Chapter 739: Chapter 739

There’s nothing more touching than this!

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced one after another.

Both teams continued with the same starters as the last game, and Cole still placed Iguodala on the bench.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, Jokic tipped the ball back to the Cavaliers’ half, and the game officially began.

Right from the start, Hansen and Jokic executed a pick-and-roll play, feeding the ball to Jokic who drove in and drew a foul on Makao.

Since Cole continued to start Makao, they needed to exploit Jokic’s advantage in this regard.

The Cavaliers’ offensive strategy at the start tonight seemed no different from the last game.

But when Jokic made both free throws and the play switched, there was a significant change on the court.

The Cavaliers showed defensive intensity comparable to the third quarter of the Heavenly King Mountain game.

James broke past Covington, only to be forced to stop by Tucker’s help defense at the free-throw line, and Tucker’s long arms interfered with his pass to Green at the top of the arc.

The other Warriors players were closely defended and couldn’t find an opportunity, leaving the ball with Curry with only 5 seconds left on the shot clock.

Curry tried to save the situation, but couldn’t shake off Hansen, and was forced into a step-back long three-pointer which hit the rim.

Cole hadn’t reacted yet, but Brown had already stood up from the bench, shouting at the Warriors to get back on defense quickly.

Generally, teams rarely play all-out defense right at the start because it can affect offensive performance and with a 48-minute game, it easily leads to stamina issues.

But Malone did it tonight, sending a message to everyone: the Cavaliers are determined to win tonight!

At times , it depends on whether the Warriors can withstand this phase.

If they do, the Cavaliers could end up like the Warriors in the last game, falling into a disadvantage as the game progresses due to stamina and rotation issues.

Especially in the third quarter, if the Warriors play at a fast pace, the Cavaliers might crumble just like the Warriors did.

But if they can’t withstand it, the game could become one-sided by halftime.

Brown’s reaction was quick enough, but the Cavaliers’ defensive counterattack was even quicker.

After catching Jokic’s long pass, Hansen blew past two Warriors defenders, sprinting to the frontcourt, and without slowing down, took off for a gliding tomahawk dunk.

The Quicken Loans Arena was ignited by Hansen’s dunk right at the start.

Once they returned to a defensive possession, the crowd began chanting defensive cheers.

Since the Cavaliers had started with a do-or-die spirit, what reason did they have not to follow?

The defensive chants pierced the eardrums, turning the G6 Quicken Loans Arena into the most intimidating home court in the NBA.

The Warriors’ offense was thwarted again.

James’ strong rebound and second-chance attack was blocked by Jokic.

As James turned to complain to the referee, the Cavaliers launched another defensive counterattack, this time JR took Hansen’s pass and scored with a flying layup.

The theory James argued with Green earlier wasn’t wrong; a small lineup needs to play fast to exploit its advantage, and fast-break defense is essential.

But this isn’t achieved by words, it’s by actions.

Fast-break defense starts with defense; if James only thinks about fast breaks without defending, there’s no chance for a counterattack if the defense fails.

The Cavaliers offered a great demonstration of how to do it right tonight.

Of course, the Cavaliers have defensive weaknesses; Jokic’s capability to defend smaller, quicker players is that flaw.

But Malone was well aware of this and didn’t let Jokic extend out, using the rotation speed of the smaller lineup to cover for him.

Especially with Hansen on the perimeter, it wasn’t easy for opponents to exploit mismatches against Jokic.

Most importantly, it was the defensive attitude the Cavaliers displayed at the start.

When even Jokic could step up to block James, you knew the effort they were putting in right from the beginning.

Once the adrenaline runs out, enthusiasm dwindles, and the energy wanes, the Cavaliers aim to succeed in one decisive push!

Clearly, the Warriors didn’t expect the Cavaliers to fight so hard.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 30 to 18, with the Cavaliers establishing a double-digit lead in just one quarter.

The Warriors couldn’t even score 20 points in a quarter, which is almost unfathomable for the Universe Warriors.

Cole had a furrowed brow, perhaps regretting not starting Iguodala tonight.

Lineup decisions in basketball games are akin to playing chess, and in the finals, Malone has clearly outperformed Cole as a "chess player."

The good news is, 12 points isn’t an insurmountable gap.

As long as the Warriors can reduce the gap before halftime or maintain it, they still have a chance in the third quarter.

In the second quarter’s substitute phase, led by Iguodala and James, the Warriors successfully narrowed the gap to single digits.

Wade had performed well in the previous five games, but his performance tonight was mediocre.

Seeing this, Malone didn’t hesitate and brought the starters back earlier than planned.

As soon as the starters returned, Hansen gave Iguodala a big block on defense.

Cole’s reaction was just a hair late, and the Cavaliers quickly pushed the gap back to double digits.

Cole called a timeout, and after the timeout, the Warriors put their starters plus Iguodala on the court, which was their best lineup.

Both sides were in a stalemate for a period. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩

It was noticeable that as the game progressed, the Cavaliers’ stamina declined, and so did their defensive intensity compared to the start.

Especially in the latter part of the second quarter, because the starters were brought back early, that feeling was even stronger.

It was at this moment that Malone made defensive compromises.

He began focusing on man-to-man defense on key players and allowed some of the Warriors’ players opportunities on the outside.

The "key players" were the Splash Brothers, while "some players" were James and Iguodala.

As for Green, he was moderately disturbed but not closely marked.

This tactic quickly paid off, as the Warriors kept missing threes on the outside, allowing the Cavaliers to seize the momentum and push the gap to over 15 points.

It was then that the fans realized something: the Warriors’ spacing wasn’t that good.

Or rather, their spacing was supported by the Splash Brothers, as James and Iguodala weren’t reliable three-point shooters.

The game became increasingly uncomfortable for the Warriors.

Iguodala was fine, as his primary task was defense, and he could cut on offense.

Because James was hesitant to shoot from the outside, he could only force drives, yet the Cavaliers had Covington at the front and Tucker and Jokic waiting, perfectly set up to trap him.

By the last possession before halftime, the Cavaliers further increased the gap to 20 points.

The Warriors were crushed by halftime!

The last possession before halftime belonged to the Warriors.

James had the ball at the top of the arc with no one three meters in front of him, directing traffic.

But the Cavaliers didn’t give any chances to the Splash Brothers.

In the last 2 seconds, James chose to pass the ball to Green.

Green’s pressured buzzer-beater three against Jokic didn’t go in.

With the large deficit and the weight of the earlier games in the finals, Green finally exploded emotionally.

He walked over to James and shouted, "Shoot it! When it’s open, just shoot it!"

At this time, halftime had just ended, and both teams’ players hadn’t left the court; Green’s voice immediately grabbed everyone’s attention.

James, embarrassed, retorted back to Green, "Don’t tell me how to play!"

Thompson realized things were getting out of hand and went to pull Green away, but Green didn’t stop, "We’re already down 20 points, why wouldn’t you shoot?"

"Shut your mouth, if you have something to say, say it in the locker room!" James also realized that arguing here was making a spectacle for others, and it might trigger Cleveland fans to chant "Lebron will trade you" again.

However, being told to shut up thoroughly infuriated Green: "You’re a bitch, and you know it! We don’t need you; we could win even without you, so get lost!"

James was stunned, the last person to call him a bitch was Westbrook.

Westbrook, at least, is a star; what was Green to say such things?

"You’d better take back those words!" James pointed at Green’s nose.

But Green raised his elbows, shouting even louder:

"Listen, we were already champions before you came!"