The game is about to start. Over at the commentary box, Zhang Weiping and Yang Yi are doing the final warm-up.
Both of them looked a little nervous today.
Not because of the tension of the broadcasters, but the tension of the Bulls' current situation.
Before James retired due to injury, they were all optimistic that the Bulls could end the series in Game 5.
Unexpectedly, the Cavaliers sent the game back to Chicago, and James also returned.
Although this is still the Bulls' match point, if they can't win G6, they will go to Cleveland to play tiebreaker. The Bulls will be in trouble.
"Director Zhang, which team do you think has a better chance of winning tonight?" Yang Yi asked.
"It's hard to say, it's really hard to say."
"Tell me, the fans believe your analysis." Yang Yi asked.
"Then I will analyze it from my personal point of view. Personally, James is back on the Cavaliers side and their morale is very high. But after all, this is the home court of the Bulls. They must also know that this is the best opportunity, so I think... ...The Cavaliers have a greater chance of winning tonight." Zhang Weiping analyzed carefully.
After he said this, Yang Yi was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but look at him one more time.
When Zhang Weiping was explaining, he seemed to go back and forth with just a few sentences, giving people the feeling that he was about to be eliminated by the times. But if you look at people's analysis, how many people can be better than him?
Great wisdom but foolishness!
While talking, all the starters from both sides have appeared.
O'Neal moved the ball back to the Cavaliers half, officially kicking off G6.
The Bulls still defended the 2-1-2 zone defense at the beginning, and the Cavaliers still handed the ball to O'Neal for instigation.
After a round of series competition, the two sides are already at the point where you know my strengths and weaknesses, and I know your depth.
O'Neal pretended to pass the ball to the outside, suddenly turned around and rushed to the basket to attack the Bulls.
The Cavaliers' intention in the opening game was very obvious, they wanted to cause Noah's damage in the opening game.
Because of the penalty scale, they did this in the last game, and it had an immediate effect.
Noah's confrontation is very tough. Although he knows that he may be blown, he does not want to lose the chain in the opening game.
O'Neal's weight pushed Noah into the penalty area, but he was forced to stop the ball.
O'Neal finally chose to turn around and hit the hook. After being blocked by Deng, he missed the basket and the rebound was protected by Noah.
The Cavaliers' first attack came to nothing.
Just after this round, the Bulls players looked excited.
Because of the penalty scale, it is normal!
The photographer at the United Center was very good at causing trouble and quickly got the lens to Stern.
Stern still had that kind face, and you had no idea what he was thinking.
But at this time, this godfather-level figure in the NBA already had a definition for this game in his mind.
Unlike the Cavaliers management, he is not completely doting on James.
Of course he hopes that James can meet his expectations and become the next leader of the league.
But what he hopes more, and the same choice he made during the dunk contest, is that he hopes James can become a Jordan or Kobe-like figure.
Because only if your league spokesperson is synonymous with toughness and unyielding can the NBA, a commercial league, be seen by fans not as a business, but as the foundation of competitive sports.
So after knowing that James chose the Bulls, he was very happy.
This shows that his original intention to persuade James to participate in the dunk contest was not in vain, and James has grown.
This is also the key to him applying off-court factors when the Cavaliers fall into a 1-2 disadvantageous situation.
It's a pity that what happened later was a bit out of control. James did not rise up like Wade did back then, but instead ended up being a loser.
He was very disappointed with James.
However, James' return from injury has softened his attitude.
Therefore, he will not impose off-court factors in this game, because he just wants to see if James can regain his expectations with his strength.
Of course, his eyes were also on Xu Yong at this time.
Xu Yong's performance in this series completely exceeded his expectations. If James really fails, he will start to prepare for the topic of the next era.
The scene quickly cut back to the court, because after Noah took off the defensive rebound, O'Neal violently grabbed the ball and was called for a foul.
The big shark chattered at the referee and seemed very unhappy.
Penalty scales are constantly changing, and it takes time for players to adapt.
This time, the Bulls inexplicably gained an advantage at the beginning.
After advancing to the frontcourt, Xu Yong took the initiative to break through to the basket in the face of Parker's defense.
Now it's the Cavaliers' turn to experience the chain reaction of foul trouble inside the opening game.
O'Neal only hesitated for a moment, and Xu Yong had already pulled the green onions from dry land and smashed the ball into the basket like a bomb with both hands.
A huge muffled sound instantly detonated the United Center.
A textbook show of force!
"Defend! Defend!"
The fans cheered and cheered immediately.
What does it mean to start with a rainbow of momentum?
The Bulls players were no longer affected by the penalty scale on the court. The defensive end clearly dared to make moves. Coupled with the fans' shouts and adrenaline surge, the defensive intensity was full from the beginning.
Young people are the easiest to get excited about.
Jamison's low turnaround jump shot was eventually intercepted by Deng.
Noah used his long arms to collect another defensive rebound, turned around and held the ball to advance the fast break.
With a long throw that ran through half the court, Rose caught the ball and turned over to face Williams. Then he jumped to the frontcourt like Nezha on Hot Wheels and performed a trademark belly-expanding dunk. Two more points.
0 to 4.
The Bulls opened the game by giving the Cavaliers two punches.
That is to say, after these two rounds, those fans who were as nervous as Zhang Weiping and others, worried that the Bulls would lose, instantly cheered up.
G5 or whatever, it was purely an accident. Accidents like this will not happen twice in a row. It doesn’t matter which village you are in. When the king returns, he should beat you or not!
This time O'Neal went to the free throw line to hit Noah with the ball. He showed the style of a great shark this time and started directly to the basket with his iron elbow.
But before he could pull it up and dunk it, the referee's whistle sounded.
O'Neal was called for an offensive foul.
If you come out to fool around, you will always have to pay back!
When he was young, he enjoyed the superstar whistle and got used to the iron elbow sweep. But when he got older, he no longer had that kind of treatment, which directly became his weakness.
O'Neal saw the referee's gesture in disbelief, but had no choice but to put the ball on the ground, then turned and walked to the sideline.
O'Neal under the camera at this time gives people the feeling of being decrepit.
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but everyone can feel that the Shark, who has been in Cleveland for a year, may soon withdraw from the stage of history.
Varejao comes off the bench, the ball is exchanged, and the Bulls attack.
Varejao's ability to protect the frame is not as good as O'Neal. Rose changed direction and reached the basket without slowing down to score.
0 to 6.
The Bulls got off to a perfect start.
The live camera quickly focused on James.
What about the promised plot for Return of the King?
Although the Cavaliers won the last game, it was still the Bulls' match point game. If the Cavaliers lost, they could only stay at the 5-4 comeback that the fans said!
James finally started holding the ball and directly signaled Jamison to pick and roll him at the elbow area.
This way, you can stagger the matchup with Xu Yong, and you don't have to go head-to-head with Noah.
Although Deng's defense is not bad, he is much less of a defensive deterrent to James because of his size and weight.
In fact, James got what he wanted. He took three steps and two steps to get rid of Deng and Hinrich, who was flanking, and went to the basket. He forced Noah to help defend and then distributed the ball to Varejao on the baseline. The latter quickly received the ball. Hit the board to score.
The Cavaliers finally broke their scoring drought.
And this round can also see the problem of the Cavaliers, because James does not have Kobe's outside shooting ability. He and O'Neal have been unable to get along for a season, so after O'Neal left the game early, he became more comfortable playing.
James' goal also significantly improved the morale of the Cavaliers. When they returned to the defensive end, Rose's layup was interfered by Varejao, and the Bulls' attack failed.
Looking back, James continued to look for a pick-and-roll. Although Xu Yong bypassed the first pick-and-roll this time, James then called Parker over.
Anyway, his purpose is only one, to avoid Xu Yong and Noah, the two defensive strong points, and he has an advantage against everyone else.
This style of play is really ridiculous, and James' physical fitness is indeed not something ordinary players can handle.
This time Noah didn't dare to come up, and James directly performed his iconic James dunk.
The Cavaliers' bench was instantly ignited.
Obviously, James has not been idle in the past few days of "recuperating from injuries". He must have studied the game video and studied how to play his own system of basketball when facing a 2-1-2 zone defense.
As it turns out, he found a way.
This time the game fell into a stalemate.
If James' system can work, the Bulls will not have an advantage. This has been verified in G2.
After the first quarter, the score on the field was 23 to 22, and the two teams were evenly matched.
Xu Yong was resting off the court at this time, looking at the court and thinking.
James does not have much advantage in a one-on-one fight, but he has been able to lead the Cavaliers to first place in the Eastern Conference for two consecutive years, and his minimum ability to lead the team is very high.
The Bulls played well in the first quarter, but as a young team, the performance is unstable. It is difficult to guarantee that they will play like this later, so the stalemate is not a good thing for the Bulls.
O'Neal played well at the beginning of the second quarter. The Cavaliers' lineup depth advantage became apparent, and the point difference began to gradually widen.
Denagro called a timeout, and Xu Yong was replaced after the timeout came back.
In response, Brown also replaced James on the field.
James' expression was very relaxed at this time. After finding a countermeasure, he would no longer swear when he saw Xu Yong like before.
This is the Cavaliers' offensive round, and James is not in a hurry to hold the ball.
"LeBron, I've heard your story." Xu Yong said while defending James.
James ignored Xu Yong. After Xu Yong broke the defense in G4, he had already blacklisted Xu Yong.
"You were still 16 years old and you were already scoring a little bit more than Kobe in every game, especially when you were playing against Trevor Ariza. Because his uncle said he was better than you, you hit him in a single game. Scored 52 points." Xu Yong didn't care and took this opportunity to continue chatting.
When James heard this, he immediately turned his head and glanced at Xu Yong. He didn't expect that Xu Yong knew such things.
At this time, his teammates wanted to pass the ball to him, and he directly signaled for them to play.
Gibson failed to score a shot, and the offense and defense switched. The Cavaliers retreated very quickly, and the Bulls' fast break failed and turned into a positional battle.
Xu Yong seized the opportunity to make a cut, and after receiving the ball, he sent the ball into the basket to help the team stabilize the situation.
Then after returning to the defensive end, he continued to chat with James.
"It was after that that the media interviewed you and asked you if you wanted to be the next Kobe."
James originally didn't want to hear Xu Yong continue talking, but when he heard the next word about Kobe, the leg he was about to lift out suddenly retracted it.
"You said, you don't want to be the second Kobe, you want to be the first yourself."
"What on earth do you want to say?" James looked at Xu Yong doubtfully, because this matter was used by the media to brag about him.
When these words came out of someone else's mouth, he thought they were fans on the court meeting their idols, but Xu Yong wouldn't believe it even to death.
"In high school, you would score 52 points on Uncle Ariza's head because of his words, but now I dunk on your head, steal your dunk contest championship, and knock you to the ground, and you actually... You don’t want to blow me up, it’s not that you don’t want to be the second Kobe, you do…”
Xu Yong said and looked at James seriously: "It can't be done."
"Fuck!" James broke the defense on the spot.
But just when he was furious and wanted to get ahead, the appearance of a person calmed him down instantly.
James Johnson came to Xu Yong immediately.
Boy juice, you have to do something amazing.
Xu Yong looked back and saw that Johnson also felt inexplicably safe.
Although he really wanted to have a fight with James, he would be worthy of James, but when it comes to court fights, whoever has nothing to do can do it by himself every day.
I know why those European countries and even the United States can only make small fuss when looking at Russia, because people really have nuclear weapons.
With a nuclear threat like Johnson's, which opponent would not immediately restore calm like those Western countries?
Because it was just trash talk, the referee did not call a technical foul. He just gave some warning whistles and signaled the game to continue.
It was at this time that James held the ball and was about to hit Xu Yong.
In fact, there is an issue that is easily overlooked, that is, people will change, especially under the influence of the general environment.
At this time, James in the 1.0 period still has a lot of ambition, otherwise he would not have played in a small city like Cleveland for seven years without applying for a trade.
You must know that although it is not that common to apply for a trade in this era, there has been a precedent of Carter forcing the Raptors to trade, and there was also a decent breakup between Garnett and the Timberwolves management. It is absolutely possible to do it. Arrived.
Although that kind of spirit has been almost exhausted as the team fails year after year.
However, the only part of him that was left at this moment prepared him for a fight with the rookie who had let him break through his defense twice.
He wanted this guy to truly feel what Long Yan was so angry!
I finished typing the next chapter and am typing.
(End of chapter)
