After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced. Read complete versıon only at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥
Apart from the Cavaliers starting Parker instead of James, there wasn’t much difference from the last game.
Amidst the cheering of the fans, O’Neal tapped the ball back to the Cavaliers’ half, and the game officially began.
Right away, the Cavaliers had O’Neal in the low post drawing Garnett’s defensive foul.
In fact, one reason Hansen didn’t agree with O’Neal’s reckless approach was also because of the last game.
If the Cavaliers could win the last game with James playing poorly, why couldn’t they do it again?
O’Neal went to the free throw line, but this time he only made one of two, and the one he made was a lucky bounce.
In the last game, an 8-for-11 free throw shooting was an exceptional performance; for O’Neal, even discounting psychological factors, a 50 percent shooting rate was normal.
The Celtics attacked, and Garnett’s bloodthirsty jump shot solidly scored.
From receiving the ball to shooting, Garnett felt like a completely different player compared to previous games.
Some players completely lose their composure when pushed to the edge, but some unleash even more energy.
Garnett clearly belonged to the latter.
Not only Garnett, but when the Cavaliers moved to the frontcourt to set up their offense, the Celtics’ defensive energy also surged.
This time, as O’Neal turned for a shot, Rondo intercepted the pass.
A significant trail of 1 to 3? That only activated the Celtics’ passive skill: Bloodthirst!
Halfway through the first quarter, the Celtics had taken charge and led the Cavaliers 13 to 8.
Moreover, O’Neal was clearly struggling more than in the last game due to various double-teams by the Celtics.
After all, the Celtics’ strength was their defense; once they executed their top-tier defense, the same tricks couldn’t work.
James, in the meantime, was chatting and laughing with Varejao on the side, feeling quite good.
Everything was as he expected.
Rondo faced O’Neal and scored a floater, even drawing a foul from O’Neal.
Brown turned and called Ilgauskas from the bench as O’Neal’s stamina was clearly waning.
Rondo’s extra free throw hit the mark, and the lead had grown to eight points.
Quicken Loans Arena couldn’t help but become restless.
They knew the team was unlikely to win tonight, but they hadn’t expected such a tired performance in the first quarter.
Indeed, without James, it was tough!
While running up to the frontcourt, Hansen signalled an in-game strategy to Williams.
With O’Neal on the court, centering the ball around him was the most intimidating; now that O’Neal was out, it was up to him to finish more plays.
Williams coordinated a pick and roll on the strong side with Jamison, while Ilgauskas set an off-ball screen for Hansen on the weak side.
This was a regular offensive tactic for the Cavaliers, though the screener had been swapped.
The purpose, to get Hansen the ball more smoothly on the weak side.
After Hansen received the ball, he successfully switched to guarding Perkins.
However, the Celtics’ defense responded quickly; Perkins swiftly moved back to the basket while Ray Allen had already gotten past Ilgauskas’ screen, blocking Hansen’s retreat route to the three-point line.
At this stage of the game, the Celtics had thoroughly scouted Hansen, knowing his mid-range shooting was lacking, and left that spot wide open.
Hansen, aware of this, did not hesitate and chased directly after Perkins.
As he did, Perkins had to retreat even faster. With Hansen’s strong drive, if Perkins slowed down, Hansen could squeeze past him for a layup.
As both moved swiftly to the paint, Hansen abruptly stopped and leaped, pushing the ball high.
After reaching a bottleneck with the "Giant Slayer," no matter whether it was sudden-stop control or mid-air balance, even including the entire floater rhythm, Hansen had visibly improved.
To put it vividly, the moment he jumped, he knew he would score.
Perkins couldn’t keep up with Hansen’s rhythm and could only watch Hansen score a floater in front of him.
The fans immediately erupted into cheers.
In critical moments, Hansen was the go-to man!
And while retreating, Hansen also reached out to encourage his teammates.
Tonight, he had to win this game, no matter what!
The Cavaliers’ defensive intensity was improving, but after O’Neal left the court, their rim-protection ability declined. Rondo broke into the paint and used his characteristic fake behind-the-back layup to draw a foul from Ilgauskas.
Rondo made one of two free throws, making the score 17 to 10, with the Celtics still maintaining their lead.
Moreover, when Hansen tried to find a chance through a weak side pick and roll, the Celtics intensified their defense on him receiving the ball.
Williams had no option but to drive to the basket himself, only for his shot to get blocked by Garnett’s help defense.
Garnett’s presence was felt on both ends tonight.
Fortunately, at a critical moment, Jamison rushed for the offensive rebound.
Although he was mostly dominated by Garnett during this playoff series, as O’Neal had said, he could do everything.
But Garnett was on fire tonight; he quickly turned around and blocked Jamison’s angle for a second shot.
Jamison had no chance, but he quickly spotted Hansen at the far end, waving for the ball.