Chapter 714: A Kick in the Door
The impact of Game 4 results between the Cavaliers and Pacers extended to the day after the game.
Li Liang had returned to Indiana with the Pacers, but the impact of that steal remained in Cleveland.
Cavaliers fans are disappointed, of course, but looking back at the game itself, you can't blame James, he did his best.
You can't blame Thompson for making a mistake on the serve at the end, Thompson was absolutely excellent at other times, and in that case, he wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last.
As for Irving, he was burst into a sieve on the defensive end, but on the offensive end he was the team's No. 2 scorer, the most consistent ball-handling offensive core outside of James.
So in the end, of course, the pot was thrown on Paul George's head.
George was not particularly compatible with James in the regular season, and then in the first two rounds of the playoffs, he finally played at a level, and both rounds were sweeps, and the Big Three showed their power.
Especially in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Hawks, who had a better regular season record than the Cavaliers, had little to no counter in front of the Cavaliers because of the presence of Paul George.
With George there, James let go of the attack, and the Hawks had no way to fight back.
Who knew that when it came to the Eastern Conference Finals, a dozen Pacers, not to mention that Li Liang couldn't be guarded, even in the face of Danny Granger, George's performance was not enough to be called a giant.
The inefficient offense with the ball, inaccurate outside shooting, and the advantage of athletic talent did not play much in the slow-paced game between the two sides.
And because he didn't have enough possession of the ball, he couldn't find a feeling on the offensive end, and ended up being a defensive gate on the outside.
But just a defensive gate is far from enough to give the Cavaliers a role, especially with Li Liang on the opposite side for comparison.
In the summer, the Cavaliers still traded Li Liang for George, and many Cavaliers fans still thought that the Cavaliers had made money.
Because I feel that George and James are more compatible, Li Liang and James are not on good terms.
Now I know, you George and James can't beat Li Liang together, let alone whether you can match or not, this deal will definitely be a loss.
And George also felt very aggrieved, I originally ran to the Cavaliers as a team boss to be the third, and I often did some dirty work on the court, to help James top Li Liang, to help Irving wipe his ass, the defensive end consumed a lot of energy, the offensive end did not have the right to shoot and hold the ball, the outside line received the ball and threw it in, and the inside line had to help card and grab rebounds, and in the end I lost and blamed me?
It can only be said that every team has problems, all the problems you win are not problems, and if you lose, it will become problems if it is not a problem.
George still needs further run-in in the Cavaliers, especially his projection ability needs to be further enhanced.
James' first season with the Heat's Big Three wasn't very successful either.
stumbled into the finals, and was finally cut off by the old and strong lone ranger and became the biggest background board.
This time, looking at the momentum, the background board of James and the Cavaliers is set again.
In addition to Cleveland, the American basketball media have all said, "Bruce Lee is the best player in the league right now," "This is the most amazing and amazing player I've ever seen," "He pushed the limits of my imagination," "If Bruce Lee can win a championship this year, I'll kiss Kenny Smith's ass again." ”
The magical performances in the arena are all reduced to off-the-field talk and gimmicks in the end.
Of course, the biggest gimmick so far this season has become whether Bruce Lee can achieve a personal triple championship.
Judging from the Cavaliers' blowing penalties at two home courts, the league doesn't know whether it wants the series to be played a little longer, or hopes that Li Liang will not get another chance to enter the finals.
However, judging from the pre-game polls for Game 5, the nation's support for Bruce Lee has been a million miles away, and the whole country is cornfield, except for the Ohio one.
It seems that American fans don't care whether Li Liang is Chinese or American, they just want to see heroism on the basketball court.
As for whether this hero is white-skinned or yellow-skinned or dark-skinned...... Whatever, let's talk about it after the excitement, it's not too late to scold in the future.
With such a state of public opinion, it is conceivable what the referee of the fifth game will be.
And after the referee list for the fifth game came out, Indiana fans were half relieved, and the referee was Li Liang's old friend, Kennedy.
This referee, who has the same surname as the famous president of the United States, has always been able to talk to Li Liang.
It's not that he will favor Li Liang's team when he blows the penalty, but he will be more reasonable when facing Li Liang.
As long as you are reasonable, everything is easy to say, and Li Liang is the best at reasoning.
On May 28, after a day of recuperation, the fifth battle of the series began at the Consec Arena.
The Consec Arena was full tonight, and the home team handed out a yellow T-shirt to all the fans in the stadium to create a lively atmosphere at the scene.
Anyway, it's all yellow, and the Lakers' home court feels like it's full of golden armor, and when it comes to Consecco, it feels like a big rape flower/corn field.
It can only be said that stereotypes kill people.
But whether it's a cornfield or a canola flower, the Pacers are going to do it tonight.
In the pre-series predictions, while many were bullish on the Pacers, they also believed that the Pacers would have seven games before they settled the battle.
In fact, if the fourth game is really won by the Cavaliers, there is a real possibility that the two sides will fight to seven.
But the miraculous theft made the knights demoralized, even if James was determined and still held the belief that he wanted to win the game, the others were no longer good.
And the Pacers' players, and the fans, have been waiting too long.
Since entering the Finals in 2000, after losing to the Lakers without any suspense, the Pacers have had several ups and downs, and they are always a little bit away from the Finals.
If you want to be like a team like the Hornets and Timberwolves, who are gangsters who have no hope anyway, then forget it, the Pacers really used to be very close, but they ended up with the last kick, fell down and climbed up again, and then they were pushed down again.
On May 28, it was really close, and Li Liang only said one sentence before the game, "I will never let opportunities slip away from me." ”
Li Liang has always done what he said.
However, the course of the game was quite bumpy.
James is a trapped beast, and in the first half, he turned on the "Death Gaze" mode, and as soon as he came up, he frequently attacked Li Liang's point, and even shot with sudden shots, as if he had returned to the one who captured Boston in 2012.
He wants to change the situation on his own, and if the Cavaliers can win this one, they still have hope of returning home for Game 6.
And Li Liang did not perform well in the first half and felt bad, but he insisted on shooting, and he was 3 of 11 in the half.
The Pacers relied on an extremely tenacious defense, the cheers of 10,000 spectators, and Danny Granger's excellent play to bite the score in the first half, trailing by seven points at 53:60 at halftime.
The fans were nervous, the Eastern Conference championship trophy had been transported to the arena, and the award would be presented if the Pacers won tonight.
League President Silva was also watching the game from the sidelines, but it looked like the Cavaliers had hope of winning in the first half.
But in the second half, Li Liang, who was in a bad state and repeatedly missed, started his offensive performance again.
That's right, it's a show.
He began hitting back-to-back three-pointers from the outside.
James is still in great form, he's got into his own field and is unstoppable in attack.
But James scored a two-pointer, Li Liang scored a three-pointer, James broke through, Li Liang scored another three-pointer, James steals a fast-break dunk, Li Liang turns around and shoots a three-point shot at the logo.
Looking at the scoreboard, the Pacers also recovered a three-point ......
Li Liang's three-pointer was a huge blow to the morale of the Cavaliers, and at the same time, as the score approached, the tension gradually disappeared, and the players became more and more open.
Bird brought on Kevin Garnett to boost the morale of the whole team, Conseco's decibel level reached its extreme, and Garnett's roar was drowned out in the cheers of the fans.
The Pacers continued to defend successfully, while Li Liang continued to hit incredible three-pointers.
He hit five three-pointers in one fell swoop in the third quarter! No matter how the knight defends, Li Liang can find a way to throw the ball in.
When he made his fifth three-point shot, James finally couldn't help it, rushed forward and knocked Li Liang down at once.
The ball went in, Li Liang fell to the ground, the referee blew the whistle, and the scene was booed.
James spit out his braces, turned his back to Li Liang, and looked up at the ceiling of the arena, his eyes revealing a blankness.
After the video replay, the referee decided that James' goal was a malicious foul.
Li Liang not only had to add free throws, but the ball still went to the Pacers.
With a free throw, the Pacers overtook the score, and the scene completely changed.
Li Liang raised his hands to greet the cheers of the audience, and said in his heart, the big tonic pill is really delicious.