Chapter 307 Death Strike!

Popovich called a timeout.

After Tang Tian hit his third three-pointer, the Pelicans had taken a 99-98 lead.

The Spurs had used a minute to take a critical 6-point lead, but Tang Tian had used a minute to turn that into a deficit.

With less than 30 seconds left, the Spurs had to get the ball in the basket on their next possession.

When the timeout ended, the Spurs inbounded the ball from the backcourt.

Parker dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and the Spurs ran the TD.Step hammer play.

The Pelicans' defensive strategy was the same as before, expanding out as much as possible.

Leonard drove to the basket, squeezing past Smith to get a shot off.

*Bang!*

Davis blocked his shot again!

But Duncan used his experience to grab the offensive rebound, put it back in, and drew a foul on Davis!

2+1!

100-99!

The Spurs took the lead again!

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Although Duncan's performance had dropped off a cliff this season, and he hadn't played well in this game, the Big Fundamental was still rock solid at the critical moment!

*Swish!*

Duncan made the free throw, and the Spurs took a 2-point lead again at the last moment!

With 7 seconds left!

The Pelicans called a timeout!

Many fans at the arena clutched their chests, gasping for breath.

This game was really too much for their hearts to handle.

"Anthony, you go out there and stretch the floor. AD, you set a screen at this spot..."

Williams' plan at this time was very simple: give the ball to Tang Tian. If he made it, they'd win. If he missed, it was fate.

During the timeout, the three giants in the commentary booth finally had a chance to catch their breath.

The back-and-forth between the two sides had been absolutely suffocating.

"I think this scene must remind the Spurs of T-Mac's 35 points in 13 seconds," said Smith.

O'Neal and Barkley both nodded with a smile.

Although the time was different—35 seconds versus 3 minutes—the Spurs also had a 6-point lead, and the other team had someone who had made three consecutive three-pointers.

"In fact, they signed T-Mac last season, and he even won a championship with them," Barkley added.

"Yes, they did that, and now they let another T-Mac go," O'Neal said.

Barkley and Smith both laughed. O'Neal was truly a professional hater.

"Maybe they're going to be killed by T-Mac again."

O'Neal's next words made Barkley and Smith laugh so hard they were bent over the table.

This time, the Big Shark was firmly on Tang Tian's side.

By the time they finished talking, the timeout was over.

With 7 seconds left, either the Pelicans would get a game-winning shot, or the Spurs would hold on to their 2-point lead until the end.

The Pelicans' lineup at this time was Holiday, Morrow, Gordon, Tang Tian, and Davis.

Holiday inbounded the ball from the sideline.

With the referee's whistle, the Pelicans ran an off-ball screen.

After Morrow and Anderson screened, they both spread out to create space.

Tang Tian came off a screen set by Davis to receive the ball.

But Popovich had completely anticipated this tactic, and Green and Leonard double-teamed Tang Tian, giving him no chance to catch the ball at all.

With 5 seconds on the inbound clock, Holiday had no choice but to throw the ball to Gordon, who was closest to him.

Gordon caught the ball, and Duncan flew out to contest the shot.

The ball spinning in the air tugged at the hearts of all the fans at the arena.

*Bang!*

Missed!

Gordon was too short, and after Duncan blocked his view, the shot was clearly short!

The cheers of the fans at the arena were about to burst forth.

But at that moment, Davis rushed into the paint and grabbed the offensive rebound!

Splitter rushed back to the basket to block, and Duncan also returned from the outside.

Davis went up against Splitter, but didn't have an advantage and was immediately double-teamed.

With 3 seconds left.

He had no chance to shoot!

Just then, he saw Tang Tian running on the outside.

A pass with a flick of the wrist.

The pass was made in the double-team, but it wasn't a good pass, a little low!

Tang Tian bent down to catch the ball, and by the time he brought it up, there were only 1.x seconds left.

He had no choice but to pull up and shoot.

Leonard was right there to contest, putting on all the pressure.

This was an extremely difficult shot.

The ball barely cleared Leonard's fingertips, and the red light on the side of the court came on.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone held their breath.

The ball spun toward the basket.

The Spurs players looked up at the ball in the air, and Leonard also turned his head in the air to look back.

On the Pelicans' bench, the players stared intently.

A shot for life or death.

*Swish!*

A crisp sound echoed throughout the AT&T Center.

Tang Tian's game-winning three-pointer went in!

He had contributed his first game-winning shot in his Pelicans career!

And the team he had hit the game-winner against was the Spurs, the team he used to play for!

"He did it!"

In the commentary booth, Barkley slammed the table and shouted.

The arena was in an uproar.

Fans held their heads in disbelief.

But the Pelicans players had already rushed onto the court like crazy.

They surrounded Tang Tian, shouting and yelling.

This game was like a dream for them. They were down by 6 points with 2 minutes left, and the Spurs had scored 5 points in those last 2 minutes.

Tang Tian erased an 11-point difference with four three-pointers!

A crown game!

Spurs fans shook their heads and left the arena one after another. They were really upset.

That feeling was like suddenly finding out that your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend had become a billionaire.

Holt was almost passing out in his seat.

It was okay that Tang Tian had scored 29 points; his streak of consecutive 30+ point games had ended with the Spurs.

But with those four consecutive three-pointers at the end, Tang Tian's score had gone straight up to 41!

Scoring 41 points against the Spurs was more than just a slap in the face; it was beating him on the ground!

If Tang Tian was still on the Spurs...

"Mr. Holt, are you okay?"

Seeing that Holt's face looked very bad, the assistant next to him couldn't help but ask with concern.

Holt gave the assistant a cold look, stood up to leave, but felt a burst of dizziness.

He really passed out...

"Mr. Holt! Mr. Holt!"

The assistant shouted, and security guards immediately came in and carried him out in a flurry of activity.

Not many people knew what happened in the VIP box.

After the Pelicans' celebration ended, the two teams went through the post-game handshake.

"You were great." Ginobili.

"Keep it up, we'll win next time." Parker.

A pat on the head, Duncan.

...

The Spurs' old friends, although they lost the game, still offered Tang Tian their blessings.

"You don't give the old man any face."

When Popovich hugged Tang Tian, his words revealed extremely complex emotions—joy, sadness, and worry.

Tang Tian didn't say anything, just hugged the old man.

Popovich had once said in the media that he hated three-pointers the most, and he had used four three-pointers to kill the Spurs.

Perhaps in the old man's eyes, he had become the most annoying type of person.

ps: Thank you to the genuine readers who subscribe. Every one of your subscriptions is the source of inspiration for [Author Field: Shui Qie Shui Shu], um-ma!