Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 488 Durant's Shot of the Century

Live broadcast across the United States.

The game hadn't even started yet, but Barkley was even more nervous than the players from both teams present.

The Knicks' undefeated streak may come to an end today.

To paraphrase Kenny Smith's words, a dynasty may come to an end today.

Then the topic turned to Durant again.

"Damn, he's too young. He's still four months shy of 19."

Barkley shook his head and said, "I remember when I was 18, I was still hesitant about whether to give up basketball."

"At that time, no one believed in me. They thought I was too fat and not suitable for playing basketball at all."

"But Kevin, at the same age, has already become the best player on the planet."

Based on Durant's performance this season, he already deserves this assessment.

The cameras are on; the match is about to begin.

Barkley grew increasingly nervous, staring at Durant as he walked onto the court, and muttered, "Kevin, this game won't be easy. Good luck."

With a whistle, Yao Ming swiped the basketball away.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers and shouts.

Durant was completely focused and his attention was incredibly concentrated.

With a changed mindset, he has abandoned all distractions, focusing only on his opponent and winning the match.

During those days and nights, he enjoyed making progress, enjoyed encountering difficulties, enjoyed overcoming difficulties through hard work, and then his skills improved and progressed.

It's just a difficulty.

No one knew how much difficulty they had to overcome to develop such unparalleled skills.

What's so special about that Game 7?

Durant helped defend, and Billups bounced the ball to Yao Ming in the paint.

O'Neal immediately stepped up, refusing to give an inch.

Now that he's here, O'Neal, who had been coasting through the season, has become focused again.

The championship is within reach. Winning the championship will let the whole world know that Kobe was carrying me.

He can't win a championship without me, while I can win one with any top guard.

OK combination, with the O at the front.

When O'Neal gets serious, he's not easy to deal with. Yao Ming showed off his dreamlike footwork, but at the moment of release, he was still interfered with, and the basketball slid out of the rim.

Milicic, who came over to help defend, immediately jumped and stole the basketball.

Bender quickly returned to defense, while Yao Ming immediately spread his arms and lunged at Milicic.

Billups did the same, rushing towards Harris immediately.

Delaying the opponent's transition attack.

The Heat's fast break didn't go well.

At this point, Wade had already entangled with Durant, sticking close to him. Wherever Durant went, Wade followed.

After crossing half-court, Durant tried to move towards the paint, and Wade immediately stepped up to meet him.

He was much smaller than Durant, but incredibly strong. He gritted his teeth and perfectly executed Carlisle's plan: if you want to get in position, then knock me aside.

The match had barely begun when it seemed like the two teams were already locked in a decisive battle, resulting in a bloody rout.

Durant has already sensed Wade's determination.

When difficulties arise, we should find ways to solve them.

Tang Sen repeatedly reminded himself to use his brain when playing ball.

Read your opponents, read the game.

I hired a coach and kept watching game videos to cultivate my awareness in this area.

Bender backed down Wade to call for the ball, but before Milicic, positioned high up, could even release it, Bender had already pounced on him.

Directly double-team.

Percy immediately rushed over to provide backup.

With his back to goal, Durant, completely blocked, pretended to pass the ball to Posey, feinting, then used the momentum to his advantage, using Posey as a screen, and dribbled past Posey to cut to the baseline.

Billups was blocked by Posey, but Brown and Wade rushed over at the same time.

It's still a double-team.

It had a bit of the Bad Boys' mentality, relentlessly targeting Jordan.

But once you start moving, you have room to maneuver.

Durant, who was pretending to walk to the baseline, did not choose the simplest option of passing back to Posey. Instead, he made a surprise move, pulling back with a behind-the-back dribble and using Posey as a screen to block Brown behind him.

Then he made a sudden stop and pulled the ball directly against Billups.

Billups jumped in sync, stretching out his arms, but could only watch as Durant rose higher and higher.

The basketball slipped from his grasp, and an arrow pierced his heart.

The crowd cheered and jumped for joy.

Tang Sen couldn't help but applaud.

Jordan, standing nearby, scoffed and said, "Nice dribbling."

It's incredible that Durant, with such a high center of gravity, can dribble so well.

Tang Sen laughed and said, "There's nothing I can do about it, my arms are long."

While his center of gravity is high, his arms are incredibly long, which allows Durant to play like a point guard with excellent ball-handling skills, making him an anomaly on the court.

This extremely difficult shot was a microcosm of the entire match.

Tangsen saw through the Knicks' strategy.

First, focus all efforts on containing Durant and suppressing his performance, while leaving other players open.

Then let go of the lost points and make them back from Yao Ming.

In this game, Yao Ming was clearly prepared to give it his all.

The Celtics' eight-peat is too far off; if they win this year, it will be the first-ever four-peat.

Durant wanted to be recognized as a legend, so he intentionally gave Wade a Finals MVP award. Yao Ming, who has two Finals MVP trophies, also wanted to be recognized as a legend.

To become the true king of centers.

In the first quarter, facing O'Neal, Yao Ming went all out, combining inside and outside shooting, and even used his skyhook twice. He played 11 minutes in the quarter and scored 12 points.

That's very high.

Because Durant only scored 11 points.

At the end of the first quarter, the Heat led by only one point, 24-23.

In the past two years, thanks to the million-dollar training camp, the level of players has improved significantly, resulting in a substantial increase in the league's average points per game.

Scores are often 110 or even 120.

Scoring just over 20 points in a single quarter is already quite low.

This is enough to prove how hard both teams fought defensively in this game.

But it is in turbulent times that true heroes emerge.

The tougher the game, the more it highlights the star power of the players.

In the second quarter, Durant returned to the court after sitting on the bench for only two minutes.

They're aiming to play the entire game.

He immediately pushed past Wade, made a reverse run to get rid of him, then drove to the basket, received a pass from Milicic behind him, went to the baseline, and, despite Yao Ming's help defense, pulled away in mid-air to make a reverse layup.

If it were Kobe Bryant, who is 1.98 meters tall, scoring a goal like that wouldn't be surprising.

But Durant is a 2.08-meter tall guy.

Jordan, watching from the sidelines, was grinning from ear to ear, muttering to Tang Sen that this kid was inhuman, his physical abilities were too abnormal.

After a quarter of intense play, Durant has gradually adapted to the defensive intensity.

Although it is still difficult, he will seize every hard-won opportunity to make a move.

I got a taste of how Jordan was targeted back then.

In the second quarter, Billups stepped up.

He hit two consecutive three-pointers despite Harris's defense.

He scored 9 points in the quarter, the same as Yao Ming, helping the Knicks to reverse the score. He scored a high of 26 points in the quarter.

In the second quarter, Durant scored 10 points.

Scoring 21 points in the first half of a game at this level is incredible.

But the team fell behind.

The Heat only scored 21 points in the second quarter, allowing the Knicks to take the lead.

45 to 49, that's the score at halftime.

Carlisle was very excited.

My strategy seems to be working fine.

They still couldn't stop Durant, but Yao Ming withstood the pressure and scored a whopping 21 points in the first half.

In fact, Carlisle felt that Durant's stats were more valuable.

After all, Yao Ming was only facing O'Neal.

He can also bounce to the three-point line and shoot a three-pointer.

Durant, on the other hand, has a hard time even getting a single-digit spot.

Regardless, the Knicks have the upper hand.

Maintain your advantage, expand it further, and you'll win the game and lift the trophy.

In the third quarter, the Knicks' morale soared.

Riley also began to clearly target and suppress Yao Ming.

While Yao Ming was being suppressed, Wade, who had been quiet for half the game, stepped up. He made one low-flying breakthrough after another, driving straight to the basket and drawing fouls.

The referee didn't steal the spotlight in this game, but those few fouls were fine.

At that moment, Riley's heart pounded as he suddenly noticed a problem.

Before the third quarter was even over, O'Neal already had five fouls.

He suddenly realized that the Knicks had attacked the basket quite a lot today.

Then there was Yao Ming's all-out performance, and O'Neal committed many fouls in order to defend Yao Ming.

There's still a whole quarter of the game left.

Riley gritted his teeth and looked at Mourning.

Old man, it's your turn.

They have to hold on for a while, otherwise, in the final moments, they won't be able to do without O'Neal.

Mo Ning didn't waste any words, his face resolute as if he were about to face death.

Even without Riley's reminder, Durant already knew how difficult the situation was.

He rushed to the center line to receive the ball, stopped abruptly, changed direction, dribbled behind his back, and even getting close to the three-point line was extremely difficult.

Without prior notice, we faced the challenge head-on.

An extremely strange, halting dribble froze Wade in an instant, followed by a powerful pull-up shot.

Facing three-pointer.

The jump wasn't quite full, but the upper body remained as stable as a rock.

Brown, who was helping on defense, also went to great lengths, his hand almost covering Durant's eyes from the side.

But the ball still went in.

Carlisle grinned; Durant had already made several of those difficult shots.

On the sidelines, Jordan shook his head, saying, "Tang, this kid is getting incredibly close to me."

Tang Sen didn't reply, but just silently watched Durant.

Tang Sen really wanted to say that it doesn't have to be so difficult; you can trust your teammates.

Even this guy with the bald head next to me relies on Pippen.

In the third quarter, the score was 23-25.

The point difference continued to widen, reaching 6 points.

Durant scored 11 points in the quarter, leading the entire game.

When he walked off the field, you could tell he was exhausted, panting heavily and sweating profusely.

But it's not enough.

Mourning's will was as strong as steel, but he still couldn't withstand Yao Ming.

When the starters returned in the fourth quarter, Yao Ming immediately unleashed his power, scoring repeatedly against Mourning in one-on-one situations.

At this point, it was still Durant.

Each change of direction and each desperate jump shot kept the Heat going.

With 5 minutes remaining, O'Neal returned to the court.

With five criminal charges against him, his hands and feet were bound, but at least he could serve as a deterrent.

Moreover, Yao Ming already has four fouls.

Both teams' key players haven't had much rest and have pushed themselves to the limit.

At this moment, Carlisle was horrified to discover that the Knicks were the first to lose their grip on the score, allowing the Heat to catch up.

1 minutes 37 seconds.

When the ball went astray, Wade didn't hesitate and dove straight into the stands to save it.

Kadrick Brown received the ball and hit a long-range three-pointer.

The Knicks rallied to defeat their opponents 90-92.

There was dead silence.

But there is still time.

Durant passed the ball while double-teaming Milicic, but Milicic missed his jump shot.

With all-out defense, Yao Ming screened Durant, and Wade curled out for a three-pointer.

Posey made a crucial defensive save and made a full-fledged tackle.

The ball bounced off the rim.

With 51 seconds left in the game, it was almost breathtaking.

Riley's gaze was firm, and he decisively paused.

After the timeout, O'Neal set a screen, Durant made an off-ball run, caught the ball, and took a jump shot.

Missed.

In a life-or-death moment, Milicic leaped with all his might and flicked the ball away with his fingers.

Key offensive rebounds.

It was Posey again, and he caught the ball.

Just as Brown rushed over to contest for the ball, he passed it out.

Durant appears on the wing, at the three-point line.

Wade's heart nearly stopped as he rushed over.

But Durant had already jumped and taken another shot with determination.

The net is lifted, and the ball goes in.

93-92, a comeback victory with three points.

The stadium, which had been suffocating like a graveyard, instantly erupted in cheers.

Like Carlisle, he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and hurriedly called for one last pause.

With 27 seconds left in the game, the Knicks had plenty of time to score and turn the tide.

Inside the TNT studio, Barkley was so nervous he couldn't continue his commentary.

At this point in the competition, he felt there were no losers left.

But a winner still needs to be decided.

After the timeout, the Heat went all out on defense, and O'Neal was running like a rabbit.

Billups hit a three-pointer from the baseline, and Durant dove to block it, but instead of shooting, he passed it to Wade.

Wade drove to the basket, trying to draw a foul.

Milicic quickly stepped in to cover and stop them.

In the chaos, Wade didn't force his way in, but passed the ball to Yao Ming instead.

Time is running out for the attack.

O'Neal turned and headed at the top.

There was no time to pass the ball, and Yao Ming didn't have time to do many steps either. He took one dribble and immediately launched a skyhook.

O'Neal wasn't out of position, but his skyhook was incredibly powerful.

The moment the basketball swished through the net, the entire American Airlines Arena fell into a deathly silence.

With 93-94 and 6.8 seconds left, the Knicks turned the game around.

Of course, the Heat still had one last chance to attack, but there were no more timeouts available.

Therefore, the scales of victory have tipped heavily in favor of the Knicks.

Riley's shout brought the Heat's attention back to the team, and Durant had already rushed out.

O'Neal serves, and Harris rushes over to receive.

Billups didn't dare to press too hard, for fear of committing a foul.

Harris also pulled off a low-flying maneuver, changing direction to shake off Billups and charging straight into the frontcourt.

Like everyone else, Tang Sen got up and silently started the countdown.

4.2 seconds later, Harris crossed the center line.

With 3.4 seconds left, Durant pushed Brown aside and rushed towards the free-throw line, where Harris passed the ball without hesitation.

On the other side, Wade also rushed over.

With 3 seconds left, Durant received the ball and then pulled back with an astonishingly large stop.

Brown was faked out, and Wade jumped up without hesitation to try to block him, knowing that Durant would definitely jump and shoot.

Durant jumped, shouting in his heart, and leaped backward with all his might.

He leaned back, seemingly pausing for a moment in the air, holding the basketball high above him.

1.7 seconds later, the basketball slipped from his grasp.

Under everyone's gaze, time and space seemed to freeze and overlap.

At that moment, Jordan was transported back to '98, seeing himself making the shot of the century.

With a whoosh, the orange basketball plunged headfirst into the hoop.

Durant fell flat on his backside, surrounded by cheers that seemed to threaten to tear the ceiling off the arena.

The ball goes in.

Lore!

In the final moments, they scored 5 consecutive points, turning the game around twice.

This shot shattered a dynasty and paved the way for the Heat's great future.

This also successfully elevated Durant to a legendary status.

Just like Jordan's shot of the century, this is Durant's own shot of the new century.

(End of this chapter)