The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 293 A Team Without Weaknesses

In fact, Zhang Xiaotian is no stranger to playing one big and four small with a few outside lines.

James often does this, and he has seen it a lot. Although his impact is not as good as James, he can shoot from the outside.

He drove the ball early and allowed James Jones to hit a [-]-pointer.

Then he succeeded in singles against Corey Brewer. This was a misjudgment by the Rockets' defense, thinking that he would pass the ball. Unexpectedly, he turned into a strong hit after only one pass.

It’s just that passing and singles complement each other. If there is a pass, the defenders will not dare to flank too aggressively.

Some players go all the way to the dark, and it is difficult to open after being figured out the routine.

Zhang Xiaotian's golf quotient has always been very good, and the more he mixes, the better he gets.

In addition to Zhang Xiaotian's strong point, Tristan Thompson also played very well, grabbing offensive rebounds consecutively, which became the key for the Cavaliers to chase points.

Rockets coach McHale's reaction this time was a bit slower, and he waited until the Cavaliers overtook the score before starting to change the main force.

The Cavaliers were so happy. James and Harden had consumed a lot before, so they just had a few more minutes of rest.

After Harden came on the field, I don't know whether it was because he had rested for a long time or was too exhausted before, and his two shots were all iron.

Of course, Zhang Xiaotian opened up his skills in the last quarter, and his defensive level has also risen by two levels.

In fact, there is also a lazy way to defend Harden, that is, many teams deal with James, just let him shoot, but not to release shots, but to give a little space.

It's just that Harden has a good shot and is very good when he is accurate. Zhang Xiaotian dare not use passive methods to defend.

He tries to follow the opponent's rhythm as much as possible, avoiding those pounces, and he has found some ways to fight against the body without the ball. As long as Harden catches the ball, he will not be close to the body, but will block the shooting line.

At the last moment, the Rockets let Josh Smith replace Motie Junas in the inside line, and lowered the height to enhance the defensive ability, aiming at the breakthroughs of Zhang Xiaotian and James.

They did, but at the same time rebounding became more of an issue.

Tristan Thompson showed his prowess and was always able to grab offensive rebounds when the Cavaliers shot and hit the iron, allowing the Cavaliers to maintain the lead even when James and Love didn't feel good.

The Rockets were very depressed, but there was nothing they could do about it. Motiejunas' rebounds were just average, at least Josh Smith's defense was better. Howard was not there, and they were bound to suffer.

The key is that Harden, who was showing off his power earlier, missed a shot at a critical moment. This can be regarded as Harden's minor problem. He has not yet proved his star, even if he is already an All-Star level, it will be affected when it comes to life and death.

So even if Zhang Xiaotian doesn't continue to improve, he can spend his whole life relying on his big heart.

At 2 minutes and 25 seconds, Zhang Xiaotian hit again, extending the lead to 6 points.

The Rockets requested a timeout, and after playing again, Harden finally improved on the offensive end, stepping back to face Zhang Xiaotian's defense and hit 2 points.

Then Harden assisted Josh Smith to hit two points, and the score was about to catch up.

At this time, James forced Ariza to foul. Although he only made two free throws, he then forced the opponent to make mistakes on the defensive end.

The Cavaliers attacked again. After James missed the middle distance, Tristan Thompson grabbed the offensive rebound again. Zhang Xiaotian received the basketball passed and hit a three-pointer steadily.

The score gap became 6 points again, but the last few tens of seconds were left.

The Rockets can only chase points at this time with three points. Harden catches the ball and pretends to make a breakthrough, but Zhang Xiaotian ignores him at all. At this time, he does not need to predict the rhythm. If the opponent wants two points, he will give it and stick to the three-point line. just fine.

Sure enough, Harden pulled back and forced a shot from outside the three-point line. Zhang Xiaotian was already prepared, and his fingertips directly touched the basketball thrown by the opponent, making Harden's crucial shot a three-point shot.

The Rockets could only resort to foul tactics, and James made two free throws.

But as the Rockets missed a three-pointer, the game completely lost suspense.

106:99, the Cavaliers ushered in a good start in March.

Without Irving, Zhang Xiaotian also got more shots, scoring a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The fans are happy and so is he.

With his current team positioning, it is not easy to get a double-double.

The team won the victory even with the main players resting, and the coaching staff has more confidence in the preparations for the playoffs.

On March 3, the Cavaliers played against the Celtics, who were struggling on the edge of the playoffs.

This time the Cavaliers had an absolute advantage from the beginning, and the battle was resolved at halftime.

The Celtics made some trades in the mid-term, and it seems that they haven't run in successfully yet. In this game, the Cavaliers' main force only played for about 40 minutes, and they won the opponent by more than [-] points, which can be described as a massacre.

After this battle, some outsiders even called the Cavaliers a team with no weaknesses.

The media must be touting it. Compared with the Heat, the Cavaliers team is very young. If this momentum continues, it is likely to create a dynasty.

But immediately some reporters discovered that stars like James and Zhang Xiaotian did not sign long-term contracts, and the Cavaliers will encounter the problem of renewing young players. This kind of lineup is likely to fall apart in one season.

This is the limitation of the league, and it is also the highlight of the league. No matter how rich and powerful a team is, it is impossible to swallow a large number of contracts worth more than [-] million yuan. Therefore, in the nba, it is very difficult to establish a dynasty, especially when the level of competition is getting higher and higher. modern basketball.

In the training hall, the Cavaliers players were sweating, but James was full of confidence in the Cavaliers' establishment of a dynasty.

But things have to be done step by step. They first need to win a championship for the team.

"Don't slack off, we need to play better in the playoffs."

"When the time comes, everyone will get big contracts."

The team's record is good, coupled with James' supervision, the Cavaliers' training atmosphere is very good.

And earning a big contract is also the pursuit of the players, but those players who don't have much chance to play are not so happy. The old players who hold their thighs are okay, but the young players are eager for opportunities to perform.

There is no opportunity to perform, let alone a big contract, and I don't know if I can stay in the league.

Professional basketball can turn a poor kid into a billionaire, but it's also a cruel world.

While the Cavaliers are gearing up for the playoffs, teams that have no major problems making the playoffs are doing the same.

No matter how much the Cavaliers are praised outside, after all, they are a lineup that has not passed the test of the playoffs. Just like the Heat that year, there are more than one or two teams staring at the championship.

(End of this chapter)