Chapter 2 The Second Quarter Begins
The second quarter tipped off, and Coach Jackson made a slight adjustment to the lineup, replacing Mannion with Vujacic, and the Lakers switched to a zone defense.
This was clearly in response to the Cavaliers scoring most of their points from the paint in the first quarter, strengthening their interior defense.
"The Lakers have beefed up their interior defense. What do we do now?"
Larry Hughes looked bewildered at the two team leaders.
James remained silent, his eyes glancing at Tang Long.
"Combine inside and outside, it's no big deal."
Tang Long immediately cheered up his teammates. The Lakers' interior players were indeed tall, with Gasol standing like a behemoth inside. Most players would be a bit intimidated facing him!
"Tang is right. Watch me."
James did as he said, demanding the ball as soon as he crossed half-court.
"LeBron, dare you drive to the basket?"
Kobe extended one hand in the air, attempting to block James from driving to his left, his right hand ready to strike at any moment. He couldn't resist a jab, "How come you're using that trick now, after you called me shameless just now?"
James shot back, "Kobe, you just called me shameless, and now you want to use that move?"
Kobe was clearly copying him, so he wouldn't fall for it.
While Kobe was speaking, James faked a move, then a quick crossover, and drove past Kobe.
Kobe scrambled to catch up!
Under the basket, Gasol and Odom converged to double-team. James, facing the triple coverage, decisively put up a shot.
The ball hit the rim. Although the shot missed, Kobe committed a foul with a hit from behind.
"How's that? Drew a foul on you!"
James winked at Kobe triumphantly.
"Smug little man, just you wait."
If the referee hadn't been standing nearby, Kobe would have certainly shown this guy a universally understood gesture.
After making both free throws, James still shrugged at Kobe.
It was infuriating. Kobe's brow furrowed. This guy was deliberately provoking him.
He wants me to fall for it?
Kobe saw through James's trick. This only ignited his fighting spirit. You want me to get angry and play isolation ball?
I won't!
The Lakers launched another offensive. Kobe, instead of immediately demanding the ball after crossing half-court, worked through Fisher, allowing Fisher to unleash his full capabilities.
Vujacic set a clever screen, and Fisher passed the ball to Gasol in the paint. Gasol caught the ball and executed a jump shot.
Two points were smoothly scored!
The Lakers' offense worked, and the Cavaliers regrouped. The result was that James got a little reckless. Facing the double-team from Gasol and Odom, he still chose to drive strong.
He missed the shot and almost got his attempt swatted by Gasol.
Before Gasol even landed after grabbing the rebound, he passed the ball to Fisher at mid-court. Kobe then sprinted down the baseline, leaving only Drew Gooden under the basket.
A two-on-one situation!
Drew Gooden's attention was naturally focused on Kobe.
Indeed, as he drove to the basket, Fisher passed the ball to Kobe.
Kobe jumped at almost the same time as Gooden!
Buzzer!
The basket counted, and Gooden was also fouled.
Kobe's free throw percentage is over 80%, so he easily made the shot. The Lakers, who were down by two points, now led by one.
25-26.
The Cavaliers were behind.
The Cavaliers then lost the ball on an interior pass. Gooden tried to pass to James near the free-throw line, but Kobe, who had been waiting, stole the ball!
Another fast break for the Lakers.
25-28.
The pace of offense and defense was very fast. Seeing this, the Cavaliers players began to get a bit anxious.
Larry Hughes brought the ball past half-court. Seeing no good passing opportunities for James and Tang Long, he gritted his teeth and took a shot from near the three-point line.
The shot clanked off the rim again!
Tang Long and Gasol were locked in a battle for position. Gasol's massive frame blocked Tang Long. As the ball began to descend, both players jumped simultaneously. Gasol, in his jump, shoved Tang Long aside.
Tang Long flicked his hand and batted the ball away. Vujacic, quick on his feet, grabbed the loose ball.
Vujacic found Kobe, who passed to Odom in the paint. Odom drove to the basket against Drew Gooden.
Drew Gooden had already committed a foul, so he didn't dare to play aggressively on defense this time.
The Lakers scored another two points, 25-30.
In just over a minute of play in the second quarter, the Lakers had gone on a small run, extending their lead to five points. Mike Brown immediately called a timeout.
"LeBron, are you still going to be arrogant?"
As the players headed to the sidelines, Kobe couldn't resist another jab.
James was about to retort when Tang Long put an arm around his shoulder, "LeBron, don't fall for it. We were supposed to be provoking him, but you're the one getting provoked?"
James finally realized. The strategy for the second quarter was to provoke Kobe into playing isolation, but instead of provoking Kobe, he himself had gotten a bit carried away.
"Damn it, I was careless."
James rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly at Tang Long.
...
"This is the Lakers for you. As soon as you make a mistake, they'll seize the opportunity for a fast break. Hopefully, Mike Brown's timeout will help the Cavaliers players calm down."
"Although the Cavaliers are playing at home, the Lakers are not playing passively at all. The Cavaliers need to be careful now. It's not wrong to be proactive, but they need to reduce turnovers!"
"There have already been two turnovers in the second quarter. This is the NBA Finals! They can't afford to make mistakes now after not making any before. Giving away the championship like this!"
In the broadcast room in China, Yang Yi and Coach Zhang watched the screen intently. They could see the coaches from both teams excitedly discussing strategies with their whiteboards.
Vujacic, in particular, was nodding as Phil Jackson sketched on the board. It was clear that Phil Jackson was devising a game plan for Vujacic.
Since he came on the court, the Lakers' offense and defense had indeed improved.
"Vujacic's three-point shooting is distinctive and his accuracy is high. The most important thing is his strong defensive attitude!"
"This is also why Coach Jackson likes him. The Cavaliers need to pay more attention to him. If there's an open look, the Lakers players are willing to pass to Vujacic, and he always repays his teammates' trust with a three-pointer."
"Moreover, Vujacic truly has a big heart. Coach Jackson's decision to put him in at this crucial moment shows his trust in him."
...
Buzzer!
Inside the Quicken Loans Arena, the referee blew the whistle to end the timeout.
"I've said all I need to say. This is the Finals. Whether you can beat the Lakers at home depends on your performance."
"Don't disappoint me, and don't repeat last year's mistakes. LeBron, do you remember the loss in last year's Finals?"
As the whistle blew, Mike Brown continued to impart his wisdom to the players, especially Tang Long. He grabbed Tang Long and said, "Tang, you must play strong defense. You are our inside stopper!"