"I'm ready, Coach. I can go in anytime." Chen Xi stood up and took a deep breath before answering.
"Good. Get ready to go in."
"We can see Chen returning to the scorer's table once again, waiting for a dead ball so he can get back into the game. It's astonishing—counting the timeout, he's barely rested for two and a half minutes."
"You can clearly see how badly the Thunder want to win this game. Their desire to win is admirable, but sometimes, that's just how reality is. Belief alone isn't enough." Barkley was still pouring cold water on things.
After Curry knocked Grant's pass out of bounds, Chen Xi returned to the court with 2:45 left in the game.
The Thunder had possession. Sabonis stood at the sideline to inbound, and Westbrook caught the ball near midcourt before bringing it into the frontcourt.
Chen Xi started moving again, used Butler's screen to get to the 45-degree angle, and caught the ball. Facing Klay, he faked a drive, then quickly rose for a pull-up.
Swish~~
Fortunately, although Klay got a good contest, the shot still went in.
112–117
Chen Xi no longer wanted to spend the game calling for Pick-and-Rolls to get Curry switched onto him, then creating opportunities by driving, like he had in the first half. That was too exhausting, and he didn't have the energy for it now. But with his shot feeling good and the score close, Melo-style pull-ups were working pretty well.
Curry came over and patted Klay on the butt.
"That kid can really shoot."
"Not as well as me." Klay, of course, wouldn't agree with him.
There wasn't anyone on this planet who could shoot better than the two of us!
—The Buddha's confidence.
Back in the frontcourt, the Splash Brothers ran a masterful play. Their excellent chemistry successfully misdirected Westbrook's defense, leaving Curry free to take a three.
112–120
On the other end, Westbrook pulled up for a mid-range shot and sank it again.
The two sides traded baskets, and the game was buzzing with excitement.
With one minute left, the score was still stuck at a six-point difference.
Things were getting worse for the Thunder.
After Chen Xi caught the ball, he had no room to work with. Klay was practically in his face.
Chen Xi dribbled and tried to drive past him, but still couldn't shake the defender. Klay in his prime had incredible sideways movement, putting tremendous pressure on him.
With no other choice, Chen Xi passed the ball back to Westbrook. Turtle Turtle raised his hand and shot from beyond the arc.
Swish!!
Westbrook was no stranger to clutch shots. He sank it, bringing the deficit back down to three.
Curry brought the ball up to just in front of the logo and dribbled while running down the clock.
There were just 46 seconds left. If they managed the clock and scored on their final possession, the game would be all but secured.
Chen Xi swallowed and watched Curry, his heart beating faster. This was probably his first time playing in a clutch situation like this all season.
It might even be the Warriors' first time.
Curry ran the clock down to the final 10 seconds of the shot clock, then made his move.
He drove quickly with the ball. Klay came up and screened Westbrook, leaving Chen Xi to switch onto Curry.
After a series of between-the-legs dribbles to find his rhythm, Curry burst toward Chen Xi's left, then immediately pulled back with a step-back and quickly launched a three.
Chen Xi reacted in a flash, pulling back and jumping forward to try to block it.
But Curry's release was too fast. Chen Xi still couldn't get a hand on the ball.
Swish~~
The ball dropped through the net. The lead was back to six, with 28 seconds left. Things looked very bad.
"Fuck! I knew he was going to shoot a three!" Chen Xi clenched his fist, furious with himself.
Westbrook came over to reassure him.
"It's okay, Chris. The game isn't over! We still have a chance!"
"I'll get it back!" Chen Xi looked Westbrook in the eye, forcing out the words one at a time.
The Thunder had no timeouts left. Butler quickly inbounded from the backcourt, and Westbrook needed only three seconds to bring the ball up.
He drove quickly against Klay, then saw Green in front of him and passed the ball right away.
Chen Xi was at the left 45-degree angle, his most accurate spot. He caught the ball and raised it to shoot.
Curry rushed over to block him.
"He didn't shoot!"
Seeing Curry fly past him, Chen Xi leaned into him. He made contact in the air, then twisted into a short, hanging shot.
Tweet!!!
Swish!!!
The three counted! And he'd get a free throw!!!!
"Holy shit!! That's too crazy!!!!"
"And one!!!!!!!"
Westbrook came over and slammed his chest into Chen Xi's. Butler followed right after, shoving Chen Xi three meters away. The Thunder players let their excitement spill over.
Curry spat out half his mouthguard, put his hands on his hips, and looked up at the big screen with a self-mocking smile.
"That was terrible defense."
"It's fine. We're still in the lead, and we have the ball." Green came over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Besides, there's no way this rookie makes the free throw."
Chen Xi walked to the free-throw line with 20 seconds left in the game.
Whoosh~~~
Facing the deafening boos of the Warriors fans, Chen Xi took three deep breaths to calm himself. He patted the ball, raised his arm, released it, and snapped his wrist.
Swish~~
The ball slipped through the net.
Green: "..."
123–125
Curry kept running down the clock. The Thunder didn't foul right away, choosing instead to try to get a stop.
With Chen Xi guarding him tightly, Curry passed the ball to Durant.
KD caught the ball and stepped back to create space, continuing to run down the clock. As the seconds ticked away and the game neared its end, Butler had no choice but to rush over and try to foul him. But KD was still backing away, trying to waste even more time.
Smack!!
"Russell!!!!! Westbrook!!!!!!! He stole the ball from Durant!!!!!!"
No one knew KD as well as the "brother" who'd been by his side for seven years.
After setting him up for the steal, Westbrook raced up the court. Klay stayed close behind him, ready to pull him down if he went up for a layup. Free throws were better than giving up two easy points.
Westbrook took two steps and was about to take off when Klay grabbed him and held on tight.
Klay was practically lifted a few inches off the ground with him, but Westbrook still ran out of strength and came back down. The ball slipped free and bounced out of bounds.
Frustrated that he hadn't managed to get a chance at a three-point play, Westbrook nevertheless went to the free-throw line.
Dang!
To make matters worse, he missed his first free throw.
The Warriors all breathed a sigh of relief.
Westbrook's face darkened at once.
During the time between shots, Westbrook glanced at Aquaman. Adams understood and gave him a slight nod.
For his second free throw, Westbrook steadied his breathing and prepared to shoot.
Standing nearby, Durant knew Westbrook just as well. The moment he saw his second free-throw motion, he realized something was wrong. But before he could call out to warn his teammates, Adams had already jumped in perfect sync and grabbed the long rebound Westbrook had deliberately missed.
"Damn it!! Stop him!!!"
The court erupted in noise.
Adams quickly tossed the ball to Westbrook.
Westbrook had already backed out beyond the three-point line and was just about to shoot when KD's long arm reached out in front of him.
But this time, Westbrook wasn't alone. He dodged in midair with a hanging move, then passed the ball to the other side. The ball flew across the court.
Before you continue