At 33:35, Lin Yu's long-distance two-pointer brought the deficit to 2 points.
In the subsequent defensive round, Michael Finley and Manu Ginobili partnered in the backcourt. Lin Yu chose to defend Ginobili alone, leaving Finley to the old Miller.
"The Spurs' offense, Manu controlled the ball, and faced China Lin's defense, he asked for a cover..."
Ginobili broke through the screen, but Lin Yu quickly bypassed the screen, and with the help of Drew Gooden, who delayed the defense, he got back in front of Ginobili.
This is the difference between Lin Yu's own single defense and Kawhi Leonard's single defense.
Ginobili's breakthrough had no chance, so he forced his shot, but was interfered by Lin Yu. With a bang, the basketball hit the frame.
Anderson Varejao on the inside grabbed the rebound and threw it directly to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu advanced quickly, wanting to counterattack.
But without James, there was a regular big man lineup on the court, and the Cavaliers' counterattack was quite weak. When Lin Yu rushed to the frontcourt, only Damien Wilkins kept up with Lin Yu.
Lin Yu had no angle to pass the ball, so he could only break through on his own. He took advantage of the chaotic timing of the Spurs' defense to make a fake shot, and then shook Bruce Bowen in front of him with a bow.
With this, Bowen grabbed Lin Yu and made some dirty moves with his feet.
Lin Yu staggered forward two steps and threw the ball out. With a beep, the referee immediately blew the whistle and gave Bruce Bowen a personal foul.
Because Lin Yu made a shooting move, he got two free throws.
"China Lin's counterattack pushed forward, and he caused a foul on Bruce Bowen. Now, he has to go to the free throw line and execute the free throw."
In the commentary box, Charles Barkley was a little excited: "After re-appearing, China Lin played consecutive singles. Counting the single in the first quarter, he seems to have found his own single package!"
"After not using it for a long time, his single bag has accumulated a thick layer of dust. After wiping it, it is shiny again!"
After making two free throws, Lin Yu, who came on as a substitute in the second quarter, scored 4 points in a row to lead the Cavaliers and even the score.
On the sidelines, Gregg Popovich was hesitating whether to trade for Duncan in advance, but in the end, he chose not to.
Because Duncan, like James, does not have enough rest time.
If the Spurs don't make substitutions, Mike Brown is even less eager to make substitutions. Lin Yu, with a single package in hand, is enough to cope with the changing situations on the court.
After Lin Yu made two free throws, he continued to be aggressive on the defensive end.
On the offensive end, he is not that stable. The Spurs put all their defensive power into Lin Yu. Lin Yu's singles are very difficult, and his singles to attract double attacks are not that sharp.
Therefore, gradually, he chose to hand over the ball to the old Miller, giving the old Miller some space to play freely, and then devoted more personal energy to the defensive end.
The game went on smoothly. The Cavaliers, who had equalized the score, took the lead, but they did not expand their lead because of Lin Yu's strength.
The game went on very anxiously until the end of the second quarter.
Lin Yu's outburst and the anxious score made both Mike Brown and Gregg Popovich make the same choice. Neither James nor Duncan came on the court in advance. Instead, the Spurs replaced Tony Parker in advance and allowed the situation to change.
A slight change.
At halftime, the score was 48:49. The Cavaliers, who were playing at home, were 1 point behind. This 1 point lag was entirely due to the appearance of Tony Parker. Lin Yu failed to fully control the defensive end in one-on-one, giving the Spurs some opportunities.
.
However, the battle at Tianwangshan in the finals ended like this. The Spurs and Cavaliers, as well as the fans and commentators who watched the game, were already very satisfied.
"This game is too intense and exciting. No one could have thought that the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had lost two consecutive games on the road, would be able to break out again and reverse the situation when they returned to their home court. Now, they have a chance to win this battle at Tianwangshan, but at the same time, the away game
The San Antonio Spurs still have a chance to get a match point at Quicken Loans Center."
"In the key battle of the Finals, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs have given their best!"
At halftime, the atmosphere in the Cavaliers locker room was pretty good. At least, the team's outstanding performance in the first half gave the Cavaliers players renewed fighting spirit.
At the beginning of the second half, LeBron James and Lin Yu appeared together, and Lin Yu returned to the paddling mode of the first quarter.
It's not that the knights don't need Lin Yu's burst, but that Lin Yu needs to use his burst at a more critical time.
As for regular time, just leave it to James.
James' performance in this game was pretty normal, at least not that bad.
With Lin Yu on the sidelines, James had little offensive pressure. After the start of the third quarter, James made consecutive breakthroughs, scoring and assisting.
Soon he scored 6 points and 2 assists, stopping the Spurs.
After the timeout, the Spurs shifted their defensive focus to James' side, and Lin Yu began to explode again.
"This is China Lin's power after regaining the single package. The Cleveland Cavaliers have two super strong single threat points from the outside. The San Antonio Spurs' defense no longer has time to take care of both sides."
On the court, Lin Yu broke through in singles, and the Spurs instantly surrounded and flanked him.
Lin Yu passed the ball and found James who was sprinting along the baseline.
With a bang, James dunked!
"Classic Zhan Lin connection! The Cleveland Cavaliers score another 2 points!"
Starting from this assist, Lin Yu began to play a supporting role again. James gradually took control of the game, but the Cavaliers did not get the lead they wanted because
"The Spurs are very tenacious. They withstood the strongest attack from the Cavaliers. Now, the score difference is only 2 points. The game has entered the second half of the third quarter. Although the Cavaliers have a lead, their lead is still not enough.
Decide the outcome of this game."
The game was very anxious. This was exactly what Lin Yu wanted to see, but it was not the result of his deliberate control.
It can only be said that Kawhi Leonard's bonus helped Lin Yu and the Cavaliers, closing the gap between them and the Spurs, but it was not able to completely suppress the Spurs.
The Spurs still have a chance to defeat this Cavaliers, but Lin Yu is also conserving his strength and preparing to explode at the critical moment.
This is Kawhi Leonard's regular play style. What Lin Yu remembers deeply is that Leonard played like this in the season when the Raptors won the championship.
During regular time, Van Jordan in the Raptors can throw around, but at critical moments, Leonard will take over the ball and then score key goals to help his team win.
Lin Yu also wants to copy this kind of game, because he wants to create a meme like "at critical moments, you can always trust Chinese Lin"!