In the locker room at halftime, James was making noises with a loud voice, which was a bit unlike the James in many people's minds.
But after getting along with James for a long time, Lin Yu knew that James would show this side when he was extremely happy or excited.
Of course James was very happy and excited, because after the team switched to pass-cutting and pick-and-roll offense, James played the best first half since the start of the game.
The so-called best here not only refers to his outstanding personal data, but also includes his plus-minus value, as well as Lin Yu's plus-minus value...
When James was on the court, the Cavaliers won by 7 points, while when Lin Yu was on the court, the Cavaliers lost by 4 points. It was a very strong contrast, and it happened to be the reverse of the game against the Warriors.
Compared to James who was happy or excited, Lin Yu was quite depressed because his performance in this game was not very good. He only took 9 shots in the half, hit 4 goals and scored 10 points.
Such a half-time performance was obviously not up to standard.
However, Lin Yu remained patient. He knew that his chance would definitely appear. What's more, he also had the ability to take over the game. It was useless to score more than 25 points in this game, so there would be no problem.
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In the second half, the plot that Reggie Miller expected did not appear.
"Both the Cavaliers and Jazz changed into their main lineups at the beginning of the second half. The game restarted. Both teams hope to end the battle as soon as possible in the second half. Now, it depends on the decisive battle at the beginning of the third quarter."
When the decisive battle began, it was the veteran Jerry Sloan who made the first change.
The Cavaliers still used a combination of pass-and-cut and pick-and-roll offense. Lin Yu and James cooperated hand-to-hand from the outside, but surprisingly found that the Jazz did not choose to switch defense, but delayed the defense and then continued to defend against each other.
James seemed to have some confidence. Facing the delayed defense, he first stepped on the three-point line and forced a long shot. The basketball bounced out of the frame without any suspense.
Then, in another offensive round, James continued to face delayed defense and chose to break through.
But after a strong break, he faced Andrei Kirilenko's defense again, and then the mid-range shot was in vain again...
In several consecutive rounds, James was defeated by the Jazz's delaying defense and the Jazz immediately overtook the score and regained the advantage.
"Obviously, compared to the Warriors, the Jazz, who had excellent defense, found a way to deal with the Cavaliers' explosion in the second half. Now, they have regained the lead, and the plot and rhythm of the game are completely different."
Mike Brown on the sidelines was very impatient and shouted angrily towards the court: "LeBron, pass the ball!"
James's face turned black and blue, but he returned an OK gesture towards the sidelines. Obviously, he also understood that he had to pass the ball.
Facing a 4-point deficit, the Cavaliers played a successful defensive round. After successfully regaining the ball, Delonte West advanced towards the frontcourt.
In the frontcourt, James retreated, directly took the basketball, made a breakthrough, and immediately threw the ball away after returning without success.
On the wing, Lin Yu suddenly broke out in this round. He used a turnaround while running without the ball, passed the cover of Darko Milicic, and made another reverse run from the transfer point of the ball: Valle.
Joe took the basketball in his hands.
Then he raised his hand and took a mid-range shot. With a bang, he hit the target successfully!
After that, in another successful defensive round, Lin Yu received the ball in the backcourt and found James to play a pick-and-roll. Faced with the defensive strategy of not switching defenses, he accelerated directly and passed Andre who did not want to defend him.
Kirilenko made a free throw line shot.
"China Lin suddenly broke out and helped the Cavaliers equalize the score in just two rounds!"
Finally, the opportunity Lin Yu had been waiting for appeared.
With James being tightly guarded, his outburst was like a timely rain that nourished the Cavaliers who were in desperate need of scoring.
His scoring helped the Cavaliers continue their offensive firepower in the third quarter. Coupled with the Cavaliers' gradually increasing defensive intensity, the situation of the game was immediately reversed.
In half a quarter, Lin Yu took 9 shots, equal to the number of shots taken in the first two quarters. He hit 5 of them and scored 13 points, bringing his score in this game to 23 points and 18 shots.
The hit rate of 9 is also completely qualified.
Moreover, there is still suspense in the game.
This means that Lin Yu still has a long time to play. His score has already reached 23 points, and it seems that he will continue to increase and hit the bases.
As the game progressed into the fourth quarter, the Jazz also began to exert their strength.
The strength of Utah's new duo is undoubtedly sufficient. In the face of tight defense, the cooperation of Deron and Boozer can always find opportunities and score.
The game was almost tied before entering the final three minutes.
"101:102, the game has entered the last three minutes. The away Cavaliers are 1 point ahead. The real decisive battle is coming."
In the first 9 minutes of the fourth quarter, Lin Yu's performance was average. He took 5 shots, hit 2 goals, and scored 5 points.
Before the final moment of the game, his statistics were 11-for-23 shooting and 28 points, a personal performance that was not outstanding but not bad either.
This is where Lin Yu was helpless. His performance was the most ordinary and ordinary, not explosive at all. Therefore, the further the game went on, the less he could get the ball.
James performed well in this game, so he controlled most of the ball, including the fourth quarter of the game.
Lin Yu still has a feature that can take over the game, but he is not going to use it. The reason is that the game has entered a moment when James will definitely pass the blame.
In his previous life, Lin Yu, who was not James, summarized several practices and situations of James' best moments.
First of all, when the score between the two teams is tight and both teams are likely to win, James will choose to pass the ball to the teammate who is in a better position; secondly, if the score difference between the two teams is huge, James will go on a killing spree...
The current situation is the first one, James should keep passing the ball.
On the court, the Jazz's timeout still had room to spare. Jerry Sloan called a timeout and made some adjustments. After the game restarted, although the Cavaliers were 1 point ahead, the ball belonged to the Jazz.
The Jazz played a pick-and-roll, which was still the classic DeLonga Boozer combination. After the pick-and-roll, the Cavaliers' defense was attracted to the strong side, leaving a large area of space on the weak side.
Deron seized the opportunity and distributed the ball to one side. Kyler Korver, who was still on the court, also seized the opportunity and raised his hand to shoot a three-pointer.
Whoosh!
After hitting a three-pointer, the devilish Energy Project Arena erupted into violent cheers. Lin Yu felt that his eardrums were about to be pierced, and he had reached an almost unbearable situation.
"Shut them up!"
Lin Yu shouted loudly, and the knight's already almost sluggish morale was boosted, but it was not enough, far from enough!
Delonte West controlled the ball in the frontcourt and handed it to James. Lin Yu ran on the weak side and received the ball not long after.
Sure enough, James' critical moment mode has been turned on...
The position where Lin Yu received the ball was very subtle. He was facing the defense of Memet Okur. In other words, it was a misplacement.
Taking a misplaced opportunity, Lin Yu used a fake move to shake Okur, then suddenly stepped back and shot a jumper.
Whoosh!
The crisp sound of wiping the net sounded, and the Energy Solutions Center was quiet for a moment.
Following Lin Yu's violent celebration, boos arose everywhere, just like the previous cheers, boos that almost pierced everyone's eardrums.
Lin Yu's expression was cold. In fact, his ears started to hear busy sounds.
"Keep them quiet!"
Lin Yu was shouting at the top of his lungs, but with the score tied, the knight's morale had returned to normal.
In the defensive round, everyone is taking turns to defend with all their strength.
On the offensive end, James did not exert any force, but on the defensive end, he used a key defense to block Deron's throw.
After grabbing the rebound, Lin Yu got the ball and quickly launched a counterattack.
Counterattacking to the frontcourt, he passed the ball to James and continued to sprint.
Faced with the Cavaliers' quick counterattack and James' impact with the ball, the Jazz's defense shrank instantly, leaving Lin Yu open.
James didn't prepare to do it himself. He started looking for passing opportunities early. At first glance, he saw Lin Yu in the corner.
Two seconds later, there was a swish sound!
The Energy Solutions Center, which had gradually become quiet, once again erupted into deafening boos.
"The crucial three-pointer came from China Lin who showed no mercy at the critical moment!"
After scoring 5 points in a row to help the Cavaliers establish a 3-point lead, Lin Yu started to take over the game with both initiative and passiveness.
Lin Yu scored 5 points in a row, and the Cavaliers also gained a 3-point lead. Jerry Sloan suddenly became a little nervous, and it seemed that something was wrong with the situation of the game.
The Jazz served from the backcourt, and Deron slowly controlled the frontcourt. They wanted to control the rhythm.
After several outside pick-and-rolls, Deron broke into the paint with the ball. Varejao stepped in to defend, but Deron resisted Varejao's defense and scored a layup.
Old coach Jerry Sloan breathed a sigh of relief, but he still crossed his arms and watched the Cavaliers' attack.
With a 1-point lead, Lin Yu received the ball. He found James and played a pick-and-roll, then handed the ball to James hand-to-hand.
I don’t know why, but the Jazz first gave James the treatment of a double team, and then gave Lin Yu the treatment of one-on-one top defense. With three people piled up on the strong side, plus Okur guarding the penalty area, the Jazz’s
The defense suddenly became light at one end and heavy at the other.
James' pass found Delonte West on the weak side.
Faced with a big open opportunity, the Cavaliers' role players finally seized it!
"Delonte West, he hit this key three-pointer, 110:106, the Cavaliers took a 4-point lead!"
It seemed that the Cavaliers' offense was in full swing, and Jerry Sloan had to stand on the sidelines and use his hoarse voice to direct the game.
The Jazz continued their familiar pick-and-roll offense, blocking Deron's breakthrough and facing the Cavaliers' defense.
He chose to distribute the ball, and Kyler Korver received the ball from the outside. It was an opportunity that was not absolutely open. Korver raised his hand and shot, but was slightly disturbed by Lin Yu who came after him.
This is what Korver does. He has already hit a three-pointer, but obviously, he was interfered with this more critical three-pointer.
With a bang, the basketball flew out of the frame.
James grabbed the rebound and the Cavaliers turned from defense to offense.
In the frontcourt, Lin Yu, who was sprinting quickly, received the ball. He accelerated directly, passed Korver who was trying to get close to him, took a long stride to the three-point line, and then jumped up, as if he was about to dunk.
Korver pulled Lin Yu, and with a beep, the referee blew the whistle decisively.
Lin Yu put the basketball in his hand into the basket...
Two points are valid, plus a penalty!
Lin Yu suddenly waved his arm, and after hitting the extra penalty, the score became 113:106. The Cavaliers suddenly hit a wave of 11:5, and there was only one minute left in the game.
Facing a 7-point deficit with only 1 minute left, the Jazz were powerless.
In a flash, the game was taken away by the Cavaliers.
