Chapter 130 A good start
Yu Jia is right. Although this Cavaliers team does not have many stars, they are very motivated.

Especially after Mike Brown increased the number of rotation players, many players who usually don't get a chance to play in the playoffs got the opportunity to show themselves.

Therefore, in order to show themselves, they are very active and will keep running and defending as long as they are on the court.

Sometimes God will stand on the side of those who work hard. At 8 minutes into the fourth quarter, James, Alexander and Daniel Gibson each made a three-pointer in three consecutive rounds, narrowing the score to only 4 points.

A sudden rain of three-pointers caused the Knicks to call a timeout, and Larry Brown shouted to the players.

“Don’t let your guard down and don’t give your opponent any chances.

The game is not over yet. This is just the first game of the series and we are still on the same starting line as our opponents.

Failure is not difficult to accept, but it is difficult to accept that you could have won but lost the game because of arrogance.

Win this game for me, you hear me?

Larry Brown shouted to everyone that the three-point rain just now was not due to a problem with their defensive strategy, but because of the score advantage, the Knicks players relaxed.

This gave the opponent the opportunity to make three three-pointers at once.

When they saw that the game had entered the fourth quarter and they still had a 10-point lead, they began to relax a little.

They thought that their current opponents would be like the previous two teams and would be easily sent home by them, but they needed to know that their opponents also had to beat two playoff teams to appear in front of them.

If you are careless, you must pay the price for your carelessness!

Those three three-pointers are the best proof!

Of course, they are still leading and they still have a chance to win the game.

As for whether they can win, it depends on their performance in the next seven minutes.

"heard it."

All the players shouted loudly that they all wanted to make it to the finals, they all wanted to win the championship, and they would not let victory slip away before their eyes.

They have to return to the field and reap the rewards of this game.

The Cavaliers, who had just made three three-pointers, were also speaking at this moment.

All the tactics and defensive strategies that should be emphasized have been emphasized. The only thing we need to do now is to leave the game to the players on the field and let them win the game.

With a 4-point difference, they have every chance of winning the game.

"Did you see those Knicks players on the other side? You are only four points behind them, it's just a matter of two rounds. We have a chance to win this game and have the upper hand.

Don't waste the opportunity, don't slack off, don't give up!

Leave every drop of your sweat on the court, and spend every bit of your energy on basketball.

Don't let Zheng rush past you easily. Confront him and wear down his energy. Once he's about to commit a foul, pull him down hard and don't give him the chance to score 2+1.

For the fans of Cleveland, and to bring a championship to this city, do whatever it takes."

Young Mike Brown encouraged the players with his passionate speech, telling them that if there were no opportunities, they had to create them, and if there were opportunities, they had to seize them. They were determined to win the game.

Players from both teams took to the court with the determination to win, and in the last seven minutes, it was time to show the fighting spirit.

It was the Knicks' turn to attack first. Crawford received the pass from Quentin Richardson and went straight to the inside.

His playing style was indeed gorgeous, and he passed James with a nimble turn, but the 2.21-meter-tall Big Z became the biggest obstacle to his offense.

A layup was directly hit by the opponent onto the backboard.

But fortunately, Zheng Yang was there. This guy followed Crawford, grabbed the offensive rebound, and then made a burst of the ball and jumped up directly on the spot.

At this moment, Big Z had not turned around completely and was only half facing Zheng Yang, so he did not put up any effective resistance at all.

Zheng Yang stuffed the basketball directly into the basket, and the basketball hoop made a bang.

Zheng Yang's dunk this time was extremely powerful!
"Hey, you see, after the timeout, the Knicks are in a different state, especially Zheng Yang's dunk over Big Z, which immediately brought out the momentum.

The reason why I always say that Zheng Yang is a competent leader is because he plays the ball reasonably. He scores when he should, grabs rebounds when he should, and creates opportunities for his teammates when he should.

And when morale is low and needs to be boosted, he always steps up. This is the responsibility that a team leader should have.”

Coach Zhang started to praise Zheng Yang non-stop. If Zheng Yang heard it, he would probably feel embarrassed.

However, Coach Zhang's words also expressed the thoughts of Zheng Yang's fans. In their hearts, what attracts them most about Zheng Yang is not his playing style or skills, but his sense of responsibility.

They have never seen this guy give up. Whenever the team encounters difficulties, he is always the first one to step up and solve the problem.

If you can't attack, then give the ball to him. If you can't defend the opponent, then give the opponent to him.

And he never blames others. When the team does not perform well, he will only take the responsibility on himself.

He doesn't blame his teammates, his coach.

This sense of responsibility is something that countless fans of Zheng Yang like. They also draw strength from him and turn themselves into responsible people.

Zheng Yang's dunk really boosted morale. The entire Knicks team was energized and quickly returned to defense to deal with the Cavaliers' next attack.

Larry Brown on the sidelines also yelled at the players to pay attention to their defense.

The Cavaliers passed the ball to James after crossing half court. With the help of a screen, James stepped on the accelerator and rushed directly into the inside.

This guy's impact on the basket is indeed strong. After reaching the inside, he pushed Eddy Curry, squeezed out the shooting space, and hit the rebound.

The score was narrowed to 4 points again.

After scoring the goal, James flexed his muscles and roared at Eddy Curry. At the same time, he turned his head and glanced at Zheng Yang with his eyes full of fighting spirit.

They all say I am not as good as you...

They all thought I would be your supporting role...

They are all waiting to see me make a fool of myself...

But don't forget, I am the top pick in 03! My talent is no worse than anyone else, and my desire for the championship is no less than anyone else. It's not that easy to sweep us and enter the finals!
I just want to beat you, I just want to prove that my time has come, and I will be the one who laughs last!
Zheng Yang noticed his eyes and saw the fighting spirit in them.

Since you want to challenge me, go ahead and give it a try!

At this moment, the two talented young men both burst out with a strong desire to fight.

In the next few rounds, both sides fought back and forth, each showing off their skills.

Zheng Yang first shot a three-pointer at Alexander outside the three-point line, and then challenged James, and easily made a layup before dribbling past him...

James constantly uses his physical advantage to attack the inside. If Eddy Curry is the only one there, he will go straight for a layup.

If Big Ben double-teams him, he will choose to pass the ball.

In the last seven minutes, the Cavaliers, who were not good at offense, successfully matched the Knicks' offense with a very high hit rate from the outside and kept the score close.

The nervous Knicks fans watched as the time was running out and they still hadn't widened the gap, and they couldn't help but feel anxious.

They were worried that the Cavaliers would suddenly make a few three-pointers like they did before, and with the current score difference, it would be very likely that they would overtake the score in an instant.

The score was overtaken at this time, and there was no enough time for the Knicks to catch up.

The Knicks must hold on!
Don't lead the entire game only to lose it in the last minute.

Time is like a horse whipping up, and the sun and the moon are like falling flowers and flowing water!
Soon there was only one minute left. At this moment, James was breaking into the inside on the court, and Zheng Yang was standing in front of him.

Zheng Yang's ability to defend outside players is definitely the strongest among the Knicks.

Previously, it was just to save energy and facilitate attack. In addition, James knew that he could not get any advantage from Zheng Yang, so he kept avoiding him, which made Zheng Yang have few opportunities to defend against the opponent.

But now, we don't have to worry about physical strength anymore. We can use all our strength to attack and to defend, as long as we can bring back victory.

James' breakthrough has no deterrent effect on Zheng Yang. With his flexible footwork and rich defensive experience, he can always block the opponent's position and force him to stop.

However, James' shooting ability is not strong, and he dare not shoot easily at this critical moment. Therefore, after his breakthrough failed, he could only choose to pass the ball to Alexander who was waiting in the corner.

Alexander has already thrown in three three-pointers in this game, and he made 4 of 3 shots, with an extremely amazing hit rate.

Seeing him raise his hand to shoot, Crawford rushed over. Alexander's shot did miss, but the referee's whistle sounded.

This is a three-point foul!
The Cavaliers players suddenly became excited, especially James, who patted the opponent on the butt after pulling him up from the ground.

Now the gap between them and the Knicks is only 5 points. As long as Alexander makes all three free throws, they can catch up to the score with only one round left.

They have every hope of catching up with their opponents and winning the game.

The Cavaliers' excitement contrasted sharply with the regret on Crawford's face. At such a critical moment, sending the opponent to the free throw line was a mistake that should not have been made.

Not only did he make this mistake, but he also gave his opponent three free throws.

In this final minute, these three free throws could have easily ruined the game.

If he loses the game, he will be the biggest culprit.

Anyone could see how tormented Crawford was at the moment. Zheng Yang also saw it. He walked up to him, patted his shoulder and said with a smile.

"Whether he scores or not, we are ahead. The next offensive rounds still belong to us. We will win this game."

"Sorry Zheng, I shouldn't have committed a foul just now. You know, I was a little anxious."

Crawford said apologetically, his eyes full of regret.

"It's okay Jamal, you are part of our team, we can't make it to the Eastern Conference Finals without you, no one will blame you! Besides, we will win this game.

Adjust your mood, okay? Believe me, I mean what I say! "

"Uh-huh."

Crawford nodded vigorously, his heart was filled with emotion at this moment.

The team is likely to lose the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals because of his mistakes. This is not the regular season, this is the Eastern Conference Finals.

With every loss, the pressure on the players increases.

But in this situation, Zheng Yang not only did not blame him, but comforted him instead.

Who wouldn't be moved by this? Who wouldn't obey this boss?

From today on, Jamal Crawford is Zheng Yang's biggest henchman. Even if Zheng Yang asks him to fight Larry Brown, he won't blink an eye!
Larry Brown: Hit me? I'm also Zheng Yang's henchman, why did you hit me?
At this moment, Alexander, who stepped onto the free throw line, was under tremendous pressure. The fate of the team depended on him alone. No matter who came, it would be impossible for him to remain calm!

No, except for Vujacic, that guy can remain calm and even fix his hair before shooting!

Alexander's free throw percentage in his career is not high, only 67.3%, but this season is his best year with free throw percentage, 79.4%.

There were loud boos in Madison Square Garden, hoping to influence the opponent's free throws, but at the critical moment, Alexander withstood the pressure and made all three free throws, directly helping the team narrow the score to 2 points.

The Cavaliers' chance to reverse the game is at hand!
The Knicks did not choose to call a timeout because their goal in this round was very clear, which was to give the ball to Zheng Yang and let him decide the offense of this game.

Sure enough, before half court, Quentin Richardson passed the ball to Zheng Yang. After receiving the ball, the latter walked slowly to the front court and then settled down to press the time.

He wants to kill as much game time as possible.

The Cavaliers did not dare to attack rashly and stared at Zheng Yang from two steps away.

When there were only 7 seconds left in the game, Zheng Yang started his attack. He made a drastic change of direction and shook off Alexander. Then he stepped back to the three-point line and took a three-point shot.

Three point hit!

The score difference returned to 5 points.

Amid the cheers of Madison Square Garden, the Cavaliers requested a timeout. After the timeout, James' layup was slapped away by Ben Wallace, and Crawford, who was protecting the offensive rebound, was fouled by the Cavaliers.

But with his two free throws, the game was decided.

The final score was 110:117. The Knicks won the first game at home and seized the initiative!

(End of this chapter)