Judging from the first quarter of the game, the Cavaliers undoubtedly did better than the Celtics, which was also reflected in the score, as they took a 7-point lead.
The game progressed to the second quarter. Mike Brown put out the regular rotation of the Cavaliers for the new season. LeBron James led the team, with point guard Daniel Gibson, shooting guard Damien Wilkins, and power forward Jared.
-Dudley, center Big Z.
Compared with last season, the Cavaliers' rotation lacked Rashard Lewis, the third star who can be matched with any combination, but Mike Brown forced a one-star and three-shooter lineup, at least the offensive firepower can still be guaranteed.
Compared to some of the compromises made by the Cavaliers, Doc Rivers also replaced Raja Rondo in the second quarter and made a change that he himself was hesitant to make.
"Laga, just follow the tactics of the training match, keep the ball and look for your teammates!"
Rivers patted Rondo on the shoulder and pushed him onto the court.
The game also started after Rondo came on the court. Although Garnett and Ray Allen were both on the court, the Celtics had the ball firmly in Rondo's hands.
Lin Yu, who was sitting off the court, watched as Ragnarok Rondo passed Daniel Gibson with his quick steps, taking advantage of the Cavaliers' defense being unprepared, and successfully hit a layup.
He suddenly understood that the Celtics in the new season were not unchanged, but their changes were hidden on the bench.
"Compared with the previous life, due to the early arrival of the Big Three, Rondo also took over early. He was the main rotation of the Celtics last season. This season, he should take a step further."
In the later years of the Celtics' Big Three, perhaps due to the impact of Garnett's serious injury, Ragnarok Rondo was highly used and thus became the Celtics' fourth giant.
And in this time and space, under the influence of various events, Rondo may surpass the timeline of his previous life and become even more outstanding.
"In the post-Big Three era, the Celtics' style of play is essentially centered on Rondo. Perhaps, after failing to solve the offensive problems, Doc Rivers can only let Rondo take over early and become the Celtics' core player.
The core of the offense..."
The Celtics' next attack quickly proved Lin Yu's suspicion. Laga Rondo's breakthrough and layup was just the beginning. He used this to attract the Cavaliers' help and defense. Then, his pass
The ball started to gain momentum.
After two or three rounds, Mike Breen behind the commentary box was a little surprised: "Raga Rondo's performance was so good, the second quarter was like two LeBron James's.
The system's confrontation is just that one is the genuine LeBron, and the other is a greatly reduced version of LeBron."
After three or two rounds, Mike Brown called a timeout.
"Junzi Lei got rid of Damien Wilkins and hit a three-pointer after receiving a pass from Laga Rondo. The Celtics successfully overtook the score!"
"The situation of the game suddenly changed significantly. It was also a sudden point system, but the Celtics played with higher efficiency. The score has been overtaken, and the Celtics have gained the initiative."
"Now, Mike Brown has called a timeout. Perhaps, he will replace Lin Yu after this timeout."
LeBron James had a bad look on his face. He felt the difference between having star teammates and not having star teammates.
"The gap is too big, Jared, Daniel and their three-pointers are too unstable."
Lin Yu, who knew he had to play early on the court, was also shaking his head. He didn't even need to compare Dudley, Daniel Gibson with himself or Rashard Lewis, but only with Ray Allen on the opposite side. The gap was huge.
It’s already clear at a glance.
The Celtics relied on the cooperation between Ray Allen, Garnett and Ragnarok Rondo to even out the original 7-point deficit and even go ahead by 1 point.
On the Cavaliers' side, James was targeted by various assist defenses and distributed the ball to the outside. Dudley and Daniel Gibson were unable to guarantee their open three-point shooting percentage.
The game was turned around just like that.
"Lin, get ready to play. We are back to the rhythm of pick-and-roll, pass, and attack. I hope that by the end of the half, I can see our team regain the lead."
Mike Brown won't make any fuss, but he said it very simply, restarted the offense in the first quarter, and then took back the lead that originally belonged to the Cavaliers.
But when the timeout ended and the game restarted, the lead in the first quarter was not so easy to regain.
"After the timeout, the Cleveland Cavaliers attacked, LeBron James held the ball, and he chose to break through the screen..."
After James' breakthrough, Lin Yu on the flank was entangled by Rondo, who had switched defenses.
LeBron James, who was surrounded by many people in the middle, did not choose to force the shot, but split the ball to one side. However, Jared Dudley at the fourth position still failed to hit the catch-and-shoot shot.
Lin Yu had to admit that the Celtics' style is to restrain the Cavaliers because they have Paul Pierce and James Posey, two defensive players who can match up with James on the defensive end, plus Kevin Garnett
This machine that assists and supplements defense is difficult for the Cavaliers to make breakthrough points.
Under one-mark and four-defense, Lin Yu's air-cutting and catching the ball also seemed a bit difficult.
Lin Yu, who was retreating to defend, began to think about what methods or methods he could use to break the Celtics' tight defense.
In the Celtics' offense, because Pierce had not returned yet, Lin Yu faced off against Rondo, who had been posing a threat before.
Compared with Daniel Gibson, his defense is naturally much better. Under single defense, Rondo is a little misfired.
The Cavaliers successfully defended a shot, and Mike Brown, who had been walking back and forth on the sidelines, suddenly sat back.
The reason is simple: before Lin Yu came back on the court, the Cavaliers had problems both offensively and defensively, which led to the Celtics taking the lead in the first half of the second quarter.
But now, Lin Yu has solved the Cavaliers' defensive problem, and for the time being, the game is not so dangerous.
The less dangerous game went on for two or three more rounds, and the score gap remained at 1 point, with the Celtics leading.
In the subsequent defensive round, Lin Yu, who was defending alone, once again made Rondo's breakthrough in vain. The subsequent pass was not a threat. Ray Allen made a catcher and missed.
Big Z grabbed the rebound, and Lin Yu immediately started shouting: "Counterattack, counterattack!"
LeBron James received the ball and without much hesitation, he squatted and sprinted towards the frontcourt.
"The Cavaliers' two-man counterattack didn't look threatening, because the Celtics were also returning to defend."
On the right, Lin Yu, who was sprinting, seemed to be heading straight into the bottom corner. James in the middle was also surrounded by many people, while Daniel Gibson and Jared Dudley, who were following up, were not within effective attack distance yet.
James immediately chose to pass the ball, and the one who caught the ball was Gibson who followed up.
The Celtics defense pounced outwards, but suddenly there was a shout from the flank: "Give me the ball!"
In everyone's surprised eyes, Lin Yu appeared at a 45° angle on the right, standing outside the three-point line without any defender in front of him.
Not far away, Laga Rondo, who was guarding Lin Yu, was still braking hard. Although Gibson's pass was a little slower, Lin Yu's catch and shot still seemed so steady.
Whoosh!
The basketball went into the basket and Quicken Loans Center cheered!
"China Lin stood up and hit a key three-pointer. The Cavaliers regained the lead, and the score difference was 2 points!"
Marv Albert was a little surprised. In this round of counterattack, his eyes were always on James in the middle and Gibson who was following up, but he didn't pay attention to Lin Yu on the flank at all.
"Who can tell me why China Lin was able to get an open opportunity? Laga Rondo made a big mistake in following the defense!"
ESPN TV replayed the attack in the last round in a timely manner. The replay showed that Lin Yu, who was rushing to the bottom corner, suddenly stopped suddenly and shook the young Laga Rondo without the ball, thus getting an open opportunity.
Then, with a three-pointer, the Cavaliers regained the lead.
"We need to play faster so that their defense can't keep up with our pace!"
Lin Yu reminded his teammates on the court that he knew how to solve the Celtics' defense.
In the next defensive round, when Rondo was unable to pose a threat, the Celtics' offense evolved into a superstar's singles. Kevin Garnett hit a mid-range shot to equalize the score.
But in the subsequent offensive round, Lin Yu's reminder worked.
After the ball passed half court, the Cavaliers' pick-and-roll was in place immediately. Lin Yu, who was in control of the ball, passed the screen. Facing Perkins' defense, he suddenly made a deft step back, and with a bang, he hit the ball.
A mid-range shot.
After that, after a successful defensive round, the Cavaliers played another round of quick passing and cutting in the frontcourt. Lin Yu assisted James and scored a dunk under the basket, and the Cavaliers widened the score gap.
In this way, in the second half of the second quarter, relying on quick pick-and-roll, pass-and-cut, and offensive coordination, the Cavaliers regained control of the rhythm of the game.
Mike Breen, who was originally conquered by Raja Rondo's performance, soon realized that Rondo's outstanding performance was because the Cavaliers did not have another player with excellent perimeter defense.
And when Lin Yu came on the field, Rondo, who had no COSCO shot, was quickly locked up.
However, one thing is worthy of affirmation. Mike Breen's first judgment that Rondo was James Jr. was still very accurate.
Rondo's playing style is somewhat similar to that of James, and as a point guard who needs the ball, he does not have mid-range shots. From a personal style perspective, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is James in the point guard position.
Perhaps the only difference is that Rondo's physical fitness is not as strong, and his breakthroughs are therefore limited, making him less of a threat.
At the end of the half, the Cavaliers regained control of the rhythm and entered the intermission with a 5-point lead at 57:52.
"The performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers is surprising. Everyone thought that they would decline without Rashard Lewis, but now the result is that they showed countless differences from last season in the opening game.
Characteristics.”
"And relying on these characteristics, they have already gained some advantages at halftime."
The difference between Mike Breen's evaluation and the first quarter is that his evaluation of the Celtics has changed.
"Raga Rondo is like a surprise. His appearance has somewhat revitalized the Celtics' offense. The only problem is that it is difficult for him to create a threat on the offensive end with his poor shooting from COSCO. And if he is not a threat, he
The passing ball will accordingly become less threatening."
"But no matter what, at least the Celtics' offense is different from last season. If it is adjusted and improved, the Celtics should be able to compete with the Cavaliers instead of being like the previous season.
Like last season, we were swept out 4-0."
In the second half, the Cavaliers, who were the main players, continued to control the situation on the court. The difference was that the Cavaliers put up a defense-oriented lineup. The Celtics they defended could only play in singles, but the success rate of singles was also low.
high.
In the third quarter, the two teams played a low score. At 19:25, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 11 points.
In the final fourth quarter, Lin Yu rested and James led the team. The Celtics narrowed the score gap to 8 points again.
But Lin Yu returned to the court, and with two quick passes and cuts, and a shot after receiving the ball, he scored 5 points in a row, helping the Cavaliers to open the point difference to double digits again.
After a double-digit point difference, the Celtics' originally anxious offense was unable to chase points. It seemed like a game that was still in suspense, but in fact the winner had already been decided.
At the end of the fourth quarter, when the final timer buzzed, Mike Breen shouted: "Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers, they successfully defended their home court, defeated the Celtics 111:100, and won the opening game.
victory!"
The moment the game ended, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief. This game was won. No matter how the next devil's schedule turned out, he would have no other thoughts.
Moreover, as soon as the game ended, he paid attention to the statistics of the game.
As the real game-breaker in this game, Lin Yu took a game-high 23 shots, hit 11 of them, and scored a game-high 31 points, plus 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
Looking at James again, he took 19 shots, hit 10 goals, scored 27 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
After looking at the data and his performance in the second half, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief again, because he found that James was no different from last season.
After falling behind in the second quarter, Lin Yu came back on the field, and James began to pass the ball endlessly. His style of play was exactly the same as last season. He only played the ball that was reasonable and couldn't be more reasonable. Other than that, he always played the ball.
Side story.
This is also the reason why Lin Yu was able to take 23 shots. He received many passes, and some of these passes created opportunities and some did not. His choice was: as long as he was comfortable, he would take the shot.
"Looking at the second half of the second quarter and the second half of the game, this guy probably didn't realize what the problem was."
Amidst the cheers at Quicken Loans Center, Lin Yu walked to the sidelines and wiped his sweat for a while, and then hugged Paul Pierce who found him.
James was also hugging his opponent, and Lin Yu secretly said: "The plan to grab the shot (1/82) was successful!"