pdf-ebookys Chapter 678: Playing Dead for an Entire Chapter, Showing Off for 60 Seconds!
Chapter 678: Playing Dead for an Entire Chapter, Showing Off for 60 Seconds!
Wang Xiucheng's arm was grabbed by Doncic, which slowed him down slightly, but he still sped off like a sports car.
After taking two big steps, he completely left Doncic behind.
Reaching out to control the basketball, Wang Xiucheng drove into the paint and slammed home a gliding dunk for two points, bringing the score to 27-18.
With Wang Xiucheng scoring four consecutive points, the Nets' lead has reached 9 points!
Furthermore, there are still 33 seconds left.
Theoretically, the Nets still have one more chance to attack.
Kidd crossed his arms and glanced at the score on the big screen.
He was somewhat at a loss as to what to do with this guy.
Kidd shouted something at Doncic and then glanced at Udoka not far away.
Is this guy really going to win a championship right after returning from a year-long suspension?
No, it wasn't him who took it; it was Wang Xiucheng.
If I were the head coach of the Nets, I could also win this trophy.
Kidd suddenly shook his head violently, wondering how he could have such a thought.
As the head coach of the Mavericks, how can I be greedy and want more than I have?
When did I first have the idea of leaving the Mavericks?
Did Nick Harrison already have this idea when he seemingly casually mentioned wanting to trade Doncic?
The sound of the basketball hitting the rim with a thud pulled Kidd back to reality.
Irving's shot hit the rim again and missed, with Claxton grabbing the rebound.
Claxton's free throw percentage meant that the Mavericks players felt no pressure to foul him.
However, Claxton threw the basketball forward before it landed in the air.
Once Claxton landed, the Mavericks players were no longer able to foul him.
Wang Xiucheng, who was beyond the three-point line, turned around and chased the ball. At the same time, Irving, who was not far away, also started to chase. Almost a few steps later, Irving had already overtaken Doncic.
Wang Xiucheng slowed down slightly and rushed into the three-point line from the sideline.
It looks like it's going to be another powerful dunk.
There are still 5 seconds left, which is enough time.
Irving followed Wang Xiucheng into the paint and reached out to pull Wang Xiucheng up.
If Irving can hold Wang Xiucheng back, he can disrupt Wang Xiucheng's dunk attempt.
Even if Wang Xiucheng is given two free throws, he will most likely score two points.
But for the Mavericks, with 5 seconds left, after calling a timeout, they can inbound the ball from the center line and launch an offensive attack.
However, just as Irving's hand touched Wang Xiucheng's hand, Wang Xiucheng suddenly slowed down and froze on the floor like a sports car that had locked itself.
Wang Xiucheng's shoes made a loud, screeching sound as they rubbed against the floor. Then, Wang Xiucheng pulled the ball between his legs, and his front foot actually came back.
The next moment, Wang Xiucheng clasped the ball together with both hands and took another step back.
Irving, who had been holding Wang Xiucheng's hand, immediately let go and even raised it, as if afraid that the referee might not have seen it clearly and would wrongly accuse him.
Kyrie Irving has been playing in this league for over a decade, and he knows very well when it's unnecessary to commit a foul.
In this situation, if I don't let go and keep holding onto Wang Xiucheng, I'll eventually be tricked into committing a foul by him.
In the blink of an eye, he saw it clearly: the hand he was holding onto Wang Xiucheng wasn't actually gripping the basketball; it was just a pretense.
Wang Xiucheng's other hand is his main hand.
As soon as Wang Xiucheng jumps, he will shout loudly, and then the hand that is being pulled will stick tightly to Owen's hand, making it impossible for him to let go.
The moment Irving's hand left Wang Xiucheng's, Wang Xiucheng indeed screamed in pain, and then the basketball was released.
The scream was so terrible that Owen even wondered if his hand was still on Wang Xiucheng.
Swish!
Irving raised his hands and even took a step back to distance himself from Wang Xiucheng, and then the sound of the basketball going through the net rang out.
The ball went in!
Irving was even somewhat glad he made that decision; if he hadn't been so decisive, Wang Xiucheng would already be standing at the free-throw line, waiting for the extra shot.
Sitting on the ground, Wang Xiucheng looked at the referee outside the sideline with a puzzled expression after the basketball went into the net.
"Hey, he hit my hand." Wang Xiucheng held out his hand and showed the referee his wrist.
The referee shook his head and shrugged, as if to say that there was no way he could give a whistle for that level of contact.
Wang Xiucheng shook his head and smiled, not caring about it, and took Royce O'Neal's hand to stand up and return to Doncic's side.
“You’re a liar,” Doncic said to Wang Xiucheng.
“You’re a fat man,” Wang Xiucheng retorted without hesitation.
Doncic was so angry that he bit his cheek.
With less than four seconds left, Kidd considered for a moment but still couldn't bring himself to call a timeout.
Doncic's last-second shot at the buzzer missed.
At the end of the first quarter, the Nets led the Mavericks 30-18 at home.
Many people could have predicted that the Nets would lead at home, but few fans dared to guess that they would lead by such a large margin.
Although the game was held at the Barclays Center, it was a do-or-die situation for the Mavericks.
Losing this game would mean the end of the Mavericks' entire season.
History never remembers the second place!
Doncic plopped down in a chair, took the towel handed to him by the uniform staff, and instead of wiping himself, threw it angrily on the ground.
He was naturally very dissatisfied with the score.
But he can't blame the Mavericks' bench players.
Although Doncic wasted several assists, the Mavericks' bench scored 10 points in the first quarter tonight, two more than Doncic and Irving combined, despite Doncic and Irving being heavily guarded.
The problem lies with Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng scored 7 points in the final minute, which allowed the Nets to extend their lead from 5 points to 12 points.
Sometimes, when Doncic looked at Wang Xiucheng, who was squatting in the corner pretending to be dead, he wanted to kick him a few times.
He played dead for the entire episode, then acted cool for 60 seconds!
And yet, he always manages to pull off a show-off!
Doncic didn't listen to what Kidd said; his gaze remained fixed on Wang Xiucheng on the other end.
Although Wang Xiucheng was blocked most of the time.
The second quarter started quickly.
Doncic was surprised to find that Wang Xiucheng did not continue to play Wood.
Then, something happened that made Doncic grit his teeth.
Wang Xiucheng squatted down in the corner again.
And only when Irving was looking at Wang Xiucheng did Wang Xiucheng obediently squat in the corner and not move.
Whenever someone switches to defend Wang Xiucheng, he immediately uses his speed to shake off the defender, then wanders to the outside to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer.
After taking three shots and making two, Irving had to specifically guard Wang Xiucheng.
As a result, the game on the field became a game for eight players.
The Mavericks are missing Doncic, and Irving is completely neutralized by Wang Xiucheng.
On the Nets' side, there's Durant, Westbrook, and Towns.
So, less than three minutes later, Kidd had to bring Doncic back in when the deficit had fallen to 15 points.
Then, Udoka made a bold move and, taking advantage of the dead ball situation, substituted Wang Xiucheng with Thomas.