After Zhang Jiacheng stripped him of the ball, Walker felt humiliated.
Especially since his girlfriend had seen it on TV. That made it even more embarrassing.
So he had to redeem himself.
When he saw Zhang Jiacheng lining up for a three-pointer,
he charged straight at him as Zhang tried to shoot from beyond the arc.
But Zhang Jiacheng merely raised the ball. As soon as he saw Walker rushing at him, he dropped it to the floor, slipped past Brad Walker, and drove toward the basket.
He sank a floater.
10–8. Zhang Jiacheng led by two.
Now Brad Walker was starting to panic.
On the next possession, he got the ball beyond the three-point line and glanced at the basket, then swayed from side to side as he had before.
Then he jumped straight up.
He was going to finish this guy off with a three-pointer.
But Zhang Jiacheng had caught that subtle glance at the basket.
He knew Walker was down by two and might try a three-pointer. Combined with that glance, it was clear he was going for a game-winning three.
So Zhang Jiacheng prepared early. When Brad Walker jumped, he leaped high into the air too.
He reached out with his right hand to block the ball's path.
He couldn't jump as high as Brad Walker, but his timing was spot-on. His fingertips still grazed the ball, changing its trajectory.
The ball flew barely five meters before it seemed to lose all its strength and drop limply.
A clean block. Possession changed hands.
Now it was Zhang Jiacheng's turn to attack.
After Brad Walker passed him the ball, Zhang Jiacheng held it in his left hand and stepped forward with his right foot, faking a drive.
When Brad Walker took a step back to defend, Zhang