lcionline Chapter 266 really is 3 chapters in a row!
Chapter 266 really is 3 chapters in a row!
Irving has absolute confidence in his dribbling skills, and he forcefully cuts in from the middle!
He actually managed to break through!
Jia Fei called for Horford and the others to help out, while he himself went down to the basket to help defend!
Facing Mills, who was guarding two defenders under the basket, Irving lobbed the ball with one hand and executed a smooth hand switch in mid-air – his move was absolutely stunning!
Many fans at the scene screamed. When it comes to the coolness of dribbling and layup, Kyrie Irving is definitely second to none in the league!
But... "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." Jia Fei suddenly appeared from the side, leaping high from behind like a roc spreading its wings, determined to catch Irving, this little bird, in his hands!
Irving didn't expect Jia Fei's help defense to be so fast; his defensive range was just too big!
Irving certainly wouldn't back down, and he would also choose to shift the blame when things are "ready to go." Only his teammate from Running Man would do that. He's a fan of the blacksmith, and even if there are five people guarding him, he'll still shoot.
If you shoot it out and fail, you become a human!
Irving shot, but Jia Fei blocked it with a volleyball-style block. The ball bounced off the backboard and landed in the hands of the Running Man member!
Big open!
It would be a shame if Running Man didn't shoot this ball!
The Running Man cast voted! He really voted!
The result... he completely airballed the ball... You read that right, a wide-open three-pointer, and the Running Man shot it and airballed it... His three-point shooting has been ridiculously bad this season...
The ball fell directly into Jia Fei's hands. Irving tried to steal the ball, but Jia Fei dribbled between his legs and started moving!
The Running Man member stood there stunned, not even bothering to get back on defense. He was too embarrassed to blame anyone else for the play; nobody was guarding him, so it couldn't have been a foul on thin air, could it? Was it an air fryer?
Teague has already scored a layup in the frontcourt, but the running man hasn't returned to the midcourt line yet.
Cavaliers head coach David Blatt, sitting on the sidelines, was clearly unhappy but dared not say anything. What could he do? Who on the team would dare to criticize the "Runaway" player? If he ran away again, who could bear the responsibility?
Owner Gilbert is already acting like a sycophant, which shows that in this world, star players are kings. Head coaches, assistant coaches, trainers, etc. are all insignificant. Star players are the scarcest resource in this league. Otherwise, why would the owner be so sycophantic?
63:49, the point difference has widened to 14 points. Although the Hawks only scored 4 points in the third quarter, those 4 points had a huge impact on the Cavaliers. How big? Bigger than a little rabbit!
"I know, Charles, Jia Fei just left his defender alone; he overdid it!" Kenny Smith said in a serious tone, spouting nonsense.
Barkley smacked his lips, unsure of what to say.
Irving was a little annoyed. He had almost completed a brilliant layup after passing two defenders, but Jia Fei blocked it! Jia Fei's defensive prowess was truly intimidating.
To avoid being double-teamed, Irving skipped the screen this time and went straight for Teague, using a series of crossover dribbles to change direction before pulling up for a jump shot!
But the ball missed!
Love grabbed the offensive rebound, but his hook shot didn't work!
Miguel grabbed the rebound and passed it to Teague to dribble over!
Jia Fei cut out from the weak side, and Teague passed the ball to him!
Jia Fei receives the ball and drives to the basket, then passes to Korver in the corner!
Korver received the ball and took a three-pointer—easy shot!
66:49, the score difference has widened to 17 points!
The Cavaliers finally called a timeout! Coach David Blatt couldn't stand it anymore, and the team's lead assistant coach Tyronn Lue was also shaking his head. He was in charge of the team's defense, and he was also responsible for the Cavaliers' terrible defense.
The Quicken Loans Arena was rather quiet. In this Christmas Day game that was broadcast nationwide, the home team, which had all three of its stars, was unexpectedly crushed by the Hawks. And it seemed like the Hawks hadn't even gone all out. It was just unbelievable!
"Do you think the Cavaliers still have a chance, Charles?" Kenny Smith asked.
Barkley rubbed his bald head: "Well, it's hard to say..."
After the timeout, the game continued.
The Cavaliers' key player started handling the ball, increasing his offensive output. Kyrie Irving, without the ball, looked somewhat dejected and began to dawdle on defense.
As for Love, his role on the court is similar to Bosh's during his time with the Heat. Offensively, he's responsible for creating space for the two stars, catching and shooting threes, and occasionally taking advantage of mismatches. However, unlike Bosh, his defensive impact is limited. While his defensive rebounding is good, his rim protection is practically nonexistent. He can't switch on defense and is easily beaten. His help defense is slow and ineffective. His strongest point with the Timberwolves was his top-post defense, where he had the size. But after losing weight this season, his top-post defense has declined. Aside from his still-impressive looks, he seems somewhat out of place as the Cavaliers' third option.
With the Timberwolves, Love was the undisputed leader, and many plays originated from him. He had plenty of opportunities to experiment and develop his touch when he touched the ball in the elbow area, whether it was post-up play or creating chances for his teammates. But now, he has very little ball possession, his stats have declined, and he's struggling to play.
As the Running Man show said, a championship team needs someone to sacrifice, but why is it always the inside players who sacrifice? Of course, Love and Bosh are not top-tier players. If Duncan had come, he certainly wouldn't have had to stand in the corner to create space.
The Cavaliers' offense was able to maintain its firepower, but their defense was riddled with holes.
The Hawks seemed to be playing a coaching game, teaching the Cavaliers how to move, how to set off-ball screens, how to share the ball and play team basketball. They were teaching the Cavaliers how to rotate, how to help on defense, how to box out, and how to quickly get back on defense.
The score quickly widened to 20 points. Waiters, who came in as a substitute for the Cavaliers, was able to score, but the opponent was also constantly scoring, and the point difference could not be narrowed.
The score gap widened further, reaching 25 points by the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter was essentially garbage time, and Jia Fei didn't play. His teammates certainly lived up to expectations, and the final score was 125-98, with the visiting Hawks winning by 27 points!
A Christmas Day game broadcast nationwide saw the Cavaliers, with their Big Three, get thrashed on home soil. It's a bitter experience that no one wants to go through.
But that's the stark reality: the Hawks gave themselves a resounding victory as their Christmas present.
In this game, Running Man scored 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. At first glance, the stats are pretty good, but he had 4 turnovers and 0-for-4 from 3-point range. His plus-minus was "pleasing".
Kyrie Irving was double-teamed and only scored 10 points, failing to showcase his "offensive kaleidoscope" ability against his opponents.
Love recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but his shooting percentage was poor, and he became a three-point shooter on the court, having little impact on the game...