On the court.
"Beep, beep!"
The Hornets called a timeout.
Six technicals and a long timeout were enough for both sides to cool down. Of course, that only meant keeping the players from breaking out into a fight. Their desire to win had not faded in the slightest.
At this moment, the Hornets trailed by 11 points, and the situation did not look good.
After the timeout, once he had settled down, the "Point God" Paul displayed the point guard ability that placed him among the league's top five. First, he hit a three from the perimeter.
"Swish!"
Straight through the heart.
Then, at the right high post, he got Marc Gasol on a mismatch, used his quickness against the bigger man, shook him into the air, and knocked down a mid-range jumper.
On the next possession, after driving inside, he delivered a clever, effortless behind-the-head pass across the lane to Okafor under the basket. Okafor caught it and threw down a dunk.
"Boom!"
The rim groaned.
With the "Point God" controlling the tempo, the Hornets answered with a 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to 4 and restoring their momentum.
After three quarters, the Grizzlies entered the break between periods with a temporary 3-point lead.
The final quarter.
At the start of the period, the rotation units played for less than two minutes before both teams sent their starters back in together. They had only one goal.
Win the game, then rest!
"Swish!"
Paul controlled the ball on the perimeter and suddenly fired, knocking down the shot.
"Swish!"
Conley used a screen and answered with a three from the left high post, drilling it into the net as well.
"Smack!"
Ariza blocked Gay's driving layup. On the change of possession, West's post-up on the left low block was also locked down by Marc Gasol.
You score, I answer.
You block one, I get a stop.
The two sides fell into a grinding battle, and an extremely tight one at that. Neither team could get the better of the other, and neither could put together a decisive run.
In the blink of an eye, only 2:13 remained. The Grizzlies still led by 4. The game remained locked in a stalemate, but for the Hornets, that was not good news.
At this moment, someone had to step up and score.
Who would it be?
"Step!"
It was the "Point God" Paul. One-on-one at the top of the arc, he chained together changes of rhythm, shook Conley loose by half a step, drove into the paint, and tossed up a floater.
"Swish!"
Good.
"Beep, beep!"
And there was a whistle. Marc Gasol had failed to block it cleanly and was called for hitting his arm.
Paul stepped to the free-throw line and... made the extra free throw too. The deficit was instantly down to just 1 point. Even more importantly, on the very next possession...
"Smack!"
Paul darted out from the wing and stole the ball from Gay as he was driving. Then he threw a long pass across half court to Ariza, who went straight into his three steps.
"Boom!"
A fast-break dunk.
They took the lead!
"Wow!"
"Paul has led a 5-0 run and put them ahead. There's still 1:08 left. It's really hard to say who's going to come out on top."
Jon Barry clenched his fists. At this critical moment, even he was nervous.
Mark Jackson stared wide-eyed at the court without blinking, as if he had already been pulled into the game, joining one side with the belief that they had to win.
On the court.
"Beep, beep!"
Hollins immediately called a timeout to slow the Hornets' momentum.
After the timeout.
Steady and controlled.
Conley spread the floor from the perimeter and lobbed the ball to Marc Gasol in the low post. Marc Gasol backed down West, shifted sideways while eyeing the rim, and drew Okafor's double-team.
"Whoosh!"
Marc Gasol seized the chance and passed to Randolph on the other side.
"Thud!"
Randolph caught it, sprang up from a standstill, and, despite Okafor turning back to contest, slammed the ball into the rim with both hands.
On the next possession.
After Paul missed a three, Randolph used his thick, powerful "Black Bear" frame to shove Okafor aside under the basket.
"Smack!"
He secured the crucial rebound.
"Whoosh!"
Conley pushed the ball up. Seeing Randolph had sealed his man, he threw a high lob to him under the basket. Randolph caught it with his back to Okafor and powered through with his waist and back.
Like a man-eating black bear, he kept burrowing inward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He forcibly knocked Okafor back, gathered the ball, and went up strong again. As Ariza rushed over to help and contest, Randolph adjusted midair and banked it in from a tight angle.
A defensive stop, then 4 straight points.
At the crucial moment, Randolph showed the toughness of the "Black Bear," leading his team back in front by 3 with only 18.4 seconds left.
The Hornets' final possession.
A three would tie the game and send it to overtime.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Paul controlled the ball at the top of the arc and called for a screen, getting Marc Gasol on a mismatch. He dribbled slowly, then suddenly accelerated, stopped hard, and stepped back.
"Whoosh!"
It looked like he was going to shoot the three. But the instant Marc Gasol desperately lunged at him, Paul passed behind his head to Belinelli, who had curled out unnoticed.
"Whoosh!"
Belinelli caught it and immediately raised for a three.
This was a good look. For shooter Belinelli, it was an excellent chance to tie the game.
Would it go?!
"Clang!"
The spinning ball hit the rim and bounced. Then... it bounced off the rim again before finally flying out of bounds.
That shot was no good.
"Smack!"
Marc Gasol grabbed the ball, and time ran out.
"It didn't go?!"
Paul froze for a moment, then shook his head slightly, his expression downcast.
In the end, the Hornets lost to the Grizzlies by one shot, by a margin of 3 points. After the Trail Blazers won their game, the Hornets' loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention.
"A matchup with a playoff ticket on the line, and it felt like a full-on battle. The Grizzlies and Hornets gave us a fantastic game.
"It gave the regular season an early taste of the playoffs."
Jon Barry sighed with emotion.
"That's right."
Mark Jackson nodded repeatedly, then added, "It's a real shame for the Hornets. We'll look forward to the 'Point God' making his comeback next season.
"At the same time, congratulations to the Grizzlies for locking up a playoff spot. But... whether they finish seventh or eighth in the West still depends on the result of the Trail Blazers' final game."
"Yes!"
Jon Barry picked it up and said, "The top eight in the West are now set. The only game left with real suspense is tomorrow night's Eastern Conference matchup between the Bucks and the Heat.
"Will the Pacers stay eighth, or will the Bucks beat the Heat and knock the Pacers out to take their place?
"Let's look forward to it."
...
After the game.
The playoff-ticket battle between the Grizzlies and Hornets sparked heated discussion among fans. Beyond marveling at how thrilling the game had been, they also realized something.
The playoffs were coming.
However, compared with teams like the Grizzlies and Hornets, who were fighting desperately for playoff spots, the Suns, having locked up first place in the West early, were completely relaxed.
They still had one final game against the Timberwolves tomorrow night.
Whether they won or lost no longer mattered.
Besides the Suns, powerhouse teams in both conferences such as the Spurs and Bulls were also relaxed, forming a sharp contrast with teams like the Grizzlies and Hornets.
And the next day.
Seeing that Blake Su's popularity seemed to have dipped a little while he rested and prepared for the playoffs, Adidas directly released the concept art for the "Blake Su Generation 1" signature shoes.
As soon as the image came out, it immediately caused a huge stir.
...
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