NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 309 Arriving at Match Point

At the start of the second quarter, the Hawks continued to defend Runner one-on-one, and Runner continued to score.

But the point difference did not narrow, and the rest of the Cavaliers were still firmly held down.

If the Cavaliers lost the last game because they didn't play well and their opponents were on fire, then this game truly showed the gap between the two teams.

In the starting lineup, Shumpert couldn't even break down Teague; he seemed only good as a D, his three-point shot was inconsistent, and his ball-handling and offensive ability was on par with Dellavedova. Dellavedova was a fierce defender, but that was all he had left. Looking at his aggressive play, if you put him in a mismatch against Jabeur, he could easily get past him with a crossover. Aside from fouling, he couldn't do anything. Mozgov and Tristan Thompson could only finish plays, and they were prone to butterfingers. With the starting five, it became clear that the offense relied solely on him.

With Jia Fei guarding him off the bench, JR struggled to receive the ball, and even when he did, he had few good shooting opportunities, completely shut down. James Jones was accurate with open three-pointers, but he lacked one-on-one ability, and his defense was simply giving away opportunities; Marion was also getting old, easily beaten on defense, and offensively he could be left wide open.

Cavaliers fans are watching a running man constantly taking one-on-one shots and scoring, but the point difference doesn't narrow at all.

The Cavaliers also made a lineup change in the second half, taking out TT and leaving Mozgov as the sole center, with James Jones at the power forward position.

The lineup change didn't work; the Hawks simply wouldn't double-team the running players. James Jones had no open shots, and his only offensive contribution was creating space for the running players to play more comfortably. Defensively, he was just easy prey for Millsson. Overall, he wasn't even as effective as "offensive rebounding maniac" Tristan Thompson!

The Cavaliers' lineup change failed, and the score remained unchanged.

Ultimately, the Hawks easily defeated the Cavaliers 99-87 on the road, bringing the series score to 2-1!

Running Man had an outstanding performance in this game, scoring a game-high 40 points, but he only had 2 assists. Clearly, the Hawks were giving him one-on-one opportunities, but if you wanted to lead your teammates, forget it.

Apart from the running man, none of the other Cavaliers players scored in double digits, which is indeed somewhat embarrassing.

Jia Fei recorded a well-rounded performance in this game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. He hasn't missed a single game since the start of the playoffs, and his consistent performance is frightening.

From 0-1 to 2-1, the Hawks regained home-court advantage, and the situation in the series changed.

Public opinion is constantly changing, from overwhelming support for the Cavaliers to support for both sides, and now there is more support for the Hawks.

These people aren't stupid. They can tell from the game that unless Irving makes a miraculous comeback, the Cavaliers are dreaming if they think they can defeat the Hawks, who have Jia Fei, by relying on Running Man alone.

In the home team's locker room after the game, Jia Fei said passionately, "We won this game, for ourselves and for our teammate Kyle who was injured in the last game!"

"For Kyle!" the other Hawks players shouted in unison.

"The series is far from over. The opponent will definitely fight back in the next game. We don't know when Kyrie will return. All we can do is focus on ourselves, take it one game at a time, and aim for the Finals!" Jia Fei said earnestly.

May 26th, Eastern Conference Finals Game 4!

This game was a must-win for the Cavaliers. A win would put them back on equal footing and allow them to face the pivotal Game 5 in Atlanta; a loss would leave them trailing 1-3, facing a team coached by a different coach, a team with superstars and a well-developed system, essentially meaning elimination.

The Cavaliers are at a disadvantage because Kyrie Irving is still unable to return, which means they have to use a point guard, meaning they can only use Matthew Dellavedova. Alternatively, they could forgo a point guard and start JR Smith, letting Steve Shumpert or Iman Shumpert play point guard.

The Cavaliers made a lineup change for this game! JR Smith started, and Matthew Dellavedova came off the bench!

After the game started, Running Man became the team's true point guard, while Shumpert was only responsible for dribbling the ball across half-court.

The Hawks' strategy remains unchanged: Carroll will guard JR Smith, Jabeur will guard JR Smith, and Teague will guard Iman Shumpert.

The Cavaliers adjusted their offensive strategy, adding more off-ball screens and pick-and-roll plays in the paint. The coach initially didn't attack himself, but instead facilitated the team's offense.

The Cavaliers coaching staff also understands that the Running Man's stamina is their lifeline; once he runs out of energy, the suspense of the game will be over prematurely.

But the Hawks aren't stupid. If you increase your off-ball screens, I'll switch early on defense, giving you a mismatch, like putting Teague in front of your running man to lure you into a one-on-one. And when Tristan Thompson and Mozgov roll to the basket in the paint, we're not afraid at all. We'll position ourselves early, draw offensive fouls, and defend the paint, letting those two offensive masters in the paint showcase their amazing finishing skills.

As long as TT and Mozgov, those two rough guys, don't get to the basket for an easy dunk, it's harder for them to score 20 points than for a loser to earn a million dollars a year and win over a rich and beautiful woman.

The key is to shut down key players, stop JR's three-pointers, block the paint, give Shumpert a certain number of three-point opportunities, give Running Man a certain number of three-point opportunities, and give Running Man plenty of one-on-one opportunities.

The Cavaliers' offense still showed no signs of improvement...

JR proved that in a one-on-one situation, he was completely unable to activate his AI against Jia Fei. Shumpert proved that he couldn't even beat Teague. TT and Mozgov proved that they couldn't crush Mills and Horford in pick-and-roll situations.

The Running Man cast also realized how difficult it was for their team to score if he didn't score himself.

The Running Man members could only take over the game early and score points through their own individual efforts.

The Cavaliers also made some adjustments to their defense. They stopped double-teaming Jia Fei indiscriminately and started using switching and stretching defense to limit the Hawks' outside shooting.

The Hawks adjusted quickly: if you cut off my shooting, I'll cut inside and out to attack your paint. Jia Fei, facing Shumpert's one-on-one defense, singled him out and specifically targeted Mozgov, keeping the Cavaliers trapped in a cycle of double-teams and one-on-one defense.

The game was even closer than the previous one, but the result remained the same. The Hawks won again, taking a 3-1 lead in the series!

从0:1到3:1，老鹰队东决已经3连胜了，这让外界感觉很不可思议。

The Running Man member still managed to score 41 points in this game, which was far more than either Carroll or Sefolosha could match, but they still lost the game.

Jia Fei scored 30 points in this game, fewer than the Running Man contestants, but they still won.

The series has reached match point, and the Cavaliers are just one step away from elimination.

The Hawks players returned to Atlanta on a chartered plane, where they will play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at home. Being crowned Eastern Conference champions on home soil seems like the perfect ending.