NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 14

After entering the finals, the University of Kentucky has obviously become more cautious.

After the opening, Antoine Walker frequently received the ball, not only for low-post offense, but also sometimes in the elbow area around the free throw line to support the ball.

It's just a combination of high and low positions, and it still can't penetrate Connecticut's inside line.

The big man Knight's height advantage was fully utilized. Although Walter McCarty was very flexible, he missed several times at the basket.

This time, Walter McCarty knocked out the basket again, but Antoine Walker overpowered the Connecticut big man Rudy, rushed to grab an offensive rebound, and then made a layup!

University of Kentucky fans shouted happily, the game lasted 5 minutes and 21 seconds, and they finally took the lead.

At 8:12, Connecticut trailed by 4 points.

Coach Calhoun made a gesture of pressing down, standing on the sidelines and loudly reminding the players not to panic.

But then in this round, the big man Knight was double-teamed in the low post and made a direct error. After the opponent successfully cut the ball, Tony Delk, who received the ball, buried his head and rushed.

The little black guard seized the opportunity to switch offense and made a one-stop layup!

"Oh!!"

The point difference widened to 6 points, and the arena was full of cheers from University of Kentucky fans.

The opponent suddenly changed their defensive strategy, and the big man Knight faced fierce double-teaming and had difficulty getting the ball out.

Fortunately, at this time, Ray Allen rushed to the basket and caused a foul by the opponent's thug before the offensive time was up.

"Have to give credit to Antoine Walker for his rebounding and defense awareness, which makes up for his lack of height!"

The commentator Jim Nantz saw Antoine Walker's skillful performance on the court and immediately praised him.

"The University of Kentucky's victory over its opponents is really inseparable from Antoine Walker's rebounding and defense."

"Connecticut's inside is in trouble, oh! Coach Calhoun actually got Lee ahead of time!"

The commentator Billy Parker noticed that Li You had replaced the starting point guard Marshall, and let out a low cry of surprise.

"Speed ​​up the offensive rhythm and let the opponent run with us!"

Coach Calhoun simply told Li You that the current point difference is already a bit dangerous!

Kentucky beat their opponents by at least 7 points in every game. The coaching staff naturally made plans, and Li You was their first choice to change the rhythm of the game.

Ray Allen made two free throws to make the score 10:14.

After appearing on the field, Li You looked calm. After making tactical gestures, he immediately led the defense against the opponent's point guard Anthony Epps.

Coach Pitino stood by and loudly reminded his players to control the pace of the game. Whenever they take the lead, they will wait for their opponents to make mistakes!
After halftime, the ball was handed over, and then passed quickly from the outside. Antoine Walker no longer attacked in the low post at this time, but came to the free throw line to catch the ball more.

After doing two laps, he noticed that Connecticut's defense was still very tight, and Antoine Walker, who received the ball again, forced the inside line in the right elbow area, causing Rudy's thug foul.

Smiling smugly, Antoine Walker seemed to feel that they had controlled the rhythm of the game, and raised his hands as he walked towards the free throw line, signaling that the cheers should be louder.

"Shhh!!"

The fans of the University of Connecticut booed wildly. This kind of swinging number three and four, the technically delicate forward made them feel cold.

Perhaps the booing played a role. After hitting the basket for the second free throw, Antoine Walker cursed secretly, and Knight grabbed the rebound and immediately passed to Li You.

Immediately after receiving the ball, Li You accelerated. Li You put the ball with his right hand and circled the ball behind his back, dodging Anthony Epps's cut ball.

Anthony Epps, who lost his defensive position, chased after Li You again, and the two entangled to the left flank of the three-point line.

Li You didn't slow down. He hugged the opponent's defense and continued to break through. He walked to the left block and suddenly dribbled the ball under his crotch. Anthony Epps immediately lost his center of gravity when he stopped suddenly.

Without waiting for the opponent to make a defensive reaction, Li You immediately joined the ball and quickly shot a jumper!
"Shua!" A steady hit in the middle distance!

At 12:15, in less than 10 seconds, Li You had completed the attack.

Antoine Walker just stepped back into the paint, then hit the baseline
"Damn! Hold him, don't lose your defensive position so easily!"

After the invalid turn-back run, Antoine Walker was in a bad mood and reminded his teammates loudly.

Anthony Epps can't tell the pain, he can only raise his hand to indicate that it is his problem
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The University of Connecticut fans cheered, and the defensive cheers overwhelmed the noise of the scene.

Continuing to run tactics, Tony Delk tried several times to get rid of Ray Allen's pursuit with the help of his teammates' off-ball screens, but failed.

With 8 seconds left on the offensive clock, Tony Delk used Antoine Walker's hand-hand pass at the top of the arc to get rid of the defense for a short time. Facing Rudy who came up from the defense, he drove the ball straight to the basket with his left hand.

Under the interference of the big man Knight, Tony Delk twisted his body and shot out of the frame with his right hand.

Everyone at the University of Kentucky didn't want offensive rebounds, and hurriedly retreated. Ray Allen at the top of the arc quickly dribbled across the half court after receiving the pass.

Anthony Epps chased and defended in time, and Ray Allen at the top of the arc slowed down and immediately gave the ball to Li You who followed up.

At the same time, the big man Knight also stopped outside the three-point line and took advantage of the opportunity to make a high pick-and-roll for Li You.

The moment he received the cross pass, Li You, who released the ball with his right hand, dribbled the ball behind his back twice in a row. While lowering his center of gravity, his right hand caught the ball again and jumped forward violently.

The chasing Tony Delk was delayed by the big man Knight, and Walter McCarty, who was forced to switch, stepped on the three-point line and opened his arms, trying to delay Li You.

In the blink of an eye, Li You quickly changed direction in front of him while walking, and instantly passed the big man who was delaying the defense.

Walter McCarty just stood there in a daze, without any reaction, watching Li You, who was catching the ball with his left hand, rush into the paint.

Li You passed two people in a row, and the audience all cried out in surprise, and rushed to the inside line, facing Antoine Walker who came up from the defense, Li You took off with both feet and leaned towards his opponent.

The two collided in the air, Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, leaned forward to dodge the block, heard the referee's whistle, and threw the ball on the backboard!
"Boom!"

Li You, who had lost his center of gravity, slipped and fell on the floor. Seeing the ball hit the board high into the frame, he raised his upper body, roared and punched in celebration!
"Oh!!"

The wonderful goal revived the fans of the University of Connecticut at the scene, and everyone jumped up and shouted happily.

"OH——! What a show!"

The commentator Jim Nantz was still immersed in Li You's wonderful performance, and he yelled a few times in a row, but he still didn't feel satisfied.

"Lee's appearance really changed the rhythm of the game on the court. The University of Kentucky is in trouble."

Billy Parker saw Li You hit a free throw and suddenly felt that the University of Kentucky was going to be cool
At 15:15, the two sides returned to the same starting line.

Coach Pitino only felt that UConn's game was getting faster and faster. The opponent didn't seem to care about missed shots at all, and the offense was completely dominated by the outside.

Tony Delk, the diminutive guard who had been outstanding in the previous series, has become hesitant on offense.

Ray Allen kept chasing and defending, and broke through to the basket several times and missed. This time, Rudy did not switch defenses in time outside the three-point line. Tony Delk hesitated to shoot and was interfered by Ray Allen who was chasing up.

"Bang" strikes again!
The long rebound popped out and was just picked up by Li You, who was on the right wing outside the three-point line, and switched offense again.

Antoine Walker kept running back and forth for several consecutive rounds, angrily shouting for his teammates to defend.

On the left flank outside the three-point line, Li You suddenly stopped, quickly circling the ball with his left hand behind his back, switched to his right hand and broke through the paint again against the defense.

Back to defend the University of Kentucky, everyone's attention was attracted, but Li You took advantage of the opportunity to circle the inside lane, and then suddenly slammed the ball vigorously.

Using the cover of his teammates, he ran to the right corner and Ray Allen received the ball. There was no one in front of him. After a slight adjustment, he calmly shot a jumper!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

The two sides missed several rounds, and Connecticut's three-pointer broke the deadlock.

The cheers reappeared, and in the next few minutes, Li You continued to speed up the offensive rhythm, taking advantage of the decline in the opponent's shooting rate, and directly played a small climax of 9:2.

At 24:17, coach Pitino couldn't hold back anymore and immediately requested a timeout.

The previous few minutes may have been a little nervous, but led by Li You, the teammates had no time to hesitate at all, and they threw the ball as soon as they had the opportunity.

"We will win! We will definitely win the game!"

Ray Allen, who rarely showed excitement, returned to his seat and kept shouting.

Coach Calhoun patted Li You on the shoulder excitedly, he bet right!
In the following games, the University of Kentucky gradually lost its offensive rhythm, and the players on the court were not unified. Some wanted to slow down, while others wanted to follow suit.
Antoine Walker couldn't even catch the ball for a few rounds and could only run back and forth with his teammates.

At 32:39 in the half, Connecticut completely controlled the game.

After the start of the second half, the University of Kentucky fans were still shouting, but Tony Delk couldn't find the touch and missed three consecutive shots.

The three-pointer hit the frame, Li You received a long rebound again, and Ron Mercer, who was playing in rotation, chased and defended immediately.

Using strikers to match Li You was an adjustment made by the University of Kentucky in the second half.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, continued to accelerate, while Ron Mercer, who was beside him, slid quickly and did not cut the ball easily.

Approaching the right flank beyond the three-point line, Li You immediately slowed down, stepped on the three-point line to complete the crotch dribble, and at the same time raised his head, he pretended to join the ball with his right hand.

A simple fake act of praying to Buddha, but Ron Mercer reacted to stress and jumped subconsciously!
Taking advantage of the trend to push the ball to change direction, Li You easily swayed away from the defense. After catching the ball with his right hand, he dribbled two big steps forward, and quickly shot a jumper from the mid-range without defense!
"Shua!" Two points and then scored!

UConn fans have gone crazy, everyone is cheering.

"Damn game!"

The head coach Pitino next to him could no longer maintain a calm appearance, cursed twice, and once again reminded the players loudly to pay attention to defense.

At 38:51, Kentucky scored only free throws and piecemeal inside shots.
Antoine Walker shouted to his teammates to slow down, but Tony Delk felt that the game time was not enough, so he subconsciously ran.

A rare mid-range shot was made at the free throw line. Antoine Walker tried hard to retreat, but in less than ten seconds, Ray Allen, who received a cross pass from Li You, blocked Tony Delk's block and made a strong shot from the right wing outside the three-point line!
The completely unreasonable attack made the atmosphere explode, and all the audience exclaimed.

Coach Pitino asked for a timeout a little annoyed, he knew his players had panicked
At 38:54, Connecticut, which led by 16 points, began to slow down.

The University of Kentucky did make a targeted defense against Li You, especially for three-pointers.

But Li You not only made three-pointers, but also made several clean mid-range pull-up jumpers, which were also impressive.

As the clock drew closer, Kentucky's offense became more and more urgent.

Eager to complete the defense, Li You easily assisted the big man Knight who was going down to complete the alley-oop in the face of a double attack!

Eager to complete the offense, Tony Delke made a strong three-pointer, switched offense, and Ray Allen made two more free throws.

Coach Pitino called a final timeout, but the miracle didn't happen.

At the last moment, Tony Delk finally found his touch and hit two consecutive three-pointers, but the University of Kentucky fans at the scene watched the 10-point difference, but there was no sound.

No one cared about their score anymore. On the UConn bench, everyone stood up, everyone raised their hands, bouncing and began to celebrate the victory of the game!
With the last 30 seconds left in the game, Li Youyun stopped attacking after halftime, and waited for the end of the game with a smile.

The moment the final buzz sounded, Li You threw the ball into the air casually, and Li You laughed and hugged with his teammates who rushed to the center of the field.

Head coach Calhoun also rushed to the center of the field with his coaching staff, and the media at the scene also rushed up with heavy cameras, and they wanted to record this historical moment.

The young people at the University of Connecticut in the auditorium also hugged together and shouted happily.

On the other side of the court, Antoine Walker put his hands on his hips, showing a disappointed expression.

There was no rest for one minute in this game, and a large number of back and forth runs almost made him paralyzed from exhaustion.
57:68, the University of Connecticut, with a low shooting percentage, finally won the finals!
"Congratulations to the University of Connecticut for making history and the first championship in team history. This year they have fully fulfilled their talents!"

The commentator Jim Nantz has some difficulty describing this game, which is very different from the NCAA in his past impressions.

雷-阿伦19中7，三分线外10中4，罚球6中6，24分3篮板1助攻1失误。

李佑15中6，三分线外3中1，罚球3中3，16分3篮板6助攻2失误。

Looking at the technical statistics, the commentator Billy Parker shook his head with a smile, and sighed:
"It's a game that decides the outcome. If you hesitate, you will lose. The shooting percentage is not important. Congratulations to the Connecticut boys!"

　Thank you book friends for your collection (﹃)
　　I will pay attention to it later, I won’t write about skin color anymore~
　　After deleting a few paragraphs, it finally came out!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)