LeBron made one of two free throws, and the Pacers had another chance to widen the gap.
That chance was naturally grasped by Su Wan.
But Mike Brown clearly didn’t want to see Su Wan single-handedly dismantle the Cavaliers.
He assigned Zhu Fangyu to directly match up with Su Wan and had Larry Hughes help with the defense.
That way, no matter if Su Wan chose to go one-on-one with Zhu Fangyu, play "Cross Movent" on the periter, or even if it’s a "hand-to-hand" reception to launch an attack, Larry Hughes could act as the second line of defense to interfere.
It had to be admitted that Mike Brown genuinely had solid skills on the defensive end.
Many people later said that he got the "Coach of the Year Award" thanks to LeBron, but honestly, turning the Cavaliers into one of the League’s top "defensive squads" was a feat not many coaches could achieve.
It’s just a pity that most people pay more attention to a head coach’s ability to adjust on offense.
This was Mike Brown’s major weakness, and it wasn’t until he completed so further learning with the Warriors that he proved his ability to coach offense with the Kings.
However, after observing, Su Wan still decided to go one-on-one against Zhu Fangyu.
Because he could easily break through on the side without Larry Hughes.
Zhu Fangyu was sturdy, but his lateral movent was slow, making him unable to guard those guards with explosive power.
Coincidentally, Su Wan’s main attack was a breakthrough relying on explosive power.
Zhu Fangyu saw Su Wan move his feet and was just about to step out, but Su Wan had already completed the breakthrough by his side.
"Bang!"
This ball tid the mont Big Z, wary of the "three-second defense" rule, moved outwards and rushed under the basket.
Therefore, Su Wan had an open field in front of him and easily completed the Slam Dunk.
LeBron glared at Zhu Fangyu.
From his perspective, Zhu Fangyu didn’t even extend his hand!
Is the defense that lazy?
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" LeBron looked at Zhu Fangyu, but rembering he wouldn’t understand, he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it."
Zhu Fangyu knew he was at fault, but LeBron’s big reaction made him feel very uncomfortable.
He cursed inwardly:
Idiot!
Just now, LeBron himself was guarding Su Wan and let Su Wan score in two consecutive rounds.
Why didn’t he show such a big reaction and bla himself then?
What a "double-standard dog"!
Brooding over this, his movent on offense wasn’t as active in this round.
Su Wan noticed this and positioned himself closer to LeBron, who had the ball.
Together with Little O’Neal, they were like two Gate Gods standing behind Artest.
Originally feeling pressured by Artest’s dogged defense, LeBron Jas had an even harder ti when he caught sight of Su Wan and Little O’Neal; after hesitating for over a dozen seconds, he passed the ball to Larry Hughes standing on the side wing.
Hughes was bewildered; there were still 7 seconds left, and you’re not playing?
Then you should have passed it earlier!
He hurriedly attempted a breakthrough, but it ended with Little O’Neal delivering a Block, a rather humiliating "hattery."
"What the heck," mumbled Larry Hughes, contorting his body in frustration.
He really didn’t want to make excuses, but this offense wasn’t supposed to be played like this.
At least leave a few more seconds on the clock!
Larry Hughes spread his hands towards LeBron.
But LeBron just turned his head and ran back to defend, without any communication with him.
As if the missed attempt was all Larry Hughes’s fault.
In the ESPN studio, Bill Walton took a breath: "That’s tough!"
He felt exhausted just for the Cavaliers.
The offense was too constipated.
In contrast, as the Pacers possessed the ball again, Su Wan paired with Little O’Neal for a classic "Pick-and-Roll."
The mont after he rolled, Su Wan threw the ball towards the basket.
"Bang!"
The Slam Dunk from Little O’Neal ignited cheers across the venue.
The whole offense, just a re 7 seconds.
The Cavaliers’ offensive display and the Pacers’ offense were worlds apart.
"The paint is too crowded; LeBron has no chance to drive in!" Kenny Smith comnted as he observed LeBron wandering outside the three-point line and exclaid "Too tough." The formidable front line of the Pacers was one thing, but more crucially, there was Foster and Big Z, two "heavy tanks" compressing the space below.
Forget LeBron; not even a fly could get through.
He wanted to suggest subbing Big Z out, but he knew another problem would arise for LeBron:
Not just in this ga, but LeBron was extrely reliant on Big Z’s screening during his breaks.
Without Big Z’s screen, he couldn’t shake off Artest’s entanglent.
"Tweet!"
With a full-force breakthrough, LeBron Jas fell heavily to the ground, laying at the baseline holding his head for quite a while. But shortly after hearing the whistle, he got up as if nothing happened.
Su Wan and the others watched the replay and couldn’t tell who committed the foul.
Little O’Neal turned towards the referee, saw him gesturing his own number, and wore a baffled expression;
Was it ?
Little O’Neal looked up at the replay, striving to find where he fouled.
"Was it because I touched a strand of his hair?" he asked the referee, sounding quite disgruntled.
Sadly, this era had no challenges, or he would have definitely signaled the coaches to use the challenge.
Barkley watched LeBron Jas go to the free-throw line, shook his massive biceps, and suddenly let out a weird laughter.
Kenny Smith looked over, his eyes asking, did you just think of sothing funny again?
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