496: It's time to fight for the stars
Accident, for Spolstra, today's game was full of surprises everywhere.
Link easily broke through James in the first quarter, unexpectedly. James made only 1 of 4 shots in the first quarter, unexpectedly.
In the second quarter, when Spoelstra sent a mixed lineup with strong firepower to take over the score, he found that the Grizzlies' 14 substitute lineup was also not weak!
Harris can attack and defend, but James, who played the fourth position, did not take any advantage. Jimmy Butler worked diligently on the defensive end. Although Wade could still score, the scoring process was not easy. Vasquis was elusive, had accurate passes, and stable open shots. Azeli moved quickly and had excellent assisting defense.
Not to mention Link, he ran all over the game today and found him in any corner. When the four substitutes had no chance, Link would always take the initiative to stand up and help the team break the deadlock.
Under Link's leadership, the Grizzlies' lineup not only did not lose their advantage, but also expanded their advantage to 8 points! At the end of the second quarter, when Spoelstra had to start rotating and Stevens could get four, the Filipino coach had only one word in his mind.
Accident!
In the last few minutes of the second quarter, the Black and White Bears carried the offensive banner. Without James and Wade on the court, the Black and White Bears could focus more on the offensive end. Although this set was less than Link, their overall performance was still outstanding.
In the end, after the half-time game, the score between the two sides became 52-43. The Miami Heat narrowed the gap to single digits with Norris Cole's buzzer-beating three-pointer at the last moment.
When Cole hit the buzzer-beating long shot, the Heat players did not cheer without restraint, but still looked heavy.
Because they knew that even if this three-pointer hit, the Heat's situation was still very dangerous.
Today at the American Airlines Center, their winning streak is in jeopardy.
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LeBron James sat in the locker room and looked at his data, feeling extremely shameful.
1 of 4 shots in the first quarter, but it was better to go 0 of 3 shots in the second quarter! The Grizzlies did a great job in his defense, Iguodala and Tony Allen in the first quarter, Harris, Butler and Link in the second quarter, no matter how James changed, he would face a defensive player. And once James broke through, someone in the inside would immediately stand up and block James.
Under such a wheel battle, James was completely lost on the offensive end today. He had a low desire to break through, but tried many mid-range shots that he was not good at, so his efficiency was dismal. Three points in the halftime, not to mention 100 points, he is now far from 30 points.
If it weren't for Wade's 8 points in a single quarter, Ray Allen's 6 points in a single quarter, and Cole's last buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Heat really don't know what would be going on now.
Spoelstra roared in the locker room. He was not blaming the players, but setting up tactics loudly. Doing so can improve the players' attention and also make everyone as excited as possible.
But even so, even if the entire locker room was filled with Spolstra's voice, James couldn't hear it.
Now, his mind is full of provocations before Link. Being provoked by a third-year class finally made his wish come true? James can't accept such a thing!
"You can't even get 30 points, you can't even get 30 points."
James covered his head and tried hard to drive the voice out. Wade seemed to have noticed James' strangeness, so he patted his good brother on the shoulder before appearing.
"What's the saying? Some players, even if they feel cold throughout the game, are dangerous at critical moments. Don't worry, LeBron, I will withstand it. And at critical moments, I know you will stand up."
Wade smiled at James and stepped onto the court.
Wade also spent the whole night today in the wheel battle. On the offensive end, Wade had to face the defense of Link and Jimmy Butler. But even so, Wade still did not give up, but responded to the opponent with his performance.
James let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest. Wade had already fought for this game, and James felt that he should stand up in the second half of the game.
No matter how difficult it is, just rush! As long as you are willing to fight, you will not be afraid of not having a chance!
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James received a pass from Wade from the outside, and this time, he finally met the coveted Zach Randolph.
Randolph posted it up, and he knew that James had tried a lot of mid-range shots today, so he didn't plan to give James any space.
However, James suddenly accelerated as Randolph moved forward and passed through the big black bear!
"After breaking through, can LeBron score?"
While talking, James had already entered the paint area. Marc Gasol, who is still firmly in the second place in the best defensive player prediction ranking, quickly made up, but before he could take off, he collided with James who rushed over at the fast speed.
At that moment, Gasol felt like he was hit by a bullet!
James hit Gasol, which was also uncomfortable. He fought with such a heavy center and suddenly dropped from 100 to 0. This kind of impact was not something that everyone could bear.
Even James could not withstand such an impact. He hurriedly threw the ball into the air, and the basketball didn't even get the frame.
But at this moment, the referee's whistle rang! Gasol made a defensive foul and James would stand on the free throw line again!
"Damn it, this is a reasonable collision!" Now, even Gasol, who had always been emotionally stable, couldn't hold it in, so he quickly spread his hands and chased the referee to argue.
Because until now in the fourth quarter, James no longer knows how many times he has stood on the free throw line!
In the second half, the hero that Heat fans were looking forward to finally appeared. James recovered in the third quarter, scoring 6 points from 3 of 5 shots. His biggest change was that he dared to hit the basket with defense, rather than shooting from mid to long distance.
Although Wade still scored a big shot, James showed signs of recovery, which still made the entire Heat team see hope.
In the fourth quarter, James finally stood up completely! He not only actively fought for rebounds, but also made wonderful passes many times. The most important thing is that James' breakthrough became more determined. The result since this was that James repeatedly won free throw opportunities for himself. If Link remembered correctly, this should have been the third time James has stepped into the free throw line in this quarter.
In other words, James got the chance to score 6 points by relying solely on free throws in this quarter.
The banner on Wade's shoulder was taken by James!
Gasol Jr. is still chasing the referee to excuse himself, but this is useless. Gasol's goal cannot be said to be completely clean, and it is the kind of "blowable or not". But at the American Airlines Center, under the current situation, this ball has become a must-blow.
James finally stood on the free throw line, and he tried hard to adjust his breathing and was not in a hurry to take action.
In the end, driven by responsibility, James made 2 free throws and 5 free throws in the fourth quarter so far, winning the 7th point of the quarter! With only 3 points in the first half, his score in this game has now accumulated to 16 points!
With the efforts of him and Wade, the defending champion Heat were only 2 points behind!
After James hit a free throw, Spoelstra called a timeout. Gasol had already made fouls four times, which is a dangerous signal. In the subsequent games, the Heat will definitely catch Gasol and chase after him. If you lose this inside defensive gate, the situation will be very difficult for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies are too passive now, and Stevens needs someone to be able to cause some damage to the Heat's defense. This is the case in the finals. You can't easily kill your opponent. But as long as your mentality does not collapse, your opponent will not easily kill yourself!
So Stevens walked to Link.
"The game has 6 minutes to end, and before that, I need you to keep scoring."
Chapter completed!