Chapter 687: Chapter 687
Irving didn’t say a word.
He didn’t dare to speak.
Because Hansen looked scary now, he felt that if he said something wrong, Hansen could immediately make him leave the court.
Doesn’t Hansen deal with Green, thinking Green wouldn’t egg on Irving?
Clearly, it’s not Irving’s first day as Hansen’s teammate.
Green only started instigating now because he saw an opportunity due to Irving’s tense relationship with the Cavaliers.
"A fly doesn’t land on a seamless egg," this saying fits perfectly here.
However, this kind of instigation is really naive.
Because before Hansen came to Cleveland, Irving himself was already well aware of his team-leading skills.
Although in "history," Irving ultimately left, Hansen is not James.
James mostly utilized Irving, "You play, I take the glory," but Hansen provided Irving help in various ways. Updates are released by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
He publicly supported Irving when he was questioned by the outside world, shared ball control with him for practice last season, and even took him to attend commercial events off the court.
So just as Hansen said, unless Irving is truly foolish, he wouldn’t believe Green’s nonsense.
James made one of two free throws, the score on the court is 4 to 6, Cavaliers lead.
Ball possession exchanged, Irving signaled a pick-and-roll tactic.
But this time he called for TT’s three-point pick-and-roll.
TT blocked Curry, and Irving, after switching against Green, crossed him and broke straight inwards for a drive.
This wasn’t a good choice, Green is one of the best interior players in guard defense.
However, Irving attacked decisively, his strong drive to the basket succeeded in drawing a defensive foul from Green.
Green had already committed a foul against Hansen earlier, and now being whistled again, he was substituted off with two fouls.
As Green stepped off, Irving made a surprising move.
He waved bye-bye to Green.
Green was so angry that his cheeks puffed up.
Clearly, Irving was making a statement, indicating he disagreed with Green’s words.
Hansen saw this and walked over to pat Irving’s head.
This guy Irving is just somewhat self-centered, not truly foolish.
Warriors replaced in Iguodala, which means James was passively moved to the power forward position.
Cavaliers couldn’t have TT defend Iguodala, so they had to switch defenses.
Warriors also launched the Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll tactic at this time.
After TT was forced to steal early, Curry already passed the ball to James, who, after receiving it, stormed into the paint against Irving and slammed with both hands for a score.
Jokic tried to cover but failed.
After landing, James roared at Jokic in response to being knocked away by him earlier.
Regardless, Jokic ignored his reaction, having already gone to the baseline for the inbound pass.
Malone also stood up at this time by the sidelines making tactical gestures.
After the Cavaliers advanced to the front court, there was an off-ball pick-and-roll cooperation inside, Jokic posted up against James and reached for the ball.
Irving passed the ball inside, and he relied on attacking James.
He turned to see Warriors didn’t double team immediately, pressing his entire weight on James and using his full force to stifle him at the first shot.
James was forced to lower his center of gravity and exert full effort.
Jokic already had an advantage in strength, after James’s weight loss, their weight difference grew bigger, the scene looked somewhat like adults bullying children.
Also, after seeing Warriors coming over for help, Jokic immediately turned towards the baseline and laid the ball for a score.
Cole replaced Iguodala to maintain the team’s rotating defensive ability, but he underestimated Jokic’s presence.
Malone increased Jokic’s tactical position this season, and Jokic’s low-post offensive ability has also become more formidable.
Warriors continued to play the Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll, TT hesitated slightly, and Curry already shot outside the three-point line for a hit.
The closest thing to Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll in "history" was the Bucks’ Lillard and Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll.
But clearly, Curry’s offensive threat was far greater than Lillard’s, and his passing was incomparable to Lillard’s as well.
Even after Green stepped off, Warriors and Cavaliers played evenly, showcasing their formidable strength.
The camera focused on Malone, who displayed no intention of making substitution adjustments.
His strategy was rather simple, even with TT replaced, Cavaliers might not be able to defend the Curry-LeBron pick-and-roll.
Just like Hansen and Jokic pick-and-roll, some tactics are difficult to restrict.
Similarly, Warriors didn’t have a good way to handle Jokic’s low-post attack with their current lineup.
So in comparison, Cavaliers were only consuming Jokic’s stamina, while Warriors were consuming the energy of both Curry and James.
One for two, still not a loss.
In "history," Durant went to the Warriors, everyone knew the Durant-Curry pick-and-roll was unstoppable, but Cole used it sparingly, which was a key reason.
Jokic posted up against James again, James directly chose to front him.
Jokic signaled to Irving to lob the ball above the hoop.
O’Neal, on the commentary, watch in a daze, this somewhat reminded him of when he played inside back in the day.
No wonder he was the idol of this lad!
Irving’s pass was slightly off, and Pachulia took this moment to squeeze past TT to the basket.
Seeing that this number was about to turn into a turnover, Jokic’s operation next left people gobsmacked.
Clearly, Jokic didn’t have O’Neal’s slightly off capabilities for alley-oop dunks, but he did have his own unique way of survival.