Chapter 952 [NBA Finals from Zero]
LeBron James is under more pressure than he was in the previous Finals, and as long as he goes online, he will see posts from fans predicting how he will get the five kings.
Most fans are optimistic that James can lead the team to win one or two games against the Suns this time, rather than being swept. There are almost no people who are optimistic about the Cavaliers winning the championship, including the Cavaliers players and the coaching staff.
The Suns were so strong that a sweep in the West would speak for itself, while the Cavaliers lost two games in the East.
Online fans voted to predict the winner, with 87% of fans voting for the Suns to win, 3% of fans favoring the Cavaliers, and 10% voting neutrally.
The neutral option is set for passers-by who don't think the NBA game is pretty, but occasionally look at the news to get a feel for the score and the outcome of the game.
The scariest thing is the message from the fans, which is very bad for the Cavaliers.
"How can the Cavaliers' chances of winning the championship be as high as 3 percent? They were 100 percent runners-up in the finals before, and the Suns were 100 percent champions, so it can be seen that the chances of the Cavaliers winning should be zero. ”
"Matthews' performance exceeded expectations, but Boozer and Mo Williams were not, and the Cavaliers are now led by James alone? It will definitely not be able to beat the Suns led by two star guards. ”
"The Cavaliers' total salary is 30 million more than the Suns, and the upstairs tells me that James is a single-core leader? Guo Xu is only three years older than him, and he has to abuse him as a single core for a lifetime. ”
In order to avoid the negative emotions of "no doubt about defeat" among the players, the Cavaliers refused to be interviewed by the media before the game, and the coaching staff told the players not to watch the news on the Internet and go all out to prepare for the game.
It worked, and the Cavaliers went on to perform well in the first game, with four players scoring in double figures.
James handled the ball reasonably and shot well. He played 45 minutes and finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists on 9-of-16 shooting, 4-of-5 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws.
It's a pity that he is too steady, Boozer is in average condition, and the outside competition is completely at a disadvantage, and the core only shoots 16 balls, which is enough?
James was selfless and comprehensive, and handed over the task of playing the last quarter to his good brother Boozer. Boozer failed to give James enough support on 2-of-4 shooting, scoring just six points on 2-of-6 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws in the final quarter.
93-87 in the final game, the Suns got off to a good start.
The Cavaliers' defense is very successful, but their offense is too poor.
In the second game, James increased his shots, and his shooting percentage immediately dropped, shooting 11 of 24, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 7 of 9 free throws, and cutting 30 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
The coaching staff gave James unlimited shots and let his teammates pull away from the opportunity, because James had the most obvious advantage in the No. 3 position.
However, the current James is the limit of more than 20 shots in a game, and he will panic if he takes more than 30 shots. He prefers to play well-rounded, drive his teammates with playmaking passes, and actively fight for rebounds.
The core of the Suns is Guo Xu, who can shoot infinitely without psychological pressure, he shot 15 of 32, 7 of 17 three-pointers, 6 of 7 free throws, and scored 43 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists.
The Cavaliers' joint defense system is very powerful, Matthews has done a very successful job in defending Roy, Guo Xu did not hesitate to increase his shots, but the efficiency was not high but the offensive firepower was ensured, and he scored 9 points in the last 5 minutes of the final quarter.
105-94, the Suns took another home game and led 2-0. The difference in points between the two games is not much, but the situation is already very clear.
In the third game in Cleveland, James shot 10-of-22, 0-of-2 from three-point range, and 12-of-12 from the free-throw line, finishing with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Boozer finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and three assists on 10-of-20 shooting and 4-of-6 free throws.
Unfortunately, this was not enough, the other players of the Cavaliers were guarded, Mo Williams shot 1 of 7, Matthews shot 2 of 9, and the outside line was fiercely suppressed by the Suns.
The Cavaliers lost another game at home, 100-113, and trailed 3-0 overall.
The Suns' most stable performance was Guo Xu, who shot 12 of 22, 4 of 10 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws, scoring a double-double of 34 points and 14 assists.
Guo Xu's heads-up or passing completely depends on the choice of the knight player, he plays very energetically when he encounters a single defense, and the opponent will share the ball as soon as he is clamped. Mo Williams defended desperately, and the offense couldn't find its rhythm.
Mores signed a six-year, $51.5 million contract extension with the Bucks in 2007, which expires in 2013, and Cavaliers management is ready to trade him for a better point guard to complement James. If the No. 1 position is not strengthened, the knight will not be able to beat the sun at all, and the emperor will always be the crown prince.
In the fourth game, James's mentality collapsed again, and he became timid on the court at the thought of what the media would say about him if he was swept again. He played 40 minutes and finished with 21 points, four rebounds and six assists on 9-of-15 shooting, 2-of-5 three-pointers and 1-of-4 free throws.
The core played like this, and those who didn't know thought that this team had a chance to win, but the end was that the Cavaliers had no power to fight back on their home court, losing 85-111 and being swept 0-4.
The Suns' blocking tactics can't be broken by the Cavaliers, and Gasol Jr. and Ibaka are all pulled out to cover their teammates when they are partnered, one in the middle and one on the side. When Haslem came on the court, the Suns focused on running and shooting, speeding up the transition between offense and defense.
In the playoffs, he didn't shoot much, and Ibaka, who had been iron for many games, suddenly hung up, shooting 10 of 10 and 4 of 4 free throws, and got 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks with a 100% shooting rate.
Ibaka didn't have the offensive ability to hold the ball, and his mid-range shot was solid, with 14 points coming from catch-and-shoot jumpers behind covers.
In order to defend Guo Xu, the Cavaliers lineup expanded and did not dare to shrink in the penalty area all the time. In order to strengthen the offense, the Cavaliers also played small-ball tactics for a while, with Vallejo and Biedrins both resting off the court, and Boozer making a cameo appearance as center.
Gasol Jr. also made a move, playing 31 minutes in Game 4 and scoring 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.
In the finals, Gasol Jr. averaged 15 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and was the third scoring point of the Suns, second only to Guo Xu and Roy.
Guo Xu averaged 26 points, 2.5 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals per game, shooting 50% from the field, 44.3% from three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line.
James also became the king of Wuya as expected before the game.
After sweeping the Cavaliers, the Suns won the championship in the playoffs with a winning record, which is the second time in Guo Xu's career to play such a record.
President David Stern arrived in Cleveland early for a dress rehearsal for the medal ceremony before the game began, and the Finals referees were fair and did not favor either side.
After the first game, Stern didn't bother to use the home whistle and star whistle to increase the winning chips for the Cavaliers, and James didn't look like he could win at all. If the Cavaliers win the Suns by making a lot of free throws, and the gain of playing one more game to make some money outweighs the loss, the fans will definitely blow black whistles.
Vice President Adam Silva had no scruples, and during the meeting, he suggested blowing the whistle too far to get Guo Xu and Ibaka into foul trouble, or simply sending Guo Xu off, which would affect both the Suns' offense and defense.
Silva is very confident, so that he can be sure to blow a reversal for any team that wants to win 1-3 behind, let alone fall behind? Stern had a temperate approach and vetoed the suggestion.
Stern Ginger is still old and spicy, and as soon as he looks at the Cavaliers' performance, he knows that unless they lose face, it is impossible to help them beat the Suns, and it is better to finish the game fairly and find a way next season.
In Stern's view, the Western team has a better chance of threatening the Suns, but several potential teams in the West seem to have tumors affecting their performance, or they are too dependent on the whole and lack superstars.
There are only superstars and reasonable lineups......