In the second quarter, the Cavaliers were slightly better than the rookies, and quickly extended their lead from just 1 point to double digits.
The sudden change in the game gave people the feeling that falling behind at the beginning of the first quarter was just a scare given to the Cavaliers by the Heat. Once the Cavaliers adjusted their condition and found their own rhythm, the game was back under the Cavaliers' control.
In the entire second quarter, Lin Yu only played the last three minutes. After coming on the court, he only made a mid-range shot and then assisted Anderson Varejao for an inside dunk.
At halftime, Lin Yu scored 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Combined with his performance at critical moments, Lin Yu was still the best player in the game.
In the second half, the Heat, with all their main players on the field, were still able to struggle, and the score gap kept hovering around 10 points.
The two teams finished the third quarter anxiously, and the game entered the decisive fourth quarter. The Heat still had slim hope of a comeback.
But as soon as the fourth quarter started, Lin Yu used his erratic movement to get rid of Wade's defense and hit a three-pointer.
Then he assisted Daniel Gibson to hit a three-pointer.
These two three-pointers helped the Cavaliers seal the victory, and the point difference was suddenly widened to 17 points. With just over nine minutes left in the game, the 17-point point difference was already a bit insurmountable.
Although in the following game, Dwyane Wade continued to break through and cause damage, scoring consecutively, and caused Lin Yu to commit 5 fouls, one time away from being ejected.
The Cavaliers relied on a more stable offensive method and a huge 17-point lead to successfully win this game.
At the end of the game, 102:90, the Cavaliers won by 12 points and led the Miami Heat 1:0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Lin Yu raised his arms amidst the cheers from the Quicken Loans Center Arena. In this game, he scored a game-high 33 points, plus 5 rebounds and 7 assists, without any steals or blocks.
However, several key three-pointers and assists helped the Cavaliers reverse the originally passive situation on the court. Therefore, Lin Yu was once again elected the best of the game.
"Almost everyone was saying before the game that the matchup between China Lin and Dwyane Wade would be the only hidden danger for the Cavaliers, but in this game, Dwyane Wade scored 29 points, 7 rebounds and 8 rebounds.
Perfect data of 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks.”
At the end of the game, Charles Barkley directly brought the topic to Lin Yu. He went on to say: "The Chinese Lin he was guarding defeated the Heat's defense with long shots. He scored 33 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. He was even higher."
Scoring is the more important personal performance, but in direct matchup in this game, China Lin was slightly better."
Even Kenny Smith, who was not optimistic about Lin Yu before the game, nodded. He admitted that Lin Yu successfully proved himself in this game.
"China Lin has successfully proved himself, but we also have to say that the Miami Heat's performance also gave Miami fans hope. In the first game, the Heat only lost by 12 points, and Shaq proved that he still has gas in the tank.
With oil, Dwyane Wade has also proven that he belongs on the much-anticipated stage of the playoffs."
"In the next showdown in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Heat have a great chance. They should be able to cause some trouble for the Cavaliers."
Kenny Smith said this, and Charles Barkley denied it: "Can they cause trouble for the Cavaliers? Are you kidding, Kenny?"
"Except for the first half of the first quarter of this game, the Heat never showed us their competitiveness. Starting from the second quarter, they were even in a state of collapse. I can even assert that, including this game, the Cavaliers This series will end in five games!”
Kenny Smith tilted his head: "Chinese Lin will continue to explode until the end of the series? Do you think this is possible, Charles?"
"Why is it impossible? He is a killer for the Heat, and he was the Cavaliers' best player in the first round of the playoffs. It can be said that he has been breaking out since he played against the Magic until this game."
"Heat killer? Charles, I went through the data. Indeed, as you said, many of China Lin's career highlights were played against the Heat, but there were also many bad games against the Heat. What was staged in the game, for example, was the one-on-one-and-four-on-defense after Lin Madness..."
Charles Barkley spread his hands and simply responded: "Okay, Kenny, do you want to bet something?"
Kenny Smith did not respond. Obviously, he was not sure whether Lin Yu's hot state could continue...
The heated discussion in the commentary box had little to do with Lin Yu. After all, he didn't know whether his form could be continued in the next few games.
But at least, judging from the victory in the first game, there should be no suspense about the Cavaliers overtaking the Heat.
Therefore, he and his teammates gradually set their sights on the other three conference semifinals.
The game between the Cavaliers and Heat started on the same day as the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. In comparison, the Suns and Spurs attracted more attention from North America.
Because this matchup is the only strong matchup in the conference semifinals, the four biggest favorites to win the championship, the Cavaliers and Celtics, are still dealing with their respective opponents, and they will not have a chance to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Suns and Spurs met early in the Western Conference semifinals.
In addition, the reason is that the two teams met once in the 2005 Western Conference Finals. In that meeting, the Spurs had a huge advantage and eliminated the Suns, whose Joe Johnson was absent due to injury, 4:1.
Public opinion at the time believed that if Joe Johnson stayed healthy, the Suns would have a good chance.
After meeting again after two years, the Suns have completely lost Joe Johnson, but the newly elected Sixth Man of the Year Leandro Barbosa has filled his vacancy.
Moreover, no one from the Suns is missing due to injury this time, and with all members healthy, they are quite competitive. At least in terms of their regular season record, the Suns are more promising than the Spurs.
After the Cavaliers finished the game, the game between the Suns and the Spurs had just entered the second half of the second quarter.
In the locker room, Anderson Varejao shouted to turn on the TV. In this game, Varejao also performed well. He came off the bench and scored 12 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, and also made two key fouls. , directly prompting Shaquille O'Neal to fall into a foul crisis.
Lin Yu stepped forward with a smile, turned on the TV, tuned to the ESPN channel, and then turned up the volume. The voices of Mike Breen and Marv Albert gradually filled the quiet home team locker room.
Although people were coming and going in the locker room, no one was making any noise. Even the reporters who were allowed to enter the locker room remained quiet.
They would even occasionally look at the TV to pay attention to the ongoing strong showdown.
The game was fierce from the beginning. The Phoenix Suns, who were at home, once had the advantage, but the GDP combination, which was at its peak competitive state, quickly exerted its strength and helped the Spurs gain some lead.
However, the score never opened up, and the two teams fought anxiously until the final stage.
The closer time went to the last moment, the faster Lin Yu's breathing became. It was time for him to prove how much influence his little butterfly had on this parallel time and space.
Bang!
The radio at the Suns' home court worked very well, and the Cavaliers in front of the TV and the reporters quietly interviewing in the locker room all heard a muffled sound.
Then, they saw Steve Nash and Tony Parker lying on the floor.
There were exclamations in the locker room and at the game site, and the referee blew his whistle quickly to stop the game.
A moment later, the camera showed Steve Nash being treated on the sidelines. The red blood flow blurred the outline of his nose.
"..." Lin Yu was speechless. His little butterfly didn't seem to have that big an impact.
The scene that happened in front of me can be regarded as one of the most classic scenes in NBA history. Steve Nash was bleeding profusely, and the Suns lost this extremely important game.
106;111, the Suns only lost a small game, and the fierce series has just begun.
"Lin, what do you think of the match between the Suns and the Spurs?"
Lin Yu came to his senses. Paul McGugan, Amanda Gray's replacement from Yahoo Sports, stood in front of Lin Yu at some point and asked a question, then pointed to the TV: "The game just now,
You saw it too."
Lin Yu shook his head: "To be honest, I don't have any opinion. They played very fiercely and anxiously. It seems difficult to tell the winner. If I had to choose a winner, I would choose the Phoenix Suns. They are even better."