amaotonovel Chapter 465 Philadelphia's Terrible Decision
Chapter 465 Philadelphia's Terrible Decision
Amid applause from the entire stadium, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air.
With a snap, Claxton was the first to touch the basketball.
The basketball flew towards Westbrook on the side.
After taking a step forward, Westbrook controlled the ball.
Harden immediately appeared in front of Westbrook.
Two former teammates faced off for the first time in the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the expected sparks did not fly.
Westbrook passed the ball behind him.
Wang Xiucheng appeared out of nowhere and took the ball away.
With a thud, the basketball hit the ground. Wang Xiucheng turned and dribbled the ball, taking the opportunity to get past Tucker, who was trying to block him.
This move caused Wang Xiucheng to cross the center line directly.
beep!
The referee's whistle blew.
Wang Xiucheng's hand was held captive by the takra.
But Wang Xiucheng still held the ball with one hand and threw it out.
Bang!
The basketball hit the rim and bounced out of bounds.
Although the ball didn't go in, the fans in the stadium still gasped in surprise.
The ball wasn't off by much; if it had been a little further off, Wang Xiucheng might have actually managed to throw it in.
"Free throws! Three free throws!" Wang Xiucheng shouted at the referee who was awarding the penalty.
The referee ignored Wang Xiucheng and simply gestured to the scorer's table that Tucker had fouled him.
"Free throw, free throw..."
The fans in the stadium also started shouting, trying to put pressure on the referee.
Wang Xiucheng stopped arguing and stood in the center circle.
Westbrook came to the sideline, received the ball from the referee, and prepared to inbound the ball.
Wang Xiucheng suddenly moved.
Instead of running towards the attacking direction, he ran back to his own half of the field.
Tucker, who was defending Wang Xiucheng, couldn't keep up with him at all.
Wang Xiucheng easily received the basketball and then advanced it to the frontcourt.
After a brief pause, Wang Xiucheng dribbled between his legs and pulled back, then used another crossover to get past Tucker and into the paint.
Embiid, who was defending Claxton, had no choice but to come over to help defend.
Wang Xiucheng tossed the basketball high into the air, past Embiid's outstretched hand, and flew towards the basket.
With a thud, Claxton intercepted the ball with one hand and dunked it into the basket, scoring the Nets' first point of the night.
The fans in the stadium burst into enthusiastic applause, and then gradually sat down.
Harden glanced at Wang Xiucheng, who was backing away.
Compared to last year, Harden believes Wang Xiucheng has made tremendous progress this year.
Wang Xiucheng now resembles an experienced point guard.
Harden believes that Wang Xiucheng's passes are not fancy, but they can still get to a very suitable place.
The ball that was just passed to Claxton wasn't particularly high, but Embiid just couldn't reach it.
This kind of pass makes it very easy for the center to get a free kick.
As for Wang Xiucheng's scoring ability, Harden has no doubt about it. His 62-point performance at Madison Square Garden proves it.
It's worth noting that Harden's own single-game scoring record of 61 points comes from two games. One of them was in January 2019 at Madison Square Garden, and the other was two months later against the Spurs.
He is also one of only two active players to score 60 points or more twice in a single season; the other is Lillard.
He was still with the Rockets at that time, and he was 30 years old.
Wang Xiucheng was only 20 years old when he broke his own and Kobe's records!
It's hard to imagine how many records this guy will break in the next decade.
It was as if he had broken numerous regular season records in just one year.
Stopping all that, after receiving the inbound pass from Tucker, Harden faced his former teammate Westbrook's defense and used his body to advance to the frontcourt.
Embiid, who had been standing at the top of the key, reached out for the ball, and Harden passed it to him.
Claxton stood right behind Embiid.
Then, Embiid dribbled with his back to the basket, used his butt to push Claxton inside the free-throw line, and then turned and shot a mid-range jumper.
Swish!
The ball went in.
Both teams scored on their first attack.
Claxton slammed the ball hard on the ground in frustration, then went to the baseline and passed it to Wang Xiucheng.
In this game, Philadelphia's defensive king Xiu Cheng was neither Harden nor Maxi.
It was Tucker.
It was unwise for Harden to waste his energy defending Wang Xiucheng.
Maxi is only 188 cm tall, and although he is very fast, it is difficult for him to defend against Wang Xiucheng's shots.
Although Tucker is slow, he has a strong physique. Let's see if using him to temporarily defend against Wang Xiucheng will have a surprising effect.
As it turns out, this decision was a complete disaster.
Wang Xiucheng quickly moved the ball to the frontcourt, and Claxton came over to set a screen for him.
Wang Xiucheng entered the paint, and Tucker bypassed Claxton to chase him in.
But Wang Xiucheng suddenly braked and leaned his body towards Tucker behind him.
The moment the two made contact, Wang Xiucheng sprang up like a spring and immediately threw the ball out.
Embiid tried to swat the ball down, but his swat landed on thin air again.
Swish!
The ball goes in!
beep!
The referee blew the whistle.
Wang Xiucheng took two steps forward to cushion the impact and shouted at the referee at the baseline: "andone!"
The referee entered the field and gestured to the scorer's table that the goal was valid and a penalty kick would be awarded.
Wang Xiucheng clenched his fist.
Durant and Westbrook came over and helped Wang Xiucheng up.
Wang Xiucheng straightened his jersey and then stood at the free throw line.
It spun around, patted itself, and then threw it.
Swish!
The ball goes in!
Three points scored successfully.
5:2.
Philadelphia's head coach Doc Rivers rested his hands on his knees, watching Wang Xiucheng walk past him.
It seems that Tucker can't defend against Wang Xiucheng.
Who on our side can stop Wang Xiucheng?
As he was thinking, Harden had already dribbled the ball past half-court and passed it to Embiid, who was reaching out for the ball.
Embiid once again used his rear end to push into the paint, then turned and banked in another basket for another score.
Philadelphia scored two more points.
In terms of weight, Claxton is simply no match for Embiid.
This was something the Nets had anticipated before the game.
At that moment, Nash was also standing in front of the scorer's table, watching Embiid stagger back on defense while giving Harden a high-five.
Nash knew that the Nets were at a disadvantage in the paint.
But Nash believes the Nets are stronger in other positions, including point guard.
With two thuds, Nash saw Wang Xiucheng dribble between his legs and break past Tucker once again.
This time, Tucker didn't try to steal the ball from behind, nor did he try to catch up with Wang Xiucheng.
He practically watched as Wang Xiucheng came to the three-point line and then combined with the ball to shoot the first three-pointer of the game.
Swish!
After throwing the ball, Wang Xiucheng squatted down slightly upon landing, and his neck tilted to the right.
The ball's trajectory seemed a bit off; Wang Xiucheng was adjusting it as if using some kind of mystical method.
Embiid saw this too, and the next moment he blocked Claxton, preparing to grab the rebound.
However, his response was a crisp "whoosh".
The basketball slammed into the net like a cannonball.
Then it slammed onto the floor with a thud and bounced back up.
Three-pointer, in!