Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1100 contains some tricks that, although old-fashioned, are actually effective!

Gasol positioned himself in the low post and once again blocked Durant with his back to the basket. This time, Durant had indeed remembered the mistakes he had made the previous two times.

You can't hide outside, that's too soft.

We can't play too slowly either, the Lakers' help defense is too quick.

To score, you need to be fast, accurate, and ruthless!

So, Gasol backed down Durant, glanced at the situation on the court, and then suddenly passed the ball, simultaneously pushing hard against his back.

This time, Gasol no longer dribbled with one hand, but slammed the ball to the floor with both hands at the same time, then caught the basketball and took a small hop to the middle.

Gasol played incredibly tough this time, unafraid of any contact. He pushed Durant aside to create some space for his shot, then pulled up a sideways hook shot and sent the ball into the basket.

"Breaking the scoring drought! The Cavaliers have broken their scoring drought! It's Gasol again, the same Gasol who just conceded two consecutive baskets, causing the team to fall behind." Miller exclaimed quickly, "This is what a mature team should do!"

"Play to your strengths, and attack them relentlessly and patiently! Nobody can be a 100% shot, but you have to give your players opportunities. The Cavaliers did that; they maintained patience and trust in Gasol, and now, Gasol is repaying them with baskets!"

After Gasol calmly scored a basket, the Lakers quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline again, and the whole team started running once more.

Lin Tian dribbled the ball all the way to the three-point line and stood still, but just when the Cavaliers players thought Lin Tian was going to hold his ground and launch a set play, Lin Tian suddenly started moving again! He only paused for a moment!

That one move was enough to catch the Cavaliers' defense completely off guard.

The Cavaliers players could only watch as Lin Tian charged into the paint to challenge Varejao under the basket.

But just as Varejao stepped forward, selectively trying to block Lin Tian's attack route, Lin Tian raised his hand and passed the ball out.

"Whoosh!"

Then came a crisp sound. Parsons, who had just entered the game, once again demonstrated his superior basketball IQ, seizing the right opportunity to cut to the basket, receive the ball, and immediately made a floater to score another 2 points for the team.

The gap between the two sides is still 9 points!

The Cavaliers' offense continued, and the ball once again ended up in Gasol's hands. Clearly, the Cavaliers were trying to take advantage of the Lakers' lack of a true inside player on the court and keep attacking their interior defense.

I'll strike at your weaknesses!

The Cavaliers do have that kind of execution!

This time, although Gasol was backing down the ball, he didn't finish the play. He backed down Durant and then suddenly passed the ball to Anthony, who was cutting from the middle.

Anthony took the ball and jumped, launching a floater that went in successfully!

The two teams then entered another close period, with the Lakers failing to mount any more consecutive offensive runs, and the Cavaliers' speed and efficiency in closing the gap not being very high either.

The only saving grace for the Cavaliers is that they managed to keep the gap close and prevent the Lakers from widening it further to more than 10 points.

With three minutes left in the third quarter, the gap between the two teams was still eight points. The Cavaliers, who had an extra center, could only manage to close the gap by one point during that period.

Jackson had already begun personnel rotations without anyone noticing.

While the five small-ball lineup boasts impressive firepower, it also takes a heavy toll on the players' stamina, as they need to constantly move and make more aggressive lateral movements and rotations to compensate for their physical limitations.

Therefore, Jackson couldn't let the five small players play on the court indefinitely; he had to rotate them when necessary.

So, with three minutes left in the game, after Lin Tian was substituted onto the court by Thomas, the Lakers' small-ball lineup was completely empty.

They were all being rotated out, and Jackson took them down one by one when he found an opportunity.

The Lakers currently have five players on the court: Kobe, Bynum, Murphy, Barnes, and Thomas.

A fairly well-rounded roster with star players, substitutes, shooters, and penetrators.

Meanwhile, Gasol, Wade, and Anthony are still on the court for the Cavaliers! They haven't gone off to rest yet.

Judging from Brown's comments, these three are likely to play the entire second half tonight!

Who made the Cavaliers fall behind now?

More importantly, losing this game would not only mean losing Game 5 and giving the Lakers a match point, but also that they failed to win their last home game, meaning the rest of the series would be played at Staples Center.

That would be an absolutely hellish, super difficult challenge for the Cavaliers.

For the Cavaliers, tonight is their last chance to win the championship! If they lose tonight, they can forget about winning the remaining two games.

Therefore, the Cavaliers must overuse their star players tonight!

They must give everything to win!

With the Lakers acquiring Lin Tian, ​​it also means that Wade will be completely free from his responsibilities.

Although the Lakers didn't have Isaiah Thomas match up against Wade, but instead had Kobe Bryant mismatch against him, Wade still had an absolute speed advantage as long as Lin Tian wasn't there!

As soon as he saw Kobe come up to guard him, Wade immediately called for Gasol to set a screen, then used his signature sharp change of direction, followed by a forced acceleration, and almost in the blink of an eye, he forcefully passed by Kobe.

In addition, Gasol also made a subtle move during the screen, quietly grabbing Kobe's jersey to prevent him from chasing immediately.

Once Wade gets going, he's almost unstoppable. He charges into the paint like a train, jumps up and shoves Murphy aside, then finishes with a reverse layup in mid-air, sending the ball into the basket!

Wade scored his 14th point in the third quarter tonight! His shooting touch tonight is just as good as Anthony's!

The best example is his consecutive three-pointers. When Wade can hit three-pointers in a row, his touch must be at its best, and he is even less likely to miss a layup like that.

Wade used a screen to force his way past Kobe, who immediately turned around and reached for the ball in the low post. After blocking Wade, Kobe turned and shot a fadeaway jumper, and the ball obediently went into the basket.

It's still an 8-point gap!

"You can't beat Devin tonight." After scoring, Kobe didn't go back to defense, but instead immediately marked Wade and started pressing him full court.

Kobe knew that his speed had declined significantly and he simply couldn't keep up with Wade's pace.

All he can rely on is his size, physicality, experience, and defensive skills; these are the only things he can use to contain Wade's offense.

The best way is to start by attacking from the backcourt, not giving Wade any space to accelerate, not letting him play to his strengths, and constantly wearing him down!

This left Wade deeply exhausted!

At the very least, Kobe, who had rested in the third quarter, had a clear advantage over Wade in terms of physical condition.

Kobe's biting and defense were no worse than Lin Tian's; he just slowed down his lateral movement due to age.

Thinking about this, Kobe couldn't help but swear again.

Damn it, that bastard Lin is clearly older than me, and not just by 1 or 2 years, but by a full 5 years!

Why should I?

Why is it that he's 5 years older than me, yet his speed doesn't decrease at all, while I'm 5 years younger, yet I feel powerless when defending against speedy guards?

Kobe was frustrated, but he wasn't the type to tank when he was frustrated. On the contrary, when he was frustrated, he would turn his frustration into energy, he would increase his level of engagement in the game, and he would play even better!

Facing Kobe's relentless defense, Wade also had a tough time. He almost committed an 8-second violation, leaving him with virtually no time to establish himself and organize an attack. Kobe's defense made things incredibly difficult for him, giving him no space whatsoever, which prevented Wade from even easily accelerating to complete a breakthrough.

Upon reaching the frontcourt, Kobe's pressure didn't ease at all; he still held his arms high, completely covering Wade.

"If you keep playing like this, you'll be needing an IV drip soon, old man!" Wade struggled to steady the basketball and started verbally attacking Kobe: "I bet you'll be crawling off the court on your knees before the third quarter is over."

"If I need an IV drip, you'll have to stay in the hospital for three days. If I have to kneel to leave the court, you'll have to be carried out!" Kobe bared his teeth, his face fierce, clearly not intending to let up at all.

It's just a bit of trash talk. When has he ever been afraid of that?

"FUXX!" While Wade was trash-talking, Kobe seized the opportunity to grab the ball. Although he didn't touch the basketball, Kobe's other hand took the opportunity to scratch Wade, causing him to wince in pain.

After that burst of pain, Wade got carried away and suddenly dribbled back half a step, forcibly creating a tiny bit of space. Although Kobe immediately stepped forward to continue pressing, Wade finally had a chance to accelerate.

Forced acceleration, powerful impact!

Kobe maintained his defensive position, arms outstretched, refusing to budge an inch. He kept a close eye on Wade, risking his life to hold the inside position and prevent Wade from leaving him behind.

Wade drove all the way to the baseline but couldn't get any space to shoot. In desperation, he could only force a half-turn, then bump Kobe with his back, then turn again, jump backward, and barely manage a fadeaway jump shot.

Kobe was unwilling to miss the opportunity to block and interfere, so he immediately jumped to try to block, but the moment Kobe jumped, he immediately realized something was wrong!

It wasn't that he fell for Wade's trick; this was definitely not a feint.

It was Kobe's own fault.

He had been defending too aggressively and too tightly, and he was already exhausted. He hadn't noticed because he hadn't left the ground, but when he suddenly jumped, Kobe suddenly felt his legs go weak.

The end result was that Kobe failed to jump to the height he wanted and lost his balance, falling onto Wade.

Even Wade didn't expect Kobe to rush towards him like that. His first reaction was to instinctively raise his hand and throw the ball towards the basket. Then he was pulled down by Kobe, and the two of them fell to the floor at the same time.

"Whoosh!"

"Beep beep! Pushing foul! Goal stands, one more penalty!"

The referee blew his whistle quickly, giving the verdict. This 2+1 was definitely an unexpected surprise for Wade.

He didn't even think he could make the shot. He just tried his best to throw the ball towards the basket based on his feeling and experience. Whether it went in or not was all up to luck.

But to everyone's surprise, not only did the ball go in, but Kobe also rushed over and gave him a free throw.

I'm so lucky tonight! Lady Luck and Lady Victory will both be in my bed tonight!

Wade was more confident and excited. With the help of his teammates, he jumped up from the floor, walked to the free throw line, and then calmly made the shot.

The Lakers' lead has shrunk to just 5 points.

"Ball!" Knowing he had been wronged and had lost face, Kobe was a bit hot-headed. He reached out for the ball at the top of the arc, wanting to go one-on-one with Wade to get back at Wade.

But just as he got the ball, Wade's close marking came!

Kobe's speed advantage and disadvantage when facing Wade.

When facing Kobe, Wade's disadvantage lies in his height.

Facing Kobe's height advantage, Wade made the same choice as Kobe: to closely guard him, preventing Kobe from easily pulling up for a jump shot and giving him no opportunity to take advantage of his height to shoot.

Kobe turned to the side, remaining calm despite having faced countless close-marking defenses. He spread one leg outwards, slightly pushing Wade away. Then, Kobe suddenly pulled his outstretched leg back, causing Wade, who had been tightly pressed against him, to lose his balance slightly.

Kobe immediately seized the opportunity and accelerated towards the paint.

Then, after only two steps toward the inside, Kobe suddenly stopped, pulled up, and launched his signature pull-up jump shot!

Wade's defense failed to get in place; he was completely fooled by Kobe's incredibly subtle movement and could only watch Kobe shoot.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be particularly kind to Wade tonight. After missing the shot, Gasol grabbed the rebound, glanced at it, and immediately put the ball back on, delivering a shot put-style pass that sent the ball flying towards the frontcourt.

The person who caught the ball was, of course, Wade, who had turned and sprinted down the court immediately after Kobe's shot!

As one of the league's best players at fast breaks and quickest offense, once Wade gets going, it's hard to catch him.

Especially when Lin Tian was not on the court, Wade was even more unstoppable. He caught the ball, ran all the way, and in the blink of an eye, he was under the basket, and pulled up for a two-handed dunk!

"boom!"

After a loud bang, the Cavaliers narrowed the score again.

The point difference between the two sides has narrowed to only 3 points!

A gap that can be closed in just one round!

"Only one point left!" Van Gundy said. "Will the Lakers call a timeout to make substitutions? They need to adjust! The Cavaliers' scoring momentum hasn't stopped at all these past few possessions!"

"Maybe we'll have to bring Lin up," Miller said. "Kobe really doesn't have an advantage against Wade; only Lin can keep up with Wade's speed!"

"The Cavaliers have turned the tide! Tonight's game is going to get even more interesting!" Jackson said. "Now it's the Lakers' turn to face the challenge, the Lakers' turn to change the tide. What will they do?"

How to do it?

Jackson and Lin Tian exchanged a glance, and then they did something.

Lin Tian stood up from the bench, stretched, and said as Kobe walked past him, "Let me save you. I was hoping to rest a little longer."

"Who the hell needs your saving?" Kobe, who was running, suddenly turned around and glared at Lin Tian, ​​saying, "Who the hell needs your saving?"

"If you want to rest, then rest! Sit down! Sit down right now!" Kobe cursed. "When it's my turn to hold on, I'll hold on!"

After Kobe finished speaking, he stopped looking at Lin Tian and the bench, and quickly ran to the frontcourt to ask for the ball again.

After getting the basketball this time, Kobe made a feint step in place, then suddenly pulled up and made a decisive three-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

This time, Kobe's three-pointer didn't play tricks on him; it swished precisely into the basket.

"See that?! I don't need saving." Kobe didn't trash talk Wade, but instead quickly turned back on defense and yelled at Lin Tian in front of the Lakers' bench, "Save your energy for saving fallen women!"

In other teams, trash-talking one's own teammates would be considered a huge internal conflict.

But with the Lakers, Kobe's angry outburst only elicited a knowing smile between Lin Tian and Jackson, the two foxes.

Provocation is an old trick, but it works.

This trick worked every time I used it against Kobe; it never failed!

In the remainder of the third quarter, Kobe continued to tightly guard Wade, and Wade maintained an equally tight defense against Kobe. The two went head-to-head towards the end of the third quarter.

With the ball going back and forth, let's not talk about the efficiency of either side, or how many goals were scored or how many assists were provided.

The important thing is that the two of them were basically just short of putting on boxing gloves and starting to fight.

Fans really enjoy watching this; they love seeing two superstars who earn tens of millions of dollars a year engage in such a naked physical battle.

At this point, the referees were well aware of what the fans and the league wanted to see, and they largely chose to ignore the increasingly large and uncontrollable actions between the two players.

Go ahead and fight! As long as we don't actually start fighting, it doesn't matter.

The fans were on the edge of their seats, roaring with excitement. The two players on the field, who were constantly targeting and matching each other, were completely caught up in the moment and became increasingly reckless.

Reasonable?

Let's calm down in the fourth quarter. Before the fourth quarter, it's time for the final showdown!

The two fighters became increasingly aggressive at this stage, to the point that the referees couldn't stand it anymore. Even though the referees knew they shouldn't intervene at this point, the problem was that if they didn't intervene now, they would have to switch to a combat sports referee to make the ruling.

The basketball referees were powerless to do anything about it.

They called a defensive foul on Kobe and a foul on Wade, and also gave each of them an offensive foul.

Their foul counts skyrocketed.

Even so, the game wasn't completely stabilized, and problems still arose. (End of Chapter)