Perhaps it was because Zhao Feiyang's ability was so amazing that when the third game of the Eastern Conference finals came, LeBron James once again chose to take a truce. Head coach Tyronn Lue was quite straightforward and directly rearranged the team's tactics so that the entire Cavaliers team centered on Zhao Feiyang.
This tactical arrangement undoubtedly greatly established Zhao Feiyang's status. After all, not even Kevin Love enjoyed such treatment.
However, after several rounds of fierce battles in the playoffs, Zhao Feiyang has long conquered his teammates with his ability. Even if head coach Tyronn Lue doesn't do this at this time, Zhao Feiyang is already the de facto second in command of the team.
The crucial third game is here, but this time the home court returns to the Cavaliers.
When LeBron missed the game again, the fans at Quicken Loans Center were no longer worried about what would happen next.
The morale of the Raptors is still low. From Kyle Lowry to DeMar DeRozan, the two core players look a little listless.
In the first half, Zhao Feiyang did not choose individual singles, but continued to organize the team's offense and used the cooperation of the whole team to maintain the situation.
This style of play is useful.
JR. Smith and Love both performed brilliantly under his command. Especially JR, after coming on the court, he threw two difficult three-pointers against DeRozan, which can be said to be the strongest moment of the series.
Love was also pretty good, grabbing double-digit rebounds in the paint and standing on the wing and throwing two three-pointers.
Zhao Feiyang didn't take many shots in the first two quarters. In the limited number of shots, he hit one three-pointer and 5 mid-range shots.
For the Raptors, because Zhao Feiyang chose to organize the offense, their double-teaming measures against Zhao Feiyang were ineffective. Helpless, the Raptors had to make temporary adjustments.
The two core players still failed to perform brilliantly, but the Raptors' big man Valannacius successfully seized the opportunity and scored 17 points, which is considered the best performance in the Raptors lineup.
It was precisely with the performance of three players that the Raptors finally led the Cavaliers after halftime. Although the point difference was only 5 points, it also made the Raptors players happy.
At halftime, players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms.
The fans in the stadium were a little worried at this time. Fans watching the live broadcast on the Internet also began to discuss. They believed that if Zhao Feiyang did not step up and control the ball to increase singles opportunities, the Cavaliers would not be able to survive to the end.
"I don't know why Zhao didn't do what he did in the last game? He can definitely turn on the single-core mode... Anyway, LeBron is not here, so just let go and play..."
"Perhaps Zhao is not as strong as we thought! He just got better in the last game... If this is the case, this game may be a bit suspense..."
"I think Zhao's condition is not good enough today. Maybe he was too relaxed and careless in the last game! Now we are behind, maybe we will be pulled away by the opponent in the second half..."
Most Cavaliers fans expressed concern about this matter.
The second half came quickly.
Zhao Feiyang walked onto the court under the gaze of countless people.
After the third quarter started, the fans at the scene suddenly noticed that the atmosphere was gradually different. Zhao Feiyang, who seemed very calm before, began to increase the number of singles and gradually moved towards the same state as the previous game.
The Raptors also noticed Zhao Feiyang's condition, but they did not rush and continued to play steadily. They were in the lead at this time, so they didn't think Zhao Feiyang would definitely be able to threaten them.
In this situation, Zhao Feiyang once again ushered in a big explosion.
First, his three-point shooting touch exploded, and he threw two long-range three-pointers against Lowry's marking. After this performance, Lowry had to choose to guard closely to limit Zhao Feiyang's shots.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Feiyang was smarter than he imagined.
When Lowry came up, Zhao Feiyang decisively chose to break through. His speed coupled with his explosive power often makes it easy to get to the basket and find shooting opportunities.
Considering that the team needs to score, Zhao Feiyang chooses to end the battle with throws and mid-range shots in most cases. With his fiery touch, the Cavaliers finally overtook the Raptors at the end of the third quarter with his performance.
call out.
79 to 77.
When the third quarter ended, the Cavaliers led the Raptors by 2 points.
The sudden change in the game situation also caused those fans in the stadium who did not believe in Zhao Feiyang to be instantly slapped in the face. From this moment on, their attitude towards Zhao Feiyang completely changed.
Just as they believed Kyrie Irving could hit the winning shot at the last minute, they now believe Zhao Feiyang can lead the team to defeat the Raptors with a single core.
The game quickly entered the final quarter.
Zhao Feiyang was physically exhausted at this time. Considering the last moment of the game, he took the initiative to tell coach Tyronn Lue that he wanted to take a rest.
Tyronn Lu is really afraid that Zhao Feiyang is exhausted! Quickly let him sit on the team bench.
As soon as he came off the court, the Raptors seized the opportunity to counterattack. After Lowry chose to single Clarkson and succeeded, the Raptors recovered the lost point difference, and they once again achieved a lead after falling behind.
With 5 minutes left in the game, Zhao Feiyang, who had had enough rest, appeared again.
At this time, the Raptors have opened the difference between the two sides to 7 points. Cavaliers fans were very worried about this situation, but Zhao Feiyang didn't seem to panic at all.
After coming on the court, Zhao Feiyang, who got the ball, continued to play singles mode.
Under Lowry's interference, he went up and threw a three-pointer. Following the steal, the Raptors hit a two-plus-one, narrowing the point difference to 1 point.
Such terrifying scoring ability also scares the Raptors.
DeRozan, as the core, kept taking shots. Unfortunately, the more he played, the worse his condition became, and the three-pointers he threw were even worse. Lowry forced a breakthrough and entered the basket at the last moment, but unfortunately encountered interference from Love and failed to score.
When the game entered the final 30 seconds of countdown, the score between the two sides had reached 103 to 100, and the Raptors trailed the Cavaliers by 3 points.
The ball is in the Cavaliers' court.
With the Raptors on full-court coverage, Zhao Feiyang took the basketball and pretended to shoot a three-pointer, then flew towards Lowry. Then he broke through and entered the basket under the watchful eyes of the audience. When he hit the lever, After the basket threw the ball into the basket, there were only 4.1 seconds left before the end of the game.
105 to 100.
The Raptors accelerated their sprint after serving the ball, but unfortunately the Cavaliers simply gave up defense. After Lowry rushed across half court and threw a three-pointer, the timer sounded for the end of the live game.
Beep.
105 to 103.
The Cavaliers defeated the Raptors again by 2 points.
In this battle, Zhao Feiyang scored a game-high 37 points and once again became a city hero in Cleveland.
