A Narrow Win Over the Spurs (Two-in-One)

The Spurs on offense.

Parker maintained a steady offensive rhythm. After all, the Spurs had a two-point lead, so they didn't need to rush. As long as they played steadily, the victory would be theirs.

But the Clippers, being the trailing team, couldn't wait, so Li Chen had to press forward and force Parker to attack.

But Parker was like a stubborn mule; he just wouldn't attack.

At this crucial moment, Li Chen didn't dare to be too aggressive in grabbing, lest he give the other party an opportunity to take advantage of him.

With about ten seconds left on the shot clock, Parker passed the ball to Ginobili.

Ginobili made a serpentine drive to the basket, drawing a foul from Odom during the ensuing contact. The basketball bounced twice on the rim before reluctantly rolling out.

At this moment, everyone on the Clippers was on tenterhooks. If Ginobili really scored a 2+1, their chances of turning the game around would be even slimmer.

There are 30 seconds left.

Ginobili stepped to the free-throw line, and swish! Ginobili calmly sank both free throws.

After all, Ginobili has a free throw percentage of over 85% this season.

The Spurs extended their lead to four points, 105-101.

The Clippers are on offense.

The Spurs employed a full-court press against the Clippers to limit their offensive time.

After receiving the ball, Li Chen immediately started running, sprinting all the way to the frontcourt.

Bowen stayed close by his side, never leaving his side, just like a dutiful security guard.

Actually, Li Chen had some regrets because he never had the chance to get Bowen had committed five fouls, off the court.

At this moment, Li Chen suddenly accelerated. Bowen, who had already committed five fouls, dared not defend recklessly. He dared not foul and could only watch Li Chen get past him.

Immediately afterwards, Ginobili and Malik Rose double-teamed Li Chen.

Li Chen had already entered the three-point line and didn't want to be fouled, so he passed the ball to Odom. Bowen, who had switched onto the defense, stood in front of Odom.

Odom feigns a drive.

But at that moment, Bowen collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest and feigning great pain.

The referee blew the whistle, and Joey Crawford made a gesture indicating that Odom had committed an offensive foul.

At this point, Odom confronted the referee, but Joey Crawford ignored him.

Li Chen walked over, looked at Odom, and asked, "What happened?"

"Fuck, that bastard flopped!" Odom said indignantly.

Hearing Odom's words, Li Chen let out a long sigh of relief. The NBA no longer has a challenge format, so they had no choice but to accept it.

Li Chen patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, don't let this affect your mindset."

Odom nodded.

However, Li Chen could clearly sense that Odom's mentality was off.

This made Li Chen's heart sink; things were becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Clippers.

At that moment, Alvin Gentry called a timeout.

As soon as the Clippers players returned to the rest area, Alvin Gentry had a sullen face. Although he didn't scold Odom, he was clearly very unhappy with the foul.

Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "Coach Alvin, Bowen flopped."

Li Chen was clearly asking Alvin Gentry if there was any way to get the referee to overturn the decision.

Upon hearing this, Alvin Gentry frowned, then sighed softly and said, "There's nothing we can do but accept our bad luck."

A moment later, Alvin Gentry devised a fouling strategy, hoping for a final push in the last 24 seconds.

After the timeout, the Spurs went on offense.

As soon as the ball was passed out, the Clippers sent Bowen to the free-throw line.

Because he had been guarding Li Chen, who was known for his stamina, throughout the game, Bowen was exhausted and missed his first free throw.

After adjusting his mindset, he finally made the second free throw.

106 to 101.

The Clippers are on offense.

The Spurs pressed him relentlessly throughout the game, and Li Chen kept making runs to get past Bowen, finally shaking him off.

After receiving the ball, he sprinted towards the frontcourt like lightning.

Parker and Ginobili double-teamed Li Chen.

Meanwhile, Corey Maggette and Li Chen executed a screen.

Li Chen hit a three-pointer over Ginobili, Ginobili gave him a lot of interference, but Li Chen didn't dare to foul him.

Swish! Three-pointer hits, Clutch Shot skill triggered.

The score is 106 to 104, with 17 seconds remaining.

The Spurs are on offense, Clippers have committed another foul with 16 seconds remaining.

The Spurs knew Bowen was inconsistent with his free throws, so they didn't let him receive the ball.

Ginobili calmly converted both free throws.

108 to 104.

The Clippers are on offense.

Li Chen was double-teamed by Bowen Parker.

Wang Zhizhi was unsure whether to pass the ball to Li Chen.

At this moment, Li Chen ran towards the center line while saying in Chinese, "Brother Zhizhi, pass the ball high."

Hearing Li Chen speak Chinese, Bowen and Parker were completely bewildered, which made them wary.

Wang Zhizhi nodded, then lobbed the ball high to Li Chen.

At the same time, Bowen and Parker jumped up together, trying to stop Li Chen from receiving the ball, but the ball was passed too high, and they didn't even touch it.

Li Chen leaped high into the air and firmly grasped the basketball in his hands.

Then his leg muscles suddenly tensed, and he sprinted towards the front of the field like an arrow.

He shot straight into the basket like an arrow.

This scene left Barkley and Kenny Smith somewhat puzzled, as were the fans watching on television.

"The Clippers need to shoot three-pointers to win now. What's the point of you fouling and taking two-point shots? It's just a waste of time, nothing more."

Barkley, speaking in the TNT broadcast room, expressed what the fans were thinking.

Kenny Smith said, "Perhaps Chen is thinking of playing a 2+1?"

This explanation is somewhat far-fetched. After all, unless the Spurs players are completely stupid, they wouldn't commit a foul, since it would only be two points.

But at that moment, they knew why Li Chen had done it.

Li Chen's breakthrough attracted the attention of most of the Spurs players, because in such crucial moments, the team would let its star player take the lead.

However, Li Chen did the opposite, passing the ball to Corey Maggette, who hadn't been performing particularly well that day.

Corey Maggette, who was in an open position, was also slightly taken aback. Then, he composed himself, made a slight adjustment, and immediately launched a three-point jump shot.

Swish! The basketball goes through the net cleanly.

At the crucial moment, Corey Maggette did not disappoint Li Chen's trust.

The Clippers are now just one point behind, with the score at 108-107.

Li Chen's bold decision surprised not only Popovich and his teammates on the Spurs.

Even Alvin Gentry was quite surprised.

There are 10 seconds left in the game.

If the Clippers score on the next possession, the game will go into overtime.

At that time, who will win and who will lose will once again be unknown.

The Spurs on offense.

At this moment, Li Chen narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Ginobili, then shouted, "Defense with all your might! Don't let them pass the ball!"

These words caused the Clippers players to pause for a moment. Wouldn't scoring another basket force the game into overtime?

They were all puzzled, wondering what Li Chen up to, but out of trust in him, they began to defend Ginobili desperately to prevent him from receiving the ball.

This caught the Spurs, who were prepared for overtime, somewhat off guard.

However, the Spurs eventually managed to pass the ball out.

However, Li Chen then committed a foul, with 9 seconds remaining.

Parker goes to the free-throw line.

Spurs rest area.

When Popovich saw the Clippers' move, he was somewhat surprised, but when the ball came into Parker's hands, he suddenly understood why the Clippers were doing it.

"Kenny, what's the Clippers up to with this?" Barkley asked Kenny Smith, puzzled.

Kenny Smith thought for a moment, then said with some admiration, "That's where Li Chen's cleverness lies."

"How so?" Barkley asked curiously.

Kenny Smith explained with a laugh, "Because Parker's free throw shooting isn't good. These are Parker's shooting stats."

Tony Parker averaged 35.3 minutes per game, contributing 14 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds, with a field goal percentage of 38.6%, a three-point percentage of 42.9%, and a free throw percentage of only 60.9%.

Upon seeing this data, Barkley and the fans watching on television suddenly understood.

His free throw percentage is not much different from O'Neal's 52.7%.

"His free throw percentage is inaccurate, which is a major weakness. Now Popovich can only hope that Parker can withstand the pressure and make both free throws," Barkley said gloatingly.

Parker stepped to the free-throw line, although his teammates told him to relax and that it didn't matter if he missed, it was just a regular season game.

But if he lost the game because of his own personal issues, he really couldn't get over it!

Parker took a deep breath, gripped the basketball, stared at the basket for a few seconds, and then released the shot.

Bang! The first free throw missed.

Parker looked frustrated, but with encouragement from his teammates, he quickly adjusted his mindset, let out a long breath, caught the basketball tossed to him by the referee, and then shot again.

Swish! Hollowed into the net.

109 to 107.

The Spurs then called a timeout, Popovich began to devise a strategy.

In the Clippers' rest area, Alvin Gentry praised Chen, saying, "Chen, you did a great job just now."

Now he increasingly feels how right it was to have impulsively put Li Chen on the field back then. He still feels a sense of pride when he thinks about it now.

Meanwhile, his teammates looked on with admiration. They admired Li Chen's wit, which made them trust Li Chen even more. Although he was a rookie, this only made them admire him more.

Li Chen humbly replied, "It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"This impromptu idea was excellent; keep it up." After praising Li Chen again, Alvin Gentry said, "Li Chen will make the final attack."

Li Chen nodded.

He thought for a moment, then substituted Eli for Michael Olowokandi, and instructed him, "Your job is to grab the rebound if the last shot misses."

Michael Olowokandi and Wang Zhizhi nodded.

After the timeout, the Clippers inbounded the ball.

The Clippers have nine seconds on the shot clock, so they don't need to rush. Even if they miss the three-pointer, they can still score two points.

The Clippers currently have a significant advantage.

The Spurs' main defensive focus was still Li Chen, who was quickly double-teamed by Bowen and Ginobili.

Meanwhile, Odom had an outstanding performance today, was also closely guarded.

Even Corey Maggette, who had just made a three-pointer, was tightly guarded.

Although Li Chen is a bit tired today, after all, he has to play on both offense and defense, and against the Spurs known for its defense.

However, Li Chen was tired, but the rest of the Spurs were even more tired.

A few seconds later, after Li Chen kept running back and forth, he finally found an opening to receive the ball.

The moment he receives the ball, he acts like a magnet, Spurs players to him involuntarily.

Without Li Chen needing to call for help, Michael Olowokandi and Wang Zhizhi both set screens for Li Chen.

Corey Maggette and Odom were also constantly making cuts, trying to shake off the Spurs' defense and create space for a shot.

Li Chen drove towards the basket.

Judging from the current situation, Li Chen clearly wants to play it safe, score a two-pointer, and then compete against the Spurs in overtime.

Everyone thinks that way, but is it true?

Just as Li Chen was in the spotlight, he suddenly passed the ball.

But this pass surprised everyone. It wasn't to Odom, who had performed well today, nor to Corey Maggette had just made a three-pointer. Instead, it was to Wang Zhizhi, an Asian man whose presence had never been particularly strong.

Everyone was confused at that moment, even Popovich and Alvin Gentry were somewhat at a loss.

Alvin Gentry, in particular, now regrets telling Li Chen to stay alert. This "sudden inspiration" has given him a huge surprise—no, it should be called a shock.

After receiving the pass from Li Chen, Wang Zhizhi couldn't help but think of what Li Chen had said to him during the screen earlier.

The two were speaking Chinese at the time, and their conversation was very brief, so the Spurs players didn't think much of it.

Wang Zhizhi stepped back and stood behind the three-point line, then leaped into the air.

The ball's arc was very flat; it seemed to have radar installed, piercing the Nets with perfect accuracy.

The Clippers lead 109-110 with only 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

If the ball had been passed to Corey Maggette, they could understand, after all, Corey Maggette is a near All-Star Player averaging 20 points per game.

But this time, Li Chen actually passed the ball to Wang Zhizhi, the center, which they couldn't understand.

Although they won the bet, such a high-stakes gamble was unacceptable to legends like Kenny Smith and Barkley, who saw it as an immature act.

But is that really the case? No! Of course not. How could Li Chen make such a basic mistake? Because he was the only one who had been practicing three-pointers with Wang Zhizhi, and Wang Zhizhi was even coaching him.

He has great confidence in Wang Zhizhi's three-point shooting.

As for why no one knew, it's because even when Wang Zhizhi was on the court, Alvin Gentry used him as a center.

Moreover, Wang Zhizhi is someone who doesn't like to perform; he's very obedient and does whatever the coach tells him to do.

By letting Wang Zhizhi score the winning goal, Li Chen also wanted Alvin Gentry to understand Wang Zhizhi better.

With 0.8 seconds left Spurs couldn't turn the tide.

The Clippers narrowly defeated the Spurs by one point.

The Spurs' top scorer in this game was the Stone Buddha Duncan, who took 20 shots, scoring 26 points, 6 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and making 6 of 6 free throws.

Duncan recorded a double-double, proving his consistent performance.

The Spurs' scoring was very balanced, with all the players who took the court contributing points, and Parker, Ginobili, and others mostly scoring in double figures.

On the Clippers' side...

Odom had 26 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, shooting 3-for-4 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Corey Maggette had 20 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws.

Wang Zhizhi scored 16 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 three-pointer (1-for-1), and 1 free throw (1-for-2).

These three Clippers scored 62 points today, more than half of the team's total points. It's fair to say their performance was near perfect, especially their last two three-pointers.