Everyone thought the Cavaliers vs Celtics Game 7 was exciting enough, until the finals started and they realized it was insignificant.
Even during the pregame warm-up of Finals Game 1, the ratings had already hit a new season high.
Who can resist the biggest entertainment of the season?
Even during the pregame ceremony, Cleveland’s fans cheered for James.
They once hated James deeply, but now they are full of gratitude towards him.
Just as Hansen said, James personally delivered a dynasty, and even while constantly wandering, he remains persistent, which makes it impossible not to cheer for him.
After the opening ceremony, both teams’ starting lineups emerged.
Cavaliers: Hansen, JR, Covington, TT, Jokic
Pelicans: Huoledi, Moore, James, Davis, Baines
James’s performance in the Western Conference Finals Game 7 was not only impressive to Hansen, but also to the fans.
It was thought that James would continue that form tonight, but things turned out completely different.
As soon as the game started, James and Davis executed a beautiful pick-and-roll, assisting Davis’s slam dunk as he cut to the basket.
And on the defensive end, when matched against Jokic, he put in his all, engaged in physical battles with Jokic.
Even Hansen, who has known James for years, was seeing something new.
It was his effort that bought time for Davis, allowing Davis to ultimately block Jokic’s shot.
Has James taken some kind of performance-enhancing drug?
No, he must have always been taking something; this isn’t about that, it’s his deep desire to win.
This is unusual, yet understandable.
James didn’t want to make it to the finals before, which was why he played that way.
But now that he’s there, the whole world is waiting to see him fail, if he plays like in the Western Conference Finals Game 7, he would really be a joke.
Conversely, if he fights with all his energy under the spotlight, even if only one game, even if he loses, the outside criticism would be much less.
Realizing this, Hansen decisively switched defensive assignments with Covington.
He’s not deliberately targeting James, but if James’s performance carries the Pelicans, the Cavaliers might not win.
Though the Pelicans’ offense has issues, they are the league’s number one in defensive efficiency.
James repeatedly tried to break through Hansen’s defense using pick-and-rolls, it’s evident his desire to compete is incredibly strong tonight.
And he has better physical attributes than Hansen; occasionally, when he speeds up, Hansen can’t stop him.
But most of the time, Hansen prevented him from accelerating.
Having fully mastered the Little Dog Steps, Hansen’s ability to handle pick-and-rolls has reached its peak.
Of course, avoiding pick-and-rolls doesn’t make it easy to prevent mid-range opportunities.
The most critical point still lies in James’s technical characteristics.
No matter how strong your desire to win is, if your skills don’t support you, it’s hard to put in a good performance.
This refers to high-level competition, not the bullying in low-level matches.
But James’s mentality tonight is indeed good; finding it hard to score against Hansen, after the pick-and-roll with Davis, he chose to pass more to Davis.
Davis has similarities with Love and Cousins; they all have flashy stats but haven’t proven themselves on the playoff stage. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
But facts prove that Davis is stronger than Love and Cousins; the Pelicans aren’t exactly a Big Three team, but Davis reaching the finals with James is highly commendable.
Compared to the offensive end, Davis’s role is more prominent on the defensive end, especially in limiting Jokic.
Jokic is talented enough, but his talent is biased; he is still essentially a slower-paced offensive center.
And Davis’s mobility, during help defense, precisely targets this weakness.
Even if Jokic can pass the ball, Davis can rely on his defensive ability to come back.
Moreover, one cannot ignore that Davis, in his first finals appearance, is incredibly excited.
With two main players fighting so hard, the rest of the Pelicans also gave their all.
The score alternated and remained close, reaching the final quarter.
With 8 seconds left, the Pelicans lead 96 to 95 by one point.
The familiar scenario, the fans onsite anxiously awaited Hansen to deliver another game-winning shot.
In the critical defensive possession, the Pelicans showcased their number one defensive level in the league, using Huoledi and Davis to double-team Hansen.
Hansen squeezed the ball through to Jokic, who quickly attacked the basket and was pulled down forcefully by James, sending him to the free-throw line.
The game now had 4.7 seconds left, Jokic had a chance to clinch the game with free throws.
Since joining the league, Jokic’s free-throw accuracy has been above 80%, reaching 85% this season.
However, from his continuous deep breaths after receiving the ball, it was evident the psychological pressure was immense.
The atmosphere was especially quiet, as fans were afraid that even a slight sound might affect Jokic’s performance.