Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 397 - 133: Heading to That Appointment! (Extra - for Alliance Leader and Book Friend 2019...5725)_2
Jack, who had the opportunity to steal the ball, was immediately intercepted crazily by Cassell.
The "Alien" snatched the basketball back forcefully from Jack and quickly passed it to the baseline, allowing Garnett to put the Supersonics back in the lead despite Artest’s strong interference. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Seeing this, Warriors coach Mike Malone did not choose to call a timeout.
——41 seconds
Receiving Davis’s pass, Qin Yue went up strong against Garnett and Yao Ming under the basket. After missing the first attempt, he leaped again and gently tapped that damn basketball into the hoop.
On the Supersonics bench, Rick Carlisle called for a timeout.
After the timeout...
——23 seconds
Ray Allen’s missed three-point shot seemed to have already buried the Supersonics’ victory...
But James Posey, as a championship piece, suddenly appeared in the area where the long rebound fell and tipped the ball to Yao Ming, who was standing under the basket at the time.
In the next second, Yao Ming stood at the crossroads of history.
Helplessly, Qin Yue could only send Yao Ming to the free-throw line with a powerful foul.
Next, Yao Ming missed what was likely the most important free throw of his life.
Because he made only one of two free throws, the Warriors, with the opportunity of the last attack, could choose to use up all the remaining game time in the next offensive round, avoiding having to rush the play to ensure they had time to foul if the game-winning attempt failed.
At the scorer’s table, Warriors coach Mike Malone called for a timeout.
And after the timeout, he chose to inbound from the backcourt.
On the court, when Davis personally handed the ball to Qin Yue, and Qin Yue drove the ball past half court, all the Warriors fans in the arena were already on their feet.
To prevent Qin Yue from using his wide vision to help his teammates complete the game winner, Rick Carlisle specially instructed his players during the timeout, putting absolute trust in Kevin Garnett on this defensive round if unnecessary.
At the scene, with about 5.8 seconds left in the game, Qin Yue officially launched the attack.
Garnett executed theoretically perfect defense.
He wasn’t swayed off balance by Qin Yue’s drag step.
Nor was he deceived by Qin Yue’s sudden changes in rhythm.
But when Qin Yue rose vertically, with a straight pull-up, Garnett couldn’t block this astonishingly high shot with an incredibly long hang time in an instant.
Afterward, many Warriors fans admitted that when the basketball left Qin Yue’s control and began flying toward the hoop, numerous images uncontrollably flashed in their minds.
Among these, the most classic scene was, of course, Michael Jordan’s "The Shot".
At Oracle Arena, when the electronic buzzer sounded, signaling the official end of the game, with the ball swishing through the net, Qin Yue leaped up excitedly to celebrate, momentarily forgetting his injury hadn’t healed...
"The Messiah slayed the Seattle Supersonics! He made the game-winning shot for the Golden State Warriors!"
The final score, 93 to 95.
From hell to heaven, to holding the match point at this moment!
All the Warriors fans embraced each other tightly with tears in their eyes!
And the scene of Yao Ming feeling guilty for missing the crucial free throw, along with Garnett sitting dejectedly on the floor after failing on defense...
Undoubtedly became the perfect backdrop for Qin Yue’s game-winning shot that night.
"Basketball is so damn frustrating, basketball is so damn wonderful!" After the game, an utterly exhilarated Malone said during an interview.
"He scored 37 points with an injury and made the game-winner... I can’t put into words my admiration for him; he is the best player on this planet!" In the Warriors locker room, Mike Dunleavy, who returned from a suspension for his first game and almost became the "culprit" with only 1 of 8 shots, said tearfully.
"Even if a jester enters a magnificent palace, he will only be ridiculed, while a hero will be adored by the world even in a bustling market." At the press conference, Kwame Brown described the night for Qin Yue this way.
The next day.
Pulitzer Prize winner, the "angel investor" of the Chosen One and the Messiah, Ira Borko penned an article in The New York Times, stating: "This is another great moment God has given the game of basketball. This year’s Western Conference Finals have become a ’Homeric Epic’ in the hearts of countless people."
Sports Illustrated said cheekily: "Thank the Messiah for giving us yet another classic cover!"
The end of the Western Conference Finals Game 5 drove not only the fans and media crazy but even Qin Yue’s sponsors behind him.
The NBA’s continuously shattered viewership ratings and the undiminished momentum of the discussion topics constantly reminded Qin Yue’s sponsors of the cash cow they truly owned.
Jeff Schwartz brought back good news for Qin Yue that day.
Given the phenomenal sales of Qin Yue’s basketball shoes over the past two years, Nike has decided to sign a new contract with him.
This new contract will last for a total of 6 years and will have a total value exceeding 180 million US Dollars.
Moreover, Nike will retain Qin Yue’s privilege license income and offer him a special sales bonus.
Of course, compared to this astronomical contract...
More importantly, this new contract will establish Qin Yue’s unique status with Nike.
In Qin Yue’s previous life, James, who never enjoyed a new contract renewal with Nike during its execution, only received a new 8-year, 100 million US Dollar contract from Nike in 2010.
