The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 308 Personal Abilities in Strict Defense
When they were in the Heat last season, one big and four small were the norm, but at that time, when they encountered a team with two troublesome insiders, they had to think of other ways, not to mention the current Cavaliers.

It's just that the Cavaliers can only play one big and four small ones, but no one is forcing them.

There was a period of time in the regular season when Varejao was reimbursed and there was a lack of insiders for a period of time. After Mozgov came, this situation did not happen again. I did not expect Love to be accidentally injured in the crucial playoffs.

There is no way inside, the Cavaliers can only find a way from the outside.

Mike Miller didn't play well, and the Cavaliers tried Dellavedova again, but it was still not very good.

On the contrary, Shumpert hit two open spots in a satisfactory manner, which relieved the pressure on the Cavaliers.

Because no matter how good the Bulls' defense is, it is important to focus on James, Zhang Xiaotian, and Irving. The other two points must be put aside. If the Cavaliers have a good shooter at this time, the problem will have been solved long ago.

At the end of the third quarter, Zhang Xiaotian hit a three-pointer to help the team narrow the gap to 6 points.

But this three-pointer was not a last-minute shot, so it didn't attract much attention.

Zhang Xiaotian and Owen didn't rest at the beginning of the last quarter, but James, who felt bad in the third quarter, had to sit on the bench for a while.

That's good, Jimmy Butler, who had been on top, also went to rest with James.

If you use the main force during the rotation period, the Cavaliers are still quite strong, especially after Zhang Xiaotian's skills are activated.

The Bulls can limit Zhang Xiaotian is Jimmy Butler. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Zhang Xiaotian and Irving scored 9 points together, narrowing the score gap to 2 point in just 1 minutes.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau felt bored and panicked, so he quickly chose to make a substitution.

The Cavaliers were not hypocritical, and James also returned to the court.

There are still one big and four small, the inside is Tristan Thompson, and the Cavaliers are clearly fighting for speed.

However, this lineup has some problems with rebounding. Immediately after the timeout, they lost an offensive rebound to allow the opponent to increase their points.

Fortunately, although James is a little unaccustomed to the inside this season, after taking a break and adjusting, he feels better, and he also hit two points in the subsequent offense.

For the defense of this lineup, Zhang Xiaotian must face Jimmy Butler, because the Bulls are still double inside.

In the Bulls' offense, Jimmy Butler changed direction and made a simple pull.

Jimmy Butler bounces very well, and Zhang Xiaotian's defense is already in place. Unexpectedly, Jimmy Butler still uses the height of the uplift to throw the ball.

At most, Jimmy Butler hit [-]% of his shots on this kind of ball, but in the last quarter, Zhang Xiaotian didn't dare to be careless.

There are too many opposing guards this season, he needs to be more aggressive.

"Well, you can't guard me anymore, I am improving every day but you are not." Jimmy Butler said proudly after the hit.

Zhang Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, he also felt that this buddy was the type to play hard and did not intend to talk trash.

"Really, it's a pity that you will lose. You can't go far in the playoffs without a good core, you know."

As soon as Zhang Xiaotian opened his mouth, Jimmy Butler hated him so much, he gritted his teeth and planned to show Zhang Xiaotian a good look.

But then he hit the iron, not to mention Zhang Xiaotian's defensive strength in the final quarter, even in the front, his hit rate would not be very high.

However, the Bulls have the ball in the hands of the stronger Rose, and Jimmy Butler is not so easy like a wave.

Rose hit a goal after hitting the iron twice, and the Cavaliers took the opportunity to narrow the gap to 1 point.

Then the two sides fell into a stalemate. Zhang Xiaotian was guarded by Jimmy Butler, but Irving and James missed shots.

The Bulls didn't have much to do. Rose and Jimmy Butler both made strong shots against the defense, and the effect was still not good.

It was the Bulls who opened the situation first. Gasol first blocked James who forced a layup, and then hit the inside.

The problem of not having Love appeared at the last critical moment, and the advantage went to the Bulls in an instant.

At this time, Irving and James were out of alignment on the outside, which was also frustrating.

Fortunately, it's not just the knights who are not allowed, the two sides are almost fighting with iron.

This time it was the Cavaliers who broke the deadlock first. Zhang Xiaotian almost pushed Butler into the interior, and then distributed the ball to Tristan Thompson, who made a small throw.

There is a difference between only 1 point and 3 points. It is already the last 3 minutes, and the Bulls' offense is still slow. No intention of passing the ball.

If you go back to the years before the injury, maybe he can really get in.

But now it's a bit worse. With James' defense, Rose strikes again.

James' biggest role on the inside defensive end may be to assist in defense. His movement speed and awareness can be done well enough.

Mozgov's help defense relies on height, and the defense-conscious team is still the strongest with James, which is why the team finally put Mozgov below and dared to use Tristan Thompson.

Then James broke through and scored consecutively, and Shumpert, who was put the most by the Bulls, finally made an open shot.

At 1 minute and 33 seconds, the Cavaliers took the lead for the first time since the start.

In competitive sports competitions, it is useless to lead more at the beginning, and the outcome depends on the result.

The Bulls panicked a bit. After requesting a timeout, they gave up the double inside, replaced Hinrich and played one and four, and let Jimmy Butler defend James.

It's not that they underestimated Zhang Xiaotian, there was really no other way. It would be difficult for James to delay the others by rushing inside. If the Cavaliers were not too strong, the score would have been reversed long ago.

After the timeout, the Bulls chose to play inside, but the Cavaliers' defense shrunk decisively, and Gasol's shot was a little hasty and missed.

However, when the Cavaliers came back to attack, Zhang Xiaotian caught the ball and wiped out Mike Dunleavy in one step, and made a steady mid-range shot.

Mike Dunleavy's defense is not too bad, it's just quite satisfactory, but it's obviously not enough to defend Zhang Xiaotian.

The Bulls still value the player's reputation too much. If Mike Dunleavy defends James, even if he passes the inside defense, there is still a chance, but Zhang Xiaotian is confident that he can go straight to the middle distance. This time is more murderous than James.

Time was running out, and Rose was obviously reprimanded by the coach after the last timeout, and both times he handed over the ball early.

Jimmy Butler holds the ball from beyond the arc, and he has the confidence to take responsibility.

Facing Zhang Xiaotian's defense, after two cross dribbles, he made a not-so-forced breakthrough feint and then pulled up violently.

Zhang Xiaotian jumped up to block the shot almost at the same time. Under his interference, Jimmy Butler hit the iron.

In 35 seconds, the Cavaliers led by 3 points and had possession of the ball. After James controlled the rhythm, Zhang Xiaotian stepped forward to ask for the ball. It was time to decide the outcome with one goal.

(End of this chapter)