Chapter 98: 25-point comeback?

Lakers offense.

Seeing Wolverine, the rookie who had provoked him, score 9 points in a row, Kobe became more competitive. Also, because Phil Jackson sent O'Neal up, he thought it was a sign of lack of trust in him, so his competitive spirit became even stronger and he just shot as soon as he got the ball.

"Bang!"

"Oh, Kobe missed his second shot in this quarter. Now the Knicks have a chance to catch up," said Kenny Smith.

"Charlie Ward pushes forward, will Wolverine go to the basket? No, he's positioned outside the left waist," Barkley said quickly.

The ball was in the hands of Alan Houston on the right wing, with Kobe defending.

Kobe was highly focused, half leaning forward, staring at the mid-range shooting king who was one step away like a wolf, with a look as if he wanted to eat him. His main goal was to intimidate his opponent with his momentum first.

Alan Houston also half-leaned forward, placed the ball with both hands under his right ribs, preparing to break through.

At this moment, He Zhongqiu, who was one step outside the left waist position, suddenly cut inside and entered the paint area from the bottom side of O'Neal along the baseline.

But he did not go directly to the basket. After passing O'Neal, he suddenly moved sideways upwards, trapping O'Neal, who was a beat slower to react, behind him.

After O'Neal reacted, he tried to push He Zhongqiu away, but in a contest of absolute strength, he was no match for him. He Zhongqiu used all his strength to nail him in front of him like a nail.

"Whoosh!"

Alan Houston threw the basketball with both hands and it flew towards He Zhongqiu in the air on the left side of the basket.

At this moment, all the fans in Madison Square Garden widened their eyes.

"boom!"

Amid the loud sound of the basket blasting, He Zhongqiu hung on the basket.

"Oh ho!"

A huge cheer rang out again in Madison Square Garden.

"alley-oop!"

The roars of the two live commentators rolled over the sky above Madison Square Garden like thunder, and lasted for a long time.

"Beautiful! An alley-oop dunk from the connection between Wolverine and the mid-range shooting king."

Kenny Smith shouted excitedly, and then said: "The score is now 92:78. The Wolverines scored 11 points in a row. The Lakers still didn't score a single point in the final quarter. Now the Knicks are still 14 points behind."

"O'Neal was tired and his movement speed was obviously not as fast as in the first half," said Magic Johnson.

"Wolverine's physical fitness is obviously better than that of the Great Shark, and he moves faster," Barkley said.

"But Wolverine's movement speed is not as fast as in the first half, and his physical energy is being consumed rapidly. Especially these four dunks, which consumed a lot of physical energy," said Magic Johnson.

Lakers offense.

Kobe didn't want the ball this time and played without the ball.

Backup guard Brian Shaw passed the ball to Devin George on the left wing, who was about to pass it to O'Neal in the low post on the left wing.

"Snapped!"

Just as George dribbled one step to the left and prepared to pass the ball, substitute forward Li Nailong seized the opportunity and successfully stole the ball.

"Oh no, Devin George made a mistake!" Magic Johnson exclaimed.

"Wolverine is coming down the court, O'Neal can't run anymore, and the Knicks are in a five-on-four situation in the frontcourt." Barkley said quickly.

He Zhongqiu was actually very tired, but better than O'Neal. He quickly ran to the frontcourt, bypassed Kobe who was defending at the top of the arc, and entered the penalty area from the right elbow area.

On the left wing, Charlie Ward, who had the ball, saw Wolverine cutting into the restricted area, and immediately pulled up the ball and threw it into the air in the restricted area in front of He Zhongqiu.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu flew towards the ball.

Robert Horry, who returned to the basket, chose to exit the legal collision zone in order to avoid giving the Wolverines a chance to make free throws.

"boom!"

"Oh ho!"

"alley-oop!"

As the sound of the basket burst, the cheers in Madison Square Garden rose again, and the roar of the live commentator rolled over the arena.

"Wolverine played like crazy. He made 5 of 5 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 13 points in the final quarter." Kenny Smith shouted excitedly.

Magic Johnson said calmly: "92:80, the Lakers are only leading by 12 points. Now the Lakers should calm down, play positional warfare at a fast pace, and avoid mistakes."

"brush!"

Kobe made a fast break and made a quick stop jump shot from the right wing three-point line.

"Finally scored. The Lakers scored for the first time in the 3rd minute of the final quarter. Now the score is 94:80, leading by 14 points." Barkley said.

Next, Don Cheney called a timeout and replaced He Zhongqiu with backup center Michael Doriak.

At this time, Zen Master Phil Jackson also made an adjustment and replaced O'Neal who had just come on.

Since the Knicks replaced Wolverine, he thought O'Neal didn't need to be on the court. Kobe alone was enough to support the 14-point advantage, and O'Neal could wait until Wolverine came on the court.

But things went against his wishes, and the subsequent game was far beyond his expectations.

He Zhongqiu restored the Knicks' morale with his wave of offense. With the support of the fans, in the next half quarter, the others launched a counterattack frenzy and launched another wave of attack with a score of 18 to 10.

With Alan Houston attracting Kobe's defense, veteran Charlie Ward stepped up and took the lead in the attack, making 5 of 3 shots, 3 of 2 three-pointers, and scoring 8 points in a few minutes, leading this counterattack frenzy.

Halfway through the final quarter, at the ninth minute, the score was 104:98, and the Knicks were only 6 points behind.

The Lakers called their second timeout of the quarter, the first one being three minutes before.

"Shaq, you need to stop Wolverine from getting to the basket."

"Others need to prevent the opponent from making fast breaks in transition."

"Kobe, you are in charge of the offense. Pay attention to the inside and outside coordination with Shaq."

Phil Jackson doesn't want to lose this game. The Lakers are still tenth in the Western Conference. Every victory is very important. And if they are overturned after such a big advantage, where can he put his face as a championship coach?
On the Knicks side, Don Cheney said to He Zhongqiu: "Wolverine, you've rested for so long, are you okay?"

"Coach, don't ask me if I'm okay. This is an extremely rude question to a man." He Zhongqiu replied in a mixture of Chinese and English.

Philip held back his laughter and translated it, and then the bench burst into laughter.

Xia Song behind the bench was very happy. He Zhongqiu's personality was very suitable for the NBA. Yao Ming was okay, but Dazhi Daba's personality was not good. He probably wouldn't be able to make it in the NBA.

After the timeout, the Lakers replaced all their main players.

For the Knicks, Charlie Ward continues to play the number one position, followed by the other four main players.

"Charlie, if Wolverine has a chance, give him the ball," Don Cheney warned before going on the court.

It's difficult for him too. The Knicks don't have a good point guard. They have a talented center like Wolverine who is best at catching dunks, but there is no one to pass the ball to him.

The assist and passing abilities of the mid-range shooting king and the madman are average, their vision is not good, and they mainly rely on their own offense. The main point guard Ellis' ability is average, while Charlie Ward and Wolverine have better cooperation.

After the timeout, the Lakers attacked.

"There are 141 seconds left," said Kenny Smith.

"Kobe made only 4 of 1 shots in the final quarter and didn't have the touch he had in the third quarter. Let's see how he performs in these two minutes," Barkley said.

"If the Knicks can make a comeback today, it means this team has undergone a very big change," Magic Johnson said solemnly.

"What changes?"

Kenny Smith and Barkley both asked curiously.

At this time, Kobe ran from the right wing to the top of the arc to receive the ball, and then made a three-point jump shot. The madman who was defending him was half a beat slower.

"Bang!"

Kobe's shot was very powerful, as if he had used up all his strength, but in fact his strength was very gentle, so the ball was short and hit the rim and bounced back.

O'Neal and He Zhongqiu were confronting each other under the basket, and the anxious Big Shark started to use his elbows.

He was stuck outside and couldn't get into the basket, so he quietly elbowed He Zhongqiu in the waist from behind.

Of course, the force of such a hidden elbow would not be too great. It was like hitting a bull. Not only was it ineffective, it also provoked a counterattack from He Zhongqiu.

"You bastard!"

He Zhongqiu grabbed O'Neal's belly with his backhand and clawed at it hard.

"Hey!"

O'Neal screamed in pain.

"Snapped!"

Just as the basketball hit the rim, He Zhongqiu took the opportunity to grab the backcourt rebound.

"hiss!"

O'Neal covered his fat belly, feeling as if a piece of flesh had been dug out, and his head was covered in cold sweat.

"Quick attack!"

Don Cheney shouted loudly on the sidelines. "Wolverine left the Sharks behind, and the Knicks once again formed a five-on-four situation in the frontcourt." Barkley said quickly.

He Zhongqiu and Kurt Thomas ran in from the top of the arc, and the Lakers only had Samaki Walker, and O'Neal fell behind.

Advancing at high speed, Charlie Ward stopped at the left wing three-point line, saw two inside teammates rushing in, and immediately jumped up for a jump shot.

"Bang!"

The three-pointer missed, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced back.

"boom!"

"Di!"

He Zhongqiu jumped the highest and grabbed the offensive rebound over Samaki Walker's head, then jumped a second time and dunked the ball, causing Walker to commit a hand foul.

"Oh ho!"

The cheers and shouts in Madison Square Garden were earth-shaking, and the morale was so high that it could be ignited by a cigarette butt.

"104:100, a 4-point difference. With the Knicks' current morale, the Lakers are in danger." Kenny Smith said excitedly.

魔术师说道：“金刚狼末节的发挥实在太好了，6投6中，3罚3中，已经砍下了15分。目前他得到了29分。”

"A 25-point comeback is something that everyone except the Lakers fans would like to see," Barkley said excitedly.

Magic Johnson stared at the screen in front of him. Among the five players on the court, except Kobe who was still full of fighting spirit, the morale of the other four was very low.

He said disappointedly: "After the Lakers won three consecutive championships, they really lost their edge and pursuit. I really don't know how Michael won the second three consecutive championships."

"Ervin, you just said that if the Knicks can complete the comeback, it means that there has been a change. What does that mean?" Barkley asked.

Kenny Smith was also interested and looked at the magician.

"This Knicks team is Alan Houston's team," said Johnson. "He's not as tough or tough as Kobe, so the tough Knicks of the Ewing and Oakley era no longer exist."

Barkley nodded and said, "Yes, the Knicks offered the mid-range shooting king a billion-dollar contract, and then the Knicks didn't even make the playoffs last season.

Patrick had not missed the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons, so I don’t agree with Scott Layden’s ability to do his job.”

He and Ewing are good friends, and he has some opinions about the Knicks because the Knicks forced Ewing away after he got old, so he did not hesitate to publicly mock Layden, and even Alan Houston was involved.

Kenny Smith laughed and said, “Charles, no matter what you think of Layden’s ability, he has proven his ability by selecting Karl Malone and John Stockton for the Jazz.

Now the Knicks have brought in Wolverine, whose ability is enough to secure his position as chairman and general manager of the Knicks."

Barkley shrugged, smiled, and didn't respond.

At this time, He Zhongqiu missed the free throw, O'Neal got the backcourt rebound, and the Lakers attacked.

Magic Johnson continued the previous topic and said, "The addition of Wolverine may make this Knicks team regain its iron-blooded temperament. Who would object to my saying this?"

Barkley and Kenny Smith nodded at the same time, and the latter said: "After the fight with Conseco, Wolverine knocked out 12 people by himself, breaking and knocking out dozens of bones and teeth. The Postman himself confirmed that he has NBA destructive-level combat power. He is the toughest and most iron-blooded guy in the league."

"It is precisely because of this iron-blooded and tough temperament that the Knicks, with their morale boosted, have stronger fighting power and the confidence to complete a major comeback. This is a sublimation of temperament." Magic Johnson said.

At this time, O'Neal received the ball in the low post on the left wing and started to back-down He Zhongqiu.

"Oh!"

He Zhongqiu leaned forward and hit O'Neal's waist with his elbow from behind. A short burst of force penetrated O'Neal's body, causing his fat body to tremble in pain and he felt like he was going to pee.

"Fight with you!"

O'Neal got angry, gritted his teeth and held back his urine. While dribbling the ball, he thrust his left shoulder backward fiercely, hitting He Zhongqiu's chest, making a heavy impact sound that could be clearly heard by the whole audience.

He Zhongqiu was knocked back and took half a step back.

O'Neal's impact was like a sledgehammer, shaking his body.

It’s okay, he has a master-level iron vest and is unharmed.

The next moment, he pressed his chest against O'Neal again.

O'Neal was just about to take advantage of the situation to launch a second attack, creating a continuous impact force to defeat the hateful Wolverine in one fell swoop, but he was pushed back from behind and his plan failed.

At this moment, the madman defending on the left wing had already sandwiched O'Neal and took the ball away from him.

"damn it!"

O'Neal was so angry that he jumped up and down, but there was nothing he could do.

"This is the Lakers' fifth turnover in this quarter," Magic Johnson said disappointedly.

"squeak!"

The madman rushed forward with the ball and when he reached the three-point line on the right wing, he suddenly stopped.

"squeak!"

Rick Fox is old, and when he stepped on the emergency brake, he slipped and fell to the ground.

"brush!"

The madman made a three-point jump shot, and the next moment, there was a splash.

"Oh oh..."

Madison Square Garden cheers once again.

"Latrell? Yeah, our super scorer hit a three-pointer." The live commentator Harry Kosco shouted excitedly.

"104:103, we are only one point behind, one point!" the live commentator Bingo Boris roared excitedly.

"Dear viewers, a 25-point comeback is right in front of us, but can it really happen? Let's witness it with our own eyes," Barkley said excitedly.

"Yes, a big comeback led by a rookie center."

Kenny Smith still gave Magic Johnson face and did not bring up what Magic Johnson had just said.

"O'Neal has to get to the basket. He can't play against Wolverine from the outside. Wolverine is too strong and he can't get in at all. At this time, as long as the Knicks double-team in the low post, mistakes may occur." Magic Johnson said.

When the Lakers attacked, O'Neal actually squeezed towards the basket.

In the last bit of time, He Zhongqiu spared no effort in defending, but O'Neal, who was at least three times bigger than him, tried his best but could not get close to the basket.

"Wolverine, get him out."

"Ooooooh, the Shaq is banished from the paint."

The two on-site commentators roared with excitement.

Kobe, who was active on the right wing, had been waiting for O'Neal to get into position under the basket. When he saw that he failed to get into position, he quickly ran out of the three-point line and asked Fisher at the top of the arc for the ball.

"Can I come in?"

Magic Johnson asked after seeing Bryant take a three-pointer immediately after catching the ball.

"boom!"

The ball hit the rim and bounced to the left side of the rim, where it was caught by He Zhongqiu.

"Ugh!"

Magic Johnson sighed and said, "Kobe made all four of his first three-pointers, made only one of his six shots in the final quarter, and missed both of his three-pointers. It's hard to describe how good his touch is."

At this time, the Knicks' fast break was completed, O'Neal was once again excluded from the defense, and the Knicks formed a five-on-four situation in the frontcourt.

He Zhongqiu entered the basket and attracted Samaki Walker. Kurt Thomas got an open space one step outside the right waist and made a mid-range shot.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, the feel was a bit poor and I missed the target.

"boom!"

The next moment, He Zhongqiu suddenly jumped up and pressed Samaki Walker to complete a tip-in.

"boom!"

A tsunami-like cheer suddenly sounded, and Madison Square Garden was completely boiling.

"Wolverine dunked over Samaki Walker. We overtook the opponent. We completed a 25-point comeback..."

"Great! We completed a 25-point comeback against the OK combination..."

The two commentators jumped up from their chairs, screaming hysterically.

Looking at the Lakers players standing still on the court, Kenny Smith said: "For them, the final quarter should be a nightmare quarter."

Barkley laughed and said, "Wolverine played like a god in the final quarter. He made 7 of 7 shots, 4 of 3 free throws, and scored 17 points in a single quarter. He was the biggest contributor to the Knicks' comeback."

At this time, Magic Johnson looked at the time and said quietly: "There are 23 seconds left in the game. It is still uncertain whether the Knicks can really complete the comeback."

"Except for Kobe, the Lakers' morale has collapsed." Barkley laughed.

"A lot of the time, Kobe can decide the outcome alone," Magic Johnson said in an affirmative tone.

(End of this chapter)