Chapter 353 New York needs you (10,000-word chapter)

David Blatter has made outstanding achievements in Europe. In 2007, he led the Russian team to win the European Championship. In the 2012 London Olympics, he also helped the Russian team win the bronze medal.

After helping Maccabi win the European Basketball Championship, David Blatt was also selected as the "European League Coach of the Year".

Perhaps because he studied at Princeton University as a student and played under legendary coach Pete Carrier, David Blatt likes Princeton tactics very much.

This famous European coach is good at communicating with players, so after coaching the Cavaliers, American media reporters believed that he was the most suitable head coach for LeBron James.

However, after actually coaching an NBA team, David Blatt became a little numb. Dealing with player relations was much more difficult than he imagined.

Coupled with the all-pervasive media, even every substitution will trigger a discussion.

In the game against the Clippers, head coach David Blatt just followed his usual practice and briefly replaced James after the official timeout. He replaced James again with 3 minutes and 01 seconds left in the first quarter.

As a result of this routine operation, the sports reporters on the scene started to complain:

"When the Cavaliers fell behind in the first quarter, it was all the head coach's fault. He should have let LeBron play the entire first quarter!"

The emergence of Twitter has turned NBA games into one-quarter discussions. At 26:33, the Cavaliers fell behind by 7 points in the first quarter. Some sports media couldn't sit still, and various comment tweets emerged one after another.

Of course, head coach David Blatt cannot see the comments on social media. At this time, he is worried about how to defend Li Ze.

In the 2012 London Olympics, head coach David Blatter had already seen Li Ze's ability, but more than two years later, he found that Li Ze was even stronger than before!

In the first quarter of the game, JR Smith and Mike Miller were basically in vain, 37-year-old veteran Shawn Marion couldn't keep up, and only LeBron James' defense was somewhat effective.

Therefore, during the timeout, head coach David Blatt immediately made alignment adjustments:

"LeBron! We need you to switch in front of Lee and not let him continue to score easily!"

In the Staples Arena, the noise was getting louder and louder. When James heard the head coach's loud request, he could only make a face and nod in agreement.

Kyrie Irving on the side was sipping water, but he was not optimistic about this matchup:

"If this matchup was effective, maybe LeBron would have won the championship long ago!"

He didn't care in his heart, and his face naturally showed an indifferent attitude. Although he also recognized James' ability, many times, Irving didn't care about James' thoughts at all, and he would fight however he wanted!

"Kyrie Irving played well, shooting 3 of 4, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, and scored 9 points in a single quarter. LeBron performed quite well, shooting 2 of 5 and scoring 4 points."

"It seems that head coach David Blatt will not only have to worry about defensive resources tonight, but if LeBron cannot open up this point, the Cavaliers' offense will also have problems!"

Commentator Kevin Harlan noticed that James had stood up to prepare for the stage, and immediately introduced the importance of James.

"I'm not optimistic about this kind of rotation. The Cavaliers' defense is the biggest problem at the moment."

"Kayce made 5 of 7 in the first quarter, including 2 of 3 three-pointers and 3 of 3 free throws. He easily scored 15 points. The Cavaliers' perimeter defense was of no use. LeBron needs to take on the responsibility of being a leader."

Reggie Miller took the opportunity to go all out. In the first quarter, LeBron James only switched defenses in front of Li Ze twice.

On the Clippers bench, head coach De Nagro briefly told the players on the rotation:

"Jockic, after coming on the court, protect the backcourt rebounds!"

Jokic nodded immediately, while Hawes on the side looked depressed. Since the injury, Jokic has successfully taken over, taking away a lot of his playing time.

The Cavaliers put together a small lineup of Dellavedova, Marion, James, Mike Miller, and Tristan Thompson.

The Clippers also happened to have Paul, Crawford, Dudley, Tucker, and Jokic.

Since Griffin's back discomfort, head coach Denagro has increased rotations and tried to control Griffin's playing time to less than 37 minutes.

Paul made 1 of 3 in the first quarter, scoring 2 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists. Facing Irving's defense, he did not force the offense.

The rotation lineup was somewhat disadvantaged by its height. Paul noticed that James forced the inside line in the first round, causing Dudley to foul, and he immediately frowned slightly.

"Jockic, pay attention to protecting the basket and controlling your defensive position!"

Paul's reminder immediately gave Jokic a headache. Tristan Thompson's pick-and-roll required him to guard against the opponent's pass. More importantly, without Li Ze's barrier, LeBron James could easily break through.

Seeing James making his second free throw and Jokic protecting the backboard, Staples Center immediately erupted in cheers.

The Clippers' rotation and play style have also undergone some changes. Since discovering that Jokic can handle the ball, in addition to Paul's pick-and-roll, Fatty White spends more time standing at the left and right elbows of the free throw line.

The ball was handed over directly after halftime, and then Paul cut in without the ball, then quickly ran to the left corner, and took advantage of the situation to set a screen for Crawford.

Marion strictly guarded Crawford and prevented the opponent from reaching the left wing beyond the three-point line and passing the ball hand-to-hand.

The Cavaliers' defensive attention was drawn to the line. At this time, Dudley suddenly moved down in the right block and provided an off-ball screen for Tucker in the right corner.

Just now, James was instructing his teammates to pay attention to the defense on the line and subconsciously followed Dudley. As a result, Tucker used the screen to suddenly cut in along the baseline, catching him off guard.

Before he could react in pursuit, Tucker, who was on the lower right side of the basket, received a pass from Jokic and quickly hit the board for a layup!

Hearing the cheers of the fans at the scene, James' face turned darker. He only paid attention to Paul and Crawford. He didn't expect the Clippers' role players to be so proactive.

The defense missed someone, and commentator Kevin Harlan was too embarrassed to explain that it was James. However, Reggie Miller said without hesitation:

"This is the confidence that a championship brings. Of course, this is not the first time the Clippers have used this simple Flex Offense. LeBron's defense was careless!"

In the next few minutes, LeBron James was on full fire, hitting consecutive mid-range and three-pointers. Neither Dudley nor Tucker could limit James's explosion.

But the point difference was not narrowed. Paul's mid-range, Jokic's passing, and Crawford's breakthrough always kept the Clippers in the lead.

This time the Cavaliers attacked, LeBron James rushed inside, noticed that Jokic was shrinking to the basket, and immediately passed it to Tristan Thompson in the middle.

The latter received the pass and subconsciously released the ball to adjust. As a result, he encountered Tucker who was shrinking in defense and almost dropped the ball. Tristan Thompson hurriedly threw the ball to Mike Miller in the left corner, and then made an open three-pointer.

Jump shot!

"state!"

The rebound popped up and was immediately collected by Jokic. When Tristan Thompson saw the white fat man dribbling directly, he immediately wanted to step forward and cut the ball, but was easily dodged by Jokic dribbling behind his left hand.

Everyone on the Cavaliers didn't expect Jokic to rush after getting the ball. The cheers of the fans were heard in their ears, and they saw that the fat white man had rushed to the center line and was still accelerating.

LeBron James was so angry that he quickly caught up with him from behind, only to find that Jokic, who was walking to the free throw line, flicked the ball secretly while traveling, and the ball fell directly into the hands of Dudley on the left wing outside the three-point line.

The three-point transition was unguarded, Dudley took a look, and then quickly shot a jump shot!

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net!

In the Staples Arena, the fans were in high spirits, and the center pushed back, which is a rare scene.

Head coach David Blatt stood on the sidelines with his brows furrowed. When Shawn Marion fouled in the next two rounds, he regained the starting lineup.

The Clippers still have a regular rotation. With 6 minutes and 12 seconds left in the second quarter, after the official timeout, Li Ze returned with the main lineup and Paul came off the court to rest.

At this time, the score on the court was 40:47, and the Clippers still led by 7 points.

Assistant coach Tyronn Lue, who was sitting on the bench, nodded when he saw that James seemed ready to play the entire second quarter.

He has received an invitation from the Cavaliers and is preparing to join the Cavaliers coaching staff next season.

Tyronn Lue believes that head coach David Blatt will have to be fired sooner or later. The media has already begun to criticize the famous European coach. Then his opportunity will come.

LeBron James saw Li Ze dribbling the ball with his right hand across half court and quickly paid attention.

Irving noticed that Crawford in front of him began to move toward the left corner, and he immediately knew that the Clippers were preparing to play one-on-one.

Just when he was about to remind James, Li Ze, who was at the top of the arc, suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction. Then he dribbled the ball extremely quickly with his left hand, lowered his center of gravity, and accelerated the breakthrough with the ball in his right hand.

LeBron James reacted very quickly and slid to the left and back. When Li Ze was approaching the free throw line, he suddenly pulled his hips back sharply. Before James could adjust his defensive focus, there was no slowdown. Li Ze continued holding the ball with his left hand.

breakthrough!

The fans at the scene cheered loudly when they saw Li Ze easily break through James' defense. He cut into the paint area from the middle, and Tristan Thompson under the basket immediately helped defend.

After jumping to attack the frame, Li Ze ignored the physical confrontation and made a fake pass. The ball fell accurately from the opponent's side into the hands of Griffin at the bottom right of the basket.

After receiving the pass under the basket, Griffin didn't make any adjustments and just dunked the ball!

"Boom!" The pie-eating dunk was successful!

The Clippers bench was full of jubilation. The one-on-one confrontation with James was so heart-wrenching!

After completing the dunk, Griffin also screamed wildly. He was so happy with the cake. LeBron James held his waist with both hands and stopped at the free throw line.

He felt very helpless. Even after losing weight, he still couldn't keep up with Li Ze's breakthrough one-on-one. After gaining weight, his defensive agility could not be restored.

In two consecutive rounds, Li Ze assisted Griffin and DeAndre Jordan respectively. Facing the defense of Crawford or Barnes, Irving also played well. He rushed to the basket twice and assisted Tristan Thompson.

Eating pie successfully.

In order not to receive the third foul prematurely, Griffin's defensive end was also a little restrained. Li Ze saw Irving becoming active again, and when he was serving from the baseline, he immediately made this gesture of changing defense.

James noticed that Griffin wanted to come to the three-point line to pick and roll again, so he took a step ahead and blocked Li Ze.

Facing James' defense, Li Ze first raised his center of gravity, held the ball in his right hand and pretended to break through, then suddenly dribbled behind his back and quickly turned around.

Deftly getting rid of James' defense, Tristan Thompson saw Griffin passing down and did not dare to step forward to delay, so he could only retreat.

The fans at the scene screamed again, and LeBron James lost his defensive position. Seeing that Li Ze had broken through to the right elbow of the free throw line, he quickly pursued the defense.

Just when he came to Li Ze's left side, James failed to make any defensive moves, and saw Li Ze use his left foot as the axis, quickly turn around, and bypass his defense again.

Seeing that Li Ze was about to turn to the basket to complete the attack, James turned around and immediately pounced on Li Ze. The two collided in the air. Li Ze relied on his excellent core strength to grab the ball with one hand with his left hand, tilted his body, and finished.

Projectile!

"Crack! Squeak!"

Hearing the referee's whistle, James turned his head subconsciously, only to see the ball hit the board, stumble and fall into the basket.
To be continued...