"Lar...ry..."
The announcer's voice stretched, calling out Larry Hughes's name.
The roar of the crowd surged, wave after wave.
This steal was crucial, and after the steal, Larry Hughes drove in for a slam dunk.
63-76.
Larry Hughes also propelled the fans' excitement to its peak with a powerful dunk!
The Cavaliers were still trailing by thirteen points, but their momentum had shifted. The home crowd seemed to sense the players' fighting spirit and stood up, cheering for the Cavaliers!
The Cavaliers' two consecutive aggressive plays made Phil Jackson restless.
He had meticulously analyzed the Cavaliers before the game, knowing that if the Cavaliers' fighting spirit was ignited by a deficit, the rest of the game would be very difficult.
Steals, blocks, and relentless pressure!
These oppressive tactics left his own players in a scramble.
When momentum was suppressed, the game often became passive, and the Cavaliers had repeatedly come back to defeat opponents with their strong fighting spirit.
The Lakers' previous large lead and subsequent loss to the Cavaliers were no different.
This made Phil Jackson uneasy!
He looked at Marković on the sideline, intending to make a substitution, but at this moment, the Lakers launched a fast break.
They intended to catch the Cavaliers off guard with a fast break, but as they crossed half-court, Fisher was passing to Kobe. Tang Long surged forward, disrupting Fisher's passing lane. Old Fish made another mistake, and the ball went out of bounds.
The Cavaliers regained possession.
Big Z inbounded the ball from the sideline, and the Lakers players were glued to Tang Long and James.
They stuck to them like glue. With no good passing lanes, Big Z could only pass to Pavlović, who had found space.
Pavlović advanced the ball. As soon as he crossed half-court, Jordan Farmar was already closing in.
Pavlović was about to pass, but he drove and shot over Jordan Farmar.
The ball went in!
66-76.
"Marković, you're going in!"
Phil Jackson made the substitution.
Jordan Farmar, substituted out, still looked indignant, even ignoring a teammate's outstretched hand for a high-five.
This was supposed to be a perfect game for him, had the Lakers maintained their lead.
But being substituted now meant that, in the coach's eyes, others were trusted more in critical moments.
After Marković entered the game, the Lakers' defense noticeably improved. With an additional shooting threat, the Lakers had more opportunities on the perimeter.
This also forced the Cavaliers to focus their defense on Marković.
With 3:15 left in the third quarter, Marković received a pass from Fisher and shot from just inside the three-point line.
Two points!
66-78.
Offensive and defensive transition, the Cavaliers' dual stars drove to the basket from both sides. Big Z received the ball and battled hard against Gasol.
Unable to drive further, he passed the ball to Tang Long, who was in a better position.
Tang Long stepped up to the free-throw line and shot.
Clang!
The shot missed, and the ball bounced up.
Big Z and Gasol fought for the rebound, jostling each other.
Unfortunately, Gasol was a beat slow on his jump.
But he didn't dwell on it. A reserve center for the Cavaliers, who barely touched the ball, competing with him for rebounds was absurd.
Just as Gasol had already planned how to launch a fast break immediately after securing the rebound, he saw Big Z get to the ball first and swat it away.
"Damn it..."
Gasol, along with two Lakers players, rushed for the ball. At this moment, James's wingspan advantage became evident.
Both sides batted at the ball simultaneously, but James got there first and passed it to Tang Long.
Tang Long dribbled once, stepped back, and hit a three-pointer!
69-78.
The Lakers' lead had shrunk to single digits.
Beep!
At this moment, the referee's whistle blew, and the Zen Master called a timeout.
Tang Long sighed in frustration as he watched the Lakers players not return to the court after twenty seconds.
This meant the Lakers had called a long timeout, and combined with the break at the end of the third quarter, the "Earthly Battle Song" buff would only last for one quarter.
Currently trailing the Lakers by nine points, even if they could catch up in the third quarter, a 20% reduction in their performance in the fourth quarter would be fatal to the Cavaliers!
If his and James's performance were reduced by 20%, they would instantly transform from superstars to role players. Facing a team like the Lakers, it would be easy for the Lakers to regain a large lead in the fourth quarter.
No!
They had to establish at least a ten-point lead in the third quarter, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to play in the fourth.
...
"That was beautiful! We're seeing the Cavaliers play with their usual fighting spirit again. I'm sure those fans who left early must be regretting it. If they had stayed a little longer, they wouldn't have missed such an exciting game."
In the Chinese broadcast booth, Yang Yi's serious expression finally eased.
The Cavaliers had indeed fallen behind at times, but each deficit only ignited the players' fighting spirit!
"This is a case of 'he who succeeds by something, also fails by it'!"
Director Zhang chimed in, "When Jordan Farmar came on, he set the pace, and the Lakers indeed increased their offensive speed. Facing the Cavaliers' dual-center strategy, the small-statured Jordan Farmar became a weak point on the Lakers' court. Therefore, it was a very reasonable tactic for the Zen Master to bring Marković back onto the court!"
"The main factor was Big Z's performance in the third quarter. In the second quarter, when Big Z was on the court, Jordan Farmar's speed was key to the Lakers' lead, especially when the Cavaliers deployed a dual-center lineup. Both the Zen Master and the Lakers players thought Mike Brown was playing recklessly."
"Who would have thought that with Tang Long's arrival, he would ignite Big Z's potential? Their dual-center advantage suddenly became more than the sum of its parts. If they continue to play like this in the third quarter, Big Z will be highly sought after by countless teams next season! If he leaves, the Cavaliers' bench depth will become even more strained!" Yu Jia added, "I fear the Cavaliers might not be able to keep him even if they want to. Right now, Big Z is coming off the bench for Tang Long and doesn't get much playing time. He's played very few minutes in the playoffs. If this state can be maintained, he's more than capable of being a starting center for some teams!"
Director Zhang nodded, agreeing with Yu Jia's analysis.
If Big Z's form could be sustained, some teams would indeed be eager to acquire him.
It was just feared that if the Cavaliers couldn't find a suitable backup and couldn't keep Big Z, then next season would be difficult for them to replicate this season's success!
...
Beep!
After a long hundred seconds, both teams' players reappeared on the court.
The Lakers initiated their offense with the ball.
As Tang Long had expected, after this timeout, while Fisher still handled point guard duties, the role of organizing and connecting play returned to Kobe!
It was estimated that in the upcoming game, the Lakers would have Kobe enter an unstoppable isolation mode! The essence of the triangle offense meant the Cavaliers had to constantly defend Kobe's offense!