Chapter 715: Eastern Champion
Li Liang does not have any psychological obstacles to the opening of the hanging.
Basketball is a game, everyone is happy when they win, and what makes everyone happy, why don't I do more?
Someone is going to win anyway, so why can't it be me?
After hitting the free throws, the Pacers overtook the score while also having possession.
As soon as Li Liang got the ball on the outside now, the Cavaliers all trembled, and then their eyes unconsciously looked at Li Liang.
Li Liang didn't shoot again, but a beautiful pass was stuffed to Danny Granger, who cut in the middle, and Granger received the ball and made a layup!
This is a devastating omen for the Cavaliers - the tactical state of the entire Pacers is playing out, and it is going to blossom a little more.
Sure enough, then James missed an outside three-point shot, and the Pacers won the backcourt rebound to fight back.
Li Liang received the ball, did not dribble and threw it directly to Granger in the middle, and Granger then distributed the ball to JR Smith, who was fast down the right wing.
Smith made a 45-degree pull-up three-point shot on the right side and hit it!
The Nerve Knife didn't disappoint at this time, and this three-pointer from JR Smith directly stopped the Cavaliers.
The Consec Arena suppressed most of the game, and at this moment there was a small explosion.
The Pacers extended their lead to six points and maintained their lead until the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers still had a chance, and James would never give up easily.
But at the start of the fourth quarter, an unexpected incident completely disrupted the Cavaliers' pace of catching up.
In the attack, Irving sprained his left knee while getting rid of Hill's defense, and he fell directly to the ground and could not get up to continue playing.
His teammates lifted him off the pitch with him in his arms.
The fans gave Irving a round of applause, and in the entire first half, except for James, Irving was the most scorer.
Two people, you shoot one, I vote one, and I almost knocked the Pacers apart.
Fortunately, Li Liang stood up, you cast a two-point, I will shoot a three-point, three points are one more point than two points, and the situation will be saved.
Now that Irving is injured, the Cavaliers still have George and James, but George's performance is really hard to call a giant.
Throughout the series, with the exception of the third, he basically didn't find the offensive touch.
Besides, his offensive talent can't be compared to Irving, holding the ball, shooting, and under the intensity and huge psychological pressure of the playoffs, he can't be fully played.
The Consec Arena was originally his home stadium, where he greeted and cheered them on in hopes of leading them to the Grand Finals.
In a year's time, things have changed.
George's two three-point shots from James on the outside missed and were counterattacked by the Pacers.
The margin was stretched to more than 10 points.
James had to take action himself, making a strong break in the middle and helping the Cavaliers chase points hard at the free throw line.
It's a drop in the bucket, and the Pacers' offense has fully played out its senses.
Kevin Garnett came on the court, and he had an aerial relay with David West on the inside, and he dunked hard!
Then, Garnett steals James directly in the high post on the defensive end! Then he dribbled across half court, and Thompson rushed up to foul Garnett, and Kennedy blew Thompson for another technical foul.
The referee looked back at the video, and Thompson's goal knocked Garnett down directly from behind, which was obviously a malicious foul.
So, an additional penalty was added and Thompson was punished...... This is also a compensatory whistle for sending Garnett off in the last game.
Garnett fell to the ground and didn't get up, rolled over and did three push-ups before getting up for free throws.
A technical foul was made of a free throw, and then the Pacers still had possession of the ball.
Victory is in sight.
However, Li Liang is still very cautious.
The higher you stand, the worse you fall.
Li Liang still remembers playing a mission game in the 2001-2002 season, when the Boston Celtics played against the New Jersey Nets.
Li Liang came on for Kenyon Martin to help the New Jersey Nets stop the Celtics' 19-point comeback.
In that game, Li Liang actually improved his high-level defensive ability.
In the fourth quarter, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker set off a counter-attack frenzy, and Li Liang played several games before using defense to contain the Green Army's counterattack.
With such competition experience, Li Liang knows that even if he feels that he is about to win, he must not be careless.
Once the flood water bursts the levee, it cannot be stopped.
Li Liang still safely chose the mid-range jumper and turned on the mid-range mode in the middle of the fourth quarter.
The knight still didn't find a way to deal with Li Liang's mid-range shot, so he could only watch Li Liang hit the middle distance again in a row.
James didn't give up, he did everything he could, hitting the basket several times, hitting three-pointers twice, and scoring on a dunk once.
James' breakthrough impact ability is still ranked among the best in NBA history.
But whenever the score is a little closer, Li Liang will use a mid-range shot to the knight to extinguish the fire.
The margin remained at 10 points, and Paul George couldn't hit a three-point shot at a crucial moment......
When there were still 3 minutes left before the end of the game, James counterattacked and distributed the ball to Paul George in the bottom corner, George missed a three-point shot, and after Li Liang got the rebound, he counterattacked all the way to the basket and made a rebound, which also caused Mozgov's foul!
Li Liang scored his 40th point of the game, and he scored 40 points in two consecutive games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
He hit a free throw and scored 41 points, bringing the difference to 14 points.
Less than three minutes, a 14-point difference, unless a miracle happens.
James still didn't give up, he pushed forward quickly, immediately made a three-point shot, hit it, and also scored 40 points.
Unlike Li Liang's three-point shooting one after another, James's more than 40 points were scored by two points and two points from the inside.
He won't give up until the clock runs out.
But at this point, time is his enemy, and the entire Conseco Arena is his enemy.
This three-point point still gives the Pacers a wake-up call, but with Li Liang here, the Indians are not afraid.
In fact, as long as the game is not over, Indiana fans are also scared, they can't believe that they can win this game and enter the finals, there is always a feeling that something is going to happen, and there is always a feeling that there will be an accident.
And Li Liang made these accidents disappear.
After using Garnett and West's blocking in the middle, he cut into the three-second zone, made a pull-up jump shot, and hit a two-point shot.
43 points.
James made another quick three-point shot, but missed.
Garnett was firmly in control of the backcourt rebounds, and without Thompson, the Cavaliers would not have the ability to rush for frontcourt rebounds.
Li Liang still controlled the time, and there was only a little more than a minute before the end of the game, and the fans cheered.
Li Liang controlled the ball in the high post, and the Cavaliers carried out a tight defense and wanted to break the ball, but Li Liang made a high throw pass to the inside.
Garnett ran back, jumped high to catch the ball, and jumped again after landing, and smashed his hands violently!
The Knight's outward expansion and oppressive defense was completely seen through by Li Liang, and a reverse hanging broke through the Knight's defense.
It's not just the physical defense of the stadium, but also the mental defense in their hearts.
Blatter finally called a timeout, and James returned to the bench and covered his face with a towel.
The so-called death before the teacher is successful, the hero is full of tears, and the knight's journey to the finals is about to fall in the rape field of Indiana.
The fans started to celebrate in advance, and finally it was stable, completely stable.
After 15 years, the Indiana Pacers have once again reached the Finals!
The Cavaliers basically gave up resistance after the timeout, and James knew there was no point in resisting it and that resistance would only appear futile.
The two sides exchanged the ball and played the final 1 minute, the score was fixed at 109-97, and the Pacers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by 12 points at home, defeated the opponent by a big score of 4-1, and won the Eastern Conference championship trophy.
James missed out on the Eastern Conference championship for the first time in 11 years, while Li Liang reached the Finals for the third year in a row.
The Consec Arena became a sea of joy and a place where fans unleashed their passion and enthusiasm.
Li Liang was very calm, and the moment the buzzer sounded, he just walked to the center of the court and shook James' hand.
The two had a hug at the start of the first game of the series, the first and last hug.
After all, they were opponents, and the two did not say a word and separated.
One went back to the locker room to lick his wounds silently, and the other stayed behind to greet the jubilation.
The Pacers' players were crazy with joy, and Bird just grimaced his face and walked through the noisy crowd to find Li Liang, and the two hugged gently.
"It's far from over." Li Liang said.
"That's exactly what I'm going to say." Bird replied.
Damn, you talk a lot, you know everything!?