Gentry stamped his foot in frustration. "Joe Johnson is so foolish!"
By indulging in individual heroism and not following the coach's tactical arrangements, Joe Johnson will be the culprit if the game is lost.
Wei Guo was also getting anxious...
However, he did not lose his mind.
O'Neal can be fouled when he gets a rebound because of his terrible free throw shooting. If he misses even one shot, it gives the Suns hope of catching up. But you can't gamble on Miller. These veterans have big hearts, and Miller's free throw percentage is close to 90%.
Fouling Miller is equivalent to giving the Heat two points.
Now the only option is to force Miller into turnovers through defense. Fortunately, Marion and Weiguo rushed up to double-team Miller, and they are the Suns' two best defensive players.
Miller almost made a dribbling mistake...
Fortunately, Kidd caught up in time, took the rebound from Miller, and seeing that there was little time left, Kidd passed the ball to Wade, who then made a layup.
The audience all stood up!
With only 5 seconds left in the game, if Wade makes a layup, they will win the game.
Wade jumped up, the basketball in his right hand, getting closer and closer to the rim. With just a gentle flick, Wade could end the game.
suddenly...
A dark figure flew past Wade from the side and slapped the basketball.
*Smack!!!*
The basketball suddenly left Wade's right hand.
Wade landed on the ground, staggered a couple of steps, grabbed his wrist, and yelled at the referee, "He hit my hand!"
The basketball was swatted away by Joe Johnson!
Wei Guo reacted immediately, yelling at Marion who had grabbed the rebound: "The referee didn't call it, give me the ball!"
Van Gundy shouted anxiously, "Stop Wei Guo! Don't let him receive the ball! Don't let him shoot!"
All of this happened within three seconds.
Mourning and Miller were closest to Wei Guo. Just as they rushed over, Wei Guo received the ball. Without any hesitation, he threw the ball towards the opposite basket.
The basketball is still in the air...
"Beep!!!"
The whistle blew, and the game was over.
The entire Heat team, the entire Suns team, all the spectators, cheerleaders, security guards, cleaners... everyone stood up and watched the play in silence.
This goal sealed the outcome of the match.
Goal!...Weiguo scores the winning goal.
The ball missed... The Heat won the game.
......
Many head coaches in the league have had playing careers, including Gentry.
Van Gundy was different; he only played in college leagues and went to work as an assistant coach at a university after graduating. In 1995, he joined the Heat as Riley's assistant coach.
He did it for eight years...
After Riley resigned as head coach and became the team's general manager, Van Gundy succeeded Riley as the Heat's head coach. In his first year leading the team, they made it to the playoffs. If they hadn't encountered the powerful Nets, the Heat might have gone even further. In the second year, they first brought in O'Neal, and then, through Riley's moves, they brought in Kidd and Miller midway through the season.
This is only Van Gundy's second season coaching the NbA, and such a dream roster is what every head coach dreams of.
The Heat have made it all the way to the Finals. If they can defeat the Suns and end the Heat's four-peat, Van Gundy will surely become a star overnight, and his value will increase several levels.
It's not just players who have market value; head coaches do too.
......
Just as Van Gundy snapped out of his reverie, he saw the basketball getting closer and closer to the basket.
His face was ashen...
You should have guessed this outcome the moment Wei Guo got the ball.
"Whoosh!!!"
The basketball went into the net.
112:111!!
The score was now set.
The game isn't over yet... All of this just happened in a mere 7 seconds. Idols can use the following numbers to measure how fast 7 seconds is.
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
Isn't it fast?
Of course, this doesn't apply to boys who think three seconds is enough to be a real man; seven seconds is enough for two times.
Heat players surrounded the referee, and Wade shouted, "I was fouled by Joe Johnson when I went for a layup, why didn't you call it?"
"I don't think there's anything wrong with this defense."
"That's what the referee said."
The Heat players all gathered around, and Van Gundy ran to the scorer's table, loudly berating the referee for not calling a foul on Wade's last layup when his hand was hit.
The audience joined in the jeering.
"Corrupt referee!"
"Corrupt referee!"
"Corrupt referee!"
The scene was in complete chaos...
The Suns were too embarrassed to celebrate Wei Guo's game-winning shot and returned to the bench... looking completely dumbfounded.
Cummings tugged at Joe Johnson's jersey and whispered, "Did you hit Wade's hand just now?"
"Probably not..."
John was unsure either, "I think it was a very clean block."
Arguing is pointless!
You can watch the game replay...
First, the Heat coaching staff gathered around the scorer's table to watch the replay of the final play, and then the Heat players and referees also gathered around to watch the replay of the final play.
After watching...
Van Gundy fell silent, and Wade also fell silent.
To quell the audience's anger, the scorer's table began replaying the final play on the big screen. The audience could clearly see that as Wade went for the layup, Joe Johnson rushed in from the side, and at the moment Wade attempted the layup, Joe Johnson swatted the ball away. There was no contact whatsoever, not even a hand strike.
The audience fell silent... and left with somber expressions.
......
Match statistics:
Wei Guo: 53 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks
Nash: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 16 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
O'Neal: 26 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 4 blocks
Wade: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Joe Johnson: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
......
Wade's stats weren't good because Wei Guo was guarding him the entire game. Although he had a few successful one-on-one plays, those were some of the few points Wade scored. Wei Guo didn't give him any open shots at all.
The Heat maintained a lead for most of the time, and it wasn't just one or two players who contributed. Kidd orchestrated the offense, O'Neal anchored the paint, Miller hit crucial threes, Eddie Jones and Damon Jones made threes, and Mourning defended Wei Guo. Every player performed well. To be honest... their ball-handling was a bit lacking, and they lost to Wei Guo, who had a 100% success rate on game-winning shots.
Joe Johnson redeemed himself in the final moments...
The failure to execute Gentry's tactics cannot be entirely blamed on Joe Johnson. Players on the court are not immune to the head coach's orders. He did have opportunities, and... Joe Johnson's three-point shooting percentage this season ranks second on the team and third in the league. He has the ability; he just lacked a bit of luck.
If we disregard the three-pointer, Joe Johnson's last-second help defense and block on Wade would certainly be a highlight of his career.
That block saved the Suns!
certainly...
Without Wei Guo's game-winning shot, this block would have been nothing but a pipe dream. But it was like a heartbroken Van Gundy; when Wei Guo got the ball, he realized the Heat had lost.
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