LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 91 The Core Technology of Coaching

Chen Shuo looked at the Pacers players on the court.

Actually, the Pacers have a decent roster depth, especially in the frontcourt. Hansbrough is a typical high-energy role player with a reliable mid-range jumper to maintain his output. The Pacers' self-developed, low-profile West Biyombo is a purely defensive frontcourt player who knows nothing about offense. His low-post skills are rough, he has butterfingers and can't hold the ball, and shooting is a luxury for him.

However, he is exceptionally talented on the defensive end. At 203cm tall, he has an exaggerated 229cm wingspan, maintaining agility while also possessing the ability to protect the rim under the basket, making him a true mobile rim-protecting center.

On the backcourt, Brazilian lightning Barbosa is a master of chaotic battles. He grew up with the run-and-gun Suns and is very good at scoring in fast-paced melees. He is a typical bench player.

However, they will be facing a championship-caliber starting lineup.

The Cavaliers coaching staff made a substitution and some minor adjustments, sending Paul to match up against Barbosa, who is known for his speed.

Barbosa, lacking in strength and relying on speed for survival, is Paul's favorite opponent.

No matter how Barbosa broke through, Paul's quick lateral movement always kept him in front of Barbosa.

The Brazilian lightning bolt lost its speed and rhythm, leaving it with no choice but to pass the ball to Granger.

Leonard quickly moved closer.

Granger, who had been worn down by Ariza and Tucker, had reached his physical limit and could only choose the easiest jump shot to finish the game against Leonard.

With a powerful elbow strike, Granger shoved Leonard aside, turned, gathered the ball, and pulled up for a shot.

The sudden cut caused Granger to lose his balance, and his shooting hand flailed wildly in the air.

Leonard had already passed the ball to Paul and quickly sprinted up the court, forming a three-way fast break with Thompson on the other side.

In a three-on-one situation in the frontcourt, Paul lightly flicked the ball to Leonard for an alley-oop, who slammed it down with one hand, making a resounding thud.

Granger looked helpless. Although Leonard was a rookie, he was extremely difficult to deal with on the defensive end.

I had just pushed Leonard away with my strength, but he was still able to quickly regain his balance and use his long arms to cut me the moment I jumped after taking the ball.

After the Pacers inbound the ball.

Barbosa had no choice but to launch an attack despite the difficulties.

With no independent offensive capabilities in the paint, Granger has already burned out, and the team's backup point guard, AJ Price, is even less of a hope.

Fortunately, Granger was a great team player; even with his legs feeling like lead, he still managed to set up screens for Barbosa in the backcourt.

The Brazilian lightning bolt found an opening and immediately accelerated, running a pick-and-roll with Hansbrough in the frontcourt. Seeing Paul squeeze through the screen, Barbosa quickly passed the ball to Hansbrough above the free-throw line.

My task is now complete.

Hansbrough made a decisive move against Battier, but his vision was blocked by Battier's palm at the moment of his attack.

Battier's defensive essence lies in maintaining his position and consistently applying interference; the blindfolded attack is Battier's trump card.

The basketball bounced off the rim, and Garnett, blocking Biyombo behind him, stretched out his long arms to grab the rebound.

Without hesitation, he delivered a long quarterback pass, and Leonard made a long run to catch up with the ball, dunking it in the empty net, leaving Granger trailing behind helplessly.

The scenes of people traveling during off-peak hours are too brutal.

The Pacers' lead, built up by their key players for most of the quarter, was wiped out in an instant.

Faced with such a huge gap, Vogel pulled out his trump card: the core technology of head coaching, which was to maximize the playing time of the starters.

Maximize everything.

There are 2 minutes left in the game.

Granger has been on the field for 42 minutes.

George played an insane 44 minutes, without resting except at the end of the first quarter.

George primarily served as the Cavaliers' offensive spearhead, a role that almost no one could replace.

The method of killing grass as the main force is not very technical.

But it really works.

Vogel overworked his starting lineup, and his determination to win was maximized with the support of the home fans.

The score remained at 72-70, with the home team leading by two points.

The timeout ended, and both teams' starting lineups were neatly arranged on the field.

The Cavaliers' players are clearly in better physical condition.

The Pacers players' faces were filled with determination.

Having fought this far, they want to win more than anyone else.

Chen Shuo looked at the Cavaliers players on the court.

As the general manager, he has done everything in his power.

No other team has such a long health bar as the Cavaliers.

Next, it's time to look at the upper limit.

A team's only lineup is usually its starting lineup and its final lineup; the strongest five players determine the team's ceiling.

The Cavaliers have possession of the ball.

George stepped up to guard Paul, while Thompson on the other side quickly launched an attack, struggling to survive among the Pacers' tall players.

Paul suddenly started moving forward, then pulled the ball back and moved laterally. George changed his footwork and quickly chased after him, crashing directly into a wall of flesh.

Paul initiated the pick-and-roll, and Chandler understood Paul's intentions, setting a screen on the other side of Paul's dribble drive.

The chemistry between the two is terrifying.

From the perspective of fans outside the court, it was almost as if Paul led George into a collision with Chandler.

After shaking off George, Paul drove to the free-throw line, but Hibbert decisively changed his defensive strategy and came out to defend him, his 2.18-meter frame towering over everyone.

On the other side, West blocked Chandler's down-the-line path, leaving Garnett open, but Granger was already positioned to help defend.

In a flash, Paul pulled out his signature mid-range shot, and Hibbert immediately took off.

Paul quickly passed the ball, slipped past Hibbert, and drove straight to the basket for an easy layup, tying the score.

72:72

The Buddha worship he just performed was so realistic that Chen Shuo thought Paul was having a second chance at the Olympics.

Chen Shuo was relieved to see that Foster hadn't blown the whistle.

The Pacers don't have many offensive options left.

They will take the shot whenever they can, determined to focus their limited energy on the defensive end.

After Collison dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to George, the latter executed a smooth, quick pass before pulling up the basketball and making a clean shot.

This basket gave the Pacers a three-point lead.

75:72

Conseco's fans erupted in cheers, as if the ball had already sealed the victory for the Cavaliers.

Vogel breathed a sigh of relief; all the team needed to do next was hold onto their three-point lead.

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

Paul suddenly changed tactics, accelerating from half-court and pushing the Pacers' defense all the way to the three-point line.

The pass was made smoothly and directly to Thompson, who also pulled up for a shot.

Paul's play was entirely premeditated; from his initial drive to the cross-court pass after braking, it was all planned.

The bright orange basketball slammed into the back of the basketball hoop amidst the intense attention of the crowd.

Hibbert desperately protected the backboard, holding it in his arms, and only carefully handed the ball to Collison after the Cavaliers players had left.

With only 33 seconds left on the court, if we can complete this attack smoothly, we'll have already won half the battle, regardless of whether we score or not.

Collison handled that ball with great skill and cunning.

He stood in front of the referee with the ball, shielding it from the ball and preventing Paul from making frequent shots, leaving him to watch time tick by.

Given the intensity of this game, it was long past the point where a foul would result in a free throw bonus.

Collison held out until there were 8 seconds left on the shot clock before passing the ball to Granger, who had come out to use a screen.

The defense switched in a hurry, and Garnett chased after the ball.

Leonard stepped up to replace West, and Granger quickly realized the mismatch had occurred in the paint.

He found West immediately, but Garnett's long arms kept interfering, forcing Granger to dribble a couple of steps before jumping up and passing the ball to West.

After receiving the ball, West took a sharp step back and, amidst shouts from his teammates, launched the ball with a long hook shot.

As the basketball flew through the air, the vast Conseco Arena seemed to lose its breath, and even Chen Shuo watched with bated breath.

This was the ball that decided the fate of the game.

The moment he fell into the net, Chen Shuo felt a chill run down his spine.

The fans at Conseco Arena had already stood up to celebrate, and amidst the grand cheers and shouts, Paul found Foster on the sidelines.

He gestured with his signature hand gestures, repeatedly saying that the ball had exceeded the time limit.

Chen Shuo subconsciously looked at the big screen, but the home stadium's big screen was not showing a replay.

Foster eventually went to the scorer's table and requested a replay, after all, it was a crucial goal in the final moments.

After a tense wait, Foster signaled that the 24-second violation was invalid and reset the clock to 12 seconds remaining.

The Cavaliers still have a glimmer of hope.

Tyronn Lue decisively called the final timeout.

We must devise a three-point strategy.

Chen Shuo subconsciously focused his gaze on Thompson; no one was more suitable to carry out the task than Thompson.

The pause ended quickly.

Chen Shuo carefully examined the players the Cavaliers substituted in.

Paul, Thompson, Green, Leonard, Garnett.

Tyronn Lue kept Garnett on the court, presumably to prepare for the Pacers' next offensive possession.

After all, the Cavaliers have run out of timeouts to make substitutions.

The Pacers also made a substitution, bringing on Hansbrough to replace Hibbert, further increasing the team's mobility.

Biyongbo is a more suitable candidate.

But at this crucial moment, Vogel chose to put the Congolese rookie on the bench.

As the tallest player on the team, Garnett decisively stood on the sidelines to serve, while West kept jumping around trying to interfere with the serve.

On the court, Leonard and Paul were positioned on the far side, while Green and Thompson were positioned near the three-point line on the side closer to the inbound pass.

As soon as the referee's whistle blew, the two groups of runners started their cross-screen movement, with George and Granger tightly marking Green and Thompson.

In another cross screen, Hansbrough and Collison both chose to close out Paul.

Leonard receives the ball at the top of the arc, leaps high, and releases the ball at its highest point, pressing down with his fingertips to keep the basketball spinning at high speed.

The arc it traced in the air was both flat and fast.

The crisp sound of the ball piercing the net echoed throughout the quiet Conseco Arena.