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Chapter 495 - 215. One win, one loss, the situation is stable_6

Chapter 495: 215. One win, one loss, the situation is stable_6

Three-pointer, Zhang Yang did not attempt many in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Hamilton did not expect him to choose this play at a clutch moment—he didn’t close out in time... and then turned his head just to see the ball fall through the hoop!

He made it! At the critical moment, Zhang Yang mimicked Erha and Little Fatty’s playing style, retreating for a three-pointer, and it went in!

to 107, the Bobcats reduced the gap to two points! At the critical moment, Zhang Yang once again rose to the occasion!

In the following rounds, neither team scored on their offensive possessions. When it was the Piston’s turn to attack with only 28 seconds remaining, Billups brought the ball up to the frontcourt but didn’t initiate the offense, looking to run down the clock... Zhang Yang left Prince unguarded, went to the top of the arc, and double-teamed Billups with Gerald Wallace.

Billups tried to pass the ball... but made a mistake!

Gerald Wallace with the steal!

Billups reacted extremely fast, and while Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace had yet to reach the three-point line, he pressed forward from beyond the arc and hugged Gerald Wallace, committing a tactical foul!

Since the Pistons had already reached four team fouls in the quarter, Gerald Wallace got two free throws!

On the sidelines, Saunders clapped his hands approvingly; Billups made an excellent decision!

The Bobcat’s coaching staff sighed in frustration; why couldn’t that draft bust just keep underperforming? Carlisle also thought that Joe should have stopped Joe Dumars from signing Billups back in the day.

If Billups had been a moment slower to react, and Zhang Yang had broken free, being nearer to the opposing basket—his foul would have been intentional, warranting two shots and possession.

If he didn’t foul and the opposition ran a fast break, they would definitely score two points.

Fouling before being passed, and doing so on the free throw-challenged Gerald Wallace, was the best possible decision to make within that brief second.

But at the crucial moment, Gerald Wallace did not choke; he went to the free-throw line and made both shots, helping the Bobcats tie the game!

Billups’ quick thinking went in vain... Of course, this didn’t stop him from earning praise for his basketball IQ from his coach, the commentators, and even the opponents.

With 19 seconds remaining, the Pistons called a timeout and set up a critical play... The ball ended up with Webber, a key mid-range shot... and it missed!

Okafor and Millsap blocked out the rebounding efforts of Prince and Rasheed Wallace, while Rondo secured the defensive board and passed it out... The final buzzer sounded.

to 107, the Bobcats forced overtime with the crucial moves of Zhang Yang double-teaming and Gerald Wallace’s two made free throws in the final moments!

When the final buzzer sounded, Bickerstaff was so excited he yelled, while Saunders’s face was ashen.

For the veteran-heavy Pistons, overtime was not friendly at all; Webber, who went 6 for 10 in regulation, missed the critical open shot in the final 5 seconds of the game...

On the Bobcat’s side, a whole bunch of youngsters!

Quickly, overtime began, and the Bobcats fielded a lineup of Rondo, Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor—’big-small’ combination.

The Pistons countered with Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Webber, and Rasheed Wallace.

The flow of overtime reflected the reactions of the two coaches at the end of regulation.

Rondo started by scoring inside on two consecutive possessions, putting the Bobcats up 4-0.

In the Pistons’ offensive rounds that followed, the Bobcats simply protected the paint, bottling up Hamilton and Billups; they deliberately left the ’Heavenly King’ and ’Little Prince’ unguarded from the side wing, and as expected, the ’Heavenly King’ missed from three.

When the Pistons attacked again, Billups nailed a fading long two-pointer over Gerald Wallace, stopping the bleeding for the Pistons.

But immediately afterward, Rondo assisted a curling Zhang Yang, who hit a mid-range jumper just within the free-throw line, consolidating the Bobcats’ 4-point lead!

In the following 3-plus minutes, the only Pistons’ score was a three-pointer by Billups, which was quickly answered by Felton with another three-pointer...

During regulation, the Pistons’ backcourt duo showed a clear advantage, significantly avoiding their frontcourt shortcomings, but in overtime, the Bobcats’ frontcourt thoroughly overshadowed theirs!

The Bobcats were scoring through their guards, true, but they were relying on the threats of Gerald Wallace and Okafor, one lurking at close range and the other charging to the basket!

With 4 minutes and 46 seconds left in overtime, Hamilton forced a three-pointer amidst the double-team from Zhang Yang and Rondo... a tribute to the rookie ironworker, the Pistons gave up; they chose not to foul.

Trailing by 6 points with just over ten seconds remaining, and without that three-pointer, there was no more struggle to be had.

At 11:36 PM, the final whistle blew.

With the overtime score at 11 to 5, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Pistons 118 to 112, evening out the series score!

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A 9500-word mega Chapter—begging for votes~ Wanted to write a full 10,000 words, but Xiao Feng is too sleepy, had too much going on during the day, no time to write... Brace yourselves and ask for your votes anyway! Thank you!