Pick Westbrook

Chapter 116 The Battle of Tianwang Mountain

5 month 13 day.

Game [-] of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Cavaliers host the Bucks.

Battle of Tianwang Mountain.

"Cleveland never imagined that their home team would lose two games in a row on the road, and they still lost to the Bucks, a long-standing Eastern Conference team."

Barkley admires the tenacity and courage shown by the Bucks. On the stage of the playoffs, no one can guarantee what will happen after 2:2, even if the Bucks are a team with obvious lineup strength. weaker team.

"But now they hurt Artest." Kenny Smith said helplessly.

Artest is the key to the Bucks' ability to limit James in this round of the series. Now that there is no such a forward defensive champion, the Bucks' hope of winning the game is even slimmer.

Su Qun said to the broadcast camera in front of him: "At this time, the Bucks need more people to stand up, Westbrook, Yi Jianlian, Dragic, George Hill, Villanueva...
Everyone has to work hard to step up and fill Artest's previous role. "

It's just that, in the past, Artest wiped the ass of all his teammates' defensive loopholes, but now they are asked to work hard for the defense after losing Artest. Su Qun shook his head, which is not realistic.

Looking at the court, Li Lai took a deep breath, and the pressure suddenly increased without Artest.

Marshall also looked nervously at James on the court. He had been informed by Li Lai in advance that he would defend James throughout the game.

That's King James.

Marshall already had a premonition of the scene where he was going to be blown up next.

"When you meet on a narrow road, the brave wins."

Li Lai turned his head to look at Marshall, patted him on the shoulder and said, "No matter what stats James can play in the end, these are not important.

What matters is whether you have the courage to fight against him. "

The veteran, who will be 1 years old in one month, showed a completely reliable appearance at this time. He said firmly with his eyes: "Coach, Donyell Marshall will dedicate his career to the Bucks." Last dance."

Game start.

Bucks starting lineup: point guard Westbrook, shooting guard George Hill, small forward Marshall, power forward Villanueva, center Yi Jianlian.

Cavaliers starting lineup: point guard Maurice Williams, shooting guard Delonti West, small forward James, power forward Varejao, center Z.

Midline jump ball.

Yi Jianlian leaped high and domineeringly, snatching the ball from Big Z.

"This is the first time in the series!"

Intuition has already told Barkley that the players of the Bucks are in a different state in this game tonight. The excitement of each player on the court is incomparable to that of the Cavaliers.

Westbrook advanced with the ball, and Yi Jianlian made a high pick-and-roll.

"The tempo is fast!"

The Cavaliers still used a three-person perimeter to double-team the defense, and this time the opportunity came to Marshall in the bottom corner.

"Marshall's three-point shooting rate in the regular season this season reached 42%. He has a certain shooting ability, but the sample is too small. This shooting rate is not in line with his true level, and he did not do much in the playoffs. Whether he can withstand such pressure or not is another matter."

Just when Tyronn Lue was worried about Marshall's state on the court, the opponent had already made a decisive shot, and the basketball drew a perfect arc over the arena, and then made a steady hit.

Swish!
"The ball is in!"

"The Cavaliers obviously have the idea of ​​deliberately letting Marshall shoot. They want to see if this veteran has the ability to play in the playoffs, but now it seems that this player who was determined to be a garbage contract at the beginning of the season , there is still oil in the tank!"

James is very surprised that Marshall can still maintain such a combat effectiveness at the age of a [-]-year-old man, but it is obvious that Marshall's footsteps on the court are slow and his body is aging. In addition to shooting shots, he can do other things for the team. Contributions are few and far between.

So when the offense was switched, James raised his hand and asked for the ball.

This round, he will single out Marshall!

"I'm coming!"

"Whether the Bucks have a chance of defeating the Cavaliers depends on this goal!"

"If Marshall can have half of Artast's defensive strength, not to mention completely restricting James, as long as he can slightly restrict him by one or two goals, the Bucks are not completely without hope of winning."

"But if they can't defend, they will be ready to be blown up by James."

James asked for the ball in the low post, and Xiao Mo hurried away after passing the ball high.

Marshall lowered his center of gravity and pushed his left leg back as far as possible, trying to rely on the strength of his leg to withstand James' next impact.

A library!
James backed up and spat out on Marshall with just the first ball, and his body was pushed back two steps.

Although James in this period did not have great efficiency and skill in post-up singles, he was superior in strength and core strength.

Just like Artest, even a player as rough as he can do two backs in the low post, let alone James.

James reached the paint area. At this time, he also made a simple and rough forward turn, and then turned around for a layup.

Marshall used his body to hit the hardtop again, but as soon as he made contact with James, he was knocked hard to the floor like a brick.

Duang!

Marshall tried to pull James' arm at the last minute, and the ball was interfered!
"Good job!"

"Nice job, Marshall!"

"Prevent that bastard!"

For the first ball, Marshall defended well. Westbrook, Yi Jianlian and other Bucks players all gave thumbs up to Marshall's performance.

After the latter arrogantly did a push-up on the ground, he stood up proudly, pointed at James and said, "This guy, leave it to me to defend!"

beep!beep!
The referee blows the whistle!

This is a defensive foul.

James shook his head unhappily. The must-score 2 points turned into a nasty free throw, which made him very unhappy.

Duang!

Missed the first free throw.

"Damn!"

Re-attacking, Westbrook found a defensive gap outside the three-point line and hit another three-pointer.

The Cavaliers attack.

James chose to hold the ball on the outside this time, and all the Cavaliers pulled away tacitly.

James didn't even plan to take this ball in a pick-and-roll, because with his foot speed, he has enough confidence to pass Marshall in one step.

He wants to get back where he was before!
"Defense!" Westbrook shouted behind him.

At this time, Westbrook also took over the responsibility of Artest, acting as the defensive leader of the Bucks on the court, always reminding his teammates to pay attention to defense.

James lowered his center of gravity to dribble, changed hands, accelerated, and passed in one step!

"It's been really clean."

Westbrook's waist shrunk to help defend, but James, who had already rushed up, couldn't help anyone to help defend.

Yi Jianlian hurried back to the penalty area, but James, who was one step from the free throw line, had already taken off, and riding Yi Jianlian was a one-handed tomahawk.

James, who landed after the dunk, was extremely arrogant. He slapped the dropped ball and looked at the world and said, "If you still use Marshall to defend me, you know, I will end the game."

Li Lai took a deep breath off the court.

Although he had already expected such a result, there was always a fluke hope in his heart. What if Marshall could prevent it?
"Marshall can't guard James at all, he is too old to keep up, no matter how hard he tries, it is useless.

Marshall had already had a hard time defending against the previous foul. "

Tyronn Lue looked at Li Lai with a mostly lonely expression. In his opinion, the Bucks' playoff journey might be coming to an end here.

"But the veteran is already playing defense with rusty legs."

Li Lai only has respect for the veteran Marshall.

He's still looking steadfastly at the court, at the players who are still working hard.

"If you can't be defeated if you are strong, then what kind of playoffs will the NBA play, and the championship will be awarded directly to the stronger team, such as the Lakers this season."

"But the Spurs will definitely not be convinced, because their lineup is also good, and the Nuggets don't seem to be convinced either. After all, they have put in so much effort this season. Will the Cavaliers be convinced? The Celtics Will you be convinced?"

"They won't be convinced, that's why there are playoffs, and not every time the team with the strongest strength wins the last laugh, opportunities, injuries, momentum, one or two key goals, and who A scene of heroes and saviors in a city, this is the cute and most lovable place in the NBA."

"Lu, actually, I'm not convinced that I lost to the Cavaliers."

Tyronn Lue was stunned. This passage made him unable to feel any refutation. He knew how hard Li Lai and the Bucks had put in this season, and how hard every player had worked hard to train. Originally, they Has unexpectedly reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, and even drew 2:2 with the Cavaliers, the league's number one record, but the damn injury affected Artest, which affected the tilt of the entire series.

"But do the Bucks really have any hope of winning?"

on the field.

Everyone in the Bucks is working hard to launch an offense. They are clearly aware that without Artest, they have no chance of winning the game with defense.

Then fight to attack!

Didn't the Bucks have been fighting offense throughout the regular season? When did they ever fear any team in terms of offense?

Westbrook quickly went down with the ball to attract double-teams, and Yi Jianlian shot a super long three-pointer.

George Hill made a steady shot from a 45° angle outside the three-point line.

Andre Ingram played his highlight moment in this round of the series. He has hit at least 5 three-pointers from beyond the three-point line in 3 consecutive games.

The Bucks once again shot the Cavaliers up and down with extremely gorgeous three-pointers.

At the end of the first quarter, at 35:33, the Bucks took the lead and entered the second quarter.

"The Bucks were able to take the lead in the first quarter, which, to be honest, was beyond my expectations, and once again they beat the Cavaliers to the ground with their own unique three-point offense.

But in the second quarter, it was their most dangerous time. "

Barkley had been looking forward to this moment.

Because the original Bucks only used an 8-man rotation in the playoffs, and now that Artest is missing, they have to let Marshall play on top. Although they still have an 8-man rotation, Artest's playing time Reached an average of 42 minutes per game, can Marshall withstand it?
"He can't stand it, after all, he is 36 years old."

Kenny Smith shook his head and sighed.

In other words, the Bucks had to send another player more to the small forward position.

The second quarter begins.

Bucks bench lineup: Dragic, Andre Ingram, George Hill, Marshall, Yi Jianlian.

"This is... one big four small lineup?"

Barkley was shocked to see this lineup, but he was even more shocked that Marshall was still on the court.

Tyronn Lue was already nervous on the bench, "Coach, Marshall is a veteran, and he didn't defend James well in the first quarter. We should reduce his playing time and let him rest more. right."

Li Lai looked at the field with a solemn expression, waiting to see if that player would play again. He guessed that the opponent would definitely continue to play, because the opponent was known for his endurance throughout his career, but he still didn't dare. Sure.

"James continues to play!"

call!
Li Lai took a long breath, and James was still there, so the Bucks' idea of ​​continuing to maintain their lead by relying on the bench was completely lost.

At this time, Li Lai had nothing to do. If the Bucks could still rely on Westbrook's impact to the basket to get an outside shot in the first quarter, then in the second quarter, it would be completely impossible to rely on Dragic to create the same opportunity. Not very realistic.

Dragic's ability to break through and score is better, but the Cavaliers have learned the lessons of the previous games and have begun to chase Dragic close to the defense. In this case, the Bucks' bench lineup is already weak , It is almost impossible to continue to maintain the lead, and it would be good not to be blown up by the Cavaliers.

So Li Lai put all his eggs in one basket and boldly dispatched the ultimate offensive lineup of one big and four small.

"Without Artest, the Bucks are destined to be impossible to limit James, and it will be difficult to win the entire series with defense.

Then it's better to play the ultimate attack, using one's own strengths to attack the other's weaknesses. "

The game continues.

Yi Jianlian dealt the card at a high position, and the other four players of the Bucks made several off-ball pick-and-rolls in a row. Then Andre Ingram flicked out, and Yi Jianlian fired a long pass steadily.

Swish!
Three point hit!

Andre Ingram, who made another three-pointer, raised his right hand, stretched out three fingers and said, "Cavaliers, we will not admit defeat to you."

James caught the switch, a high-speed advance reached the Bucks' hinterland penalty area, turned around and scored with a back dunk.

Here's a response to Andre Ingram.

After playing a large and a small lineup, it is even more difficult for the Bucks to limit James' breakthrough and damage.

This section of the game has completely turned into an offensive battle between the two teams.

In Barkley's view, the Bucks' style of play is too extreme.

Because they almost completely gave up defense, and even gave up the scrimmage for rebounds. Otherwise, how can Yi Jianlian keep appearing in high positions?

It's just that such an extreme offense can naturally create a lot of open shots on the court, but once the players feel out of alignment, they will be greeted by countless counterattacks from the Cavaliers and James.

Game four.

The Bucks' touch began to have problems. To be precise, their shooting accuracy fluctuated greatly because of their physical fitness.

This is the biggest disadvantage brought about by fewer players.

104: 106.

The Cavaliers overtook the score.

There are still 30 seconds left in the score.

Cavaliers possession.

Barkley stood up, and he had nothing but respect for the entire Bucks team.

In Barkley's view, as long as the Cavaliers run out of time on this ball, or they can score a two-pointer in the end, they will easily win the game.

Of course, the Bucks can choose foul tactics, but obviously, it is not rational to choose foul at this time.

"This season, after the Bucks call a timeout, the players are shooting at a very high rate.

Li Lai is also worthy of being an excellent coach. His timeout bout tactics, whether defensive or offensive, are arranged extremely cleverly. "

Kenny Smith said in a tearful tone: "The Bucks can still compete with the Cavaliers without Artest. They are a well-deserved strong team in the league!
What ESPN's bullshit league is second to last, go to hell. "

Sideline serve.

Milwaukee.

"Hey, hey, Ron, have you scolded enough? My ancestors have been greeted by you for eighteen generations. Can you also accumulate some virtue?"

Reggie Miller heaved a long sigh. He knew that he would never end well if he accepted the task of watching over Artest.

No, from my sister, to my mother, to God, I was greeted by Artest.

This hot-tempered Artest, let alone his former leader, even if his own mother came, he would still scold him if he got angry.

"No! I found that when I scolded your No.14 ancestor just now, it wasn't poisonous enough. Now I will scold you again from the first generation."

Reggie Miller: ... I thank you for my ancestors.

Artest gasped for breath and was about to curse again when the last 30 seconds of the game between the Cavaliers and the Bucks was being played on the broadcast TV in front of the two of them.

Reggie Miller sighed, took out a bunch of keys from his body, and then went to Artest to untie the chains that were tightly wrapped around his body.

"I'm sorry, brother, both Li Lai and I are choosing the best way for you."

"In this game, your teammates played very hard, but now it seems that we are still going to lose."

Artest, who was unchained, knew that even if he wanted to rush to Cleveland at this time, it would not help. He watched the TV in front of him nervously, expecting his teammates to create miracles.

As long as he can win this crucial Tianwangshan battle, then neither Li Lai nor Reggie Miller can prevent him from playing the rest of the games in a closed game, because they are only one step away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Varejao served the ball from the sideline, and Li Lai and Mike Brown stood nervously near the center line.

The Cavaliers chose the serve tactic of four-man wall. The moment the whistle blew, the wall began to move rapidly. James borrowed the pick-and-roll from Big Z and Mo to come outside the three-point line and catch the ball steadily. success.

Marshall rushed forward to press, James did not choose to pass the ball, but knocked Marshall back two steps with a light shoulder, and then began to hold the ball to press time.

Westbrook double-teams decisively!
"The Bucks are very aggressive on this ball defense, they just want to make the Cavaliers' mistakes!"

All the fans at the scene stood up excitedly.

James chose to distribute the ball to Xiao Mo, who was open on the other side.

This shot made all Cleveland fans and the Cavaliers coaching staff very nervous.

"If you pass it on to anyone, you can't pass it on to him!"

In this round of the series, Xiao Mo averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was 34%. It was completely opposite to the arrogance before the start of the series. If it wasn't for James' super performance, this guy would almost be blamed.

Xiao Mo was also very nervous when he got the ball. He neither dared to break through to the basket, nor did he dare to pass the ball. In the end, he could only make a few lucks on the outside.

George Hill pounced.

Xiao Mo was about to cry and shouted, "Come and catch the ball!"

James shook his head speechlessly, forcibly shook off the two defenders in front of him and turned to the other side, holding the ball in his hands again.

Xiao Mo, who lost the possession of the ball, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But at this time the Bucks once again chose to double-team James crazily.

Li Lai, who did not choose to double-team James in the entire series, made James extremely uncomfortable with the sudden arrangement at this time.

Originally, Li Lai thought that such a targeted and crazy press would definitely cause the Cavaliers to make mistakes, and then played a fast break to tie the score in an instant, but now it seems that he still underestimated James' ability to control the field and his desire to play this season. Determined to make a difference in the playoffs.

"After all, he is the new MVP!"

A lot of time has passed on the court, James looked up and made a fast break decisively.

At this time, choosing a safe two-pointer to kill the game is also the most correct way to attack.

James has always only chosen the most correct way of attack.

Reasonable enough to be almost outrageous.

Marshall always stood in front of James, with Westbrook chasing him behind him.

James headed into the penalty area against the defense of the two, and finally came with an elegant rebound shot.

boom!
Mike Brown stood up nervously.

Li Lai was also taken aback by the scene on the field.

Marshall actually jumped to an unimaginable height, and then touched the basketball lightly with his fingers!

"It's a block!"

Westbrook picked up the rebound excitedly and quickly counterattacked.

Kenny Smith was about to yell excitedly, "There are still 6 seconds left at this time, and the Bucks still have a chance to make a shot!"

After blocking James, Marshall seemed to have exhausted all his strength in his life. When he landed, his feet were unsteady and fell on the court. He stopped the Bucks players and team doctors who were about to come, because the game could not end because of him Interrupted, he looked upfield, where Westbrook was taking off at a brisk pace.

"Coach, this is my last dance, dedicated to the most united Bucks team I have ever seen."

Cleveland fans are already on edge at this point.

James desperately returned to defense.

The series has already been like this, and this guy still has such physical strength.

Westbrook glanced behind him, knowing that James had arrived, he gave up the more secure chance of a 2-point tie, but slammed the ball behind him.

James thought Westbrook was going to shoot, and he was already flying, but finally realized that it was a pass, and looked behind him nervously.

Yi Jianlian has received the pass steadily from outside the three-point line, and there is no defense!
"The Bucks still want to kill!"

Barkley glanced at the time remaining on the scoreboard.

2 seconds!
Yi Jianlian took a deep breath, and he made the top three-pointer many times.

At this time, he also steadily chose a three-point shot as usual.

All the players on the field stopped, and they all looked up to the top of the arena, and the basketball crossed a beautiful arc.

Duang!

"Strike the iron!!!"

James raised his hands and ran excitedly from the backcourt to the frontcourt.

Time is running out.

All the players of the Cavaliers hugged each other tightly and bumped into each other. Mike Brown breathed a sigh of relief. Even in the previous finals, he had never been so nervous as tonight.

Yi Jianlian looked at his hands, and finally fell down on the court with a cry.

He slammed his hand on the floor in front of him with the hand that had finished shooting, put his head on the floor, and cried, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's all my fault!"

Westbrook held down Yi Jianlian who was still apologetic, "No one can guarantee that the next shot will be made. This sentence is what the coach said."

Li Lai sighed, "We still lost."

Tyronn Lue was already holding his head on the sidelines, his eyes were red.

"We have worked so hard, why should we lose?"

Su Qun also wiped away tears towards the camera and said: "This is the playoffs, this is the NBA, no one can predict what will happen in the next second.

For the UAE, this trip to the playoffs will definitely become a memory of his entire career, and he will always remember this night. "

On the other side of the ocean, the Chinese fans also sighed regretfully.

They almost thought that Yi Jianlian was going to create a miracle, but unfortunately there was no miracle.

In Milwaukee, Artest hugged the TV and cried for a while.

Reggie Miller on the side didn't know whether to step forward to persuade him or not.

In short, after losing the battle of Tianwangshan, the Bucks have little hope of winning next.

James Tianwangshan battle, 45 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

威斯特布鲁克20分15篮板8助攻，易键联21分8篮板3助攻。

locker room.

Everyone in the Bucks was silent.

No one can accept such a loss.

Yi Jianlian was disappointed and said: "I wasted everyone's hard work all night, and it's all my fault."

Li Lai walked up to Yi Jianlian with a blank expression, and the latter had a snot on his lips.

Li Lai took off the clothes on Yi Jianlian's body, and saw countless bright red bloodstains, some of which had been scarred and turned into black scars, and some were still bright red, obviously left from tonight.

Everyone looked at Yi Jianlian who was covered in injuries, but he had never mentioned it to everyone.

Li Lai said seriously: "Some of these injuries were left by the Bulls' Noah, and some were left by Big Z and Varejao.

Our inside defense does have a big problem, but Yi Jianlian resisted all of these alone. Without his hard work inside, we would not be where we are today. "

Yi Jianlian snorted and murmured, "Coach."

Li Lai continued: "We made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals, and we faced the Cavaliers with the best record in the league."

"Coach Tylen Lue and I can see clearly off the court. You are working hard on the court, and we are very satisfied with your performance."

"No one can guarantee that the next game will be won. I know you all want to bring this victory back for Artest, but we have tried our best. I believe Artest who saw us in Milwaukee Definitely a proud thumbs up.”

In fact, Artest in Milwaukee was so sad that he smashed the TV in front of him.

At this time, all the players of the Bucks rekindled their hopes.

Yes, they almost pulled down the league's No. [-] team, and even let James win a game on the court to show such emotions, they are proud enough.

Li Lai stretched out his hand and said, "Now, pack up your mood and prepare to return to our home game in Milwaukee.

The Bucks will never bow to anyone! "

At this time, a staff member revealed to Li Lai that Marshall was also injured.

This can be regarded as the leak in the house happens to rain all night, and the boat is late and hits the headwind.

In order to block James' last goal, the 36-year-old almost broke his leg. According to the initial diagnosis from the team doctor, Marshall should have a sprained ankle.

It's another injury that needs to be recuperated, and at Marshall's current age, he should have played the last game of his career.

Tyronn Lue said with difficulty from the side: "The Bucks have no small forwards available."

(End of this chapter)