"To be honest, even though there have been four games in this series, this one is the one that makes me feel like a playoff game the most. It reminds me of 20 years ago, of the taste of our time. Drexler said with a heartfelt emotion, his eyes not wanting to leave the competition on the court for a moment, "If I had to choose the most classic game after this series, I would not hesitate to choose this game!" ”

The big screen in the American Airlines arena showed that it was 8 minutes and 27 seconds into the fourth quarter, and there were less than 4 minutes left before the end of the game. The Heat vs. Cavaliers had a score of 73-71, just past the 70-point baseline, which is quite rare for both teams that have always been known for their lethality, even if it is now in the playoffs.

"I agree with you, Clyde, whether it's the Heat or the Cavaliers, I think this is the best game they've played on the defensive end of the series." Bill. Wharton smiled knowingly, "The last rout made the Clevelands understand their lack of defense, and the Heat have been doing a good job defensively with healthy personnel. ”

Wharton was right when he said that the confrontational and fierce defense was the hottest theme of the game tonight. David. Blatter in view of the weakness of the previous game, brought Tristan. Thompson was relegated to the bench and once again put on a big and four-small lineup in G2. James, Iman. Shambaugh, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving were four outside players who controlled the entire half. Although Thompson, who is good at defense, fell out of the starter, the Cavaliers' defensive intensity has increased instead of decreasing, especially in defensive blocking efficiency.

The Heat did not show weakness in the face of opponents who recovered mobility, and now unlike in the G2 war, it is no longer the Frenchman Atkinsa who is guarding the restricted area, but Whiteside, who is very good at protecting the basket. Plus Ruhr. Deng, Ennis, and Addison were as good defensively as ever, and even the Cavaliers couldn't take advantage of the changeover.

The game began in a fierce defensive battle from the first quarter, with successive offensive disadvantages, physical confrontations, and passing errors, but each other's offensive errors rarely turned into counter-attacking scores. After several battles, the two teams, who already know each other, have almost achieved the ultimate in terms of returning defense, trying not to let the opponent's counterattack fast attack take shape, forcing the opponent to fall into a positional battle every round.

The slowdown in the pace of the game resulted in both teams being more solid defensively and more difficult to attack. For a while, both teams seemed to have lost their original style, especially the Heat, who almost couldn't see that this was a team that followed the trend of small ball and was good at counterattacking and attacking quickly.

“Damn…… This is not what we are good at......" Bosh frowned in the audience, and his two thumbs subconsciously pressed against his jaw, "They didn't play like themselves. ”

Wade's expression looked much calmer, and there was even a smile on the corner of his mouth: "At least they made the Clevelands not play like themselves, which is already a good achievement for Eddie." Anything can happen in the playoffs, and he's always going to have to go through that. Now it seems that Add, they're doing a decent job, and the 50% chance of winning is still in their hands, isn't it? ”

Talking on the field between Carey. Owen had already received the ball and launched his next attack, and his not very strong body made two consecutive smart movements, and the large forward change of body went straight to the left side of Addison. The Chinese point guard immediately retreated slightly, and quickly moved sideways to follow the opponent to defend. The confrontation between the two men hindered Irving's breakthrough, and after taking a step, he hurriedly slapped the basketball from behind him, changed his position and rushed to the other side.

Tristan. Thompson's timely cover delayed Addison's pursuit, and Irving took the opportunity to go straight into the paint. Deng Xiefang threw the ball with one hand! Although Whiteside's block failed to block the throw, it affected Irving's crosshairs, and the basketball smashed the basket and popped up but was cut in by LeBron. James grabs an offensive rebound!

James, who was in a hurry to launch a second offense, was just about to use his ability to bounce continuously to re-attack the basket, and at least cause a foul on the Heat's inside, but a pair of slender and rough yellow-skinned palms stabbed over the moment James lifted the basketball from his waist! The basketball was cut off from LBJ's hands in a flash!

"Steal!! Addison is even more ruthless than the spirit snake in stealing!! LeBron didn't react at all!! Drexler roared amid the sudden cheers of the American Airlines Arena, "The Cavaliers are quickly back on defense!" Apparently they don't want to give Miami any chance to fight back!! ”

The Cavaliers' current lineup on the court is Tristan. Thompson, LeBron. James, Iman. With Shambaugh, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving, the lineup is more than twice as athletic as Mozgov was on the floor. In the last moments of David. Blatter sacrificed this lineup to prevent the Heat's defensive counterattack, and was even willing to sacrifice a certain amount of rebounding ability and interior basket protection strength for this.

"It's really fast...... "Addison muttered under his breath, slowing down and dribbling steadily across half court under the pressure of J.R. Smith. The Chinese point guard's gaze swept over the entire three-point line inside and outside. Granger and Ennis are in the bottom corner of the flanks, while Ruhr. Deng stayed in the high zone.

Addison's offensive touch tonight was not very good, shooting only 5 of 15 shots so far in the athletic battle, but under his defense Kyrie. Irving also had a low shooting percentage, and the two were level on the court (although Irving was not against Addison on the defensive end...... ）。

"Position 4 opens up space! Number five, give me cover!! Following Addison's instructions, Ruhr, who had been staying near the free throw line. Deng quickly moved outside the three-point line on the wing, while Whiteside on the inside stepped up and stood firmly next to J.R. Smith. Addison used a short dribble to cover the three-point line, and the strongest part of his dribble is that the action after the cover is extremely fluid, and there are not many point guards who need to pause to observe and think about the shortcomings of the next step, as if all the next steps have been predicted in their minds. After two steps inside the three-point line, he quickly pulled the basketball outside with his left hand, and suddenly skipped it sideways in the direction of the break, and Addison cut from the outside of the paint area to the inside! Tristan of Supplementary Defense. Thompson's half-turn was a beat slower, but he hadn't lost his position yet, and he raised his arm high to jam the inside and follow the basket in the restricted area!

Addison's side squeezed Thompson into the paint, but his opponent's heavy tonnage didn't let him lose his center of gravity, and after taking two steps, he grabbed the basketball with both hands and slashed to the left, while his left leg took a big step towards the baseline. This move that seemed to be an attempt to perform a European step convinced Thompson and JR. Smith, who was chasing after him, and both pressed in the direction that Addison was deflecting!

But Addison's next move was to slam the basketball with both hands into the air exposed by the two defenders! The dexterous and smooth pass hit the floor and flew straight to the basket before the three-second zone, Whiteside, who had tacitly agreed to go down to the ground, took it, and then made a skillful small basket in his right hand through Thompson's body that had not yet turned! The basketball went into the net, accompanied by the louder drumming of the home fans!!

“Pick & Roll，again！！！ Again, Addison and Whiteside's pick-and-roll offense worked!! "Bill. Wharton almost couldn't suppress his joy and applauded in the live broadcast room, "Although the Clevelands played tough defense, they couldn't come up with an effective response to the pick-and-roll cooperation of the two young men inside and outside. Whiteside has 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in this game, and his scoring statistics rank first on the Heat; Addison, on the other hand, had 17 points, 10 assists, 4 steals and 4 rebounds, and the two youngsters played a perfectly complementary pick-and-roll offense! ”

Drexler looked at Whiteside back to the halfcourt in amazement: "I found myself underestimating the Heat's main center before, he was not just a simple defensive interior lineman. At least through the observation of this game, I think this kid still has some talent on the offensive end, especially the small toss and hook hands under the basket...... Compared to DeAndrew. Jordan's hook hand can hook the ball to the basket is much better! ”

"I agree, Clyde, what Whiteside lacks is skill on his feet and confidence in attack. He has some autonomy to attack, and teaming up with Addison maximizes his offensive ability and helps him build confidence. "Bill. "Both of these youngsters have made great strides in the playoffs, and they're transforming into an inside-outside combination that can stand up to the team and stand alone," Wharton said with a smile on his face. ”

***

At 75:71, the margin widened to 4 points. LeBron. James receives a pass at the top of the three-point line and watches his teammates' offense. The Cavaliers' running without players is not aggressive, which is a shortcoming they have had since the regular season. The Royal Goalscorers are accustomed to standing still and waiting for LBJ's breakaway ball, running without the ball is extremely lazy. When James was on the sidelines, there was only Kyrie. Owen was running around looking for an opportunity, and the rest of the players were all standing still waiting for their chance to come to the door on their own.

This is in stark contrast to the scene where the whole team is running frequently to execute tactics when the Heat team is attacking, and James can't help but sigh in his heart, but there is nothing he can do. It's not just a matter of player habits, it's a side effect of the Cavaliers' captain's time reliance on the individual abilities of the superstar, and the role player's first reaction on the offensive end is to watch the two cores attack, rather than fully committing to it. A lot of times they've got themselves standing outside the three-point line waiting for LBJ or Kyry. Irving's pass over was a no-brainer...... And it's becoming more and more ingrained and lingering.

"Run! I can't see your running air cuts! James had to stand outside the three-point line frowning and yelling at his teammates, "You're not a VIP spectator for this game!" Give me a dip! Run!! ”