Gibson's size and confrontation are not at the same level as Li Yan. Even if he made full preparations before the game, he still seemed very powerless against Li Yan.
The Cavaliers must stop Li Yan through flanking defense, but this will give other Knicks players a lot of opportunities.
Fortunately, James soon took over the task of defending Li Yan.
On the Knicks' side, Artest did a great job defending James.
With excellent physical confrontation and flexible footsteps, Artest is the player in the league most suitable for guarding James alone.
It's just that Randolph and Yi Jianlian's defense is not very good, and coupled with the unfamiliarity in running-in, the Knicks' inside line often misses people after switching defenses.
Knight's turn.
James controlled the rhythm with the ball, and the Cavaliers' two inside players moved slowly. They are more suitable for positional warfare.
James gave the ball to Big Z in the high post, and then played an off-ball screen with Gooden.
Gooden's screen was of high quality and Artest was blocked.
Yi Jianlian, who switched to guard James, failed to keep up with the "little emperor"'s rhythm.
Big Z in the high position mobilized support and accurately passed the ball to James who was cutting inside.
There was an open space in front of James.
He started speeding calmly, leaped high, "Boom!"
A gorgeous tomahawk chop.
Yi Jianlian behind him was helpless. If he reached for the ball, it would most likely be a 2+1.
The Cavaliers are very skilled in cooperating. Their team has been working together for more than a year, and their tacit understanding is much better than that of the Knicks.
Li Yan's face was also a little solemn. He knew that the Knicks' defense was not good, but he didn't expect that James would be able to attack the basket so easily.
There is no way, the players still have too little time to work together.
Since the Knicks' defense cannot limit the Cavaliers' offense, there is only one way to win the game, and that is to use offense to defeat the opponent.
Li Yan advanced with the ball, came to the frontcourt, and faced James' defense.
James' talent is absolutely top-notch. It would be very uncomfortable for Li Yan to meet James last season.
In one-on-one situations, it is difficult for Li Yan to break through James' blockade head-on. He can only pick and roll or pass the ball.
But now, with the blessing of James' physical talent and Iverson's extraordinary skills, Li Yan is already an out-and-out violent point guard.
Without asking for a pick-and-roll, Li Yan waved his hand to open the singles.
The Knicks players lined up outside the three-point line. They completely cleared one side, leaving the stage to Li Yan.
"WOW!" Knicks fans in the stands were excited.
One-on-one superstar showdowns are fans' favorite drama. After many years, the Knicks finally have a star of this magnitude.
"Bah! Bah! Bah!"
Li Yan started dribbling the ball to find rhythm, and James was very focused.
Continuous "crotch cooking" failed to disrupt James' center of gravity, and Li Yan began to change direction quickly.
He slapped the ball from left to right and right to left.
James was already very focused, but when Li Yan started to speed up, he still only lasted two rounds.
Li Yanchao's drastic change of direction left James at a loss. At that moment, James lost his center of gravity.
Li Yan left the scene and faced Big Z, who was defending, with a flick of his wrist.
The basketball was given to Randolph, who was unmarked under the basket.
Randolph dunked easily.
The fans in the stands shouted excitedly. They knew Li Yan was very strong, but they didn't expect him to be so strong.
"Li, he's so handsome!"
"I love you!"
"We also have a superstar."
"LeBron is no match for Lee."
"Charles Barkley is right, LeBron is a low-profile version of Lee."
"Lee's change of direction is too exaggerated. This move is too much like Allen Iverson."
"Scary, the "answer" to growing 20cm taller!"
Knight's turn.
James wanted to take the initiative to find Li Yan and ask him to return to the scene, but Li Yan ignored him.
The person standing in front of James was Artest. James provoked: "Get out of the way and let Lee come and defend."
Artest said disdainfully: "No matter what level you are, you dare to let my big brother defend you."
James: (⊙O⊙)…
Artest is one of the few people in the league who can keep up with James' level in physical confrontation.
Without the pick-and-roll, it would be difficult for James to break through Artest.
In this round, James worked hard to hit a response ball.
In the end, James chose to use the mid-range to finish, which is not James' usual scoring method.
Before Artest could block the ball, the basketball arced and hit the net.
"Oh! LeBron seems to have really practiced shooting during the offseason." Smith analyzed: "His shooting posture has changed, and it seems that his shots are more stable."
"If James can consistently hit mid-range and long-range shots, he will become extremely scary." Smith added.
"Indeed." Barkley agreed with Smith, but he believed that Li Yan also made great progress:
"Lee's progress is even greater. He has definitely trained seriously. His speed, strength and skills have all improved tremendously."
"I believe everyone knows how difficult it is to improve physical fitness."
"Lee must have suffered a lot in the offseason."
