LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 30: What More Could You Ask For?
LeBron was surrounded, trapped in a sea of Hawks defenders.
But just as things looked hopeless, he slipped the ball through a tiny gap.
Jay Sun cut to the basket at the perfect moment, catching the pass and jumping straight up.
Horford saw the danger and quickly raised his hands to contest the shot.
In mid-air, Jay twisted his body, completing a beautiful spin and finishing with a reverse layup.
A 360-degree acrobatic layup!
Normally, Jay wouldn't have been able to pull off a move this difficult. But thanks to his Closer, Relentless Finisher, and Acrobat badges, he made it look effortless.
The Cavaliers were now down by just three points.
On the next possession, Schröder brought the ball up the court.
Because Schröder had a stronger offensive game than Korver, Tyronn Lue made a quick adjustment, assigning Jay to guard him instead of Kyrie.
Lue trusted Jay's defense more.
Jay smirked. "Come on! It's time for Gary Payton's spirit to possess me!"
Schröder quickly realized he was in trouble. No matter how he tried to drive, Jay was glued to him like a shadow.
Frustrated, Schröder gave up on his isolation attempt and passed the ball to initiate a play.
Horford caught the ball at the high post. He was a complete player—offense, defense, even playmaking. He could do it all.
Horford made a bounce pass to a cutting DeMarre Carroll.
Carroll caught the ball and went straight for the layup.
But just as he was about to release the ball—
Bang!
LeBron swatted it off the backboard!
Kevin Love grabbed the rebound and immediately launched a quarterback-style pass down the court.
Jay was already sprinting toward the basket. He caught the pass just as he reached the three-point line.
Realizing he had a clean breakaway, Jay made a bold decision.
"If not now, when?"
Jay gathered the ball, took a giant stride, and launched himself into the air.
Boom!
A vicious tomahawk slam!
"Ahhhh!" Jay roared, pounding his chest in celebration.
If you pull off a dunk like that, you have to let people know!
The Cavaliers were now down by just one point.
The Hawks called a timeout.
Coach Budenholzer was spitting as he frantically laid out adjustments.
Meanwhile, Tyronn Lue remained calm and composed, as if his team were the ones leading.
Lue's plan?
"Give the ball to LeBron."
Simple, but effective.
With two minutes left, the Hawks led 120-119.
Schröder brought the ball up and ran a play.
On the wing, Korver and Carroll set a cross-screen, causing confusion in the Cavs' defense.
Korver saw an opening, quickly stopped and cut back the other way.
Schröder zipped a pass to Korver, who caught it and immediately launched a three-pointer.
Swish.
It was Korver's first three of the game.
Without Jay's constant pressure, Korver finally found some breathing room.
123-119.
The Cavaliers were in trouble.
LeBron took over on the next possession.
He ran a pick-and-pop with Kevin Love.
After setting the screen, Love popped out to the three-point line, while LeBron drove inside.
Horford stepped up to help, leaving Jay free to cut along the baseline.
LeBron, as experienced as ever, bounced a perfect pass to Jay.
Jay caught it and finished the layup with ease.
123-121.
The Cavs were back within two.
The Hawks inbounded the ball, and Schröder slowly dribbled up the court, deliberately running down the clock.
Jay stayed close but couldn't risk a reckless steal attempt.
Schröder passed to Carroll, who lobbed it inside to Horford.
Horford backed down Varejao.
With everyone else spread out on the perimeter, there was no help defense in sight.
Horford faked left, then spun right and released a soft hook shot.
Swish.
125-121.
The Hawks were back up by four with only eight seconds remaining.
Lue called a timeout.
The Cavaliers had only one option left: hit a quick three, then foul.
After the timeout, Love inbounded the ball.
LeBron ran a decoy route, setting a screen for Jay to get open.
Love passed to Jay in the corner.
Jay was right in his Corner Specialist zone.
Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Swish.
A clutch three-pointer!
The announcer's voice boomed through the arena:
"Ice in his veins! Jay Sun is a true closer!"
The crowd erupted, chanting Jay's name.
125-124.
There were still five seconds on the clock.
The Hawks inbounded the ball, but the Cavs immediately fouled Schröder.
Schröder stepped to the line for two free throws.
Taking a deep breath, he dribbled a few times and shot.
The ball bounced off the rim—twice—before rolling out.
Missed!
For the second shot, Schröder took extra care.
This time, the ball went in cleanly.
126-124.
Two-point game.
The Cavs used their final timeout.
Lue had just one instruction:
"Get the ball to LeBron."
When play resumed, Jay came off a screen and received the inbound pass.
As the Hawks scrambled to defend him, Jay set a screen for LeBron.
LeBron caught the ball and immediately drove hard, but Carroll stuck with him like glue.
LeBron suddenly pulled up at the three-point line.
Jay saw the trajectory of the shot and immediately knew it was off.
"Rebound!" he yelled.
The ball clanged off the back rim and bounced high.
In the chaos beneath the basket, arms tangled and bodies collided.
Love timed his jump perfectly, tipping the ball outward.
Varejao leapt next, managing to swat the ball toward the perimeter.
It bounced straight to Jay.
Jay caught it, barely set his feet, and fired.
Swish.
Buzzer-beater!
The red light flashed. The game was over.
The referees reviewed the play—the shot was good.
Jay Sun had just hit his first career game-winner.
The Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 127-126.
LeBron, overwhelmed with excitement, ran over to hug Jay, patting him on the back and ruffling his hair.
Final stats:
LeBron James: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assistsKyrie Irving: 9 points, 6 assists (likely to be grilled by reporters post-game)Kevin Love: 13 points, 10 rebounds
And Jay?
26 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds.
His clutch performance and game-winning three left a lasting impression on everyone.
With this win, the Cavs claimed the top spot in the East.
Though they had fallen to the Spurs, they had beaten the Spurs of the East.
After the game, Jay's name was everywhere.
Every major basketball outlet covered his heroics.
Fans and analysts alike gave him a new nickname: "The Clutch Kid."
Back home, Chinese media celebrated as if it were a national holiday.
"Jay Sun is the future of Chinese basketball!"
For a rookie, Jay's numbers were impressive. There was nothing to criticize.
Even Wiggins, the so-called generational talent, wasn't performing any better.
To Chinese fans, there was only one response:
"What more could you ask for?"