39:33
The deficit was only six points!
Chris Kowiak paced anxiously on the sidelines, unable to devise a solution.
Their defense was porous, and their offense was ice-cold.
There was nothing they could do but rely on the two guards on the court.
Mason was completely stifled by James, and Bogut was unreliable.
As for Villanueva, forget it.
He played like he hadn't slept all night.
Williams advanced the ball, reached the frontcourt, and voluntarily passed it to Michael Redd.
At the same time, he stepped up to set a pick for Michael Redd.
Michael Redd used the screen to shake off Pavlović and drove towards the paint.
After drawing a double-team from Tang Long, he delivered a delicate bounce pass back to the cutting Williams.
Williams faked a layup, drew out Drew Gooden, and then passed the ball to Villanueva in the short corner.
Villanueva was completely open. The Bucks had executed a beautiful play.
Villanueva adjusted his shot, but the ball bounced off the rim.
Seeing this, both Williams and Michael Redd frowned and shook their heads.
He was truly an incapable pupil!
How could he miss such a good opportunity?
On the sidelines.
Chris Kowiak angrily threw his water bottle onto the floor.
"What's wrong with this guy today? Did he eat shit?"
"If it were Yi, this shot would have gone in 100%, absolutely! Shit!!"
Villanueva, ashamed, lowered his head and returned to the half-court.
Missing such a shot when the team desperately needed points was a terrible blow to morale.
Possession changed.
This time, James chose to go one-on-one. He pushed the ball forward with his right hand, drawing Mason's attention before suddenly turning and leaving him behind.
He then drove to the basket and easily dunked it with one hand!
39:35
Michael Redd received the ball in the backcourt, deciding to take matters into his own hands.
Facing Pavlović, he dribbled, then executed a crossover, faking out the intently focused Pavlović.
Michael Redd easily stepped back and shot a three-pointer.
42:35!
Michael Redd finally gave the Bucks a lifeline.
Back with the Cavaliers, James still had the ball at the top of the arc.
With Larry Hughes having an average game, most of the playmaking duties fell to James.
Tang Long and Drew Gooden quickly moved to the left wing, setting a screen for Pavlović off the ball.
This was a common Cavaliers play. Michael Redd, agile, bypassed Tang Long and stuck tightly to Pavlović.
But then he was blocked by Drew Gooden.
Villanueva, who should have switched, stood still, too lazy to move.
Pavlović easily got an open look and hit a three-pointer back at the Bucks.
42:38
"Why didn't you follow him! Why didn't you go defend!"
Michael Redd angrily glared at Villanueva. He had been in a position to contest the shot.
While he might not have been able to block it, he could have at least affected it.
Villanueva shrugged, his expression indifferent. "Even if I defended, I might not have blocked it. You know my defense isn't good."
Michael Redd was so angry he almost punched him in the face.
"If your defense isn't good, you still have to try and defend!"
On the sidelines, Chris Kowiak's face darkened, and he called a timeout.
Like Michael Redd, he could no longer stand Villanueva's lethargic attitude.
Even though Yi Jianlian hadn't fully recovered, he would absolutely not let Villanueva back on the court.
"Michael Ruffin, warm up and get ready to play."
Michael Ruffin nodded and began to warm up.
As a benchwarmer, he rarely got playing time, averaging only 2 points and 4 rebounds per game, a fringe player.
But at least he gave his all on defense every possession. Even if his talent was lacking, he would try his best to defend.
Even if he might get blown by, embarrass himself in front of tens of thousands of fans, and become a highlight reel for others, he would still actively defend every play.
During the offseason, the Bucks management had planned to cut him, but Chris Kowiak stopped them.
It was precisely because he valued his diligence and effort.
Now, Chris Kowiak would rather use a benchwarmer who averaged 2 points than use Villanueva again.
"With Michael Redd and Williams leading the offense, choose more outside shots."
"Focus on defense, stay active. They are strong, but we still have a chance!"
"Do your best!"
After encouraging his players, Chris Kowiak didn't even look at Villanueva and walked over to Yi Jianlian.
"Yi, train your stamina more during practice."
Yi Jianlian nodded, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.
These words clearly indicated that his playing time would increase.
In China, in the CCTV-5 studio.
"Villanueva has been taken off the court. It seems the head coach can't stand his lazy attitude!"
"But Yi's stamina probably hasn't fully recovered yet. He's clearly still breathing hard."
"Let him rest a bit more. His performance today has been excellent. After this game, his future playing time will likely increase significantly."
"This is truly a good sign. Now China has three players starting in the NBA!"
"This number will surely grow in the future!"
"Alright, the game has begun!"
Williams brought the ball up. As soon as he reached the three-point line, he noticed Larry Hughes's position was a bit deep and attempted a three-pointer.
Unfortunately, it lacked power, hitting the back of the rim and being rebounded by Tang Long.
The choice was sound, but the execution was slightly off.
On the Cavaliers' side, although Larry Hughes's positioning was indeed a bit problematic, there wasn't much to say.
After all, they were playing on back-to-back nights, and occasional lapses in concentration were normal, as long as they weren't like Villanueva.
In the final two minutes of the second quarter, both teams' players had cold hands, and the score remained 42:38 at halftime.
The third quarter began, and Yi Jianlian finally returned to the court.
His appearance drew applause from many fans in the arena. After this game, the Milwaukee fans had completely accepted the Chinese power forward.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, subbed out their starters to let the reserves hold on for two minutes.
Playing back-to-back games was incredibly taxing on stamina, even James was breathing heavily.
Yi Jianlian's shooting touch remained hot. Within the first two minutes of the third quarter, he made both of his two shots, scoring five points.
47:40.
The lead widened.
Mike Brown called a timeout and brought the starters back in.
"If your shot isn't falling, attack the paint more and draw fouls!"
"Yi and Bogut aren't matched up very strongly, so attack the basket more!"
"Tang can also do more one-on-one. You have a significant advantage!"
Mike Brown instructed Tang Long to change his approach and try to play more in the paint, which would be more successful.
...