But just as Jokic grabbed the defensive rebound, the sideline referee’s whistle sounded, signaling Jokic’s defensive foul.
Jokic held up his hands and stared at the referee with wide eyes.
Obviously, it was a "hair-trigger call."
Seeing that the referee had no intention of reversing the call, Jokic’s excited mood suddenly turned dejected.
Hansen, seeing this, stood up and shouted Jokic’s name, then clapped to cheer him on.
Jokic nodded in response and thumped his chest.
The horse was right ahead, how could he give up easily?
James made one of two free throws, and Jokic secured the defensive rebound.
Seeing the Lakers quickly retreating, he passed the ball to Williams.
As they reached the frontcourt, he backed into Kaman and stretched out his hand for the ball.
Williams fed the ball in and then signaled to spread out.
Jokic backed into Kaman, exerted some force, then elbowed his way to put Kaman behind him, and then he drove to the basket and jumped.
At that moment, James collapsed to help defensively and leapt to block.
Previously, he had been blocked by Jokic, a rookie, and was certainly looking for a chance to return the favor.
However, soon he realized that he and Jokic seemed to be fated to clash.
Because just as he was about to block the shot, Jokic suddenly sped up and dunked with both hands!
He hit Jokic’s arm in the process!
The sound was crisp and audible, and the referee had no choice but to call a foul.
After landing, Jokic, seeing the referee’s gesture, let out a roar.
This fired up the Cavaliers’ bench.
They realized that today’s Jokic was really different from usual!
Garnett was the most excited, as if his long-term coaching had finally helped Jokic learn to vent his emotions.
Jokic’s additional free throw was on target, helping the Cavaliers close the gap to 2 points.
James continued to target Jokic in the frontcourt; he had to regain his dignity.
At this point, not only Hansen but also his teammates on the Cavaliers’ bench stood up to cheer and motivate Jokic.
Perhaps knowing that it was difficult to play under the basket against Jokic, James opted for a quick stop and mid-range shot this time.
But Jokic’s reaction was again unexpected.
Instead of moving forward, Jokic watched him jump and then turned without hesitation to rebound.
This silent yet insulting defensive move made James’s hands shake subconsciously.
Resultingly, his unguarded mid-range shot missed the basket!
The Cavaliers’ bench burst into laughter.
After landing, James’s face turned an iron shade of blue, and he dashed forward trying to snatch the offensive rebound.
Although he increased his speed, Jokic had already positioned himself early and secured the rebound, holding it high above his head.
James attempted to jump and steal but couldn’t reach.
And in the next second, Jokic took the opportunity to toss the ball towards the frontcourt.
JR, like a wild beast, had already dashed past the frontcourt, catching the ball and charging forward, delivering a 360-degree spin dunk.
On the Lakers’ side, James stayed on the court, but during this bench phase for the cavaliers, not only did the score gap not widen, it had actually been evened. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩
When the second quarter began with the main lineup coming back, both teams played equally well, and the Cavaliers led 61-60 by halftime.
The opening game victory over the Warriors relied primarily on Hansen’s performance, similar to last season, but tonight’s first half distinctly felt different for the Cavaliers.
When the second half started, Malone adjusted the starters, bringing on JR for a smaller Cavaliers lineup.
However, different from last season, this wasn’t just the Deathly Five Small but a big-small lineup with Jokic, not TT, at position five.
Clearly, this was another trial by Malone, specifically aimed at the Warriors.
After realizing that the Deathly Five Small lineup was not advantageous last season, he prepared a new strategy well in advance.
Returning to the second half, the Cavaliers took the first attack.
Irving held the ball and performed a pick and roll with Jokic, who then popped out.
Jokic’s perimeter shooting, unlike TT’s, put the Lakers’ defense instantly on the back foot.
Mozgov couldn’t be subbed out, only leaving Delavadova to rush out to cover, but that gave Irving a mismatch opportunity.
With the Lakers’ weak side collapsing, Irving broke through to the basket and found Tucker open in the corner, who nailed the three-pointer upon receiving the ball.
Jokic’s spacing capability, Irving’s upgraded playmaking ability... Suddenly, the Cavaliers seemed to possess an offensive line-up capable of rivaling the Warriors’ Deathly Five Small.
Of course, the challenge for this lineup came from the defensive end, as Jokic did not have Green’s ability of mobile help defense in the paint.
Fortunately, faced with the Lakers, that didn’t seem necessary.
Since Mozgov had no shooting ability, Jokic could simply shrink near the three-second zone.
As for the perimeter defense, Irving’s improved defense this season meant he couldn’t easily be targeted, while Hansen and Tucker managed to establish a defense network.
Thus, the Lakers found their best offensive approach was Love’s low-post play.
It’s time to mention Love, a star who didn’t seem like a superstar in the eyes of LeBron fans.
Because he couldn’t lead a team to the playoffs in The West, Love’s abilities were always under scrutiny.
During his time with the Timberwolves, his weight was significant; at his heaviest, he reached 275 pounds, around 250 jin.