LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 90 Fortune Turns Around

Vogel, along with the entire stadium of fans, put pressure on Foster.

Foster's expression remained stern and unaffected as he pointed firmly at the sideline.

George inbounded the ball from the sideline and passed it directly to David West, intending to continue his attack on Tucker.

This guy is noticeably shorter than West, making it seem like a mismatch between the older and younger players.

After receiving the ball, West dribbled in a three-threat position, probing his opponent first.

The Pacers' pre-game scouting report contained very little information about Tucker.

The Cavaliers barely gave this guy any playing time throughout the entire season.

In previous seasons, this guy had been playing in overseas leagues, and in the eyes of the Pacers coaching staff, Tucker was just a filler for the roster.

Looking at the arm that was a head shorter than her, with its light and delicate steps, resting on her waist and back, seemingly close yet distant.

West immediately raised his opinion of Tucker.

He's shorter and faster than me, has good defensive awareness, and facing the basket is clearly not a good choice.

West immediately turned to back down, preparing to use his larger size and strength to overcome the misalignment.

The back muscles sense the defender's position, find the rhythm when hitting the ball, and use the moment of the dribble to generate power backward.

Every dribble was accompanied by a solid impact, and West was increasingly shocked as he got closer to the paint.

It's worth noting that his strength is considered outstanding even in the league, and the guy behind him only had to step back slightly each time, which is more than what a typical power forward can withstand.

Capitalizing on the space created by the dribbling collision, West quickly turned towards the baseline and launched a jump shot before Chandler could double-team him.

The basketball went smoothly into the net.

Vogel looked even worse on the sidelines.

As a coach, Vogel was familiar with West's technical characteristics, and this shot was clearly a forced one.

Compared to back-to-the-basket moves, West prefers face-up offense, using his powerful drive to push past opponents and either get a shot off or draw a foul.

Even when backing down, West prefers to turn to the basket rather than take a front turn and jump shot.

The ball went in.

But Tucker had already put West in an uncomfortable offensive mode, and backing down West to drive into the paint was quite tiring.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Jeremy Lin and Chandler continued their pick-and-roll.

This roster has limited self-development capabilities; the pick-and-roll between Jeremy Lin and Tyson Chandler is the only stable development method.

This pick-and-roll is simpler and more direct than the pick-and-roll initiated by Paul.

After the ball handler and the screener set a screen, they drove straight towards the Pacers' basket along the two lines.

Hibbert naturally stayed inside to protect the rim, while West, seeing this, retreated and blocked Chandler's path to the basket.

Jeremy Lin rushed to the basket and, seeing the mountain of Hibbert, immediately passed the ball to Tucker, who was unguarded on the baseline.

In an instant, all eyes were on this round-faced, burly man.

You can also shoot three-pointers?

After dribbling and adjusting, Tucker slowly hoisted the ball above his right shoulder, covered it with his supporting hand, and released it in an awkward motion.

"Whoosh—"

Even Chen Shuo didn't expect Tucker's first three-pointer in the playoffs to come so soon.

Chen Shuo knew that Tucker had developed a three-point shot.

After the Cavaliers signed Tucker, Chen Shuo instructed the players' development coach to arrange for Tucker to undergo systematic three-point training.

However, Tucker's three-point shooting is far from satisfactory so far.

The level of hitting one out of two shots in training.

Chen Shuo estimates that it will take about another season before he can truly pose a spatial threat.

His intention in putting Tucker on the court was to utilize Tucker's mature defense and his boundless energy to physically battle and wear down the Pacers.

Unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise.

Vogel was completely stunned.

What's going on here?

Even after the opposing team's entire main force was defeated, our own offense remained constipated.

Tucker, Ariza, and Green's defensive switching prevented Granger and George from getting good opportunities to receive the ball and shoot.

Facing the more aggressive Jeremy Lin, Collison teetered on the brink of turnovers with every dribble.

Even West, the only consistently strong player in this series, has encountered considerable trouble.

That's fine.

Vogel knows his own team best; the Pacers' offense has always relied on piecemeal, teamwork.

But could someone tell him?

Why was it that the opposing team's substitutes were able to score in two consecutive offensive possessions?

If you lose your defense, the very thing you rely on for survival, what's the point of playing?

In a fit of anger, Vogel decisively called a timeout.

The opponent has brought on their substitutes early, so we must gain an advantage during this period.

During the timeout, Vogel stood among the Pacers' big men and went on a high-intensity run.

"Either go fishing, or you defend every single ball, and even if you have to shoot, you have to shoot it down."

On the first possession after returning, Granger circled out from the inside to receive the ball.

Facing Tucker who switched onto his defense, he dribbled to the side, observed the ball, and then, without hesitation, pulled up for a shot.

He understood that even if pulling from the outside was inefficient, he had to take action.

Efficiency is not the priority right now; we need to increase production first.

The basketball hit the front rim, and Hibbert and Chandler scrambled for it. The ball was then cleared and caught by West.

West slammed the ball past Ariza, who had switched onto him, and then dunked it in with both hands.

The long-quiet cornfields have come alive again, and the cheers and shouts of encouragement have returned to Conseco Arena.

Possession returned to the Cavaliers.

George immediately took over the defense against Jeremy Lin, suppressing the pick-and-roll between Lin and Chandler.

West's position remained constricted, blocking Chandler's downhill path.

Chen Shuo could tell that Vogel had made clear arrangements during the timeout.

One of the key points must be that even if Tucker makes a three-pointer, the team should boldly collapse the defense, betting that Tucker's shot was just a lucky fluke.

Jeremy Lin drove to the basket again with a pick-and-roll, George was behind him and Hibbert was in front, and West blocked Chandler's path to the basket.

Only Tucker stood outside the three-point line, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing the only passing lane open, Jeremy Lin decisively trusted Tucker once again.

George rushed out to defend without stopping.

Tucker didn't hesitate and made his move before George arrived.

The basketball simply arced through the rim and backboard, landing comfortably in Hibbert's arms.

Just as Tucker was in a daze, he suddenly heard a voice behind him:

'

move, move, move

"1

Tucker suddenly realized what was happening.

Remembering the coach's instructions before the match, he immediately approached West and initiated a takedown.

Chen Shuo observed the changes on the field.

This is the normal phenomenon; what happened just now was purely an unexpected surprise.

If this bench unit can really dominate the Pacers, then that would be incredibly overpowered.

Now it depends on Vogel's patience.

As the game progressed, the score slowly climbed.

With two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the away team had a four-point lead.

Vogel finally made substitutions, replacing Hibbert and West with a purely defensive frontcourt duo of Hansbrough and Biyombo.

They also substituted George and Collison, replacing them with Brazilian lightning Barbosa and backup point guard Price.

Only Granger remained to lead the team, it seems he'll be playing the entire first quarter.

Chen Shuo smiled slightly, revealing a row of snow-white and neat teeth.

What goes around comes around, and now it's our turn.

Traveling during off-peak hours is indeed a useful strategy.

The Cavaliers made a five-in-five-out move, switching to a lineup with one big and four small units.

Paul, Thompson, Leonard, Battier, Garnett.

Vogel looked at the five Cavaliers substitutes coming onto the court and immediately felt that these beasts were itching for a fight, each of them looking like a madman ready to devour someone.