259: 115: Not extinguished, just deeply buried (Vote for monthly pass!) 259: 115: Not extinguished, just deeply buried (Vote for monthly pass!) “Don’t get surprised just yet; the Magic didn’t put in God’s Left Hand Chris Mullin, but Sarunas Marciulionis.
If you can’t tell Saru and Chris apart, just rember, Chris is the one with the uglier hairstyle,”
NBC comntator Bob Costas made a cold joke commonly said about the Warriors as soon as he saw Saru take the floor.
The mont he saw Saru enter the ga, that cold joke was his first reaction.
Beyond that, he didn’t think much of Saru—he didn’t feel like Saru was the guy who could change the course of the ga.
After all, he might play for a maximum of two minutes before being subbed out.
Even the Magic fans themselves thought so.
The Magic fans had no prejudice against Saru, acknowledging him as a good person throughout Orlando.
But as Roger said, “good person” was just like “so,” not a term used to describe a successful athlete.
Good people can’t help you win gas; good people can’t help you score points.
Would you count on a good person pulled from the DNP list?
Passing half court, Saru handed the ball over to Derrick McKey, then imdiately cut towards the inside.
Michael Cage set a screen for Saru, helping him successfully shake off his defender.
But the next second, once he’d made it under the basket, he suddenly cut back towards the three-point line.
Terrell Brandon cursed under his breath and imdiately followed.
But in front of him was Cage, already set up for the screen—a series of off-ball screens!
“Bang!” Terrell Brandon collided with Cage and completely lost sight of his mark.
Saru, who had rounded out to the three-point line, received McKey’s pass.
At this point, since Terrell Brandon had been blocked by the consecutive screens and couldn’t get to Saru in ti, Bobby Phills, who was originally guarding McKey, imdiately switched to guard him.
Faced with Bobby Phills closing in, Saru was well aware his opportunity would be fleeting.
Brian Hill stared intently at the court, hoping that guy wouldn’t make him regret the substitution decision.
Since last season, whenever an opponent ca charging at him, Saru always panicked inside.
He was afraid of missing shots, afraid of George Karl’s insults that assaulted one’s character if he missed.
He had beco increasingly timid, increasingly hesitant.
Every ti he prepared to shoot, too many jumbled thoughts flooded his mind.
But now, there was only one voice in his head: “You can do it, brave knight.”
“Sarunas Marciulionis for three, Bobby’s disruption is right on ti…
it’s in!
The ball is in!
That’s Saru’s first basket of the season in an official ga for the Magic!
Beautiful, the defending champions are now trailing by only four points!” NBC comntator Bob Costas looked approvingly at Saru and no longer treated him as a comic relief.
“Nice shot, keep it up, Saru, keep it up!” Roger gave Saru a thumbs up, knowing this guy could make baskets, and moreover, he could make a lot more!
Now, it was Cavaliers coach Mike Fratello’s turn to roar: “Idiots!
How could you let that worthless guy score!
Don’t give the Magic team these unexpected points!”
Fratello, as a comntator last season, had watched too many gas, including those of Saru.
He swore that the European had been finished, no longer the most feared bench thug of the Golden State Warriors.
Therefore, he couldn’t tolerate such a person scoring points under his solid-as-fortress defense!
The ga continued, the Cavaliers on the offense.
Terrell Brandon kept initiating pick-and-rolls; Saru struggled past the screens, chasing after Brandon.
In the end, he barely managed to contest Brandon’s pull-up jumper.
The basketball spun around the rim once before eventually falling out.
Michael Cage grabbed the rebound and passed it to Roger.
The Cavaliers’ defense retreated as fast as ever; although Saru was leading the pack, Mills and Phills were already retreating alongside him.
But Roger, crossing the mid-court line, still chose to pass, flinging the ball directly to Saru.
Saru leapt to catch the ball in mid-run, his two Cavaliers opponents prepared to flank him.
Instead of holding onto the ball for a landing, Saru lightly tapped the basketball in mid-air, passing it back to Roger, who was following up the middle!
This beautiful, Europe-style pass caused an uproar throughout the crowd, and Roger, receiving the ball, made two big strides and slamd the ball in with one hand!
This dynamic pass finally allowed the Magic to break out against the Cavaliers’ defense with a satisfying counter-attack!
“Sarunas Marciulionis!
He brings the beautiful dance from Europe—2 points, and now the difference is only 2 points!”
When a person’s confidence surges, he dares to do more on the court.
The kind of passing Saru demonstrated seed to be stuck a year and a half ago.
But now, it had all co back!
“Yeah!
Go Saru!” Roger, who had just made his first slam of the ga after being pent-up for two and a half quarters, shouted with relish.
“As you wish, champion!”
But the ga hadn’t completely turned around yet; now wasn’t the ti to be happy.
So Roger quickly clapped his hands again: “Another stop, and these jerks will soon be overtaken!”
Chris Mills shoved Roger aside, suddenly cutting in, then received Terrell Brandon’s bounce pass for a direct assault on the basket.
Since Michael Cage was pulled out of the paint by Danny Ferry and Grant was firmly held back by Tyrone Hill, the basket was completely exposed for Chris Mills’s taking.
Reviews
All reviews (0)