LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 115 [Mission Reward: A Divine Move]

Energy Arena, away team locker room.

The Cavaliers players were ecstatic, after all, they were just one step away from the championship.

Leading their opponents by a full 20 points at halftime, it's hard not to speculate.

The moment Chen Shuo stood up, the locker room fell silent, and everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation and respect.

Even Garnett shut his mouth and pretended to listen attentively.

Paul handed Chen Shuo the tactical board from the side, which made Chen Shuo even more confused.

He really didn't have many tricks up his sleeve.

Or rather, none of Chen Shuo's tricks were working anymore.

The halftime break was enough for Brooks and the Thunder to wake up.

Brooks may be slow to react, but he's not really stupid; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to lead his team to the Finals.

As the game progresses and players become more focused, it will put both sides to the ultimate test of their pure abilities.

Chen Shuo's unexpected moves in the first half, coupled with the support of Garnett and Westbrook, allowed him to suppress the Thunder at every turn.

Paul's injury left the Cavaliers without their most relied-upon offensive game.

No matter how deep the Cavaliers' roster is, they cannot avoid the reality of a lack of offensive development.

Chen Shuo looked up and saw many expectant faces.

I suddenly realized that I absolutely could not back down at this moment.

Even if it's just empty promises, we need to make the players believe they can win the game.

So he decisively took the tactics board from Paul.

TNT Studio.

"Welcome back to the game. This is the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."

Smith was interrupted by Barkley halfway through his sentence: "Oh, the Cavaliers have switched back to their twin towers."

"In the second half, the Cavaliers were still the first to change their tactics."

Brooks looked at the twin towers on the court, then glanced back at Perkins on the bench.

Perkins should have been substituted in.

Brooks glanced at the Cavaliers' bench, but ultimately decided to check the situation on the court.

After the Cavaliers crossed half-court, Jeremy Lin passed the ball to Thompson on the other side.

At the same time, Chandler moved up to screen Sefolosha, and Ibaka quickly followed up, preparing to extend his defense beyond the three-point line.

Thompson used the screen to his advantage and pulled up for the shot without even dribbling.

Neither Sefolosha, who was setting a screen, nor Ibaka, who moved up, had time to make a block.

Especially Thabo Sefolosha, as a player specializing in defense, naturally understands the opponent's offensive habits.

Thompson's shot after a screen could have been taken without dribbling, but he hadn't even settled his footing before that play.

This is a major taboo in one-stage shooting; if you can't stand steadily, it means you can't generate power evenly and completely.

Sefolosha turned around and saw the arc of the basketball flying through the air, which indeed confirmed his idea.

Duang

'

The basketball bounced high, and Garnett easily grabbed the rebound and put it back in after blocking Durant behind him.

31:53

Chen Shuo was very satisfied with the players' performance.

When Ibaka saw Thompson shoot, he immediately prepared to go back inside to grab the rebound, but Leonard, who was prepared, blocked him tightly.

On the other side, Westbrook was also being harassed by Jeremy Lin, who was preventing him from entering the paint.

Chen Shuo has always understood that the Cavaliers' biggest problem lies in their offense.

The defensive characteristics of the "one big man and four small men" and "twin towers" lineups are different, but their effectiveness against the Thunder is roughly the same.

Therefore, at the start of the game, Chen Shuo used a combination of one big man and four small men to attack the opponent's twin towers, speeding up the pace and creating chaos, thus finding some easy offensive opportunities for the team.

In the second half, Chen Shuo did the opposite, using a twin-tower formation against the opponent's big man and four small men, and increasing offensive efficiency by scoring on offensive rebounds.

It remains to be seen how long it will take Brooks to react; he can stall for as long as possible.

With a 20-point advantage, every extra minute played increases the chances of winning by 10%.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

The Thunder's offense was clearly carefully adjusted.

Durant was posting up in the midfield, and Harden was nearby waiting to provide support.

Just as Garnett moved to double-team, Durant passed the ball back to Harden.

Thompson stepped forward to press Harden, trying to stop him from passing the ball.

Unexpectedly, Harden faked a pass and drove straight to the basket, assisting Ibaka for an aerial shot.

33:53

In the Cavaliers' offensive possession, Thompson backed down Sefolosha and launched a turnaround jump shot.

Chandler and Ibaka were constantly vying for position, while Garnett easily kept Durant behind him.

The basketball bounced off the rim and then bounced back up.

Everyone was watching the backboard closely, but the ball went straight into the net.

Brooks, standing on the sidelines, also saw through Chen Shuo's intention.

He called Perkins to the sidelines to prepare for his entry into the game.

At the same time, Chen Shuo also brought Battier to the sidelines.

This scene was also captured by the media.

The first three minutes of the second half were spent in this stalemate and back-and-forth, with the Cavaliers maintaining an 18-point lead.

In the end, Chen Shuo still chose to keep the twin towers on the field.

If the Thunder want Harden to serve as Durant's support in isolation plays, then the Thunder's five players on the court will only be the "Big Three" plus the "Twin Towers".

This would help free Thompson up.

Neither Harden nor Westbrook are good at chasing down off-ball movement on defense.

The second half of the third quarter was quite tough for the Cavaliers.

Using Durant's isolation plays to draw double teams, Harden would receive the ball from the side and pass it to the weak side, or take the ball and attack himself, finally getting the Thunder's offense flowing.

Westbrook also suppressed his inner rage, reducing his offensive mishaps and channeling his passion into the defensive end, frequently helping to harass Garnett, who was pivoting in the middle.

Garnett tried to pass the ball to the unguarded Jeremy Lin, but unfortunately missed both of his outside shots, which made Westbrook's double-teaming even more unrestrained.

Chen Shuo could clearly feel that the momentum of the game was shifting, and the gap was narrowing slowly but very steadily.

The Cavaliers can only hope that Thompson will make a three-pointer after creating an opening.

The score remained 61-68 until the end of the third quarter.

The Cavaliers maintained their lead, but the situation on the court had completely changed.

Chen Shuo stood up and gave each player a high-five, a smile on his face, and with an air of complete control, he said calmly, "Well done, you executed the plan perfectly in the third quarter."

"Keep it up."

Chen Shuo had already told the players about the difficulties of the third quarter during halftime, which made his subsequent words more credible.

"They are already exhausted."

"Now it's our turn to give them a good kick in the ass."

Victory is on its way.

Paul stood right behind Chen Shuo, and at that moment he didn't know whether Chen Shuo's words were true or false.

Is there something they're really relying on, or are they just making empty promises to the players?

The fourth quarter began quickly.

Coach Brooks looked at the court.

The Cavaliers fielded a completely different lineup in the fourth quarter.

Both teams featured one big man and four small men, but Garnett was benched and replaced by the energetic Chandler.

The four small forwards are Jeremy Lin, Draymond Green, Trevor Ariza, and Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard and Lin both got some rest in the last few minutes of the third quarter, and Green and Ariza didn't play much time either.

Brooks was surprised that Chen Shuo had both Garnett and Thompson on the bench.

It's worth noting that most of the Cavaliers' points in the third quarter came from them, indicating they had no intention of attacking at all.

Brooks turned to look at Durant on the sidelines.

It will only take three or four minutes for Durant and Ibaka to return and they will be able to close the gap.

The Thunder opted to let the energetic Westbrook and Harden continue to lead the team, with Perkins and Collison forming a twin towers combination, and the Swiss Army knife was also left on the court.

The first minute of the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers suddenly increased their defensive intensity.

Chen Shuo adjusted his defensive matchups.

Green was matched up against Westbrook, Lin was matched up against the slightly less offensively threatening Sefolosha, and the highly aggressive Ariza was matched up against Harden.

The Cavaliers players started their defense directly from the Thunder's backcourt.

Ariza kept putting the ball on Harden, and with Jeremy Lin's sudden double-team, Harden passed the ball directly to Westbrook.

Compared to his aggressive approach towards Harden, Green maintained his positioning, giving Westbrook a step of shooting space while using his sideways positioning to drive Westbrook towards the sideline.

Westbrook, who had just returned from the sidelines, was clearly still in a state of composure.

Instead of taking the shot himself, he prepared to pass the ball to his teammate.

However, looking around, he suddenly realized that his teammates on the field were being closely guarded.

Collison was fronted by Leonard, giving Ibaka a chance to receive the ball, but the Spanish striker lacked independent offensive capabilities.

With his strong physique and excellent mobility, Ariza almost completely shut down Harden, while Jeremy Lin always stayed close to Harden, ready to double-team him at any moment.

Even the fans in the arena could see the Cavaliers' defensive strategy.

Let Westbrook attack, and force him to break through to the sideline.

Westbrook had suffered a lot from the Cavaliers' trap defense, so he was naturally unwilling to drive in. Facing Green's defense, he jumped up and contributed a three-point shot.

"Swish"

64:68

The cheers from the Energy Arena resounded throughout the stadium.

Chen Shuo's face darkened.

He actually fell for it.

What a bad start!

At the start of the fourth quarter, with Durant off the court, Chen Shuo's idea was to increase the defensive intensity and let Westbrook do all the work, which might lead to turnovers and opportunities for a fast break.

Unexpectedly, Westbrook gave him a rude awakening right from the start.

Looking back.

After scoring, Westbrook became even more aggressive on defense.

They relentlessly clung to Jeremy Lin the entire way.

Chandler noticed the situation and immediately set up cover near the center line.

Jeremy Lin used this to shake off the defender, accelerated with his feet, and went straight for the basket.

The intention was so obvious that Ibaka stepped in front of the breakthrough route a step ahead, and Collison also came over with his hands raised high, blocking Jeremy Lin's pass to the weak side.

However, Jeremy Lin had no intention of passing the ball. Facing Ibaka's help defense, he crashed into him and launched a floater at the last moment before losing his balance.

The basketball wobbled and fell into the net.

64:70

The two players fell to the ground in a heap, and the referee kept a tight grip on the ball, neither awarding a penalty nor calling an offensive foul.

It is clear that the escalation of the scale was tacitly approved in this most crucial section.

During the Thunder's possession, Westbrook missed another shot attempt.

Turning the tables, it was Jeremy Lin who, after a pick-and-roll, hit a three-pointer.

64:73

The entire Cavaliers bench stood up and danced wildly, waving towels and jerseys frantically.

Chen Shuo slowly loosened his clenched fist.

Westbrook's three-pointer just now was fatal.

If we can't gain an advantage during this period, it will be time to close out the game when Durant comes back fully rested.

Thunder Round.

After Westbrook dribbled the ball across half-court, he glanced at the defensive setup and forcefully lobbed the ball to Harden.

Harden jumped to the first spot, but Jeremy Lin, who darted out from the side, got possession of the ball.

The next second, Westbrook made a mistake and lunged straight at the basketball in Lin's hands, and the two fell to the ground fighting for possession of the ball.

Westbrook snatched the ball from Lin's arms, but Lin flicked it away again.

Ariza knocked Harden away, chased the ball all the way to the frontcourt, and took off for a powerful two-handed dunk.

64:75

The crowd at Energy Arena booed loudly, clearly dissatisfied with the referee's inaction.

"Wow!"

The Thunder called a timeout.

Chen Shuo was overjoyed; Brooks finally couldn't sit still any longer.

With ten minutes left in the game, Durant will be brought on.

This means that with the game reaching its final decisive moment, Durant's stamina is likely already depleted.

Chen Shuo, on the other hand, maintained this lineup.

"I need you guys to play aggressively on the court."

"Even if you commit a foul, don't let the opponent score a goal from open play."

Garnett quickly understood Chen Shuo's meaning, his forehead veins bulging, and his spittle almost sprayed onto his teammates' faces.

"Listen up, you fucking idiots! What time is it? The Grand Finals!"

"I want to hear the sound of an elbow hitting bone! Not the ball hitting the backboard, but the sound of your elbow hitting his forehead!"

"When providing cover, don't just offer a token gesture; use your chest to push him, and your knee to ram his thigh! Turn every cover into a traffic accident!"

Chen Shuo was speechless.

Garnett is indeed much more talented than me in this aspect.

Chen Shuo followed suit and slammed the tactical board in his hand to the ground.

"That's right, KG is right."

"Trevor, give number 35 some special treatment."

"If he can catch the ball easily on the court, you're dead."

2

The game continues.

The Thunder have assembled their strongest five-man lineup: Ibaka, Durant, Sefolosha, Harden, and Westbrook.

As soon as Durant entered the game, he was immediately harassed by Ariza, who was shoving him so much that Durant couldn't even make a move.

Harden was taken over by Leonard, while Jeremy Lin hovered around him, ready to double-team at any time.

Westbrook dribbled past half-court, looked around, and seemed lost and confused.

"Whoosh!"

Almost the instant Westbrook started moving, the referee blew the whistle again.

Brooks called a timeout for the second time.

With only ten minutes left in the game, every wasted offensive possession means a decrease in the chances of winning.

Getting the ball to Durant is a problem the Thunder must solve.

After the timeout, Brooks replaced Sefolosha and brought Collison back in.

When Collison stood near the top of the arc, Chen Shuo's brows furrowed unconsciously.

Most white big men can facilitate, and even though Collison isn't particularly outstanding in this area, he can still make transitions by standing in the area from the free-throw line to the top of the key.

The basketball finally came into Durant's hands.

Durant created space by turning to the side, and as he turned to shoot, Ariza chopped Durant's arm first.

"Whoosh!"

The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the sideline.

As an experienced defender, Ariza knew that it was worthwhile to disrupt Durant's rhythm with a foul, especially since the Cavaliers hadn't reached their foul limit yet.

The Cavaliers' sudden increase in intensity completely ruined the game.

Whistles sounded intermittently on the field.

He quickly accumulated 5 fouls, and Durant gradually adapted to Ariza's defense, able to get a shot off if his help defense was even a step too slow.

He even exceeded expectations, passing the ball to Collison, who then made a crucial jump shot.

As the game time decreased, the point difference gradually narrowed.

8 points, 7 points, 5 points.

With seven minutes remaining in the game, Chen Shuo played all the cards he had left.

Jeremy Lin, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Garnett, and Tyson Chandler make up the Cavaliers' strongest lineup without a doubt.

However, the situation on the field did not improve.

The score is still closing in: 5 points, 3 points, 1 point.

The home crowd's momentum was nearing its peak, and the fans at Energy Arena could already see victory in sight.

Defense

'

Defense

'

Defense

'

Chen Shuo helplessly pulled out a handful of hair.

The team went through a three-minute scoring drought.

If no one steps up, and the score is reversed, the last bit of psychological advantage will be wiped out.

The ball was passed to Thompson, and it was the same play after a single screen. This time, Ibaka came out to double-team him.

Jeremy Lin received the pass near the center line.

Westbrook was relentlessly close behind, his aggressive pressing nearly resulting in a backcourt violation.

Jeremy Lin shielded the ball with his body, narrowly escaping the danger zone, but Westbrook continued his relentless pursuit.

Chen Shuo's fingertips exerted so much force that they almost dug into the flesh.

Jeremy Lin slowly turned to face the basket.

Oops.

The ball was exposed too quickly.

Westbrook pounced on his prey like a hungry tiger.

Jeremy Lin dribbled behind his back in an instant, dodging the steal, and then drove to the basket. Seeing Ibaka blocking his way, he suddenly gathered the ball, jumped, and shot a long two-pointer.

The entire stadium and fans around the world watching on television were watching the trajectory of the ball.

82:85

"Awesome!"

Chen Shuo was the first to shout it out.

Jeremy Lin perfectly exploited Westbrook's aggressiveness, exposing the ball as bait and psychologically overwhelming him.

With 50 seconds left in the game, the Cavaliers still maintained a 3-point lead.

Just defend for the next two rounds.

Chen Shuo secretly encouraged himself.

The Thunder did not call a final timeout.

Westbrook dribbled the ball to half-court and passed it to Collison for a mid-range pass, but Leonard poked it away, and in the ensuing scramble, the ball ended up in Westbrook's hands.

With only 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Westbrook didn't hesitate any longer, leaping high to shoot the ball.

Jeremy Lin, who had been holding back, suddenly sensed something and jumped with all his might to block the shot, but he was still a step too late.

The basketball went cleanly and decisively into the basket.

85:85

There are 33 seconds left in the game.

With Chandler providing cover, Jeremy Lin steadily dribbled the ball across half-court.

The Cavaliers have always had a problem: who will step up at times like these? Even before Paul's injury, this was a weak point for the Cavaliers.

Jeremy Lin's answer was himself.

Everyone thought the ball would be played out in the final seconds, but Jeremy Lin chose to initiate the attack directly without even calling for a screen.

The moment he turned to face the basket, Jeremy Lin exerted his strength, leaving Westbrook behind, and took a mid-range shot from just inside the three-point line.

The decisive goal of the game.

The Energy Arena seemed to hold its breath, silently awaiting the judgment from the Harvard guard.

Duang

99

The basketball went wide, Chandler jumped to the first spot, Garnett blocked Collison behind him, but a figure flying across the court beat him to it.

Westbrook grabbed the rebound.

The Thunder called a timeout with 22 seconds left in the game.

Jeremy Lin held his head in his hands, still absorbed in the shot he had just made.

Chen Shuo also felt it was a great pity.

But he understood that there was nothing wrong with his previous choice; without such a sudden attack, there would have been no suitable opportunity to attack.

"Hey everyone, you're all doing the right thing."

"If we can defend this round, we'll go into overtime."

"Durant is exhausted; all we need to do is defend this play."

"Just like every defensive playoff game."

The pause ended quickly.

The Thunder passed the ball directly from the frontcourt to Durant, who was standing at the center line.

Garnett dared not leave the three-point line.

Leonard constantly disrupted Durant's dribbling, and the "Death Coil" badge reappeared, forcing Durant to close the gap prematurely.

Harden suddenly accelerated, bypassing Collison's screen, shaking off Thompson, and moved to the midcourt to receive Durant's pass.

Jeremy Lin decisively followed up against Harden, and Durant, seeing Lin and Thompson chasing behind Harden, passed the ball to Westbrook as if by divine intervention.

The latter took the ball and charged towards the basket without hesitation.

Chandler, caught up with Ibaka, was a step too slow to turn around, and Westbrook opted for the safest option: a dunk to end the game.

A pair of large hands descended from the sky and firmly knocked the ball down from mid-air.

Almost the instant Durant passed the ball, Garnett began his sprint toward the basket, his keen hunting instincts allowing him to block the shot.

Losing his balance, Westbrook fell to the ground, and Garnett grabbed the ball and threw it forward without hesitation.

The moment Thompson desperately chased after the basketball, facing an empty half-court, he stood up and launched a jump shot from beyond the three-point line.

Just like many times before, he received a long pass from Garnett and took a shot from beyond the three-point line.

The moment the orange-red ball flew from Thompson's hands, the timer light behind the backboard lit up.

Chen Shuo felt as if the world had slowed down.

That ball flew through the air for a long time.

Even as the fans at the Energy Arena began to leave, Chen Shuo's mind was still replaying the arc of that shot.

It was long enough that Chen Shuo could see that after scoring, Thompson's face didn't show ecstasy, but rather a relieved and relaxed expression, and his eyes were already red.

85:88

The players swarmed Thompson, pinning him to the bottom and celebrating wildly.

The staff on site began to get busy preparing for the upcoming awards ceremony.

The sounds around me seemed somewhat unreal.

Even when victory seemed assured, it was still an indescribable feeling.

Until the task reward is distributed.

Chen Shuo was convinced that this was not just a dream.

[Mission Reward: Divine Move]

Heartfelt congratulations from Cleveland fans after the Cavaliers won their first NBA championship.

[This option upgrades the draft pick's position upon use; it is only applicable to lottery picks.]