basketball never sleeps

Chapter 300 They, that's all.

Cleveland is quite lively tonight. The fanatical Cleveland fans are still gathering around the Quicken Loans Arena, seemingly not affected by the current score at all.

If we don't compare it with Mo Wen's career, the Little Emperor's current progress is enough to satisfy the fans. He made it to the finals in the fourth year of rebuilding around James. What else do you want?

As the game time approached, the host of the Cavaliers' home court called out the Sonics' starting lineup in a deep voice. The corresponding portraits flashed on the big screen above the arena, accompanied by the background music that is often used by Hollywood to compose villain appearances. When the host finished reading Mo Wen's name, the screen was split into two parts diagonally like a cartoon, and James rushed out from the other half of the screen and smashed Mo Wen's portrait with his signature tomahawk dunk.

The fans at the scene also cheered.

I have to say that Cavaliers fans are really easy to satisfy.

Mo Wen glanced at the Ah Qs in the room, feeling quite friendly.

Not long after, with the accompaniment of "The Second Coming", A-Jan made a proud final appearance. It was obvious that his mentality had recovered well, and he even spread magnesium powder extra high.

The referee appeared on the court with order. Azhan and Mo Wen stared at each other from a few steps away, neither giving an inch, as if they were conducting an "Expelliarmus" and "Avada Kedavra" battle in the void.

In the end, it was A-Zhan who looked away first, because after the terrible defeats in the previous two games, he could only keep a straight face, but Mo Wen could put on a straight face.

He also felt that Mo Wen's gaze was in the wrong direction. He wondered if his headband had moved down, revealing his hairline.

In fact, Mo Wen didn't intend to do anything like "Ginseng Rooster". He just felt that the pure white headband of A-Zhan was a bit unlucky. Fortunately, there was an NBA logo on it, otherwise this equipment might cause special attacks to those square dance uncles and aunts who occupied the court.

At the end, Ajax looked deeply at Milicic.

He thought that he would be affected to some extent after using the strategy of sowing discord, but he never expected Milicic to explode directly.

The current SuperSonics made it to the finals after only one season of running-in. If they can maintain their main lineup without any injuries, they will definitely have the competitiveness of a dynasty.

Who knew Milicic was so ambitious and courageous enough to give up this honor that was within his grasp? I really underestimated him before.

Fortunately, if Milicic does this, the Cavaliers will have a great chance next season.

bah bah bah!
Now is not the time to think about next season.

In fact, Milicic's future destination has little to do with James. The problem is that his declaration disrupted the Cavaliers' previous arrangements.

The shell that was supposed to explode was fired, and the one under pressure naturally turned into a knight.

With the right time, right place and right people, Game 3 was the game the Cavaliers had the best chance of winning, but Milicic messed it up, and the Cavaliers' weak inside line...

With the players from both sides in place, the Cavaliers adjusted their starting lineup, with Varejao officially replacing Webber.

The referee blew the whistle for a jump ball, and the Supersonics began their attack. Considering Big Z's athletic ability, the two teams already had a fixed process for the opening.

"Defense!" and boos rang out one after another, and the players on the field were in a mess.

Standing in front of Mo Wen was still Mike Bibby.

Mo Wen really wanted to ask Bibi if he had violated the Heavenly Law like the emperor, otherwise why would he insist on letting him suffer when the pace of the outside world was so fast.

Instead of coming up for a hard fight, Mo Wen passed the ball to Ray Allen, then turned sideways and used Milicic's back screen to run straight to the basket.

Bibby, who was well prepared, quickly went around the screen and maintained his defensive position, but when he turned around, Mo Wen did not retreat to the baseline or run to the opposite side, but slowed down.

Bibby keenly noticed Mo Wen's unusual movement but was too late to alert his teammates.

Ray Allen pretended to set a screen with Milicic on the upper line, attracting the attention of Varejao, and Milicic took the opportunity to turn around and rush into the basket.

When Valanciunas turned around to chase him, he bumped into Mo Wen.

Under the basket, the height difference of enough space for Bibby's head made Bibby's struggle unnecessary. Milicic put the ball into the basket steadily before Big Z returned to defense.

On the sidelines, Mike Brown's face was shining black.

The Supersonics played too dirty. They were clearly the leading team, but they took the initiative to change their offensive focus.

Fortunately, the Cavaliers returned to their home court and burst out with energy that they had never shown on the road before.

It was rare for James to finish with a quick stop and mid-range shot, and he scored.

Coming back, Reed also found opportunities in his frequent passes under the basket, and instead of being a three-point shooter, he played the tricks of a center.

These little tactics really worked wonders.

Three minutes later, the Supersonics missed both of their opening three-point shots, and the Cavaliers had the ball, which was rare, and still maintained a 3-point lead.

Reed and James crossed positions on the outside, took advantage of the opportunity when Gay was slow to go around the screen and rushed forward with the ball, tearing through the Sonics' defense like a beast, and then forced a layup against Tyson's return defense.

The referee transformed into Captain Dragonfly and quickly called a foul.

James was standing at the free throw line, and there were already calls for MVP from the sidelines.

The basketball bounced twice on the rim and finally fell into the net.

12: 7.

In front of the camera, Azhan showed a big smile, his body trembling slightly with comfort, this is his home court!
A 5-point lead, such a wonderful start!

Milicic clenched his fist, a little panicked. A voice in his heart seemed to say that he should not choose to be "willful" in this finals.

He turned his head and looked at Mo Wen again, and he was still as calm and indifferent as usual, doing his job impartially.

So the little bit of tension that had just arisen quickly dissipated.

Sure enough, I am still far from reaching Mo Ge's level.

Later he must bring Brother Mo with him, no, on the tattoo.

In the Supersonics' round, Mo Wen quickly accelerated after receiving the ball, and Milicic also quickly followed in tacit understanding.

The sudden acceleration caught the knight off guard, but their positional advantage was not easily lost, except for Big Z.

If Mo Wen could control the speed of advancement, he could have a brief and safe opportunity of 5 against 4 in the frontcourt.

However, players are not civil servants, so it is safer to go to TMD!

Bibby and Reed blocked Mo Wen, but what they got was a flirtatious and extremely dangerous pass and a violent collision.

Milicic grabbed the pass steadily and crossed the center line with two big strides, while Varejao and Ajax gritted their teeth and desperately double-teamed him from the front and side.

The three people here also collided with each other, but the basketball had already flown into Mo Wen's path.

Reed and Bibby lost their balance and fell half a body length due to Mo Wen's impact. Now they could only grit their teeth and chase back desperately without fully regaining their balance.

From the camera, we can see that their expressions are as ferocious as those of the players from the Lusong Diving (Fish Exploding) Team.

Just as the Cavaliers fans near the court were worried about their own basket, James, who had just been knocked away from the side by Milicic, quickly found the direction and ran over.

Hey, don't underestimate the bond between us!

Mo Wen was keenly aware of the extra movement behind him.

If it were the regular season, he would have 99 fake moves to shake off the defender behind him and give himself space to shoot.

But this is the playoffs, and if he really wants to stop, there's a high probability that someone behind him will push him out of bounds. At most, it will be a defensive foul and give the Supersonics a sideline ball.

In a flash, there was no time for much thought. Mo Wen raised his eyebrows, grabbed the ball with one hand, jumped on the free throw line, and threw himself into the air.

Looking at the graceful trajectory, it seems to be creating another classic dunk scene.

Da Fan on the commentary desk opened his mouth wide, and a revolving screen of working with a certain floor-flowing guard began to run through his mind. Mo Wen was ready to play my missile.

Family members know their own business. Mo Wen is clear that his jumping ability does not support him to play like this. If he does not adjust the free throw line to dunk in actual combat, even if he replaces the peak Danzi, he will most likely fail.

Don’t ask why he hasn’t exhausted his physical potential after four years of having the cheats. The reason is that the four beautiful ladies in his family don’t agree.

By pulling your arms inward and lifting the ball for a dunk, the action becomes a jelly layup, with the ball spinning towards the backboard.

bass!
After entering the free throw line one step later, A'Jan jumped up with shining eyes, waving his hands and trying to block the shot, but Mo Wen's final spin was too high and he missed.

However, James, who is also good at shooting under the basket, could clearly feel that this ball would definitely not go in, and if it did, it would be a waste of his time.

So he still slapped the backboard to celebrate.

boom!
"Don't try to dunk in my basket!" "This is my home court!" "You're more suited to shooting from the outside!"

Countless trash talk is being generated in Azhan's mind.

However, just as he landed and stood firm, he felt a gust of wind from behind.

Looking back, a big white guy grabbed the basketball that bounced off the backboard and dunked it... no, it should be said that he chopped it down.

Snapped!
Milicic suppressed his excitement and pretended to be calm as he clapped his hands with Mo Wen.

But this sound was still very harsh in Azhan's ears.

Why are you yelling so loudly?!
Mo Wen did not mock him, and even gave him a comforting smile.

But A Zhan felt that Mo Wen's words were too secretive.

Two people bullying one person, what kind of heroes are they!
What, where are his teammates?

Veterans like Reed and Bibby would have turned their heads to run for the next attack at this time, but only Valanciunas took the ball from the referee in a daze and watched him prepare to serve.

"It was wonderful. Mo and Dak's advance directly broke the Cavaliers' back line. LeBron's tenacious defense further highlighted the perfection of their coordination. In fact, there is no loser in the high-altitude offense and defense of the three 03-level talented players, because when they can play such high-quality offense and defense, it means that this is their era!"

In the ABC commentary room, Mike Breen was commenting loudly as if he was reciting poetry.

Most of the viewers in front of the TV were watching with excitement, but three high school students in their thirties in a luxury house in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles were silent at the moment.

No, what about their era? How come they were skipped?

On the field, with this wonderful goal, the Supersonics sounded the clarion call for a counterattack.

After the Cavaliers made consecutive pick-and-rolls, the ball was passed to Varejao for an open shot, but he missed. Then, when Mo Wen and Milicic broke through again, they encountered greater resistance.

However, the Supersonics had more than just two players. Tyson and Gay's advances forced the Cavaliers to disperse their defense. Fortunately, after a fight, both sides slowed down and failed to launch a fast break.

Seeing Ajax switching defense to Milicic, Mo Wen did not hesitate to add more burden to the two of them.

Milicic smoothly switched to singles mode, posing a classic guard-style back-to-back posture, dribbling twice, finding the rhythm and making a smooth fadeaway jump shot. Bang... swoosh.

Ajax felt a little dizzy when he saw the number 31 on Milicic's jersey. The jersey looked like it was number 21, and the face looked like it was number 41.

On the turn, James was not willing to be outdone. He broke through the mid-range despite Gay's defense. Before the double-team came, he took a smooth up and down step with his pivot foot and made a layup.

Mo Wen looked at the referee - in this river?
The referee looked at Mo Wen - this was very smooth.

The Cavaliers were in good shape after returning to their home court, and it was not until the 8th minute that the Supersonics equalized the score.

The home fans were still passionate and their eyes were still filled with tears, but the Cavaliers players' first breath had been exhausted.

The stalemate phase was supposed to be a tense and cautious moment, but Mo Wen noticed the knight's fatigue and signaled the two inside players to hurry down, while he himself advanced slowly.

The Cavaliers' entire lineup was attracted and shrunk. Milicic had already scored 8 points and was in a very hot state. Although Tyson did not score many points, he had to be guarded when he rushed to the basket.

The only thing that makes the Cavaliers happy is that the free throw level of both players is average, which is just the normal level of inside players in this era. If it doesn't work, they can use fouls to limit the level.

Just when everyone's eyes were focused on the basket, Mo Wen, stepping on the Cavaliers logo, suddenly took a breakthrough posture, pushed the ball, took a step forward, and then stepped back to receive the ball.

Bibby, who was already at a distance, had just opened his arms and legs to slide and block when Mo Wen's scissor kick was already in the air.

The strength starting from the waist and hips and ending at the shoulders and elbows pushed the ball to draw a high arc in the sky and then fall into the net.

The volume of the fans at the scene dropped immediately.

Reed asked for the ball in the next round to respond, but unfortunately the home basket rejected his shot.

When the Supersonics attacked again, the Cavaliers defended around Mo Wen and Milicic, and then Ray Allen got the ball in an open position in the corner.

Ray Allen seized the opportunity and made another three-pointer.

It was simple and unpretentious, but at 28:22, the score difference was widened to 6 points in the blink of an eye, and Mike Brown had to call a timeout.

Love comes too fast like a tornado, and the gap between the two is even greater than love.

If they don’t stay calm, the Cavaliers might “fly” again.

After the timeout, the Cavaliers replaced Webber.

Although Webber is destined to be unable to defend against Milicic today, Varejao was also ordered to play. In comparison, it would be better to replace him with Weber to strengthen the offense.

Except for a fast break dunk today, Varejao missed the other two shots, which made him a bit like Bibby.

The Brazilian actor is good at drawing offensive fouls, and he can easily defeat most American rough beasts, but he is completely helpless against Milicic, who has received European basketball education since childhood.

Webber, who returned to the court, showed rare vitality. He scored 4 points with a mid-range shot and a rebound before the end of the first quarter, helping the Cavaliers stabilize the situation.

Webber still has gas in the tank, but he doesn't want to burn himself out. Years of injuries have made Webber subconsciously choose to avoid confrontation most of the time. There is no need to change it.

In the first quarter, the Supersonics led the Cavaliers 37:34.

Some Cavaliers fans who understand basketball have begun to feel desperate.

The Cavaliers had the right time, place and people. James scored 11 points and 3 rebounds, Reed made 4 of 2 three-pointers, and Bibby stole 5 points, but the Cavaliers still lost.

Milicic's outburst certainly caught everyone off guard, but his performance was still in line with his behavioral model, except that his touch was slightly better and he had more ball possession. The scary thing is that this means his performance can be replicated later.

Mo Wen was still unable to defend. After he quickened the pace, he was unable to widen the score gap like before. However, anyone who watched the game could see that it was not that his suppression power decreased, but that the influence of the referee increased.

In the second quarter, Mo Wen continued to lead the substitutes, and Milicic was replaced by Millsap for a temporary rest.

The logic of using it just because it works does not apply to Supersonic, except for Mo Wen.

The Cavaliers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Milicic did not play, but when the game started again, the Cavaliers were not at ease.

Millsap, Damien, and Francisco certainly can't perform like Milicic, but their abundant physical strength allows them to play to their full potential on the defensive end.

The offense was downgraded, but the defense was upgraded, which is very consistent with the playoffs.

Mo Wen tried to use his physical advantage and continued to run fast breaks to consume the Cavaliers, but failed because the Cavaliers also studied the Supersonics' second lineup in depth.

Compared to the relatively mature starting lineup of the Sonics, the Sonics' substitutes were undoubtedly more targeted. Bibby played his role, making one steal and two ball-breaking shots, which was quite eye-catching.

At 2 minutes and 57 seconds in the second quarter, Big Z hit the rebound and overtook by 1 point.

There was warm cheering at the scene, but the Cavaliers were not having an easy time. Except for the two inside players, the three outside players of the Cavaliers had not had a rest yet.

By the middle of the game, the Sonics' resting main players were sweating profusely, and the Cavaliers only had a 2-point lead. How would they play in the second half?
The Cavaliers did not spend too much time on this issue, because after Milicic returned to the court, he continued his previous state. In the absence of Mo Wen, he made continuous breakthroughs and shots, almost hitting every shot, scoring 9 points in a row and leading the team to an 11:2 climax.

Ray Allen hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer before halftime, widening the score difference to the familiar double digits.

During the halftime break, Milicic couldn't let go of the stats sheet. He had 24 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the first half. He never dreamed that he would be so powerful.

"How about it? It feels nice to sit back and watch the team win, right?" Payton teased Mo Wen.

"Generally, the Cavaliers' bench is a bit hard. How about letting you play in the second half, and I'll try what it feels like to watch the game while lying down?" Mo Wen didn't mind being a "lying winner" occasionally. Being the boss means you have to do your job, but it's not a good thing to lead by example every day.

"Really, Mo? Otherwise, let Gary come to the next game. Considering my current condition, I think he is enough." Milicic, who has almost secured the MVP for today, came over and asked in a mean way.

"Get lost, you want to go back to the offseason and ask the team to sign and trade you to the Clippers? You can fight as much as you want."

After halftime, the Supersonics entered their loyal third quarter.

According to the arrangement of old Hill and Mo Wen, the Supersonics continued to play at a fast pace, so fast that they abandoned the conventional style of play. Like the Suns in the past, they would rather sacrifice some defense to pick up the pace and play with high rounds and high efficiency.

In fact, old Hill didn't want to play so crazy, but he also knew that the referee would not let the Supersonics play the game they liked comfortably.

During this time, Mo Wen didn't pay much attention to Milicic. He knew the importance of today's game and would not leave any chance for Azan.

The outcome of the matchup between him and James is a small matter. If the league blows this game off and the traffic explodes, there is no guarantee that there won't be a wave of forced suspense.

He had never hesitated to assume the worst of the Jews.

Ultimately, Stern's protection of competitive fairness is only for long-term interests. If the short-term benefits are great enough...

Mo Wen put away his smile, and simply dribbled past Bibby twice. He rushed into the basket and encountered Big Z's help defense, but did not pass the ball. He made a fake move to pass the ball to the outside, leaned against Big Z's lower body, and made a steady reverse layup.

Sensing Mo Wen's desire to attack, Mike Brown could only ignore the requirement to focus on defending Milicic that he emphasized to the players during the halftime break, and waved his arm to point at Mo Wen.

Fortunately, Reed also stood up. James's sudden pass attracted the defense on one side. Reed received the ball with one step outside the three-point line and made a long three-pointer.

And James also accepted the challenge of the subsequent fast break launched by the Supersonics.

Compared to the difficult offense of positional warfare, he also trusts himself more in fast breaks.

"Beautiful! Bibby's long pass accurately found LeBron. Tyson Chandler was too late to block it. He could only watch LeBron bomb the basket!"

"Another alley-oop dunk, but this time it was Milicic who passed the ball. I told you that Mo can also play while flying, he's just lazy!"

"Ray responded to Reed and hit the ball...! The referee called for a lineout? Damn, is he not wearing glasses?"

Both sides played happily, but the score difference widened quietly, 12 points...14 points...16...17.

The referee tried his best. Under Mo Wen's command, the Supersonics controlled fouls well. However, the referee still gave the Cavaliers several ball possessions through screen fouls and body hair fouls.

But the Supersonics regained the ball on the rebound, and the young people's energy advantage became increasingly greater in the second half.

Webber and Big Z are both experienced and mature inside players, but maturity means that they can no longer hang on to the branches, and no matter how experienced they are, they cannot support a 30-minute fierce battle.

Moreover, the Supersonics also have a skill that the Cavaliers cannot and dare not do - the chase three-pointer.

Mike Brown, who came from the Spurs, could never accept that someone in the team played like this, even though the Suns and Supersonics had previously proved the practicality of this skill.

The Big Three of the Supersonics all play like this.

Even though Milicic's free throw percentage was average and even dropped a bit to 65% in the playoffs, his three-point shooting is really not bad. A 37% shooting percentage combined with a height of 216cm is enough in the small ball era.

In the eyes of data-lovers, such data may be a bit anti-intellectual. Can one develop three-pointers with this level of free throws?
In fact, this kind of data is not unique, there is a real example right in front of us.

Chris Webber, when he was with the Wizards, he was able to shoot 60 three-pointers per game with a hit rate of 44%, even though his free throw shooting percentage was less than 2.3% during the season.

A legendary center with a 100% three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs: What about me? And me!
In fact, the reason why Chris Webber was repeatedly "humiliated" by Milicic on the court and did not get angry was because he saw the shadow of his youth in Milicic.

A model's figure, handsome features, a magician's all-around skills, beautiful and solid passes, mediocre free throws and sexy three-pointers...

As for white people, well, they're not bad either.

The difference is that although Milicic also met a bad coach, he also had an older brother who was strong enough and willing to give him trust and encouragement.

Under Mo Wen's wings, Milicic grew into what everyone imagined.

As for Webber, when Milicic was his age, he was still struggling with injuries, marijuana, alcohol and flesh and blood. He led a mature enough rebuilding team to play worse than the previous season, and then was kicked away like a dog. He only found himself when he came to the Kings.

As for Webber now, he has a bloated body, lifeless eyes, and a butt that is getting bigger and bigger while sitting on the bench. He has no passion when shooting, only a routine numbness. If he wasn't wearing a jersey, he himself wouldn't want to admit that this idiot is Chris Webber.

At the end of the third quarter, SuperSonics 97:80 Cavaliers.

The game seemed to be not over yet, and the 17-point difference was by no means out of reach. Cases of big comebacks can be found in the playoffs almost every year, and even in the finals, it is not uncommon.

But when the Cavaliers players came back to their senses from the excitement on the court and carefully looked at the score difference, the game had already been decided.

They played at their best level in the finals, the score can prove it, but the point difference as a reference also proves it -

They, that's all.

In the final quarter, the loudest voices of struggle came from the audience.

But they are essentially no different from the Cavaliers players on the court - it doesn't help.

When the score was widened to 20 points, Azhan suddenly had a strong urge to escape.

But he didn't know where to escape to. The eyes of the fans around him were still so hot that he had nowhere to hide.

"You say, we still have a chance, right, LeBron?"

"Next year, we'll be stronger, Mike."

(End of this chapter)