Chapter 241: The Last Dance
When you can afford to lose, that's when you're going to dominate the game. Michael. Jordan.
On April 24, 2011, at Rose Garden Stadium, Game 4 matchup between the Trail Blazers and Mavericks will begin fifteen minutes away.
Today, Trail Blazers fans are very excited. They turned the entire rose garden into a huge melting pot. The fiery atmosphere swept through the City of Roses before the game began.
Before the game even started, the fans would always boo from time to time. Because on the basketball court, the Chinese guard who was shooting and warming up in the Mavericks training uniform was frequently missing.
Every time Yiyang strikes the iron, the Trail Blazers fans will boo. Carlisle was a little worried, he didn't know if Yiyang would be able to adjust. But looking at Yiyang's resolute expression, Carlisle still chose to trust.
Fifteen minutes later, the game officially began. Yiyang, the sixth man of the season, still started the playoffs. When Yiyang advanced with the ball, the whole world seemed to be watching how the best sixth man would make a fool of himself.
"Yi's recent pressure is indeed not small, since winning the Best Sixth Man award, the discussion about Yi has never stopped."
"As a young person, he will also face pressures that he should not be facing at his age. Hopefully, under high pressure, this guy won't play out of sorts. ”
Kenny. Smith and Charles. Ross Barkley is well aware of how much pressure is on a rookie player. Now Yiyang is playing under a huge microscope, and as long as he has the slightest problem, he will be ruthlessly punctured by people.
Yiyang held the ball past the halfway line, and then began to pass the ball to organize the attack. After a period of conduction and running, Yiyang finally received the ball at a mid-distance position of 45° on the left side, and then made a decisive shot.
Yiyang's decisiveness deserves Carlisle's recognition, but unfortunately, the basketball was turned away by the basket. Yiyang misses the shot, and this guy's cold feel is still continuing!
"Also, I didn't hit the first goal on the field. Believe me, on the defensive end, the Trail Blazers won't let it take easy. ”
Trail Blazers fans began to stomp their feet wildly, and the entire Rose Garden stadium seemed to be shaking. However, Aldridge's turnaround jumper also missed.
2-1, the scoreline, means the Trail Blazers have to win the game today. If they lose and go back to Dallas, then the victory they fought for in their last game will be wasted.
The pressure is not only on Yiyang and the Mavericks. The players on the Trail Blazers' side are also hanging by a thread.
After a few attacks, both sides failed to score. Both teams played cautiously and defended very tightly. The consequence of this was that after a full two and a half minutes of the game, Nowitzki's independent step-back shot broke the embarrassment that the score of the two sides had always been 0.
It was supposed to be a good game, but it was a lethargic sight for the neutral fans. When a game is based on defense, the scene is bound to be quite dull. Because more defensive intensity means fewer wonderful goals.
The game set a new low in viewership for the two-team series, but that didn't stop Mavericks and Trail Blazers fans from staying focused.
The game went on for three quarters, and finally, in the final moments of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers couldn't hold back.
Gerrard. Wallace seemed to use all his energy in the last game, and at the end of the third quarter, Marion managed to break through Wallace and score easily.
After Wallace is captured, the Mavericks will also get a lot of opportunities to share the ball.
Although Yiyang still did not have a bright performance, with the efforts of Marion and Nowitzki, in the third quarter of the game, the Mavericks counterattacked and pushed the Trail Blazers into the abyss in one fell swoop.
At this point, the cameraman's camera was on the Trail Blazers bench and Roy, who had little playing time in the playoffs.
Seeing this scene, many Trail Blazers fans shed tears. At this time, Roy no longer had meniscus in both knees, and the direct friction between bones in his knees made him feel painful. When he runs and even walks, he can feel the sound of bones rubbing. This season, his form has dropped badly, and his peak is no longer there. What made the Portlanders even more desperate was that with 34.6 seconds left before the end of the third quarter, the Trail Blazers were 44-67, already trailing by as many as 23 points!
"It's over Kenny, and the Mavericks are going back to Dallas with a win. We thought it would be a tight game, but we didn't expect that under the pressure, it was the Trail Blazers who collapsed first. "Kenny. Smith yawned, the game was not good, and now the suspense is lost. In the fourth quarter of the game, I really don't know what to say.
During the break, McMillan's face was covered in black lines. He knows his players are too afraid to lose. But there are some things that the more you fear it, the more you are afraid of it. Say, failure.
Aldridge and Gerald. Wallace and the two hung their heads down, and the two guys were probably already thinking about how to make it 3-1. Deep down, they have given up on this ball.
Looking at the mental state of these two guys, McMillan shook his head. In the fourth quarter of the game, it was difficult for the two Trail Blazers leaders to stand up on their own. Now McMillan has to find somebody, someone who can lead the whole team. Find a guy who is not afraid of failure and dares to fight.
The black coach glanced at the bench and then elbowed his assistant coach. "Call Brandon here!"
McMillan's assistant coach was a bit surprised by the decision. He didn't get up right until McMillan repeated it.
Roy's form since returning from injury this season is obvious to all, is this guy who has no meniscus really suitable to play in this situation? Or is it that McMillan has already given up on the game, so he will have a lot of fringe players on the field later?
McMillan's assistant coach didn't know what had led his manager to make such a decision, but he walked up to Roy and motioned for him to get up and listen to the tactics.
At this time, the television broadcast had not yet discovered this scene. But the sudden screams in the rose garden made the photographers aware of the problem.
Then, the camera quickly panned, and the fans watching the game in front of the TV saw the scene of Trail Blazers coach McMillan pulling Roy down and saying something.
"Play?!" Roy was a little surprised, he didn't expect to be on the court at a crucial time in the playoffs. The guy was still wondering if McMillan was just letting him feel the atmosphere of the game. After all, the team is now so far behind.
McMillan nodded, then picked up the tactical board. 'Yes, we need to make some changes to upset the balance on the pitch. I think it's a good idea to replace you. ”
Roy looked at his coach and then at the rose garden, which he loved. Today, Roy will have his last dance with this arena!
"Hello viewers, welcome to continue watching TNT. The fourth-quarter game between the two sides has begun, and although the Trail Blazers are now trailing by as many as 23 points, the fans still burst into their most enthusiastic cheers. Because...... See? Brandon. Roy, the guy who had a meniscus extraction, is back in the playoffs! ”
Right here at Kenny. By the time Smith introduced the fans, Roy had already had the ball on the court for the first time.
"Yellow Mamba" took the pass from Miller Sr., observed the situation, and then suddenly hoisted the ball into the inside.
Aldridge stretched out his arms and the ball was passed just right for Aldridge to catch.
After receiving the ball, Ade was in his most comfortable position, and he turned directly to hook his hand, and the Trail Blazers easily moved back to two points.
But just two points were not enough to shake the Mavericks' huge lead. Carlisle is not in a hurry, as long as the Mavericks hold on, they will win!
However, just ten seconds later, the Trail Blazers made a comeback. Roy, who received the basketball, dribbled twice, and pulled out his hand directly against Peja, who was ten centimeters taller than him!
The basketball went through the net, and the Trail Blazers' deficit was moved to within 20 points. Brandon. Roy, officially sounded the horn of his own counteroffensive!
A great pass, a three-pointer. That doesn't say how good Roy is today, but at least it's certain that Roy is the one who is the least afraid to lose! He still dares to fight!
He has nothing left, and the only thing he can do is fight fate with his own knees. So, what is there to be afraid of?
So, a man confronted Roy all over the world and began his own crazy show!
He broke through for a layup, fell to the ground, and then got up silently.
He shoots from three-point range, pulls up and jumps, but he can score.
After Roy scored six straight points, Carlisle called a timeout. First, it was the hope of interrupting Roy's feelings. Second, he needs to replace Yiyang now. Even today, Yiyang's performance is very average. But Carlisle believes the team will need him when it matters most
But contrary to expectations, a timeout didn't interrupt Roy's feelings, but made him even crazier.
With 1:06 left in the game, the Trail Blazers had already trailed the deficit to just four points.
From 23 to 4, Brandon. Roy seems destined to work miracles. All the fans who came to watch the game stood up, and it was impossible for them to sit calmly in their seats.
Roy, facing Sean Marion's defense, pulled out three points, shot, whistle, and the basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and went into the net. Then the referee motioned to the technical desk, 31!
"It was an incredible race! Score a four, Roy now gets a chance to score a four! God, the Trail Blazers will have a chance to equalize! It's hard to imagine that 11 minutes ago, the Trail Blazers were almost going to give up! But Brandon. Roy, he told everyone that he was the owner of the Rose Garden! "After Roy's goal, he just smiled. But when he has nothing to lose, victory, he will naturally embrace himself.
Finally, at the free-throw line, Roy lived up to expectations. The whole stadium resounded with loud and loud shouts. The fans shouted nothing but three letters MVP.
"mvpmvpmvpmvp......" these voices passed through Roy's ears, and he seemed to go back to the past, back to that beloved era.
In the face of the shouts of the fans, Roy calmly shot a free throw and scored his 16th point in the fourth quarter of the game. And the Portland Trail Blazers also officially scored the equalizer!
"It's equalized! Coach Carlisle won't be happy, and Cuban, who is far away in Dallas, won't be happy! The Mavericks were forced to draw by 23 points when they were leading the opponent by 23 points! With just over a minute to go, I think the best moment of the game has arrived! ”
"This is the Mavericks, this is the Mavericks' playoffs. They always lose inexplicably, and I don't think Roy's performance will come to an abrupt end! He's going to do a miracle, and tonight the Rose Garden will do a miracle! "Kenny. Smith and Barkley, two people who were about to fall asleep, were now overwhelmed with excitement.
Miracle, Roy is only 1 minute and 8 seconds away from creating another miracle of his own.
But people didn't notice that the eyes of the Mavericks No. 1 who were defending with open arms had become completely different from what they had just been.
Roy's performance made Yiyang really know what it means to not be afraid of losing.
Now that we've come to this, let's give it a go!
Yiyang slapped the hardwood floor hard, and his move also attracted the attention of the fans.
Now that Roy is about to create a miracle, Yiyang has nothing to lose. Let's stop the miracle from happening!