Drew Gooden looked at Yi Jianlian in surprise. Did this kid have such keen rebounding instincts?
Seeing the rebound collected by Yi Jianlian, Drew Gooden could do nothing but retreat to half-court for defense.
The ball changed hands, and Williams once again opted for a pick-and-roll with Yi Jianlian.
Because Yi Jianlian's touch was so hot today, when Yi Jianlian rolled to the basket, Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes immediately focused their attention on him.
Unexpectedly, Williams chose to shoot himself!
The three-pointer from the top of the arc was Williams' most effective scoring method, and this time was no exception, giving the Bucks three points.
4:7
In recent games, the Cavaliers had rarely trailed at the start.
James directly chose to isolate and drive!
However, due to the impact of last night's game, James's body had not fully recovered, and his first step failed to push Mason away smoothly.
Nevertheless, James still used his excellent strength to force his way to the basket and made a layup!
6:7
Perhaps due to playing back-to-back games, the Cavaliers' shooting touch was not good tonight. Pavlovic missed two open shots.
Larry Hughes drove to the basket and surprisingly failed to seize the opportunity.
On the other hand, the Bucks were well-rested and in great form, especially Yi Jianlian, who was firing on all cylinders with his outside shooting and inside rebounding, playing completely like a star player!
By the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers were unusually behind.
15:21.
The Cavaliers trailed the Bucks by six points.
In the locker room, Mike Brown's brows were furrowed.
"We played poorly in the first quarter. We missed a lot of shots that should have gone in, which is why we're trailing."
"I don't want to see this kind of performance again when the second quarter starts!"
"If you can't make outside shots, then drive inside and utilize our advantage in the paint."
"Don't even get me started on Tang; he'll definitely blow past Bogut!"
"As for Drew Gooden, your athleticism completely overwhelms Yi. Use physical play to disrupt his shooting touch."
"As long as you give him enough contact, his shooting accuracy will definitely drop!"
Drew Gooden nodded heavily, vowing to contain Yi Jianlian.
On the other side, the atmosphere was relatively more relaxed.
Except, of course, for the Browless Warrior.
Seeing Yi Jianlian laughing and chatting with his teammates, he couldn't help but want to lose his temper.
This guy actually played the entire quarter!
When he gets on the court later, he'll definitely teach those Cavaliers a lesson and show the head coach who the legitimate starter for the Bucks is!
"Yi, you played exceptionally well today. Keep up the good work in the rest of the game."
Head coach Scott Skiles smiled at Yi Jianlian. In so many games, Yi Jianlian had shown dominance tonight.
He also disliked the Browless Warrior's lazy attitude. In contrast, Yi Jianlian was much more proactive. Apart from his weakness in physical play, everything else was satisfactory.
If he could maintain today's form, the Browless Warrior could just sit on the bench!
"Keep it up! Play hard! I look forward to the day you secure the starting position, and I'll buy you drinks!"
Williams, with his usual straightforward personality, spoke to Yi Jianlian without regard for the Browless Warrior standing nearby.
He wasn't afraid of offending anyone.
Villanueva's face grew increasingly grim.
The break ended, and the second quarter began.
Both teams substituted their starters, letting the reserves play for a while.
The Browless Warrior stood on the court, his eyes fierce.
"I'll go crazy on you bunch of scrub reserves."
It had to be said that the Browless Warrior's skill was decent, at least dominant among the reserve lineup.
Five minutes into the second quarter, the Browless Warrior had already scored 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting.
The score had extended to 32:20.
Mike Brown could no longer sit still and immediately put all his starters back on the court.
"Remember what I said, go out there and chase the points!"
Everyone nodded and took to the court with determination.
Meanwhile.
The Browless Warrior thought his performance was good and he wouldn't be substituted out.
But Scott Skiles didn't give him a chance and sent Yi Jianlian back in.
Yi Jianlian, standing back on the court, once again drew cheers from the fans.
"Yi! Great play! Keep it up!"
"Kick their butts hard and take down the Cavaliers!"
"Stopping their winning streak is even more glorious than being a hero!"
"Yi! Your attitude is more worthy of a starting spot, play hard! Prove yourself!"
"Go Yi! Play well!"
The introverted Yi Jianlian smiled and interacted with the fans with a wave of his hand.
"Kid! Don't celebrate too early, I'll give you a tough time!"
Drew Gooden glared at Yi Jianlian fiercely, determined to defend him.
Yi Jianlian looked at the bearded man before him but said nothing.
However, his eyes were full of determination.
Introverted did not mean timid!
Soon, the game resumed.
Williams passed the ball to Michael Redd, who was the Bucks' leading scorer.
Michael Redd also called for a pick-and-roll with Yi Jianlian.
Using the time created by the pick-and-roll, Michael Redd directly chose to shoot a three-pointer.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc through the air and landed precisely in the net.
A ridiculous three-pointer right off the bat!
This shot instantly ignited the atmosphere of the arena!
35:20
The point difference widened to fifteen.
James's brows furrowed as he brought the ball up from the backcourt.
Upon reaching the frontcourt, James decisively passed the ball to Drew Gooden, who was posting up in the paint.
Yi Jianlian was now the Bucks' primary scorer, and he had to be limited immediately.
Although Drew Gooden was not very adept at single-handedly scoring, he had no problem dealing with Yi Jianlian, who was not strong in physical play.
Drew Gooden caught the ball. He didn't have many post moves, but he just pushed back with force, wanting to use his body to overpower Yi Jianlian.
As he pushed back, Drew Gooden couldn't help but be stunned. Wasn't this guy's physical strength not as weak as he imagined?
His first step only pushed him forward a little.
Drew Gooden pushed back again with force, but found he could only gain a little ground.
With no other option, Drew Gooden made a forced turn to attempt a hook shot.
Seeing this, Yi Jianlian's vertical leap overwhelmed Drew Gooden.
With the +5 boost from physical play, it was just enough.
Yi Jianlian's fingers grazed the basketball, and it bounced out of bounds.
Although it was subtle, it was a legitimate block!
Drew Gooden was a bit slow to react. He had been blocked by this "Dragon Country" guy?
More importantly, he couldn't even move Yi Jianlian?
According to the team's analysis, Yi Jianlian's physical strength was very weak, with no ability to play physical.
As a power forward who did the dirty work, shouldn't he be stronger than Yi Jianlian, no matter how weak his physical play was?
Yet, in their low-post battle, he was only slightly stronger than Yi Jianlian.
And then, to make matters worse, he was blocked by him!!