Georgia Tech would certainly not dare!
The chain reaction from this was that Wake Forest's assists began to increase significantly.
He Ximeng used his threat to pass to Duncan in the paint, as well as to Rusti, Sean, and others on the perimeter. In the final five minutes, Wake Forest showed a multi-pronged offensive, and their score successfully overtook Georgia Tech!
By the time the game entered the last minute, Wake Forest was leading their opponents by 5 points! The on-court situation was very unfavorable for the regular season champions, Georgia Tech.
The head coach of Georgia Tech called a timeout and devised a three-point play. Marbury drove to the basket, passed to Haplin in the right corner, who received the ball and passed it back to Drew Barry at the right elbow!
The right 45-degree angle was Drew Barry's highest three-point shooting percentage position!
However, back on the court, Marbury did not execute his coach's strategy. Instead, he acted on his own, changing the play. He drove all the way, and amidst the double-team by He Ximeng and Duncan, he made a difficult pull-up jumper with a fadeaway!
The deficit was reduced to three points, the game was not over! Georgia Tech still had a chance.
He Ximeng dribbled the ball across half court. Marbury was defending full court, and Drew Barry double-teamed at half court. Georgia Tech attempted to force a turnover.
But He Ximeng was not blinded by the lead. He was well-prepared for Marbury's aggressive defense. So, when Drew Barry closed in, He Ximeng protected the ball and, while loudly calling for Duncan, passed it to Rusti on the other side!
This move was called feinting to the east while attacking the west!
After successfully breaking Georgia Tech's half-court press, He Ximeng went straight to Rusti. They executed a hand-off, and He Ximeng got the ball back from Rusti. Then, using Rusti's stationary screen, he changed direction and drove hard against the pursuing Marbury!
Marbury was showcasing his individual defensive ability to the fullest, but he could not stop He Ximeng!
He Ximeng drove to the basket, intending to complete a fadeaway jumper. Before he shot, He Ximeng saw Duncan had slipped to the open spot under the basket. Thus, he unhesitatingly changed his shot to a pass, catching the opponent off guard!
Duncan, with no defender on him, caught the ball and slammed it home! The deficit returned to 5 points.
Marbury refused to give up. After a quick outlet pass from under the basket, he chased Wake Forest down in transition!
He Ximeng stayed with Marbury, slowing down his advance. Unexpectedly, when Marbury reached a step beyond the three-point line, he pulled up and shot a three-pointer over He Ximeng's defense!
Marbury lived up to his reputation as a tough player!
The three-pointer was accurate, and the score narrowed to just two points!
Rusti inbounded the ball from the baseline. Georgia Tech applied full-court pressure, trying to force a Wake Forest inbound turnover. But He Ximeng used Duncan's off-ball screen to successfully escape the double-team from Marbury and Drew Barry. After receiving the ball, He Ximeng sprinted along the sideline. After crossing half court, Marbury and Drew Barry both moved into the paint, thinking He Ximeng would attack the basket. However, He Ximeng stopped abruptly, turned around, and moved towards the half-court line!
With little time left on the clock, for Wake Forest, who had the lead, every second wasted was a second saved...
Marbury realized He Ximeng's intention and immediately lunged forward, intentionally drawing a foul! While drawing the foul, Marbury deliberately pressed He Ximeng's right hand to prevent him from attempting a three-pointer...
Well, alright! You thought that through! Because He Ximeng had indeed planned to do just that...
But with his right hand held down by Marbury, even though He Ximeng jumped at the last moment, the referee did not call a shooting foul but a common foul!
Since Georgia Tech had accumulated six common fouls in the second half, this was their seventh, so according to the rules, it was a 1+1 free throw!
The 1+1 free throw rule is unique to the NCAA!
It means that once a team accumulates six common fouls in a half, from the seventh to the ninth foul, they will shoot 1+1 free throws!
The so-called 1+1 means the player first shoots one free throw. If it's made, they shoot a second. If the first free throw is missed, play continues with a rebound, and there is no second free throw.
Once common fouls reach ten, the team reverts to the standard two free throws, not 1+1.
The 1+1 free throw rule inadvertently adds more uncertainty, making games more tense and exciting.
Marbury used the foul to stop He Ximeng from wasting more time, and at the same time, he was perhaps trying his luck on He Ximeng's free throw percentage.
But He Ximeng did not give Marbury a chance. As an excellent shooter, a stable free throw percentage is fundamental.
Even in his previous life, when He Ximeng could only be a coach, his free throw percentage could reach over 60%. Making six or seven out of ten shots was not difficult. Even more so for the current He Ximeng, who was constantly honing his shooting skills.
He Ximeng's first free throw was calmly made, and his second free throw was also calmly made.
The score was pulled back to 4 points. With only 8 seconds left on the clock, Georgia Tech was essentially out of hope for a comeback.
But Marbury still refused to give up. He coordinated with his teammate Haplin, using Haplin's off-ball screen, and with a back cut, he got away from He Ximeng's tight defense. Drew Barry took the opportunity to inbound the ball from the baseline. Marbury caught the ball and went into sprint mode!
Rusti intended to slow Marbury down near mid-court to create a pincer attack with He Ximeng. However, Marbury, with his disregard for his ankles, used a high-speed 360-degree spin to get past him...
After a rapid breakthrough to the frontcourt, Marbury immediately shot from a step beyond the three-point line. Unexpectedly, this time without any adjustment, he made a strong jump shot again!
74:75, Marbury helped Georgia Tech narrow the deficit to just 1 point!
It had to be said, Marbury was quite gutsy in crucial moments!
The game was not over yet. After the referee's confirmation, there were 1.9 seconds left!
If Georgia Tech could force a Wake Forest inbound turnover, or foul the opponent the moment the ball was inbounded, forcing them to the free-throw line, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
In fact, this was exactly Marbury's plan!
Even more troublesome was that Wake Forest, due to frequent substitutions earlier, had no timeouts left. The coach could not devise a strategy for the final offensive, and the players had to adjust on the court...
On the sidelines, Dave Odom shouted, "Give the ball to Tim! Give the ball to Tim..."
He Ximeng gave a "ok" gesture to the coach on the sideline, telling him to stop babbling. This play was now not only known to Georgia Tech, but to everyone in the arena, and even to audiences across America watching this game. Wake Forest's final offensive play was clear...
For Georgia Tech, there was no doubt that all their attention would be on Duncan, preparing to steal Wake Forest's inbound pass!
How could this play still work?