At the mont when the score was tied, Durant felt as if sothing had fiercely stabbed him in the chest.
Why?
Why could Hansen match them evenly even by joining a team like the Cavaliers?!
If this continued, Hansen would truly beco Jordan, and he would just be Drexler, a talented scorer almost forgotten by the ti.
Durant moved to the frontcourt and started asking for the ball.
Big Gasol also displayed his versatility, setting up a solid screen for Durant and quickly pulling Hansen away.
Facing TT, Durant rely used a drag step to change direction, followed by a mid-range stop-and-jump shot.
"Swish!"
The reaper’s scythe swung, and Durant broke the scoring drought for the Heat.
This instantly ignited the Arican Airlines Arena.
Hansen’s recent performance felt like he had thrown a huge rock onto their chests.
Durant’s score suddenly lifted it off.
"Defense! Defense!"
The cheers of the Heat fans rose at the scene.
Amidst the cheers, the defensive intensity of the Heat increased.
Moreover, under Spoelstra’s direction, the Heat also focused on closely marking the Cavaliers’ key periter players.
At this ti, JR’s uniqueness ca into play.
JR’s shooting stability was not as good as Tucker’s, but what set him apart was that while the latter could only shoot from a fixed point, he could shoot on the move.
With Irving being closely guarded by the Heat, JR quickly ran open.
Or rather, even the best defense couldn’t cover everything, the presence of Hansen and Irving inevitably gave him opportunities.
As JR ran into position, Hansen’s pass had already arrived.
Even at the mont JR took the shot, Hansen, having passed the ball, had already turned to the side of the Heat fans, raising his hands in a premature celebration.
Had it been anyone else, they might have faltered upon noticing Hansen’s celebratory gesture, but JR remained unfazed, not even noticing Hansen’s action.
"Swish!"
With another crisp sound, JR consecutively hit threes!
The Cavaliers took back the lead!
Spoelstra could only call for another tiout.
"Is JR still in the league?" Barkley expressed his confusion from the comntator’s booth.
It wasn’t his fault, given the plumting reputation of JR last season and the long suspension this season by the Cavaliers, anyone out of the loop might have thought he had been cut.
"Although I don’t know what happened, he’s had a rebirth over the past week," Kenny Smith knew a bit more.
Since the end of his suspension, JR’s attitude in the ga had significantly improved; although not as good as this ga, he still showed potential.
"This is the best news for the Cavaliers, they need a third scoring option, and JR is the most likely candidate," O’Neal added.
Indeed, that was one of the reasons Hansen had been willing to invest in JR before.
Besides him and Irving, the Cavaliers lacked reliable scoring options.
Bargnani was too frail, Mo Williams was aging, and at 29, JR was the best fit.
After the tiout, both teams rotated their lineups.
During this period, the Heat once again established a lead.
And this advantage stemd from Vucevic in the paint.
Vucevic had been the starting center for the Rockets in the past few seasons, capable of averaging a double-double of 16 points and 11 boards alongside Harden.
This season, with the Heat, although he had moved from starter to reserve, it was more due to tactical needs than a decline in his abilities.
Hawes and Joel Anthony couldn’t guard him at all.
David Griffin was also in Miami with the team, recognizing the need to urgently bolster their interior after observing the scene.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was 24 to 30, the Heat led.
Irving was not at his best tonight; at the start of the second quarter, Malone directly switched to Hansen.
Seeing this, Spoelstra countered by bringing Durant back on.
Hansen imdiately delivered a brilliant pass, assisting JR in hitting his third three-pointer of the night.
"JR’s performance tonight is unexpected, he reminds of ’Mad Max’," Kenny Smith also exclaid.
The nickna ’Mad Max’ ca from Spike Lee, referring to Vernon Maxwell, a clutch shooter known for playing with heart.
Smith brought him up because Maxwell was the starting shooting guard for the back-to-back championship Rockets team, and Smith’s backcourt partner.
In the 90s, Maxwell would attempt almost six three-pointers per ga, but his shooting percentage was just over 30%.
He could wildly sink threes so nights and miss them on many others.
In this aspect, Smith’s comparison was quite apt since they were both "streak shooters."
Of course, that was soone else’s opinion.
JR had already started making kissing gestures to the Heat fans in celebration.
In his mind, he was just having off nights occasionally; most of the ti, making such threes was easy for him.
"You only pass the ball now?" Durant looked disdainfully at Hansen, who was defending him, after reaching the frontcourt.
Hearing this, Hansen was initially stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh.
Back when he had competed against the Thunders, he used trash talk to enrage Durant, aiming to trap him into going at it alone to win the ga.
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