CHAPTER 444: CHAPTER 356: GAME-WINNER?

The lights from the dome of the Staples Center shone brilliantly over the entire court.

The numbers on the electronic scoreboard danced like a sharp blade hanging over the heads of all the Clippers players.

With only 35 seconds left in the game, the red numbers on the timer at the sideline counted down mercilessly, like the footsteps of death.

The camera locked onto Rivers like a cheetah. The coach, known throughout the league for his bald head, had veins bulging from his forehead, with sweat rolling down his shiny scalp.

The hand clutching the towel trembled slightly as he mechanically wiped the sweat, and everyone could sense his unease—an impending disaster. The title of "King of Comeback Losses" was closing in on him relentlessly.

Paul stood at the edge of the court, biting his molars, his gaze fixed on the Nuggets’ half-court opposite him.

Although Paul knew in his heart that overcoming Zeng Xingyang and his Nuggets in this series was almost an impossible task, the flame of victory in his heart never extinguished.

Since stepping onto the NBA court in 2005, 12 years had passed. The "Western Conference Finals floor" to Paul was like an unattainable dream, always haunting him.

From the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul’s teammates had changed from David West to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, with the team continuing to upgrade, yet he had repeatedly missed out on his dreams.

Now, he was once again blocked by the current regular season MVP Zeng Xingyang, and the irony of fate filled him with endless discontent.

Paul dribbled slowly into the frontcourt, his gaze fixed on the Zeng Xingyang before him. The confidence exuding from this prodigy made him inexplicably agitated.

In this moment, rationality seemed to be thrown out the window. Paul gestured for his teammates to clear out, deciding to break the stifling deadlock with pure one-on-one play.

The Clippers players exchanged glances, somewhat incredulous, yet they tacitly spread out, leaving the vast half-court to him. This was ultimately Paul’s team, and they chose to trust him.

Zeng Xingyang, seeing this, signaled his teammates not to double team.

He widened his stance, bent his knees slightly, spread his arms, and exuded a domineering aura, as if declaring to Paul: "Bring it on!"

After a season of NBA training, Zeng Xingyang had shed all his rawness, now utterly confident in his abilities.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

The sound of Paul’s dribbling echoed in the silent arena, pounding like a war drum on everyone’s heart.

With skillful techniques, he repeatedly switched directions.

The basketball flew up and down his fingertips as he adjusted his steps continuously.

Zeng Xingyang reacted quickly, his steps closely following, his body sticking to him as if shadowing. His defense was airtight; every attempt Paul made to break through was promptly blocked.

But in the end, Paul’s center of gravity was a bit lower. After a series of direction changes, Paul seized a rhythm gap, lunged two steps to the right, stopped suddenly, and faked a shot.

Zeng Xingyang was indeed fooled, his center of gravity shifted, his body involuntarily leaning forward.

In the blink of an eye, Paul executed a beautiful fadeaway, his move expansive and fluid, as if straight from a textbook. Zeng Xingyang quickly adjusted, lunging forcefully, yet his rhythm was disrupted, and his jump height was not as it had been.

Paul soared high, adjusting his posture mid-air to evade the block.

The difficulty of this shot was extraordinary.

The basketball dragged a long trail across the arena’s ceiling, everyone held their breath.

"Swish!" The moment the basketball went through the net, the Staples Center instantly erupted.

to 108!

The Clippers fans on site leapt from their seats as if possessed, waves of cheers, shouts, and screams surging like a tide, nearly tearing the roof off the arena.

Paul did not disappoint the Clippers fans, having made the shot right in front of Zeng Xingyang.

If they won tonight’s game, this basket would be a game-winning shot.

Paul clenched his fists tightly, shouting in rage, venting his pent-up anger and emotions.

Paul’s eyes seemed to announce to the world that he hadn’t lost yet!

CCTV studio.

Zhang Weiping also exclaimed: "This is not easy! Paul’s shot was critical! He used his exceptional personal ability to evade Xingyang’s defense and made a game-winning shot! This is the value of a superstar! This is Chris Paul!"

"Paul proved himself!"

"The old gun is too fierce!"

"Although I support the Nuggets, I really hope Paul can win a game."

"Xingyang better not hit a game-winner later, let the old gun win one, it’s not easy."

On domestic social media, discussions about Paul’s key shot also exploded like fireworks, with many Nuggets fans praising this veteran’s resilience.

Even many fans hoped the Clippers could win one.

A lot of them used to be Clippers fans and had followed the glory of Lob City!

However, Zeng Xingyang on the court was deaf to this.

He stood silently on the baseline, not the slightest bit flustered, instead exuding a chilling calmness.

Zeng Xingyang signaled to Mike Malone not to call a timeout, his confident demeanor suggesting everything was within his control.

Siakam passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang, who dribbled to the right side of the frontcourt, running down the clock.

Every dribble from Zeng Xingyang now seemed to beat on the opponent’s heart, the rhythm steady and forceful.

Paul voluntarily stepped up to defend, while the other players spread out tacitly, leaving the stage completely to the two core players.

The tension on site reached its peak, the air nearly solidifying.

10,

9,

8,

7,

6,

5!

With only 5 seconds left, Zeng Xingyang made his move!

"Bang!" He dribbled from the left to the right, flicking his wrist, the basketball hung momentarily in the air, then with a quick scissor step adjustment, moving so swiftly that he succeeded in shifting Paul’s center of gravity to the right.

Zeng Xingyang pulled the ball back to the left, then withdrew, planted, sideshifted, collected the ball.

The actions were seamless, as fluid as flowing clouds and water.

Paul tried to block again, but his foot slipped.

With a heavy "boom," he fell to the ground!

The crowd gasped; many couldn’t bear to witness the scene, covering their eyes with their hands.

Paul had been crossed over and fell down.

After Zeng Xingyang collected the ball, he glanced quickly at the fallen Paul, maintaining composure as he jumped up, taking a three-point shot!

The posture was very standard, the preceding series of moves very elegant.

The basketball traced a perfect arc in the air.

Time seemed to freeze at this very moment.

The Clippers fans on site prayed silently, hoping the basketball would veer off the rim.

Meanwhile, all the Nuggets players held their breath, eyes fixed on the ball’s trajectory.

Just as the final buzzer sounded.

"Swish!" The basketball went cleanly through the net!

to 108.