Oracle Arena is still full.
However, unlike last time, many Warriors fans present at this game had mixed emotions.
Especially when the camera was on James during the pre-game warm-up, they had an indescribable emotion.
They feel sorry for James, but not from the bottom of their hearts.
This is probably the sentiment of most Warriors players.
This is not because they are mean or anything, but because James' past resume, coupled with the contract James signed with the Warriors, makes it difficult for them not to think about James leaving the Warriors in the summer.
People are very realistic. If you are one of our own, then it is right to feel sorry for you; but if you are destined to not be one of our own, then what is the point of feeling sorry for you?
After all, in the days to come, it will be Green, not James, who will stay on the team.
What's even more outrageous is that in the commentary box, Barkley and the others are talking about where James' next stop will be.
Los Angeles, New Orleans, Milwaukee and even Brooklyn figure in their discussions.
"LeBron has nothing to lose if he fails this year."
What Buckley said was quite heartbreaking.
James looked very serious when he was warming up.
Of course he couldn't hear what was being said in the commentary box on the court, and even if he knew it, he couldn't do anything.
This is North America, the so-called land of free speech. If you want to silence others, you can only rely on strength.
However, these remarks will definitely have a certain impact on James' summer decision after the game.
In addition to James, Green also appeared on camera for a relatively long time.
The creator of the "Green Formula", he seemed very happy and was still talking and laughing with Curry and the others.
Perhaps as fans said on social media, after Green said those words, his chances of staying on the team increased dramatically, and he was feeling happy in his heart.
And you will find that during the warm-up, the original Warriors players gathered together consciously or unconsciously, but there were not many people around James.
Compared with the old team members who have won championships together and won 73 wins, James has always been just an outsider, or a passerby.
To put it another way, even if James chooses to leave, the Warriors still have a maximum salary space this summer and can sign someone else to replace him.
After the opening ceremony, the lineups of the two teams were announced.
The Nets' lineup is still the same as in the previous games, the regular five: Bradley, Ariza, Durant, Lin Ying, and Jokic.
For the Warriors, Cole made a change and no longer used the five players, but also used the regular one: Curry, Thompson, James, Green, and McGee.
The game started immediately, and the two teams took the stage one after another.
James still performed the action of throwing magnesium powder on the technical stage.
But compared to the expression in the last scene, tonight is more like a formality.
The reason is simple. He cannot cancel the additional rituals just because of the current situation he is facing.
This also highlights his style of doing things. He has personal emotions, but that does not change the "big picture" he considers.
Jokic did not beat McGee this time. In terms of physical condition, McGee is even better than Jokic.
The Warriors got the chance to take the lead.
Kerr's opening arrangement was to focus on Curry, and Curry lived up to expectations. He came out with an "elevator door" tactic to catch the ball and hit the three-pointer.
This three-pointer made the Oracle Arena, which had been a little depressed at the beginning, burst into cheers again.
In the transition between offense and defense, Lin Ying broke through the basket with the ball and opened the scoring for the Nets with a one-handed dunk.
It was a helpless move for Cole to switch back to the routine, because the five primary schools require a lot of double-teaming and defensive rotations, and tacit understanding and enthusiasm are indispensable.
The Warriors had no problem in the first two games, but after Green sprayed out the "Green Formula", the Warriors' current team atmosphere no longer allows them to do so.
From an effect point of view, changing back to the routine is not a good thing in front of the Nets. McGrady was pulled by Jokic at the top of the arc and could not get back. Green's defense speed was not as fast as James's, and the Warriors' inside line became more difficult.
There's a vacuum.
Fortunately, looking back, Curry faked a three-point shot and broke through to the free throw line, facing Durant's difficult floater and hitting it again.
Curry scored 5 points in a row in the opening game!
He really couldn't solve the conflicts within the team as A. Smith said, but he did do what he said after the last game and adjusted his state back!
The atmosphere at Oracle Arena quickly reached its peak at this time.
Yes, they still have Curry.
No matter what difficulties they face, as long as Curry is there, they have hope!
After the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 30.
Curry scored 22 points in a single quarter, single-handedly defeating the Texas Twins (Lin Ying and Durant scored 13 points and 6 points respectively).
Judging from his performance in the first quarter, Curry is worthy of his reputation as the leader of the Warriors.
Although he is just like A. Smith, he has always been different from those leaders in the past.
And his performance is crucial, because the Nets' strategy tonight is the same as last night, which is to quickly establish a lead at the start.
But because of Curry's outbreak, the Nets' strategic goal was not achieved. This is an opportunity for the Warriors.
Of course, this also comes at a price. Curry was panting heavily on the sidelines after he came off the court. He was obviously a little physically exhausted after playing the entire quarter.
During the transition period between substitutes in the second quarter, Cole also spoke in a very serious tone to the substitutes who were about to appear.
He knows that Curry has created the opportunity for the team, and whether he can seize the opportunity depends on the performance of other players.
Especially in the transition period between substitutes, relatively speaking, the performance of the Nets substitutes in the Finals was much weaker than before.
Moreover, Cole also placed James in this substitute transition period.
His purpose is quite clear.
Before going on the court, Cole also pulled James to say a few words.
"Now is not the time to think about other things. Our goal is to win tonight's game and win the championship."
Cole also did his duty and continued to persuade James to calm down.
James nodded.
Of course, no one knows what he is thinking.
Back in the second quarter, both sides of the court were filled with the main lineup and substitutes.
Warriors: Livingston, Iguodala, James, Speights, Pachulia;
Nets: Rose, Curry Jr., Johnson, West, Jokic;
The Nets took the lead in the second quarter.
Jokic's organization and support at the top of the arc, Curry's movement attracted the attention of the defense, and Rose made a beautiful cut.
After seeing the opportunity, Jokic directly passed the ball to the ground without looking at anyone.
The ball was quite comfortable. Rose caught the ball and made a flying layup.
However, just when he was about to take action, a figure suddenly jumped up from behind him, leaped high and headed directly towards the basketball!
James!
James took the overall situation into consideration tonight, temporarily put aside the conflict with Green, and went all out to win!
Moreover, Cole's arrangement is also very clever. Without Green and James on the court at the same time, James is obviously much more comfortable playing.
Seeing that James was about to stage another great shot, but the next second, Rose in the air seemed to sense James in advance, gliding to dodge the lever and hit the ball from the other side of the basket.
.
This ball was played beautifully, and James' chasing shot turned into an excellent background board!
The scene suddenly became agitated.
In the first three finals, the Nets' firepower was mainly concentrated on the Gemini, while Jokic assumed the role of first support.
Many people have almost forgotten that the Nets also have a former MVP and newly promoted "Super Six" Rose.
His form in the previous three games was average, but tonight he seemed to be in very good form.
During the Warriors' offense, James took the ball and rushed to the basket.
The Nets tightened their defense in a very targeted manner, and James chose to make a pull-up jump shot. Now he has such skills.
However, he failed to make the shot.
The rebound was picked off by Jokic, and the Nets quickly pushed for a defensive counterattack.
It was Rose again. After receiving the ball, he dribbled behind his back to avoid Livingston's steal, and then he sped forward like a supercar with the accelerator pressed.
The rest of the Warriors only saw a taillight, then watched Rose fly for a fast break layup.
Lu Du, who was on the sidelines, couldn't help but raise his fist.
Rose is not only in good form tonight, but also has a strong desire to compete!
Cole reached out and rubbed his forehead vigorously. He arranged for James to play early in order to gain an advantage at this stage.
But Rose's sudden outburst seemed to make everything move in the opposite direction.
Fortunately, James finally found an opportunity in the frontcourt this round. He knocked over Johnson while accelerating and broke through. He dunked hard with both hands and slammed the ball into the basket.
The huge impact directly caused the basket to sink two or three centimeters.
After dunking, James beat his chest excitedly and roared, as if he wanted to vent all the unpleasant emotions he encountered because of "Green's Formula"!
His series of actions also caused the Oracle Arena to boil instantly.
This is the James they want to see!
However, before the fans' emotions reached their peak, they were directly doused by a basin of water.
And the person who threw this basin of water was Ross.
Rose's continuous scoring made the Warriors shrink their defense against him. Rose pulled up and shot directly from outside the three-point line. Then,
"Whoa!"
Just shoot it!
Counting this three-pointer, Rose scored 7 points in a row after coming up in the second quarter!
Tomorrow the sun will still shine brightly, and the roses will bloom again!
That sentence said by Chinese Ross fans has been proven time and time again!
The Nets suddenly opened the point difference to 5 points!
Moreover, the Warriors' next wave of offense, Iguodala's three-point shot from the corner failed to hit!
Luck seems to be on the side of the Nets this time!
The rebound was picked off by Jokic, and the Nets once again launched a fast break.
This time James' pursuit prevented Rose from scoring easily, but Rose looked back and gave the ball to Johnson who was following up, and by the way, James was pushed out of the baseline.
By the time James squeezed Rose away and tried to pounce again, it was too late. Johnson took the ball and jumped into the air.
"Bang!"
A powerful two-handed dunk!
After dunking, Johnson tugged hard on the rim and then glared at James.
That's right, although he didn't complain to the referee about James dunking and pushing someone, he was holding back his energy and wanted to return it!
And he also came with a mission tonight, but he just lacked an emotional point and an entry point.
James was not to be outdone, and the two people looked at each other with sparks in their eyes.
Durant and Lin Ying saw this scene off the court and looked at each other and smiled unkindly.
It tastes right.
This smell also became stronger in the next round.
Because there was a physical entanglement between the two when Johnson was defending James, it almost led to a direct conflict between the two.
Seeing what was becoming more and more likely to happen, Durant felt inexplicably nervous and couldn't help but pick up the water under the bench and take a sip.
Then, he looked at Lin Ying nervously and whispered:
"Isn't it true that we can't win with force like this?"
After all, this was the first time I had done something bad. Although I didn't do it myself, I was an accomplice by instigating it.
"Did you think the same way when he fucked you?"
Lin Ying had no psychological burden and asked Durant directly.
Durant was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, and his nervousness was completely gone.
When dealing with adversaries who are worthy of respect, they must be defeated openly; but when dealing with opponents who like to cause harm, this is just repaying them with their own methods, and there is no need to feel guilty at all.
The Warriors' attack failed to score in the end, and Cole couldn't sit still and stood up from the sidelines.
In the Nets' frontcourt, it was at this time that Johnson saw the right moment in the offense and took action.
When James switched defenses, he directly stretched out his feet to trip James.
However, James jumped directly over...
Lin Ying and Durant were watching from a distance, and they couldn't help but hold their foreheads when they saw this scene.
Sure enough, Johnson was good at fighting, but his level of skill at playing dirty tricks was still a bit low.
If the target is still James, James has rich experience in this area, and it is not easy to pull off the evil trick.
Johnson's sneak attack attempt failed, and the referee did not blow the whistle. Rose's breakthrough throw after the pick-and-roll hit the board and scored again. The score difference on the court has reached 9 points!
Rose's touch was too hot this time, and the Nets forced the point difference to widen!
Lin Ying and Durant looked at each other again, with relief in their eyes.
Originally, they wanted to mess with James if they could, as revenge for the previous game.
But if it fails, it actually has no big impact. After all, it is more important to open up the situation and win the game.
And now that we are leading, it would be of no benefit to the Nets if we continue to do so.
As for the Ferraris given as gifts, Johnson has been a bodyguard for one season, so it makes perfect sense to use it as a reward.
But just when they had no idea, what happened on the field perfectly proved a sentence:
If you plant flowers intentionally, they will not bloom, but if you plant willows unintentionally, they will create shade.
Johnson's attempt to commit evil was quickly retaliated by Pachulia. This guy actually directly attacked and stepped on Johnson's feet without even knowing it!
What kind of master is he? He can step on the defensive players when attacking!
However, Johnson was also tough. After being stepped on, he seemed fine. He immediately turned around and looked angrily at Pachulia, who had his back turned to him, pretending to be nonchalant.
Pachulia didn't have eyes in the back of her head, but James saw them.
James knew that Pachulia was standing up for him, so he took a step forward and pulled Pachulia away. At the same time, he quickly retreated.
But in his horrified expression, he suddenly realized something:
Chapter completed!