The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 321 Small Lineup
Irving slowed down and walked to the free throw line, and the Cavaliers fans watching the live broadcast were relieved.

Two free throws were made, 105:102, the Cavaliers will not lose at least in regular time.

The Warriors must have made a three-pointer this time. Curry received the ball under the double cover of his teammates and rushed to the side to ignore the defense in front of him. However, Curry, who is good at killing three-pointers, missed the ball and the Cavaliers won their first victory in the finals.

James, Irving, and Zhang Xiaotian scored 88 points together, which can be said to be the three strong points that killed the Warriors.

Despite the loss, Warriors coach Kerr still praised his players, "They have done a great job, we have tried different things, but James is too strong and too talented..."

James said, "We know what to do at critical moments, and we did it, but in future games, we must perform better. They are not easy opponents to deal with."

However, Owen still had a problem with his knee.

Although he was not affected by the final free throw in the game, he felt very painful when he returned to the locker room.

This news shocked the outside world. Unlike the previous Eagles, the Warriors are very tough opponents. If Irving can't fight, the Cavaliers will be very difficult.

"I hope he can play. I am serious. I know you probably don't believe me, but I am serious." Warriors coach Cole said to reporters.

The Cavaliers said that whether Irving can play can only be determined after a specific inspection, and no matter whether Irving can play in the end, everyone else must be prepared.

As a teammate, Zhang Xiaotian knew very well that even if it didn't have a big impact, Owen would definitely not be able to fight in the end.

"This time the playoffs are really full of disasters." When resting at home, he sighed a little.

But then he strengthened his determination, no matter what, he must win the championship.

He still has a hole card, and if Irving doesn't play, he will tear through the Warriors' defense.

After it was confirmed that Irving would not play in the second game, almost no one thought that the Cavaliers could win.

After all, it is the home court of the Warriors. One more attack point is not just a matter of one more person scoring, but a matter of restraint. It is easier to score with Irving in Zhang Xiaotian and James.

The Cavaliers started with Dellavedova who played soy sauce. The team has Irving and James. The first position on the bench is basically dispensable. Several chances.

Basically, this player's performance is quite satisfactory, but his hard work is very impressive.

In this game, Dellavedova was easier to use than expected, mainly because of the entanglement with Curry.

Curry was entangled so much that he hit the iron several times.

When Curry was down, Klay Thompson showed more aggressiveness.

Zhang Xiaotian also became ruthless after being hit twice by the opponent. He used his weight advantage to attack the opponent several times, and finally caused Klay Thompson to come off the field early for two fouls, and then the Cavaliers took the opportunity to take the lead.

There is no doubt that the Warriors were held back by the Cavaliers' defense.

The Cavaliers are also used to playing fast, but in front of faster Warriors, they don't mind grinding slowly like the Bulls.

Curry still doesn't feel good, but James is still unstoppable.

Just when the Cavaliers were about to open the score, Klay Thompson showed off again.

Zhang Xiaotian's defense did not have any problems. He deeply understood what offensive initiative is, and that is why many All-Star players would explode each other. Klay Thompson definitely reached that level when he exploded.

However, the Cavaliers did a very good defense in this game. Except for Klay Thompson, everyone else was restricted enough.

For the Cavaliers, Zhang Xiaotian put in too much energy on the defensive end, so he didn't score so many points in the second quarter. Fortunately, the team still maintained the lead in the first half, although it was only 2 points.

During the intermission, Zhang Xiaotian discussed Klay Thompson's problem with the team's coaching staff.

The defense is mostly focused on finding rhythm on the floor, but it helps to know some details after the fact.

In the second half, both sides improved their defensive strength, and even James was restricted.

Draymond Green's ability to assist in defense was demonstrated to the fullest, constantly making the Cavaliers make mistakes, and James was also blocked by him.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiaotian was more adaptable to Klay Thompson's offensive rhythm and did not allow the opponent to easily score points. The Cavaliers stumbled and extended their lead by another point.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors were smart this time and did not let Klay Thompson rest.

James on the Cavaliers didn't rest either. Both he and Zhang Xiaotian had a short rest in the third quarter. Now the score is still tangled, and they are ready to play the fourth quarter.

At the beginning of the last quarter, Zhang Xiaotian scored 4 points in a row.

Steve Kerr couldn't calm down anymore and immediately replaced Curry.

For a player of Curry's level, even if he plays hard, he will be the biggest threat on the court.

Whether it is the containment force or his key ball, it will have a great impact on the Cavaliers' defense.

Curry didn't solve the problem after he came on the court. Zhang Xiaotian and James scored 6 points together, and the score gap seemed to be in double digits.

In less than 4 minutes, the Warriors adjusted for the second time, this time with five small lineups.

The Warriors are fighting with their backs, because James was familiar with small balls in the Heat and played earlier than them, so they also felt that the five small balls would not be very effective against the Cavaliers.

But after putting all their eggs in one basket, the Warriors started chasing points instead.

The starting lineup is still an improvement on the defensive end. They originally thought that Bogut would be able to limit James' breakthrough by staying inside. In fact, Bogut's role is less effective because of footstep problems.

On the contrary, Draymond Green is more efficient in the interior, almost everywhere.

After half a quarter, Draymond Green had five steals and four blocks.

But when the Warriors were about to catch up with the score, Zhang Xiaotian made another three-pointer.

The soldiers of the warriors immediately felt the heartache that their former opponents often felt, and they worked hard for a few minutes, but they were not as chic as others raised their hands.

Flanking, it must be flanking, and several Warriors players also responded that Zhang Xiaotian was indeed more difficult to defend in the final quarter, it was not an illusion.

But here comes the problem, Zhang Xiaotian's attack must be a pincer attack, but what to do when he is outside the three-point line, this is what other teams worry about Curry.

The point is, it's not difficult to entangle Zhang Xiaotian close to him, but the difficulty is that he can resist with his feet and body. After all, this is a forward's body, which is still different from Curry.

But just when the Warriors seemed to be going cold, Curry broke out without warning, scoring 5 points in a row and passing Iguodala to hit a three-pointer.

The 8 points did not even reach half a minute, and the overtake was completed in an instant.

Zhang Xiaotian felt like he was a dog, even if he cheated on this kind of explosive score, he couldn't get it.

David Blatt was also a little panicked, so he went to the fifth elementary school too.

(End of this chapter)