The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 535 Core Showdown
Back in the second half, James still felt refreshed.

But in the first few minutes, he didn't play as aggressively as he did in the first half.

It worked, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard exchanged glances, more actively looking for physical confrontation with each other.

But James just slowed down, and as the game progressed, he came alive again.

He can't do it unless he recovers quickly. If he doesn't participate in the offense less, the Cavaliers will be in a mess on the offensive end.

So James went into personal mode again and fell headfirst into the Spurs' trap.

But James is like a beast, even if he is trapped with a trap, accidents may happen.

If he breaks through the trap, the hunter Spurs may become the food of the beast.

It's still so tiring after it's turned on, Leonard is still responsible for this, and Zhang Xiaotian also feels a little incredible.

James also feels off the hook, a player of his level is really difficult to deal with.

But as time passed, Zhang Xiaotian became more and more confident.

No matter how strong James is, he will continue to be consumed, but he can reverse growth and become stronger in the final quarter.

And, by the time James snoozes, the Spurs have taken the lead.

Unexpectedly, James broke out again at this time, and two consecutive three-pointers turned the score over again.

James didn't shoot three-pointers when his shooting percentage was high. He still has shortcomings in this area. I didn't expect that when this guy's shooting percentage dropped, he would be bolder. The key is that he really hit it.

Sure enough, players who can reach such a status in the arena can't do without some means.

The more you fight, the braver you are, Zhang Xiaotian will never be afraid.

He kept reminding his teammates to pay attention to the defense. During Popovich's absence, he has become more accustomed to commanding on the court.

Now that the old man is on the sidelines, Zhang Xiaotian also directs very naturally.

The Spurs' increased defensive intensity does not seem to have an obvious effect on James, but it puts a lot of pressure on other Cavaliers players, and James was forced to play more singles.

James is also a stable scoring type. Two consecutive three-pointers are already a burst of performance. After the Spurs further strengthened their targeting, the Cavaliers' next few attacks were restricted.

On the other hand, Zhang Xiaotian scored 4 points in a row and assisted his teammates to hit a three-pointer. The Spurs took the lead again.

It wasn't just a defensive problem. Being taken care of by Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard in turn, James' physical strength finally showed that something was wrong.

There is no problem with running or anything, but the shooting touch has been affected.

And regardless of whether it is a physical problem or not, the Cavaliers' offense will definitely be affected after James' outside basket is not allowed.

Facing the Spurs, the Cavaliers did not have the confidence to keep James on the court after all.

At 1 minute and 15 seconds into the third quarter, James took a break, and Zhang Xiaotian followed suit. At the end of the quarter, the Spurs took a slight lead.

The Cavaliers really couldn't play without James, so James returned to the court immediately in the fourth quarter.

This is the gap between the two teams. If the Spurs did not have Zhang Xiaotian, they would not be able to reach their strongest state, but they would not behave awkwardly like the Cavaliers.

The more this is the case, the more unnecessary and complicated the Spurs' defensive strategy is.

However, when Zhang Xiaotian led the team alone, he also had to face a highly targeted defense.

The two collided head-on in the fourth quarter, both were extremely defensive, and the team did not hesitate to flank.

So the two did not have a scoring battle at first, but an organizational battle.

The Cavaliers really felt a little bit today. James came up and assisted Jeff Green and Korver in a row.

Of course, Zhang Xiaotian is not far behind. The Cavaliers' defense should restrict him, but the Spurs' defense loopholes are bigger. Ginobili, Gerald Green and other players have all got their chances.

If the Cavaliers have a sense of the three-pointer, the Spurs' three-pointer is very high as long as it is open, as long as it is passed by Zhang Xiaotian.

So in less than 2 minutes, James couldn't hold on to the organizational battle.

After the two sides' defenses were prepared, the Cavaliers' three-pointer had problems, but the Spurs' three-pointer was still very deadly.

James immediately switched to a personal offensive mode. I really have to admire him in this aspect. The physical strength he showed in this playoffs is really strong enough.

He hit several mid-range shots in a row, and Zhang Xiaotian's defense was no longer a problem. It was completely a super personal ability, and it was no different from cheating.

Especially in the confrontation ability, Zhang Xiaotian's values ​​were overflowing, and he didn't take advantage of it.

The Spurs also made lineup adjustments, and Leonard and other strong points were replaced.

James is still strong, hitting all kinds of defensive attacks.

However, the Spurs' defense was also very successful, and no one else in the Cavaliers could score except him.

Originally, the Cavaliers planned to use James with a half-substitute lineup to turn the score, because this lineup is the strongest three-pointer, and when James is in good form, this lineup is better than the main force.

But they found that no one helped James, and when the score was still ahead of the Spurs, the Cavaliers could only make adjustments.

After halfway through the final quarter, they replaced Love.

Although Love didn't feel particularly good this time, apart from James, only Love is considered a strong point in the team.

After Love came up, he hit an offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer, which narrowed the gap between the two sides to 1 point.

However, Zhang Xiaotian and Leonard then each hit a three-pointer, which made the Cavaliers desperately trying to reach their destination, but found that the destination had changed, and their fighting spirit was seriously affected.

At this time, James stepped forward again. He has been in the league for so many years, and his willpower is almost forged.

He made consecutive mid-range shots and hit 2+1 to tie the score while the Spurs were blown off a moving screen.

At this time, the time has entered the last 2 minutes, and it was the first time that Zhang Xiaotian opened two hangs and was forced to do so.

Is this the strongest James? I'm really excited. It must be very exciting to defeat James in this state.

Zhang Xiaotian recalled the comments of the fans before the start of the war, and called the consecutive encounters between the two in the finals the strongest striker duel. The No. 1 debate has become more and more frequent this season.

Zhang Xiaotian knew that he was still a long way from the No.1 position, but for this finals, he was on the winning side.

Take the team's momentum and kill James, defend the title, and he will become the new king of the league.

"You've done a good job, as a challenger... However, I'm going to really go all out soon."

"Your trash talk is good, but it doesn't mean anything to me, I will win the game."

"Maybe you can score 50 points, but the victory is mine."

"No, you can't decide the outcome of the game."

While speaking, Zhang Xiaotian received the ball, and the Spurs covered the Cavaliers for a substitution. Zhang Xiaotian broke through and only killed the basket. James blocked it with all his strength, and the two collided heavily.

(End of this chapter)