Chapter 200: The league is on fire! Chen Hao scored zero points in the first half and committed four personal fouls!
Chen Hao's offensive ability was not something ordinary people could withstand, especially now that he was firing on all cylinders.
Therefore, even though taylor and Guǎ Jiě had both gone all out, they ultimately couldn't stop Chen Hao's onslaught.
In less than two hours, they had both been defeated.
Chen Hao expressed great disappointment with this result:
"So, this is the strength you talked about to defeat me?
To be honest, I haven't even tried my best yet!
And you've already fallen?
I'm very disappointed!"
taylor and Guǎ Jiě didn't want to talk anymore, because they really didn't want to move a single finger.
However, they also thoroughly understood Chen Hao's combat power, and they had even secretly sworn in their hearts:
"Since you are so confident in your strength, I will definitely find an opportunity to defeat you!"
In taylor and Guǎ Jiě's perception, men were never a match for women, because they had a natural defensive advantage.
But Chen Hao, they had never defeated him, which directly ignited their competitive spirit!
If two people weren't enough, then they would find more people, more people with defensive capabilities to deal with Chen Hao.
It should be known that the Boston Celtics were already leading the San Antonio Spurs by a large margin of 2:0.
So, if the Boston Celtics won two more games, they would be able to win the Championship this season!
Since they would win the Championship, they would naturally need to celebrate properly!
That would be an excellent opportunity to get back at Chen Hao, and they believed Chen Hao would be happy to accept the challenge at that time.
Thinking of this, they had already begun to consider what kind of defensive players they should invite to launch a general attack on Chen Hao.
Now, they could only choose to endure the humiliation, after all, Chen Hao's combat power was indeed full of aggression.
After taking care of Guǎ Jiě and taylor, Chen Hao finally had time to get a good night's sleep.
Although he could work all night long, it didn't mean he really didn't need to sleep.
After two days of easy rest, Chen Hao's condition returned to its best!
But for taylor and Guǎ Jiě, their condition was really quite bad.
They didn't even have time to get out of bed; as long as they were awake and their physical strength recovered a little, Chen Hao would drag them along to improve their physical fitness.
In Chen Hao's words, this was for their own good, to let them know what real physical training was.
Poor Guǎ Jiě and taylor, in these two days, they had lost two or three catties, and they felt like they couldn't use their legs anymore!
Their whole body was really sore and weak, they didn't even have the strength to walk!
As for their walking posture, it was very strange.
Therefore, they had completely experienced Chen Hao's terrifying combat power!
And they could only choose to endure the humiliation, because they were truly experiencing pain and joy at the same time; although it was very hard, there were still moments of happiness!
It could only be said that Chen Hao had completely taken control of them!
They even doubted that when the third game of the NBA Finals started, they wouldn't even have the strength to watch the game.
Because they needed rest, they needed time for their bodies to recover!
The third game of the 2007-2008 NBA Finals officially kicked off at the Boston Celtics' home court, the TD Garden Stadium!
The Stadium was packed, and all the Boston Celtics' home Fans were wearing identical green T-shirts, looking like a green ocean!
And when Chen Hao appeared, all the Fans in the Stadium were shouting his name loudly, and some crazy female Fans even directly lifted their tops!
The live camera even timely focused on this bold woman!
So big and so white!
However, for the Fans in Dragon Country, they were destined not to see such a wonderful scene!
Because the TV stations in Dragon Country would choose to censor this scene, believing it was not suitable to appear in the sight of Dragon Country Fans!
But Chen Hao could clearly see this scene, and he had to admit that the women in America were well-nourished, and this size was indeed quite spectacular!
And the Fans on site even let out huge cheers, and the atmosphere of the game was already quite enthusiastic!
As Chen Hao's teammate, Jefferson stared intently at this hot and bold woman, saying with an envious look:
"Hey, Chen, did you see that?
She even had a tattoo up there!
It looked like your name!
Oh my god!
This is too crazy!
I wonder if any other women have my name tattooed on their chests?"
Chen Hao felt very helpless about Jefferson's emotion:
"Hey, when did your eyesight get so good?
Why can't I see it clearly?"
Regarding Chen Hao's question, Jefferson said proudly:
"Of course, I only focus on the key points!
Besides, these are two key points, I must see them clearly!"
The other players all burst into laughter after hearing Jefferson's words.
Apparently, the Boston Celtics players were full of confidence for this game, believing they would easily win it.
After all, in the last game, they had defeated the San Antonio Spurs by as many as 58 points, which had already set a record for winning!
Therefore, the San Antonio Spurs' morale had now fallen to rock bottom, and they had no chance of winning this game!
Little did they know, what they didn't know was that before this game started, David Stern had already communicated with the referees officiating this game.
In David Stern's opinion, there was no suspense left in this series.
But he didn't want this series to end so hastily; he felt it was a great pity.
Therefore, he hoped this series could play one more game, at least to keep the suspense alive a little longer!
Although Chen Hao's strength was very powerful, the San Antonio Spurs' players could not pose any threat to him.
But don't forget, the NBA is a commercial league, and many things can be manipulated!
Therefore, this game was destined to be quite difficult for Chen Hao!
As the game whistle blew, the game officially started!
The Fans watching live were already eager to see Chen Hao's god-like performance!
The Boston Celtics were the first to get offensive possession!
Chen Hao dribbled the ball past mid-court!
While observing his teammates' movements from the top of the arc, he signaled his teammates to come up for a screen!
Jefferson stepped up to set a screen!
But just as the two formed a pick-and-roll screen, the referee's whistle blew!
The referee's gesture pointed at Jefferson, signaling a screening foul!
Change of possession!
This result made the Fans on site very dissatisfied.
Because in their opinion, Jefferson's move was not a foul at all; his screen quality was very high, and he didn't move at all.
Just as Jefferson was about to step forward to argue with the referee, Chen Hao stopped him:
"Hey, don't be impulsive.
We'll give it to them!"
At this moment, Chen Hao had keenly noticed that the referee seemed to be targeting them, so he wanted to observe a bit more!
When it was the San Antonio Spurs' offense, their offensive method was also a pick-and-roll!
At this time, the San Antonio Spurs' players actually also had suspicions of moving screens, but the referee turned a blind eye!
Even when Chen Hao delivered a chase-down block to Ginobili, the referee directly called a foul on Chen Hao for hitting his hand!
Chen Hao's chase-down block was quite clean, not even touching Ginobili's hand, but he was still called for a foul!
Ginobili stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made both free throws!
At this point, Chen Hao knew that the league was exerting its power!
At this time, both he and Jefferson already had one foul, and if the officiating continued with such a loose standard, he believed he would soon be forced off the court.
Chen Hao's expression began to become serious; he knew he had to be more careful and cautious!
Although his strength was far superior to the opposing players, the referee was on the opponent's side!
This meant that they were now five against eight, which was really difficult to play!
If he tried to shoot from the outside as much as possible, then the San Antonio Spurs' players would also try to stick close to him and attempt to draw an offensive foul.
Since the referees were already biased towards the San Antonio Spurs, they would naturally become more reckless, and the whistle would definitely blow frequently!
Thinking of this, Chen Hao knew that he needed to change his strategy!
Pass the ball to his teammates as much as possible, and let his teammates score.
As for himself, he had to stay away from the restricted area as much as possible, and even try not to have physical contact with the San Antonio Spurs' players!
Chen Hao's idea was good, but when it came to actually implementing it, it was not a simple matter!
Because basketball is inherently a sport that emphasizes physical confrontation, various physical confrontations will naturally occur.
So, when he dribbled the ball past mid-court, Ginobili's close defense came!
Chen Hao originally wanted to use a quick crossover to get past Ginobili, but the opponent actively came up close!
This should have been called a defensive foul on him, but it was called an offensive foul on Chen Hao!
Because the moment Chen Hao made physical contact with Ginobili, the latter actually actively retreated two steps!
The referee's whistle blew decisively!
Under the incredulous eyes of all the Fans in the Stadium, Chen Hao received his second personal foul!
This result was beyond everyone's expectations!
The game had just started for less than a minute, and Chen Hao had already accumulated two fouls at lightning speed!
How could they play like this?
Did they have to be so blatant?
The live commentator also said with a helpless chuckle:
"It seems that today's situation is not very favorable for the Boston Celtics!
Chen Hao got two fouls in the first minute of the game!
This is a fatal blow for the Boston Celtics!
Now, Chen Hao should be substituted out, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Rivers called a timeout.
After calling the timeout, Rivers angrily cursed at the referee, unleashing a barrage of trash talk.
Anyone could see that Chen Hao's dribble was not a foul; the referee was clearly targeting him!
Rivers's raspy voice obviously annoyed the referee, so he also quickly received a technical foul of his own!
At this, Rivers became even more furious, almost rushing up to Rivers's face to unleash a full-blown attack!
However, Chen Hao timely pulled him back:
"Hey, Head Coach, let's calm down!
The game has just begun, we don't need to be overly nervous!"
After being persuaded by Chen Hao, Rivers finally calmed down a bit.
"Damn it, the league is deliberately targeting us!
This game will be very difficult for us!
Especially for you, as soon as you step onto the court, the whistle might blow!"
Rivers had been a Head Coach for so many years, he was very clear about the league's nature.
He had even prepared to lose this game unfairly, because the referees were really too obvious!
But Chen Hao seemed very confident:
"It doesn't have to be so pessimistic!
The game has just begun, we will have a chance!
Since they want me to rest on the bench, then I'll just rest well!"
Chen Hao's calmness still couldn't put Rivers at ease; he nervously made personnel adjustments.
Chen Hao naturally had to rest on the bench, and he couldn't even play again in the first quarter.
Chen Hao had no objections to this arrangement.
In his opinion, as long as he could guarantee enough playing time in the fourth quarter, this game would not be a big problem!
However, Chen Hao still underestimated the shamelessness of the league.
He originally thought the referee was only targeting him, but he didn't expect the referee was targeting all the players on their team!
Soon after Chen Hao was substituted off, Jefferson also quickly received his second personal foul!
As a result, Jefferson was also substituted off!
The Boston Celtics' two main players were both troubled by fouls and forced off the court, which was really quite critical for the Boston Celtics!
But the critical situation was far from over; soon after, A'lian was also forced off the court due to accumulating two fouls!
In the first quarter, three of the Boston Celtics' main players were forced off the court to rest due to foul trouble!
At this point, the Fans on site were completely enraged!
They cursed at the referees frantically, almost rushing up to beat them up!
Although the referees were under immense pressure, they could only bite the bullet and continue to officiate!
After all, they had received orders, and they could only act according to orders.
And Rivers finally couldn't bear it anymore, directly confronting the Head Referee, spitting all over the Head Referee's face!
Judging by the posture, Rivers seemed to be about to directly lay hands on someone!
Therefore, Rivers's impulsiveness was also punished, receiving another technical foul.
As a result, he was directly ejected from the game for accumulating two technical fouls!
Rivers seemed to have anticipated this outcome long ago; instead, he left gracefully, leaving only one sentence:
"I want to see how shameless you can get!"
Chen Hao also seemed very helpless about the Head Coach's ejection; it seemed his influence was still not enough!
Since David Stern was clearly trying to snatch a victory from their hands, Chen Hao naturally had to make some kind of response!
The San Antonio Spurs had already used the advantage of the first quarter to open up a 15-point lead, which greatly boosted their confidence.
However, Chen Hao didn't care at all, because the game had just begun!
But in the second quarter, when Chen Hao and other players who were troubled by fouls re-entered the game, they quickly came off the court again!
Still due to personal foul issues, the San Antonio Spursonce again used this opportunity to further extend their lead!
After halftime, the difference between the two teams had already reached as much as 30 points!
35:65!
Time was really running out for the Boston Celtics!
Chapter 201: 30 points is nothing! Scoring machine Chen Hao explodes! Tremble!
Trailing the San Antonio Spurs by 30 points at halftime, and with their star player Chen Hao already having 4 personal fouls, the Boston Celtics were in a truly dire situation!
Even the home Fans began to think about giving up on this game.
They had already accepted the fact that they were being unfairly targeted and could only hope for the next game!
The live commentator said with a sigh of emotion:
"It seems the Boston Celtics don't have much of a chance in this game!
They are down by thirty points at halftime, and Chen Haohas 4 personal fouls!
Even their starting center already has three fouls!
They are truly in a bad situation in this game!"
The commentator also seemed very depressed about the outcome of this game.
Originally, he thought it would be a one-sided game, and it was indeed one-sided, but for the wrong team!
Everyone could see that the league had intervened; they seemingly didn't want this series to end so soon.
So, the referees dominated the game, making it seem utterly devoid of entertainment value.
However, another commentator offered a different perspective:
"Hey, don't speak too soon!
You know Chen Hao is best at creating the impossible!
He is also a player who has created many miracles in the playoffs!
So, in this game, until the very last moment, you really can't say for sure!"
The other commentator seemed quite dismissive of what this commentator said:
"You have to understand, the referees in this game clearly received a death order!
They must not let Chen Hao play on the court for too long!
At halftime, besides getting 4 personal fouls, he didn't even score a single point!
Do you still expect him to perform in the second half?
Isn't that just wishful thinking?"
In fact, the home Fans also agreed with this commentator's view, because it was really too difficult for Chen Hao to lead the team to a comeback!
It would be better to just give up on this game, which would make the Fans feel a bit more comfortable.
However, for Chen Hao, he didn't think that way.
Since the league wanted to target him, he was determined to make this game even more suspenseful!
Although these referees were all targeting him, they couldn't possibly target him for all forty-eight minutes, could they?
As soon as the score difference between the two sides reached a certain gap, they would naturally lower the standard of their officiating!
At that time, it would be Chen Hao's chance!
Chen Hao had always been extremely confident in his scoring ability; as long as he was given a little time, he would be able to make up the lost points!
During halftime, in the Boston Celtics' locker room!
All the players looked gloomy; they were very angry at the referees in this game!
Except for Chen Hao, his expression remained very calm.
And the team's Head Coach Rivers was the first to step forward and admit his mistake at this moment:
"Hey, guys, I have to apologize to everyone for my impulsiveness!
I shouldn't have been so impulsive, but I really couldn't help myself at the time!
These referees are blind; they are clearly targeting us!
This game, for us, is really too difficult!"
Hearing the Head Coach blame himself so much, the other players all spoke up to comfort him, saying it wasn't his fault.
Just at this moment, Chen Hao spoke:
"Actually, everyone doesn't need to be so disheartened!
After all, the game isn't over yet, and we still have a chance in the second half!"
Chen Hao's words made his teammates' expressions turn to surprise.
And Jefferson said with a look of despair:
"Hey, Chen, I know you are comforting us right now!
But we know very well that this game really has no chance of winning!
As soon as we make physical contact with the opponent, we will be called for a foul!
It's simply impossible for us to score!
They simply don't want us to be on the basketball court!
This kind of game simply cannot be played!
This is really too dark!
The referees are even darker than my skin color!"
Jefferson's words spoke the true feelings of the BostonCeltics players; they all felt despair towards these three referees!
But Chen Hao still said calmly:
"Although these three referees have been targeting us all along!
But don't forget, they will also have times when they relax!
Now we are already trailing by a large margin!
I think they will appropriately relax the officiating in the second half!
So, the second half, for us, is the best chance to fight back!
However, at the beginning of the third quarter, we might still be targeted!
So, I can only play in the last moments of the third quarter!
Before that, I hope you can keep the score close, try not to fall behind by more than 40 points!
The rest, leave it to me!"
Chen Hao's words instantly calmed his teammates' despairing moods; they had unconditional trust in Chen Hao.
Because Chen Hao had led them to complete many astonishing comebacks before!
Although this time the officiating was very biased, since Chen Hao said so, it meant he still had a way!
"Okay, we believe in you!
We will definitely try our best to narrow the score difference!
Waiting for you to play!"
Jefferson was clearly stimulated by Chen Hao's bold words, and he shouted excitedly.
A'lian, standing nearby, also had a resolute expression; he was also very displeased with these three referees!
If it weren't for the fact that he was a player, he would have wanted to punch these three blind referees directly to the ground!
Chen Hao was very satisfied with his teammates' reactions; he silently nodded and patiently waited for the start of the second half!
Halftime ended, and the second half of the game continued!
Although they were already trailing by as much as 30 points at halftime, the home Fans did not leave early because of it!
Even though they all knew there was no hope of winning this game, they still wanted to protest against the referees!
Some hot-tempered Fans even thought about directly surrounding the referees after the game to let them know the consequences of biased officiating!
After the third quarter began, Chen Hao still did not play, but the Boston Celtics' morale seemed to have improved significantly!
They became very active on defense, and although the referees' whistles kept blowing, it did not dampen their enthusiasm.
In fact, the Boston Celtics players' defensive actions became even more aggressive!
Actually, the pressure on these three referees was also quite immense; they even started to worry about their personal safety in Boston!
Especially after seeing how agitated the live Fans were, they began to think that there was no need to continue being so strict in this game!
Because the San Antonio Spurs were already leading by more than 30 points, and Chen Hao already had 4 fouls, which was a huge lead!
So, they really did gradually relax the standard of their officiating!
The Boston Celtics players felt it particularly clearly; in the first half, as soon as they moved, they would be called for a foul.
But now the situation was different; when they made normal movements, the referees did not blow their whistles, which made them feel very encouraged!
Chen Hao had guessed correctly; the referees would also appropriately adjust the standard of their officiating!
So, since the referees' standard had been lowered, they could now complete their offense well!
The Boston Celtics' offense began to flow smoothly; they started to make some shots!
However, the San Antonio Spurs' shooting percentage was still quite good, especially Ginobili; the BostonCeltics players simply couldn't limit his scoring, and he had already scored as many as 24 points in the first half.
In the second half, Ginobili's performance was still very eye-catching, and his touch remained hot.
It was precisely because there was no Chen Haodefending on the Boston Celtics' frontcourt that Ginobilihad easy scoring opportunities!
So, he was very excited now, and he believed he could score 50+ points in this game.
Thinking of this, Ginobili was very excited; he thought he finally had a chance to shine!
From the San Antonio Spurs players' perspective, they didn't think the referees were favoring them, but rather that their strength was simply that great!
Although the Boston Celtics' offense gradually found its rhythm, the San Antonio Spurs' offense was also very well-organized.
So, the score difference between the two sides in the third quarter never narrowed, and was even extended to as much as 35 points.
Chen Hao did not blame his teammates for this result; he could see that Ginobili was in very good form today.
Of course, that was because he wasn't facing his defense.
Chen Hao could guarantee that as long as he personally defended Ginobili, he would absolutely not be able to score in front of him!
But it was not his time to play yet; at the very least, he could only play in the last three minutes of the third quarter!
When there were three minutes left in the third quarter, the Boston Celtics requested a substitution!
50:85!
At this time, the Boston Celtics were still trailing the San Antonio Spurs by as much as 35 points.
This score difference, for the Boston Celtics Fans, was insurmountable!
Although Chen Hao chose to play at this time, the Fanswere all worried whether Chen Hao would immediately be called for a foul!
If that were still the result, then this game would truly have no suspense left!
However, they had also witnessed Chen Hao create miracles, so deep down, they also hoped that Chen Haowould continue to have a superhuman performance!
When Chen Hao appeared on the court, the San Antonio Spurs players still felt some tension!
Because they would not forget the huge damage Chen Hao had inflicted on them!
Winning by 58 points in a single game was all Chen Hao's doing!
Now, although he already had four personal fouls, as long as he appeared on the basketball court, he was a huge threat!
And the San Antonio Spurs players quickly adjusted their defensive strategy, directly forming a triple team on Chen Hao!
They couldn't take risks; they had to assign the tightest defense to Chen Hao.
Besides, the referees were also watching Chen Hao now, so Chen Hao naturally wouldn't dare to make any overly aggressive moves!
As Chen Hao had guessed, the referees had indeed relaxed their officiating standards now.
Although Chen Hao was very strong, there was very little time left now!
So, they could allow Chen Hao to score appropriately; the whistle no longer needed to be so tight!
But these referees probably never dreamed that Chen Hao would put on the most explosive scoring performance for them!
By the time they realized it, it would definitely be too late!
After Chen Hao came on, he didn't take the ball immediately but ran directly to the frontcourt without the ball!
After he stood firm at the frontcourt logo, a teammate voluntarily dribbled to his side and passed the ball into his hands!
After receiving the ball, Chen Hao didn't even look at the basket and directly chose to shoot a three-pointer!
The San Antonio Spurs' triple team hadn't even formed yet when Chen Hao had already released the shot!
After shooting, Chen Hao also didn't look at the basket's trajectory but directly chose to turn around and run back on defense!
Chen Hao's confident move shocked the home Fans, but the next moment, they erupted in huge cheers!
Because Chen Hao's showy three-pointer actually went in cleanly!
Chen Hao contributed as soon as he came on, and it was a super long-range three-pointer!
He pulled it off!
The San Antonio Spurs players' faces were very gloomy; they didn't expect Chen Hao to have such accuracy, and they began to recall the fear of being dominated by Chen Hao!
Ginobili, on the other hand, didn't have many thoughts about Chen Hao's super long-range three-pointer.
He even directly shouted at Chen Hao:
"Hey, it's too late!
Your three-pointer came too late!
You no longer have any hope of winning!
I will make you taste the pain of a crushing defeat too!"
After saying that, Ginobili quickly dribbled the ball and rushed to the basket!
Ginobili was full of confidence in this drive of his, because as long as he made physical contact with the BostonCeltics' interior players, he would be able to get a free throw opportunity!
Every previous drive had resulted in this, and this time would be no exception!
Little did he know, as he dribbled and rushed to the basket, Chen Hao had already quietly followed behind him!
Chen Hao was very clear about Ginobili's offensive methods; this guy's serpentine drive really had some tricks to it.
But that only worked in front of others; in front of Chen Hao, it was nothing!
After a series of moves, Ginobili really did shake off all the Boston Celtics players!
Finally, he chose a left-handed reverse layup; at this time, he was already thinking about how to mock Chen Hao's defense!
But the next moment, his expression became incredibly shocked!
Because his layup was directly pinned against the backboard by a large hand from behind him!
When he looked up, he saw Chen Hao's expressionless face!
But he could still see disdain and mockery in Chen Hao's eyes, which made him feel very angry!
But Chen Hao wouldn't pay attention to his anger; he directly confiscated the ball with one hand after it landed and quickly pushed it up the court!
At this moment, Ginobili actually directly threw his hands up at the referees and shouted:
"Hey, damn it, he fouled me!
Why didn't you call it?"
The referees chose to ignore Ginobili's complaint.
The reason they had been frantically calling fouls on Chen Hao before was indeed to target him.
But now, it seemed there was no longer any need for that, after all, they were still trailing by 32 points!
No matter how strong you, Chen Hao, are, can you really erase a 32-point deficit in such a short amount of time?
As experienced referees, they believed this was absolutely impossible!
So, they had a change of heart and no longer rashly called fouls on Chen Hao!
Only the next moment, the referees' eyeballs almost fell to the ground!
Chapter 202: Time is running out for the Celtics? No, time is running out for the Spurs!
As Chen Hao swiftly advanced the ball up the court, he successively bypassed several San Antonio Spursdefenders, moving as gracefully and smoothly as a butterfly flitting through flowers!
After Chen Hao dribbled past the half-court line, he surprisingly stopped, took a step, and launched a super-long-range three-pointer from the logo!
The referees were naturally astonished by Chen Hao's shooting form.
But the next moment, their expressions turned from surprise to alarm!
Because Chen Hao's sudden stop and super-long-range three-pointer incredibly went in!
Since Chen Hao entered the game, he had already hit two consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the deficit to 29 points!
There was still one and a half minutes left in the third quarter!
The Boston Celtics Fans in attendance were stunned; they couldn't even believe what they were seeing, that Chen Hao was actually starting to make his move!
After a brief moment of shock, the arena erupted in thunderous applause and cheers!
The San Antonio Spurs immediately called a timeout; they were genuinely afraid of Chen Hao now, his scoring ability was simply too strong!
They felt they needed to start defending Chen Hao from the backcourt, his shooting range was simply too far!
Otherwise, he would sooner or later shoot a three-pointer directly after crossing the half-court line!
Therefore, the San Antonio Spurs' defensive strategy changed; they directly shifted their defensive focus to the backcourt!
By not allowing Chen Hao to easily receive the ball in the frontcourt, they could cut off his possibility of shooting super-long-range three-pointers!
As for the referees, although they were startled by Chen Hao's two super-long-range three-pointers, they still didn't take it to heart.
After all, the Boston Celtics truly didn't have much time left!
The Boston Celtics players, on the other hand, seemed a bit excited; they began to develop fighting spirit for this game!
They had witnessed Chen Hao's strength, and now he was starting to exert himself!
Moreover, just as Chen Hao had predicted, the referees were indeed not easily calling fouls on the Boston Celticsnow!
This was indeed good news for the Boston Celtics!
So, what they needed to do now was to get the ball into Chen Hao's hands and let him solve the problem!
There was nothing left to worry about; they were already trailing by so much, what was the point of tactics? Just go for it!
Therefore, after this timeout, the Boston Celtics players' morale had risen again, and everyone's face was full of fighting spirit!
As for the San Antonio Spurs players, their current thought was not to easily let Chen Hao receive the ball beyond half-court!
As long as they achieved this, Chen Hao wouldn't be able to easily hit super-long-range three-pointers, which would be the best outcome for the San Antonio Spurs!
After this timeout, the San Antonio Spurs' targeted defense still proved effective, making it much more difficult for Chen Hao to receive the ball!
Especially in the backcourt, Chen Hao couldn't even see where the passer was, because there were three defenders around him, trying to completely block his vision.
So, Chen Hao directly gave up on the idea of receiving the ball in the backcourt and signaled his teammates to pass the ball to other players.
As for Chen Hao, he quickly rushed to the frontcourt at this moment, but he was still followed by two defenders.
Chen Hao was very fast, and the San Antonio Spursplayers immediately reached out, trying to grab Chen Hao's arm to prevent him from easily breaking free!
Chen Hao naturally didn't pay any attention to these small defensive fouls by the San Antonio Spurs players!
Of course, the referees also turned a blind eye to these defensive actions by the San Antonio Spurs players; Chen Hao directly shook off their pulling and rushed past the half-court line!
And the moment Chen Hao crossed the half-court line, his index finger was already pointing towards the sky!
Chen Hao's meaning was very clear: he wanted his teammates to throw the ball over his head, and he would take care of the rest!
His teammates naturally chose to comply with Chen Hao's request!
So, under the gaze of the San Antonio Spurs players, Chen Hao had already leaped high and caught the basketball in the air!
The moment he caught the basketball, Chen Hao had already turned in the air!
This move seemed familiar!
Because Chen Hao had once used this move to complete a classic game-winner, even becoming the best game-winner of the year!
Was he going to use the same trick again today?
If Chen Hao really intended to shoot in this way, the San Antonio Spurs players truly had no way to stop him!
However, there was actually a saying circulating within the San Antonio Spurs team:
No matter how high you jump, there will always be a time to land!
So, a San Antonio Spurs player had already extended his right foot, placing it where Chen Hao was about to land!
As soon as Chen Hao completed his shot and landed in the air, he would step on this foot, and spraining his ankle would be a 100% certainty!
Now, it was time to witness Chen Hao getting injured!
Little did they know, Chen Hao did not choose to shoot directly in the air; instead, he glanced down at his feet, then directly spread his legs and landed steadily!
Chen Hao was very aware of how dirty the San Antonio Spurs' defense was, so he would never let his guard down at such a moment.
After dodging their deliberate foot-stepping, Chen Haoonce again faced a double-team defense; some even tried to directly hug him, clearly not wanting to give him a shot!
However, Chen Hao had anticipated the San Antonio Spurs players' defensive strategy in advance, so he had already quickly completed his shot at this moment!
The moment he completed his shot, the San Antonio Spurs' foul came!
But at this moment, the basketball had already flown towards the hoop, and after a moment of hesitation, the referee still blew his whistle!
There was nothing he could do; the referee also wanted to turn a blind eye, but this foul was simply too obvious; if he didn't blow the whistle, it would really be too blatant!
Just as the whistle sounded, the basketball incredibly swished through the net!
Not only were the San Antonio Spurs players stunned, but even the referee had an expression of disbelief!
How the hell did he make that?
How did he do it?
After the three-pointer went in, the entire arena of Fanscould no longer sit still; they all stood up, cheering and shouting wildly!
At this moment, Chen Hao calmly said to Ginobili, who had fouled him:
"Hey, next time remember to hug me sooner!
Otherwise, I'll still hit a three-pointer over your head!
Time is running out for you guys!
Hurry up and use all your tricks!"
After being mocked by Chen Hao like this, Ginobili's face also became extremely ugly; he truly hadn't expected Chen Hao to be able to hit a super-long-range three-pointer under such circumstances!
This guy was indeed quite terrifying!
As for Chen Hao, he had already walked to the free-throw line and made the additional free throw!
With only forty seconds left in the third quarter, the difference between the two teams had narrowed to 25 points!
As for Chen Hao, he had hit three consecutive three-pointers in just over two minutes, scoring ten points!
This result was beyond everyone's expectations!
According to his explosive scoring power, with a full 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for him to tie the score?
Thinking of this, the San Antonio Spurs players began to panic!
So, they also made a mistake on this offensive possession!
Ginobili had intended to quickly dribble the ball past half-court, but he hadn't expected Chen Hao to suddenly appear in front of him and quickly swipe at the ball, directly stealing it!
After successfully stealing the ball, Chen Hao, with Ginobili in hot pursuit, directly executed a spectacular mid-air reverse dunk!
And after completing the dunk, he didn't forget to mock Ginobili, who was following behind him:
"I told you, time is running out for you guys!
You'd better bring out all your tricks!
Otherwise, you'll become a laughingstock once again!"
Ginobili's mood now was like having eaten dog poop, utterly disgusted; Chen Hao's trash talk even started to destabilize his emotions.
But he had to admit, successfully guarding Chen Haoone-on-one was truly not an easy task.
In the end, the San Antonio Spurs' last possession of the third quarter also came to nothing, and Chen Haonarrowed the deficit to 23 points!
Chen Hao scored 12 consecutive points, single-handedly creating a small surge that completely stunned the entire San Antonio Spurs team!
At this moment, they recalled the fear of being dominated by Chen Hao in the previous game!
The Fans in the arena were already completely in a frenzy; this game, which was originally without suspense, seemed to have rekindled hope under Chen Hao's leadership!
The large screen in the arena kept replaying Chen Hao's scoring performance from earlier, and each viewing was incredibly exciting!
During the quarter break, the three referees gathered together again, because they realized that this game seemed unstable!
So, they believed that the whistle for Chen Hao still needed to be tighter, otherwise, there was a real possibility of an upset.
After Chen Hao came off the court, his emotions were very stable, and he focused his gaze on the referees.
When he saw the referees discussing amongst themselves, he knew that he would face a very severe test in the fourth quarter!
Thinking of this, he immediately said to the coach:
"Hey, coach, I'll rest for a while in the fourth quarter.
Let me play again when there are five minutes left!
If I play from the start, the referees will also target me.
So, the guys need to hold the lead, just hold on for six or seven minutes!"
The Boston Celtics players quickly understood Chen Hao's words and realized his purpose in doing so.
Indeed, if Chen Hao were to play immediately after the fourth quarter began, he would naturally receive special attention from the referees.
After all, he had shown considerable scoring ability in the third quarter.
Therefore, Chen Hao had to be protected now, allowing him to play at the very last moment.
Then, in the first half of the fourth quarter, the other Boston Celtics players would need to maintain the score difference and not let the opponent extend the lead again!
In the first three quarters, the Boston Celtics players might have found this difficult to achieve.
But now it was different, because Chen Hao had set an example for them, and they were truly full of fighting spirit now!
After the fourth quarter began, Chen Hao did not immediately play, which made the Fans in the arena very confused, and some even started to curse the coach!
As for the referees, they had originally intended to keep a close eye on Chen Hao, but since Chen Hao wasn't playing, they naturally didn't need to pay too much attention to him!
"Chen Hao isn't playing right away, what are they thinking?
This is the time to catch up!"
Even the commentators at the venue were very confused by the Boston Celtics coach's decision, but the game continued!
The San Antonio Spurs players were originally very worried about Chen Hao continuing to score, but when they saw Chen Hao sitting on the bench, they finally breathed a sigh of relief!
Little did they know, the other Boston Celtics players also started to perform!
Especially the two big men, A'lian and Jefferson, who had extremely high shooting percentages from mid-range, particularly A'lian, who shot immediately upon receiving the ball, giving them no chance to foul at all!
At this moment, A'lian's mentality also changed; he knew he had to demonstrate his value!
Chen Hao asked them to hold the score difference, but he wanted to do more; he wanted to further narrow the gap!
So, he had to step up and show his abilities!
He also wanted to show the home Fans that their Dragon Kingdom players were not cowards!
It must be said that when A'lian's confidence increased, his shooting percentage was also quite impressive!
Moreover, the San Antonio Spurs initially didn't pay much attention to A'lian, so A'lian hit several mid-range shots consecutively!
By the time they reacted and went to defend Chen Hao, it was Jefferson's turn to perform!
Normally, with Chen Hao overshadowing him, Jeffersonwasn't really considered a top player.
However, when Chen Hao wasn't on the court, Jeffersonstill had some tricks up his sleeve, especially his footwork under the basket, which made the San Antonio Spursdefenders scramble.
So, with A'lian and Jefferson's alternating performances, the Boston Celtics kept the score close!
At the very least, the score difference between the two teams did not widen further, which was what Chen Haowanted to see!
From the San Antonio Spurs' perspective, as long as Chen Hao wasn't playing, everything else was manageable.
Although they weren't extending their lead now, time was running out, and as long as they held on until the end, they would still be the ultimate victors!
Therefore, in the first half of the fourth quarter, both sides played steadily, just like in the first quarter.
This made the home Fans very anxious; they felt that the Boston Celtics' approach was not going to work.
However, no matter how anxious they were, there was nothing they could do, because Chen Hao had not been substituted in!
It wasn't until the second official timeout that Chen Haofinally stood up from his seat.
And at this moment, there were only five minutes left in the fourth quarter!
The score difference between the two teams was still 23 points!
80 : 103!
With five minutes left and trailing by 23 points, did the Boston Celtics still have hope?
The answer to this question lay with Chen Hao!
Under the gaze of all the Fans, Chen Hao entered the game!
At this moment, he still had four personal fouls, and he had the last five minutes to change the course of this game!
As for the final outcome, Chen Hao was full of confidence in himself!
They had originally thought Chen Hao had given up on the game, but when Chen Hao reappeared in front of the San Antonio Spurs players, they finally realized that the game was not over yet!
But then they thought, they were leading by 23 points, what were they afraid of?
So, Ginobili proactively walked up to Chen Hao and said to him with a look of disdain:
"Hey, although your spirit is commendable for playing now!
But I still want to tell you, time is running out for you guys?"
"Not much?
I don't think so!
Because for me, it's just right!
The real show is just beginning!
Are you ready?"
Chen Hao's smile, in Ginobili's eyes, was full of coldness!
Chapter 203 No, buddy, do you really think I'm joking? I like reversals and I also like the sun!
Although Ginobili was wary of Chen Hao, he didn't believe Chen Hao could really erase a 23-point deficit in five minutes.
He stopped talking and stared intently at Chen Hao, even pressing his entire body against Chen Hao!
As Argentina's national treasure-level guard, Ginobili's defensive ability was also quite outstanding.
Now he also knew that Chen Hao would definitely launch an all-out counterattack in the last five minutes, so he couldn't relax at all!
Besides, the San Antonio Spurs now knew Chen Hao's strategy: constantly shooting super long-range three-pointers from beyond the arc.
So, since he was going to employ that strategy, why not just send him to the free-throw line!
As long as Chen Hao got the ball, they would resolutely foul him and disrupt his rhythm!
This fouling strategy, in the San Antonio Spurs' view, was quite effective, especially with only five minutes left in the game.
Two free throws only yield two points, and their offense would also run down the clock; this way, time would pass quickly, and Chen Hao wouldn't have enough time to catch up.
Sure enough, the moment Chen Hao received the ball in the backcourt, Ginobili's right hand chopped fiercely at Chen Hao's wrist!
He did this to test the referee's leniency, to see if the referee would call a foul for this action!
As long as the referee's whistle didn't blow, he would maintain this defensive intensity, giving Chen Hao more physical contact and small fouls.
To Ginobili's surprise, the referee really didn't blow the whistle.
But another thing that frustrated Ginobili was that even with such a forceful chop on Chen Hao's wrist, Chen Haodidn't react at all!
What terrified Ginobili the most was that the basketball was still firmly gripped in Chen Hao's hand!
Just then, he also heard Chen Hao's mocking voice enter his ears:
"Didn't you eat?
Is that all the strength you have?
So soft, you really can't compare to a banana!"
After Chen Hao finished his trash talk, he quickly dribbled the ball and sprinted towards the frontcourt!
By the time Ginobili reacted, Chen Hao had already dribbled past the half-court line!
Past the half-court line was his shooting range!
So Chen Hao didn't hesitate, directly gathered the ball and shot a super long-range three-pointer!
It was too late for the San Antonio Spurs players to foul Chen Hao at this point!
They could only watch helplessly as the basketball once again swished through the net!
At this moment, the entire crowd of Fans once again fell into a frenzy!
They had originally thought that Chen Hao not playing in the fourth quarter meant he was giving up on the game.
But they never expected that Chen Hao would appear with five minutes left, and contribute immediately upon entering!
83:103!
The difference between the two sides came to 20 points!
And there were still four minutes and forty-five seconds left in the game!
Now it was the San Antonio Spurs' turn to attack!
The San Antonio Spurs players looked at Ginobili in confusion, because they all believed that Ginobili had made a mistake in his defense this time!
Didn't they agree?
As soon as he got the ball, they would decisively foul him, and absolutely not give him a chance to dribble!
But now, Chen Hao had once again made a super long-range three-pointer right under their noses!
His terrifying shooting percentage was still ongoing!
They really couldn't relax at all against him!
And at this moment, the referees were also visibly nervous!
Chen Hao was truly too strong; they felt they couldn't even control the direction of the game anymore!
In reality, they had already done their utmost!
They basically didn't call fouls on the San Antonio Spurs, but as soon as any physical contact occurred with a Celtics player, the whistle would immediately blow!
They had already shown this much favoritism, yet the San Antonio Spurs still couldn't pull it together?
Ginobili knew he had made a mistake!
So, after taking a deep breath, he once again dribbled the ball past half-court!
Chen Hao appeared in front of him again, and said to him with a smile:
"Hey, you dribble too slowly!
Full of flaws!
So, I'm going to steal the ball from you!"
As his voice fell, the basketball in Ginobili's hand was gone!
Chen Hao had really stolen the ball from him!
By the time Ginobili reacted in shock and turned around to foul Chen Hao, Chen Hao was already gone!
Because Chen Hao had already crossed half-court and was shooting a three-pointer again from the logo!
Even without anyone defending him in front, Chen Haostill chose the most aggressive scoring method, which was the three-pointer!
It swished in again!
86:103!
The point difference had now become 17 points!
Chen Hao knew very well that the Celtics didn't have much time left!
Chen Hao also couldn't guarantee whether the referees would go crazy at the last moment and start calling ticky-tack fouls on him.
Therefore, as long as there was an opportunity, Chen Haowould decisively shoot without any hesitation!
Only by tying the score in the shortest possible time would they have a chance to win the game!
All the San Antonio Spurs players were stunned!
Chen Hao had continuously scored in front of Ginobili, and Ginobili had become a huge defensive liability!
Although he had a sensational performance in the first three quarters, as soon as Chen Hao appeared, he completely changed, as if he couldn't play basketball at all!
Chen Hao had become Ginobili's fatal nemesis, how could they possibly play like this?
The San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach immediately requested a substitution; he took Ginobili out of the game, wanting him to calm down.
His strategy was actually very simple: just maintain the current lead, and the victory would be theirs!
But now, it seemed this victory was not secure, especially with Ginobili being completely suppressed by Chen Hao!
Since Ginobili wasn't effective, they could only substitute him out and let other players chase Chen Hao!
Moreover, the San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach's sole principle was:
As long as Chen Hao got the ball, they would resolutely foul him; it had to be thorough!
Only in this way could they limit Chen Hao's explosive scoring efficiency!
After the timeout, it was still the San Antonio Spurs' offense!
This time, they dared not be careless; as soon as Chen Hao appeared in front of them, they immediately passed the ball away!
This allowed them to successfully dribble the ball past half-court!
However, after they dribbled past half-court, they immediately encountered the Celtics' double-team defense!
Many of the Celtics players still had plenty of energy, because most of the time they could only watch from the sidelines.
So, at the end of the game, their abundant energy made their defense even more aggressive!
The San Antonio Spurs players couldn't even pass the ball out!
However, the referee's whistle eventually blew!
A defensive foul on the Celtics!
This made the San Antonio Spurs players breathe a sigh of relief; at least they could restart the play!
However, the Celtics players were not at all disheartened by this result; instead, they were very excited!
Because they found that the San Antonio Spurs players' stamina was dropping rapidly, and if they continued this aggressive defensive style, their energy would quickly be depleted!
At that point, the Celtics would launch their final charge!
This time, Chen Hao seized the opportunity on the inbound pass and directly stole the ball!
It was another quick dash to the frontcourt; no one could keep up with Chen Hao's speed, because he was now at full throttle!
Another pull-up three-pointer from a sudden stop, and it swished in again!
89:103!
The point difference between the two sides had now become 14 points!
At the start of the fourth quarter, Chen Hao had already hit three three-pointers, completely sending the San Antonio Spurs players' spirits plummeting to rock bottom!
There were still three and a half minutes left in the game, and the San Antonio Spurs were still leading the Celticsby 14 points.
Generally speaking, with such a point difference, there's a very high chance of winning the game!
But the current situation was not like that, because the Celtics had Chen Hao, and Chen Hao's offense was truly too strong!
As long as he was given a little open space, he would seize the opportunity to sink the shot!
In one and a half minutes, he hit three three-pointers, scoring nine points, seemingly effortlessly!
Such scoring ability could no longer be described as heaven-defying; this was literally defying the heavens!
At this moment, every San Antonio Spurs player's heart was filled with fear and panic; they began to feel that the 14-point lead was not secure!
When they experienced such emotions, it meant that the balance of this game was about to tip towards the Celtics!
Many times, in basketball games, besides skill, belief is also extremely important!
As long as there is enough confidence, there will definitely be a reward!
In Chen Hao's view, there were only two possibilities for a shot:
It either goes in or it doesn't!
So, just by looking at these two possibilities, one can derive a concept:
The shooting percentage without shooting is always zero percent;
But if you shoot, there's a fifty percent chance of making it!
Although it sounds like sophistry, it really does require bold shooting!
And Chen Hao was incredibly confident in his three-point ability; although he was shooting from a great distance today, this didn't cause him any worry at all!
The game was already so far behind, what else was there to worry about?
Even if they really lost in the end, wasn't that also expected?
But what if?
What if after shooting, the point difference really narrowed or even overtook?
Isn't this the charm of basketball?
Only by constantly trying and constantly challenging will your strength improve!
Although Chen Hao no longer needed the baptism of such motivational talks, it was still important to believe in his own abilities at critical moments!
The San Antonio Spurs players saw determination and confidence in Chen Hao's eyes, which made them even more fearful of Chen Hao!
This guy was simply not human; his strength was truly too great!
Once such a belief took root, their mindset would definitely be affected!
Therefore, the San Antonio Spurs' offense this time was still disorganized, and finally, they chose to shoot hastily when time was almost up.
Such a shot, of course, resulted in an air ball!
Chen Hao once again secured the defensive rebound, and this time the San Antonio Spurs players reacted quickly, immediately hugging Chen Hao and fouling him!
The referee's whistle finally blew!
The referee's whistle brought a smile to Chen Hao's face; he even shouted loudly at the referee:
"So your whistle can blow!
I always thought you had a broken whistle that wouldn't blow!"
Chen Hao's taunt made his teammates burst into laughter, because what Chen Hao said was the truth!
These referees were really too obviously biased against the Celtics; if they had been a little more discreet, the Celtics wouldn't have been behind by so many points!
Little did he know, Chen Hao's taunt directly broke the referee's composure, who immediately issued a fresh, hot technical foul to Chen Hao!
At this, the Fans in the arena were not happy!
In fact, many Fans had already agreed to meet after the game to have a serious talk with these three referees.
Chen Hao, who had received a technical foul, still had a very strong smile on his face.
First, a San Antonio Spurs player made the technical foul free throw, then Chen Hao made two free throws!
91:104!
The point difference between the two sides was still narrowing, but the pace had slowed down!
There were two minutes and fifty seconds left in the game!
Now it was the San Antonio Spurs' offense!
They had already come up with a specific strategy, which was to try to run down the shot clock during their offense!
Once Chen Hao got the basketball, they would immediately foul him and send him to the free-throw line!
Catching up with free throws was clearly not as effective as three-pointers, which was why the San Antonio Spurschose this strategy.
Sure enough, the San Antonio Spurs once again ran down the shot clock to the very end, but their shot still missed!
A'lian, who secured the defensive rebound, powerfully threw a long pass to the frontcourt!
When Chen Hao saw the San Antonio Spurs player shoot, he had already started his fast break ahead of time!
And although the San Antonio Spurs players were closely following him, when the basketball reached Chen Hao, the San Antonio Spurs players couldn't stop Chen Hao at all!
And after Chen Hao completed the catch and landed, he was already beyond the three-point line!
This distance was exactly his shooting range!
This time, the San Antonio Spurs player who followed him directly collided with Chen Hao!
Chen Hao took the opportunity to shoot the ball, and it swished in again!
The referee's whistle was still like a broken one, not blowing, but Chen Hao didn't care!
Because now the point difference between the two sides had become 10 points!
94:104!
The San Antonio Spurs once again called a timeout; they needed time to properly digest what had just happened!
The San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach had been yelling loudly not to let Chen Hao easily receive the ball, but only the players knew that trying to limit Chen Hao from receiving the ball was as difficult as ascending to heaven!
Because Chen Hao's speed and strength far surpassed theirs, so for him to shake off their defense was truly effortless!
The San Antonio Spurs' assistant coach also seemed very helpless about this result, he could only say earnestly:
"Hey, guys, we only have two and a half minutes left until victory!
As long as we get through this time, the victory will be ours!
So, we must be extra cautious and not make mistakes easily!
When we're on offense, try to run down the clock, make them anxious, make them make mistakes!
We're the ones leading!
We don't need to rush at all!"
The assistant coach's words finally made the San Antonio Spurs players react!
Yes, they were the leading team, and they could win the game just by maintaining this lead!
They really didn't need to rush and compete in speed with the other team; that was falling into their trap!
Thus, after this timeout, the San Antonio Spurs players regained their composure!
They dribbled at the top of the arc, constantly observing the Celtics' defensive situation!
In reality, they were watching Chen Hao's position; as soon as Chen Hao dared to come close, they would pass the ball immediately!
The shot clock was once again run down by them!
And the final three-point shot actually went in!
94:107!
The San Antonio Spurs players cheered wildly, as if they had won the Championship!
But at this moment, Chen Hao said coldly:
"The game isn't over yet, why are you so excited?"
Chapter 204: A shocking reversal that shocked the entire United States! As long as you take it seriously, you will lose! Big balls and small balls are all fun
In Chen Hao's opinion, the Spurs players had issues.
They hadn't scored in so long, and now making a three-pointer was like a New Year's celebration.
Chen Hao, of course, wouldn't miss the chance to pour cold water on them.
Moreover, in this situation, he had already grasped the weakness of the San Antonio Spurs' defense, so this comeback was not a big problem!
Although Chen Hao had mocked them, the San Antonio Spurs' morale had still improved significantly, which also gave them confidence in their defense.
However, this time Chen Hao did not choose to receive the ball in the backcourt; instead, he directly rushed past half-court at his fastest speed!
A'lian was inbounding the ball, and before this, Chen Haohad already told him to forcefully throw the ball directly in his direction.
Although Chen Hao was still followed by two San Antonio Spurs defenders, Chen Hao didn't pay them any mind!
A'lian, seeing Chen Hao rush past the mid-court line, immediately threw the ball forcefully in his direction!
In any other situation, such a pass would definitely get the player a severe scolding from the coach.
But given the urgency of the moment, no one would say anything about A'lian's pass.
Because the person receiving the ball was Chen Hao, as long as he caught it, there wouldn't be a big problem!
When the San Antonio Spurs players saw A'lian throw the ball towards Chen Hao, they quickly boxed him out, not allowing Chen Hao a chance to receive the ball.
Little did they know, when the basketball flew over Chen Hao's head, Chen Hao instantly exerted force, pushing both defenders away and appearing in mid-air!
Chen Hao steadily caught the ball with one hand and turned in the air; just when everyone thought Chen Haowould shoot directly at this moment, Chen Hao landed.
The moment Chen Hao landed, he jumped again!
The San Antonio Spurs' defense simply couldn't keep up with Chen Hao's rhythm, so they could only watch as Chen Hao completed this pull-up three-pointer!
"Swish!"
Another swish!
The score difference returned to 10 points!
97:107!
After hitting this three-pointer, Chen Hao didn't forget to shout at the San Antonio Spurs defenders:
"Hey, did you see that?
This is called a transition three-pointer; your defense is really too bad!
You should put all the players from the bench in!
That way, maybe you'll have a chance to stop me!"
Chen Hao's words made the San Antonio Spurs players' faces extremely grim, but they were helpless.
They had now accepted the fact that they couldn't defend Chen Hao; his physical attributes were just too abnormal!
To completely stop him, it might truly require five people surrounding him, completely blocking his shooting space.
The San Antonio Spurs inbounded the ball in their backcourt, and just as they were about to control the tempo, Chen Hao suddenly signaled his teammates to press hard on defense!
The Celtics players were already full of fighting spirit for this game; they also wanted to achieve an incredible comeback!
So, when Chen Hao signaled them to press, they all immediately rushed to the backcourt!
The San Antonio Spurs players hadn't expected the Celtics to press them at this moment, and they were a bit confused for a while!
In that instant, the San Antonio Spurs stopped the ball!
When a full-court press causes a fumble, it's the best opportunity for a steal!
Sure enough, the San Antonio Spurs were forced to throw the ball to the frontcourt, because they were about to commit an eight-second violation!
At that very moment, Chen Hao had already spotted the passing lane and quickly rushed out to steal the ball!
The Celtics' full-court press was successful!
Since the basketball was already in Chen Hao's hands, it naturally led to a fast break!
All the San Antonio Spurs players rushed towards Chen Hao, trying to foul him, but Chen Hao, after crossing mid-court, directly pulled up for a super-long three-pointer!
The San Antonio Spurs' close-out defense hadn't even arrived, and the basketball had already left his hands!
All the San Antonio Spurs players nervously watched the basketball; they were genuinely worried that Chen Haowould hit another super-long three-pointer!
Soon, their suspended hearts finally died!
Because Chen Hao's super-long three-pointer swished through the net again!
100:107!
With one and a half minutes left in the game, the Celticshad narrowed the deficit to 7 points!
The San Antonio Spurs panicked!
With only one timeout left, they were debating whether to call another one, but once this timeout was called, there would be no more!
A minute and a half was enough time for many things to happen, and the San Antonio Spurs really didn't dare to gamble.
So, in the end, the assistant coach still chose not to call a timeout!
The San Antonio Spurs players were completely flustered at this moment because the score difference was less than double digits.
If Chen Hao hit another three-pointer, the difference would become 4 points, which was truly unbearable for the San Antonio Spurs!
At this critical juncture, Chen Hao didn't forget to put psychological pressure on them.
Just as the San Antonio Spurs were preparing to inbound the ball for offense, Chen Hao actively walked over to Ginobili and quietly said to him:
"Hey, let me remind you of something!
If your offense doesn't work out this time, you're going to lose!"
After saying that, Chen Hao looked at Ginobili with a playful expression and walked to the free-throw line!
The Celtics' defensive strategy was still the same: full-court press to force turnovers!
Actually, for a veteran powerhouse like the San Antonio Spurs, a full-court press shouldn't cause them to panic at all; they could even break it easily.
After all, their strength was still very formidable; they weren't the Dragon Country Men's Basketball Team, which could be stopped from crossing half-court with just a full-court press!
However, this was a special situation; the San Antonio Spurs had been chased down to only a 7-point lead.
Therefore, under such immense pressure, they would definitely experience various psychological burdens, and this was the best time for the Celtics to use a full-court press!
Ginobili took a deep breath, pushing Chen Hao's recent taunt out of his mind.
He calmly observed his teammates' positioning, and the moment the referee passed him the ball, he had already decided who to pass it to!
The moment Ginobili passed the ball, a figure, like lightning, shot out from the free-throw line!
This lightning-fast figure had already successfully stolen the ball before it even reached the San Antonio Spursplayer's hands!
This person was none other than Chen Hao!
Chen Hao, having completed the steal, smoothly gathered the ball, stopped abruptly, and jumped!
Facing Ginobili, who had just walked into the paint, he delivered a powerful tomahawk dunk!
Ginobili hadn't even reacted before he was directly knocked out of bounds by Chen Hao!
Chen Hao's explosive dunk instantly ignited the passion of all the Fans in the arena!
Everyone stood up!
Madly shouting Chen Hao's name!
But at that moment, the referee blew his whistle, signaling an offensive foul on Chen Hao!
At this, all the Fans in the arena were furious!
Chen Hao, on the other hand, smiled and extended both hands, making a downward motion towards the Fans.
Clearly, Chen Hao was signaling the Fans not to get too excited; it was not a big deal!
Chen Hao's gesture actually worked!
The noise in the arena really quieted down at that moment.
Although an offensive foul was called by the referee, Chen Hao's steal and powerful dunk still caused a significant drop in the San Antonio Spurs' morale!
Especially for Ginobili, his mind was now completely filled with the image of Chen Hao stealing the ball and dunking over him; he had developed a mental block against Chen Hao!
In Ginobili's view, Chen Hao was truly omnipresent; no matter what he did, Chen Hao could easily defeat him!
This feeling was truly too unbearable, too frustrating!
Just as Ginobili was feeling frustrated, Chen Hao shouted at him again:
"Hey, that's really too bad!
It seems the referee doesn't want you to be the backdrop for the top 10 plays!
But it's okay, there's still a chance!
I will definitely make you the number one play in today's top 10!"
This was a psychological attack!
The Celtics players all burst into laughter upon hearing Chen Hao's trash talk!
"Well said, Chen, we believe you can do it!"
Ginobili's heart rate might have exceeded two hundred at this moment; Chen Hao was truly going too far!
But now was not the time to be angry; he had to calm down. Chen Hao was saying this precisely to disrupt his mindset, and he couldn't fall for it!
So, after taking a deep breath, he once again signaled his teammates to run their plays.
At this point, the San Antonio Spurs could only rely on Ginobili!
There was only one minute and twenty seconds left in the game; truly, very little time remained!
The Celtics once again employed their full-court press strategy, which made the San Antonio Spurs players nervous again!
However, the San Antonio Spurs were still the San Antonio Spurs; their foundation was still there!
This time, they still narrowly passed the ball over mid-court, but there was very little time left on the shot clock!
Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, Chen Hao suddenly appeared in front of the ball-handler, and before the ball-handler could react, Chen Hao had already reached in and stolen the ball!
It should be known that Chen Hao's steal has always been one of his strongest weapons.
But in this game, he hadn't frequently used this incredible skill because he knew the referees were constantly watching him.
Now, at the very end of the game, Chen Hao finally brought it out!
Moreover, the moment Chen Hao reached in to steal was precisely the moment the ball-handler attempted to pass!
Thus, a clean steal was born!
After Chen Hao stole the ball, he dribbled it across half-court without looking back, and from his favorite logo spot, he directly pulled up for a three-pointer!
The Fans in the arena dared not make any sound, fearing they might affect Chen Hao's three-point shot!
As for the San Antonio Spurs players, their faces were filled with despair!
They even wanted to pray to God, praying that Chen Hao's super-long three-pointer wouldn't go in!
However, God was not on their side this time!
Chen Hao's super-long three-pointer once again swished cleanly through the net!
103:107!
The difference was still 4 points, with one minute left!
The San Antonio Spurs finally called a timeout!
This time, they were truly on the edge of a cliff!
The camera was now focused on Ginobili; his face was full of bewilderment. He felt like he was dreaming; it was truly too unreal.
Why were they leading by more than thirty points, only to be chased down to a 4-point lead in the end?
Why did all of Chen Hao's super-long three-pointers go in when he came on in the last five minutes?
Why could he easily steal the ball from them?
Why was Chen Hao so strong?
These questions kept appearing in his mind; he had never encountered such a player!
Playing in the NBA Finals against the Pistons' iron defense wasn't even this difficult!
Today, Ginobili was truly on the verge of despair; Chen Hao was like a towering mountain he could only look up to, utterly insurmountable!
During this San Antonio Spurs timeout, they actually didn't know what to say anymore!
Because their morale had been completely shattered by Chen Hao!
Even though they were still leading by 4 points, they felt as if they were behind!
Ginobili finally said with a look of despair:
"For the last minute, we really can only double-team him with everyone!
We absolutely cannot let him shoot a three-pointer!
We need to foul him decisively and send him to the free-throw line!"
After this San Antonio Spurs timeout, the effect wasn't great; although everyone knew what to do, Chen Hao's strength was truly too immense!
He was in a league of his own!
Although the offensive possession belonged to the San Antonio Spurs, the moment they ran down the clock and shot, Chen Hao's monstrous block arrived!
After swatting the ball away, Chen Hao immediately picked it up and dribbled it rapidly towards the frontcourt!
The San Antonio Spurs players simply couldn't keep up with his speed and could only watch as Chen Haocompleted a super-long three-pointer!
The moment Chen Hao shot the super-long three-pointer, there were only twenty-four seconds left in the game!
"Swish!"
No suspense whatsoever!
Chen Hao's fast-break super-long three-pointer still went in cleanly!
106:107!
The score difference was only 1 point!
There were only 24 seconds left in the game!
Possession belonged to the San Antonio Spurs!
Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the suspense of victory was left until the very last moment!
At this moment, the live commentator's voice was already hoarse:
"Oh my God!
This is an absolutely brilliant game!
Chen Hao has staged an incredible comeback!
But victory does not yet fully belong to the Celtics!
Possession is with the San Antonio Spurs!
Can the San Antonio Spurs maintain their lead in the final twenty-four seconds!
This is their test!
And can Chen Hao's miracle continue?
Let's wait and see!"
The San Antonio Spurs players had already decided: as soon as they brought the ball across half-court, they would immediately hug it tightly, holding on until the end of the game!
Of course, they might incur fouls from the Celtics, but that was better than having Chen Hao steal the ball and make a game-winning shot.
As long as they could make all their free throws, they would be in an unbeatable position!
So, after successfully inbounding the ball, the San Antonio Spurs quickly dribbled it towards the frontcourt!
The Celtics surprisingly chose not to full-court press them; instead, they all defended near the mid-court line!
This defensive strategy instantly confused the San Antonio Spurs players!
However, they still quickly dribbled the ball and rushed towards the frontcourt!
But just as they tried to penetrate this single-file defensive lineup, Chen Hao appeared in front of the ball-handler!
He reached in and stole the ball!
The basketball was directly poked away!
There were only sixteen seconds left!
Chen Hao dribbled the ball to beyond the three-point line, but at this moment, he actually chose to stop and stare at the shot clock!
All the San Antonio Spurs players came in front of Chen Hao, surrounding him, but dared not foul him!
And when Chen Hao saw that there were 5 seconds left, he said to the San Antonio Spurs players:
"Watch closely, this three-pointer will be the eternal nightmare of your professional careers!"
Chen Hao ran down the clock and, under the defense of five San Antonio Spurs players, forced a pull-up three-pointer!
The shot went up as the buzzer sounded, and time expired!
The basketball arced perfectly and swished through the net!
It went in!
109:107!
Chen Hao completed the game-winning shot!
An incredible comeback in the NBA Finals was achieved!
The series score was 3-0!
At this moment, all the Fans in the arena went completely wild!
Almost all the Fans took off their shirts and waved them frantically in their hands!
Especially the female Fans, they were even crazier than the male Fans; with their shirts off, they were wildly twisting their bodies, continuously shouting Chen Hao's name!
In this scene, even Chen Hao couldn't help but exclaim admiringly:
"What a ball, truly huge balls!"
Chapter 205: After the shocking reversal, he started another war of words with Jordan!
Chen Hao once again became the game's focal point, scoring 48 points in less than twenty minutes on the court, helping his team achieve an incredible comeback victory!
As for the San Antonio Spurs players, they were completely defeated by Chen Hao!
They left the court immediately after the game, refusing all interviews!
After this game, their mentality had completely collapsed!
They even no longer wanted to continue the fourth NBA Finals game because they saw no hope!
In the league president's office, David Stern was in a terrible mood.
The third NBA Finals game had just ended, but the outcome was not as he expected; the San Antonio Spurslost the game!
He had personally approached the referee for this game, instructing him to favor the San Antonio Spurs and help them win!
But what was the result?
The result was that even with the referee favoring the San Antonio Spurs for the first three quarters, helping them build a 30+ point lead, they were still ultimately reversed!
In David Stern's opinion, Chen Hao was truly too ignorant; it was already so obvious, so why did he insist on winning this game?
The league simply didn't want this NBA Finals to be too one-sided; it just wanted the San Antonio Spurs to win one game!
But Chen Hao simply wouldn't let them win this game, which was absolutely detestable!
"Damn it, does he think he can truly ignore the league's unwritten rules?"
David Stern was extremely agitated now, not because the Boston Celtics had made a comeback, but because Chen Hao had disregarded his authority!
Any player with a bit of foresight would choose to accept this unwritten rule and concede a victory.
But Chen Hao, despite knowing the league was deliberately manipulating the game, still chose to fight to the end!
This made David Stern very frustrated; he even suspected Chen Hao was openly challenging him!
However, Chen Hao's actions were actually without any issues; he didn't violate any regulations; he used his own strength to forcefully turn the game around!
So, David Stern could only sulk!
Nevertheless, from another perspective, Chen Hao's outstanding performance also made David Stern see his immense value!
This era already had many star players, but compared to Michael Jordan back then, these stars truly had a gap!
But now with Chen Hao's appearance, his rookie season achievements have already far surpassed Jordan's!
Although rookie season achievements don't represent future performance, they at least prove Chen Haopossesses enormous potential!
Furthermore, Jordan also took several years to reach the playoffs!
Although Jordan immediately defeated the powerful Los Angeles Lakers and won the Championship after leading his team into the playoffs!
However, compared to Chen Hao's achievement of leading his team as the absolute core into the playoffs in his first season, there was still a significant difference!
Therefore, Chen Hao's start was perfect, and this perfect start is still continuing!
If nothing unexpected happens, the Boston Celtics will definitely win this Championship!
Winning the Championship in his rookie season, and as the team's absolute core, Chen Hao's achievements can definitely rival Jordan's!
Thinking of this, David Stern knew how to promote Chen Hao!
Since he disrupted his plans, then let Chen Hao soar higher, let him receive the attention of all Fans, and also let him be discussed by more Fans!
You know, in America, Michael Jordan is the God of Basketball; no player can truly be compared to him!
His six Championship rings alone are enough for very few people to surpass him!
So, what David Stern needed to do now became very simple!
Just let the media compare Chen Hao to Jordan, and other things will happen naturally!
Even the next season will become more anticipated because of this!
After all, although Chen Hao performed well in his first season, it doesn't mean he will perform equally well in the next season!
Maintaining stable and efficient performance consistently is truly not a simple matter.
Therefore, David Stern's approach not only intended to make Chen Hao famous but also wanted to see if he had the capacity to handle it when he became immensely popular!
If Chen Hao didn't have this capacity, then it would be his bad luck, and it would naturally be David Stern's revenge on him!
As for Chen Hao, he naturally didn't know the calculations David Stern was making about him because he was very busy right now!
After leading his team to reverse the San Antonio Spurs, Chen Hao received an invitation from the team owner to attend a private party.
Though called a private party, it was actually a celebration banquet specifically for Chen Hao.
In the Boston Celtics owner's opinion, Chen Hao's strength was truly too great!
If it weren't for Chen Hao's presence, the San Antonio Spurs would have definitely won that game!
Therefore, Chen Hao became the hero of the team's victory, and the team owner was already eager to celebrate with him!
His actions were also a way to win over the players' hearts, as this was only Chen Hao's rookie season, and many teams were eyeing Chen Hao covetously!
Because once his rookie contract expired, Chen Haowould definitely face more choices, and his rookie contract amount would surely be ridiculously high!
Therefore, to make Chen Hao wholeheartedly devoted to the Boston Celtics, the team owner would naturally need to do more work!
For the team owner, these were all things he should do, and with considerable sincerity.
After all, Chen Hao had already brought him enormous income in just one season!
Team ticket revenue was one part, but team merchandise revenue was the main part!
Now, almost all Fans watching the Boston Celtics games were wearing Chen Hao's jersey, and these revenues were quite substantial!
Besides that, the entire city of Boston became vibrant due to Chen Hao's arrival!
Chen Hao directly boosted the economic development of the entire Boston, which can be said to be quite remarkable!
In addition, Boston's tourism income also increased significantly, even several times its original amount!
Because many Chinese Fans traveled thousands of miles to come here just to watch Chen Hao play live!
Since these people came to Boston, they naturally wanted to sightsee!
So, such tourism also increased local tourism revenue!
Therefore, Chen Hao was extremely important to the Boston Celtics and the entire city of Boston!
His existence brought all sorts of positive growth to the entire city.
Even when the residents of this city saw Chinese people, they would abandon their usual arrogance and be very friendly to them.
Because in their eyes, Chinese people were their friends, and Chen Hao was the hero of this city!
Since Chen Hao was so popular with local residents and Fans, every possible means had to be found to make him have a good impression of this place and not want to leave!
This is why the Boston Celtics team owner would host a separate celebration banquet for Chen Hao at this time!
For the Boston Celtics, he was a cash cow, the most important person!
As for Chen Hao, he naturally wouldn't refuse the team owner's enthusiasm!
Actually, Chen Hao also realized that the team owner just wanted to gain his approval and hoped he would develop a good impression of the team!
However, for Chen Hao, this kind of thing was actually very simple.
No matter how much is said or done, it's not as practical as being straightforward; as long as the money is in place, everything can be discussed.
It's just that both sides are still in the tacit understanding stage, so they haven't openly stated anything to each other.
For Chen Hao, he wasn't in a hurry at all because his net worth was increasing every day!
Although his rookie contract amount is very low now, it doesn't prevent him from making big money!
Whether it's his endorsement contracts or his other brand income, they are enough to rank him among the top five highest-paid athletes in America!
All of this is without even counting his team contract income, because his rookie contract amount is simply too low!
Compared to the multi-million dollar contracts in the league, Chen Hao truly lives up to his reputation as a high-performer on a minimum salary!
Of course, the most urgent task now is to get the Championship.
As long as he gets the Championship, Chen Hao's net worth will continue to skyrocket.
Chen Hao believes that once he wins the Championshipthis season, he will definitely receive invitations from all sides.
Although his rookie contract has not yet expired, he still has a player option!
Therefore, after this season, the league is bound to engage in fierce competition for Chen Hao!
Because everyone knows that getting Chen Hao is equivalent to getting a qualification for the Championshipcontention.
For those teams in big markets, Chen Hao is a must-have!
Chen Hao had a great time at the Boston Celtics owner's private dinner!
Not only because the owner invited many top models, but also because the owner directly had them all join in!
Chen Hao loved this kind of group fight the most!
He enjoyed challenges and also liked it when others sang with his tungsten-titanium alloy microphone!
This feeling of being admired was indeed quite good!
Especially in America, as long as you have money, anything can be obtained!
Besides, now even the local gangs wanted to establish a deep friendship with Chen Hao!
Because in the local gang boss's opinion, Chen Hao's value was truly immeasurable!
Anything related to Chen Hao would see its value rise!
So, everyone wanted a piece of Chen Hao!
Thus, at this dinner, Chen Hao met the boss of a major local gang!
This gang boss was named John; he was a white man, about forty years old, and looked harmless, making it hard to imagine he was the leader of a gang!
John was also very excited when he saw Chen Hao:
"Hey, do you know?
I love watching your games the most!
You know, my family's relationships were very bad before!
My son and daughter didn't like me!
But after you joined the Boston Celtics, they all started to enjoy watching your games!
And in every game, you deliver explosive performances!
You've become an idol for my son and daughter!
And precisely because of the Boston Celtics' excellent record, our whole family started to gather together to watch your games!
I knew this was a great opportunity, so I bought home game tickets and took them to watch the game live!
You wouldn't believe it, that game was also a spectacular comeback victory!
My son, daughter, and I were practically going crazy at the time!
When we saw you make the game-winning shot, we excitedly jumped up and hugged each other!
That feeling was truly wonderful!
Now, our relationship has improved a lot!
All of this is thanks to you!"
Looking at the talkative gang boss in front of him, Chen Hao also had a helpless expression.
He spread his hands and said:
"Who doesn't like to win games?
After all, victory is what makes people happy!
Also, for tomorrow's game, you can continue to come and watch!
Because we will win the Championship tomorrow!
I believe your son and daughter will also be very happy!"
"Yes!
I've already bought tickets; we'll definitely be there tomorrow!
I really want to ask you a question now: do you think you can put up explosive numbers again tomorrow?"
"Isn't that a normal thing?
Since it's the NBA Finals, there's definitely no holding back!
Just wait and see!"
Chen Hao said with a laugh.
This made John believe Chen Hao even more!
Afterward, they began a deeper conversation, John expressed his thoughts, and Chen Hao was also very interested in getting to know John!
Although Chen Hao's fame is already great, it is actually still limited to the basketball circle.
Sports in America are very developed, and basketball is not even the most popular sport; American football is.
So, Chen Hao knew that if he wanted to get more attention and recognition, he had to achieve greater things!
One Championship might not help much, but what if it was three or four consecutive Championships?
Besides that, Chen Hao also needed some hidden power to gather information for him outside the court, so he needed friends like John!
In America, having gang members as brothers is definitely not a bad thing, because many things, gang members often know about beforehand!
Thus, Chen Hao quickly formed a friendship with John, and John even invited Chen Hao to visit their gang's base!
In response, Chen Hao said he would go after winning the Championship!
Just after Chen Hao attended the private banquet hosted by the team owner, a post about Chen Hao's achievements surpassing Jordan's went viral on American forums!
Chen Hao once again became the man of the hour!
But this time, the God of Basketball, Michael Jordan, was also brought into it.