The era of point forwards in the NBA

Chapter 273 Taking the lead for the first time
The game continued in the second half.

The game between the Thunder and the Cavaliers reached a new high in ratings this month, which made David Stern feel satisfied. This season's All-Star Game is coming, and he has to do some stunts in advance.

In the duel between James and Durant, James had the upper hand. This time Durant's hand feeling was not good. Under James' strict defense, Durant's offensive efficiency was not as good as usual. Fortunately, Lin Yue and Curry's hand feel was good.

The Thunder didn't fall behind too much.

Coming to the third quarter where the Thunder are best at, the Thunder fans in front of the screen hope that they can achieve a reversal in this quarter.

With the Cavaliers' possession of the ball, James tried to score a three-pointer as soon as he came up.

The high shooting percentage in the first half made him think that today's touch can be maintained, but Durant noticed something and stretched out his hand to interfere.

James' three-point shooting percentage this season has indeed reached a career high, but he is not a shooter after all, and his stability is not guaranteed.

The basketball bounced out of the frame naturally, Collison took the defensive rebound against O'Neal, and the Thunder launched a fast break.

Durant took the lead, Curry continued to run beyond the three-point line, and the Thunder rehearsed their fast break moves countless times in practice, and now they are in their respective positions.

Lin Yue threw a long pass directly into Durant's hands, and James was still chasing the ball behind him. As long as Durant got the ball, he could go up the ball without blocking it.

Lin Yue's pass was predictable. Durant got the ball on the move, put his hands together and ran towards the basket. He wanted to finish the attack with a dunk with both hands, and James was chasing after him.

Being suppressed for half the game, Durant didn't want to waste any more chances. He jumped hard and made a dunk.

James behind him took the opportunity to take off at the same time, trying to cap the ball from behind.

Fortunately, Durant's wingspan is longer, James took the ball later, and the basketball was dunked into the net first.

56 to 52, the Thunder used their best tactics to start chasing points.

James served the ball outside the line to Xiao Mo, who quickly pushed to the frontcourt and passed the ball to James who was rushing.

James just dribbled the ball back and forth at the top of the arc, and the other players of the Cavaliers began to move. Finally, with a shake of his little hand, he passed the ball to Jefferson without looking at anyone.

Jefferson made an empty cut layup and scored the ball.

"LBJ's pass is really an art, no look pass, the Thunder's defensive players didn't react, even their own players were deceived, and Jefferson's expression was surprised the moment he received the ball." Barkley said.

"Fortunately, the professional players reacted quickly. After a short period of thinking, Richard still scored the ball smoothly." Kenny Smith said.

58 to 52, the Cavaliers successfully responded to the Thunder's offense.

As long as they can't prevent the Cavaliers' offense and allow the opponent to score, then the Thunder's best defensive counterattack can't be used.

The offense of positional warfare is very unfavorable to the Thunder. Their strongest offensive player, Kevin Durant, is firmly marked by James.

Facing James, who is extremely defensively aggressive, Durant couldn't bear it either.

Lin Yue still chose to pass the ball to Curry. Xiao Mo is not James. His offense is strong, but his defense is a big colander, the breakthrough point of the team's defensive focus.

Lin Yue is also aware of this point, it's not a problem for Curry's rhythm changes to beat Xiao Mo.

After opening up the space, Curry chose one-on-one, dribbled the ball continuously to pass the opponent, and then reached the inside. Before O'Neal's slow defense came, Curry made a throw, and the rest of the Cavaliers players could only watch.

The distance of this toss is not long, which instead gave Curry a chance.

58 to 54, Curry made a throw. He proved to the fans that he is not a reporter who can shoot, and he is not only a three-pointer.

In the next few minutes, the two sides came and went, and the game became a tug of war.

The tenacity of the Cavaliers is really moving, and every player works hard enough on the defensive end.

Brooks took the lead in using a timeout when he saw this. Before the start of the fourth quarter, if he could control the score to any area, he might be able to win the victory.

Defense and offense must simultaneously raise a pick-and-roll, so there is no need to worry about it.

After the timeout, players from both sides returned to the field.

The Cavaliers took the initiative to replace O'Neal. In his twilight years, he was no longer the nimble fat man he used to be. Facing the fast-paced defensive counterattack, O'Neal was not suitable to appear on the court.

Curry sent the ball from the sideline, and Lin Yue ran to catch the ball.

Durant was fighting with James. Lin Yue looked at Durant's appearance and chose to do it blindly.

Anthony Parker stared at Lin Yue. He knew this guy's personal strength was good, and he would not underestimate Lin Yue's offense just because he spent most of his time organizing the team.

Lin Yue's early change of direction did not directly pass the defender, which surprised him. The opponent did not seem to have the slightest slack on the defensive end.

Anthony Parker was close to him. He didn't cut the ball just because he was defending the top score for a while. On the contrary, he played steadily and continued to put pressure on Lin Yue.

A few seconds later, Lin Yue still chose to call Ibaka. After the two made a screen, they switched defenses.

Facing Scola, who was not moving laterally fast, Lin Yue finally broke into the inside line, changed hands in the air and made a layup, avoiding the defender's block and scoring the ball.

This is completely a display of physical talent, Lin Yue's ability to stay in the air allows him to easily change hands.

After entering the NBA, under the guidance of a formal trainer, Lin Yue's various abilities have gradually improved.

66 to 64, Lin Yue's goal helped the Thunder chase the score to two points.

After seeing the hope of overtaking, the Thunder team strengthened the defensive oppression. After Xiao Mo dribbled the ball across the half court, the Thunder team began to implement a half court press.

Put pressure on the offensive players and at the same time increase the probability of the opponent making mistakes.

James got the basketball under the siege, like a warrior carrying a dynamite bag, throwing his body violently.

Fortunately, the big Z of the ball did not completely block Ibaka's position. The latter still moved to the route that James was traveling. After judging the opponent's breakthrough route, he stood motionless in the penalty area.

In the end, the two successfully collided, and Ibaka fell to the ground under a huge impact. The referee found through observation that the ball Ibaka had already stabilized his position.

James, who forced a layup, was suspected of an offensive foul, and the ball belonged to the Thunder.

Ibaka made a foul, and the Thunder had a chance to equalize or even overtake the score.

This time Curry did not miss the excellent opportunity to chase points. After the "Kulin pick and roll", Curry shot a cold arrow from the outside line, when the defensive player was blocked by Lin Yue.

Curry scored the ball right behind Lin Yue.

67 to 66, from the beginning of the game to the present, the Thunder finally lead the Cavaliers for the first time.

(End of this chapter)