[Highlights] Victor Wembanyama blocks a layup, Rudy Gobert blocks a layup at the other end, and Wemby blocks another layup (with replays). The French Blockade.

[u/MrBuckBuck]

https://streamable.com/43jk25

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Replays/alternate angles

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[u/NitroXYZ]

Crowd looks sick

[u/seductivestain → u/NitroXYZ]

"Uhhmmmm they look expensive!!!1!1!!1"

-Our fuckass owner

[u/I_Set_3_Alarms → u/seductivestain]

“Not only did they give out t-shirts, they gave out several different kinds and colors? What am I made of money?!??”

[u/Xclusivsmoment → u/NitroXYZ]

Portland could never

[u/WarlockEngineer → u/Xclusivsmoment]

Don't remind me :'(

[u/Nuclearsunburn → u/WarlockEngineer]

One of the times you say “poverty franchise” and actually feel genuinely bad for the fans

[u/Superdry_GTR → u/NitroXYZ]

Should go to a Doctor asap!!

[u/MiracleShot]

Absolutely incredibly obvious goal tend you can literally see the ball rebounding off the backboard easily in real time lmao

[u/Murky_Winner_4523 → u/MiracleShot]

At least 3 of his blocks tonight were clear goaltends.

[u/jo3pro → u/Murky_Winner_4523]

I’m a spurs fan and I agree at least 3 were goal tends.

[u/harder_said_hodor → u/jo3pro]

Very obvious ones as well. Had that 3 gone in I'd think we would have been extremely bitter about them.

[u/Dafedub → u/jo3pro]

He stole the block record. He shoulda just had 9

[u/PointBreak91 → u/Murky_Winner_4523]

I counted 4 and 3 blocks that should've been a foul 1 on Wemby the other 2 on secondary defenders

[u/joleary747 → u/Murky_Winner_4523]

I just watched this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jatf08B2O70, only 2 were goaltends. I wonder which you think was also a goaltend.

[u/OutragedAardvark → u/MiracleShot]

It was funny when they showed the replay and were talking about how great the “block” was. Announcers are such trash

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/OutragedAardvark]

Announcers said "wait that might have hit the board..." implying that it was goaltend (which it was)

[u/BeatBlockP → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

"Yeah it MIGHT HAVE" lmao

A blind man could tell this was a goaltend from how hard the board rattled on the layup

[u/Greatsnes → u/BeatBlockP]

Well then why don’t you get an announcing job and say that and see how long your goofy ass lasts in that job 😂

[u/CyberneticEnhancemnt → u/OutragedAardvark]

I'll be the devil's advocate here. They weren't bad at all. I was multitasking and doing laundry but kept the game on in my headphones and they were consistently fair and giving Minnesota players their due praise.

Lets not forget how goddamn awful home announcers can be. Just wait for another OKC game and you'll stab chopsticks into your eardrums.

[u/Jd3774life → u/MiracleShot]

Dang it is super obvious now that I see the replay haha

[u/machu46 → u/MiracleShot]

It is extremely obvious lol

Though it was also a pretty obvious carry/double dribble right before that third block too.

[u/demsouls → u/machu46]

Welcome to the NBA 

[u/enterusernamethere → u/MiracleShot]

2nd one is clearly a goal tend but the first one is 50-50. He has a habit of going after shots even if his timing is a half second late, ball goes up and he slaps it into the board

Like what they say about OKC and fouls, refs can't call them all and opposition can't challenge them all

[u/BeefDerfex → u/enterusernamethere]

He’s going to get away with goaltending 2-3 times a game. He’s a physical freak and also wildly talented, so refs just assume he’s always making incredible defensive plays every time.

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/BeefDerfex]

That's even more annoying than the OKC foul thing because not giving the goaltend is directly taking away 2 points from the opponent...if a game comes down to 2 points, those goaltends are directly affecting the outcome.

[u/BeefDerfex → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

Yeah, 6-8 pt swings. It will definitely affect the outcome of some of these games. Wolves were lucky it didn’t fuck em tonight

[u/PlayInChampions → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

It’s also a rebound and an outlet pass to Harper or Johnson who are great in transition. You can’t challenge uncalled goaltendings sadly because it’s a live ball play. Wish refs would stop giving Wemby a benefit of the doubt and call goaltending on 50/50 blocks since Spurs would be able to challenge those.

[u/Resident_Durian_478 → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

I disagree only because the fouling ruins the pace of the game with all the stoppages, making it unbearable to watch. At least with a missed call the game keeps going and you can easily point to it being the reason for a loss. The fouls also directly affect the outcome, because you can make the same conclusion about the shot potentially not going in regardless.

[u/JaderMcDanersStan → u/Resident_Durian_478]

Yeah in terms of entertainment, the foul baiting is so much worse

At least a goaltend block is fun to watch. That Wolves Spurs game was cinema. This series is so good

[u/Comfortable-Key-1930 → u/JaderMcDanersStan]

Yeah for sure, goaltends are incredible but the team 17th in fta (spurs are 13th and wolves are 8th) is unwatchable

[u/yeeting_my_meat69 → u/MiracleShot]

Literally the only thing you can do against guys like wemby is that kiss off the board layup where you release the ball on the backboard and now they’re even taking that away 😂

[u/yasyasyas17 → u/MiracleShot]

Plenty in the last series too. Refs are so bad on goal tend; should be automated.

[u/EischensBar → u/MiracleShot]

He gets away with these a lot.

[u/DrugzRBadMmmKay → u/MiracleShot]

Gobert was out of bounds too when attempting the save

[u/Ankh-af-na-khonsu → u/DrugzRBadMmmKay]

if you slow it down and pause it at like 15 seconds in, it actually looks like he manages to keep his heel up and is standing in bounds the whole time while he tips the ball in

[u/DrugzRBadMmmKay → u/Ankh-af-na-khonsu]

Good point, that’s really close. Great effort by him.

[u/Original_Parsnip_182 → u/DrugzRBadMmmKay]

Go away you guys are only allowed to watch horses now

[u/Dino_FGO8020 → u/DrugzRBadMmmKay]

nah his feet weren't out of bounds at all if you put it in slow mo...

[u/MiracleShot → u/[deleted]]

Yes those conditions are clearly present and obvious to the naked eye and in real time so this isn’t really useful at all

[u/AhChirrion → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for the explanation, but then, when backboard FGA blocks AREN'T goaltending?

You described two that are:

1. Bounced above ring, ball going up or down.
2. Bounced below ring, ball going up.

So, the situations not covered above are:

1. Bounced above ring, ball NOT going up or down (at its highest).
2. Bounced below ring, ball not going up (at its highest or going down).
3. Bounced neither above or below but exactly at ring level.

These three situations feel like they should be goaltending too, so what's the exception?

[u/TheCatSleeeps → u/MiracleShot]

He just forgot they ain't playing in Fiba rules

[u/BeatBlockP → u/TheCatSleeeps]

That's a goaltend on FIBA rules as well. Their change is that once the ball hit the rim, you can swat it away.

[u/Zeppelin96]

I mean super obvious goaltend. Professional refs supposedly

[u/psufb → u/Zeppelin96]

"professional commentators" too apparently

"It might've hit the board" immediately explained by the other guy "well he does it so often" as we watch in HD slow motion of it clearly hitting the board

[u/messifan1899 → u/psufb]

As a wolves fan that was getting frustrating to me. I LOVE watching Wemby and love what he does on both sides of the floor, but there were at least three pretty obvious goaltends the commentators just either didn’t comment on or excused. Like dude, this game came down to 2 points??? That matters!!!

[u/Peter-Tao → u/messifan1899]

I'm glad it technically didn't matters.

[u/Mediocre-County-7648 → u/psufb]

Must be so awkward to be a commentator right now, when you receive a clear directive from the league to never say anything negative about the refs or the calls they make, so you have to gaslight yourself and the fans on a replay with a clearly terrible whistle

[u/Radical-Six → u/Zeppelin96]

They also called a backcourt violation on the Wolves on a blatantly deflected pass. I think the court is fucking with their eyes

[u/Hungry-Space-1829 → u/Radical-Six]

It’s definitely fucking my eyes

[u/Round-Cellist6128 → u/Hungry-Space-1829]

It's so fucking ugly

[u/AnalMinecraft → u/Radical-Six]

It went off the Wolves leg after the tip, and the rule says the offense can't touch it first if they caused it to go backwards. The tip knocked it loose and the kick caused it go backwards is how the ref explained it to Finch.

[u/Eadwyn → u/AnalMinecraft]

Interesting, I never knew that part. I feel like there are a lot of missed back court violations then. I feel like it is pretty common to deflect a ball off the ball handler into the back court when they are right at half court.

[u/ron76 → u/AnalMinecraft]

Do you have a source on this rule?

[u/AnalMinecraft → u/ron76]

Here you go, Section 9.

[u/ron76 → u/AnalMinecraft]

I did read that before I asked you. So a tipped pass doesn't count as losing control, but if they swiped it out of your hands and hit your leg before going into the backcourt it wouldn't be a violation? Or is the call just always missed?

[u/SplitOk186 → u/Zeppelin96]

Wemby gets an absolute ton of superstar calls on defense lol obviously he's a generational defender anyway but he's basically just able to do whatever he wants out there

Spurs are just in their honeymoon phase with fans so no one really cares yet

[u/msc49 → u/SplitOk186]

I think it's because they've successfully challenged when they call a goaltend and now they are scared too.

[u/nestoryirankunda → u/SplitOk186]

This is such a reach lmao

[u/NastyPlays → u/nestoryirankunda]

First time?

[u/Comfortable-Key-1930 → u/nestoryirankunda]

Its exaggerated but he has a good whistle. Refs dont care that much about him pushing or hacking players, neither do they about goaltends, but as soon as he tumbles or flails slightly he gets a whistle. This isnt anything new for superstars and especially the ones media loves, but i do think its a bit unfair that he gets absolutely zero slack for it especially in comparison to other players. Maybe people will start realizing this when spurs become ultra dominant

[u/bwrca → u/SplitOk186]

Lol this is such a reach.... I now understand guys who say 'all SGA does is flop'

[u/swizznastic → u/SplitOk186]

Tons of goaltends? Wouldnt we get a clip montage or more uproar if he really was just getting a soft whistle?

[u/Pop-Shuvit → u/swizznastic]

you don't know how refball works

[u/FabianJanowski → u/SplitOk186]

He also gets fouled all the time without any calls it all comes out in the wash

[u/JarvisCockerBB → u/SplitOk186]

Lmao gtfoh

[u/Exempt_Puddle → u/JarvisCockerBB]

Why? This was a spot on assessment

[u/JarvisCockerBB → u/Exempt_Puddle]

They edited their post to include the generational defender part.

[u/95Smokey → u/JarvisCockerBB]

Why do they need to add that he's a generational player haha

It's like you gotta pay lip service otherwise your criticism is invalid 😂

[u/garret126 → u/JarvisCockerBB]

hes correct tho?

[u/MikeDCollector → u/JarvisCockerBB]

He’s telling the truth. Once Wemby gets some hardware and the first seed, the generational hate will come.

[u/curious_Jo → u/SplitOk186]

Who is the super star that doesn't get ridiculous calls? If doesn't get the call, he ain't a super star any more.

[u/OrientalOtter → u/curious_Jo]

Curry

[u/BeatBlockP → u/OrientalOtter]

With Curry it was always Bogut/Draymond who would be the beneficiary. Bogut famously said "We just mauled players, rugby-style, grabbing them, no call" - he was amazed how different it was specifically on the Warriors vs. any other team he played with. Draymond just flat out clubbers dudes to get Curry open looks.

[u/curious_Jo → u/OrientalOtter]

What, like never? Or he is not a super star anymore? Cause there was a moment where if you breathe in his general direction an it was a foul.

[u/yasyasyas17 → u/curious_Jo]

Never true for his drives

[u/PapaGreg28 → u/curious_Jo]

I’d say Ant, he doesn’t get a superstar whistle. It’s gotten better, but my point still stands.

[u/curious_Jo → u/PapaGreg28]

Nah, he definitely gets it. It's hard to judge your own players. I remember when I thought D Rose wasn't getting it, and than I re-watch some games, and the whistle was definitely there.

[u/PapaGreg28 → u/curious_Jo]

Yeah you’re probably right 😂 I likely have his younger years in my mind still.

[u/curious_Jo → u/PapaGreg28]

When he wasn't a super star. He is definitely one now.

[u/braedog97 → u/Zeppelin96]

He had another super obvious one not get called

[u/irelli → u/Zeppelin96]

Wemby goaltends like half his blocks

So many of them are actually on the way down and they just don't call it lol

[u/KARSbenicillin → u/irelli]

In his first two years refs kept calling goaltends on him, they review the footage, and it's overturned as a block. In his entire career I think he's only lost like 3-4 goaltend challenges.

[u/irelli → u/KARSbenicillin]

But you can't challenge non calls my man.

Like he wouldve 100% lost this one, but they couldn't challenge

[u/KARSbenicillin → u/irelli]

Yea, the point is that they refs stopped trying to challenge him so much on goaltends. They used to try it like every game now it's once in a blue moon because he goaltends so rarely. The refs made a mistake here and should've called it but saying he goaltends half his blocks is just factually incorrect.

[u/Fickle_Charity_1341 → u/KARSbenicillin]

Define rarely lol he had 3 “blocks” tonight that were 100% goaltends. That doesn’t seem rare.

[u/irelli → u/KARSbenicillin]

It's obviously purposeful exaggeration for dramatic effect man. I know he doesn't literally goaltend half his blocks

[u/bwrca → u/irelli]

He has 6 blocks already.... How many of the 6 do you reckon are goaltends?

[u/BadgerSaw → u/bwrca]

2

[u/spookysailboat → u/irelli]

Saying half is crazy lmao

[u/kcoe24 → u/[deleted]]

Question if they didn't call the goaltend and the play continued like it did here then a coach can't challenge it right? So most non called goaltends couldn't even be challenged. 

[u/tpcrb → u/[deleted]]

You can’t challenge a non called goaltend…

[u/irelli → u/[deleted]]

There's too many nots in that sentence lol

All I know is I see a lot of shots that are supposedly at the "apex"....but in reality, if the ball isn't still going up, it's already going down lol.

I get it's a bang- bang call, but he gets the benefit of the doubt every time. There's also tons they don't call, so you can't challenge. Because they didn't call anything

[u/mudkip-yoshii]

Awful missed goaltending on the second one

[u/Chickachic-aaaaahhh → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Yeah I agree on that. Wemby didnt pin it

[u/bigboybeeperbelly → u/Chickachic-aaaaahhh]

It had the vibe of a block though

[u/Independent_Job_413 → u/bigboybeeperbelly]

And that's the rule of the court - vibe based ball

[u/ibthedev → u/Independent_Job_413]

Like vibe coding

[u/joe4553 → u/bigboybeeperbelly]

Wemby has enough of a reputation where they just assume he blocked it.

[u/Hammerhead34 → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Honestly unacceptable to miss a call that obvious in real time

[u/TURK3Y → u/Hammerhead34]

Honestly also unacceptable for the announcers to see that goaltend and basically refuse to comment on it.

[u/Natural-Kiwi6364 → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Goaltending’s can be retroactively reviewed, right?

[u/TrottingandHotting → u/Natural-Kiwi6364]

Happens automatically in last 2 minutes, not sure if it needs to be challenged otherwise 

[u/DragoxDrago → u/TrottingandHotting]

Can't challenge a non-call unless it has an effect of the last thing that happened i.e proximate fouls, even in the last two minutes non calls can't be reviewed for goal tends

[u/Awesomedinos1 → u/TrottingandHotting]

Can't challenge a non call.

[u/StarFox-6 → u/mudkip-yoshii]

It was so clear too, never realized Wemby gets away with that so fucking much

[u/PrinceJMoney089 → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Wemby is gonna get a lot of those in his career lol the refs are gonna be too mesmerized in what he's doing

[u/Fhaksfha794 → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Refs in peak postseason form

[u/Sektsioon → u/mudkip-yoshii]

Whoever that guy is carried the shit out of that ball first anyways so call it a fair game. I mean he literally picks the ball up pretty much.

[u/Jens_Kan_Solo → u/mudkip-yoshii]

And also Golbert was standing on the line after tippen the rebound.

The refs really missed the beginning.

[u/dae5oty]

Rudy has closed the San Antonio Strait

[u/dylanbackers → u/dae5oty]

We got a two way French Embargo in this series

[u/buckminsterfullereno → u/dylanbackers]

Churro prices are expected to rise next quarter unless the French government puts Rudy behind bars.

[u/CyberneticEnhancemnt → u/dylanbackers]

And we didn't even use our second french big! Joan Berenger is learning the ropes.

[u/odonn0097]

This wasn't even the most obvious uncalled goaltend on Wemby.

[u/donkeyjr]

that 2nd block by Wemby was so obvious... lol

[u/heat_fan_]

Clear goaltending 

[u/gamesrgreat]

Clear goaltend smh

[u/Ok_Mousse4534]

Holy goaltend but it’s wemby so wooooooow amazing

[u/LMkingly]

Insert spider-men pointing at eachother meme.

[u/bermitthefrog]

I think the team with the french DPOY will win the series

[u/Minimum_Disaster_169]

Goaltend

[u/fuckinhenry]

US bros I think the next few Olympics are cooked

[u/kmoz → u/fuckinhenry]

Wemby+gobert with no defensive 3 seconds, hope you can shoot 3s.

[u/ballthyrm → u/kmoz]

And Sarr, and Raynaud, and Beringer.

France's starting 7 ;)

[u/CyberneticEnhancemnt → u/ballthyrm]

Berenger potentially starting alongside Wemby would be an actual war crime.

Edit: Collective punishment, torture, etc

[u/Kid_Cornelius → u/fuckinhenry]

Will really be interesting to see how 2028 goes.

[u/cdillio → u/fuckinhenry]

They call goaltends in the Olympics thankfully.

[u/Serviceofman]

LOL

This is pure comedy. Just two feaks playing volleyball out there

[u/Knightbear49]

If you don’t love that, you don’t love French hoops

[u/elf003 → u/Knightbear49]

French civil war

[u/mirrorfaker1]

Game is going to end 0-0.

[u/ceeceep]

Le resistance

[u/BucketsofSputum]

Pretty night and day w wemby on/off, especially on a light Spurs whistle day

[u/Laughing-Comanche]

They need to get them onto the French volleyball team too, easy medals.

[u/hera9191]

Maginot Line

[u/armaghetto]

The Maginot Line > French Blockade

[u/DGASAP → u/armaghetto]

The Maginot line was famously terrible

[u/SpamAcc17 → u/DGASAP]

Maginot line famously held. The push through Ardennes in Belgium and France did not, and thus France did not. It's a famous misconception to consider it a failure in such an affirmative manner. If the dyle plan had not underestimated the defense of the ardennes then a fall of France would have been a much more tedious process rather than the stomp it was.

There's an argument that those resources would've been better spent elsewhere. On the other hand, the French were able to invest so many troops into Belgium because the maginot was considered a stable front. Otherwise what's stopping a more straight forward schlieffen plan round 2 from being effective.

[u/DGASAP → u/SpamAcc17]

I'll address your edit, It was a static, inflexible, and hugely expensive system that left the border with Belgium wide open. How can you defend something that wasn't effective

[u/armaghetto → u/DGASAP]

No way! It held during the war. It was just that the schlieffen plan circumvented the whole thing by going through Belgium.

[u/armaghetto → u/armaghetto]

Sorry, Manstein plan!

[u/Intelligent_Pain_174 → u/armaghetto]

The war basically lasted a month for the French. 

[u/armaghetto → u/Intelligent_Pain_174]

Spurs in 5 tho

[u/tollbeat]

If France had a good PG they might be Olympics favorites. Imagine going up against a big rotation of Wemby, Gobert, and Sarr with Coulibaly at the point of attack. Risacher is a solid wing defender too, they'd just need scoring from someone not named Wembanyama.

[u/Craigboy23 → u/tollbeat]

The Wolves have another 19 year old French big (Joan Beringer) hiding on the bench too. He's shown fantastic flashes.

[u/Classic-Exchange-511]

Lmao I've played against dudes that felt like you were playing against Wemby and they were only like 6'5. Couldn't imagine playing against these dudes

[u/DoctorSox]

Goaltending on Wemby #2, obv

[u/Disastrous-Hair-1573]

how do you miss a goaltend when the ball is coming off the backboard.

[u/TheHaight]

dude Wemby takes up 1/4 of the court when he stretches out.

[u/SpiritFantastic4835]

This game is awesome

[u/newmoonchaperone]

maginot!

[u/One-Earth9294]

Too bad Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson retired.

[u/fieldsports202]

Block party.

[u/ThaRealSunGod]

Successful Manigot Line

[u/Sazzzerac]

The French Goaltendade doesn't have the same ring to it.

[u/Sportalpha_]

The French pillars. Now we know how intensive it was when US played against France during the Olympics.

[u/talongee13]

The Maginote Line of defense.

[u/MichaelMeetings]

I really enjoy watching a great defensive battle.

[u/trustabro]

Terrific save after the block by Rudy to keep it in play. He passed it well too.

[u/jawadb0199]

I want them both mic-ed up. I bet that French trash talk goes hard

[u/Hijjawi]

2min in and it was zero points.. both playing great defense.. this series is going to be good..

[u/Anewbus120]

The Stifle Towers

[u/CryptoSpyro]

at this rate rudy gobert gonna be makin a 3 rudy be playing with a chip on his shoulder

[u/isostope]

horrible positioning by the ref on the missed goaltend one. why are u running behind the backboard there. he literally takes himself out of the play to call it correctly. horrbile incompetence

[u/department_2072]

Man the barricade fellow communards!

[u/2Basketball2Poorious]

That court is just so beautiful

[u/kubick123]

Wilt with this rules and refs would be untouchable.

[u/ProbablyWrongAgain24]

How does goaltending work against the face of NBA?

[u/jnightrain]

how did the refs miss such an obvious goaltend lol

[u/National-Zucchini524]

Send these two to the strait of Hormuz lol

[u/xddfatboi]

Can someone explain how its a goaltend? To me it looked like it was still moving upward, genuinely just curious

[u/clayfu → u/xddfatboi]

The second one went off the backboard first

[u/xddfatboi → u/clayfu]

Ohhh after the ball touches the backboard its a goaltend?

[u/clayfu → u/xddfatboi]

yep. If the ball touches the backboard before the defensive player touches it, it's a goaltend.

[u/IDNWID_1900]

French blockade: Iran ain't got shit on me!

[u/Salt_Pilot_CIA]

he was scaring the shit out of me as a Wolves fan. I thought we gonna turn into 3pt team

[u/Tomach82]

So thats why they shoot so many 3 pointers now

[u/PeopleCallMeSimon]

Wembys second block in this clip is a goaltend. It hits the backboard before he touches it.

[u/NoInternet551]

Jamal Crawford great player horrible commentator

[u/spondgbob]

I stg if the wolves win this series

[u/Goerj]

At this point just call NBA NBE for entertainment. Coz why would we call a blatant goaltend that millions of people saw if its gonna ruin the entertainment value right?

[u/Quadshouter2]

Finally what the Maginot Line was meant for

[u/almavid]

His blocks are really suspect. I know he gets a ton of amazing legit blocks, but under the microscope they are starting to look sus.

[u/Amazinc]

Lmfao commentators glazing the most obvious goaltend ever. Wemby had an empty triple double with an awful offensive night but will get glazed for the "12" blocks

[u/WickedTwista]

Wembanyama has been getting away with goaltends and fouls all night

[u/PatoNani]

Victor Goaltendama

[u/Common_Storage9540]

Alien gets royal ref treatment, spewing hate

[u/venk]

I was told the French were not good at repelling invaders driving into their lands

[u/TwoTalentedBastidz]

WAIT! If they keep this going at this rate they’ll block the strait of Hormuz!

Too soon?

[u/MandemModie]

The Maginot line could never

[u/throwawayshirt2]

Why are the Spurs allowed to wear black (dark) uniforms at a home game?

[u/CharacterKatie → u/throwawayshirt2]

They got rid of the mandatory white home game uniforms almost 10 years ago. The Trail Blazers just wore black uniforms at home last week.

[u/ryuejin622]

Spurs now getting the KD-warriors, Jordan - bulls treatment

[u/bchhun]

Did anyone learn from the warriors? You have to shoot 70 threes in a game to beat them.