When the Oklahoma City Thunder were in the middle of intentionally fouling him in the tensed fourth quarter during Saturday’s playoff game at American Airlines Center, Dallas Mavericks backup center Dereck Lively II had one definitive thought that came across his mind when he was pressed to convert some crucial free throws.
Lively said: “It was like, ‘Alright, you’re going to disrespect me? I’m going to come up and I’m going to knock them down.’ “
And that’s exactly what a very confident Lively did.
After missing three of four free throws when he was intentionally fouled, Lively blew up the Thunder’s hack-a-Lively strategy when he knocked down four consecutive free throws in the frantic final moments.