Chapter 220

James was waiting for Davis's free throw with his hands on his hips. When he heard the short whistle from the sideline and turned to see Tang Tian, a helpless expression crossed his face.

His basketball IQ and EQ were both very high, and he could guess what Stevens was thinking.

This was actually a game within a game between the two sides.

If the Cavaliers could extend the point difference to 20 points or more, their victory would be basically guaranteed.

Conversely, if the point difference was reduced, the situation would become unpredictable again.

Tang Tian with stamina was terrifying.

At the same time, Davis also turned his head to look back.

When he saw Tang Tian coming on the court, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

He had finally held on until Tang Tian returned.

After adjusting his breathing, he steadily made the free throw.

The Pelicans had narrowed the point difference to 13 points!

With more than eight minutes left in the game, they had plenty of time to chase points!

"Defense! Defense!"

The fans at the scene shouted and cheered for the Pelicans in unison.

They wanted to take advantage of this wave of offense!

At the critical moment, it was still James who broke through to the inside and hit a sudden stop fadeaway!

James's age was constantly increasing, and his skills were also constantly enriching. By now, he had grown from a bulldozer into an offensive kaleidoscope.

This score was very crucial, and the momentum of the home court was obviously suppressed.

Leaving aside the teams, Tang Tian and James's current strength could both be described as away-game silencers, unmatched in suppressing momentum.

James's score was crucial, but Tang Tian was not to be outdone, returning the favor with a sudden stop pull-up jumper.

This segment became a scoring performance between Tang Tian and James.

The head-to-head PK between the league's first and second players made the fans climax one after another.

Stevens on the sidelines seemed a little anxious.

This kind of stalemate was obviously more beneficial to the leading Cavaliers.

After all, time was running out.

Unknowingly, the game came to the last 4 minutes, and the Cavaliers were still leading the Pelicans by 12 points with a score of 112 to 100.

This time was already a bit short for the Pelicans.

Stevens was forced to call a timeout.

"It seems the Cavaliers will take the game back to Cleveland."

O'Neal sighed on the commentary stand.

This time he wasn't jinxing it, but really helpless.

Given the current situation and James's hot state, it was almost impossible for the Pelicans to turn the game around.

"They've earned themselves an opportunity."

Barkley nodded in agreement.

TNT was the commentator for last year's playoffs, and as a professional commentator, he still knew some of the little secrets during the game.

So even if the Cavaliers successfully reversed the situation 3-3, he was still a bit disdainful in his heart.

This was also normal. Sir Charles had said that jump-shooting teams couldn't win the championship.

However, from his words just now, it could be felt that the Cavaliers' performance tonight had earned his respect.

"We might see another Game 7."

Miller also said along.

It could be foreseen that if the Cavaliers could really take advantage of the momentum to win this game and then another, the attention on Game 7 would explode.

"Brad, I'll guard LeBron, let AD give me help defense."

Tang Tian took the initiative to propose to Stevens.

Stevens paused for a moment, and finally nodded.

James was really too abnormal tonight. He had already scored 49 points as of now, breaking his personal career playoff high.

The stamina advantage he had expected had not appeared.

Now he could only hope that Tang Tian could create some miracles on the defensive end.

Although Tang Tian was a swingman, the two of them wouldn't be matched up together in terms of position.

The timeout returned, and it was the Pelicans' offense.

Tang Tian and Davis were double-teamed after the pick-and-roll, and passed the ball to Davis as soon as possible.

Davis did not waste the opportunity, taking a step and spinning for a layup, helping the Pelicans narrow the point difference to 10 points.

Stevens's timeout was still very effective, but the point difference between 10 and 12 points had been deadlocked for more than 4 minutes.

If the Pelicans wanted to change the situation, it depended on whether they could make some changes on the defensive end.

Otherwise, if they continued to stalemate like this, their chances would be gone.

James held the ball again and found that the defender in front of him had become Tang Tian.

The fans also noticed this, and cheers rang out in the arena.

It was like ancient warfare, when the two armies were in a stalemate, it depended on which side's main general could gain the upper hand in a head-on confrontation!

"This is difficult."

However, Miller and Smith on the commentary stand said almost in unison.

Both of them were analysis-type commentators, and they knew that Tang Tian was at a disadvantage when they saw this matchup.

People were all still mindful of Tang Tian's steal from James three years ago, which helped the Spurs win the championship.

But Tang Tian was, after all, a swingman. There was a high chance of successfully defending one possession with a surprise attack, but he would definitely suffer if he defended him all the time.

After all, the two of them were not on the same level in terms of physique.

Sure enough, after James backed Tang Tian down twice, he turned and held the ball, charging hard towards the basket.

A euro-step bounced Tang Tian away, and then another step past Davis who came to help defend before shooting.

This was the signature James step, and also the four-step layup that James had been criticized by fans countless times before.

But after the FIBA rules were changed, this was no longer a travel.

And it had to be said that he had mastered this technique to perfection. Even Tang Tian and Davis's help defense couldn't stop him.

These footsteps were very inhuman.

James shot off the backboard.

But just as he shot, a sudden exclamation erupted in the arena.

Behind James and Davis, a figure rose into the air.

Tang Tian!

Tang Tian seemed to have expected James to use this move. After being squeezed past, he jumped up first, using his hang time to wait in the air before shooting.

"Bang!"

In the fans' wide eyes, Tang Tian gave James a chase-down block!

The James step had been defended!

After blocking the shot, Tang Tian took the defensive rebound in stride and threw a long pass to the frontcourt.

The Pelicans clearly had a tactical deployment for this play. Holiday had already rushed out to the frontcourt, and after receiving the long pass, he galloped to the frontcourt.

Irving tried his best to chase and defend from behind, and Holiday's sure-to-score shot was interfered with and missed.

But in the next second, Ariza, who had followed up, scored with a second-chance basket.

Since the game against the Warriors, the Pelicans had strengthened their fast breaks after defense. Now that they were playing the Cavaliers, it was obviously smoother to play.

The point difference was forced to close to 8 points for the first time.

The Pelicans saw an opportunity.

"Defense! Defense!"

The fans at the scene were energized again.

James continued to hold the ball, still using the same wide-open back-up dribble followed by the James step. However, this time he paid attention to Tang Tian's defensive positioning.

He waited until he saw that Tang Tian was a distance away from him before quickly shooting.

But at the moment he shot, another big hand covered his release point.

Davis!

He made a small pull-up in the air, but this was not his forte.

"Bang!"

Davis exerted his strength and swatted James's shot out of bounds!

James was blocked by Tang Tian and Davis in succession!