Chapter 386: The Real Zhan Emperor
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that although the Heat still maintain the lead, the morale of the Trail Blazers has risen, as evidenced by the gradually narrowing point difference. So Spoelstra's substitution is even more important www.biquge.info can James change the tide of the game?
The answer is: Yes!
When he first entered the league, James was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius, and after Kobe Bryant gradually entered the twilight of his career, James established his glory as the league's first person with three consecutive regular season MVPs. Although he has yet to win a championship, no one will question his dominance, and even the most hated fans have to admit that by the time James retires, he will most likely have won multiple championships.
Whether offensive or defensive, as long as James wants to, he is the top presence in the league's food chain. His appearance undoubtedly gave the Heat a shot in the arm, and in turn, the faces of the Trail Blazers players were not very good-looking, this man is indeed the most feared existence in the entire league, and there is no one.
In fact, Spoelstra does not plan to replace James now, in his opinion, the Heat can hold on for a while longer, which can also create more rest time for James. But James couldn't sit still after seeing the Trail Blazers chase the difference to 3 points, and took the initiative to ask for a game, Spoelstra couldn't resist him, so he could only replace James on the court in advance, but deep down he still hoped that James could lead the team to play as dominant as before.
After James came on the court, Batum instantly felt a huge pressure, although James's outside shooting was not as reliable as Jones, but his ball-holding breakthrough was simply overwhelming for Batum. And he can't let Ye Feng help defend, once Ye Feng comes over to wrap up James, he will give Bosh a vacant seat, with James's field of vision, can he not see such a big loophole? A direct transmission can teach you how to be a person.
So the sad Batum was directly blown up by James. James doesn't play with you either, and he doesn't even want to do feints, basically relying on his body to eat after a few crotch dribbles change direction, and directly crush to the inside line like a tank to score a layup.
With James' straight-up breakaway, it's relatively easy to get an offensive foul, but there are two things you need to address. First, James' physical control is fantastic, and although he is a small forward, he can change his path at any time as a guard dribbles and rush, and his strong physical attributes allow him to perform with ease when doing so; Second, any player who wants to make James offensive fouls must have the courage to sacrifice their lives to block the eye, this is the real blocking, and you may never imagine how painful it will be to hit James headlong in full sprint.
Batum tried it once, but the results were entirely conceivable. He was blown by the referee to block the foul, after all, not everyone will succeed every time he makes an offensive foul, but the most difficult thing for him to accept is the moment when the two sides make physical contact, he feels like he was smashed in the chest by a hammer, and after being pulled up by Ye Feng and Mills, there was a faint pain, and his face also showed a trace of sickly paleness, which looked a little uncomfortable.
Obviously, this collision is very ruthless, Batum himself is not a player known for his physical fitness, even if he is replaced by Ye Feng to make James offensive fouls, he may have to suffer a small loss, not to mention. The most tragic thing is that Batum risked being injured and actually failed to make an offensive foul, which can only be said to be a failure to steal chickens.
James made the right choice and he has been watching off the court for quite some time. He watched the Trail Blazers' players gradually regain their form, and knew that it was difficult to limit the opponent on the defensive end, so the best option was to play against the offensive end and use his strong individual ability to help the team regain the advantage.
But having said that, James can't do nothing on the defensive end, but he has a lot more to do than before. Because Ye Feng was put in the No. 4 position, and Bosh's defense in the high post could only delay him for a while, James had to take care of Batum and Ye Feng at the same time when defending. In other words, Bosh's role on the defensive end is to buy time for James, and the interaction between Ye Feng and Batum is completely out of consideration.
With James' athleticism, defending two people at the same time with the help of his teammates is a piece of cake, but the premise is that the distance between the two is not too far, one on the strong side and the other on the weak side, he will be confused. But the Trail Blazers can't be so positioned, Mills is only suitable for breaking through the ball, in fact, the task of organizing the offense is undertaken by Ye Feng and Batum, one on the strong side and the other on the weak side will lead to a large number of lateral and large-scale passes, and this kind of pass is the easiest to be stealed.
After being stolen twice by James in a row, Ye Feng and Batum subconsciously shortened the distance between the two, which opened the door for James again. In addition to Ye Feng's ability to score points through strong throwing, Batum has completely become a pure playmaker, the offensive firepower is completely locked, and the help to the team in scoring is not as strong as Mills, at least Mills can use his speed to bully the aging Bibby and look for opportunities under the basket.
With James' efforts on both ends of the floor, the Heat once again pulled the score away. In fact, for any team in the league, James in peak condition is really an inexplicable existence, and players who can really defend him are rare in the entire league. Under normal circumstances, a tie with James is already considered a top player in the league, and if you want to completely suppress James, you may have to wait for him to be in poor shape before he has a chance.
Fortunately, the last attack before the end of the first half was launched by the Trail Blazers, and Ye Feng was lucky to hit a long-range three-pointer near the halfway line, otherwise the score might have been more ugly. Throughout the first half, Ye Feng once again scored 21 points and 3 assists, basically reaching the level of previous games, but unfortunately the Trail Blazers have fallen behind by 12 points, and it would have looked even worse if it wasn't for that three-pointer.
However, strictly speaking, Ye Feng only scored at a normal level, and 3 assists in the half are rare in this year's playoffs, even the time he scored 59 points, he also handed out 4 assists in the first half. The Heat's sudden display of tough defense forced the Trail Blazers players to rely on their individual skills to score, and the previous smooth passing and tandem seemed to disappear overnight.