boyutpedia Chapter 486 Harden: Do I still have a chance for that trophy?
Chapter 486 Harden: Do I still have a chance for that trophy?
With a beep, the pause ended.
Both coaches acted as if they hadn't heard, continuing to speak for several more seconds before letting the players return to the field.
Embiid went to the free-throw line, clasped his hands together and blew on them, then caught the ball thrown to him by the referee.
He patted it, spun it around, then squatted slightly, and was sent off!
In that instant, both Durant and Claxton blocked the Philadelphia players around them and looked up at the basketball.
Bang!
The basketball bounced off the front edge of the rim and then bounced back towards Embiid.
Embiid's eyes lit up; he was really lucky.
The next moment, just as Embiid reached for the ball, Durant slapped it away with his big hand.
The basketball flew towards the outside.
That spot was where Wang Xiucheng and Maxi were.
Doc Rivers didn't use Harden to defend Wang Xiucheng because Harden couldn't keep up with Wang Xiucheng.
Although Maxi couldn't keep up either, he was at least faster than Harden.
Wang Xiucheng and Maxi both jumped up and reached for the basketball.
Old Li was also extremely nervous at this moment; his tactics had failed!
The plan was for Claxton to grab the ball and immediately foul, but Claxton didn't try to grab it. Instead, he got tangled up with Reed, who was also going for the rebound, allowing Durant to tip the ball out.
Old Li, supporting his knees, watched as Wang Xiucheng flicked the ball behind him with one hand.
Then Wang Xiucheng landed as quickly as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, turned around, and after a big step, controlled the basketball with one hand.
The reason it was only one hand was because Marx was holding onto the other hand.
Wang Xiucheng struggled to break free and took a step!
With two seconds remaining, Wang Xiucheng reached the center circle.
With a whistle, the referee blew the whistle.
Maxila committed a foul!
Wang Xiucheng heard the whistle, but he did not stop what he was doing!
He was still moving forward.
Finally, the power of 100 points came into play, and Wang Xiucheng's hand was finally freed from Maxi's grasp.
Then, with the basketball in his other hand, Wang Xiucheng took another big step forward.
At this moment, Wang Xiucheng's front foot finally crossed the center line and reached the frontcourt.
Maxi seemed to sense something was amiss and reached out to grab Wang Xiucheng again.
But Wang Xiucheng had already lifted his back foot first, and at the same time, he threw the basketball in his hand towards the backboard.
Swish!
Maxi finally managed to pull Wang Xiucheng back, but soon he also heard the crisp sound of the basketball going through the net.
That sound finally shattered him!
Not only him, but all the Nets' bench players were crouching on the ground, holding their heads in their hands, unable to believe what was happening.
Old Li finally slumped onto the technical table, his legs feeling as heavy as lead.
The whole place was silent!
Neither the Philadelphia fans at home nor the Nets fans who had traveled from afar could believe what they were seeing.
On the Nets' bench, after several seconds, someone shouted "Fuck!" and then, as if it were contagious, the sound instantly ignited the Nets' bench, and then the Nets' fans.
Wang Xiucheng miraculously sank a three-pointer just as one foot crossed the center circle.
Although this ball looks like it's been scrambled no matter how you look at it.
But the ball went in!
Finally, after being reminded by his assistant coach, Old Li launched the challenge.
Philadelphia maintains that the shot was not a three-pointer.
It was Maxi's foul that came first, so Wang Xiucheng got two free throws.
Although there are still 0.5 seconds left.
Even if Wang Xiucheng scores both penalties, it will only be a draw.
Philadelphia could still go into overtime.
But if this shot is counted as a three-pointer, it would be a death sentence for Philadelphia!
Knowing that this ball was crucial, the referees immediately gathered together to discuss it, and then went to the technical table and video replay center to request a review.
Nash stood on the sidelines, very excited, but he suppressed his emotions and gave high-fives to each player, including Wang Xiucheng.
Not only Nash, but all the assistant coaches reached out and gave the players high-fives.
The players on the bench, however, seemed to have gone mad, celebrating wildly despite the somewhat quiet arena.
Nash didn't give any tactics this time; he just stood on the sidelines and waited.
He saw it very clearly; Wang Xiucheng's shot was a three-pointer.
From a fair standpoint, the Nets are guaranteed to win this game.
From a conspiracy theory perspective, the Nets' advancement would certainly have a better market than Philadelphia's, especially in the Chinese market.
So Nash was very calm.
The advantage is mine!
Old Li didn't talk about tactics either; he was also waiting.
He still has timeouts available; if the call is overturned, he can call another timeout.
If the verdict cannot be overturned...
So the holiday has begun!
It took the referee a full three minutes to finish watching the video, and then the three of them gathered together and discussed it for a long time.
Finally, the head referee stood in front of the scorer's table, turned on the microphone, and calmly said, "When Max committed the foul, Wang Xiucheng was already in the process of shooting, so the call was correct, the three-pointer is valid, and an additional free throw is awarded."
After saying this, the referee ignored the boos from the crowd, pushed the microphone away, and returned to the court.
After hearing the verdict, Wang Xiucheng smiled, stood up, and bumped fists with Zeng Fanbo next to him.
Although the game isn't over yet, everyone knows that victory is assured!
Nash, unusually, patted Wang Xiucheng on the head, then watched Wang Xiucheng, Durant, Westbrook, Claxton, and Seth Curry return to the court.
The boos from the crowd continued, drowning out even the referee's whistle.
In this atmosphere, Wang Xiucheng stood at the free throw line and took the basketball from the referee.
The Nets lead 116-117.
Wang Xiucheng took the basketball and sent it out without even dribbling it.
With a thud, the basketball hit the rim and bounced off.
Embiid had just caught the ball when the referee blew the final whistle.
The Nets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 117-116 on the road, a one-point advantage.
The end of this game also means that after the Nuggets' 4-0 victory over the Lakers, the Nets also swept Philadelphia 4-0.
The Nuggets and Nets will meet in the NBA Finals to compete for the ultimate championship trophy!
This is also the first time in NBA history that both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals have been swept 4-0.
The Philadelphia players stood on the court, hands on their hips, looking dejected and seemingly unwilling to believe the result.
Harden rested his hands on his knees, sweat dripping from his beard onto the floor.
He watched Durant and Westbrook celebrating with big smiles on their faces.
They also saw Wang Xiucheng trying to return to the bench as if nothing had happened, but he was surrounded by people on the bench.
He even saw that when Nash shook hands with Doc Rivers, he seemed to glance at him.
For him, this season is over!
But he was unsure if he still had a chance in his career.
The young people, led by Wang Xiucheng, are growing up at a speed he could not have imagined.
Do I still have a chance to win that trophy?
The Nets' players and bench were very excited. Although it was an away game and they couldn't celebrate too much, their cheerful atmosphere contrasted sharply with the lifeless atmosphere on the Philadelphia bench.
Durant patted Wang Xiucheng on the head and said, "One more step!"
“Yes, just one step away,” Wang Xiucheng replied with a smile.
Then Wang Xiucheng, Durant, and Westbrook went to Harden, who was looking down.