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12th man to Cricket legend. It's a cricket book for cricket lovers only.
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***
On sunday, May 20, 2007, Jeff Van Gundy, returning to Madison Square Garden, was not as happy as he had imagined.
Ignoring the gossip of the past few days, he fully immersed himself in preparing for the game, and his old partner Thibodeau constantly encouraged him, but Head Coach Van Gundy was still somewhat at a loss after the team encountered difficulties.
With the help of the coaching staff, the Cavaliers called a timely timeout, and this boiling Madison Square Garden finally brought Head Coach Van Gundy back to his senses.
The game had just begun, and there was still enough time.
10:15, the Cavaliers' timeout was more timely than usual, as Clay Lee had just made his first three-pointer in the previous possession.
With 7 minutes and 06 seconds left in the first quarter, Head Coach Van Gundy, squatting in front of the Cavaliers players, involuntarily raised his voice, a hint of anxiety appearing on his face:
"We're playing well! Keep up this confidence! Move faster on Defense."
"Set good screens, okay? Do these basic things well, ensure the quality of the screens, seize opportunities, we have to counterattack through Defense!"
Entering the Conference Finals made the Cavaliers players a bit nervous.
Everyone was gathered around the Head Coach at this time, with the New York fans behind them still cheering wildly, as if the game had already ended.
Head Coach Van Gundy, emphasizing rebounding loudly, drew basic tactics on the whiteboard: a T-shaped screen for LeBron James to receive the ball, and a big man pick-and-roll to attack the rim.
Very simple, very basic, highly unlikely to make mistakes, but the effect was questionable.
Thibodeau, dressed in a black suit, noticed that his partner seemed to have forgotten about substitutions, and quickly called Drew Gooden from the bench.
The latter, upon hearing the call, hastily took off his warm-up uniform, and the Cavaliers entered their rotation early.
LeBron James, wearing the away blue jersey, didn't think much of the Head Coach's request.
When the timeout ended, he saw his Good Brother Zydrunas Ilgauskas being substituted out, and then called out to Drew Gooden, who was coming off the bench:
"Stand firm, block the Defense."
The noisy Madison square garden affected LeBron James's emotions, causing him to involuntarily raise his voice, and at the same time, he forgot to comfort Dwight Howard, who had been limited since the start.
Not scoring for almost a minute, LeBron James had already sensed a bad signal.
The director focused the camera on Hill returning to the bench, and also briefly showed Raja Bell in a suit.
JR Smith, who had moved up due to a teammate's injury, entered the game again.
Many sports media believed that this new player had a considerable conflict with the veteran players, but there was no definite news from the New York Knicks locker room.
At the ABC commentary desk, Hubie Brown immediately commented on the early substitutions made by both teams:
"Coach DAntoni has made his choice. The New York Knicks believe more in offense, and Alexander Pavlovic will have a better opportunity after being matched up with JR Smith."
"The Cavaliers' substitution was also very timely. They need stronger rebounding. Drew Gooden can bring more vitality, but their perimeter Defense might face a greater challenge."
"Defense!"
Amidst the roaring Defense cheers echoing through the Madison Square Garden, the Cavaliers inbounded the ball.
LeBron James did not receive the ball immediately.
Larry Hughes came to the Logo position to receive the pass.
Slowing down the offensive pace from the start, Larry Hughes, shielding the ball with his side, loudly called out to his teammates.
As Pavlovic on the right wing accelerated towards the baseline on the right side, LeBron James also immediately started moving.
Not expecting JR Smith to switch, Ron Artest, who was discreetly pulling, immediately chased in Defense, then accelerated outwards, while Drew Gooden at the free-throw line also moved up, preparing for a high pick-and-roll.
Although the tactic was simple and crude, this cooperation was very successful.
The moment he received the ball on the wing, LeBron James put the ball down with his left hand, and using Drew Gooden's solid screen, accelerated horizontally.
Pau Gasol's drop Defense gave him an unhurried opportunity to drive.
As LeBron James lowered his shoulder and drove forcefully, Ron Artest, who had gone around the screen and continued to chase in Defense, was a step late.
Amidst the cheers of the New York fans, LeBron James, full of strength, drove straight to the basket.
Seeing Chandler come over to help in Defense, he still chose a strong layup.
Squeezed by two big men under the left side of the rim, LeBron James pulled his arm sideways in the air, dodging in time, and before Ron Artest, who was following and blocking from behind, could get there, he leaned into the defender and forcefully tossed the ball towards the rim.
The long arm interference still affected the shot.
The ball hit the backboard, bounced off the rim, and at the moment it bounced up, it was tipped in by a large hand.
"Squeak!"
The referee blew the whistle the moment the ball went in.
Dwight Howard noticed the baseline referee's signal and immediately raised his hands with an innocent look.
He didn't interfere with the ball!
Cheers erupted again.
Watching Dwight Howard still explaining to the referee, Mike Breen at the commentary desk glanced at the statistics and promptly said:
"0 for 3. Perhaps LeBron James could consider finishing the offense with a jump shot. Currently, his finishing seems to have some issues."
LeBron James, who almost fell out of bounds, had a dark expression.
He suppressed his emotions, immediately called his teammates to retreat in Defense, and at the same time, patted Dwight Howard as encouragement.
Unlike Head Coach Van Gundy, who was shouting loudly on the other side, Mike D'Antoni, standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed, appeared confident and had given no instructions since the start of the game.
"Let's go Knicks!"
The New York Knicks inbounded the ball, and Larry Hughes immediately started to guard Lee.
As the two crossed half-court, the Cavaliers proactively switched to man-to-man Defense.
JR Smith, who had already run to the left corner, received instructions from Pau Gasol and immediately accelerated, slipping along the baseline to the opposite side.
As Pau Gasol moved up for a pick-and-roll at the free-throw line, Drew Gooden, who was guarding him, also lowered his center of gravity and shuffled to the three-point line.
Noticing his teammate's position, Larry Hughes gave up trying to squeeze through the screen, attempting to lean on Pau Gasol and go around him, cooperating with Drew Gooden to complete a double-team on the baseline.
The moment the opponent was not pressing in Defense, Clay Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, immediately performed a cross-body dribble, and as Pau Gasol stood still, he immediately led the ball forward with his left hand touching the ball.
The basketball passed through the gap between the players.
Drew Gooden didn't have time to reach out, and Lee had already forcefully squeezed through the middle of the two.
Amidst the cheers of the fans, Larry Hughes, who had gone around the baseline, helplessly watched Lee chase the ball ahead of him.
He no longer dribbled, gathered the ball near the paint, took a step, and directly took off.
Dwight Howard, who was coming over to help in Defense, was still moving.
In the air, Lee leaned forward, holding the ball with his left hand, and easily shot the ball towards the backboard before the block.
"Bang swish!"
Dwight Howard, helplessly standing under the basket, watched the ball hit the backboard and go in.
The cheers in his ears annoyed him, and he couldn't help but look at his two teammates defending on the perimeter.
"The Cavaliers' Defense is being dismantled! Clay Lee has once again seized a fleeting opportunity!"
"An excellent drive! Compared to Clay Lee, LeBron James appears somewhat immature in seizing opportunities."
LeBron James on the court naturally couldn't hear Mike Breen's biased commentary.
Head Coach Van Gundy on the sidelines was reminding him to speed up the offensive pace.
In the playoffs, a ball-handling guard like Erik Snow had already been DNP'd.
LeBron James, receiving the ball in the backcourt, advanced with the ball against the Defense.
Ron Artest stayed close, completely disregarding his own stamina.
Raising the screen position and initiating the pick-and-roll immediately, LeBron James sped up the offensive pace, but Drew Gooden's screen was timely squeezed through by Ron Artest.
It was also a 1-3-1 alignment.
When Pavlovic moved towards the left corner, JR Smith proactively switched to defend.
LeBron James accelerated and broke through to the vicinity of the left elbow, and facing the retreating Defense of Pau Gasol, he promptly found his open teammate.
Pavlovic received the ball and faked, deceiving the returning JR Smith, dribbled once and didn't break through again, and his pull-up jump shot clanked off the rim.
Drew Gooden hadn't even managed to squeeze into the paint, LeBron James was again entangled by Ron Artest, and Chandler and Dwight Howard, who were below the right side of the rim, didn't jump up, everyone watched Pau Gasol easily secure the rebound.
Catching the ball, turning, Pau Gasol threw the ball forcefully, the basketball flew directly over the half-court line, and Clay Lee and Larry Hughes were both sprinting at full speed.
Approaching the left wing, Lee jumped to catch the ball in front of his opponent, the moment he received the ball, he put it down with his left hand, and drove straight to the basket, shouldering the Defense.
Larry Hughes, constantly sliding, didn't lose his defensive position, he just immediately leaned back after colliding with Lee in the paint.
Stumbling, unable to jump for a block, Hughes ultimately watched in frustration as Clay Lee took three slow steps then slammed a one-handed dunk with his left hand!
Oh!
After completing the dunk and landing, Lee flexed his arms in front of the camera, moving his shoulders to show off his muscles, and the New York fans behind the basket cheered happily.
"Foul! That's a damn foul!"
Larry Hughes, serving as a defensive enforcer, was completely broken this time, his Defense after the opening failed, and facing the mockery of the home fans, he loudly complained to the referee as if venting his emotions.
10:19, after Lee scored 7 consecutive points, the point difference was about to reach double digits again.
Larry Hughes, who was pulled away by his teammates, stopped on the right wing again on offense, the Cavaliers still ran a pick-and-roll, and LeBron James again strongly drove to the basket from the top of the arc.
He didn't force the offense while in motion, LeBron James decisively passed the ball to Drew Gooden, who had rolled to the free throw line, the latter didn't jump shot after receiving the ball, instead, he dribbled once and rushed to the basket.
The simple and crude offense was disrupted by Chandler, as Drew Gooden's layup over a defender missed, Dwight Howard, below the right side of the rim, immediately grabbed the rebound.
After landing, he immediately lowered his center of gravity, Dwight Howard exploded up to attempt a dunk, but Chandler twisted his body and extended his left arm to interfere again.
The dunk turned into a layup, a close-range offense, the deformed Dwight Howard couldn't finish, and the basketball hit the backboard and bounced right off.
Under the basket, a scramble for the ball instantly ensued, Pau Gasol secured the ball amidst the crowd, and cheers erupted again.
The frantic offensive rebounding paid off, the Cavaliers calmly retreated on Defense at this point, not scoring for a while made Van Gundy agitated, and he shouted loudly, telling Larry Hughes to continue tight Defense.
"Let's go Knicks!"
Amidst the cheers, Clay Lee, holding the ball with his left hand, didn't wait for Pau Gasol, who was moving his feet on the free throw line, to settle, after a hop-step dribble, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and instantly increased his stride to forcefully break through from the top of the arc.
Seeing his teammate lose more than half a step, Pavlovic quickly came over for help Defense, leaving JR Smith, who was moving to the left corner, wide open.
The pass was perfectly timed, Lee quickly dished the ball, and JR Smith shot a fadeaway jump shot after receiving the ball!
"OH! Wide open! That's good!"
The offense was completed in the blink of an eye, the basketball swished through the net, Mike Breen paused for a moment before exclaiming, and JR Smith's unadjusted, distorted shot was beyond his expectation.
"Perhaps the Cavaliers need another timeout, the current point difference is very dangerous, and Head Coach Van Gundy needs his players to respond as quickly as possible."
No sooner had Hubie Brown finished speaking than the Cavaliers called a timeout, Van Gundy had long lost his composure, it was a nightmare 3 minutes.
10:22, the scoring JR Smith was jumping and bouncing, celebrating enthusiastically with the fans.
Daniel Gibson, who performed excellently in the last game, was not called upon by the coaching staff, this Rookie looked eagerly at Van Gundy, but with Defense as a priority, he didn't earn his trust.
Back on the court, the screen failed, bouncing out to the right wing, LeBron James couldn't shake off Ron Artest, and ultimately passed the ball to Pavlovic, who was posting up for the ball in the right block.
Amidst the defensive cheers, JR Smith stuck close to his opponent, constantly interfering with his arms, and using his height advantage, Pavlovic put the ball down with his right hand and drove strongly with the ball.
Squeezing into the paint, under Chandler's help Defense interference, Pavlovic tried to pass the ball to Dwight Howard.
A pump fake and a true pass, Pavlovic reluctantly sent out the pass, the position was too low, and Dwight Howard, who had squeezed into the paint ready to grab the rebound, helplessly fumbled the ball for a turnover.
"Whoa!!"
Amidst the jeers, Dwight Howard's face lost its smile, this game was indeed their familiar rhythm, but the New York Knicks were not the Detroit Pistons, and their Defense seemed ineffective.
After receiving the ball on the baseline, he accelerated and charged forward, Lee's advance speed was extremely fast, giving the Cavaliers no chance to communicate with each other.
Larry Hughes could only slide continuously, and just as he reached the top of the arc, he encountered Chandler's solid screen.
As Lee, holding the ball with his right hand, accelerated his lateral movement, Dwight Howard immediately switched onto him defensively.
When the two came to the right wing, Howard didn't dare to stick too close, and decisively made a defensive choice, turning his body sideways, raising his left arm, and giving Lee his left hand, trusting his own lateral movement.
Chandler rolled down and stopped at the free throw line at this time, Larry Hughes was only focused on pulling and hadn't had time to observe the Defense, when cheers erupted in his ears again.
Facing Dwight Howard's concession, Clay Lee instantly completed a push-dribble change of direction, then accelerated in a straight line with the ball in his left hand.
The prepared Defense had no effect whatsoever, Dwight Howard didn't even have time to warn his teammates in the paint, he was shaken off in the blink of an eye with a slide step to the right rear, and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Clay Lee, accelerating calmly, flew low to the ground, gathering the ball early, he took three big steps and disregarded Drew Gooden, who was bravely helping on Defense under the basket.
Lee, briefly suspended in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, swung his arm to the side, and slammed a dunk, Drew Gooden, who jumped up in a hurry, had just extended his left arm when his chest felt a dull thud, and he was sent flying.
"OHâ!"
The rim roared, the two commentators on the broadcast booth simultaneously exclaimed, all the New York Knicks players excitedly went up to high-five Clay Lee in celebration, and Ron Artest gleefully looked at the fallen Drew Gooden and loudly mocked:
"Who the hell do you think you are! Next time, get out of the way."
Drew Gooden, burning with rage, didn't need his teammates to pull him back, he angrily stood up immediately and rushed forward to argue, his mouth still complaining non-stop:
"Damn the referee!"
Venturing his anger in front of the baseline referee, Drew Gooden was pulled away on the spot and incidentally received a technical foul.
If the Cavaliers coaching staff hadn't held him back, Drew Gooden, who almost made a 'counting money' gesture, would most likely have been ejected directly.
Watching Lee's free throw calmly swish through the net, Van Gundy on the sidelines stared blankly, and Thibodeau, sitting on the bench, also frowned deeply.
The previous physical battle against the Detroit Pistons seemed to have given them unrealistic fantasies, their excellent Defense was easily broken by Lee, which was completely different from their anticipated game plan.
In the remaining few minutes, the Cavaliers were still clanking shots, frequently getting bogged down in half-court offense, but they didn't limit the New York Knicks' scoring, and despite also'shooting and crashing the boards', the New York Knicks held the advantage in rebounds.
It wasn't until LeBron James's free throw and substitute Marshall's forced three-pointer that the Cavaliers broke their scoring drought.
15:37, as the first quarter ended, LeBron James, walking towards the bench, ignored Van Gundy and plopped down onto his seat, the roaring Madison Square Garden made him increasingly agitated:
"Damn the plan!"
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