Laga Bell didn't expect that despite his defense, Lin Yu still shot the three-pointer without hesitation, so that his interference was delayed by half a beat.
LeBron James also didn't expect that the pass he passed that was not an opportunity was actually found by Lin Yu and he threw it, and he received an assist.
For the two teams on the field, Lin Yu's three-pointer is undoubtedly a signal that Lin Yu is in hot form in this game.
Mike D'Antoni knows that Lin Yu needs to be targeted, and LeBron James also knows that in the next game, he will pass more passes to Lin Yu.
I don’t know why, but James just feels that after December, his and Lin Yu’s passing cooperation has become more and more smooth.
Every time he breaks through and scores the ball, the first thing he thinks of is Lin Yu.
Sometimes, even Donyel Marshall in one of the bottom corners was completely empty. James clearly saw the space, but still involuntarily passed the ball to Lin Yu.
Then Lin Yu passed the ball to Donyel Marshall, and the assist was brushed away by Lin Yu. What James got was an indirect assist that was not included in the statistics.
James is a player who pays great attention to statistics. He felt strange that he did not pass the ball to Marshall, who was absolutely open, but instead passed the ball to Lin Yu again and again.
Now, he understands.
He passed the ball to Lin Yu because Lin Yu's shooting was better than all the players on the Cavaliers. Even if there was no opportunity, Lin Yu could still make the shot.
LeBron James became determined because of this, and then he had to continue passing the ball to Lin Yu.
In the opening game, Lin Yu's three-pointer countered Stoudemire's layup, and the Cavaliers took the lead by 1 point.
In the Suns' offense, Steve Nash quickly controlled the ball across half court, and Mike D'Antoni's run-and-gun tactics had certain requirements for this.
Generally speaking, the time after halftime plus the time to end the attack must not exceed 16 seconds.
At the same time, Mike D'Antoni also has an extreme run-and-gun style of play, which requires more radical play. Within 7 seconds, the team will end a round of offense.
But obviously, with Lin Yu's all-out defense, running and gunning in 7 seconds was no longer possible.
Nash controlled the frontcourt and broke through directly. He used Diaw's pick-and-roll.
In contrast, the Cavaliers' defensive system was very complete. They switched defenses in pick-and-rolls, and Drew Gooden rushed to delay. However, Lin Yu did not directly bypass the defense. Instead, he went around behind Diaw and continued to take two steps back.
He stretched out his right hand to support Diaw's big ass, and then stared closely at Nash who was holding the ball.
As long as Nash continues to break through, he will flank him without hesitation.
But Nash did not break through, but chose to give the ball to Diaw.
Diaw took the ball and controlled it, followed by a quick pass to the ground, and in an instant he found Laga Bell who was circling on the baseline.
Raja Bell quickly circled back to the bottom corner. After receiving the ball, he raised his hand and shot a three-pointer with plenty of room to shoot.
Old Miller's defense did not pose a threat to him, and the basketball swished into the net.
"threeeee!"
The chants and cheers in the American West Arena erupted.
Lin Yu, who was staying in the backcourt and preparing to catch the ball, took a look at Raja Bell. He felt that this outside defender who once choked Kobe was a bit like a low-profile version of himself, whether it was defense or three-pointers.
Andre Miller received the ball in the backcourt and passed half court within eight seconds. This was also an important point in Mike Brown's tactical arrangement before the game.
When fighting against the Suns, rhythm competition is also very important. Fortunately, the Cavaliers replaced the old Miller, and the Cavaliers did not fall behind in the rhythm competition.
After controlling half the court, LeBron James once again went around the top of the arc and prepared to catch the ball.
This has become a fixed routine of the Cavaliers after the old Miller joined. Mike Brown will only give the old Miller about five seconds.
If no opportunity is found within five seconds, the ball must be given to James.
James plays in isolation, looking for more direct opportunities through breakthroughs and distribution.
But for this ball, the old Miller passed the ball directly before James was in position!
The one who caught the ball was Lin Yu, who suddenly crossed into the three-point line from outside the left three-point line. He had already gotten rid of Laga Bell's follow-up defense and gained about half a length of lead.
And the old Miller's pass was accurately passed to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu received this very comfortable pass, then made an emergency stop in the middle distance, raised his hand and made a mid-range shot.
Ragnarok's defense was half a beat too slow.
With a bang, the ball goes in!
Lin Yu helped the Cavaliers equalize the score.
Mike D'Antoni on the sidelines was a little dissatisfied. He waved his hand and shouted twice into the court. Laga Bell's face turned dark visibly.
Lin Yu suddenly felt a thorn in his back. He saw Laga Bell and knew that the choke master was targeting him.
Compared with the dissatisfaction of D'Antoni and Raja Bell, LeBron James was also a little unhappy. He played soy sauce for two consecutive rounds.
Then on the defensive end, he had to guard against Shawn Marion who was constantly running without the ball. It was not that easy for him.
In the Suns' attack, Lin Yu once again got close to Nash, preventing the Suns' rapid attack.
The way Nash handled the ball was exactly the same as in the previous two rounds. He once again gave the ball to Boris Diaw. Diaw acted as a basketball transfer station and passed the ball to Shawn Marion.
James was a little slow to follow up, and Marion found the opportunity. After receiving the ball, he took three steps and succeeded in a layup.
Phoenix took the lead again.
When it was the Cavaliers' turn to attack, LeBron James positioned himself at the top of the arc one step ahead. This time, he didn't even give Old Miller five seconds to control the ball, and directly passed the basketball from Old Miller's hand.
Then it was time to observe the defense. James controlled the outside line for a while, found an opportunity, and drove into the three-point line at full speed.
Shawn Marion continued to press in front of him, and when he got deep inside, Boris Diaw stepped in to form a double attack.
Facing a double attack, James didn't want to pass the ball, and was forced to choose to pass the ball.
But the target of the pass he chose was not Drew Gooden, who was open, but Lin Yu, who was tightly guarded by Laga Bell on the outside.
Lin Yu discovered that after scoring in two consecutive rounds, the choke master became extremely aggressive in his defense and began to use various small tricks.
Lin Yu was not upset. After receiving the ball, he controlled it for two seconds and looked for opportunities.
James came around and wanted to catch the ball again, but Shawn Marion blocked him. James could only turn around and circle around the penalty area. He wanted to circle out anyway.
As he walked around the outside of the penalty area, he suddenly heard a shout from Lin Yu.
"LeBron!"
The next second, he saw the basketball flying towards him rapidly, gradually enlarging in his pupils.
"Oh my god, after passing the ball through almost half of the court, China Lin directly found LeBron James who was running through the crowd!"
The commentators exclaimed as James received this extremely comfortable pass.
boom!
Dunk!
The Cavaliers' bench suddenly became excited.
LeBron James also felt incredible. After landing, he quickly found Lin Yu and gave him a solid chest bump to celebrate.
Then he rubbed Lin Yu's hair: "It's so beautiful! Lin!"
Lin Yu smiled. Only he knew that the ball just now should be accurately called "Zhan Lin Connection"!