Wang Zelin scored 22 points at halftime, at least half of which came from the second attack at the basket, and his firepower output was stronger than in the previous game.
But in the third quarter, the Cavaliers, led by Zhan Ou, began another wave of strong pursuit of points.
Perhaps the 15-minute break in the midfield allowed James to calm down a lot. He did not continue to play long shots, but relied on the home court advantage to continuously attack the basket. Even the Trail Blazers' double-teams could not prevent him from scoring!
Coupled with Irving's constant mid-range output, after three quarters, the Cavaliers tied the score.
84:84 flat!
In this quarter, James made 5 of 10 shots and 7 of 9 free throws. He scored 17 points with nearly double-digit free throws!
According to statistics, this year's finals is the one where James has taken the most shots on average among all previous finals. There is no shadow of the reasonable James of the past in him. He has completely turned into a singles James!
At the same time, draws, stalemates, and alternating leads have become the main theme of this year's finals.
Entering the final quarter, the game once again entered the decisive moment.
The Trail Blazers attack first.
Lillard took the ball to the frontcourt and, as expected, started a pick-and-roll with Wang Zelin.
The cheers at the scene were wave after wave. The crazy pursuit of points in the third quarter made the Cavaliers fans excited. Under the leadership of James, they once again saw the dawn of victory.
After the pick-and-roll, Wang Zelin caught the ball and Blatt waved. The Cavaliers quickly double-teamed Wang Zelin with three players.
However, just when the double-team was about to arrive, Wang Zelin passed the ball to Lillard, who was in the open position.
In the third quarter, Lillard's touch dropped slightly and he made 1 of 3 shots from the outside. This is why the Cavaliers dared to temporarily relax their vigilance against him.
At this time, it is extremely critical whether the Trail Blazers' outside shooters can seize open opportunities.
Because once the Cavaliers fail to score, they will become even more frantic in double-teaming Wang Zelin.
Lillard caught the ball and took a quick shot without hesitation!
"Uh-huh!"
The Blazers hit a three-pointer to take the lead.
This man, dubbed by many fans as a man born for the big scene, withstood the tremendous pressure of the finals stage and hit his 12th three-pointer of the game.
Lillard made 6 of 12 three-pointers tonight, with a shooting percentage of 50%. As an outside shooter, he is not in bad shape.
Personal statistics also came to 23 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal. His scoring was just behind Wang Zelin, ranking second on the team.
"Farke!"
At this time, Blatter was a little confused. This time he made the wrong bet.
Cavaliers attack.
Tonight, Irving was completely at odds with Lillard. He was a little over the top with this shot and wanted to chase a three-pointer. When he got to the frontcourt, he made a few dribbles before taking a three-pointer.
This made Cousins and TT unexpected and unprepared, and they were unable to effectively block the position in the first time.
The Cavaliers looked up hurriedly, but this time Irving hit the basket.
Wang Zelin grabbed the 15th rebound of the game and directly launched a one-stop fast break.
But James had a premonition and retreated quickly the moment Irving took action, blocking Wang Zelin's fast break near the center circle.
Helplessly, both sides fell into positional fighting.
Wang Zelin took the ball from a high position to provide support. As soon as he made a move, he actually sent two people to defend.
This time there are not three. It seems that the opponent feels the threat of Lillard.
But this is far from enough.
Lillard continued Aldridge's off-ball screen and got rid of Irving.
At this time, Wang Zelin seemed to notice something and passed the ball to the right corner.
"Uh-huh!"
After Lillard's off-ball movement, he caught the ball and hit a three-pointer!
Never underestimate Lillard's clutch ability.
To be honest, the so-called key ball ability is actually a very vague definition. It can be regarded as different levels from the score difference within 5 points with 5 minutes left in the game to the score difference within three points in the last 10 seconds. Key ball.
But it is undeniable that some people are born to shoot key shots because they have big heart attributes that are different from ordinary players.
Among these players, Damian Lillard's name is included!
Among the countless key ball rankings of active players in later generations, Lillard has never fallen out of the top five, and sometimes even ranks in the top three. This is the most powerful proof of his key ball ability from the outside world.
Relying on Lillard's two consecutive key three-pointers, the Trail Blazers led the Cavaliers by 6 points at 90:84, suddenly opening up the score.
Are the Cavaliers about to take a timeout?
All eyes were on Cavaliers coach David Blatt, but at this time, Blatt's eyes were on Cavaliers No. 23 on the field.
LeBron James!
In the end, James shook his head slightly at Blatt and refused to pause.
Not to mention that a 6-point deficit is not that big. Even if a timeout is called now, if the team cannot find a way to limit the opponent, the timeout will not mean much.
What's more, the most dangerous thing for the Trail Blazers is No. 36!
Offense and defense transition, the Cavaliers attack.
Jr had a chance, but unfortunately his shot was interfered by Matthews and missed. Wang Zelin grabbed a defensive rebound.
The Trail Blazers advanced to the frontcourt and continued to play off-the-ball tactics for Lillard.
This time, the Cavaliers' defense clearly expanded.
It's not that the Cavaliers overreacted, but that the two teams are close in strength. If the opponent's shooter's hand is warmed up, it will be difficult to recover the score.
They can barely tolerate a score of 6, but they cannot tolerate a score of 10.
Lillard's shot missed the basket this time.
However, after the Cavaliers' defense expanded, Wang Zelin grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket and completed a layup despite Cousins' interference. At the same time, he also had to add a penalty.
This ball is going to be 2+1! ?
Fans at the scene lamented.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why is it so close every time? Why?"
Cousins' face was as black as coal, and he felt resentful when he recalled the basketball that had just flown through his fingertips.
I hate my own strength, why can I never catch up with the number 36 in front of me?
Wang Zelin didn't know Cousins was in a bad mood at this time. Of course, even if he knew, he wouldn't take it to heart.
Stand on the free throw line, receive the referee's serve, take a deep breath, and take the free throw.
"Uh-huh!"
The extra free throw was made and the three-pointer was successful.
At 93:84, the Trail Blazers have led the Cavaliers by 9 points.
The Trail Blazers bench was in complete excitement.
At the beginning of the final quarter, the Trail Blazers hit their opponents with a 9:0 offensive wave. These 9 points were crucial to the game!
Blatt stretched out his hand to call a timeout, his face not a bit lighter than Cousins's.
The Cavaliers must make adjustments, otherwise the game will be really bad.
On the other side, Coach Terry's always solemn expression relaxed a little.
The Cavaliers scored 36 points in the third quarter, which really shocked him. Fortunately, back in the last quarter, Lillard and Wang Zelin quickly took advantage of them and the team took the lead again.
In the auditorium of Quicken Loans Arena, there were clearly 10 minutes left, but the fans felt a feeling of despair.
Unconsciously, the game once again escaped the Cavaliers' control.
Are they really going to lose this game?
Once you lose, you will be behind 3:1!
In history, no team has ever been able to come back from 1:3 behind in the finals to win the championship!
Are we in Cleveland destined to miss the championship?
…
After the timeout, the Trail Blazers made no substitutions and still played with all their main players.
The Cavaliers started to play hard. James moved to the 4th position to facilitate defense and organization. Positions 1, 2, and 3 were Irving, Shumpert, and Jr., and the 5th position was naturally Cousins.
This lineup has only one purpose, and that is to score points!
The Cavaliers wanted to make a final attack and start the desperate shooting mode. The Trail Blazers had already expected this during the timeout and also started a new mode.
Lillard's two three-pointers and Wang Zelin's 2+1 before the timeout were a critical blow for the Cavaliers, and a huge psychological improvement for the Trail Blazers players!
At the same time, after this timeout, when Shumpert received the ball on the right side of the top of the arc, the Trail Blazers directly flanked Shumpert between the two, not even giving Shumpert a chance to take off and shoot.
Especially Wang Zelin, the speed of assisting defense is simply outrageous, not at all like the response a seven-foot-long man should have.
Shumpert's shot was blocked, and Matthews on one side got the ball ahead of everyone else. The Trail Blazers counterattacked with a fast break.
Under James' pursuit, Matthews passed the ball to Lillard in the corner...
Wait, why is it that guy again? What about his defender?
James looked in the direction of the ball and suddenly became furious.
But despite his mind being filled with anger and questions, Lillard took a quick shot after catching the ball.
"Uh-huh!"
The 13th three-pointer of the game was scored!
At this point, Lillard has officially set a new record in the history of the Trail Blazers, that is, the first player in team history to hit 8 three-pointers in a single game in the Finals!
In addition, the eight three-pointers in the finals also set a new playoff high for Lillard's personal career.
Tonight, Lillard prepared his own light, a bright light that even Wang Zelin can no longer cover up!
The name Damian Lillard will be recognized by countless fans again, and his memory will be deepened again.
He is not only the Trail Blazers' championship starting guard, he is also one of the top guards of the new generation.
Meet me again, my name is Damian Lillard!
…
Relying on this three-pointer, the Trail Blazers went on a 12-0 run in more than two minutes, completely paralyzing the Cavaliers.
The game continues with the Cavaliers having the ball.
James held the ball like a bag of explosives and rushed inside desperately. Although he missed the layup, he earned Wang Zelin's fourth foul of the game.
However, James, whose mentality fluctuated, missed his first free throw.
After the second free throw, the tens of thousands of Cavaliers fans at the scene held their breaths. The entire Quicken Loans Arena was eerily silent. They didn't want to have any impact on James' additional penalty.
But as an opponent, how can the Trail Blazers let them do what they want?
"LeBron, are you ready to go fishing this summer?"
Suddenly, Wang Zelin raised his head, smiled at James, and greeted him politely.
Although Wang Zelin's voice was not heard by everyone present, it still reached the ears of the players from the two teams around him. The voice was not loud, but it was full of mockery.
The reaction of the Cavaliers players was no longer as simple as ordinary anger, but indignation!
Because this statement seemed to be a greeting to LeBron, but in fact, it directly ignored all of them.
At this moment, after hearing Wang Zelin's words, James was suddenly stunned, but this moment was fatal.
Because James's preparation time had already passed 6 seconds, because of Wang Zelin's interruption, James's free throw preparation time quickly exceeded 10 seconds.
Beep~
The referee's whistle suddenly sounded, bringing everyone back to their senses. Then, the referee reached out to James and made a free throw violation gesture!
The ball was back in the hands of the Trail Blazers again.
"Wang Defa?"
The Cavaliers' home commentator raised the decibel level!
What happened on the field? Why did James suddenly foul? And the ball was given back to the Trail Blazers.
"Shady! Shady! Shady!"
Not to mention the commentator's reaction, the fans at the scene were shocked when they saw this scene, and then the crowd became angry and booed and even cursed at Wang Zelin!
On the Trail Blazers bench, Coach Terry and the surrounding disciples looked at each other in confusion.
Finally, the three referees came to the technical stage and slow-played everything that had just happened on the big screen. In fact, the fans' voices suddenly became awkward.
What the hell?
James actually made a free throw timeout!
But then again, has anyone ever had a free throw timeout in all NBA finals?
Not to mention whether it has happened before, after this issue came out, no one really recalled the same case in their minds.
In other words, James will set an extremely embarrassing record - the first player in NBA history to have a free throw timeout in the finals?
In other words, he is the first superstar to be sentenced to a free throw timeout in the finals!
That’s really fucked up!
…
Then, the game continues.
But for some reason, the scene no longer had a tense atmosphere, but instead was filled with an inexplicable sense of weirdness.
Immediately afterwards, the game began to develop in a strange direction.
After returning from the timeout for the first ball, Wang Zelin took a shot from the mid-range. After a while, on the Cavaliers side, Jr. also responded with a shot from the outside.
The rebound was grabbed by Aldridge, and it was 3-on-2 in the frontcourt. Batum confidently took an open shot, and the iron was struck with a "clang".
In the next few rounds, the game seemed to fall into a blacksmithing circle, and the good G4 game in the finals suddenly turned into a blacksmithing competition.
emmm, everything seems to have originated from the embarrassing moment when James' free throw timed out.
That's right, it's all James' fault!
About three minutes later, Irving hit a three-pointer from the outside, which broke the vicious circle between the two sides and also added firepower to the team.
However, what is unexpected is that after Irving scored, the Trail Blazers also found their touch there, hitting frequently from the outside.
The two sides remained in a stalemate until the last moment, with the point difference remaining above double digits.
With 5.8 seconds left, Wang Zelin made a foul under the basket. Blatt shook his head and sighed, then replaced James, Irving, Cousins and other main lineups, declaring the Cavaliers' official surrender.
In the end, the score between the two sides was fixed at 106:95. The Trail Blazers defeated the Cavaliers by 11 points in the away game. The score in the finals also reached 3:1!
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