NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 506: Is there a gap between me and you? (Daily Chapter)

Quicken Loans Arena is heading to the conference finals after its name change, which is definitely a good sign for Cleveland fans!
Despite losing the first two games by a large margin, most Cavaliers fans don't actually have high demands and a home win is enough.

The Eastern Conference is visibly in a state of decline. The next few years will be a showdown between the Cavaliers and the Knicks. It is better to expect the opponents to be defeated by time than to expect the newbies to defeat the defending champions.

Under such circumstances, the fans of the Cavaliers, who were playing their first home game in the divisional finals, were particularly enthusiastic. Even though they only scored 18 points in the first quarter, it did not affect everyone's cheering for the home team.

In contrast, Van Gundy's mentality was a little exploded. The championship coach also did not have high demands. He just hoped to give an explanation to the fans.

Winning one game would be enough, at least it would give everyone hope. Unfortunately, even though the Knicks made large-scale rotations, the Cavaliers failed to seize the opportunity.

It has been more than half an hour since the game started at 20:2, and more than minutes have passed in the second quarter. The scene can be described as a fight between two weak teams.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers of the defense, James, who had just missed a jump shot with the help of a screen in the left blocking area, quickly retreated, while Daniel Gibson, who got more playing time, stuck to Rajon Rondo.

After returning to the home court, the Cavaliers players put on their white jerseys again. Gibson wore a white headband like the boss. Fully armed, his "skin" looked better than Larry Hughes'.

The Knicks' away jerseys are in orange and blue, so Rondo, who likes to wear a headband, has to choose orange. They are also fully armed. The two first-year rookies compete on such a big stage.
Rondo almost rushed across half court in 8 seconds. Facing Gibson's desperate entanglement, he felt a little uncomfortable. Tonight, the whistle returned to the Cavaliers' side, and the opponent was more oppressive on the defensive end.

On the right wing, James noticed Dio moving to the top of the arc to receive the ball, and immediately reminded Howard loudly, so the latter had to follow him out and try to disrupt the hand-off attack.

After receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Dio staggered a little under the opponent's pressure defense, but he did not rush to attack. Instead, he turned his body sideways and actively observed the defense.

Rondo, who received the ball, moved to the left wing. He was only responsible for the secondary organization of unsuccessful tactics. On the other side, Prince first pretended to move to the upper line to complete the hand-off, and then suddenly accelerated to run to the right corner.

Although Pavlovic tried his best to defend JR Smith, he was still cross-screened.

As Dio quickly dealt the ball and passed it sideways, JR Smith, who bounced out to the right wing near the right sideline, successfully received the ball. He was still one step away from the three-point line, but he decisively made a jump shot.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, the basketball hit the rim and bounced out. Ilgauskas was still struggling with Chandler, but the ball flew over their heads.

Rondo seized the opportunity and picked up the frontcourt rebound in the left blocking area, which made Van Gundy on the sidelines roar loudly. When Gibson reacted, Rondo had already broken through into the paint area and completed a lob shot near the frame.

"Swish!" The 2-point shot went into the net, and the Knicks were the first to break the scoring drought.

32:18, with 9 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first half, the Cavaliers' staggered travel still failed to achieve the expected results.

Rondo, who was retreating, clapped his hands to encourage himself. He got a chance to play in the first quarter tonight. The opponent double-teamed him crazily, so D'Antoni simply rotated in advance and started a defensive battle with the opponent.

The double-digit score difference did not affect the mood of the Cavaliers fans, and the cheers became louder instead.

Gibson received the ball at the baseline and advanced quickly, but was closely guarded by Rondo as soon as he crossed half court.

Both of them are freshmen, but Rondo suppressed his opponent with his excellent wingspan and daily experience in beatings.

Gibson had to move sideways to protect the ball and began to wait for the boss to pass the ball. When James bounced from the middle to the top of the arc with the help of a screen, the cross pass from the left wing was still half a beat slow.

The moment he received the ball, Howard went up to set the screen, James released the ball with his left hand, and faced Dio who switched defense in time and broke through to the basket.

Chandler's assisting position just cut off the passing route, and the big man's symbolic move still affected James, who eventually broke through to the basket while defending and was fouled.

The mid-air dodge caused Dio to hit him, and when they saw the Chosen One standing on the free throw line, cheers arose again.

On the TNT commentary booth, Doug Collins took a look at the technical statistics and saw that James missed the first free throw. He could only comment euphemistically:
"James played very smartly, Prince's pursuit defense arrived immediately, and Howard's screen quality was very good, but it could not create more offensive space for him."

"It's not easy to narrow the gap to less than 10 points just by relying on defense."

32:19, the second free throw was made, James quickly retreated and kept shouting to his teammates.

"With the same tactics, maybe the Cavaliers can test Dio's shooting, or actively switch defense, and Howard needs to get himself closer to the basket."

In the commentary booth, Marv Albert also commented when he saw Dio receiving the ball at the top of the arc again.

Seeing that the opponent on the right wing switched defense in time, Dio simply called Rondo again, passed the ball hand to hand, and then immediately ran to the left corner. At the same time, Chandler quickly came to the top of the arc for a pick-and-roll.

While his teammates were standing still, Rondo, holding the ball in his right hand, pretended to accelerate laterally, and suddenly turned quickly at the moment Gibson squeezed through the screen.

He touched the ball with his left hand again. Although he had a chance to shoot from the three-point line after getting rid of the defense, Rondo lowered his center of gravity and accelerated to break through in the face of Ilgauskas' retreating defense.

Relying on his speed to overtake the big man, he gained half a body position. Noticing Howard moving his feet, Rondo decisively passed the ball to Dio in the left corner while moving.

Facing an open opportunity again, Dio did not hesitate and made a decisive jump shot from the corner!

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

35:19, watching the score difference widen again, James on the court waved his hands in frustration. He was also a first-year rookie, and his younger brother couldn't make a shot and couldn't defend.
The live director turned the camera to Li You again. Although Rondo's movements were not as smooth, they looked very similar.

Li You, wearing a blue away training suit, was smiling and clapping along with the atmosphere group. Rondo's performance tonight was better than in previous rounds, which had a lot to do with the fact that the opponent was also a rookie.

There are always some problems every time he goes around the screen. The reason why Van Gundy doesn't trust Gibson is mainly because newbies do make mistakes on the defensive end.

Amid cheers, James came to the right sideline outside the three-point line to receive the ball while being chased by Prince. Ilgauskas came forward to screen and the latter immediately accelerated to the wing.

Chandler's sliding step caused a big delay, and the big man's desperate defense prevented James from accelerating and breaking through in the first time. When he came to the right wing, Prince chased him from behind.

Seizing the opportunity when the big man failed to return to defense in time, James dribbled the ball between his legs and stopped immediately, then passed the ball to Ilgauskas near the baseline on the right.

The big brother took advantage of his height to catch the ball and threw it, and the basketball went into the net. The atmosphere group on the Cavaliers bench also cheered loudly.

At 35:21, Van Gundy breathed a sigh of relief, only to see Gibson had no pick-and-roll man again, and he yelled again in anger:

"foul!"

The sudden double screen at the top of the arc made Gibson completely lose his defensive position. Rondo once again forced his way past Ilgauskas, but even though the big man slid hard, he still couldn't keep up with the rhythm of the smaller man.

He suddenly stepped forward and stopped abruptly near the lower left side of the basket, then faked a dribble with the ball in his left hand, tricking the big man into jumping up to block the shot. Rondo then turned around, received the ball and easily shot it!

"Oh!"

The wonderful shake made many Cavaliers fans exclaim, and the basketball went into the net, and there was jubilation again on the Knicks bench.

"What a great goal! Rondo looked very confident tonight!" Marv Albert was also very surprised when he saw Rondo beating his chest passionately after retreating. This rookie did not play like this in the first two games.

Doug Collins on the side remained silent. It was proved that Larry Hughes was very important to the Cavaliers, and Van Gundy's trust was justified.

Using the same double-screen tactic, James, holding the ball with his left hand at the top of the arc, forced an accelerated breakthrough against Dio who was retreating to defend. As a result, he was interfered by Rondo's card swipe near the left elbow area.

He jumped up and passed the ball to Gibson in the left corner, who caught the ball and shot missed.

Seeing the rebound being picked up by JR Smith near the right blocking area, the Cavaliers could only retreat quickly.

JR Smith rushed forward with the ball at a very fast speed and immediately found Prince who was rushing up the middle. The latter received the pass just after crossing the center line.

Facing James who was chasing him, Prince did not stop the ball and passed it to Rondo on the right wing. Gibson was left behind and James had to turn around to help defend.

Rondo broke through the three-point line. He was not fast, but when he saw James moving, he immediately threw the ball.

Prince, who was unguarded in the middle, jumped into the air, grabbed the ball with both hands, and easily slammed the ball into the basket!
37:21, seeing Chandler behind him rushing to the basket, James, who was defending two players, broke through the defense again and took the initiative to call the coaching staff to request a timeout.

"Shh!"

There were waves of boos in the Quicken Loans Arena, and the Knicks players celebrated by high-fiving in the arena. Some Cavaliers fans could not accept the fact that the home team was suppressed by the rotation lineup.

On the Cavaliers' bench, Larry Hughes appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually somewhat happy in his heart, as he did not like having his playing time taken away by a rookie.

"Foul! If you lose your defensive position, foul!"

"You let a rookie perform on the court. Don't forget that this is our home court!"

Jeff Van Gundy, sitting in front of everyone, pounded the tactical board and roared loudly, ignoring the camera and just yelling at his players.

Gibson was scolded so much that he dared not look up. James, who was supporting his younger brother, felt even worse. When he saw the faint smile on Larry Hughes' face, he was even more furious:

“Why is it that even the rookies on the other side are performing so well?”

James, who stood up and prepared to go on the court, had doubts in his mind again, just like he didn't understand why the excellent three-point shooter missed shots when he came to the team, and the opponents always performed better than the Cavaliers.

In the first round after the timeout, James switched to the right hand and broke into the basket again, causing Dio to foul and get a free throw. D'Antoni immediately called Gasol to the court.

Amid the cheers of the Cavaliers fans, Dio walked to the bench with a relaxed look, high-fived everyone, and returned to his seat, muttering:

"This guy is like a train sprinting away from the three-point line! But his finishing is a bit of a problem."

"Well done! Remember to take out your treasured coffee after we win tonight, the rookie is going to explode!"

Li You patted Dio who was sitting next to him, and raised his eyebrows towards the court. The Frenchman was not stingy either. Seeing James make both free throws, he also teased:
"Rookie showdown, Rondo won, worth celebrating"

Rondo really got into the game as Li You expected. He played with confidence and advanced a few points faster. The neat and clean change of direction in front of his body at the top of the arc directly shook off Gibson.

He went straight to the basket from the middle, noticed Howard's quick help defense, and Rondo made a fake pass to find Gasol who was following up on the left side in the air, assisting his teammate with a two-handed dunk!

The Cavaliers took the initiative to speed up the offensive tempo. Pavlovic deceived JR Smith on the right wing and missed the long two-point jump shot.

The failure to pass the ball at the top of the arc forced James to quickly retreat and attack in a semi-conversion. Rondo took the basketball from Chandler and chased the opponent across half court.

Gibson didn't dare to get too close, and as a result Rondo passed the ball calmly. With the help of Chandler's screen, JR Smith came to the top of the arc, received the ball without any defense, and just threw it.

"Swish!" Another three-pointer went in.

40:23, the score difference is still widening. On the Cavaliers bench, Thibodeau frowned. Fighting hard with the main players was his strategy, but he still couldn't beat his opponent.

In this series, the coaching staff only expected to win one game at home, but as the Knicks players were getting better and better, several assistant coaches fell silent.

After continuous ball transfer, seeing that most of the offensive time was consumed, Gibson received a side pass from James and broke through on the right wing.

Rondo kept sliding to the left and back, controlling his defensive position while cutting off the opponent's passing route. Facing Chandler's assist defense, Gibson's high shot finally hit the rim and bounced out.

The invisible Howard was called for a foul for pulling. His tactical position dropped sharply, which made him feel bad. At this time, he complained loudly to the referee:
"Damn it, you should look at the hand movements on the other side! Don't just stare at me and blow nonsense!"

The Cavaliers fans at the scene also started to "Referee suck!" The Knicks were slow to replace all their main players, and many people felt humiliated.

Amid the shouting and cursing, Chandler's solid pick-and-roll at the top of the arc allowed Rondo to easily break free from the defense. Ilgauskas retreated too deep and was hit by a ground pass.

After receiving the ball, Chandler attacked the basket directly, but was eventually pulled down by Howard, who was mentally exhausted.

After committing two fouls in a short period of time, Howard was directly replaced because of his fourth foul. Van Gundy on the sidelines did not comfort the newbie. This stupid operation gave him a headache.

Back in his seat, Howard clapped his hands as he watched the court. Chandler, who was gloating, became angry again, and the "happy big boy" threw his towel in anger for the first time.

"Coach is right! I think you get the point!"

Larry Hughes stood up and walked to the technical table after saying a few words. Gibson, who was replaced, lowered his head and said nothing. He made 5 of 1 shots and scored 2 points. He proved that he was not good enough with his actual performance.

Howard left the court before half a quarter had passed, and the combination of Gooden and Ilgauskas caused the Cavaliers' defensive intensity to drop significantly.

The Knicks' forwards also began to rotate. Artest's appearance made it difficult for James to receive the ball. They wanted to speed up the offensive tempo, but it got slower and slower. Fortunately, Ilgauskas found his shooting touch.

As time went by, the emotions of the Cavaliers fans at the scene were also affected by seeing Gasol respond easily in the low post. Li Youcai came on the court again with 4 minutes and 39 seconds left in the first half.

The big man's delayed defense after the pick-and-roll allowed Li You to always find opportunities. The Knicks' inside line kept catching the ball, and finally made Van Gundy sit back in his seat in frustration.

In the final moments, Larry Hughes sent Li You to the free throw line again. James, standing next to the paint area, had no choice but to put his hands on his hips:

“The gap in strength is too big.”

62:38, at the end of the first half, only the Knicks team was cheering loudly, and the game was no longer suspenseful.

Rondo was very emotional as he walked towards the player tunnel. He made 6 of 4 shots, scored 8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. Although the statistics looked mediocre, he felt for the first time that he was in control of the rhythm of the game.

Hill smiled and rubbed the newbie's head. Rondo heard the boos from the fans on both sides and kept yelling:
"Don't use rookies to defend me! Otherwise I'm going to beat you wimps!"

"."

(End of this chapter)