In Game 6 of the Finals, the Clippers can win the championship if they win one more game.
But winning this game is obviously not that simple.
The Cavaliers, led by James, resisted tenaciously.
They don't want to watch the Clippers ascend to the championship throne in their home court.
In the second quarter, the Clippers gradually took the advantage, but the Cavaliers immediately pursued hard and kept the point difference within 5 points.
LeBron James sat off the court to rest, breathing heavily and drinking water to replenish his fluids.
It was only the second quarter, and James's physical tank was still very full, but he looked a little tired.
This kind of fatigue is not like physical fatigue, but more like mental fatigue.
In terms of personality, James is young and mature. Although he looks rough and has a domineering style of play, his personality is not the kind of courageous one.
He has a very hard shell, but inside the hard shell is a not-so-strong heart.
Of course, this kind of lack of strength is not compared to ordinary people, but compared to paranoid people like Jordan and Kobe who are obsessed with victory.
In 2010, Kobe faced a similar situation to James, falling behind the Celtics 2:3 and returning to Los Angeles in Game 6.
If the Lakers lose to the Celtics in that game, they will not be able to take revenge for 2008. Kobe and the Lakers will always be under the feet of the Celtics and will never be able to stand up.
As a result, in Game 6, Kobe and the Lakers gave the Celtics a huge defeat at home. They swept the Celtics with a 20-point advantage and dragged the series into a tiebreaker.
That victory was decisive for Kobe and the Lakers. It was a game that turned the tide of the battle. You must know that at that time, the people of Boston began to prepare for the championship parade.
Now that James and the Cavaliers return to home, they have a chance to reverse the situation, because the 232 format determines that if they win the sixth game, they will have an advantage in the tiebreaker.
James mustered up all his energy from the beginning to lead his team to victory in this game. He could win the championship by dragging it into the tiebreaker.
Before the game started, James invited all the Cavaliers to his home. Everyone had a meal together to connect with each other and boost morale in order to win today's game.
According to James' expectations, he would take the lead at the beginning and use his excellent touch to suppress the Clippers. Then his teammates would follow closely, just like the Celtics in the semifinals, taking a big lead and defeating the opponent.
James had a good touch at the beginning and almost hit every shot, and his teammates also performed well.
But the problem is that the Clippers are not the aging Celtics. They also have high morale and excellent offense.
James's idea of suppressing his opponent at the beginning was shattered. After playing so well, he still couldn't take the lead, and even had to be pulled away by his opponent.
To be honest, if it weren't for two consecutive three-pointers by Battier and Mike Miller just now, the Cavaliers would have been really dangerous in the first half.
James looked at the situation on the court, his heart beating, and a voice of doubt sounded from the deepest part of his heart: "I play so well but still can't gain an advantage. Am I going to lose tonight?"
This thought only passed by for a moment, and James immediately put it out.
At this time, the field fell into a dead ball state.
Head coach Mike Brown patted James to remind him to come back on the court.
James only rested for three minutes and immediately returned to the game.
The Clippers still lead the Cavaliers by 3 points, and the Cavaliers have the ball.
After James returned to the court, the offensive feeling was still there.
Facing Paul George after receiving the ball from the outside, he directly pulled out a three-pointer from the top of the arc and hit it!
The two sides are tied!
James' offensive status is still unstoppable.
There was no expression on his face, but he felt slightly relieved inside.
If it were Kobe or Jordan, they would be red-eyed in such a game.
If I can't win the game even if I score 40 points, then I will try to score 50 or 60 points.
That's what Michael Jordan did when he faced Charles Barkley in the 1993 Finals.
Although James is in good condition, he still has doubts in his heart: Is there no way he can win like this?
Character determines fate, and fate affects character in turn.
Jordan and Kobe, who come from middle-class and wealthy families, are more confident and pure in their hearts, and their thoughts on the game are simpler and more determined.
People like them play simply to win, even just to win, just want to win. They cannot accept the pain of failure.
In comparison, James, who was born in a poor single-parent family, thinks more. Basketball is given more meaning to him, as are championships and victories.
Of course, James was not wrong. Those turbulent sleepless nights and hungry afternoons made him understand the meaning of life, as well as the meaning of basketball, victory and championship.
He needs victory, he needs a championship, but he can feel that the championship is getting further and further away from him.
Dragic's outside shot missed, but Milicic got the offensive rebound and passed to George.
George caught the ball in the middle and accelerated to the basket, switching hands in the air for a layup!
It also caused a defensive foul on Varejao, who went to the free throw line and received an extra penalty.
James yelled at Varejao and told him to pay attention when defending.
"This guy Varejao likes to be clever too much."
Varejao wanted to cause an offensive foul on George.
As a result, the pace was a little slower, and the offensive foul turned into a defensive foul.
The Clippers also made personnel changes, and Curry returned to the court.
George's extra free throw missed, but Randolph grabbed an offensive rebound.
"Shet!"
James cursed.
Rebounding is a lifeline.
Every time he missed a backcourt rebound, James could feel the Cavaliers' life passing by.
The situation on the court was very noisy, and James loudly directed the team's defense.
He yelled, scolded, and actively participated in the defense himself.
This made him appear full of fighting spirit and determination, as if he was determined to lead the team to victory.
But the doubts in his heart became more and more intense.
The Clippers, who got the offensive rebound, reorganized their offense.
Curry caught the ball from the outside and attracted the Cavaliers' defense.
Curry chose to lob the ball to Randolph, who caught the ball and turned around and hit a jump shot.
Jamison's defense in front of Randolph was really not good enough.
In one attack, the Clippers scored 4 points and established a 4-point advantage.
The next attack is important and the Cavaliers need to score.
At this time, James hesitated and chose to pass the ball to Jamison.
Jamison beat Randolph in the low post and turned around and missed a fadeaway jumper.
Entering Game 6 of the series, the Cavaliers had no good way to face the Clippers on offense.
Basically, it depends on personal ability, making full use of James' tactical appeal, and shooting when there is an opportunity from outside.
At the same time, players with singles ability should find opportunities to play a few singles. The number one singles player is Irving, followed by Jamison.
Then he defends tough, is good at defensive counterattacks, is one of the best in the league in quick offense, and has first-class scoring ability.
It was such a simple lineup and play style that left little room for imagination. Relying on James' strong performance and his compatibility with the team, he made it all the way to the finals.
When facing the Clippers, who are full of imagination and have many tricks, they can no longer keep up.
Milicic firmly protected the backboard and gave the ball to Curry.
The entire Cavaliers team was highly nervous because they didn't know what kind of offense the Clippers would launch.
Without paying attention, a super long pass passed halftime and went straight to Huanglong.
As a result, this time, Milicic and Randolph came up with a skilled high double pick-and-roll.
Compared with the high-post double pick-and-roll of ordinary teams, the Clippers' double-player pick-and-roll is much higher up.
Basically, the pick-and-roll starts as soon as the midfield logo area is passed, and then Curry starts to accelerate.
James goes to the middle to block the hole of the gun. The Clippers' wide-open and wide-open position attack gives defenders a headache.
The door in the middle is wide open, and Curry can drive to the basket with ease.
But he didn't. Instead, at the top of the arc, two steps away from the three-point line, he just pulled up and threw the three-pointer!
James stood at the free throw line and was ready to block Curry.
He looked around and noticed the ambush at the bottom corner of the Clippers.
And Paul George is waiting for an opportunity to sneak into the basket.
He stands at the free throw line, can defend three-pointers when advancing, and can make up baskets when retreating.
However, Curry chose an offensive method that seemed the most nonsensical.
With his teammates fully stretched, he took advantage of the gap in the pick-and-roll to shoot a three-pointer from the top of the arc, two steps away from the three-point line.
Then the ball passed through the heart and hit a three-pointer!
This goal sent shockwaves through the Cavaliers fans at Quicken Loans Center.
It also stung James to the core.
7 points, the score difference suddenly came to 7 points.
Curry has been trying some ultra-long three-pointers since the beginning of this season.
At first, his attempt would be corrected and criticized by Tyronn Lue, who thought it was too ridiculous.
But when Curry moved out Min Chongda and said that since his rookie season, Mr. Smart supported my vote, Tyronn Lue naturally shut up.
From this point of view, Tyronn Lue is not a good coach. He always cannot stick to his own ideas.
But sometimes, when faced with a genius like Curry, it may be a better choice to untie him.
Steve Kerr's initial thoughts were similar to Tyronn Lue's, including Dunleavy at that time.
As a result, under Min Congda's pressure, they all let Curry go, and then this kiwi fruit finally began to emit a strange aroma.
In the finals, Curry hit several key three-pointers from long range to reverse the situation on the court.
If you only score a goal once in a while, it's just luck.
But being able to score one in every game is not as simple as luck.
This is his regular weapon, so his opponents should be careful.
James was helpless for such a goal.
Then his layup to the basket was blocked by Milicic.
Although the referee called Milicic's foul, James was hit hard.
Starting from the third game, Tyronn Lue began to increase Milicic's playing time.
As a remnant of the iron-blooded Pistons, Milicic was not that iron-blooded when he was in the Pistons. As a result, after arriving with the Clippers, he was already the league's biggest villain.
He has more technical fouls this season than in all previous seasons combined.
And often clashes with opponents during games.
Knock the opponent's breakthrough hand away or knock it over.
Sometimes an iron elbow goes up and gives the other person a temple massage or something.
Although he has received some notoriety, for Milicic, notoriety is better than soft fame.
He has received enough criticism and slander before, so much so that some of the criticism he receives now is simply an itch, or even a compliment.
Now his role on the court is to use tough and even dirty defense to disrupt the Cavaliers' offensive feeling.
Of course, James is actually not very afraid of this kind of dirty defense.
His physical fitness is too good and he receives too many flagrant fouls.
Playing dirty really doesn't have much effect on James, he is not afraid at all.
What he is afraid of is killing people, and also killing people's hearts.
Standing on the free throw line, James made one of two free throws.
The Cavaliers are still 6 points behind.
Then Milicic took a break and Gasol came on.
Irving of the Cavaliers also returned to the court, and the main players of both sides will not rest for too long.
The Cavaliers' offensive focus has returned to James, and his offensive feel shows no signs of declining.
But at the end of the second quarter, his shots began to decrease. He was passing the ball to his teammates and creating opportunities for Irving, Green, and Jamison.
As for the Clippers, everyone is still playing well. Everyone can attack when they get the ball, and Randolph is particularly fierce at this point.
The Clippers maintained their lead at around 6 to 8 points.
After the two sides finished the first half, the Cavaliers and Clippers battled at 49:56, with the Clippers leading the Cavaliers by 7 points.
James, who scored 19 points in the first quarter, hit a three-pointer, a mid-range jumper and three free throws in the second quarter, scoring 8 points.
James scored 27 points in the first half. This performance was very good. However, in the second half of the second quarter, James reduced his shots and increased his teammates' shots, which seemed a bit strange.
It was as if he had bravely charged and resisted for a game, then suddenly retreated to the rear and continued to provide overall command as the coach.
Anchors and experts from Espn and other TV stations were somewhat puzzled by James' performance in the second half of the second quarter.
Although his statistics are still impeccable, his suddenly smooth playing style is obviously not suitable for the current situation.
They have been forced into a desperate situation, on the edge of the cliff, and the performance of his teammates is not very good. Why doesn't he continue to take advantage of the hot touch to attack the Clippers basket?
Jeff Van Gundy said: "James has done a lot, but he needs to do more. The Cavaliers must put more pressure on the Clippers on both offense and defense. The talent and imagination of the Clippers' young people have been stimulated. , this is a big trouble.”
Charles Barkley said: "LeBron James is accumulating his strength. I think the Cavaliers will counterattack in the third quarter and they will win this game. James will score 50 points in this game!"
If the Cavaliers want to win this game, James may really have to score 50 points.
But Min Congda knew that James would probably not score 50 points in this game.
Although there were already 27 points in the half, he could feel from LeBron's look and micro-expression that his edge was fading.
"This bitch, how can I know you? I feel like I can't beat you, so I just shrink back to prevent myself from taking the blame, right? Damn it, can I enter the Cavaliers locker room?"
At halftime, Min Congda really wanted to go into the Cavaliers locker room, grab James' ears and make him burn again.
"If you give up, the game will end early, you idiot. There's still half a game left!"
Min Congda recalled the words of the famous Japanese coach Mitsuyoshi Anzai in his mind.
Even in this critical moment, Min Congda never thought of giving up.
Instead, he tried his best to find a way. Although he couldn't enter the Cavaliers locker room, he thought about it and thought of a way.
He found a teenage fan who was watching the game behind the Cavaliers' offensive basket in the second half. He was not a Cavaliers fan, but a Clippers fan. He was wearing Curry's No. 30 jersey.
Min Congda gave him $50, and then gave him a plastic foam board with a message from Min Congda to James.
Min Congda said to the boy: "During the game, if you see James holding the ball, you should wave this sign in front of him so that he can see it. Do you understand?"
This young man knew Min Congda and said, "Is this to interfere with James?"
Min Congda nodded and said: "Of course! Remember to swing hard, you know?"
"By the way, aren't you from Cleveland?"
"Uh... I do, but... I like the Clippers more, I like Curry."
"Very well, this is your time to show your worth, come on boy."
The boy nodded, thinking that he could also play his part in the Clippers' victory.
(End of chapter)
