Chen Yan made an extra free throw amid the cheers of the fans, and the Cavaliers removed O'Neal and replaced him with Big Z Ilgauskas.
O'Neal has become a breakthrough point for the Suns during this period. His miserable free throws brought the Cavaliers' offense to a standstill.
Compared with the aging O'Neal, Big Z seems to be a better match for James. His mid-range shooting can open up more breakthrough space for James.
Big Z was effective as soon as he came on the court. James made a sudden score to attract the defense and then made a wonderful pass to Big Z. The latter took a mid-range shot from the bottom corner.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball hits the net crisply!
The sun sets quickly and the pace is very fast.
Nash gave the ball to Chen Yan after halftime.
Stoudemire quickly stepped forward and set a pick-and-roll for Chen Yan. Chen Yan used the screen to change direction and pass Larry Hughes.
Chen Yan is ready to take advantage of the instability of the Cavaliers' defense to launch an attack!
At the top of the arc, James suddenly stood in front of Chen Yan!
Chen Yan's position was very good, but Chen Yan couldn't get up quickly, so he simply pulled back outside the three-point line and attacked again.
One step outside the three-point line, Chen Yan raised his index fingers in the air.
This is a gesture to start a singles fight!
There was no chance for the two players to face each other in G1. In this game, Chen Yan spent almost the whole game holding the ball and attacking, so there were naturally more opportunities to face off against James.
Seeing this scene, the fans cheered loudly.
They just like to watch this kind of showdown between stars!
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Amid the cheers of the fans, Chen Yan began to speed up his dribbling!
Sudden!
Chen Yan made a sharp crotch change to the left!
James' center of gravity also shifted to the left.
Then Chen Yan made a coherent dribbling action, changed his center of gravity with a scissor step, and quickly changed direction in the opposite direction!
Chen Yan swayed his upper body to the left to confuse James, returned to the right position, accelerated and got rid of his defense!
James's physical fitness is explosive. Chen Yan knows this very well, so he uses his strengths and weaknesses to use his footsteps to create breakthrough space!
James was shaken away at first, but he reacted very quickly and used his explosiveness to quickly catch up with Chen Yan.
Chen Yan is also very smart. He doesn't need to completely get rid of James, he just needs to be half a body ahead of him.
During the process, Chen Yan suddenly became strong!
Flying left hand to pick up the basket!
James didn't dare to take off, or even stretch out his hands. His body was already stuck, and he would definitely get a foul if he touched Chen Yan.
Big Z inside was also a half-beat late in covering up the defense, and could only watch as Chen Yan scored a layup!
53 to 67.
After the ball hit, the Cavaliers also chose to serve quickly.
After receiving the ball, James accelerated and passed half court.
The sun set quickly. Seeing that there was no chance to attack the basket quickly, James decisively pulled back to the three-point line to reorganize.
The fans' voices suddenly became louder again!
Because the person standing in front of James at this time is Chen Yan!
I saw James was concentrating on it. He made a fist and blew out a breath before starting to move his crotch back and forth.
The Cavaliers' bench also stood up. James is going for a 1v1 rhythm!
Chen Yan defeated James alone in the last round. This round they want to see how James regains his place!
After moving in place for 7 seconds, James suddenly waved his right hand.
Varejao understood and quickly rose to a high position.
No one expected that James would call a pick-and-roll after dribbling the ball on the spot.
Compared with Chen Yan, James' offensive style is completely different.
Chen Yan likes to solve problems one-on-one, which is what he is best at on the offensive end.
Although James' impact is stronger, he initiates almost every attack through pick-and-roll.
This is also the reason why the duel between the two is not as enjoyable as the duel between Chen Yan and Kobe.
Using Varejao's screen, James changed direction and reached the basket!
Facing Stoudemire's defense, James made a gliding layup and scored two points!
55 to 67.
Stoudemire was helpless with this ball because James had already accelerated.
Sun attack round.
Chen Yan continues to engage in singles mode.
Now whenever Chen Yan gets the ball, the entire Cavaliers team becomes nervous, as do the Cavaliers fans in front of the TV.
But they couldn't flank Chen Yan, because Cavaliers coach Mike Brown firmly believed that as long as they guarded other Suns players well, the Cavaliers would have hope of winning.
Larry Hughes reached out to grab the ball the moment Chen Yan dropped it. He was very confident in his stealing ability.
In the 04-05 season, Larry Hughes led the NBA in steals and was selected to the All-Defensive First Team. This was also the highlight of his career.
However, this kind of gambling-like steal is risky. Once it is not broken, it will leave a large open space for the opponent!
Chen Yan dribbled behind his back to avoid Larry Hughes' steal, then leaned over and passed his defense!
Larry Hughes was badly beaten by Chen Yan tonight. This scene has appeared more than once.
Although he was passed by one step, Larry Hughes's defensive attitude was online and he still followed Chen Yan closely behind him.
Big Z also took a step from the inside to prepare for defense.
Chen Yan jumped out of the gap between the two of them with a horizontal leap, then got up and pulled the lever successfully!
55 to 69.
With his slender figure and elegant movements, Chen Yan’s ball can only be described as chic!
"Oh! Also! Today's singles efficiency is not very high!" Zhang Lili shouted.
The lively atmosphere at the scene also made Zhang Lili feel a completely different atmosphere from the studio.
Knight's attack round.
James held the ball high and called the pick-and-roll again.
James and Chen Yan have been having a bit of a quarrel with each other during this time.
Big Z covered his crotch and came in front of James.
Laga Bell directly passed the screen from behind and let James shoot from the outside!
James hesitated and then did not take action. James' biggest shortcoming during Cavaliers 1.0 was his outside shooting, which was also the point he was most criticized by fans.
James dribbled the ball laterally and passed it to Larry Hughes.
Although he has repeatedly struggled on the defensive end, Larry Hughes still has two skills on the offensive end. After all, he can score 22 points in his third year in the league.
After catching the ball, Larry Hughes first made a fake move and then hit a mid-range jumper!
57 to 69.
Sun attack round.
James directly gestured to Larry Hughes to switch defenses with him.
James took the initiative to face Chen Yan!
Chen Yan's efficiency tonight was so high that James couldn't stand it anymore.
Nash continued to observe and organize the conduct after halftime.
After a round of continuous ball guidance, Diaw lobbed the ball to Chen Yan near the elbow area.
After receiving the ball, Chen Yan did not rush to dribble. Instead, he grabbed the ball with his right hand away from his body while observing James' position and the movement of his teammates.
James squatted half-crouched and put his hands on Chen Yan's waist.
"Fuck him!"
"Blow LeBron!"
"Chen, kick his ass!"
The Suns fans at the scene shouted that they have great confidence in Chen Yan. No matter who the opponent is, Chen Yan can always put the ball into the basket!
After seeing his teammates completely open up the space, Chen Yan started to attack with the ball!
After crossing his hips and dribbling the ball, Chen Yan suddenly increased his speed and wanted to go to the right.
James moved sideways quickly, not giving him any room to break through.
In the past few years, James' defense was still at the level of a highlight-reel defender. The scenes were very beautiful, with various shots and steals, but the defensive efficiency of both individuals and the team was not very good.
After years of training, James' defensive skills have been greatly improved. Although it is not yet an integrated offense and defense, individual defense has become quite reliable, and foul control has also been greatly improved. The only problem may be
It means that the offensive load is too heavy and the defensive end cannot be fully committed.
Chen Yan failed to pass James on the first try and started dribbling behind his back continuously.
This kind of behind-the-back dribbling was very tempting. James once wanted to use a gambling steal to intercept Chen Yan, but he still resisted.
In the last round, the scene where Larry Hughes was completely passed by Chen Yan because of a gambling steal is still vivid in my mind.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Chen Yan suddenly made an extremely exaggerated crossover!
This is Chen Yan's signature move, his center of gravity is almost touching the ground!
After shaking, Chen Yan took a step back. The moment the shooting space became available, Chen Yan directly pulled up and shot a jump shot. He was very decisive!
"Whoosh!"
The basketball hits the net hollowly, and the water splash is great!
Although James reacted quickly and immediately reached out to catch up as soon as he was out of position, the ball had already entered Chen Yan's shooting rhythm, and James' interference was very limited.
When the Cavaliers attacked in the next round, Chen Yan also took the initiative to stand in front of James!
The fans in front of the TV were very excited after seeing it. Stars competed with other stars before. There is no drama that can excite fans more than this!
Just when fans were curious about how James would respond to Chen Yan, Chen Yan suddenly made an astonishing move!
He took two steps back, from the three-point line to the free throw line and directly let James go two meters. It was very exaggerated!
This season, James' shooting percentage in the regular season reached 31.1%. When the intensity of the playoffs increased sharply, this number dropped to 25.7%. James averaged 5.4 three-pointers per game and could only hit 1.4. If he was not allowed to take them, who would take them?
James was a little embarrassed and hesitated before choosing to take action.
It would only be more embarrassing if he didn't vote after being given such a big deal.
Chen Yan trusted James' projection very much, and the little emperor did not disappoint him.
"Clang!"
The sound of forging is heard!
The fans at America's West Arena burst into jeers.
"LeBron, keep shooting, we need you!"
"LeBron, do you see the difference between you and Chen?"
"LeBron, thank you, because of you..."
All of this was planned by Chen Yan. Not only did he want to kill people, he also wanted to kill James' heart!
James lowered his head and ran towards the defensive half. As the outside core of a team, is there anything more humiliating than being left two meters empty?
If there is, it means that the shot was not made after being left two meters short.
The most terrifying thing is that this is the second consecutive year that James has suffered such treatment in the finals.
In last year's Finals, Popovich repeatedly asked Spurs players to selectively leave James open on the outside. James also shot an epic 20% shooting rate in the Finals.
Since then, James has learned from the pain and practiced shooting hard.
But shooting is something that cannot be developed in one season and requires a certain amount of time to accumulate.
Chen Yan's move of two meters in the air did have an impact on James's heart. He did not attack in the next few rounds. Fortunately, the other Cavaliers players were in good condition in this quarter.
The two sides fought fiercely in the second half of the third quarter, and the firepower did not subside until the last minute and a half. During this period, neither side scored.
87 to 74, the Suns entered the final quarter with a 13-point advantage.
Although Chen Yan's golden body was broken with hundreds of shots, his offense was still very efficient.
He made 16 of 20 shots in the open game, and his personal score reached 43 points.
If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be terrifying.
"Wow! This kind of shooting rate is hard to imagine that this is a finals, but Chen did it. The efficiency is amazing, legal but unreasonable!" Barkley exclaimed during the break.
Kenny Smith looked confused: "Is Cleveland really not going to double-team? That guy has already gone berserk!"
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, when everyone saw that the Cavaliers were still adopting a single defense strategy, they understood that they planned to implement this strategy to the end.
During the break, Mike Brown repeatedly emphasized that his players should not care about the data Chen Yan got, but just strive to win the game.
The 13-point lead is neither higher nor lower. The Cavaliers retain hope of chasing points, and the Suns dare not slack off.
For the Suns, there is no room for loss in this game. They need to go to Cleveland with a 2-0 score, because the finals format is 2-3-2. If they go to Cleveland's home court with a loss, then
This series will be dangerous for them!
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers clearly stepped up their offense.
The Cavaliers were very efficient during this period, but the Suns also continued to score.
In the last 6 minutes of the final quarter, the difference between the two sides was still 12 points.
The Cavaliers' morale began to decline. They understood that if they wanted to win, scoring was not enough, they had to defend. Otherwise, chasing points would be like filling a bottomless hole.
In the last two and a half minutes of the game, the Cavaliers began to bet on three points.
This is also a forced move. If you don't shoot three-pointers, it is almost like a slow death for the Cavaliers.
James' sudden score attracted three double-teams and then passed to Gibson.
This second-year rookie has no mercy, and he has a knife with both hands!
This three-pointer also narrowed the point difference between the two sides to single digits.
The Cavaliers once again saw the hope of winning.
But looking back, Nash quickly poured cold water on them, using the cover to hit with a mounted arrow.
The point difference returned to double digits again.
During the Cavaliers' offensive round, James scored a three-pointer from the top of the key.
"Whoosh!"
The basketball hit the net.
Seeing James hitting from outside, Chen Yan didn't panic at all. James is not the kind of player who can score a series of three-pointers. This way, grabbing three-pointers can return the ball to the Suns as soon as possible, and the initiative of the game can be in his own hands.
Nash passed half the court and passed the ball to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan was not in a hurry to attack, he held the ball and observed the position of his teammates.
They are the leader, and they just need to pursue the success rate while spending time.
Chen Yan kicked the ball back to Nash.
Nash called Stoudemire for the pick-and-roll.
After the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire went down, and Nash hit the ground and handed the ball to him comfortably.
Stoudemire took advantage of the situation after receiving the ball and hit a layup in the penalty area.
This pick-and-roll combination recreates a classic collaboration.
Chen Yan is on full fire tonight, but that doesn't mean his teammates can watch the show. If the Suns want to win, every player must play a role and give the team corresponding support.
There is not much time left for the knights.
James made another outside shot.
"Clang!"
Didn't make it this time.
But Varejao grabbed the rebound.
The moment he got the rebound, Varejao turned around and was ready to find James again.
The intention was so obvious that Chen Yan saw through it!
After Chen Yan stole the ball, he quickly advanced and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc!
"Whoosh!"
Ruthless hit!
This three-pointer was very important. It not only further widened the point difference, but also destroyed the Cavaliers' morale.
The Cavaliers missed several consecutive attacks in the next few rounds. Listening to the crisp sound of hammering, the game also lost its final suspense.
111 to 95, although they encountered some difficulties, the Suns still won the g2 victory without any danger!