From South China Tiger to NBA King

Chapter 217 A different James

At the Cavaliers' pre-game press conference, James was interviewed by reporters.

"LeBron, you are 0:2 behind. This third game is crucial. What adjustments will you make?"

James said solemnly: "Boston has shown strong strength on both ends of the offense and defense, especially the offensive end, with various methods. We must show a sufficient defensive attitude to play this game well."

The reporter asked James again: "You scored 65 points in the last game, but you still lost the game. Now the whole world is not optimistic about you. Do you think you still have a chance to advance in this series?"

James actually has no idea in his heart now. He actually doesn't have much confidence in playing against the Celtics. In a situation where he is behind [-]-[-], everyone is still expecting him to lead the team to comeback.

But what he thought in his heart was to play the rest of the game with all his strength, and then bid farewell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James had to cheer himself up and his teammates before the game, so he deliberately raised his voice and replied: "We have teammates who are not used to Boston's home court, this time back to our home court, we will definitely play well and win our home game! "

It can be seen from James' expression that they must win their home court.

Because of the series that fell behind 0:3, there has never been a comeback.

[-] p.m., Quicken Loans, Cleveland.

The third game between the Celtics and the Knicks begins!
The Celtics' starting lineup is still Irving, Brown, Jiang Hu, Horford, and Baynes.

The Cavaliers' starting five are Hill, Korver, James, Love, and Thompson.

When the Celtics players played, the Cavaliers home fans booed them all over the sky. After two games, the Cleveland people looked at the Celtics players even more disliked.

Boos can increase the psychological pressure on visiting players, and fans use this method to support LeBron James in the hope that he will lead the Cavaliers out of the Eastern Conference again this year.

Cavaliers fans hate the buzzer-beating buzzer-beater above James. They make the loudest noises when they boo him, and they use the most unpleasant and unpleasant curses, such as "smelly scoundrel" and "disgusting Oriental"...

Looking at the momentum of the Cavaliers fans, it seems that a group of people may rush out of the stands to beat him at any time.

The atmosphere of the Cavaliers' home court is very scary. Generally, a rookie playing here in the playoffs may be scared to pee his pants.

But Jiang Hu is not afraid, it seems that the person the audience is booing is not him at all.

After the start of the game, the Cavaliers still played with all-out defense and star offense.

Cavaliers players are very active in assisting the defense. As soon as he catches the ball, at least two people will interfere, and he will not be given a chance to make an easy mid-range shot.

Of course, there will be defensive loopholes in doing so, especially when the inside players are assisting in the defense. Horford can get easy shots whether it is a mid-range catch and jump shot or an air cut to the basket. At least he has a chance to play singles.

But Horford's mid-range shot failed again. He missed three mid-range shots in the opening game, two of which were basically open. The basketball went into the basket and then came out, which made people sigh.

The Cavaliers started the game with James attacking the ball for three consecutive rounds. He rushed to the basket as if he was desperate.

But the situation changed quickly. After three consecutive attacks with the ball and two hits, James started his off-the-ball mode and played well.

Amidst the shouts of the home fans, the Cavaliers played a wave of offensive like a tide.

After the last game, the players of the two teams got three days of valuable rest time.

The several veterans of the Cavaliers who recovered their physical strength played a smooth offense.

After the Celtics scored a goal in Jianghu, others suddenly felt cold.

James has finally changed, not only on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end.

He took the initiative to defend Irving in this game, and adopted a close-fitting defensive method, completely without his usual posture of defending with his hands on his hips.

He stuck tightly to Irving throughout the court, making it very difficult for Irving to dribble.

The Cavaliers' tactical intention today is very clear, that is, to prevent Irving from playing comfortably, double-team the rivers and lakes, and allow other Celtics players to make long-range shots.

It has to be said that the energetic Cavaliers players are too strong, and they are all big-hearted players. The more critical the game is, the more stable their performance will be.

Jianghu is very uncomfortable being double-teamed. Today, Hill and Thompson are very defensive. Even off the ball, they are about to hug Jianghu to the ground.

Today's referee is called Foster. He has a thin face, white hair, and a combed back. He is the kind of old white man who is very shrewd at first glance.

He is not simple, he is a white glove directly under Xiao Hua.

When Jianghu saw him whistling, he knew something was wrong, because his appearance probably meant that Xiao Hua's will had arrived...

as predicted.

The referee Foster seems to have acquiesced in the Cavaliers' defensive strength in Jianghu, and did not blow the whistle at all.

Jianghu complained to Foster once, but it was useless. Foster even called Jianghu a technical foul, which made the Cavaliers players and fans even more arrogant.

With the support of the home audience, the Cavaliers showed momentum, and the score has been leading since the opening.

比赛进行到5分32秒，双方比分11:4，骑士队领先7分。

Stevens kept applauding and cheering on the sidelines to encourage the players. He knew how strong the away game would be in the third game with a 2-0 lead.

So he has this mental preparation, and he may lose in the third game.

In the next game, the Cavaliers held the lead.

Every time the Jianghu exerted their efforts to close the point difference to single digits, someone from the Cavaliers stepped forward, and Bangbang scored a few goals to open the score.

Jianghu is also very helpless.

If there is only LeBron James working alone with the Cavaliers, it is easy to deal with, you only need to fight against him, and then the whole team blocks James at the critical moment.

But when Korver and Love made three-pointers, when Thompson grabbed the second rebound and dunked in place, when Hill assisted Thompson in the alley-oop, and when Love made a long pass to Hill for a layup, This Cavaliers team is not the one the Celtics players are familiar with.

In this game, James assumed more of a real offensive core role similar to Duncan and Kobe. He madly attracted a lot of defensive attention from the Celtics players, and then his teammates took advantage of the attention he attracted. Attack the Celtics' other weak points vigorously.

He doesn't look like James at all in this game...

Why do you say that?
Because in the impression of the world, James never does anything other than statistics. As a person who prioritizes interests, James feels that he does everything for a purpose, either to score, or to assist if he can’t score. If you can't get assists, you need rebounds.

He draws all the attention on the court, flaunts his talent with all eyes on him, and puts insane numbers for himself.

It's not that James can't play off the ball, he doesn't want to play off the ball.

At the age of 16, he was recognized as an unprecedented basketball genius. At the age of 17, he appeared on the cover of "Slam Dunk" magazine. He was called "The Chosen Son" and "King James", and became a well-known basketball genius in the United States.

He has not yet finished high school and is already living in the spotlight. Even as a child, he is already expected to surpass Jordan and become the new basketball god.

People have high expectations for him. He signed a seven-year endorsement contract worth 7 million US dollars before he entered the league. That was close to 9500 million US dollars, which was still [-] million US dollars in the early [-]th century.

Whether it is the fans or the commercial organizations that work with him, the goals set for him are very far away...

Beyond Jordan! ! !

This is a goal so far away that ordinary people can hardly imagine.

He also knows how difficult it is to surpass that basketball god, almost an impossible task.

He also knows how difficult this matter is, because the mountain of Jordan is too high. He averaged 30 points per game in his career, 6 and a championship. These two alone have trapped countless people.

James knows that if he wants to surpass Jordan, he cannot lose in statistics and championships, which is why he has been paying attention to his statistics for so many years.

Coincidentally, the owner of the Cavaliers also hopes that James will become a super idol comparable to Jordan in terms of statistics, so the coaches and teammates assigned to him at the beginning of his career are all to make him play comfortably, so he does not need to play without ball.

But if someone says that James can't play off the ball at all, that's bullshit.

In fact, James will be off the ball, and he is still a master off the ball.

He is 206cm tall, has extraordinary athletic ability, and his basketball IQ is not low. How can such a person not play without the ball?

Everything just depends on the environment at the time and his own choice. As long as he is willing to delegate power to his teammates, he is an elite without the ball.

In the 2022-2023 NBA season, he has truly proved this point.

Although that team was eventually swept out of the Western Conference Finals, no one could have imagined in the middle of that season that the Los Angeles Lakers, who were still ranked 13th in the Western Conference after the All-Star Game, would eventually be able to counterattack and become seventh in the Western Conference. , And all the way to the Western Conference Finals by knocking out the second Memphis Grizzlies and the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

In the middle of the season, Pelinka, the general manager of the Lakers who saw no hope of the playoffs, made a big deal before the trade deadline. He sent away the Lakers fans who were gnashing their teeth. D'Angelo Russell, Michael Beasley, Lei Hachimura, and Vanderbilt have greatly increased the rationality and overall depth of the Lakers lineup.

Under the guidance of Coach Hamm, in order to make his teammates play comfortably, but also because of his age and lack of physical fitness to support the whole court, James reduced a lot of ball possession in the middle and late stages of this season.

When LeBron James held the ball less, it gave the team's two guards Reeves and Russell a lot of opportunities, which also gave them confidence, thus helping the Lakers reach the Western Conference in the playoffs. finals.

Among them, the only thing that has been hurt is James' own data. Since the reduction of the ball, James' average scoring has been close to 30 points in the middle of the game, only 28.9 points by the end of the season, and dropped to 24 points in the playoffs. point.

James also knows what the effect of playing off the ball will be, what are the advantages and disadvantages for him, he knows everything.

James in this game was completely different from usual. For example, at 9 minutes and 30 seconds of the first quarter, he made a hand-to-hand screen for Hill at the top of the arc, and then pretended to go down, causing the Celtics players to panic, but in the end He didn't even touch the ball this round, and Love on the outside received the ball and easily made a three-pointer, opening his hand and hitting it.

The person who made the biggest contribution in this round was James. He attracted everyone's defensive attention and forced Jianghu and Horford to block his pass. Baynes's eyes were basically focused on him. .

But in the end, in this round, Hill received an assist, Love scored 3 points, and James did not gain any data...

This is why Jianghu feels that he doesn't know James. Is this the real James? ?

However, James in this game did just that.

James scored a record 65 points in the last game. Although he did not win the final game, it still caused the Celtics to attach great importance to him.

The Celtics coaching staff will never allow this to happen again, so they will definitely pay more attention to James' defense.

Tyronn Lue was able to become a trusted head coach of James from an assistant coach, and single-handedly directed the epic comeback of the 2016 finals. It is impossible for Tyronn Lue to be a coach who can only pour chicken soup, as the majority of fans say .

He obviously realized this, so after arranging James to attack two goals at the beginning, he thoroughly implemented the tactic of James attracting defense and then others playing the main attack.

At the end of the first half, the score between the two teams was 56:43, and the Cavaliers led by 13 points at home.

Jiang Hu was in the locker room, enlightening his teammates. He saw that the Celtic players were all in a very low mood.

"It doesn't matter, just play as hard as you can, strengthen the defense, it's best to let them consume more energy, and we can play in the fourth game."

Jianghu knows that some games just don't belong to you, just do your best.

The world is no longer what it was back then, and it is changing every day. The United States and China used to be good partners with close cooperation, but now they are about to become separated...

The NBA is not the NBA of Jordan’s era. In the current NBA, there are sports and business factors. In this series between the Celtics and the Cavaliers, if Xiao Hua does not allow him to end in 4 games, then he will not be able to win. End in four games.

At the beginning of the second half, under the leadership of Jianghu and Irving, the Celtics chased a few more points.

But Love and Korver once again responded continuously from the outside and once again opened up the score.

Moreover, the shooting of these two people is extremely difficult, and the defense is already in place.

When the opponent's role players start to play like star players, you should know that there is a high probability that this game will be explained.

Jianghu sighed, today I really have to explain.

After the third quarter, the Cavaliers have led by 19 points.

Stevens looked at the referee's posture and the state of the Cavaliers players, and felt that there was no need to play the main force at all, so he simply let the substitute finish the fourth quarter.

The strategic abandonment of the third game can allow the Celtics players to get a full rest and get time for tactical adjustments again.

In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Celtics 107:95 at home, tying the score to 1:2.

James only scored 18 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in this game, but Tyronn Lue bluntly said that "LeBron made a huge sacrifice"

The Cavaliers' sudden adjustment did catch the Celtics off guard, but the Celtics players didn't feel any pressure because they were still leading anyway.

Jianghu didn't feel relaxed, but he wouldn't let his guard down either.

After all, they are only leading by one game now. If the Cavaliers can take advantage of the victory to win the next home game, the two teams will be tied.

So the next game is very important.

Jianghu doesn't like Tianwang Mountain.

(End of this chapter)