Chapter 336: The First Kill
"brush!"

At this time, Hamilton ran out of the open space and Billups passed the ball to him. He received the ball and made a jump shot on the right wing.

"Bang!"

Nash used a breakthrough to create an open space for Josh Howard, and Howard took a long two-point shot from the left wing three-point line, but missed.

When He Zhongqiu squeezed out Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace had already grabbed the rebound and the Pistons went on the attack.

Rasheed Wallace moved to a position two steps and three meters outside the right waist position, one step inside the three-point line, and He Zhongqiu defended at the right waist position.

The Knicks also used a three-two zone defense, with him and Varejao guarding the left and right waist positions, but without fixed positions.

His defensive coverage area can reach the three-point line, so he mainly defends Rasheed Wallace who has a wider offensive range.

Seeing that Rasheed Wallace had a three-meter wide open space, Billups passed the ball despite knowing that the Wolverines were very fast.

But he first made a fake pass to Prince on the left wing, and then suddenly passed the ball to Rasheed Wallace.

He Zhongqiu did glance to the left wing before diving at Rasheed Wallace.

As he landed on his first stride, Rasheed Wallace caught the ball.

When he took the second small step, he was already sixty centimeters away from Rasheed Wallace, within his reach, and at this time Rasheed Wallace had already jumped up.

The next moment, Rasheed Wallace threw the basketball out firmly.

Almost at the same time, He Zhongqiu soared into the sky, waving his arms to block the opponent's shooting space.

"Take it!"

He grabbed with both hands and used the precise Eagle Claw technique to catch the ball.

"what?"

Rasheed Wallace, who shot the ball, and Billups, who passed the ball, were both shocked.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden was once again filled with cheers.

"Beautiful! Very beautiful block!" Barkley shouted excitedly.

"This block was very demoralizing," said Kenny Smith.

He Zhongqiu landed behind Rasheed Wallace, outside the three-point line, and immediately started fast forward, dribbling the ball with his left hand, holding Rasheed Wallace with his right elbow, and started fast forward with the ball along the left sideline.

Rasheed Wallace tried his best to keep up, and at the same time used his left arm to clamp He Zhongqiu's right arm to prevent He Zhongqiu from rushing forward.

At the same time, Hamilton, who was closest, also rushed over.

"Di!"

The referee blew the whistle and called a defensive foul on Rasheed Wallace.

Rasheed Wallace was furious and roared at the referee: "Which eye of yours saw me commit a foul? Do you believe I will file a complaint against you?"

He Zhongqiu reminded him, "Asshole, you clamped the ball handler's arm, which is my arm, outside the free throw line. That's a foul."

"..."

When Rasheed Wallace saw Wolverine's cold eyes, his anger instantly dissipated.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle sounded again at this time, and he gave Roaring Lord a technical foul, which made Rasheed Wallace so angry that he almost vomited blood.

"Haha! Roaring Lord is too uncalm." Barkley laughed.

"The referee's whistle and the league's fines can't calm him down, but Wolverine can calm him down." Kenny Smith laughed.

The Pistons wanted to win this game very much, and they fought very hard, playing defense at its strongest from the beginning.

The Knicks were playing back-to-back games and were in average physical condition, generally not as good as the Pistons who were well-rested.

In this situation, He Zhongqiu, who has the best physical fitness, can only step up and try to carry the team on both offense and defense.

In the 11th minute of the second quarter, Hamilton made his third three-pointer of the game, and the two teams tied for the fourth time, and the Knicks attacked.

A minute ago, He Zhongqiu was substituted out, leaving Varejao and Rahim in the paint.

"Bang!"

Rahim pulled out for a jump shot, but missed under the defense of McDyess. Varejao and Ben Wallace were fighting for the rebound under the basket.

"Ouch!"

Valanciunas failed to grab the ball, collided with Ben Wallace in the air, lost his balance, twisted his left ankle when he landed, and fell to the ground immediately.

He Zhongqiu, who was sitting on the bench, saw Vallejo's expression and was in great pain. Was this an outburst of acting skills, or was he really injured?

There was no need to guess what happened next. Rahim ran over and asked, then immediately signaled to the bench to make a substitution and asked the team doctor to come up.

"WX! Are you really injured?"

He Zhongqiu stood up and looked at Valanciunas' expression. The injury was not light. Valanciunas' left ankle itself had hidden injury risks. Could it be that the ligament was broken?

Rick Carlisle handled the unexpected injury calmly, and when the second quarter was almost over, he did not let He Zhongqiu go up, but let David Lee take over.

The game continued on the court, and the team doctor checked Varejao's injury on the sidelines. The result was disappointing. It was a ligament problem. It should not be broken, but most likely torn. He had to go to the hospital for examination.

The team doctor immediately arranged a stretcher and went to the hospital together.

At the end of the first half, the score was 46:48, and the Knicks were trailing by two points.

"The Knicks' defense didn't work out today and their physical fitness was not very good," said Kenny Smith.

"Back-to-back games are like this. Players' sleep and diet will be seriously affected, and their physical fitness will naturally be affected as well," Barkley said.

"The Pistons played very well on offense and had a very good touch. The whole team made seven three-pointers in the first half," said Kenny Smith.

"Prince made two, Hamilton made three, and Billups also made two. If they continue like this, it will be difficult for the Knicks to win in today's state." Barkley said.

Kenny Smith said: "The Pistons took so many three-point shots today, I think it was because of the Wolverines' defense.

When this kind of touch is on, they can beat any team, but when the touch is off, with the Wolverines' strong offensive ability, they can quickly make a comeback."

"It's like this, the Wolverines had two blocks in the first four minutes of the first quarter, and then the Pistons added three-point shots," Barkley said with a smile.

After the third quarter, the Knicks trailed by 6 points.

He Zhongqiu rested for four minutes in the first half and played the entire third quarter. As his teammates were not in good shape, he went all out and scored 37 points including free throws.

At the beginning of the final quarter, Rick Carlisle sent out He Zhongqiu, Rahim, Michael Finley, Crawford, and Nash.

The team was now behind, and in order to catch up and give He Zhongqiu time to adjust his physical strength in the first half, Rick Carlisle sent out the strongest offensive lineup.

This lineup can be called an All-Star lineup. Except for Crawford, the other four have been selected as All-Stars. However, except for He Zhongqiu, they are all All-Star substitutes.

Of course, Rahim and Finley are not at their peak and have long lost their All-Star strength, while Crawford's efficiency is low. In addition, this lineup has little defense and was not in good shape today, so it is not actually that star-studded.

Rick Carlisle also took a gamble to see if he could catch up with the score in the first half.

On the Pistons side, Sanders sent out McDyess, Ben Wallace, Hamilton, Billups and Prince.

McDyess was traded by the Knicks in order to get Battier. He did not get a contract extension after playing with the Suns that season, but instead got a four-year, $4 million contract with the Pistons.

"Bang!"

At the beginning of the final quarter, Rahim missed a mid-range shot under the defense of McDyess.

"boom!"

Ben Wallace was about to grab the backcourt rebound when he saw a huge shadow rising behind him. He was then knocked forward by the huge force, and then a sound of the rim bursting above his head was heard.

"damn it!"

Ben Wallace, who had fallen headfirst to the floor, got up in a panic. It was undoubtedly Wolverine.

"Pretty!"

Barkley said excitedly: "Wolverine made a tip-in over Big Ben's head and dunked over Big Ben."

"Bang!"

Prince took a shot from a small open position, but missed.

He Zhongqiu grabbed the backcourt rebound, but did not initiate a fast break. Instead, he set the tempo for a positional battle.

Against the Pistons, he had a huge advantage in the half court because the Pistons had no height inside. He went down to the left wing low post and Ben Wallace came to defend him.

It is impossible to defend against him, as the injury-ridden veteran McDyess has poor confrontation ability. Under his violent style of play, the possibility of injury is too high, so Ben has to play alone.

Rahim moved to the right wing and pulled McDyess to the right waist position. He Zhongqiu received the ball in the low post on the left wing and singled out Ben Wallace.

"Oh!"

With the combined force of their strength, Ben Wallace flipped over.

"boom!"

Turning around and taking a step forward, He Zhongqiu made a one-handed slam dunk.

"Ben Wallace couldn't withstand the Wolverine's back-to-the-basket attack, and the Knicks were still two points behind," said Kenny Smith.

Barkley said: "Wolverine is a physical monster. He played 32 minutes in the first three quarters and played at full strength on both offense and defense. Now he still has plenty of energy."

Kenny Smith said: "There is no phenomenal and historical superstar who is not physically strong. People who are not physically strong cannot achieve brilliant achievements."

"Damn it Kenny, are you implying something to me?"

Barkley cursed in his heart and said with a smile: "Yes, they are all physical monsters, just like Michael's six championships and Chamberlain's 20,000 kills."

"Haha, you listened to his bragging? Haha..." Kenny Smith laughed.

"brush!"

Hamilton made a mid-range shot, widening the gap to 4 points.

He Zhongqiu ran directly to the basket, attracting a double-team from the Pistons' inside players. Rahim got an open space on the right wing and immediately received the pass from Nash.

"brush!"

Rahim hit a long two-pointer this time.

Next, He Zhongqiu frequently went to the basket to position himself, sparing no effort to create open opportunities for other teammates.

It’s not that he doesn’t play himself. As long as he receives the ball under the basket, he will attack on his own and won’t pass the ball.

Ben Wallace and McDyess's double-teaming couldn't defend him at all. He had jumping ability but no height, and had height but no jumping ability, which couldn't limit his receiving the ball and attacking the basket.

He bombarded the ball wildly, making 4 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 free throws in half a quarter, scoring 11 points, leading the team to overtake the score and lead by 2 points.

But the Pistons were in really good shape tonight. Guard Carlos Delfino, who came off the bench, made three of three shots in two minutes and reversed the score.

Rick Carlisle was forced to call a timeout immediately and replaced Battier and Josh Howard to strengthen the outside defense.

In the 9th minute of the final quarter, the score was 94:96 and the Pistons were still leading by 2 points. After the timeout, the Knicks attacked.

"Bang!"

He Zhongqiu entered the basket and attracted the double-team of the two Wallaces. Rookie David Lee got an open space in the right blocking area on the right wing and received the pass from Nash, but under Hamilton's fierce defense, he made a hasty shot and missed the ball.

At the critical moment, He Zhongqiu grabbed the offensive rebound over Rasheed Wallace's head, cut in one step after landing, and then stood up on one foot, facing Ben who jumped to block the shot with a fierce and powerful slam dunk.

"boom!"

"Di!"

While dunking over Big Ben, Big Ben's hand hit his arm and the referee's whistle sounded.

"Oh ho!"

The roar and cheers from Madison Square Garden rose high.

"Oh, two plus one, Wolverine made a two plus one at the critical moment, and Ben Wallace had five fouls." Barkley shouted.

"50 points, congratulations to Wolverine, the third time in his career that he scored 50+ in a single game." Kenny Smith said with a smile.

"Scoring 50+ in a single game is nothing special. It's only amazing if you score 50+ in several games in a row," Barkley said with a smile.

"brush!"

He Zhongqiu made the free throw.

97:96, the Knicks overtook by one point.

Next, He Zhongqiu focused on defense while attacking the basket with all his strength on the offensive end, playing high-quality offense and defense in the last bit of time.

As for the Pistons, they were in great shape and were not defeated by He Zhongqiu.

Frightened by He Zhongqiu's blockade, the Pistons shot from the outside. Sanders replaced the backup shooting guard with Maurice Evans, who made 3 of 2 shots.

Evans, like Canos just now, is a role player, even a marginal player, but he broke out in this game.

With 12 seconds left, the two sides were tied at 102:102, the seventh time.

The Knicks had the ball and called a timeout.

"The last attack will definitely be given to Wolverine, and the Pistons will definitely defend Wolverine with all their strength." Kenny Smith said.

"It is also possible that someone else will shoot. After Wolverine attracts double-teaming, there will definitely be an open space," Barkley said.

The timeout ends and the Knicks serve the ball from the frontcourt sideline.

The Knicks sent out their starting lineup, with Abdur-Rahim at power forward, who served the ball.

The Pistons have the Pistons' Big Five.

"Di!"

The referee blew the whistle, indicating that the serve time had come.

Nash and the other three ran at full speed, Hamilton followed Josh Howard, Billups followed Nash, and Prince followed Battier.

He Zhongqiu immediately entered the low post on the left wing, and the two Wallaces double-teamed him in advance.

At this time, Nash got rid of Billups and received the pass from Rahim, but he did not launch an attack immediately, but held the ball on the outside.

Barkley said: "The Knicks are not going to give the Pistons an offensive opportunity when wasting time. If the offense fails, it will go into overtime."

As time passed, with four seconds left, Nash pulled to the right wing.

At this time, Battier, who was one step inside the three-point line on the right wing, suddenly came out to do a pick-and-roll. Nash took the opportunity to get rid of Billups and pulled to the top of the arc.

At this time, He Zhongqiu, who had been motionless, suddenly moved, took a step forward to get rid of the double-team, and then quickly moved sideways to the penalty area.

"Whoosh!"

Nash passed the ball in.

"Snapped!"

He Zhongqiu caught the ball with both hands.

At this time, he had reached the front of the basket, with Big Ben blocking him from behind and Rasheed Wallace on his right. Four big hands were grabbing him, locking him tightly.

But the next moment, he turned left with all his strength.

With the ferocious power bursting out, Roaring Tianzun, who had hooked his right arm, was directly knocked over by his power and fell to the ground.

After breaking free from Rasheed Wallace's dunk, he jumped on one foot, pushed Ben with his left elbow, grabbed the ball with his right hand, turned over and dunked fiercely.

"boom!"

The moment the basket exploded, the lights on the backboard lit up.

"Oh ho!"

The entire Madison Square Garden was in a state of complete excitement.

"Di Di!"

The referee indicated that the two points were valid and blew the final whistle.

"Beautiful! This is a buzzer-beater, and also the first buzzer-beater in Wolverine's career." Barkley shouted excitedly.

"104:102, the Knicks beat the Pistons at home." said Kenny Smith.

"Wolverine scored 37 points in the first three quarters, 18 points in the final quarter, and 55 points in the whole game, breaking his personal single-game scoring record," Barkley said.

Kenny Smith said: "In this game, the Knicks were in average shape, on the contrary, the Pistons were in very good shape, with a total of 6 players scoring in double digits. Unfortunately, they were dominated by the Wolverines."

Barkley said: "This shows the value of a superstar. He can decide the outcome of the game by himself."

(End of this chapter)