Chapter 44: Give me the ball at the critical moment

When Hachimura succeeded with one blow, the flame in his heart that was about to be extinguished seemed to be rising again.

Moreover, his eyes glanced towards Wang Yi, and there seemed to be a hint of provocation in his eyes.

Wang Yi shook his head slightly.

It seems that someone is holding it back to make themselves uncomfortable.

However, Wang Yi is mainly defending Westbrook at this time, so he will not worry about him for the time being.

Wait until the right time and beat this guy to death with a stick.

Let him never dare to be embarrassed in front of him again, and he will have to take a detour when he encounters him.

Next, several rounds in a row.

Under Wang Yi's strict defense, Westbrook also tried two shots.

Perhaps because the explosive energy has passed, these two shots were a bit weak.

In addition, Wang Yi guarded his breakthrough. Even if he broke in, there would still be James and Zhuang Shen waiting to block the shot.

So Westbrook can only pass the ball out.

However, Hachimura has made great achievements many times.

Two mid-range shots, one dunk, and two hooks under the basket were all successful.

Once he was successful on the offensive end, he became more energetic on the defensive end.

Blocked Zhuang Shen's second attack.

It interfered with James' breakthrough layup, and then blocked Caruso's 24 seconds.

This made him feel refreshed and he instantly became a energetic young man again.

Every time he hit a good shot, he waved his fist in the air and roared loudly.

The emotions of the audience at the scene were also brought to climax time and time again by him.

The Wizards head coach also breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines.

Hachimura finally came to life.

But he didn't know that at the end of this game, his Hachimura would come back from the dead again.

At this time, when Hachimura looked at Wang Yi again, the provocation in his eyes became even more obvious.

It's even a bit arrogant.

Wang Yi looked at the game time and shook his head secretly.

It's not time yet.

Under Rui Hachimura's strong performance, the Lakers were already thirteen points behind.

Fortunately, James took over the game at this time.

He hit two three-pointers in a row, scored another 21, and added another mid-range shot.

This kept the Lakers from falling too far behind.

In the last 5 minutes, the Lakers were only 4 points behind.

In the last 5 minutes of the game, if the score difference is within 5 points, it is defined as a critical moment.

At this time, it is the critical moment of this game.

The live footage was given to James of the Lakers.

The Lakers players also looked at James.

James is now 38 years old.

My physical strength can't keep up.

Usually he only takes over the game in the last five minutes.

But today, because the Lakers were far behind, he started to work early.

In just these few minutes, he made sudden shots and scored 11 points and 3 assists.

By now he was out of breath.

He wiped the sweat off his head with a towel, took the mineral water handed over by the coach, and drank it in big gulps.

The Adam's apple keeps moving up and down.

The coach felt a little distressed.

The 38-year-old veteran really cannot let him work so hard.

And even if he is allowed to play again, with his current physical fitness, can he still last for the last 5 minutes?

To put it bluntly, even if he dragged his tired body, hit many key goals and won the game today, is it definitely worth it?

This is just a regular season game.

The little gas left in James's tank should be used in the playoffs and even the finals.

If he puts such a strain on his body during the regular season, it's really not worth it.

Thinking of this, his lips moved slightly.

I want to tell James that it's good to win the game, but there's no need to fight hard if you can't.

But as a head coach, he also has to consider the feelings of other players.

Other players have also played hard for almost the whole game. What should the players think when they say this?

They haven't given up yet, but the coach has given up first?

At this time, Vogel was in a dilemma.

Among the players, some veterans understand Vogel's thoughts.

But young players like Kuzma, Caruso and others don't know.

In their view, there are still 5 minutes left before the end of the game, and the score difference is only 4 points.

This game still has to be played.

Suddenly, the old players all looked at the head coach.

It depends on how the head coach weighs the situation.

But everyone knows that no matter what choice the head coach ultimately makes, it will do some harm to the Lakers.

Choosing to win the game will consume James' body;

Choosing to give up strategically will dampen the enthusiasm of young players.

Wang Yi is also a young player.

He cannot fully appreciate how severely his body's functions will decline as he gets older.

So he doesn't know what the head coach and senior players think.

But he saw what the head coach seemed to be having difficulty with.

After pondering for a moment, he came to the head coach Vogel.

Said: "Coach, if you have any difficulty, give me the ball."

As soon as this statement came out, all the Lakers soldiers were stunned.

Give me the ball.

This sentence sounds very domineering.

But there are two prerequisites: first, you must have that strength;

Second, you must have the qualifications.

In the past, when Kobe was here, he was the only one qualified to say such things.

No one dares to question his strength and qualifications.

Now with the Lakers, James has never said such a thing.

His qualifications are sufficient, and so is his strength.

But he is a team player, and at critical moments, he will make the choice he thinks is best.

Shoot or pass.

Now Wang Yi, a player with a 10-day short contract, actually said such a thing at such a critical moment.

This seems like fantasy to them.

But think about what Wang Yi said before - he is here to conquer the NBA.

It is not surprising that Wang Yi could say such words at this time.
To be continued...