Eight Hundred and Seventy-Five: The Throttle Is Turned up (Four/Five)

Carter hit a three-pointer, but this did not attract the Warriors' attention.

People are praising Link's selflessness, his wide passing vision and the accuracy of passing without looking at people.

But few people noticed Whiteside's huge defensive coverage.

And, Vince Carter’s hard work is as if he is 10 years younger!

Vince Carter high-fived Link and immediately returned to defense. The goal just made the almost 40-year-old veteran find his confidence.

Once again, he got a chance to prove himself!

The 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals can be said to be one of the few playoff highlights in Carter's career.

Back then, the fight between Carter and Iverson was a classic. These two superstars don't give in to each other. You shoot one shot and I shoot another. You play 47 minutes and I play 47 minutes.

In short, even if there is only one soldier left, we must fight with each other until the last moment, and then kill ourselves.

Among them, in the third game of the series, Carter was full of firepower. He scored 50 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks. He also hit 9 three-pointers with a shooting percentage of 69.2%.

In this game, he led the Raptors to a 24-point victory over the 76ers. Who would have thought? In the eyes of the outside world, a person who usually only knows how to dunk is now playing three-pointers.

Carter said this in an interview after the game: "Many people think I can only dunk, but I hope everyone can realize that I am a very comprehensive player. I can not only dunk, but also pass and shoot. A three-pointer will lead to a breakthrough."

Indeed, in that game, Carter allowed people to see his all-powerful self. Although in the end, the Raptors he led failed, and the 76ers, who lost to Iverson in the tiebreaker, were eliminated.

But that series was definitely Carter's pride.

But what about a year later? The stereotype of Carter is back.

He is just a dunker. Without the bonus of gorgeous dunks, Carter is nothing.

This kind of prejudice has followed Carter through New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix and Dallas, until now, it has followed him to Memphis.

A "flying man" that can no longer fly, a "UFO" without power, what's so scary?

The Warriors think so too,

Their defense on Carter wasn't tight. In their view, Carter would be replaced by Jimmy Butler after just two rounds.

His only role in playing is to let Butler go down and take a breath.

That's why Link said to Carter before he came on the court, "Run Vince, run as hard as you can. As long as you find a chance, I will get the ball to you."

Thus, there was the beautiful goal just now.

Carter rarely meets people who appreciate his three-point ability, so the way he repays Link's trust is to score goals!

The score difference became 2 points, and the Grizzlies took the lead.

Steve Kerr stood solemnly on the sidelines, hoping that the team could get the score back as soon as possible.

This time, when Klay Thompson was about to cut into the penalty area again, he found that the person defending him had become Link.

"Where do you want to go? Stay here and don't move!" Link blocked Clay's entry route. He and Carter's defense changes were in perfect harmony.

After the round just now, Carter found that he was unable to defend Clay. So he took the initiative to switch places with Link and defended himself in front of the young Harrison Barnes.

Barnes was extremely excited when he saw that he was facing the old Carter.

The "North Carolina Blackhawks" actively raised their arms and got the ball from Curry.

In his opinion, breaking through an old Carter is a piece of cake!

The young "Black Hawk" completely used Carter as a cash machine.

Although Carter's athletic ability is indeed not as good as that of Barnes's now, the intention of that guy Barnes is really too obvious.

He raised his butt, and Carter knew what the young man was thinking.

So Carter immediately moved laterally and blocked Barnes' breakthrough route in time.

The stubborn Barnes was guarded by Link and Butler for a whole quarter, and he was already suffering. Now that he has finally found a soft persimmon, he is not willing to let it go easily.

Although Carter blocked the breakthrough route, Barnes still relied on Carter to fight his way in.

Link shook his head. Barnes probably had never heard the saying "Younger is still hotter than old".

Barnes suddenly felt that Carter's resistance was weakening. He was smug that he had got rid of the old Carter and could do whatever he wanted.

But when Barnes took off for a layup, he was greeted by the thick arms of Hassan Whiteside.

"What!?"

Barnes encountered the same thing as Klay Thompson. As soon as he lifted the basketball, he was forced to eat a "spicy hot pot" meal.

"For the second consecutive block, Hassan Whiteside was so merciless! Barnes thought too simply. He thought he had broken through Carter, but in fact he was just led into a defensive trap by Carter." Hubie Brown certainly saw Carter's trick.

In the NBA world, the elderly are not so easy to bully.

Link reached out to catch the basketball that was sent flying by Whiteside. He turned around and was about to accelerate, but found that Draymond Green was already in front of him!

The distance stickers between the two were so close that Link could even see the sweat drops on Green's forehead.

I have to say that Green is indeed a good player on the defensive end. Although he is loud and arrogant, he has a very smart mind.

Green had ambushed Link early. If Link didn't pay attention and bumped into him, he would definitely hit someone with the ball.

If this trick were used on others, Green would probably succeed.

But Link is the most unique player in the league.

Just when the two sides were about to collide, Green was surprised to find that Link suddenly stopped!

He overcame the inertia and the tilt of his center of gravity and stopped in place.

The next second, Link skillfully changed direction in front of his body, and then changed from stillness in an instant.

Ge only felt that he saw a black shadow passing by him, and Link, who was just in front of him, disappeared.

"Beautiful, Link passed by Green who was trying to block the fast break. The movement was very smooth, without any sloppiness! Link went straight in, and he broke through the penalty area!"

As Mike Breen raised his voice, the Warriors players also shrank into the penalty area with Link as the center.

For a moment, maybe a second or two, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was in a daze off the court.

Link broke through alone, and there were a bunch of people around him trying to stop him. It was like a pack of hungry wolves pounced on the straying sheep.

This scene seemed to take Cole back to twenty years ago.

This scene seems to make Link's Grizzlies No. 0 jersey turn into red No. 23...

As a former member of the Bulls, Cole has seen this scene more than once. Every time Jordan breaks through, several people from the other side will block him.

What Link and Jordan have in common is that they are not hunted, they are the hunters!

The Warriors' defense shrank across the board, and Australian center Bogut was even ready to elbow Link directly in the air.

But in the crowd, Link once again found Carter, who had been completely missed!

Link's advancement was very fast, and Carter fought tooth and nail to finally catch up.

But the moment he caught the ball, Carter immediately adjusted his breathing and then shot steadily!

In Game 3 of the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals, Carter, who scored 50 points and nine three-pointers, told the world that he was not just a dunker.

And those teams that didn't believe it all paid the price!

"brush!"

"For the second consecutive three-pointer, Vince Carter widened the point difference further! Where's the defense? Where's the Warriors' defense? They actually let Carter shoot two open shots in a row! Or do they think Carter can't produce anything? threaten?"

Hubie Brown spreads his arms. The Warriors should give Carter enough respect from beyond the three-point line!

"Vince, great shot!" Link pointed at Carter with a smile. The old flying man really showed no mercy in the crucial battle!

Carter's serious preparation before the game was not just for show.

Don't ignore any veteran who still has the heart to be a champion. Their bodies may be getting older, but their hearts eager to win will never stop beating!

On the court, the Warriors players immediately started communicating. It was obvious that they had been caught off guard.

He was risked twice in a row and made two three-pointers in a row. This was completely unexpected.

The Warriors have a strong ability to adjust themselves. On the next goal, they did not attack the basket without permission. Whiteside had already used two blocks to create the Grizzlies' no-fly zone.

Curry continued to look for opportunities outside the three-point line, but unfortunately, his shot bounced off the rim several times before bouncing out.

Even Curry can't always hit the target.

Link picked off the rebound and then pushed quickly, giving the Warriors no chance to organize an offense.

After Klay Thompson was scored twice by Carter, he was much more honest this time. He did not directly short Carter, but kept a safe distance from Carter.

The pace of the game became very fast, but old Carter did not feel any discomfort. He ran wildly with a group of guys who were more than ten years younger than him.

Link suddenly stopped at the top of the arc outside the three-point line. Seeing this, Carter leaned towards Link, and the two of them exchanged hands and cooperated!

"Link is actually making tactics for Carter! It seems that Carter has completely won the trust of his teammates!"

Carter took the basketball from Link's hand, took a step forward, and then floated and shot!

Thompson quickly bypassed Link and reached out to interfere.

Although it was half a shot late, Thompson was sure that he had interfered with Carter's shot to some extent.

Carter's ball drifted and was interfered with, which was quite difficult. This kind of ball is no longer capable of being played by a player of his age.

Thompson firmly believes that his defense this time was successful! As long as he puts his mind to it, Carter is no threat at all!

Where's Carter? Disturbed, he didn't even blink in the air.

As he shot, he silently shouted in his heart, "My era is not over yet, boy!"

Taking action, flicking his fingers and pressing his wrist, Carter felt that his shot was extremely comfortable.

The basketball slowly streaked across the sky, as if it had pierced time.

Toronto, New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas...

Although I have experienced so many places and so many failures.

But Vince Carter's story is not over yet. This stubborn old guy will open a new chapter in his career in Memphis.

"brush!"

The basketball hit the net, and nearly 20,000 fans at the scene cheered together!

Klay Thompson shook his head helplessly. He had obviously achieved the ultimate.

Steve Kerr hurriedly added a timeout, and his plan was completely shattered by a "non-threatening" figure.

Carter turned around, clenched his fists and twisted his hands without using the "throttle" for a long time.

Speed ​​through and race around the course.