Chapter 1458: Stop Pretending, It’s My Turn to Perform
You may not believe the Cavaliers' third attack, but you will know just by looking at the lineup in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers sent out the following lineup in the second quarter: center Big Z replaced O'Neal, who played 8 minutes in the first quarter, the power forward was still artist Varejao, who rested for half of the first quarter, and the backcourt was Anthony Parker and West. As for the substitute backcourt partner, the only thing that remains unchanged is the small forward. James is still at this position!
That's right, this is the Cavaliers' third axe!
That is a third position who is not easy to be injured and is very durable.
From who knows when, James' playing time has been more than 42 minutes. Last season, he averaged a terrifying 45 minutes per game, which was the best in the entire league. When the playoffs reached the Eastern Conference Finals, it soared to 46.7 minutes. , almost no different from playing the whole game.
You must know that Howard opposite him averaged 41 minutes per game, which is a very long time. Ji Feng, who played in the Western Conference Finals during the same period, only averaged 38 minutes per game, and Kobe only averaged about 36 minutes. Compared with James, they are both younger brothers.
This season, James' average playing time per game in the frontcourt is still the first in the league, reaching 43.5 minutes. Such a long playing time can last for so many years without any injuries in so many games. It has to be said that James' Physical talent can really make many players envious.
Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady and others were able to cry and fainted in the toilet three times.
This is the confidence of the Cavaliers. Why is it not as easy for many teams with a strong starting lineup to win as people think? If you look at their bench, you will definitely find the answer. No matter how strong the stars are, they need to rest, no. Every star has a body as buggy as James.
It stands to reason that no matter how hard James is, he must be given time to rest. The game against the Magic is an example. No matter how good James is in the last quarter, when his physical strength is almost exhausted, his efficiency will be greatly reduced.
But today is different. Mike Brown attaches great importance to the outcome of this game. In order to win the Lakers, he has already risked his life. James played the entire first quarter and scored 10 of the 30 points, as well as 5 assists and 5 rebounds. .
In the second quarter, he still started and played as a substitute. He just wanted to continue to expand the team's lead and use three axes to completely beat the Lakers to death on the beach!
"Attack, attack! Don't hold back!" Mike Brown started shouting at the players from the first second of the second quarter, because the Lakers actually replaced a large number of substitutes when they were ten points behind!
Kobe, Ji Feng, and Gasol are all gone, leaving only Bynum to partner Powell, and Artest at the third position. This is a normal rotation, but the back line has also been completely changed, with Farmar and Shannon Brown. Two substitutes appeared at the same time.
Mike Brown felt that if he didn't take advantage of these few minutes to expand his 5-10 point advantage, he would be sorry for this lineup!
However, although Lakers fans are a little anxious, they still feel that the score will not be expanded so easily. After all, it is Artest who defends James, a fierce man. He has never been afraid when he met James. In the first quarter, Ji Feng only fought After 7 and a half minutes, he scored 7 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. The rest of the time was a one-on-one struggle between Artest and James. Judging from the effect, it was still very good.
Looking at the data, we can see that although James scored 10 points in the first quarter, he took 9 shots in exchange for it, making 3 of 9 shots. The rest came from free throws, and his shooting rate was only 33.3%.
"If it weren't for Artest, James would have had a chance to score more than 15 points in the first quarter." Barkley concluded in the first quarter. In addition to scoring, it was Artest's close defense of James in the second half that allowed him to pass the ball continuously. .
The reason why the Lakers fell behind was actually because of O'Neal. O'Neal scored 12 points on 6 of 6 shots in the first quarter, which was surprisingly efficient.
Many people have asked whether Artest can guard James one-on-one.
This made Ji Feng reply the same, it was difficult!
In the early days with the Pacers, Artest still had the advantage, but in recent seasons James has gradually reached the peak of his physical fitness. Artest no longer has the physical advantage, and Artest's movements have begun to slow down, which makes his The defensive threat is further reduced.
But this does not mean that James has an advantage, because Artest is not just a mallet who can only use his body. His toughness, his small movements and fierce defensive actions will make him feel very uncomfortable when he is guarded by him.
Especially for players of Lao James's style, James' biggest advantage on the court is his body. Once he is allowed to charge, he is unstoppable. There are few people in the NBA who can compete with his physical strength, and Artest is one of the few. There are several players who can compete with him physically, which makes it difficult for James to get into the paint. Especially when the Lakers have the advantage inside, he has to use a jump shot to end the game.
But at this time, James' jump shooting ability is very average, and his long-range shooting ability is even more embarrassing, so Artest's defense is enough.
However, although defending James alone made it difficult for him to score, James still had a way to solve it. Today, the Cavaliers team felt good. He came up and assisted Big Z and made a mid-range shot to open the score to 12 points.
Then taking advantage of the Lakers' failure to score, James launched a quick counterattack and smashed Huashan to score a goal. Then James cut off Farmar's pass on the defensive end and assisted West to score.
After a wave of 6-0, the point difference was widened to 16 points!
The Lakers called a timeout.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"King James! King James! King James!"
The fans at the scene gave enthusiastic cheers and applause, and they seemed to see a big victory waving to them.
Even Barkley bluntly said that the Cavaliers already had an advantage: "Their tactics are very good, and they were very smart in not taking advantage of James. They tricked the Lakers, and now they have a huge advantage. The Lakers have encountered the biggest situation this season." test.”
The photographer at the scene was also a Cavaliers fan, and he happily pointed the camera at the Lakers bench, just to let everyone see how panicked the people on the Lakers bench were at this moment!
However, he was disappointed. The Lakers bench remained calm, Zen Master's expression was calm, and the players did not panic. Everything was in order.
"Okay guys, their three axes have been swung, now it's time for us to perform!" the Zen Master said to everyone.
The Lakers did not play at their full strength from the beginning. They gave Ji Feng, Kobe Bryant and other main players a long enough rest in order to see the true strength and tactics of this Cavaliers.
This is the regular season, and that's the most important thing compared to wins and losses.
But now, the Cavaliers' tactics have been almost exposed, and it's time to take back the victory!
No more pretending, I’m showing off my cards!
The timeout ended, Ji Feng, Kobe, and Artest stood up at the same time, followed by Bynum and Gasol.