It seemed like Harrell had been holding it in for too long; the energy he erupted with was astonishing.
But this was also to be expected.
Harrell was the type of player whose mental attributes were maxed out. He had an outstanding performance in the playoffs last season, and everyone thought he would be given more importance in the new season. But things didn't go as planned, and now that the opportunity had finally arrived, how could he not seize it!
Even James was stunned.
Looking at Harrell's contorted face, a thought popped into his head.
Who are you!
It was one thing to be bullied by Tang Tian, but now this guy who appeared out of nowhere actually dunked on him!
This was simply an insult!
But fortunately, he wasn't like Durant. He quickly adjusted his emotions and then signaled Love to inbound the ball from the backcourt.
During the Cavaliers' offense, James continued to use Whiteside's pick-and-roll to attack the basket. This time, he didn't choose to pass the ball, but instead forced his way up against Harrell.
Harrell was tough, but James was too fierce when he charged, and he couldn't hold him back.
The referee blew his whistle, but James still managed to score.
2+1!
There was a commotion on the sidelines, but James' expression remained calm.
Although he didn't know who Harrell was, he turned around and scored a 2+1 on him.
This was the strength of the league's second-best player.
Unfortunately, he missed the free throw, and Davis secured the defensive rebound.
6 to 4, the Pelicans still maintained their lead.
Davis held the ball high, and he and Tang Tian played a pick and pop. Tang Tian's shot after the screen bounced on the rim a couple of times before rolling out.
It could be seen that his touch was still not great.
Whiteside boxed out Harrell this time and secured the defensive rebound.
In terms of individual ability and physical talent, he was much stronger than Harrell.
The Cavaliers advanced to the frontcourt, with Irving dribbling to find Whiteside for a pick-and-roll.
The NBA was extremely cruel. Although Harrell had gotten his chance, as a rookie, he was destined to be targeted endlessly.
Irving changed direction and dribbled past Harrell for a reverse layup, his movements incredibly smooth.
But Davis was there to help defend, and Irving's shot missed, the ball sliding off the front of the rim.
Whiteside grabbed the offensive rebound and went to dunk.
But this time, Harrell's reaction speed kept up, resulting in a very strong physical contest.
Harrell's body was really a bit hard. Whiteside's contest inevitably declined after losing weight, and he couldn't get up this time.
With Davis on the left side, he turned to the right, making a small hook shot.
Just as he shot, a giant palm suddenly rushed into his line of sight.
Harrell!
"Bang!"
In his unbelievable gaze, Harrell jumped up and swatted his shot directly into the stands.
A volleyball-style block!
The fans in the arena instantly went wild.
Davis also rushed to Harrell's side at this time, shouting at the latter.
Blocking shots had always been Whiteside's strength, but he had just been blocked hard!
Tang Tian also reached out and gave Harrell a thumbs up.
This guy was really full of energy.
Stevens was also in a good mood.
Harrell had those shortcomings from before, but he also had advantages: strong power, fast bounce, and long wingspan.
Being mediocre was only relative for those who could enter the NBA.
And making the best use of everything was Stevens' coaching style.
After the start of the game, Harrell had a rebound, a put-back dunk, and a volleyball-style block, which had completely justified his starting status.
Harrell performed well as a surprise weapon, catching the Cavaliers off guard, but in a Finals-level game, relying on a surprise weapon alone wouldn't give them an absolute advantage.
On the Pelicans' side, although Tang Tian's touch had recovered somewhat, it was still generally average.
After playing for half a game, the Pelicans were behind the Cavaliers 45 to 50.
The point difference was smaller than in the previous game, but everyone could see that once the halftime adjustments were made, and the Cavaliers deployed targeted defenses against Harrell, the Pelicans' chances of winning would gradually decrease.
After Stevens finished arranging the tactics for the second half, he and Gentry went back to the coach's office first.
Tang Tian turned to talk to Davis.
His injury had a greater impact on his touch than expected, and touch was something that couldn't be forced. He had no other choice but to attack the basket more.
"AD, I'll pass you the ball more in the second half. You need to take more shots."
In contrast, Davis' offensive efficiency in the first half of the game was very good.
In addition to being a player, he was also a basketball godfather. His analysis and observation were first-rate.
Davis nodded firmly. He had been preparing for this for a long time.
Coming back for the second half, neither side adjusted their lineup.
The Cavaliers attacked first, and Irving broke through and drew a defensive foul on Harrell, getting two free throw opportunities.
Lue had obviously made adjustments at halftime, targeting Harrell's lack of experience.
Harrell looked a little annoyed, and Tang Tian went over and said a few words to him.
If his touch wasn't good and he couldn't perform at his full strength on the offensive end, he could do more in other areas.
Harrell nodded.
He was a typical rookie, needing encouragement from the coach and encouragement from the team leader.
With these encouragements, his mental attributes could remain at their peak.
Irving made both free throws, helping the Cavaliers extend the point difference to 7 points.
The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt, with Tang Tian holding the ball on the outside to attack.
Seeing Tang Tian continue to attack, Lue was relieved.
It seemed that Tang Tian really should be injured. His efficiency was not high, and playing like this was very beneficial to the Cavaliers.
Tang Tian dribbled past Love, and James shrunk in to help defend, not giving Tang Tian an easy chance to shoot.
The Cavaliers' defensive strategy was very clear. Tang Tian's touch wasn't good today, so he could shoot from the outside, but he couldn't break through to the inside. Helping with defense and physical contest, nothing would be spared.
Tang Tian broke through to the three-second zone but didn't have a chance to shoot.
But he made a fake shot and a real pass, passing the ball behind him with a signature behind-the-back pass.
Davis didn't go out after the pick-and-roll like before, but followed in towards the basket.
Harrell was doing his best to box out Whiteside at this time, and Davis caught the ball and flew up for a layup.
James' reaction speed was very fast, and he turned to help defend.
The two had physical contact in the air. After all, Davis had the advantage in height and wingspan, and he had acceleration after catching the ball, so he gained the upper hand in the contest.
"Swish!"
The ball was steadily sent into the basket by him.
Cheers rang out from the audience.
Stevens also clenched his fists secretly.
Tang Tian's touch was still not good, and he urgently needed someone else on the team to step up. Davis, as the team's second leader, was the best candidate!
After Davis scored, he turned around and gave Tang Tian a high-five.
Tang Tian had come to New Orleans four years ago, and Davis was already here.
The two had performed the "Towns combination" many times, and they had a great understanding of each other. They were the type who knew what to do with just a look, and knew to change positions with just a pat on the butt.
Lue reacted quickly and also realized the Pelicans' tactical intentions, shouting to remind his players to pay attention to Davis' defense.
The Cavaliers didn't score on an offensive possession in the frontcourt. Back on the defensive end, after Tang Tian and Davis did another pick-and-roll, Shumpert was guarding Davis very aggressively, and wouldn't give him an easy chance like before.
Seeing that there wasn't a good opportunity, Tang Tian dribbled the ball back to the three-point line.
He made a new tactical gesture.
Ariza and Holiday spread out on the left corner and forty-five degree angle, and Davis dropped to the right low post.
Tang Tian passed the ball inside, and then made a reverse run towards the basket, also taking Shumpert to the other side.
Davis posted up Love, and then made a quick jump shot off the backboard after turning around.
This ball was played very quickly, and it had a Duncan-esque feel to it.
The ball grazed the backboard and shot diagonally into the net.
Davis' condition was really good tonight, scoring two consecutive goals after coming back in the second half!
Cheers rose again from the audience, mixed with bursts of whistles.
Davis' scoring was like sending charcoal in the snow, and it came at the right time!
Lue signaled Whiteside to switch defense with Love.
From being a tactical genius during his time with the Clippers to being a plump and handsome coach now, Lue had not only gained weight in the past few years, but also tactical abilities.
James broke through and passed to Love, but Love didn't seize the opportunity this time, and Davis secured the defensive rebound.
Turning around, the Pelicans played the same tactic, but the Cavaliers had already switched defenses, with Whiteside defending Davis.
This response came quickly enough.
Davis didn't force it. He and Whiteside had partnered in the Pelicans' starting lineup for one and a half seasons, and were very familiar with Whiteside's technical characteristics.
After a fake hard post up, he turned around and shot from the free throw line.
Whiteside aimed for the opportunity to block the shot.
But Davis made a feint, turning back to the baseline for a bank shot.
Whiteside didn't have time to return to defense, watching the ball graze the backboard and fall into the net.
The fans in the arena went wild.
Whiteside couldn't defend him either, Davis had scored 6 consecutive points as soon as the second half started!
The point difference was chased to only 1 point!
"Tang, your Pippen is online!"
Miller exclaimed from the commentary booth.
They were expecting Tang Tian to regain his touch in the game, but before Tang Tian could find his touch, Davis exploded!
Lue was a little flustered at this time.
Whiteside couldn't defend Davis, so did he need to double-team?
But if they double-teamed Davis, what about Tang Tian!
"Defense! Defense!"
Davis' consecutive scores greatly boosted the morale of the crowd, and the fans cheered for their home team in unison.
Amid the cheers, James broke through in the frontcourt and hit a turnaround fadeaway, immediately extinguishing the atmosphere.
As he had shown in the first game, his condition in this year's playoffs was very good.
The point difference returned to 3 points!
Lue's flustered expression calmed down a bit.
He had James!
Tang Tian continued to feed the ball to Davis in the frontcourt, determined to play Davis on that spot.
Davis continued to post up, his continuous turns were extremely smooth, and his condition was really good tonight.
Whiteside didn't jump the first time, didn't jump the second time, but couldn't help it the third time.
Davis faked out Whiteside, then turned around and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!
He was crazy, Davis was going crazy!
He had scored 8 consecutive points after coming back in the second half!
The point difference was once again chased to 1 point!
Stevens looked excited, he had hoped that Davis could stand up before the first game, and now his wish had finally come true!
Tang Tian also smiled and high-fived Davis.
Just like Miller said, his Pippen had finally come online.
The Cavaliers had a great play in the frontcourt, with Irving receiving a pass from James and quickly cutting to the basket.
Davis flew to block the shot, and Irving pulled the ball back in the air to dodge.
"Bang!"
But Davis' condition was really good, he didn't block it with his right hand, so he switched to his left hand, and managed to block Irving's ball out of bounds!
He was fired up!
"He's everywhere!"
Breen also exclaimed from the commentary booth.
Davis' continuous offensive and defensive performance greatly boosted the morale of the crowd, and the Cavaliers' baseline play had a mistake, and the ball was directly intercepted by Tang Tian.
After intercepting the ball, Tang Tian wasn't in a hurry to launch a fast break. After advancing to the frontcourt, he continued to play the same tactic.
"Front him! Front him!"
Drew shouted to Whiteside from the sidelines.
Whiteside... still pretended not to hear.
Drew's mustache was raised in anger.
Davis received the ball and continued to turn around and post up.
This time, Love actively helped defend, and Davis was double-teamed.
But he reacted quickly enough, passing the ball from outside the baseline to Harrell on the other side in the double-team.
Harrell showed his physical qualities, not dribbling, and directly pulled up with both hands and slammed the ball heavily into the basket before Love could return to defense!
The Pelicans, took the lead!
The Pelicans' bench instantly erupted the moment Harrell dunked the ball in.
After coming back in the second half, the Pelicans completely swept away their state in the first half, and completely took the initiative on the court!
The situation also completely tilted to their side!
"Defense! Defense!"
The shouts on the scene were deafening.
James came through in the crucial moment, breaking through to the inside and making continuous foot movements in the double-team to force the ball in.
The Cavaliers regained the lead!
The situation on the court became extremely anxious.
Davis continued to call for the ball in the low post, and Whiteside continued not to front him.
This time, Shumpert helped defend, trying to steal the ball with a surprise attack.
This was a very lethal move for big guys.
But Davis dodged it, and passed the ball to Tang Tian who was cutting in.
Tang Tian jumped up after catching the ball and slammed the ball into the basket with his left hand!
The Pelicans scored with consecutive dunks, and the Pelicans took the lead again!
And that wasn't all, when the Cavaliers didn't score on an offensive possession, the Pelicans launched a counterattack, and Davis received a pass from Tang Tian and shot a pull-up three-pointer directly.
He was completely fired up!
"Swish!"
The key was that the pull-up three-pointer went in!
In less than half a quarter, Davis scored 11 points and 2 assists on 5-for-5 shooting!
This was the real Pippen!
Lue reached out and called a timeout.
"Keep your confidence, he can't be this accurate all the time, trust each other, do a good job on every defense, we can win the game like we did in the first game!"
Lue was mentored by Rivers, and putting aside the tactical things, his motivational speech level was among the best in the league.
But no matter how good the motivational speech was, it couldn't control the opponent's condition.
Lue said that Davis wouldn't be so accurate all the time, but in fact Davis really was so accurate all the time.
He caught the ball in front of James and made a jump shot, a clean swish.
He made a turnaround fadeaway in the double-team.
He scored after consecutive offensive rebounds.
……
Davis scored 23 points in the third quarter alone! He scored another 14 points in the fourth quarter!
That night, fans saw a completely different Davis, the Davis who was touted by the media to the sky when he was drafted as the No. 1 pick, the Davis who would dominate the league!
Davis only scored 10 points in the first half of the game, but he scored a full 37 points in the second half!
The entire game he was 17 of 25 from the field, 2 of 4 from three-point range, and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, with 47 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks!
A 68% shooting percentage! This was the night of his career!
Under his heroic performance, the Pelicans completely suppressed the Cavaliers in the second half, and finally defeated the Cavaliers 108-98 at home, tying the series!
Every team has a second-in-command, but what makes Pippen so different is that his own strength is very close to the main leader!
Davis really played with the feeling of Pippen in this game!