NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 454: Carrying the Name of "Softie" (9500 Words Chapter)
At 2006 p.m. on Sunday, June 6, 11, 20 Dallas fans at the American Airlines Arena showed their love for their home team by cheering loudly from the start of the game.

Fanatical fans with white paint on their faces continued to ignite the atmosphere around them, and with Nowitzki's efficient performance at the beginning, the stadium was completely boiling at halftime.

From the beginning of the singing ceremony, the fans burst out with unparalleled energy, which made many people who wanted to laugh at the joke restrain their emotions.

The Western Conference champions demonstrated their strength, changing their previous slow start and keeping the score close at halftime.

During the halftime break, the director once again showed the night view of Dallas to the fans in front of the TV. There seemed to be fans gathered outside the stadium, and the whole city was involved in the game.

The studio at the back also broadcast the wonderful performances of Nowitzki and Jason Terry in the first half.

Grabbing the rebound and running across half court with the ball, facing Gasol's defense, he pushed forward to the right blocking area. After Nowitzki turned his back, he switched to his left hand, raised the ball and faked it, using the time difference to make a shot and got a foul;
The right wing made a clean three-pointer, then he broke through with the ball and came to the front of the basket, leaned over and shot the ball.

In these shots, Nowitzki played extremely tough, showing a completely different game state from the previous two games!
After Devin Harris came into the starting lineup, Jason Terry, who was no longer responsible for organizing the offense, also performed very well in the first half, making shots from inside and outside to help the team continue to score points.

Although he was a little weak from beyond the three-point line, Terry's performance of 13 of 6 shots and 14 points in the first half was still remarkable.

In the halftime highlights, the Mavericks frequently scored difficult goals. At 54:52, the Mavericks played vigorously but still fell behind by 2 points.
Mark Jackson frowned slightly. He did not blow the whistle as hard as his partner did. Instead, he seized the opportunity and said seriously with a hesitant look on his face:
"It's really hard to have a sweep in the finals, but there's still a lot of time left. I still don't think Nowitzki can continue his efficient performance in the first half of the game."

12中8，三分线外2中1，罚球4中4，21分3篮板1助攻1失误，这是系列赛中诺维斯基上半场比赛表现最好的时刻。

Michael Wilbon smiled slightly, shook his bald head, and immediately retorted:
"From a statistical perspective, Nowitzki will definitely bounce back. Don't forget that his performance in the regular season was second only to Lee, and he has surpassed most of the league's stars this season."

"I think Nowitzki was too nervous when he played in Madison Square Garden, and he showed his true level when he returned to his home court."

"The Mavericks eliminated the Spurs, which is enough to show their strength."

As a well-known ESPN host and guest of the finals, Michael Wilbon is absolutely adept at talking about data. He is also a loyal Excel fan and always believes that big data will not deceive people.

In the studio, host Dan Patrick didn't care about the debate between the two guests. After the two expressed their opinions, he smiled at the camera and said:
"In Game 3 of the Finals, we witnessed a perfect half-time performance by the Mavericks. The Knicks had some minor shooting troubles, but they still suppressed their opponents."

"The second half is about to start, and we can listen to coach Avery Johnson's point of view."

Lisa Salters caught up with Avery Johnson before halftime, as the AmericanAirlines Arena roared with cheers:
"The adjustment has paid off. Harris has completely liberated Terry after joining the starting lineup. This is the effect we wanted!"

"I believe our players can overcome the difficulties, now all they have to do is believe in themselves."

Seeing the young general's serious expression, Lisa Salters nodded, then joined the broadcast, and said quickly in coordination with the commentator in front:

"The Mavericks continued with their starting lineup in the first half. Although Harris failed to score in the first half, as far as I know, this was the Mavericks' game strategy."

"They will continue to test their opponents' shooting in the second half. Coach Avery Johnson doesn't seem to want to slow down, which will definitely be a huge test for them."

On the ABC commentary booth, watching Nowitzki trying to catch the ball with his back to the right block again, Mike Breen expressed his gratitude and immediately returned to the situation on the court:
"Gasol was trying to defend in front, and the referee didn't call a foul. Excellent defense ruined the pass."

The two big men were fighting in the blocking zone, and after failing to receive the pass from Terry, Nowitzki simply ran to the three-point line and tried to set a pick-and-roll.

Terry, who was covered by Hill, accelerated with the ball in his right hand, lowered his shoulder, and tried to use a fake screen to break into the basket, but was soon stopped and had to turn around and pass the ball back to Nowitzki.

It was a 2-on-2 situation in the local area, and the others were creating space on the other side. After receiving the ball on the three-point line, Nowitzki released the ball with his left hand and broke through, going to the right elbow area against the defense.

Gasol still did not lose his position. Nowitzki stopped suddenly again, pulled the ball back with his left hand and then quickly twisted forward, raised the ball for a fake shake, then leaned back and forced a jump shot!

"state!"

Sighs immediately echoed throughout the arena as the Mavericks missed the chance to tie the score.

"Defense!."

Many Dallas fans stood up, shouting loudly and waving the white bouquets in their hands, and the stadium was instantly turned white.

Gazuric grabbed the rebound and held the ball in his arms, and the Knicks were not in a hurry to launch a transition offense.

There was no one guarding Li You when he received the ball. He looked calm and made tactical gestures, then slowly dribbled across half the court.

In the crucial game, Adrian Griffin of the Mavericks was DNP. The backcourt player who was invisible in the first two games has not received a minute of playing time until now.

Devin Harris has been responsible for defending Li You. Although the effect is not good, the Mavericks' double-teaming from time to time still has some effect.

In the familiar 131 position, Nowitzki shook his head left and right, loudly reminding his teammates on both sides. As Gasol moved to the top of the arc, the German hurriedly lowered his center of gravity.

Always maintaining a defensive distance, Harris helplessly watched Li You dribbling the ball behind his back and swaying his body to the left front. He quickened his pace and slid to defend, but was instantly dribbled past by a change of direction in front of his body.

Seeing Li You holding the ball in his right hand and trying to break through to the right, Nowitzki followed with a slide, and Jason Terry on the right wing began to move towards the elbow area.

After shaking off the defense, Li You's speed was not fast. At the moment when Harris squeezed past the defender and came up to cover him, he suddenly stopped, turned his back quickly after dribbling the ball, and instantly passed the defense.

"Oh!"

A beautiful shake made Harris, who was chasing him, crash into Gasol's arms. Nowitzki quickly slid to the right, but Li You, who got rid of the defense, stole the ball again, stopped abruptly, stepped back, and quickly made a jump shot!
Nowitzki could only raise his right arm, but facing such a long-range three-pointer, the defense was useless.
"OH! Lee with the long-range bomb!"

"Shh!"

The basketball went into the net, and the American Airlines Arena immediately erupted in boos. Only Mike Breen in the commentary booth shouted loudly in a cheerful tone, and Hubie Brown next to him sighed again in a low voice:

"28 feet? Maybe the league should introduce more detailed shooting distance statistics, and if possible, it would be better to mark the distance during the broadcast."

“What a crazy shot!”

57:52, the Knicks' atmosphere team raised their right arms and put up three fingers to celebrate happily, but Avery Johnson on the sidelines was so nervous that he kept shouting.

"Let's go Mavs!"

Facing Li You's defense, Harris advanced cautiously. The cheers became louder and louder, and he finally crossed the half court with 8 seconds left.

The ball was thrown to Nowitzki on the left wing from the Logo position. Harris immediately stepped forward to hand it over and re-receive the ball. With the help of a screen, he broke through to the basket from the wing.

Nowitzki was separated early, allowing Li You to squeeze through easily. He covered Harris while continuously sliding. The latter stopped suddenly in the left blocking zone and dribbled behind his back, then immediately passed the ball to Dampier under the basket.

Facing Gazuric's defense, Dampier dribbled the ball and immediately got up. As the referee blew the whistle, the "No. 1 center" immediately punched in celebration!
Even though he had controlled his movements and raised his arms, the opponent still called for a foul. Gazuric looked helplessly at the baseline referee, but the latter pointed firmly to the free throw line.

57:54, Dampier made two free throws to help the team narrow the gap.

Cheers resounded throughout the arena. D'Antoni, who was folding his arms on the sidelines, complained twice and stopped talking. He had to admit that the league's referees' ability to control the game was also improving.
Nowitzki, who was retreating, clapped his hands repeatedly and showed a determined look. He noticed that the Knicks were using a "V-shaped" offense and went online for double screen again. He immediately reminded Dampier loudly.

Harris noticed the movement behind him and saw Li You in front of him change direction from his crotch to his right hand. He immediately went up to defend and swiftly squeezed through the screen.

With the help of Gazuric's pick-and-roll, Li You held the ball in his right hand, lowered his shoulder and accelerated, crushing the defense and breaking through to the right blocking area.

Harris was about to lose his position, and Dampier, who was retreating, immediately rushed to defend him. At the same time, Terry, who was guarding the right corner, also retreated.

Faced with the tacit cooperation of three people, Li You did not force the attack. Tonight, the opponent fell down as soon as he was touched. He passed the ball to Hill who was unguarded in the right corner.

Seeing Li You pass the ball, the cheers suddenly became louder. Dampier then tacitly retreated to the lower left side of the basket to block Gazuric, while Terry slowly returned to defense and let Hill shoot.

After receiving the ball, Li You immediately accelerated and bounced to the right wing. Although Harris followed him to defend, he still maintained a short defensive distance, which prevented him from disrupting Hill's obvious return pass.

Although the intention to pass the ball was obvious, Harris still watched Li You receive the ball outside the three-point line, turn around and attack facing the basket. His young face was full of tension, and he controlled the distance while lowering his center of gravity.

Half of the attack time was used up, and the fans in the front row started to cheer loudly.

Protecting the ball on the right side of his body, Li You took a quick tentative step with his left foot, bent over and suddenly released the ball with his right hand. He dribbled the ball vigorously in an instant, swaying his body to the right front while quickly moving the ball behind his back.

Harris made a defensive misjudgment and instinctively slid to the left, then instantly lost half of his body position and watched the basketball fly to the other side of his body.

Li You scooped the ball with his left hand, leaned forward, squeezed through the defense on the three-point line, and broke into the paint area in the blink of an eye.

Nowitzki, who was near the free throw line, hurriedly moved to assist in defense. He was right in front of the basket and just stretched out his left arm when Li You broke in front of him, faced the defense, grabbed the ball with his left hand, and shot it!

"And one!"

"squeak!"

The referee immediately blew the whistle and called a foul on Nowitzki. The basketball drew a huge arc, leaving Dampier, who was right in front of the basket, with nothing to do but watch the goal.

As the basketball went into the net, boos echoed throughout the arena again. Nowitzki complained to the referee a little excitedly. He thought Li You was "touching" him and he bumped into his arm.
Seeing Li You calmly high-fiving his teammates as he stepped onto the free throw line, Hubie Brown thought for a moment and decided to speak up for the newbie:

"Harris has a quick reaction, but he needs to step up his confrontation. I am optimistic about his future and he can become an excellent defender."

Harris had been numb after three games. He looked at Li You who made the free throw and tried to adjust his mood until he heard a teasing voice in his ear:
"Rookie, it's the three-pointer's turn in the next round!"

"."

Without saying a word, Harris rushed forward with the ball in his right hand, but he could not get rid of Li You's defense.

The Knicks suddenly started to defend against receiving the ball, and seeing Terry being covered by Hill, Harris at the logo position moved sideways to protect the ball, and ultimately did not risk passing the ball.

Near the right baseline, Josh Howard had no way to deal with Artest's entanglement. He watched Nowitzki trying to slide from left to right to catch the ball at the baseline, and simply pushed the defense to try to cover him.

The two men kept pushing each other, and the other party exerted force. Artest lowered his head and leaned into his arms. Due to the entanglement, he was unable to create space in time.

When Nowitzki came to the low post on the right side to receive the ball, Josh Howard gritted his teeth and pushed Artest to the paint area, intending to lead the defense away from the boss, but his hand suddenly felt light.

The fallen Artest was secretly pulled by the crowd in the paint area, and the inexperienced Josh Howard fell to the ground with a thud.

As the sideline referee blew the whistle and called an offensive foul, the Dallas fans at the scene immediately shouted in dissatisfaction:
“Referee suck!.”

Seeing Artest standing up, grinning and clapping, the American Airlines Arena was boiling again. The angry shouting made it difficult for everyone on the court to hear what his teammates were saying.

Nowitzki was loudly encouraging Josh Howard, who nodded in agreement even though he didn't hear clearly what the boss said.

Li You, who received the ball at the baseline, had a smile on his face and made the same tactical gesture.

Gasol ran to the half court early and tilted his head to look at Li You at the logo position. It was still a double screen. Looking at the two communicating, Nowitzki became nervous again.

Amid the cheers from the defense, as Gasol accelerated upward from the left elbow area, Li You lowered his center of gravity and made a continuous forward change of direction, and also accelerated laterally the moment his left hand touched the ball.

Nowitzki, who was well prepared, quickly slid to the right and pounced on the three-point line on the left wing.
When the two had physical contact, Li You rushed to the three-point line and leaned forward, pretending to break through. As Nowitzki paused, he immediately exerted force with his right foot and took a big step back.

Harris, who was delayed on the side, also caught up at this time, jumped up to defend, and Nowitzki, who stopped, also rushed to the three-point line with his eyes wide open.

After completing a step back, Li You created a huge shooting space, drifted his body to the left and rear while raising the arc, ignored the block, and made a decisive jump shot!

The swift shot made the fans in the front row cover their mouths subconsciously. Li You, who was knocked down by Harris from the side, took the opportunity to relieve the force. As the referee blew the whistle, he slid towards the sideline in the shape of a "Tai" character.

"squeak!"

As the basketball went into the net, the American Airlines Arena suddenly became quiet, with only the Knicks' atmosphere team waving towels and shouting loudly.

"That's it! Damn these wimps!"

Artest rushed to Li You's side and was very excited. He shouted loudly and punched at the same time.

Gasol, who was surrounding them, smiled smugly. He knew that the left wing was a sweet spot. Seeing Li You being pulled up by Hill and the others, he also stepped forward to high-five and celebrate:

"I knew it was the right thing to do! There's nothing they can do!"

Li You glanced at Harris, who was looking down with his hands on his hips, and walked to the free throw line with a chuckle. Soon, a shout broke out in the relatively quiet gym:

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

64:54, as Li You made the free throw, the Mavericks requested a timeout. At this time, the boos in the American Airlines Arena stopped.

It took only three rounds to score 10 points. D'Antoni was so excited by Li You's performance that he secretly rubbed his hands and couldn't stop smiling. Everyone returned to their seats and immediately said loudly:
"Here's what we do, defend for the next few rounds and keep passing the ball to Lee!"

The mustache had already thrown the tactical board aside, which made several assistant coaches speechless. This tactic "I can do it too!"
On the Mavericks bench, looking at the silent players, Avery Johnson unbuttoned his suit and excitedly pumped his fist to send out chicken soup:

"We have plenty of playing time! Forget the score difference, believe in each other, move, don't stand still waiting for the ball!"

Noticing the head coach's distorted expression, Jason Terry and Josh Howard nodded quickly.

It was a one-on-one situation on the opposite side, and even the big guys would switch defense when they encountered a screen. Novis basically wanted to say something, but in the end he was encouraged by the chicken soup and just shouted "Come on."

"Let's go Mavs!"

After the timeout, the DJ on the scene shouted desperately, and the stadium was filled with uniform cheers again.

The director aimed the camera at Mark Cuban behind the basket. The big-mouthed boss' face turned red and he was shouting hard with the fans in the front row.

After the ball was kicked out from the sideline, Harris, who received the ball, first tried to pass the ball to Terry on the left wing, but Hill chased too fiercely and the newbie did not dare to pass the ball.

Watching his teammates cut in from the middle and run toward the right corner, Harris, holding the ball in his left hand, quickly set up a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki who bounced out to the left wing.

Holding the ball in his left hand and accelerating sideways, Harris wanted to pass the ball in advance, but he didn't expect Gasol to slide continuously and didn't return to defense.

After a quick break, Nowitzki wanted to catch the ball at the top of the arc, but he found that his teammates were surrounded by two people. He wanted to come to Logo's position to receive the ball, but just as Nowitzki moved his feet, he saw Li You, who was chasing him, snatch the ball from Harris' arms when he suddenly stopped and turned to protect the ball.
Without time to think, looking at Li You who was rushing with the ball, Novis basically slid and tried to delay him. Just as he opened his arms, he suddenly felt a chill in his crotch.

"Oh!"

With a flick of his left wrist, the basketball passed between Nowitzki's crotch and flew straight to the center line. He twisted his body to accelerate, dodged the pull, and amid the exclamations of the fans, Li You rushed across half court and successfully chased the ball.

With 1 against 0 in the frontcourt, Li You took off into the air in the paint area, changed hands in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, pulled his arm sideways, and swung his arm to dunk!
The basket exploded, and Mark Cuban's face turned even redder when he heard faint cheers from the back of the arena. He couldn't help but curse:
"Shet!"

Hearing the boos again, Li You, who had completed a dunk, pressed his hands down towards the fans and made a quiet gesture with an expressionless face.

66:54, the score difference widened, Avery Johnson on the sidelines paced back and forth, constantly yelling at the players.

Fortunately, this time Jason Terry caught the ball early, moved sideways with the ball in his right hand, and then immediately passed the ball back to Nowitzki who was separated.

Facing Gasol's defense, Nowitzki received the ball with his right hand, broke through, slowed down at the elbow, and then continued to play and squeezed into the paint area with a sideways step.

Suddenly changing the rhythm, Nowitzki took advantage of Gasol's center of gravity leaning forward to create a physical collision, then tilted his body to throw the ball!

"And one!"

Amid the shouting, the referee blew the whistle, the basketball bounced twice, and finally bounced out. Nowitzki clapped his hands in frustration, this was a perfect opportunity for a three-pointer.

66:56, thanks to Nowitzki's free throw, cheers rang out again in the stadium.

The double-digit point difference made the Mavericks' defense start to pounce on Li You, and the pick-and-roll on the left wing attracted three people to surround him again.

As Artest quickly cut in from left to right and his baseline layup was blocked by Dampier, cheers filled the arena.

After receiving the rebound, the "No. 1 center" saw his teammates and immediately made a long throw across half the court.

Although Harris, who was very fast without the ball, tried his best to catch up, his teammate’s pass was still a little too strong.

He barely caught up with the basketball at the free throw line, leaned forward, passed the ball, took three steps and tried to go straight for a layup.

At the bottom right side of the basket, Harris held the ball in his right hand in the air and heard the fans' screams. The moment the basketball left his hand, it was hit on the backboard with a "pop".

"OH! Blocked by Lee!"

Mike Breen in the commentary booth shouted excitedly, and Harris, who staggered and fell out of the baseline, only then saw Li You.

His teammates had no time to defend, and Jason Terry, who had just rushed across the center line, hurried to meet him. Seeing Li You rushing across the center line, the Mavericks' defensive formation was in chaos.

To everyone's surprise, Li You suddenly slowed down when he reached the top of the arc, quickly went in and out with his left hand, and pushed the ball out while leaning towards Jason Terry on the right.

The moment the confrontation occurred, Terry flew sideways, fell to the ground, and his headband fell off.

Li You took a step sideways and didn't hear the whistle. With no one guarding him, he made a quick three-point jump shot from the top of the arc!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

The American Airlines Arena was quiet again. Avery Johnson on the sidelines jumped up with an aggrieved expression on his face. He pointed at Terry and yelled:

"Hey! Hey! My player got knocked away!"

Mark Cuban, who stood up behind the basket, became even more angry, stared at the baseline referee and shouted:
"This isn't the NFL, someone knocked my player off the field! This is a f*cking foul!"

The referee explained that Terry's performance was too exaggerated, but he could vaguely hear Li Youzheng shouting "Soft" to the excited fans in the front row with a smile, and finally gave him a technical foul.
69:57, Nowitzki made another free throw, but an anxious look appeared on his face.

Hubie Brown watched Avery Johnson, who had broken through the defense, still chattering with the referee, and could only comment euphemistically:
"Jason Terry must be able to step up and score at this time. These defensive tricks can't stop Lee."

As the game continued, consecutive free throws seemed to help Nowitzki find his touch. This time he slipped to the baseline and came to the right blocking area to receive the ball, then made a successful jump shot against Gasol's defense.

Looking back, it was Jason Terry who cooperated with Harris to double-team at the top of the arc. Li You was not in a hurry and passed the ball back to Hill on the right wing. The latter did not rush to attack after receiving the ball.

The two players switched positions, Li You ran to the right side, and Hill at the top of the arc immediately called Artest in the left corner to slide across the baseline.

Moving faster, Artest set a no-ball screen under the basket. Li You slipped across the baseline without stopping, ignoring Josh Howard who was switching defense behind him, and continued to bounce out to the left wing.

Watching Li You move upwards, Hill passed the ball to Gasol in the left elbow area.

Josh Howard, who was defending him, wanted to speed up and squeeze in front to disrupt the hand-to-hand pass, but before he got close to the three-point line, Li You ran back again.

Gasol received the ball without any pause and made a ground pass. Li You, who had shaken off the defense, received the ball near the left baseline. The moment he received the ball, he leaned forward slightly and casually threw the ball to the backboard with his right hand.

"Bang!"

Watching the basketball bounce off the backboard and into the basket, Josh Howard, who was defending next to him, stood there in a daze, with an expression of disbelief on his dark face. A rebound at 0 degrees? This is still the finals?
The smooth cooperation made D'Antoni on the sidelines high-five again and again. The mustache couldn't help but reveal a proud smile on his face, and the red scarf on his chest seemed to be more colorful.
71:59, many Mavericks fans in the stadium were silent again. This was indeed a wonderful cooperation.

In the final minutes, Jason Terry tried to take over the game, but missed a layup and a jump shot;

The Knicks also failed to seize the opportunity. Gasol was disturbed when trying to get a pass under the basket, and Artest missed the open jump shot in the right corner.

When Dampier passed the ball in the left low post and was intercepted by Li You, Harris had no choice but to commit a foul.
The defensive cheers in the arena became quieter and quieter. Seeing Li You once again forcefully attack Nowitzki on the left wing after the pick-and-roll, all the Mavericks players retreated to the basket for a moment.

While moving, Li You made a quick gyroscope turn in the left blocking area, squeezed between two players into the paint area, and then threw the ball directly to the right corner.

Jason Terry moved his feet and started to return to defense, which just gave Hill an opportunity. He released the ball with his left hand and broke through, passing the defense in one step.

Amid the exclamations of the fans, Hill, who was near the paint area, suddenly jumped up, grabbed the ball with his left hand, faced Dampier in the air, and dunked!

"boom!"

The tomahawk dunk made the arena quiet again. Looking at Dampier who was staggering and holding the basket, the Mavericks temporarily requested a timeout.

"what!"

Artest hugged Hill who was posing under the basket and shouted. The atmosphere team also came forward to celebrate happily. Li You looked at the fans in the front row who were covering their faces and shook his head again, complaining in his heart:
"I gave you a chance, but you are useless."

In the second half of the third quarter, as Harris initiated a pick-and-roll and was directly intercepted by Li You, the newbie got carried away and committed his fifth foul, which marked a turning point in the game.

After Stackhouse came on the court, Jason Terry returned to the No. 1 position.

In the following rounds, in addition to Nowitzki and Stackhouse seizing the opportunity, Terry almost smashed the basket under Li You's defense.
On the Knicks side, Gasol made consecutive jump shots. After fighting for most of the game, Artest finally found his shooting touch again and made a three-pointer in the bottom corner.

The Knicks' score continued to rise. Harris, who returned to the bench, felt more and more uncomfortable. For a moment, his eyes turned slightly red. This was a chain reaction caused by him.

After the pick-and-roll, Jason Terry accelerated laterally with the ball in his left hand and faced Gasol who was delayed, and his quick stop jump shot from the left wing missed.

As the long rebound was picked up by Li You at the right elbow, the boos in the stadium died down.

Li You continued to accelerate along the left sideline. Josh Howard, who was chasing him, did not commit any more fouls and gave away free throws. His dark face was full of anxiety.

When approaching the left wing, Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, began to slow down. He looked up to observe the defense and saw Josh Howard in front of him suddenly rushing to steal the ball. He lowered his center of gravity and quickly went in and out.

While pushing the ball outward, Li You swayed to the left front, and the moment he deceived his opponent, he immediately changed direction forward.

"Oh!"

The fans at the scene exclaimed, Josh Howard was passed by one step, and Li You on the right flew low to the ground and went straight to the basket.

Dampier, who had just retreated back to the paint area, felt Li You appear in front of him in the blink of an eye. He instinctively slid to the left and then lost his defensive position.

Li You swayed to the right and rushed to the left, and while moving, he easily shook off the defense with a big European step. At the same time, he jumped with his left foot and dribbled the ball with his left hand.

Danville was spinning around under the basket, his mind was dazed until he heard the sound of the basketball going into the net.
88:68, the score difference still reached 20 points.

In the last round, after a quick baseline ball was served, the American Airlines Arena became increasingly quiet as Nowitzki missed a three-pointer from the right wing. Some children sitting in the front had already started to cry.

Walking towards the bench with his head down, Nowitzki kicked over the chair as soon as he returned to his seat. The German was extremely frustrated. The game suddenly collapsed and he could not accept such a result.

The staff looked at Nowitzki sitting on the floor and didn't know how to comfort him for a moment. Jason Terry made 6 of 0 shots in a single quarter and scored 0 points. This cannot be blamed entirely on the boss.

Knowing that he had not performed well, Terry, wearing a white headband, lowered his head and stared at the floor. The big contract was gone.
In a single quarter, Nowitzki scored 6 points, making 3 of 2 shots, 0 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 5 of 11 free throws, almost accounting for all the points for the team.

Playing the entire third quarter, Li You made 7 of 7 shots, 3 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 6 of 6 free throws, with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. While filling the stat column, Li You also surpassed the Mavericks in personal scoring.

No one left the American Airlines Arena, but most fans no longer had any hope, and the noise became much quieter.

Hubie Brown, who was looking through the technical statistics, really had a hard time commenting on the game. Everyone knew that Li You would explode in the third quarter, but the opponent just couldn't defend him.

The old coach showed a regretful expression on his face. Looking at Nowitzki who returned to the court, he could only send his blessings:

"20 points, I think the Mavericks still have hope, they must narrow the gap to 10 points as soon as possible."

Mike Breen noticed that Li You was also on the court, and he knew that the Mavericks had no hope, so he said tactfully:
"Unless Jason Terry can explode, I think this is the Mavericks' only chance!"

As the fourth quarter progressed, the Mavericks fans in the American Airlines Arena were completely in despair. Facing the Knicks' small lineup, Nowitzki and Terry kept missing shots.

Some rounds would go to the free throw line, and Nowitzki's free throws were still accurate, but the score difference never narrowed.

Prince and Raja Bell quietly seized the opportunities for open three-pointers, while Dio, who frequently stood at the free throw line, repeatedly made assists for Gasol to easily score.

Li You, who occasionally passed the ball from the top of the arc, firmly controlled the rhythm of the game. Occasionally he grabbed rebounds and launched fast breaks, and the Mavericks could only pay with fouls.

With 6 minutes and 56 seconds left in the game, Li You stood on the free throw line again. The Mavericks entered the free throw state early and the game was no longer suspenseful.

"Oh! Shush!"

Cheers and boos appeared in the arena at the same time. Li You, who was replaced by Old Fish, waved to the fans with a smile. There was no suspense in the series anymore.

Jason Terry's three-pointer came a little late. Although Marquis Daniels, who came off the bench, scored consecutively, the Knicks' veteran Finley also responded in time.

As Nowitzki was also substituted out, the American Airlines Arena turned into a library.

At the back of the arena, Dallas' fat cheerleaders stopped cheering on the fans. Everyone looked at each other, as if they couldn't believe that the finals were over.

The referee didn't add any more drama to himself, and the last minute or so passed quickly. When the final buzzer sounded, Fisher handed the ball to the referee, then grinned and hugged his teammates on the court.

116:88, the huge score difference made Mavericks fans feel desperate.

Michael Finley had a look of regret on his dark face as his former teammates left the player tunnel early without saying hello.

"Michael, be happy, we will lift the O'Brien Cup the day after tomorrow! This is the highlight of your career!"

Old Fish didn't care about the scattered boos in the arena at all. He hugged Finley to comfort him. This was indeed the easiest finals he had ever experienced.

"I know that maybe in the future I will come back here to help the team. This is what it feels like to be a champion."

Finley, wearing the Knicks' blue away jersey, gradually smiled. The excitement in his heart was hard to contain. He really deserved to enjoy the victory.

Scott and the ABC staff on the sidelines were a little embarrassed. The home team players refused to be interviewed. Seeing Mark Cuban angrily come to the technical table to complain, everyone was speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, they had already made a plan for such a scenario, and they quickly moved to Li You's side. Looking at the familiar smiling face, Scott, who was holding his glasses, hurriedly wished:
"Lee, congratulations on getting the match point. Let's talk about your performance tonight. You scored 40+ in the finals again. This is an amazing achievement!"

出场38分钟，21中14，三分线外8中5，罚球10中9，42分8篮板8助攻4抢断1盖帽，没有失误。

Although the data column was filled, Li You could only give himself a score of 9, and responded modestly:

"The Mavericks' defense really worked. They cut off the connection between me and my teammates. Fortunately, my shooting was pretty good tonight."

"I should have been able to provide more assists. We lacked patience in the first half, and I want to praise our opponent for that!"

"."

Li You's high standards made the black reporter laugh dryly. He didn't do many interviews during the regular season, which often caused him to lose track of his thoughts:

"I noticed that many Knicks legends have come to Dallas. Will you finish the series the day after tomorrow?"

"Of course, anything is possible in a basketball game. We don't want to be the first team in history to be reversed 3:0! Therefore, everyone will still go all out in G4!"

Hearing the affirmative answer, I couldn't help but think of Li You's "15-point theory". The ABC staff understood that Li You was still modest at that time.
At this time, Nowitzki, who had already returned to the locker room, sat in his seat without saying a word. He should have accepted an interview, but in the end he was unable to put aside his pride and face the failure calmly.

Harris was crying silently on the side. The rookie shot 5 of 0 tonight and got 2 points from free throws. This year's finals was a painful lesson for him.

No one spoke in the locker room. Jason Terry felt uncomfortable. He took off his headband, looked at Nowitzki who was looking down, and said in a muffled voice:

"Dirk, it's my fault. I played so badly and we wasted a perfect first half."

Everyone listened to Terry's mumbling, and the mood became even lower for a moment. Nowitzki did not respond, because he knew that his reputation would be completely ruined after the finals.

Sitting in his seat without saying anything, Jason Terry felt particularly uncomfortable. He knew that he had harmed the boss:

“Why are we labeled as “softies”?”

(End of this chapter)