A Clutch Three

People often said LeBron was only good at passing the buck in clutch moments.

But they deliberately ignored the fact that he ranked first in NBA history for playoff buzzer-beaters.

He was simply a different type of player from Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Jordan and Kobe focused more on scoring themselves. When it came to the final shot, they naturally took it themselves.

LeBron, on the other hand, was more well-rounded.

For the final shot, he'd get the ball to whichever teammate had the best opportunity at that moment.

Of course, if he had the best opportunity himself, he wouldn't hesitate.

Right now, with Wang Yi's hot hand, he decided to give him the crucial shot.

Wang Yi stood ramrod straight, his gaze burning.

"Okay!"

That was all he said.

But everyone could feel the hunger for battle packed into that one word.

Back on the court, the Lakers inbounded the ball.

LeBron took possession and dribbled across half court.

The Lakers were trailing by only two points.

They could go for two or try a three.

Following LeBron's instructions, Wang Yi stayed in the corner and didn't make a move.

Seeing this, the Clippers' head coach felt a little relieved.

As expected, Vogel wouldn't entrust the crucial shot to a player on a ten-day contract.

Or perhaps the player on the ten-day contract couldn't handle the pressure and didn't dare shoot.

That was why he wasn't moving.

Thinking this, he shouted from the sideline at George, who was guarding Wang Yi:

"Watch the help defense in the paint! Watch the paint!"

LeBron's three-point shooting had been off all game.

Based on Tyronn Lue's understanding of him, LeBron would absolutely drive hard to the basket.

George nodded.

LeBron had beaten him with a buzzer-beater before.

This time, no matter what, he couldn't let LeBron hit another clutch shot.

At that moment, Leonard—the robot—was guarding LeBron.

LeBron changed direction and got half a step past Leonard.

Then he used his body to shove Leonard aside and drove hard toward the paint.

Two players were already waiting for him inside, but George still wasn't satisfied and rushed over to help.

As George charged at LeBron, LeBron's precise pass suddenly sailed over George's shoulder and toward Wang Yi.

George's heart sank.

He spun around and rushed back toward Wang Yi.

But it was too late.

When Wang Yi caught the ball, George was already four meters away.

Wang Yi caught it and shot.

He didn't hesitate for even a moment.

The basketball traced a high arc before dropping toward the rim.

Everyone's eyes focused on the orange ball.

The Clippers' players and fans all tensed up.

Wang Yi's three-point shooting had been too threatening all game.

With the game on the line, they couldn't help but hold their breath.

Under the gaze of nearly twenty thousand fans, the ball finally descended toward the rim.

Bang—

A loud clang rang out.

The ball struck the front rim and bounced high into the air.

"Oh—"

Nearly twenty thousand people let out a collective groan.

The Clippers' players, their head coach, and their fans all breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the Lakers' No. 1 had finally crumbled under the pressure.

At such a crucial moment, he'd missed what might have been the most important shot of the game.

Every Lakers fan who saw it was already cursing.

Why had they passed him the ball?

The live commentator spoke rapidly, his voice full of excitement:

"Oh no! Why pass him the ball?"

"No question, Wang has played well tonight. But he's never played a single second in a clutch situation in his career. He simply can't handle this kind of pressure."

"That was a terrible passing decision by LeBron!"

"Will LeBron regret it?"

The two commentators in the Tencent NBA livestream sounded disappointed too.

Wang Meng said, "Wang Yi missed the three. What a shame!"

Su Qun shook his head as well. "If he'd made that shot, it would have proved he was a clutch player. That would have been crucial to him signing a guaranteed contract later."

At that moment, the comments section was quiet.

The ball had bounced off the rim, but the game wasn't over.

In this suffocating moment of tension, even the haters didn't feel like jumping in to trash Wang Yi.

On the court—

After the ball bounced high, four Clippers players crowded into the paint, preparing to grab the rebound.

Every Laker except LeBron was beyond the three-point line, too far away to get to it in time.

The Clippers' Coach Long quickly secured the rebound.

He was about to dribble.

But before he could even lower the ball, a hand suddenly shot in from the side.

It grabbed the ball and wrenched hard!

The ball was ripped right out of Rondo's hands.

A steal!

It was none other than Caruso—Los Angeles's one and only Emperor Kaluo!

The situation changed in an instant.

All four Clippers players swarmed him.

Caruso was surrounded like a dumpling.

He spotted Wang Yi still standing in the left corner.

There was no time to think. Caruso leaped far beyond the baseline, opening up a passing lane.

While still in the air, he threw the ball to Wang Yi.

When the fans saw Caruso pass to Wang Yi again, nearly all of them screamed inwardly:

"NO NO NO NO—"

The commentator spoke at breakneck speed:

"Caruso with the steal, passing to Wang!"

"Wang missed the last one. Surely he won't shoot again—who will he pass to?"

"LeBron's open on the perimeter! Pass it! There's plenty of time on the shot clock—pass to LeBron and reset the offense..."

But Wang Yi didn't pay any attention to them.

He was wide open. If he didn't shoot, wouldn't he be wasting this perfect opportunity?

As for the pressure?

What a joke.

A man who longed for battle didn't even know what pressure was.

George had rushed back to defend him again.

But after catching the ball, Wang Yi still didn't hesitate for even a moment.

His eyes held nothing but resolve.

He bent his knees and rose onto his toes.

Jumped and raised his arms.

Put power into the shot and snapped his wrist.

He released!

The whole motion flowed smoothly, one movement following the next.

George rushed out at top speed this time.

But he was too far away. All he could do was watch the ball sail past his fingertips.

The entire crowd held its breath again.

Even the commentator kept shouting:

"NO NO NO NO—"

The ball sailed quietly through the air.

Staples Center Arena fell silent.

Everyone held their breath.

Every eye was fixed on the ball.

Following its path through the air.

Then, in an instant—

Swish!

The satisfying sound of the ball brushing against the net rang out.

A white wave rippled through the center of the hoop.

Three-pointer!

"Woooooo!"

Staples Center erupted in deafening cheers.

The commentator's repeated "NO" instantly turned into "YES"!

"NO NO NO NO—YES!!!"