The atmosphere in the ATAT Center became obviously heated at this time. Driven by the sound of the DJ on site, everyone basically stood up and cheered for the team with all their strength. Everyone knew what this game meant tonight.
If they win, they will stay in the top eight. If they lose, they will fall out of the top eight. At the end of the regular season, the results of any of these games will affect the final result.
The Spurs have entered the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons. They are having a tough time this season, but this is definitely not a reason for this great record to be interrupted.
As long as all San Antonians go all out, they have a chance to win this game.
What's more, team leader Leonard has made his comeback in this game. It seems that he can't continue to play the whole game and needs a gradual recovery process. Popovich should also be able to play in the rest of this game.
He won't be allowed to appear again.
But everyone is sure that the Spurs with Leonard and the Spurs without Leonard are definitely two teams.
Under this circumstance, if the team can win this game today, it will definitely improve the morale of the entire team.
In fact, the same is true for Jiang Hao. He was the one who suggested to Popovich that the team switch to a smaller lineup. Then he has to prove to everyone that this lineup is feasible when Leonard comes back.
Desirable features.
And from Jiang Hao's perspective, he had never played with Leonard before this game. He didn't understand Leonard's style of play, and Leonard also didn't understand his style of play.
Feng, if the team wants to go further this season, then the cooperation between their main players is particularly important.
He is now going all out on the court, and Leonard is watching from the sidelines. This is also a means to improve coordination.
The game continued, Jiang Hao broke through the basket with the ball and completed a layup, causing Tristan Thompson to foul from shooting.
"Jiang's breakthrough and layup resulted in a shooting foul on Tristan Thompson. This is not good news for Cleveland, because with this foul, Tristan has committed five fouls in this game.
If Tristan Thompson is ejected at the critical moment, the Cavaliers will face a more severe challenge inside, and just one point from Jiang Hao will make them very uncomfortable."
Jiang Hao, who likes to score from the outside or from mid-to-long distances, changed from his normal routine tonight and frequently succeeded in the paint. His breakthrough layups were simply impossible to guard against, causing the Cavaliers to suffer. Three of Thompson's five fouls were committed by Jiang Hao.
Gifted by Hao!
This makes many people feel unfamiliar with Jiang Hao. In their impression, Jiang Hao's breakthrough ability with the ball is very average. What's going on tonight?
Good luck?
"That shouldn't be the case. Maybe if we just re-examine Jiang's performance in recent games, we will find that his number of breakthrough layups is actually gradually increasing. This means that Jiang is gradually enriching his ammunition arsenal. He is
Become Almighty”
The inside has been one of the biggest headaches for the Cavaliers this season. Thompson, who is worth 80 million, is very strong in defensive rebounds and can match James' style well, but on the offensive end, he is the kind of guy who basically has no low-post offensive ability.
Everyone knows this, and the Cavaliers management was well aware of this even when they decided to give him a big contract.
But even so, the Cavaliers have to use him. They can no longer find a suitable candidate. Looking at the salary space, they are already the first team in the league in salary this season.
Tyronn Lue had to replace Thompson. With more than 5 minutes left in the game, he could not take a big gamble. Once the Spurs seized the opportunity to commit another foul on Thompson, they would be in a very big position at the real decisive moment.
Disadvantages.
Frankly speaking, Tyronn Lue is very disappointed with Love at this time. As long as he can perform well on the offensive end, the team will not fall into such a passive situation tonight.
The Cavaliers had the ball, and James' mid-range shot hit the rim. The rebound was grabbed by Nance Jr., and with Aldridge on his back, Nance Jr. turned around and made a successful shot.
Maybe Nance Jr., acquired in a mid-season trade, could be part of Cleveland's future.
Tyronn Lue thought this way, for team owner Gilbert, at least Nance Jr. would not let him lose money.
After Tristan Thompson left the game, the Cavaliers' inside line suddenly became much weaker. On the one hand, Nance Jr. is a rookie, and on the other hand, his ability on the defensive end is not as good as Thompson's. In this case, Aldridge is very
He easily hit a fadeaway jumper.
This is Aldridge's signature. Even if Thompson is here, he can't stop him in many cases, let alone Thompson no longer.
Tyronn Lue immediately requested a timeout. During the timeout, he hoped that James could defend Aldridge.
But James didn't buy it. Just kidding, he felt that at this time, when his physical strength was about to be exhausted, he couldn't use his limited energy on the offensive end, so he would lose this game.
Therefore, when Tyronn Lue proposed this tactic, he decisively rejected it in public.
And this scene happened to be captured by the on-site director.
"A very disharmonious picture. There seems to be a dispute within Cleveland, but we all know that disputes will not help the team."
Strictly speaking, this is not the first time this situation has occurred for the Cavaliers this season. Not long ago, Jr. Smith openly resisted Tyronn Lue in the game, and then there was an incident where Jr. was placed on the bench.
event.
As for James and Tyronn Lue, everyone knows that the two of them actually have a good personal relationship, but they often have disagreements on the playing field.
Maybe many people will say that this is James' fault. Why should a player question the coach's tactical decision-making?
But don’t forget, James is a superstar. Which superstar has never done this kind of thing like refusing the coach’s tactical arrangements?
Basketball god Michael Jordan never did it?
Or maybe Kobe Bryant hasn’t done it before?
This in itself has become a super privilege.
On the Cavaliers bench, Tyronn Lue was a little frustrated. He knew that he could not convince James. He wanted to say that our physical strength was exhausted, and the same was true for the other side. As long as we did a good job on the defensive end, we could laugh until the end.
But James waved his hand, turned away, and left without giving him a chance.
Well, sometimes, that's what you have to put up with as the head coach of a championship favorite.
Just hope James is right.
At this time, Tyronn Lue will not bear grudges against James. He knows that James is only targeting his work, not him as a person.
Chapter completed!