One Year Left to Play-Chapter 272 - 96: An Early Celebration

After the block, Kenny Anderson, who came rushing in following Dale Davis after the screen, grabbed the ball.

This time, Zhang Hao quickly bypassed Dale Davis after landing from the block and launched a fast break!

At this point, everyone's stamina was quite depleted, Zhang Hao included, but he quickly dashed a step outside the free-throw line, surpassing four teammates and getting closer to the opponent's basket, his speed suddenly surged! He swiftly caught up to the retreating Mark Jackson, who didn't have time to respond or even commit a tactical foul, and Zhang Hao overtook him!

Entering the free-throw line, Kenny Anderson's pass was precise, Zhang Hao received the ball, took a step, and made a layup!

92 to 91, the Brooklyn Nets regained the lead by 1 point!

Here it comes again! That unbreakable spirit of the Brooklyn Nets!

Although the Brooklyn Nets had quite a few players that irked the Pacers, as basketball athletes encountering such a tenacious opponent, at this moment, the Pacers no longer held them in contempt. Even Reggie Miller now regarded the Brooklyn Nets as a genuine opponent.

In the next few minutes, the game was exceptionally intense, with the Pacers playing composed, focused team offense. Mark Jackson orchestrated around Reggie Miller and Schmitz's shooting, attempting to exert force to create a substantial lead to secure the victory, but the Brooklyn Nets consistently managed to hold on whenever the point difference was about to widen. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Kenny Anderson's solo plays, Almon Gilliam's second-chance points, Zhang Hao's rim protection, and attempts to launch counters...

At 11 minutes and 29 seconds into the fourth quarter, Zhang Hao received a pass and kicked it out to the open Edwards on the sideline, who shot a three-pointer...

As Edwards received the ball and shot, the scene quieted down. The fans were already immersed in this game, and with the swish noise of the ball going through the net, the fans loudly cheered for Edwards!

Edwards' crucial shot!

105 to 103, with 31 seconds remaining in the game, the Brooklyn Nets took a 2-point lead over the Pacers!

Tonight, it's the Pacers who have called more timeouts! The Brooklyn Nets didn't have much to adjust, but the Pacers constantly adjusted their defense. However, against the unreasonable 34-point performance from Almon Gilliam, the timeout adjustments didn't have much effect, focusing more on adjusting their mindset, and now, they're out of timeouts!

Mark Jackson wasn't rushed; after receiving the inbound pass, he advanced to the frontcourt under Edwards' interference, steadily organizing the offense.

Everyone knew Mark Jackson wanted to get the ball to Reggie Miller, and the Brooklyn Nets were diligently switching defenses against Reggie Miller's off-ball play.

However, Reggie Miller's movements were excellent, and he still found an opportunity. Mark Jackson's passing lane was blocked, but he didn't insist on getting an assist, and at the right timing, he passed the ball to Schmitz in the high post support position. When Reggie Miller found an opportunity, Schmitz immediately delivered the ball to him...

Seamless cooperation!

Reggie Miller received the ball, turned to the sideline, and took a three-point shot...

Scored! 106 to 105, the Pacers regained the lead!

The Brooklyn Nets called a timeout!

During the timeout, Reggie Miller shouted at the Brooklyn Nets players, "You guys are crap, you can't stop me!"

The target was Zhang Hao, who was screened and didn't keep up during the switch.

At this time, if Zhang Hao exhibited any emotional fluctuation or retorted, his teammates might lose their cool too, as he was the one being verbally attacked.

But Zhang Hao glanced at Reggie Miller, showed no expression, and turned to walk toward the bench.

Reggie Miller saw Zhang Hao rolling his eyes as he turned his head!

While Zhang Hao might not dare to say otherwise, in terms of cursing, the vastness and depth of Chinese culture make street quarrels ten thousand times more powerful than Reggie Miller's trash talk.

Right now, Zhang Hao has no mind for arguing with Reggie Miller. Playing against the Pacers at such a critical moment, his focus is entirely on the game.

With 10 seconds remaining, down by 1 point, the Pacers' offense just now consumed 21 seconds. Such a slow pace relied on Reggie Miller's three-point ability to ensure offensive stability... it truly is formidable.

Reaching this point, the desire to win becomes overwhelming... Randy Whitman drew a detailed tactical play; 10 seconds is still enough to execute a play.

After the timeout, the Pacers sent out a lineup of Haywood Walker, Reggie Miller, Ricky Pierce, Dale Davis, and Antonio Davis.

Haywood Walker hasn't played for long, and Ricky Pierce only played 3 minutes in the third quarter, they're fresh forces. The Double Davis on the court, combined with Reggie Miller, shows Larry Brown's lineup change is geared for defense, trapping, and switching, making this lineup very strong.

The Brooklyn Nets deployed Kenny Anderson, Chales, Zhang Hao, Almon Gilliam, and Jason Williams.

In the Brooklyn Nets' frontcourt, Zhang Hao inbounded the ball, Chales received it, and realized the play wasn't working. Against this lineup, how could they execute a pick-and-roll with their broken lineup?

Decisively, he handed the ball to Almon Gilliam for a solo play!

Almon Gilliam wasted no time, charging straight to the paint after receiving the ball!

Though the pass was decisive due to the tactic failing, Chales' timing was excellent; otherwise, it would have been passed to Kenny Anderson. Almon Gilliam received it, dribbled past Ricky Pierce, took two steps into the three-second area, and shot a floater facing Dale Davis' help defense...

The position was good, and the shot was decisive, but the rest time during the timeout caused Almon Gilliam's pent-up energy to leak out, and fatigue suddenly caught up with him. His exertion during the shot was noticeably uncontrolled, and the ball hit the neck of the rim!

Just as the crowd was murmuring in regret, Jason Williams, ahead of Dale Davis, leapt and tipped the ball to the perimeter!

Chales' sudden offensive burst gave Almon Gilliam that great opportunity, only he missed it. Due to the rapid offense initiation, Zhang Hao only just reached inside the three-point line, and Antonio Davis didn't manage to secure the defensive rebound against Jason Williams. When Zhang Hao received the ball, Reggie Miller came up to guard!

Zhang Hao shielded the ball sideways, noticing only 3 seconds left, without passing to the open Kenny Anderson on the perimeter, he didn't hesitate, held his breath, powered up, and charged at Reggie Miller...

Reggie Miller found himself flying through the air!

In one step, Zhang Hao reached free-throw line distance, turned around, and took a fadeaway shot...

Because the ball shielding and post play were so decisive, he didn't give the Pacers any chance to rotate defensively; the 3-plus seconds were ample for a turnaround fadeaway step, and Zhang Hao's shooting motion was quite complete!

As Reggie Miller, who was bumped into the air by Zhang Hao, landed, he saw the hint of a smile on Zhang Hao's lips, then saw Zhang Hao land and spread his arms wide...

When Zhang Hao received the ball, the crowd fell silent, their breath held, watching what Zhang Hao would do with the final possession. He shot it, unsurprisingly, given one rookie trait—love of the spotlight.

But Zhang Hao, just after releasing the ball, began to celebrate... Before anyone could develop any negative thoughts seeing Zhang Hao's celebration, with the final buzzer, the ball plunged into the basket!