NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 385 "The Scholar" (5300 words chapter)
On the night of May 2005, 5, at Madison Square Garden, the Cavaliers played a smooth offense in the third quarter. After McGinnis was left open, they broke out. As the game time passed, they fell into a scoring drought again.

The director frequently focused the camera on Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines. The championship coach indeed adhered to the strategy of the previous game.

Compared to the Knicks' bold shots, the Cavaliers' three-pointers were very cautious.

There were only 5 turnovers after the three quarters. The Cavaliers performed very well. They did not give up any more points, but they could not prevent their opponents from scoring.

After the start of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers still showed no signs of collapse, and they still rarely made mistakes.

Compared with the Nets in the first round, the Cavaliers' tactical execution was better, and their limited transition offense was also converted into points.

Everything was as Van Gundy emphasized before the game, but the Cavaliers always trailed.
76:90, with 5 minutes and 46 seconds left in the game, Van Gundy's timeout had no effect.

For three full minutes, the Cavaliers did not score a point, and they failed to seize the opportunity to tie the score.

The Knicks' shooting tonight gradually slowed down, and the game felt a little bit anticlimactic.

However, it all depends on the opponents, and the point difference always fluctuates around 10 points.

Strictly guard against Li You's three-pointers and let out Laga Bell, Prince, Fisher, and Barnes.

No matter how D'Antoni made adjustments, the Cavaliers insisted on defending the 122 zone after the start of the second quarter.

This tactic that only appears in high school leagues is surprisingly easy to use, and the outside line that is left empty is bang bang.

Fortunately, in the last quarter, the Cavaliers pulled their hips and seized the opportunity of these few minutes, and the point difference returned to 14 points.

Taking advantage of Gasol's free throw, Van Gundy called James to his side and shouted.

After Ilgauskas went 3-for-8 in the third quarter, as the game progressed, his physical fitness declined and his shooting percentage dropped further.

Although the point difference was never widened, Li You was in a good mood on the court. He was not worried about his opponent's outburst, and was even in the mood to tease Howard under the basket.

After being dunked, the rookie became a little silent. Perhaps he felt the "star player treatment", and the smile on his face completely disappeared.

"You have to learn to respond with basketball. In fact, the fans here are looking forward to your performance!"

Howard, who had just had an argument with a fan in the front row, twitched his eyes slightly when he heard Li You's words.

If he could respond, he would have started to show off a long time ago. In fact, he is just a blue-collar guy at the moment. In addition to grabbing rebounds, he also eats cake from the basket.

In some rounds, when Howard impulsively asks for the ball from behind, he will encounter Li You's help on the line.

Every time he encounters this situation, he can only pass the ball to the outside in a hurry, for fear of making another mistake accidentally.

In this case, Howard was naturally ridiculed by New York fans continuously, and his missed free throws made the fans overjoyed. Their interference worked!

"You are afraid, you can't double-team me!"

Howard frowned, turned his head and shouted twice in the direction of Li You. The fans in the front row didn't hear what the newbie said clearly, but Kurt Thomas, who was closest, laughed out loud.

Gasol, who was taking a free throw, didn't hold back and came out with a bang.
James, who was about to launch a fast break, saw Kurt Thomas grab the offensive rebound in front of Howard, and he was so angry that he cursed.

On the court, James seldom talks trash, but rather communicates with his teammates and directs his actions.

Howard acted like a "little boy" who was bullied, and his words seemed to have forgotten that he had become an NBA star, full of childishness.

With one sentence, all his strength was lost. James was furious and loudly reminded everyone to re-align.

Li You, who resumed receiving the ball in the Logo position, was also overjoyed. Howard's strong words really made him laugh.
Cheers resounded throughout the arena again. Although the Knicks failed to play their usual vigorous offense as the game progressed, the fans did not mind raising their voices as long as they could suppress their opponents.

James broke the defense a little at this time. This kind of repeated pulling game extremely tests the players' patience.

Every time he caught within 10 points, James was full of hope, but within two rounds, disappointment would come out again.

Before giving up, James no longer defended as calmly as before and took the initiative to defend Li You's side.

In the logo position, Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, first leaned on the defense and pretended to move laterally.

Kurt Thomas deliberately mentioned the screen position at this time, came outside the three-point line, and looked like he was about to conduct a high pick-and-roll.

Still at 131, Gasol stayed on the lower right side of the basket, with both wings stretched wide. As Kurt Thomas stood still, Li You suddenly turned his back after blasting the ball.

Howard realized that he had said the wrong thing, and was extremely angry at this time. He followed the defense with a babble, but he still remembered the coach's words and stepped on the three-point line, not giving Li You a chance to shoot.

Kurt Thomas' screen was fake. Watching James pursue the defense, he immediately opened it, twisted and moved, and finally stopped at the top of the arc.

James made a mistake in his prediction. He didn't expect that he could easily catch up and defend. Seeing that Howard was already in the correct defensive position, he simply adjusted his steps and followed Li You.

Seeing Howard moving laterally while walking, Li You suddenly pushed the ball and changed its direction.

The basketball seemed to be out of control and flew towards the free throw line. Although Howard made the correct defensive prediction, he found that he could not reach the ball.
James didn't expect that Li You suddenly played a trick, so he could only follow his body's instinctive reaction and continue to pursue the defense.

During the second acceleration, Li You got in front of Howard, regained control of the ball, blasted the ball vigorously from the free throw line, and then made a huge circle around the ball.

While shaking his body forward to the right, Li You first passed the ball around Howard with one hand, and at the same time, he rushed up and drove straight to the basket in three strides.

Seeing the basketball disappear in front of him, Howard quickly slid back to the right in an attempt to destroy Li You's layup.

After briefly joining the ball during the run, Li You pushed the ball with his right hand and squeezed to the basket. He noticed that James, who was chasing behind him, had jumped up to block the shot, and changed hands twice in the air.

Amid the exclamations of the fans, Li You briefly held the ball with his left hand in the air, dodged the block, and deftly threw the ball toward the backboard!

When the referee blew the whistle, Kevin Harlan in the commentary box also shouted:
"Lee! Get inside!"

"OH—! And a foul! Clay—Lee!"

The basketball hit the board and Madison Square Garden was boiling again, with flashy breakthroughs that excited the fans.

After landing, Howard and James looked at each other again. Both felt that the other had interfered with their blocking. While sulking secretly, they heard Li You's teasing voice:

"18 points! Looks like the game is over!"

Li You stood on the free throw line with a teasing smile on his face. Howard's words made his mood even more beautiful.

The "happy basketball" during the regular season didn't work in the playoffs. James suddenly felt that Howard didn't seem to match him, and Gasol, the long-haired and bearded guy opposite him, seemed to be a more suitable big man for him.

Li Youjia stopped leading the defense after making a free throw, and the current point difference was enough to maintain until the end of the game.

In the commentary box, Doug Collins seemed to still be recalling Li You’s beautiful attack in the last round:
"In my opinion, Lee is the best ball handler in NBA history."

"His ability to combine the ball is sometimes beyond our imagination. How did Lee do it? It's incredible. He played with the opponent under the defense of two big men."

At 76:94, watching the score difference widen again, Kevin Harlan also began to talk about topics other than the game:

"Excellent ball-handling skills. In addition to talent, Lee also puts in great effort."

"I don't agree with what Reggie Miller said. Lee has never relaxed his demands on himself. There is no doubt that he loves this sport very much."

The Cavaliers' offensive rhythm was getting faster and faster, and Eric Snow, who had just come on as a substitute, was left open on the right wing.

When the opponent received a pass from James, Li You didn't say much. Eric Snow blossomed and finally helped the Cavaliers break their scoring drought.

Eric Snow is also Li You's old rival. When he was with the 76ers, Iverson was trying to defend his crotch, so he helped lead the defense.

At this time, after the Cavaliers turned into a two-guard lineup, Snow was once again responsible for defending Li You.

The constant troubles and excessive point difference forced Snow to take risks on defense in an attempt to cause mistakes.

With his opponent leading the defense and approaching the top of the arc, Li You suddenly decelerated, stopped suddenly and blasted the ball on the spot, then quickly pulled his hips back.

With a sudden stop, Snow was shaken and moved back, then he moved up to defend again.

Li You had just switched to his left hand, but he didn't expect the opponent to be so stubborn. He changed his hips and moved backward to cut the ball. While leading the ball forward, he lowered his shoulders again and accelerated.

Snow first felt a tightness in his chest, leaned back, and watched Li You thrust forward fiercely. He gritted his teeth and slid to the left and back in an attempt to delay further. Relying on the defense, Li You crushed the breakthrough. Everyone in the Cavaliers had just completed the defensive matchup. When they turned around, they saw that their teammates were completely out of position.
In the paint area directly in front of the basket, Li You combined the ball in advance, held the ball with one hand with his right hand, leaned against Snow, and threw the ball toward the basket!
Eric Snow failed to make any defensive moves. Although Howard jumped very high under the basket, he failed to touch the ball. In the end, the two watched the basketball go hollow into the net.
79:96, it’s time to see the score again.

McGinnis, who broke out in the third quarter, failed to continue his previous shooting touch. After missing a three-pointer, the Knicks caught another opportunity to counterattack.

In the transition attack, Laga Bell's three-pointer from the left corner was also made, which made everyone in the Cavaliers breathe a sigh of relief.

The two sides went back and forth, but the score did not move until James forced his way to the basket and caused a foul. After making two free throws, the Cavaliers' score finally reached 80 points.

Ilgauskas could no longer run at this time, and the big man's delay on the defensive end was getting slower and slower.

After completing a defense, seeing Gasol move to the left wing again, Ilgauskas dragged his heavy steps and followed out again.

Li You, who received the pass again, did not wait for his teammates to stand still. He swayed his body to the right and suddenly released the ball with his left hand.

While deceiving Snow, Li You lowered his center of gravity, increased his stride, and squeezed past Ilgauskas in the blink of an eye with the ball in his left hand.

The big man just turned around symbolically and couldn't even bend down to pull. He watched Li You rush to the lower left side of the basket and soar into the air. After hovering in the air, he grabbed the ball with his right hand and swung his arm for a dunk!
"Boom!" The breakthrough dunk was successful.

Although he played nearly 39 minutes, Li You's physical fitness did not seem to be affected in any way. He dunked repeatedly in the second half, which made everyone in the Cavaliers despair.

Van Gundy requested a timeout again. There was 1 minute and 43 seconds left in the game, and time was no longer enough.
Li You walked to the bench and high-fived everyone in celebration. Although his shooting was a bit tough tonight, winning still made everyone feel happy.

At 80:98, after the timeout, the Cavaliers made another substitution. After missing the three-pointer, the game was no longer in suspense.

In the last few rounds, James finally hit the first three-pointer of the game on the right wing.

Gooden and Stoudemire, who appeared again, also scored consecutive points under the basket.

As the final buzzer sounded, the score was fixed at 87:104, and the series score also reached 2:0.

出场45分钟，詹姆斯几乎没休息，23中11，三分线外4中1，罚球10中7，30分6篮板10助攻1抢断2失误。

After handing in a double-double, James felt a little uncomfortable losing. In his opinion, they had a chance to win an away victory tonight.

The Cavaliers only turned the ball over 8 times in the entire game, and the result was terrible, but Van Gundy was quite satisfied with the process.

After briefly shaking hands with D'Antoni, Van Gundy listened to the happy shouts of the fans in his ears and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

After walking into the player tunnel, he noticed that everyone was a little silent. Van Gundy took the initiative and said to Thibodeau next to him:
"We always encounter nights like this in the NBA. We did a good job limiting our opponents' three-pointers. When we get back home, all we have to do is put the ball in the basket."

The problem for the Cavaliers is that they can't make shots, and they don't have the dominance of the Heat in the low post.

Van Gundy firmly believes that his tactical strategy is fine, but Thibodeau is not so optimistic. However, everyone needs encouragement at this time, so he can only pretend to be relaxed and say:
"Yes, we have succeeded. When we return home, I believe the boys will respond!"

"."

After the game, Madison Square Garden was still noisy. Craig Sagel noticed that Li You was in a good mood and did not talk about the data. Instead, he asked with a smile:

"I noticed the Knicks seemed to have some issues with their 3-point shooting tonight."

"Lee, does this mean the Cavaliers' tactics are starting to work?"

出场40分钟，李佑25中15，三分线外4中2，罚球9中8，拿到40分6篮板13助攻1抢断2失误。

He didn't take many three-pointers tonight, but the team's three-pointers didn't decrease.

22 of 7, the Knicks' three-point shooting percentage still exceeded %.

“Zone defense did allow us to get more shooting opportunities, but we didn’t convert them into points efficiently.”

"Obviously the opponent's defensive strategy worked well tonight, but I'm not worried about the team's shooting."

"That's the way the Knicks play, all we have to do is believe in ourselves."

Li You knew that his opponents would adopt the same tactics in subsequent games, so he naturally had to confidently boast at this time.

Van Gundy has made a start, and there is a high probability that his big brother will choose the same defensive strategy later.

If the Pistons advance, their opponent will also defend in a zone. Larry Brown did this last season, and this is the "culprit".

Li You, who answered the question confidently, affirmed the opponent's defensive strategy.

Craig Sagel did not expect Li You to be so honest and even take the initiative to express that this would indeed cause trouble to the team.

It wasn't until the end of the interview when he saw Li You waving to the fans and walking towards the tunnel that the TNT staff's discussion brought Craig Sagar back to his senses.

Most of Li You's scoring areas tonight were concentrated in the paint area near the basket. Recalling this, Craig Sagel interrupted the discussion of several people:
"Let's go, maybe Li is demonstrating to his opponents later that the defending champion is not a jump shooting team."

On the morning of Thursday the 12th, the Knicks all set off to fly to Cleveland.

The schedule of the semi-finals is very tight, and G3 will officially start tomorrow night.

The Cavaliers, who flew back to Cleveland overnight, have limited room for adjustment. Throughout the season, they have relied on defense, and in this series, defense seems to have lost its effect.

In the TNT program, the trio did not discuss last night's game too much. Instead, it was LeBron James' remarks at the press conference that attracted their attention.

James, who attended the press conference after the game, heard reporters asking him if he would increase mid-range post-ups, and he gave the answer very confidently:

"The tactics of the past can no longer keep up with the pace of modern basketball."

"I won't change who I am. I prefer to play to my strengths. I've been trying to reduce mid-range jumpers and that won't change."

"Maybe I'm not strong enough and I need to finish more at the basket or finish outside the three-point line."

"The game of basketball is evolving and we should look forward!"

The director helped the trio review the interview. Charles Barkley was obviously angry and started rudely:
"LeBron James' crappy jump shot is the reason the Cavaliers lost!"

"If he can respond in the mid-range, maybe the Cavaliers have won a road victory."

"He should accept opinions with humility instead of talking nonsense like a winner."

Kenny Smith didn't expect his partner to be so emotional. He could understand James's remarks and continued to play the role of the good guy and said:
"Obviously LeBron is imitating Lee, and I think that's okay, the game of basketball is about putting the ball in the basket, and learning from the best players in history is the right decision."

Perhaps not wanting to see the game turn into a battle of three-pointers and fast breaks, Charles Barkley interrupted his partner:

"He's not Lee. LeBron is a forward. He shouldn't imitate a smaller guy."

"Players should have the ability to think independently, rather than blindly imitating successful people."

"At this point, I admire Kobe Bryant more. He always adheres to his own basketball philosophy."

Kenny Smith did not expect that his partner, who always liked to question Kobe Bryant, would change his tone. At this time, he interrupted him and joked with a smile:
"If I remember correctly, Kobe was always imitating Michael Jordan."

"."

Ernie Johnson saw that Barkley was silent and immediately laughed:

"Kenny is right, Lee changed modern basketball, and maybe LeBron made the right choice."

An unhappy Charles Barkley quickly promoted his tough guy theory in the studio:

"Big men should score points at the basket", "Those who shoot three-pointers are weak", "If I were in this era, I could average 35 points per game".
The studio was soon filled with a joyful atmosphere, and Kenny Smith made his partner break through with one sentence:

"Three-pointers helped Lee win 6 championships!"

"."

Kobe Bryant, who was still in Los Angeles, met the old man from KFC not long ago. Neither of them forgave each other, and naturally they parted ways on bad terms.

Kobe was secretly sulking while watching the TNT program at home. Thinking that a rookie like James had entered the playoffs, he could only curse inwardly:
"Students will never succeed!"

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(End of this chapter)