Li Yan's strength and confrontation are enough to deal with most outside players, and he can fight even if he hits the inside.
It's just that this is James, especially James who rushes forward.
This is not the time to show off. It is important for a man to fight head-on, but persistence is more important.
So when James rushed over, Li Yan was immediately ready to pass the ball.
Kenyon Martin moves quickly and he completes this aerial work after dumping Drew Gooden.
James' face was full of disbelief. He had clearly blocked Li Yan's passing route, but the ball still came out through a tiny gap.
James is not a pure scorer. He has a lot of research on passing. He knows the difficulty of this pass.
Kenyon Martin excitedly high-fived Li Yan: "Li, that's a beautiful pass."
Knight's turn.
James holds the ball from the backcourt.
Although he plays the small forward position, James is the actual ball handler for the Cavaliers.
Coming to the frontcourt, standing in front of James was "Melo" Anthony.
Anthony was very focused today. Every time he meets James, Melo's blood boils.
Anthony is only half a year older than James, and their rivalry lasted from high school to the NBA.
As the two grow and improve, they are considered the two strongest players in the league at the small forward position.
Their duel has always attracted people's attention.
Now, the duel between the two has reached the highest stage of the NBA.
"Click! Click! Click!" Countless cameras recorded this classic scene.
James dribbled the ball to force the start. After failing to force Anthony, he chose to pass the ball.
Drew Gooden held the ball, and James used the screen to get rid of Anthony.
James cut inside and ran, and the basketball was given to him in time.
James took off the ball and attacked the basket, "dUang!"
Fighting in the air with Kenyon Martin at the rim.
"Whoa!" James forced a layup.
2 to 2!
Nuggets round.
After Li Yan held the ball for half the game, he handed the ball to Anthony, who was full of excitement.
Anthony played very steadily. Instead of forcing a direct shot against James, he used a shooting fake to shake James.
Immediately, "Melon" took advantage of this rhythm difference to kill the Cavaliers inside, and "Big Z" was a step behind in his defense.
Anthony made a strong layup.
"Wow! Melo played very tough after the start today."
"Haha, Anthony gets excited every time he meets James."
"It's great to watch, the battle for the No. 1 small forward."
Fans discussed it lively.
In the next round, James broke through and scored outside Pavlovic.
Under Li Yan's defense, Pavlovich could only pass the ball.
After some changes, the basketball was back in James' hands.
James passed the ball to "Big Z" under the basket in seconds, and "Big Z" easily put the layup up.
Nuggets round.
Anthony's strong play continued to cause damage. After the pick-and-roll switch, Gooden had no choice but to send "Melon" to the free throw line.
Standing on the free throw line, Anthony made two free throws very steadily.
James and Anthony entered the state quickly after the game started, and the duel between the two also caught the attention of countless fans.
The Cavaliers' inside line has more advantages in height, but lacks flexibility.
James tried to control the rhythm to slow down the pace. Only by dragging it into a positional battle could the Cavaliers rely on James' impact and height inside to find opportunities.
But the Nuggets will naturally not let James get what he wants. Li Yan and Iverson are both masters of offensive and defensive transitions.
The Nuggets' overall talent is much higher than that of the Cavaliers. The Nuggets did not keep accelerating, but used defense to catch the Cavaliers' mistakes.
The Nuggets have always taken the initiative in the game. Although the point difference is not too big, it can be seen that the Nuggets are able to handle it with ease.
The reaction from the crowd in the stands was genuine and they kept cheering for the wonderful goal.
The atmosphere was great, but objectively it also showed the Cavaliers' plight.
They failed to pose much of a threat to the Nuggets, which allowed the fans at the scene to watch the game with a happy attitude.
From a viewing point of view, such a game is exciting; but for the Cavaliers, it is just a slow death if it continues like this.
Relying on James' constant attacks, the Cavaliers barely kept the point difference within 10 points.
The Nuggets seemed to be at ease here. They blossomed more and played more holistically.
The most terrible thing is that the Nuggets did not even conduct any targeted defense against James.
They just let Anthony guard James alone in a 1VS1 hero showdown, so that the Nuggets did not help defend and protect their inside line after the pick-and-roll.
Although no one on the Nuggets has tasted a championship, they still have much more experience than rookies like the Cavaliers in the Finals.
George Karl, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, and Kenyon Martin have all stood on the highest stage. On the other hand, the players in the Cavaliers, let alone the Finals, have all the experience in the playoffs. Very few.
"Wow! What a wonderful game." Barkley explained: "The two teams did not play conservatively. The matchup between LeBron and Cameron was full of highlights."
"But the rhythm of the game is always in the hands of the Nuggets. They are more experienced and talented."
"The Nuggets are stronger after going through series against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs."
Smith said: "If it were the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers might still have a chance to deal with it, but now they are facing the ultimate version that has completed evolution."
"LeBron James needs to do more, otherwise it will be difficult for them to put pressure on the Nuggets."
Li Yan played very easily in this game, and he did not encounter many challenges in the matchup.
At the end of the first half, the Nuggets led the Cavaliers by 13 points, 59 to 46.
…………
In the Nuggets locker room.
George Karl gave a brief reminder of the tactical arrangements for the second half, and the Nuggets players happily communicated.
Kenyon Martin showed off his bruised chest to his teammates:
"WOW! LeBron is such a beast. You see, I faced him head-on twice and that's what happened."
"I felt like I had hit a big truck. It was very uncomfortable, but I had to pretend that nothing happened, otherwise it would appear that I was not manly enough."
Kenyon Martin's rant sparked a roar of laughter.
"We have to thank Cameron. It's not easy to fight against LeBron." Marcus Camby smiled.
In the first half, Anthony has been fighting against James.
"Haha, don't you think I don't feel uncomfortable?" "Melon" also laughed: "Same as Kenyon said, no matter what, you must show a cold expression."
The atmosphere on the Nuggets team is very cheerful.
After experiencing a series of hard battles in the Western Conference, they have reached the peak of their state.
Now facing the Cavaliers, there is always a feeling of dimensionality reduction.
