bookrandom 579. 1 of 2 free throws made!
579. 1 of 2 free throws made!
James seized the opportunity, faked out Rasul Butler, and then leaped high to prepare to shoot from three steps away from the basket.
Just as the basketball reached its highest point, Su Hao reappeared, leaped with all his might, and slapped the ball away.
The basketball flew a long way and landed right at Gordon's feet.
Gordon picked up the ball and quickly passed it to Curry, who was making a fast break.
Curry received the ball and sprinted three big steps toward the basket, easily scoring with a layup.
After Curry scored, the entire crowd cheered.
Curry scored in two consecutive possessions, which gave the Heat a major headache.
However, Su Hao's performance under the basket was enough to make things difficult for them.
Now Curry's three-point shooting has improved, and his coordination with Su Hao is also incredibly smooth.
The Christmas battle is about to turn into a one-sided massacre.
This is really not good news for the Heat.
Bosh passes the ball from the baseline to James.
James dribbled the ball up the court, a hint of resentment in his eyes.
This time, he sped up and drove straight to the inside, attempting to overpower Su Hao.
Su Hao lowered his center of gravity and focused on defense.
James forced a jump shot, and Su Hao also jumped to interfere.
The ball bounced off the rim and went out of bounds.
As the basketball fell from the rim, the Heat's attack ultimately ended in failure.
Su Hao, who jumped a second time, successfully secured the rebound.
Su Hao passed the ball to Gordon on the outside, and Gordon dribbled forward quickly.
Facing Wade's pursuit, after dribbling past half-court, he chose to pass the ball to Curry.
By the time Wade tried to switch onto Curry, it was too late.
Curry received the pass at a 45-degree angle on the right side, facing Chalmers' defense.
He threw out a three-pointer.
The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air and swished through the net.
The score gap widened further, and the Clippers' lead became even more pronounced.
With little time remaining in this quarter of the game.
The Heat still haven't found a solution.
Even Barkley, who was providing commentary on the sidelines, couldn't help but start complaining.
"The Heat are going to be swept by the Clippers this season! The Heat's Big Three don't look that great at all!" Barkley's words were clearly laced with sarcasm.
The sound was amplified through the stadium's loudspeakers, spreading throughout the entire arena.
Upon hearing this, Heat players such as James and Wade simply lowered their heads.
Now, all they can do is silently endure it all.
After all, they are now completely on the defensive on the field.
This is completely different from their previous games against those Eastern Conference teams.
Although there are many strong teams in the Eastern Conference, none of them have a player like Su Hao in the frontcourt.
Even if some teams have stronger interior players than the Heat, they can still compensate in other ways.
The situation is completely different when facing the Clippers.
The Heat's head coach still opted to call the next timeout.
"Beep!"
As the referee blew his whistle, the players from both sides returned to the sidelines one after another.
As soon as they returned to the sidelines, the Heat's coach gathered the players together.
"We don't have many options left on the field. The only thing we can try now is the fouling tactic! While there's still time left in the game, we have to try every opportunity!" Spoelstra said to the players with a worried look on his face.
"Coach, look, fouling is simple, but who exactly should we foul? We can't just pick on Su Hao or Curry! Think about it, their free throw percentage is rock solid!" Wade said with a puzzled look.
When it comes to foul tactics, everyone present is quite familiar with them.
However, this time the Heat are facing the Clippers!
It's especially worth mentioning that Su Hao's free throw percentage is almost 100%. If you foul him rashly, it's just like giving him points for nothing!
Let's talk about Curry. His overall free throw percentage is currently around 90%.
What's even more critical is that the Clippers currently have the ball almost entirely in the hands of these two players.
So if we really have to adopt a fouling strategy, there's no doubt we can only target those two.
The Heat players knew this perfectly well, and even the coaches were aware of it.
Just then, James stepped forward and shouted, "Let's do as the coach says! What better way can we think of?"
He looked around at his teammates with a serious expression, as if trying to give them a boost of confidence with his firm attitude.
The coach clapped his hands and said, "I know your concerns, but we have no other choice now. If we let them attack freely, we are more likely to lose."
Although the team members looked unwilling after hearing this, they still nodded silently.
The game restarted, and the Heat's defense became more aggressive and proactive.
James guarded Curry closely, never letting his eyes relax for a moment.
Just as Curry was about to drive to the basket, James deliberately stretched out his arm, committing a foul.
Curry stepped to the free-throw line, and the atmosphere became tense.
The first free throw went in smoothly into the basket.
However, the second penalty.
Just as Curry released the shot, his hand suddenly trembled slightly, and the ball bounced off the front edge of the rim.
The whole place was in an uproar.
The Clippers players were stunned; the missed shot was a huge surprise to them.
The rebound bounced out of bounds and was unusually caught by Heat's Bosh with a sieve.
Bosh quickly passed the ball to Wade.
The Heat wanted to seize the opportunity and launch a fast break, with Wade rushing towards the frontcourt like a gust of wind.
In the previous possession, Su Hao did not return to defense at full speed, which gave the Heat a chance to complete a fast break.
Even if the Heat score a basket now, it won't change the fact that they are trailing by a large margin.
David Lee nimbly passed the basketball quickly, and the ball flew rapidly towards Curry's location.
In the blink of an eye, Curry caught the incoming basketball steadily, but without the slightest hesitation, he made a decisive decision the instant he received the ball, flicking his wrist to accurately pass it to Su Hao, who was already lurking under the opponent's basket.
Just as Su Hao reached out to catch the basketball, Haslem, who had been watching him closely, pounced on him like a hungry tiger, suddenly rushing forward and grabbing Su Hao's arm tightly.
This sudden action was clearly a forced foul.
"Beep--"
The referee astutely noticed Haslem's violation and promptly blew his whistle, calling a defensive foul on Haslem without hesitation.
Su Hao's eyes widened, his face full of anger as he glared at Haslem, muttering, "Are you kidding me?! I just caught the ball and you're already committing a foul? Do you think my free throw shooting is like Curry's, where I can only make one out of two?"