The Basketball Court Swordsman

Chapter 228: : Indy's next superstar

After the start of the second half of the game, the Pacers were still descending like a tiger, and the state continued to be hot.

The game has just begun, and David West succeeded in a strong insider against Haslem. Since James had just finished a whole quarter, he didn't immediately play at the beginning of the second half.

So West seized this opportunity and scored a goal over the aging Heat captain Haslem. It seems that in the first half of the game, the fiery state of Leonard and Stephenson has been "contagious" to everyone in their Pacers.

Looking back at the Heat, the powerful offensive firepower shown by the Big Three in the first two games seemed to have disappeared overnight. What's more, there is no James in charge yet.

Wade also struggled to face a young, tall and arm-length matchup.

In fact, it was not that the Heat's players were suddenly taken away, but Henson's defensive strategy changed, which contained the Heat's offense.

With Leonard, an excellent one-stop defender, to kill James, the rest of the Pacers can safely block the Heat's three-pointer. When LeBron James's breakthrough points failed to play its power, the Heat's offense naturally sank. And now without James, the Pacers are able to resolutely implement the man-to-man defensive strategy.

Wade's ability to tear the defense is not as good as it used to be. Asking George to defend Wade alone is enough to put tremendous pressure on the "Flash".

Of course, the focus of all this is Leonard. Apart from Henson, no one in the world could have imagined that this guy would perform so well today. If the scenes of his defense of James in the first half were edited, it could be regarded as a defensive textbook.

In the third minute of the third quarter, Wade struggled to carry the Heat, but the point difference was still 8 points. In other words, three minutes have passed and the situation has made no progress.

After James took a short break, Spoelstra had to let him reappear. It seems that the Heat on the 6th is still full of energy, not at all like a person who has just finished 12 minutes of the whole game.

However, after James played, Leonard immediately posted it "enthusiastically". Even if James did not hold the ball, Leonard did not give this "humanoid tank" any space. As soon as he played, James had to face Leonard's entanglement.

For the first offense after James came back, Wade had the ball from the outside, and James looked for an opportunity to attack without the ball. It can be seen that Spoelstra made some changes on the offensive end during the intermission.

In the first half of the game, James held the ball to attack, and the Pacers gave James a lot of pressure. Now that Wade holds the ball, Spoelstra undoubtedly hopes that James' scoring opportunity will be easier.

However, Leonard's defense was so tight that it was jaw-dropping.

You know, the enhancement of attributes not only makes Leonard's offense better, but also makes his defense more abnormal.

James strolled near the bottom line, while Bosh brought it up. There is no doubt that the "Dragon King" wants to make a ball-free screen for James!

James first moved a step to the side with cover, seeing Leonard preparing to bypass the pick-and-roll, James suddenly ran back, ready to go out to the side without cover!

I have to admit that James is very smart. If you think he is just a rough guy who plays with his body, you are wrong. His reverse run is enough to get rid of most defensive players.

However, Leonard used his own "speed of light reaction" to keep up with James' footsteps. A fake cover and a reverse run still failed to get James out of Leonard!

Reluctantly, James had to run back again, and finally took advantage of Bosh's off-the-ball screen to go from the bottom line to the top of the arc, ready to receive Wade's pass.

Leonard was slightly delayed by Bosh's cover, but the pursuit was still active. Seeing that there was still some distance between Leonard and James, Wade passed the ball with confidence. But as soon as he passed the ball out, the "Flash" realized that he had made a wrong decision.

Just as the basketball was about to fly into James' hands, Leonard suddenly accelerated and took a big step, then straightened his long arms, almost destroyed by the pass that James had held!

If someone else is defending James, then this is indeed a safe passing distance. But Leonard's arm is longer than the others!

Wade made a mistake in judgment and Leonard successfully steals!

Anxious James and Wade both rushed to fight, because although Leonard broke the pass, but did not hold the ball.

However, the No. 2 rookie was in danger and threw the basketball to Paul, who was inserted from his side. Leonard's taciturn is more than just personality, this guy is also calm and calm on the basketball court.

A mistake allowed the Pacers to seize the opportunity of a fast break. Paul succeeded in a steady layup and the gap returned to 10 points!

"That **** guy!" Spoelstra smashed the tactical board to the ground violently, Leonard upset him! A mere first-year rookie, why can he suddenly play so well after two games! ?

This matter, I am afraid Spoelstra will never figure it out.

After a Heat attack, Wade made a screen for James in a high position. The purpose of this screen is not to allow James to break through, but to force Leonard to change defense.

But Leonard didn't care about that at all, his ability to get rid of the cover was amazing. The change was not possible, and James was once again forced to the horns by Leonard.

James dribbled the ball to find a breakthrough opportunity, Leonard blocked James' eyes with one big hand, while the other was looking for a chance to steal.

Suddenly, Leonard's arm resembled a viper attacking suddenly. Accurately and quickly attacked and shot off the basketball in James' hands!

Clean and neat, God knows how Leonard stabbed the opponent's dribble cleanly again and again.

Although James' dribble was destroyed, the horns were too narrow, so the ball still belonged to the Heat when the basketball had jumped out of bounds. James raised his hands and didn't fight for it. Instead, he signaled that he hadn't touched the basketball, and he seemed to be ready to serve the sideline.

However, at the moment when the basketball went out of bounds, Leonard stretched out his strangely long arm to fish, and retrieved the basketball that was destined to be out of bounds from the feet of James!

"The ball still belongs to the Pacers!" Mike Brin exclaimed, while James covered his head with his hands in annoyance. He just didn't bend over to grab it! ?

After continuing Wade, James also underestimated the power of Leonard's long arms. As players, they only know that Leonard's arms are slender, but they don't know how long they are, so they still handle the ball as usual.

Wade's passing and James's approach of waiting for basketball to go out of bounds just now are actually not wrong. Because under normal circumstances, these two **** are impossible to lose. It's just a pity that the number 2 they dealt with today is not "routine" at all.

If Spoelstra can tell Wade and James that Leonard's small forward has a longer wingspan than Noah's center, it is estimated that the two brothers will not make a mistake.

Leonard retrieved the ball that was destined to go out of bounds, and both sides immediately reacted. One side defended desperately, while the other desperately attacked.

Leonard was a little panicked after getting the ball, but after passing the ball to Paul, the rhythm stabilized again.

James came back for two rounds, and Leonard also undermined the Heat's offense for two consecutive rounds. Henson couldn't help shook his head, but unfortunately the effect of this bonus was only 5 games. If this effect can continue to the finals, then...

Although the Heat's quick retreat did not give the Pacers a chance to counterattack, Paul's steady mid-range still allowed the offense to be successful.

The point difference turned into 12 points. The Heat played at home and played more difficult than the two away games.

In the third quarter, the Heat's offense still did not improve. Henson played both hole cards and achieved good results.

After 8 minutes of playing in the third quarter, Henson switched to a rotation lineup. At this time, the scene shot gave Leonard a close-up of his expressionless face.

Even with such a brilliant game, Leonard did not have any emotions on his face. He didn't know that after this game, his name would resound throughout the league. No, even if he knew he was about to become famous, he might still have this expression.

Seeing the taciturn and paralyzed Number Two quietly sit back on the bench, Mike Brin couldn't help but smile.

"No wonder, coach Henson racked his brains to get him last summer. Kawai Leonard, this guy is Indianapolis' next superstar."

A huge storm has swept through Miami. It seems that it is difficult for the Heat to make effective resistance...

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