Zeng Xingyang spread his arms wide, fully enjoying the celebration as his teammates rushed over in jubilation.
The entire Nuggets team was shouting with excitent, sweat and joy intermingling.
The whole arena instantly turned into a sea of cheers.
Nuggets fans were flushed with excitent, jumping and loudly celebrating the team securing a match point.
"Ga-winning shot!"
"Buzzer-beater!"
Coach Zhang in the studio suddenly stood up, shouting loudly, his excitent evident on his face.
After two previous failed ga-winning attempts, Zeng Xingyang finally calmly made the shot at this mont.
The mont the basketball fell through the hoop, ti seed to stand still.
The online fans watching the ga also went wild.
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
"This ga-winning shot is brutal, it’s incredible!"
"I never expected the ga would be this crazy, my heart almost couldn’t take it!"
"I love such gas, it’s so thrilling!"
"Well done, Xingyang, you’re a hero!"
"Good job, good job, so impressive!"
"Missed a ga-winning shot in regular ti, missed another in overti, but Zeng Xingyang finished it off in the end, that’s aweso!"
"The youth of the Nuggets made the Warriors pay the price, these young guys are too fierce!"
The fans chirped in excitent, every word filled with thrill.
On the court, Curry looked at the score in disbelief, his eyes full of disappointnt.
He never imagined that after all his efforts throughout the night, this would be the outco.
Green, Thompson, and others also wore frustrated expressions, as the strong performance of the Nuggets pushed them to the brink.
Next, the Warriors had no retreat path left.
Was the Warriors’ form bad today? Obviously not. They were in great form, almost everyone was firing on all cylinders.
Curry’s three-point shots were lightning fast, Thompson’s shooting was also very accurate, and Green was actively fighting on the court, full of energy.
However, the Nuggets side was almost all firing on full cylinders too.
The two teams’ offenses went back and forth, neither could stop the other. In the end, the ga’s outco hinged on the difference of the last shot.
One could say luck determined the outco of this match.
If the Nuggets hadn’t grabbed the offensive rebound on the last shot, if Zeng Xingyang’s shot had been slightly off, it would be the Nuggets feeling helpless now.
But, in basketball, there are no ifs, luck is also part of strength, this sport demands a loser, and doesn’t accept draws.
"Back to the ho court, fight them to the end!" Iguodala said through gritted teeth, with determination in his eyes.
Iguodala was tasked with guarding Zeng Xingyang today, and though he didn’t do badly, since Zeng Xingyang missed quite a few shots; yet, he nailed the final shot, filling Iguodala with reluctance.
"Don’t give up, the series is not over." Green also said with reluctance, slamming down a towel.
If the Warriors had lost by a dozen points, it wouldn’t have been as regrettable, but losing by 1 point was sure to keep many people sleepless.
Green felt he would never forget this night’s ga for the rest of his life.
Though the Warriors have been defeated by last-second shots before, it has never been as painful as today.
Being knocked out of the playoffs is a completely different experience from being knocked out in a regular-season ga.
The deep-seated sense of loss left the Warriors players walking dejectedly back to the locker room.
Post-ga statistics showed: Zeng Xingyang with 50 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals; Jokic with 28 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 blocks; Pope with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals; Harris with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; Grant with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals.
The Nuggets’ starting five basically took over the majority of the team’s scoring, they all fired on the court, putting the Warriors under imnse pressure.
Zeng Xingyang and Jokic’s statistics made many feel they had undergone a super-evolution.
The two had genuinely completed the transformation from super rookies to superstars, after all, they stood toe to toe with the Warriors’ Splash Brothers.
On the Warriors’ side: Curry with 47 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds; Thompson with 36 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists; Green with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists; Iguodala with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists; Bogut with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks.
Curry and Thompson combined for 18 three-point shots, with each knocking down 9, their shooting percentages were quite impressive. Curry’s three-point attempts were always accompanied by fans’ gasps, while Thompson’s catch-and-shoots were equally unstoppable for opponents.
After players from both sides left the court, the fans slowly cleared out.
Denver fans knew for sure now, they still had at least one ho ga left to watch.
If the Nuggets win the next ga, they will make it to the Western Conference Finals, but even if they lose, they can still return to ho court for a decisive Ga 6.
This thrilling showdown sparked huge discussions online.
"Am I crazy? I actually witnessed a team led by two rookies defeating the Warriors, it’s unbelievable!"
"Amazing, Zeng Xingyang’s scoring in overti is so outrageous, this guy is fierce!"
"This young Nuggets team really goes all out against the Warriors, they aren’t intimidated at all!"
"The Nuggets handled the ball very calmly in the final monts, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic play so smartly, like true leaders!"
"The Splash Brothers’ eyes were full of lancholy, they really wanted to win this ga, yet they still lost to a ga-winning shot, what a pity."
"Go Zeng Xingyang, go Nuggets, create a miracle for the rookies and bring down the Warriors!"
"This year’s Nuggets are definitely a super dark horse, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic are playing so strongly, it’s astonishing!"
"I’ve known Zeng Xingyang was famous early on, but who would have thought that the Serbian big guy is also so aweso, Jokic is amazing!"
"The Nuggets managent must be laughing in their sleep, they sohow picked two franchise cores, and when these two were drafted, both were considered under-the-radar, they’ve hit the jackpot!"
This ga-winning shot pushed the Nuggets to the trending lists in both China and the US.
The number of fans following this ga was enormous, and many continued discussing it after the ga ended.
The video of Zeng Xingyang’s final ga-winning shot was also spreading widely on social dia, the exhilarating scene in the video was repeatedly watched by fans.
The intensity of this match was unmatched by others.
Online, nurous NBA players, who had either retired or gone fishing, also comnted on this ga.
Nowitzki, when interviewed by reporters, said, "This is a confrontation of basketball’s new era, it’s incredible. Before the Warriors faced the Nuggets, I believed the Warriors would be this year’s championship team, but now, I think the Nuggets could also beco the championship team." His eyes were filled with recognition of this match.
Kobe tweeted: "It was a spectacular showdown, Zeng, I hope you can win the championship." His short ssage was full of expectations for Zeng Xingyang.
Arenas also posted on social dia: "Epic-level playoffs, both teams’ offensive and defensive intensity was maxed out, brilliant!"
Magic Johnson said: "Cool, it was a badass ga-winning shot, the Nuggets went all out."
Russell, selected by the Lakers with the second pick, looked like a joke at the mont.
Zeng Xingyang has already shown great potential during his rookie year, while Russell seems to still be getting the hang of things. Lakers fans were raging on forums, regretting not having picked Zeng Xingyang in the first place.
If only Zeng Xingyang could have been the perfect successor to Kobe.
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