Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1078 They haven't given up yet! The Mavericks' last stand!

The Mavericks returned to the frontcourt, and after a series of dribbles, James suddenly accelerated and forced his way into the paint. The Lakers' Bynum and Kobe simultaneously collapsed under the basket to interfere with James's attack. Then, James jumped under the basket, twisted his body in mid-air, and threw the ball towards the three-point line.

"Well done!"

The annoying sound came again, and Lin Tian suddenly appeared from some corner, intercepting the ball in mid-air and successfully stealing it.

"Counterattack! Run! Run! Run!" Lin Tian shouted as he intercepted the ball and sprinted forward, reminding his teammates to hurry down the field.

Instead of choosing the middle route, he advanced along the sideline towards the front.

Logically speaking, in a fast break, the ball handler should be as close to the middle as possible, so that he has more options whether he passes or drives to the basket, and it is also more difficult for the opponent to keep up.

If you go down the flank, then the sideline will become an insurmountable and unbeatable defensive player, who will always completely block half of your path.

But Lin Tian has never been a conventional person. Although he was on the sideline, the Mavericks were never able to slow him down or surround him.

Lin Tian sprinted all the way and in the blink of an eye arrived at the 45-degree angle three-point line on the left. Suddenly, he slowed down and dribbled the basketball from his left hand to his right hand. With a huge change of direction and his footwork, he immediately moved a long distance to the right.

Williams put all his effort into moving sideways to block Lin Tian's breakthrough, but Lin Tian suddenly changed direction from right to left.

The amplitude, speed, rhythm, and distance traveled are all no less than those of the first change of direction!

Even if he killed Williams, he wouldn't be able to catch up with that second change of direction. He could only stand there helplessly, as if he had been frozen in place, watching Lin Tian gain a huge space, then gather the ball, stand still, and aim to shoot.

"Whoosh!"

Another crisp sound!

If Durant's shot was like a bullet to the Mavericks' thigh, leaving them instantly bloodied and in excruciating pain, then Lin Tian's shot was practically a bullet to their head.

27 points!

The gap between the two sides is widening!

There is 1 minute and 20 seconds left in the first half.

The Mavericks have truly reached a crucial moment in their season, and even in this team-building journey!

Jason was hopping mad on the sidelines. He knew better than anyone that if they lost again, he would definitely be fired! The Mavericks would almost certainly fire him!

Other players will only have to wait a year to continue pursuing their dreams, but James himself will definitely lose his job because of this series. It's hard to say when he will find a job again, and even if he does find a job, it will be extremely difficult for him to coach a team like the Mavericks, which is at its peak.

In a sense, James is the most anxious and worried person on the entire Mavericks team. But even if James is anxious, there's nothing he can do now.

He didn't pause.

The chaotic first half wasn't just about a surge in turnovers and missed shots; the rate at which timeouts were used also skyrocketed.

Without a timeout, Johnson could only pray that his players could calm down and close the gap a bit.

Fortunately, James seemed to have finally come to his senses at this moment. He no longer chose to rush to break through, nor did he pass the ball aimlessly. Instead, he called Nowitzki over again and played a pick-and-roll with him.

After the two separated, James quickly took a step towards the paint to compress the Lakers' defensive space, and then made a behind-the-back pass to Nowitzki outside the three-point line.

This pass wasn't a particularly good opportunity because Nowitzki hadn't fully opened up, and Durant was still raising his hands in front of him to contest the pass.

With little time left on the shot clock, Nowitzki glanced up, then forced a step to the left, and ignoring Durant's arm that was almost touching his face, pulled up beyond the three-point line and forced a shot!

"Whoosh!"

Soon, a crisp sound rang out, and the American Airlines Arena, which had just fallen completely silent, erupted in cheers again. The fans seemed to have been reactivated, roaring and celebrating wildly.

That shot truly saved their lives.

A long-awaited rain after a drought!

The Mavericks, who hadn't scored in a long time and had been repeatedly outscored by the Lakers, finally scored!

Even though the score difference between the two sides is still 24 points, the Mavericks have at least temporarily caught their breath.

Whether they can maintain this momentum and use it as an opportunity to launch a scoring surge depends on whether the Mavericks can perform well in the future!

"Whether it's a game-saving shot or a last gasp before death, it could all come down to this final minute!" Van Gundy said. "If the Mavericks can go on a run in the last minute of the first half and narrow the gap a bit, then anything is possible!"

Even if the Mavericks only narrow the gap to within 20 points, they can be more confident and have more fighting spirit in the second half, instead of giving up!

"Nowitzki's three-pointer allowed the suffocating Mavericks to surface slightly and catch their breath, but honestly, they are still at least 800 meters from the shore. Catching their breath is only temporary; finding a way to swim to shore is the most important thing."

"Whether the Mavericks can get out of this predicament depends on this one minute."

After the Mavericks finally calmed down and executed their signature pick-and-roll, Lin Tian was no longer in a hurry. He slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, clearly intending to use up as much of the 24-second shot clock as possible before taking a shot.

The advantage is in my hands, no need to rush.

Time was running out, and Williams, who already knew how formidable Lin Tian was, didn't risk pressing or intercepting. He just waited for Lin Tian to make his move, and then prayed to God to see if he could stop Lin Tian from scoring a point.

With just 7 seconds left, Lin Tian finally started!

Without offering any cover or having his teammates move, everyone simply pulled Lin Tian away, and Lin Tian suddenly accelerated and charged forward. Williams' prayers were clearly not sincere, and he was once again swept aside by Lin Tian in one step.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian arrived at the edge of the three-second zone. The Mavericks had already deployed a large force in the three-second zone, with Nowitzki and Bogut standing there ready to pounce on Lin Tian at any moment.

Then, Lin Tian suddenly stopped, stood up, raised the ball high with one hand, and threw it out.

A sudden stop and throw!

This time, Lin Tian did not choose to challenge the defense of the two inside players head-on. Instead, he made a light floater, letting the basketball comfortably pass over the fingers of the two defenders and slide towards the basket.

"Bang!"

This time, to Lin Tian's surprise, the basketball failed to go into the basket, and Bogut grabbed the rebound.

"Looks like Lin's shooting touch got affected by that chaotic situation just now! He should have easily made that shot," Van Gundy said with some regret. "The Mavericks' chance has arrived!"

Miller said, "Lin is human too; he'll miss a few shots when the game is off. That's normal!"

In the Mavericks' offense, James once again passed the ball to Nowitzki, then quickly moved to one side, allowing Nowitzki to take on the one-on-one situation.

Near the waist, Nowitzki held the basketball sideways, watching the shot clock, his shoulders and feet constantly shifting slightly to probe Barnes' defensive focus and position.

Then, with five seconds left on the shot clock, Nowitzki suddenly turned around. He moved with incredible speed and fluidity, as if he had wheels, darting from the baseline to the basket in an instant. Then, without any haste, he raised his hands into the air, and Bynum and Barnes jumped almost simultaneously.

Unfortunately, at this point, the team's understanding wouldn't help the Lakers at all; at most, it would only make the referee hesitate about who to call the foul on.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, Barnes was faster and struck Nowitzki's right hand. His strike was extremely heavy, showing that since he was determined to commit a foul, he couldn't let Nowitzki score a 2+1.

But Nowitzki is one of the league's top scorers. In the blink of an eye, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left, then flicked his wrist, dodging Barnes' iron grip while simultaneously tossing the ball over him toward the basket.

"Beep beep!"

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball swished through the net, and Nowitzki once again made a crucial contribution in this critical moment! He scored a key and-one for the team!

"Superstar! Nowitzki!" Miller roared. "Tell me, who's the king of Dallas? Make it big, let everyone hear us!"

"Team spirit! This is true team spirit!" Jackson couldn't help but exclaim. "The Mavericks really do seem capable of narrowing the gap to within 20 points by halftime!"

"If they can do that, they'll really have a chance in the second half. Victory is smiling upon them, but whether they ultimately win depends on their own efforts!"

"But of course, whether or not this can continue depends on whether the Lakers agree!"

"Whoosh!"

Nowitzki calmly made the free throw after stepping to the free throw line. After making the shot, he didn't celebrate wildly. Instead, he looked up at the time and score and clenched his fist without making a sound.

You can do it! You can win tonight!

There's a chance!

I can do it!

25 seconds!

The gap between the two sides is 21 points!

With 25 seconds left in the first half, the basketball was still in Lin Tian's hands.

Without a doubt, Lin Tian will definitely hold back his shot until the very last second, leaving the Mavericks no time to react.

Lin Tian stood two meters away from the three-point line, sticking his butt out to block Williams from pressing him. At the same time, Lin Tian was completely tense, ready to explode and complete the attack at any moment.

With four seconds left, Lin Tian suddenly turned to the left with the ball in his left hand, changing from facing away to facing the basket. He then slammed the basketball hard with his left hand, followed by a hesitation step and a change of direction.

Basketball and Lin Tian moved quickly to the right at the same time, while Williams was once again unfortunately stuck in place, unable to move or react.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian once again broke into the heart of the Mavericks' territory, this time facing a double block defense from Nowitzki and Bogut.

The Mavericks' two big men simultaneously raised their hands in the paint, standing firmly, clearly ready for anything.

Lin Tian was already used to this level of defense, and he fearlessly leaped forward to meet it head-on.

In this round, he changed his previous light and elegant style. Instead of using a floater to finish the attack, he charged straight at the basket. Without any fancy moves or techniques, he jumped with all his might and slammed the basketball into the hoop with all his strength!

And Bogut and Nowitzki!

Since my last throw missed, I won't throw again this time.

Can you fly when you dunk?

Lin Tian completely ignored the defense of the two big men, Nowitzki and Bogut, as he held the basketball in one hand and glided away fearlessly.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Lin Tian and Bogut collided in mid-air. Then, the immense impact force carried by Lin Tian surged out, directly knocking the tall and strong Bogut flying away.

"boom!"

Then came a loud bang as Lin Tian knocked Bogut away and slammed the ball toward the basket with one hand.

"FUXX!"

But then, Lin Tian helplessly uttered a curse word.

He actually missed the shot.

Lin Tian has never kept track of his dunking percentage throughout his life, nor has he studied similar statistics. But if he remembers correctly, he has missed no more than five dunks in his entire career. As for the number of dunks he has ever done, it must be at least 800, if not 1000.

His dunking percentage should be at least 99.5% or something like that.

But even with such a high accuracy and success rate, Lin Tian's dunk attempt failed!

This extremely low probability event is probably even less likely than the Lakers' 9-point comeback in 2 minutes in the last game.

But swearing is useless, and so is feeling helpless.

Even Lin Tian couldn't grab the rebound.

To ensure safety and maintain his balance, he didn't land immediately. Without landing, he couldn't contest for the rebound and secure one last offensive opportunity.

If Lin Tian couldn't seize this opportunity, neither could the rest of the Lakers, because they all spread out, giving Lin Tian plenty of space to break through.

The rebound landed in Nowitzki's hands without any doubt.

When the German got the basketball, there were two seconds left in the game.

Instead of passing the ball, Nowitzki quickly dribbled forward two steps, and then jumped with all his might before the whistle blew to end the first half. As he glided forward, he threw the basketball toward the opposite basket!

Nowitzki's shot was taken from near his own team's free throw line. For such a long-range shot, as long as you have enough power, it's basically all about luck.

Whether they'll get in or not, nobody can say for sure.

But for the Mavericks, and for Dallas as a whole, this shot contained almost all their hopes.

Although no one said it aloud, countless people believed that if this ball didn't go in, there would be absolutely no hope.

But if you get in, anything is possible.

21 points and 18 points may seem like just one point difference, but from the perspectives of morale, momentum, confidence, and even from a mystical standpoint, the result of that one point is absolutely worlds apart!

"Buzz!"

Because almost all the fans in the stadium were holding their breath and not daring to make a sound, as if they were afraid that their breathing would blow the basketball away and cause it to miss, the buzzer at the end of the first half was so loud that it became the loudest sound in the entire stadium.

Then, very quickly, another sound replaced the buzzer.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Nowitzki's gamble-like long-range shot actually went in!

Victory has indeed begun to favor them. When even luck starts to work in their favor, they really have a chance to win the game!

"Dirk! Dirk! Dirk!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"Kill them! Charge! Take them down!"

"Smash those Los Angeles bastards' heads! Kick their heads off!"

"Win! Back to Los Angeles! We're back to Los Angeles!"

Amidst the roars and shouts of the fans, and the excitement that had been suppressed for almost the entire first half, the game finally came to a head.

Nowitzki, unusually, swung his fist and let out a deafening roar.

He gathered all his teammates around him, looked at them, and said, "We haven't lost yet! We can win!"

"We can win! We can win!" The rest of the Mavericks players shouted at the same time. Although they were 18 points behind the Lakers and the gap between the two sides was still huge, the Mavericks' morale really surged at this moment!

They believed once again that they could win and that they could turn the game around!

It was all thanks to Nowitzki's golden 9 points! (End of Chapter)