Chapter 373

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

"For Miami, this is their last chance; if they cannot narrow the gap to five points within the next three minutes, their series is over."

Kevin Garnett made a final warning with icy words.

He is the second active superstar to make such a judgment; before him, Kobe announced the death of the Miami Heat after the second game.

Swish!

James's bold attempt from beyond the three-point line paid off, cutting the deficit to eight points.

But then, after Fan Xi and Nowitzki ran a pick-and-roll, Nowitzki hit a mid-range shot, bringing the deficit back to ten points.

Nowitzki has not missed a single shot in the fourth quarter; so far he has scored 17 points in the quarter, and he is only one step away from breaking the NBA Finals single-quarter scoring record.

In NBA Finals history, the most points scored in a single quarter is 24, achieved by Isiah Thomas in 1988 despite a sprained ankle, and no one has surpassed it since.

Nowitzki has now touched its tail.

Fan Xi is also doing everything he can to help him achieve it.

Any qualified point guard will pass the ball to the player with the hottest hand on the court.

Swish!

Dwyane Wade hit a three-pointer.

At the crucial moment, the Flash's three-pointer also opened fire.

Afterwards, Fan Xi continued to run the pick-and-roll with Nowitzki; after driving into the paint, he looked back and passed the ball to Nowitzki.

Nowitzki received the ball and, despite double-team pressure, made his shot.

That is a Three-Point Shot.

Nowitzki scored his twentieth point of the quarter, and the deficit remained at double digits, ten points.

Nowitzki is only four points shy of Isiah Thomas's 1988 NBA Finals record, and there are still 3 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game.

Plenty of opportunities.

German fans in front of their televisions were extremely excited; they were finally about to witness Nowitzki create an unprecedented record in the NBA.

In front of the TV, Mark Cuban was even more moved to tears; his bond with Nowitzki runs deep.

No one wants Nowitzki to win a championship more than Mark Cuban does.

Nowitzki's parting with the Mavericks could serve as a league model, an unprecedented display of warmth in this business league; know that when James left the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers owner publicly cursed him in the media.

Now their curse seems to be taking effect—James might actually win a championship later than the Cavaliers do.

Nowadays, in James's hometown, in Ohio, in Cleveland, people support Fan Xi more than they do James.

Swish!

Xiaoen Badi'er hit a Three-Point Shot.

The deficit narrowed further to seven points.

After the timeout, Miami had already hit three three-pointers in a row.

Their effort and luck have both reached unprecedented levels.

But… the dice that God threw landed in the Clippers' bowl.

Swish!

Even though James and Wei De now double-teamed Nowitzki, with Ke Li Si Bo Shen defending from the side, Nowitzki still scored two points from the high post.

After the timeout, he had already scored seven straight points; his quarter total had reached 22, and he had helped his team take a nine-point lead.

After Nowitzki made that shot, Fan Xi furrowed his brow.

He realized the defense Nowitzki faced was too intense.

Moreover, Nowitzki's stamina was increasingly depleted.

Fan Xi did not let Nowitzki continue isolating, so on the way back to half court he asked Nowitzki: 'De Ke, are you still okay?'

Nowitzki gave a smile; he was very tired.

At that moment, Steve Nash on the sideline shouted to his old friend: 'De Ke, you're only three points away from breaking the NBA Finals single-game scoring record!'

Fan Xi noticed that when Nowitzki heard those words, his eyes lit up.

Obviously, every professional athlete hopes to leave an indelible mark in history.

When people discuss the 1988 Game Seven showdown, they may forget that the Lakers won the final victory, but they will certainly not forget that the smiling assassin Isiah Thomas, playing on a bad leg that night, scored 24 points in a single quarter.

Fan Xi is a professional player; he knows what that means.

At this moment, James launched his final charge.

He charged into the paint like a tank.

But at that moment, Leonard made a perfect defense, he stepped back half a step, waiting for James to drive in, bring the ball up for a layup, then he flew up, extending his astonishing long arms… slap!

Leonard cleanly slapped James's ball away.

Fan Xi grabbed the ball from behind and was about to launch a fast break.

He noticed that Nowitzki's steps were a bit slow.

Moreover, he heard Ke Li Si Bo Shen's sigh, and James's eyes also showed disappointment.

Only two minutes remained.

Miami's morale had already collapsed; garbage time might be coming soon.

Fan Xi thought it over and gave up on the fast break.

Instead, he slowly made his way to the front court.

The Heat's defensive formation was disintegrating at a visible pace.

James was this time directly blocked by Leonard's Luo Duan block, which shattered their fighting spirit.

Fan Xi came to the top of the three-point arc, deliberately consuming a few extra seconds.

Afterward, he didn't call for a screen but went straight in, he brought the ball from the wing to break through the defense, and he was containing James and Wade's defense.

He attacked like lightning.

At the same time, Nowitzki ran to the perimeter, and Xiao Qiaodan followed to set a screen for him; when he reached the top of the three‑point arc, there was no defender in front of him.

Fan Xi quickly passed the basketball over.

Nowitzki caught the ball, jumped up and shot, his rhythm was very good… As he released the ball, Xiaoen Badi'er closed out on defense, his defense was clean and also very signature, he used his hands to block Nowitzki's eyes, a hand‑in‑face defense, which is his trademark.

Nowitzki had already released the shot, but his eyes suddenly lost the shooting trajectory.

This caused him to land somewhat unsteadily.

Furthermore, he stepped on Xiaoen Badi'er's foot…… Xiaoen Badi'er had come from the left to provide quick help defense…… He is one of the few players in the league who defend hard and clean.

But it was precisely this player who caused Nowitzki's injury.

Swish!

When Nowitzki's shot swished through the net.

Nowitzki's huge body also quickly fell to the three‑point line, and before he fell, his foot twisted severely on Bati'er's foot.

The Staples Center erupted.

A new Finals record was set.

The Clippers' bench was also fired up, they shouted loudly cheering for Nowitzki.

Beep!

At the same time, the Heat called a timeout.

Their coach looked glum, the deficit had grown to 12 points, with only 1 minute 45 seconds left; playing on would be meaningless.

He was sad, and the Heat players all wore downcast expressions.

They walked dejectedly toward the bench.

"Nowitzki was godlike in this game, he proved his way of playing," Kevin Garnett said on TV, convinced.

For the past decade or more, Garnett had hardly ever said anything good about Nowitzki, always putting Duncan first and himself second, but tonight Nowitzki gave him a lesson.

Scoring 25 points in a quarter, a height Garnett could never reach in his lifetime.

What's more, this was the Finals.

The Clippers' players rushed toward Nowitzki, but quickly they realized something was wrong.

Nowitzki's expression was ferocious, his complexion ashen.

"Help me up, then pretend nothing happened."

Nowitzki said to his teammates.

At that moment, everyone's joy froze.

Fan Xi immediately understood Nowitzki's meaning; he and Xiao Qiaodan reached out and lifted Nowitzki up.

Originally, Leonard's Grant Hill was going to go over to help Nowitzki.

But Nowitzki refused.

This guy called a soft‑egg, he didn't utter a sound, he raised both hands high and walked back to the bench step by step.

Each step showed his difficulty, but he didn't pause or limp.

Bean‑sized sweat drops fell from his forehead.

The massive pain caused spasms that made his teeth chatter.

He didn't shout like Mourning did when injured back then: "No one can carry me off the court on a stretcher."

Although that would better show his tough‑guy demeanor.

But he silently walked back to the bench, he practiced his toughness and resilience in his own way, and also revealed great wisdom and rationality.

He wanted to let Miami know: I haven't collapsed, I am still a dagger hanging over your heads.

All the Clippers players were filled with reverence.

Everyone surrounded Nowitzki; when the sideline cameraman came over with his camera trying to get a close‑up, Arenas reached out and drove him away.

"Jake, it's up to you now."

Nowitzki looked at Fan Xi, and even his eyes had some tears.

He knew his Finals run could only go this far; he had given everything he had.

Fan Xi suddenly regretted, thinking: if he had launched a fast break, completed a quick counterattack, would Nowitzki have avoided injury?

There are no ifs in the world.

Time won't flow backward.

He had to look forward, he placed both hands on Nowitzki's shoulders and firmly told him: "Deke, I will definitely win the championship. Nothing can take away the honor that belongs to you and me."

Afterward, Fan Xi looked around and said: "I will do what I say."

All the teammates had determined eyes.

Something called team spirit was burning fiercely.

…