NBA Legends Manager

Chapter 417 Sadness
Although James made a three-pointer, Presti did not intend to change his defensive tactics. As we all know, James' three-pointer was not very good in his previous life. At the position of a small forward, his career three-pointer shooting rate of 33.4% is really not good!

The best time for James to shoot three-pointers should be in the playoffs during the 17-18 season in his previous life. He was able to throw 2.4 three-pointers per game, but even then the three-pointers could not kill the Warriors, let alone the Pelicans now?
Curry took the ball and quickly led the frontcourt, Green came out to cover, Curry used a single block, and directly threw a three-pointer!It can be said that there is no rhythm!

Bang Dang, the ball missed, and Barkley smiled and said: "Although the goal was missed, I am very sure that the Cavaliers players must have been shocked."

"Haha, I don't know why now, but I think I can score after seeing Curry's unreasonable ball!" O'Neal laughed.

Although the ball was not scored, Davis grabbed the second and took the blueboard off the heads of Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov, and then distributed it to Thompson on the outside. Thompson caught the ball and continued to throw it!This time there is!

The overall rebound control of the Cavaliers is very poor, which is a common problem with the Heat. Of course, in the previous life, the Cavaliers' rebounds were protected by TT, but it was not enough to face the Pelicans!
In addition, the Cavaliers tonight really have no routines in terms of defense. They don't know how to defend and who to focus on. This has to mention Tyronn Lue in the previous life. The Cavaliers' comeback in the 2015-2016 season has a very big relationship with Tyronn Lue's double-teaming Curry. Curry is the core of the team and the engine!

But now the Cavaliers have no defensive focus, so they can only stare at one, and this gives Curry the opportunity to easily switch defenses and hit big men. This opportunity is no different from giving away points for nothing.

Six minutes later, the Pelicans scored on the outside and picked up rebounds on the inside. The Cavaliers could only call a timeout!
Since the defense is not good, then they can only fight for offense. The Cavaliers brought up JR Smith, added a ball-holding point, and also created space for James' breakthrough, replacing Timofey Mozgov.

After the timeout ended, the Cavaliers had much better space, which also opened up space for James' breakthrough, but at this time the Cavaliers' inside defense became extremely weak again, and then the Pelicans still stormed the penalty area.

Davis crazily singled Tristan Thompson in the low post, almost one hit and one hit. In the end, there was no way, James went to help defend, and when he helped defend, Green missed again outside, the ball was given to Green, and Green also hit a three-pointer when he was open!
In the first quarter of the game, the Pelicans already led by 8 points!
In the second quarter, the Cavaliers sent James Jones, JR Smith, Shumpert, James, Tristan Thompson.At this time, James is almost unable to get off the court. Once he is off the court, he will be taken away by a wave
Presti sent "bench gangsters", Barea, Bradley, Middleton, Antetokounmpo, and Gobert.

Bradley and Barea opened up on the left side. Antetokounmpo held the ball in the middle to play the point forward, and Gobert on the side gave Barea no ball to cover.

This time, Antetokounmpo saw the right time and immediately gave it to Middleton who ran out with the cover. Middleton caught the ball and made a three-pointer and made a steady hit. Middleton's off-ball ability is also very good!
And even if Middleton or Bradley can't make a shot, Gobert and Antetokounmpo can still grab the rebound!James and Tristan Thompson can't beat Golbe and Antetokounmpo in the penalty area.

Relying on the advantage of the frontcourt to get a second offensive opportunity, the point difference was instantly opened to 15 points!
The Cavaliers had no choice but to pause again. After returning from the timeout, James held the ball at the top of the arc and tried his hand as before. It was too tiring to break through. James knew very well that if he didn't make a three-pointer in this game, he would have no role at all.

This time it hit, but for the Pelicans, Barea and Gobert played a pick-and-roll, Gorbe went down the middle, Barea tossed the ball high, and Gobert dunked the ball!

The Cavaliers attacked. After James held the ball at the top of the arc, he faced Middleton and made a comeback!This time he missed, Antetokounmpo took the rebound and counterattacked one-stop!Get rid of the defender, go to the frontcourt and fly for dunks!
The Cavaliers' bench led by James not only failed to narrow the point difference against the Pelicans with all benches, but made the point difference even bigger!
James held the ball at the top of the arc, and this time he forced a breakthrough in, and Gobert covered it with his long arms!But this time James was defended by Antetokounmpo, and he didn't get rid of his speed, so he was delayed by Antetokounmpo for a layup. At this time, Gobert's big hat slapped him!
Then James still didn’t have a fallback jumper after receiving the ball from the outside. Presti forced James out of the bench, forcing James to use jumpers and three-pointers to solve the problem, but this is what James is least good at and the least efficient way. At the end of the half, the Pelicans led by 16 points.

In the second half, Presti put on a small lineup of Curry, Thompson, Middleton, Paul George, and Antetokounmpo. He pushed and counterattacked at full speed, and quickly shot a three-pointer after reaching the frontcourt.

On the defensive end, James is still assisting to double-team, and continues to force James to use three-pointers and mid-range to solve the problem.

But when Presti put on this lineup, Barkley frowned and said: "Is Presti planning to give up his inside advantage? He actually let Antetokounmpo play the 5th position."

O'Neal laughed and said: "Anyway, I think Presti's change of formation will definitely defeat the Cavaliers. There is no other reason but to have confidence in Presti."

After the game started, the Pelicans' stormy offense instantly crushed the Cavaliers!Many fans think that the Pelicans' lineup is not good for inside defense, but they ignore the speed of movement of this lineup. Whether it's Tristan Thompson or Timofey Mozgov on the inside, their low-post ability can't beat Antetokounmpo and Paul George. They can only rely on James' breakthrough, but the restricted area used by the Pelicans makes James can only shoot outside.

Of course, if the Cavaliers are shooting three-pointers, Presti would not dare to defend like this, but so far, the Cavaliers have made 25 of 4 three-pointers and a 16% shooting rate, which made Presti boldly shrink.

In the last quarter, the Cavaliers' outside touch still didn't improve. With 4 minutes left in the game, the point difference had reached 22 points. The game came to garbage time. The Cavaliers replaced James to predict that the first game ended in failure.

In the end, the Pelicans beat the Cavaliers 121:98, leading the score 1:0!

After the game, when talking about the finals, Presti said modestly: "The Cavaliers are a team of the Big Three. Now there is only James alone. We have nothing to be proud of winning. We look forward to the finals next season."

And the reporter was stunned by this interview. This is the end of the first game, and everyone is talking about the next season!Can you think about the mood of Cavaliers fans...

James also accepted an interview: "We are old opponents, and the Pelicans are very talented, but you know, our Irving and Love are injured. This is not our full strength, but we will not give up. Let's see the next game."

Soon the second game came. Before the game, the players of Presti and the Pelicans did not accept interviews but prepared for the game with peace of mind, while James of the Cavaliers said in the interview: "I will work hard!"

After the game officially started, the Pelicans met James and the No. 1 pick-and-roll on the line to delay the return, and resolutely prevented James from directly facing Curry;

When the Cavaliers met Curry and the 4th and 5th pick-and-roll, Timofey Mozgov shrunk the penalty area, and Tristan Thompson replaced Timofey Mozgov to the three-point line. Therefore, Iman Shumpert singled out Curry with the ball in the opening game.

The Cavaliers' positional battle pays close attention to the misplaced offense. James uses the pick-and-roll to force Davis to single-handedly, linking inside and outside with sudden points;
And James and Curry hit the ball straight to the frontcourt to speed up and lead the offensive and defensive transition.

The Cavaliers exposed the loopholes in the Pelicans' individual defense through a misplaced attack, and the Pelicans exposed the Cavaliers' lack of defensive mobility inside.

During the rotation period, the Cavaliers led the pick-and-roll offense with James, singled out Bradley and Barea in a misplaced position, and James rushed to the penalty area to read the defense and find the outer space for JR Smith;
The Pelicans' main player, Paul George, was dislocated and singled out. The Cavaliers attacked and cut the passing route in time, forcing the Pelicans to make 3 consecutive turnovers.

首节战罢，骑士28-27领先鹈鹕1分。骑士投篮命中率为54.0%，三分球5中2；鹈鹕投篮命中率为57.0%，三分球7中2。詹姆斯则打满首节，6投4中砍下11分3助攻，库里则单节10分2助攻。

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cavaliers sent TT+Mike Miller+James+JR Smith+James Jones, and Presti used Gobert+Thompson+Bradley+Antetokounmpo+Curry.

The Cavaliers mainly play James + TT high-position pick-and-roll, James uses the Pelicans to switch defenses to force Gobert to single-handedly or TT is misplaced to chase Bradley;

The second team of the Pelicans mainly played high positions to support the weak side without the ball and cut to the basket. Gobert and Bradley penetrated the penalty area, while the Cavaliers relied on Tristan Thompson's athletic vitality to continuously rush for rebounds.
Presti suspended adjustments and replaced: Antetokounmpo + Green + Paul George + Thompson + Curry, Curry led the counterattack opportunity battle; the Cavaliers used James + James Jones pick-and-roll to force Curry to single-handedly, and strode in to meet JR Smith who was vacant outside the perimeter of the assist defense!And JR Smith made 5 of 2 open shots.

After James rested in the second quarter, the Cavaliers switched to JR Smith to lead the pick-and-roll offense. With Timofey Mozgov's low-post singles as the main attacker, the Cavaliers actually took the lead;

James only rested for 2 minutes, returned to the court and continued to single out Curry, connecting the whole team with sudden points.Presti used McGee to limit James' breakthrough and protect the backcourt rebounds. The Pelicans relied on the backcourt rebounds to counterattack, and these counterattacks also made Curry and Paul George hit three-pointers!

半场结束，双方战55平。骑士投篮命中率为51.4%，三分球12中3；鹈鹕投篮命中率为50.2%，三分球16中6。鹈鹕助攻16次，骑士助攻10次。

In the second half, Cole started with Gobert instead of Davis, focusing on protecting the rebounds in the backcourt. Rebounds are the source of the Pelicans' offensive and defensive transitions.

The Cavaliers prescribe the right medicine: James used the pick-and-roll dislocation to single McGobert, but Gobert relied on his height, wingspan and athleticism to continuously force James to stop the ball. The Pelicans once overtook the Cavaliers by successfully defending and counterattacking! .

The Cavaliers paused for adjustments, and the Cavaliers relied on pick-and-rolls and counterattacks to come back to life: James + Tristan Thompson launched a high pick-and-roll, Tristan Thompson chased Clay in a low position, James faced Paul George and Clay consecutively chased three-pointers,

James tied the tie with his own strength, but James' physical strength had problems. He was blocked and intercepted by Green, who assisted in the defense, for two consecutive rounds. .

During the rotation period, Curry and Thompson used the pick-and-roll to chase JR Smith. LeBron singled out Davis to attract Mike Miller and James Jones who were ambushing outside to help defend and score a three-pointer. The Cavaliers overtook the Pelicans by 1 point.

Tonight's Cavaliers are fully fired from James to the role players!

Presti once again changed to a small lineup for the decisive victory. The Pelicans used Curry and Paul George to chase Tristan Thompson in a misplaced position;
Curry singled out Tristan Thompson from the outside, changed direction, pulled up and made a three-pointer!Missed, but Gobert grabs the rebound again, and then points to Thompson on the outside. Thompson makes a shot, and this time he hits the net hollow!
When James led the frontcourt, he used the pick-and-roll to hit Curry. This time he forced a pass and went to the penalty area. He met Gobert, and then JR Smith on the outside.No entry!This is the power of the Pelicans star. At critical moments, the Pelicans can score goals, but role players are too difficult!
The rebound was protected by the Pelicans. Curry picked up the frontcourt to cover again and changed defenses. He continued to hit Tristan Thompson, still changing direction and shaking. This time he passed directly to the basket.Turn up the arc, there is no interference, and the ball still goes in!This shot killed the game!

Here James accelerates to advance to the top of the arc, making a strong three-pointer!Bang like iron!No!The rebound was received by Paul George, the game is over!
The Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers again with 109:101, and the Pelicans led by a big score of 2:0 in the finals!
In this game, James scored a triple-double of 46 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but still lost the game. After the game, people couldn't help but feel sad for James, and James' fans said that James really tried his best!
However, some Cavaliers fans are optimistic. They think that if Love and Irving are in this game, they will win, which gives them hope!

(End of this chapter)