Seeing this situation, the Lakers launched a counterattack. Manovic received a pass from Kobe and shot a three-pointer from the baseline. The ball went in again!
Mike Brown yelled from the sidelines, "Parnovicius, what are you spacing out for? Keep an eye on that damn guy."
No one took the first shot seriously, but the second one went in. Not only Mike Brown, but even the Cavaliers players on the court felt that Manovic was given too many shooting opportunities.
Sometimes these role players have surprisingly good shooting touch, making them difficult to defend.
For the Cavaliers, James made a two-point shot from mid-range. Parnovicius defended Manovic aggressively, and although his defense was very good, he still allowed him to make the shot.
The Lakers started with a spectacular offensive run, and Manovic's performance was more than just that of a role player; he was playing like a star.
Facing the Lakers' tough stance from the opening, Mike Brown had no good solution.
The Lakers looked like they were about to devour the Cavaliers alive. They had to withstand this wave to talk about the rest of the game; otherwise, if they were crushed by the Lakers in the first quarter, they wouldn't be able to continue.
Similarly, with the Lakers' momentum building, it directly affected the Cavaliers' offense and defense.
The Cavaliers launched an attack, and the player with the ball became hesitant. The Lakers players were very excited, often double-teaming from half-court, and their movements were aggressive.
The Cavaliers players were suppressed by the Lakers' momentum, and even their shouts became much quieter.
The Lakers' excited momentum directly reflected throughout the court.
Gasol dunked over Drew Gooden. Tang Long frowned; in the past, he would have taught this guy a lesson, but now he could only think about catching up.
Larry Hughes brought the ball to the basket. Fisher charged at him fiercely. Larry Hughes was stunned for a moment, and then the ball was stolen by Fisher.
Odom followed with another dunk.
"Calm down, settle down."
Tang Long inbounded the ball from the baseline and signaled Larry Hughes to slow down the pace a bit to counter the Lakers' momentum.
However, Larry Hughes seemed to lack confidence at this moment. After crossing half-court, he passed the ball to James.
With the score falling too far behind, James was also a bit anxious. He feigned a move against the defender and then shot.
This kind of shot naturally missed.
The key was that this kind of shot made it impossible for Tang Long to get the offensive rebound. The powerful shot rebounded far, and this was the Lakers' basket, which naturally benefited the Lakers.
For the Lakers, Odom, Fisher, Gasol, and others took turns scoring with high efficiency.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led the Cavaliers by twenty-one points at home, 35-14.
As the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first quarter, the Lakers fans cheered and left the court. The Cavaliers players walked off with their heads down, like defeated roosters, listless.
Mike Brown looked at his dejected players, his face grim, and said nothing.
The Cavaliers had made it all the way from the regular season to the finals. Only in the game against the Hawks did they almost get overturned due to overconfidence.
Otherwise, they were rarely overwhelmed to the point of being lost.
The Lakers' initial strong showing caught the Cavaliers off guard, and the players were stunned by the Lakers' offense.
This was not a problem of strength but purely because the Cavaliers had not been thoroughly tested this season. When faced with adversity, the team lacked a conditioned response.
So Mike Brown abandoned the tactics and threw the whiteboard aside, signaling the players to gather around.
...
"Trailing by twenty-one points in the first quarter, the Cavaliers are in for a tough game."
In the Dragon Country broadcast booth, Yang Yi and Director Zhang looked serious. In the past, they would joke around, but now they were speechless.
"The Cavaliers have been behind before, but their mentality was suppressed by the Lakers in this game. This is not a problem of player ability; their mentality needs to be adjusted quickly."
Director Zhang also did not expect the Cavaliers to be so far behind in the first quarter. Judging by the players' movements on the court and their expressions, the Cavaliers players looked like wilted eggplants.
If their mentality is not adjusted in time, it will be difficult to make a comeback in this game.
The key is that if this game affects the team's fighting spirit, the subsequent games will be even more difficult!
"Before the game, the Lakers were the favorites to win the championship. It was just the two home wins for the Cavaliers that gave everyone the illusion that the Cavaliers had a chance to win the championship. This game has sobered everyone up, and there is still some gap in strength between the two sides."
Yang Yi chimed in, "For example, the Cavaliers are currently lacking a stable point guard. Larry Hughes still can't handle tough games. It's not wrong to give the ball to James at this point, but if James is being guarded, someone should share the pressure, allowing James to handle the ball better."
"You give the ball to James as soon as he crosses half-court, and when two players come to guard him, he can only shoot contested shots. The result of contested shots is that Tang Long has to run back and forth, not playing to his strengths."
"Rebounds are also unstable. In the past, Tang Long would have at least five rebounds in the first quarter, including offensive rebounds, but now in the first quarter, Tang Long only got three rebounds and no offensive rebounds. This situation is even more difficult."
"Hopefully, Mike Brown can give the players a pep talk during the break to relieve the pressure, otherwise, they won't be able to play."
"What I'm worried about now is that if Mike Brown puts in the reserves in the second quarter, the next few games will likely fall apart."
"The game has started, and the players have reappeared on the court."
"Fortunately, Mike Brown did not make any personnel changes. The starting five are still out for the second quarter. The Lakers have made slight adjustments, substituting Vujačić and Ariza for Gasol and Fisher."
Yang Yi frowned, "If Gasol is off, Odom will likely play inside and match up with Tang Long."
Director Zhang nodded, "Vujačić scored 20 points in the last game, and Ariza also played well. It seems that the Zen Master will not give the Cavaliers any chances in this game and will aim to secure the victory in the second quarter."
"Vujačić's performance last game was excellent. Everything he shot went in. With him on the court, the Cavaliers' perimeter defense will be on high alert."
Yang Yi and Director Zhang exchanged glances, their brows furrowed even deeper.
It seemed the Cavaliers were going to lose this game as well!
...
The Cavaliers fans were gloomy, while the Lakers fans and the haters who wanted the Cavaliers to lose were already cheering.
"The 'Human Cannon' is on the court, shoot the Cavaliers dead."
"We came back from 2-4, and the Cavaliers thought they were so great. How about it, back to your original form now!"
...