O'Neal secured the rebound, Jackson called a timeout.

It wasn't that he wanted to give the Trail Blazers any breathing room, but rather that he knew the Lakers also needed rest and adjustment.

After all, the Trail Blazers had missed 11 consecutive shots since Smith hit a jump shot on the first possession of the fourth quarter!

He took 11 shots in total, and missed them all!

During this heartbreaking 11-game losing streak, they only managed to score 2 points from two free throws by Pippen.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze of the Lakers was scoring continuously!

He scored 11 points during this period, and O'Neal also made a putback, making it 13-2!

The Lakers executed a near-perfect offensive run during this period, narrowing the 15-point deficit to just 4 points.

But this is also what's giving Jackson a headache.

With more than half of the fourth quarter already played, the Lakers had only scored 13 points.

He was not satisfied with the efficiency of this comeback.

Apart from Lin Ze, no other Lakers player was able to make a shot during this period.

It's not impossible to rely on Lin Ze alone, but Jackson is worried about potential problems.

So when he called a timeout, it wasn't because he actually wanted to make any tactical adjustments.

He wanted to give Dunleavy a chance to adjust!

He wants to transform the Trail Blazers!

"Lin, they'll definitely start double-teaming you now," Jackson said. "You know what to do!"

"Don't worry!" Lin Ze said, "Their season will definitely end tonight!"

Soon, the timeout ended, and Lin Ze was the first to stand up!

Having scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, he had become the most reliable and promising player on the Lakers team. When he stood up, the entire arena erupted in cheers once again.