The Fifth Point Guard

The deafening "defense" chants required the Heat players on the road to shout very loudly to hear each other's voices.

But facing this scenario, the Heat seemed to be well prepared.

Let’s start with their strongest point at the beginning.

Jones passed the ball across to Wade, who lobbed it inside and ran to the weak side, taking away the defender.

In this way, on O'Neal's side, only him holding the ball and Big Z on defense are left.

Although Gooden and James are on the weak side, they are always eyeing O'Neal with the ball.

O'Neal started to play from behind after catching the ball.

The strong force made Big Z retreat continuously.

When the time was right, O'Neal quickly turned around with his back leaning on Big Z, and then exploded from the basket.

"boom!"

The basket made a "squeaking" sound.

O'Neal's dunk nearly ripped the rim off.

What a meat, egg and onion chicken!

When O'Neal's hand holding the basket released, the basket quickly bounced back to its original position and made a trembling sound of "dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang, dang."

Although Big Z made efforts on the defensive end, it was unable to limit O'Neal's opening attack.

This is what Barkley said about this ball.

"Shaquille is undoubtedly the strongest point of the Heat. I mean currently, the Heat will be Dwyane's team in the future, but at the moment, the team must play around Shaquille, although Big Z is also the whole team. He is a star and has certain height advantages, but he and Shaquille are not on the same level as players."

Smith interjected and asked: "Some people are comparing Big Z of the Cavaliers and Yao Ming of the Rockets. You and Yao Ming are so familiar, can you comment on them and talk about your views on them."

"Of course it's no problem. I know Yao Ming very well. I want to kiss a donkey's butt back then. Ahem, a hero doesn't mention his bravery back then. Ahem, Kenny, what did you ask just now?"

"Yao Ming and Big Z."

"Oh, yes. Yao Ming's strength is close to O'Neal. This can be seen from the matchups in recent matches. The two of them can play 1v1. But Big Z and Yao Ming are different. Although they are both It is over 2.20 meters, but Yao Ming's lower body strength is much stronger than that of Big Z. At the same time, Big Z's strength is not as strong as Yao Ming's, and his flexibility is not as flexible as when Yao Ming first entered the league. Big Z is an excellent center, but Far from great.”

While talking and laughing, the Cavaliers began to attack.

Contrary to the Heat, the Cavaliers started from the outside.

Shentong held the ball with one hand and faced Wade sideways.

This pose alone is so cool.

Gooden ran out to cover Shentong, and someone on the Heat side had already loudly reminded Wade.

In the number of games against STO in the Eastern Conference, Wade's experience in defending STO has also improved a lot.

He stepped forward with his right foot, blocking Guden's cover and blocking Shentong's breakthrough route.

Just when everyone thought that Shentong would use the screen to break through, this guy stepped down and dribbled the ball from behind, and then pulled up directly on the spot.

Only Gooden and Wade, who were still competing with each other in front of him, watched helplessly as Shentong threw the ball.

"Uh-huh."

The hollow passes through the net.

2-2

If O'Neal's dunk just now showed his domineering power, then Shentong's pull-up showed his precision and agility.

"Watching Shentong play is a pleasure." Barkley took a sip of tea water, chewed and swallowed the tea in his mouth.

"Charles, what do you think of the selection of this year's best team? It is rumored that players such as Kobe, McGrady, Iverson, and Carter have all missed the first team. Has their era passed?" Smith asked Barkley. asked.

"No, no, no, their era is far from over. It's just that some teams performed more dazzlingly. Look at the top ten scorers this season. They are still these guys, but they should know that relying on one person alone can The strength is no longer able to make waves in this league. At the same time, new generation players like Shentong and Wade have begun to attack their positions. I even think that Shentong's level has already reached the level of the four major shooting guards. If He can lead the team to win the championship this season. No, even if it only reaches the finals, I think STO's status should be ranked above the top four shooting guards. He has already won a championship and two scoring champions. "

On the court, O'Neal held the ball in singles and was double-teamed by the Cavaliers.

Big Z, Gooden, and James surrounded O'Neal.

Inside and outside.

Eddie Jones made a spot-up jumper after receiving the ball and hit it.

Jones clenched his fists after scoring.

Back then, Kobe was his backup, and Jones was brilliant in Los Angeles during the All-Star period.

In his heart, Los Angeles chose to trade him in order to correct Kobe, which made him feel very annoyed and unhappy.

This season, former teammate O'Neal was also traded to the Heat because of Kobe Bryant and became his current teammate. This made Jones seem to have found his former comrade-in-arms.

He and O'Neal have the same idea, which is to lead the Heat to win the championship and mock the management in Los Angeles who underestimated him.

Even when they were with the Lakers, they didn't agree on goals at such a high level.

The Cavaliers playing at home had a relatively easy time.

Shentong's breakthrough ball found James on the outside, who made a long three-pointer and hit it!

5-4, the Cavaliers went ahead by 1 point.

Barkley said: "LeBron's three-pointers this season have improved significantly compared to last season, which is a good thing for the Cavaliers."

Smith said: "Yes, and as this season progresses, LeBron's three-pointers become more and more accurate, and this is related to a gossip."

When he heard about the gossip, Buckley's eyes lit up and he quickly asked: "What's going on?"

"You forget, three-point shooting guru Reggie Miller is in Cleveland this season."

After Smith reminded him, Barkley immediately woke up and said, "So LeBron's improvement in three-pointers this season has something to do with Reggie?"

Smith nodded and said: "Yes, LeBron specifically found Reggie to practice three-pointers, and Reggie was also very willing to coach last season's best rookie."

"Oh, why doesn't he ask Shen Tong for three-point shooting training? Shen Tong's three-point shooting is not inferior to Reggie at all."

Smith said: "You don't understand this. Shentong is the target of LeBron's pursuit. If Shentong becomes LeBron's master, do you think LeBron still has a chance to surpass Shentong?"

Smith's words were somewhat implicit, but they already pointed out James' ambitions.

As the No. 1 high school student in the country in his era and a player known as the Chosen One, there is a question mark as to whether he is willing to be the team's second-in-command.

Even Pippen, who was next to Jordan, was not very restful during Jordan's heyday. It was just because the first person on the team was Michael Jordan that Pippen was able to assist him in the second position.

No one knows what James planned except himself.

After all, in the previous time and space, every decision he made was quite sudden.

Halfway through the first quarter, the score was 17-16 and the game entered an official timeout.

The opening game between the two sides was still in a tentative stage and they did not use their full strength.

After the timeout, the Cavaliers replaced Reggie Miller, Eric Snow and Anderson Varejao.

Shentong and James are still on the court.

The Heat also made substitutions, O'Neal came off, Mourning came on, Rasu Butler came on, and Damon Jones came off.

Wade plays the point guard position, and Butler plays against Shentong.

After the substitutions, the two sides started fighting.

This is also related to the end of big centers like Big Z and O'Neal.

Both Varejao and Mourning are flexible centers who can cover and move up the line, and can also keep up with the rhythm of fast breaks.

In terms of organizational ability alone, Snow is better than Wagner.

As soon as he came on the court, Snow sent out two assists in a row.

A crotch-throwing ground pass showcased Snow's passing skills.

Relying on Varejao's off-ball screen, Shentong got rid of Butler and received the pass, and easily dunked with both hands.

Another assist went to James.

Snow sprinted inside along the right baseline and turned around to go to the top line without a chance.

Just when everyone thought Snow was going to reorganize the attack, this guy used a scorpion tail move and flicked the ball behind him.

How wonderful is this move to pass the ball without looking at the person behind the back!

Just when everyone's eyes were still focused on Snow, James had already reached from the baseline on the other side. After receiving the ball, no one was guarding him, and he once again delivered a two-handed slam dunk!

O'Neal, who was sitting off the court, was unhappy.

"Hey, Alonzo, are you going to be my substitute like this? The rim was almost broken by those guys!"

Hearing O'Neal's scolding off the court, Mourning couldn't bear it.

I think back then, he was also a strong inside player who was as famous as the four major centers, and even had the title of fifth center. Now he is being criticized mercilessly by O'Neal, which makes Mourning a little annoyed.

However, as a member of the Heat, Mourning cannot vent this anger on his teammates, and O'Neal is still the boss of this team, so he can only find opportunities to vent on his opponents.

Wade stepped down to dribble and swung his left hand. His body moved very strangely, and he instantly got rid of Snow's defense.

This breakthrough movement while dribbling is also one of the reasons why Wade is called "The Flash".

With this starting advantage of half a step ahead and his already very fast speed, Wade's breakthrough is indeed very sharp.

In the blink of an eye, Wade has broken through to the basket.

"Hey!"

Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.

Anyone who is familiar with him knows that this is the voice of non-professional actor Varejao.

However, Varejao is not completely bluffing. Being able to win the Brazilian League MVP is still something.

With a roar like a slaughtered pig and shaking his epileptic afro, he really has the aura of not caring about his own life or death in exchange for one.

Although he failed to directly block Wade's layup, he did interfere.

In order to avoid Varejao's block, Wade switched the ball to his left hand in the air, then sideways avoided Varejao's air interception and threw a cricket ball.

The ball bounced off the board and hit the front edge of the basket.

Varejao made a successful defense!

But before the smile on Varejao's face could fully bloom, Alonzo Mourning had already grabbed the ball that had just popped out of the basket with both hands and completed a two-handed dunk!

Mourning, who succeeded in making the dunk, hung his left hand on the basket while his right hand was already waving in the air.

After landing, Mourning clenched his fists in front of his body, veins popped out in his arms, and he was mumbling something. He looked very excited.

This ball allowed Mourning to vent a lot.

After high-fiving Wade, Mourning was still excitedly encouraging his teammates even though he retreated to his own half.

This extra dunk boosted the Heat's morale.

In contrast, the Cavaliers' momentum seemed to be suppressed by the Heat.

After Snow quietly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, he saw Shentong running to the top of the arc and immediately understood.

After receiving the pass, Shentong reversed his previous patience in looking for opportunities, instantly turned around and passed Butler, and rushed directly to the inside.

"Everyone get out of the way and give this ball to me!"

Mourning shouted loudly, trying to hold off Shentong's attack with the momentum from the extra dunk just now.

He wants to hit the Cavaliers hard on both offense and defense!

Shentong said nothing, but his eyes were extremely sharp, and he jumped high to meet Mourning.

Mourning roared and jumped up, rounding his arms in an attempt to block the shot in the air.

As the distance between the two gradually came closer, Mourning sensed something was wrong.

Shentong flew higher and higher, but Mourning's own body had already begun to fall.

After the body collision in the air, Mourning was directly knocked away by Shentong's momentum. After landing, he lost his balance, staggered back, and then sat down on the ground.

Shentong seemed to be stagnant in the air after hitting Mourning. He used his powerful ability to stay in the air, which completely violated Newton's laws of physical motion, to complete a sideways dunk in the air!

Moning, who was sitting on the ground, looked ashen.

Shentong glanced at Mourning with disdain after landing.

At that moment, Mourning felt heartbroken.

That look contained disdain, indifference, murderous intent, and even a hint of mischief.

It was at that moment that Mourning felt that he was indeed old.

The word "retirement" really appeared in Mourning's mind for the first time.

Heat coach Stan Van Gundy called a timeout.

Shentong, who completed the top ten goals of the day, was surrounded by teammates to celebrate.

In the live broadcast room, Barkley said: "Kenny, have you noticed? The Cavaliers are very united this season. I like this team atmosphere very much."

Smith replied: "Yes, the combat effectiveness of a team, in fact, in addition to the strength of the coach and players, also reflects the atmosphere of the team's locker room. Whether a team is united can be reflected from the game itself, 04 That Lakers team of 2016 is the most obvious example.”

The little momentum Mourning had just built up for the Heat was severely suppressed by Shentong before it took off.

It's like a little brother who just felt a little bit was poured with a basin of ice water, and the feeling disappeared immediately.

After the first quarter, the Cavaliers led the Heat by 5 points 27-22. Shentong tried his best and scored 8 points. O'Neal scored 6 points and 4 rebounds.

In the second quarter, the two sides began to officially enter the game.

Bayonet fights occurred from time to time on the field.

The intensity of physical confrontation gradually increases, followed by a decrease in hit rate and enjoyment.

After two consecutive breakthroughs, Shentong encountered double teams and then missed shots, it began to change its style of play.

Relying on Wade and taking advantage of his height, Shentong succeeded in back-up shots.

Wade has absolutely no way to make a fadeaway jumper after turning around. Whether it goes in or not depends entirely on Shentong's own shooting touch.

In this quarter, Shentong took 7 shots and hit 4 goals, one of which was a three-pointer. In addition, he made 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 14 points in a single quarter and 22 points in the first half.

Compared with the inability of the Cavaliers' outside player Shentong to solve the problem, the Heat's O'Neal is also unstoppable at the basket.

At the end of the first half, O'Neal also scored a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, in addition to 3 assists and 2 blocks.

The score between the two teams was 47-44.

The competition gradually entered a fierce stage.