Chapter 2244 - 47: The Gap Is Too Wide_2

Chapter 2244: Chapter 47: The Gap Is Too Wide_2

LeBron James had a chance to shoot a three-pointer at the top of the arc. He hesitated for a moment and finally took the shot.

But it was way off, the ball hit the front edge of the rim and didn’t go in. Gan Guoyang grabbed the defensive rebound.

Allen Iverson dribbled past half-court, passed to Raja Bell, then to Gan Guoyang, and finally inside to Yao Ming.

Yao Ming caught the ball in the low post, turned around, and scored with a short hook shot.

This offensive play was practically like a training drill; the Cavaliers’ defense showed no pressure at all.

Gilbert Arenas was getting anxious. He took the baseline ball and sprinted towards the frontcourt.

Guoyang’s defensive speed was astonishing; he was already set in position inside.

Arenas made a strong drive to the basket, but his layup was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

A charge to the death, yet even when prepared, Gan Guoyang remained an insurmountable giant.

With the ball regained, Gund Arena was silent; Cleveland fans had become aware of the vast gap between the two teams.

Glory had pretended to be dormant all season, found their form through the playoffs, and had become a team of historic strength.

And the Cavaliers? Without the baptism from the Boston Celtics, they looked undeniably lacking.

Carl finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He didn’t understand what the Cavaliers were playing, or what LeBron James was doing.

After the second half began, their offense was lifeless.

James was undoubtedly the team’s offensive engine.

Yet his hesitation and indecisiveness stalled the entire Cavaliers’ offense.

Gilbert Arenas faced dogged defense from Raja Bell, leading to a drop in his shooting percentage in the second half.

Someone on the Cavaliers needed to step up.

Carl called a timeout, angrily asking James, "Lebron, I’ve talked to you a lot; have you not taken it to heart?"

James took a sip of water, ambiguously replied, "I’ll do my best, Coach."

Carl felt as if he punched cotton, receiving no feedback whatsoever.

If only James would argue with him, get angry, anything to show passion?

The timeout was brief, Carl quickly ended the arrangements.

He substituted Gooden for Chris Weber, hoping to improve the team’s offense.

Weber, coming off the bench, indeed had some skills, his mid-range shots and high-low coordination could diversify the team’s offensive tactics.

His classic pick-and-roll play with Arenas brought back memories of his partnership with Mike Bibby back when he was with the Kings.

By relying on his consistent, excellent performance, Weber earned the Sixth Man of the Year award this season.

The Cavaliers’ offense improved significantly; Arenas hit consecutive mid-range shots to quench the team’s thirst.

Subsequently, on defense, the Cavaliers managed to temporarily curb the scoring through excellent rotations.

With Chris Weber’s mid-range shot hitting its target, Cavaliers fans gradually saw hope to catch up.

The point difference had shrunk to 5 points.

That’s when Allen Iverson stepped up, aggressively driving to the basket to draw a foul.

The first free throw was successful, the second wasn’t, but Yao Ming grabbed the offensive rebound!

Yao Ming got the ball and passed it to Gan Guoyang.

Gan Guoyang faked, fooled Weber, charged into the basket, and scored with a one-handed slam dunk!

The Cleveland commentator couldn’t help but exclaim: "42-year-old Ah Gan can still charge into the basket for a dunk, but what about our young King? Where is he?"

In the second half, James hadn’t scored at all.

Although Weber made contributions, he was ultimately just the sixth man.

The supporting cast gave their all, waiting for their core to explode and lead the Cavaliers out of the doldrums.

The fans in the arena, and those in front of the TV in Cleveland, thought the same thing.

There was still plenty of game time left, over a quarter and a half, James could explode like he did against the Bulls and overturn the situation.

However, time ticked away.

James seized a fast-break opportunity, only for the ball to slip off his foot and go out of bounds—an error.

James dribbled past half-court after a pick-and-roll screen, one step inside the three-point line, with no one within two meters.

He assumed the shooting stance but didn’t dare shoot, stopped, and passed back to Weber, reorganizing the offense.

James wandered outside the three-point line like a helpless fish, even though he had plenty of space; he couldn’t make the shot.

Chris Weber and Brad Miller scored inside instead.

Because both Gan Guoyang and Yao Ming didn’t focus their defensive attention on Weber and Miller.

Especially Gan Guoyang, like a tiger watching its prey, locked onto James.

And James, faced with this lockdown, hesitated.

Time moved quicker; Glory didn’t widen the point difference much.

They maintained a persistent 10-point lead, keeping the Cavaliers completely suffocated.

Hope was being eroded bit by bit; some young, naive fans hoped James would embody the War God in the final moments, hit consecutive threes, and overturn the game.

But such scenes did not occur.

In the fourth quarter, James attempted two threes indeed.

Both missed, and he had to give up.

He tried a few drives as well, resulting in either errors or hitting a wall.

He scored 4 points through a fast break and two free throws.

Arenas, on the other hand, gave his all, scoring 27 points in the game.

However, his shooting percentage dropped significantly in the third and fourth quarters.

Glory’s score wasn’t particularly high either, especially in the second half.

This led to an exceptionally dull game, with consecutive bricked shots in the third quarter.

The live audience almost fell asleep; this was the Finals.

Glory maintained their suppression until the end, with a score of 97 to 85.

A 12 point advantage, easily defeating the Cavaliers at Gund Arena.

The point difference seemed to be only 12, but Glory exerted just over 70% of their effort.

As for the Cavaliers? LeBron James scored just 9 points in total, not even reaching double digits.

They played like scattered sand.

This result left people puzzled: was James the core, or was it Arenas?

James’s underperformance left the Cavaliers disarrayed, proving his importance.

But if he was so important, why was his performance so poor?

On Glory’s side, Gan Guoyang scored 24 points, Allen Iverson 25 points, Yao Ming 17 points.

Despite low shooting percentages, Iverson shot the most bricks.

The process was relaxed and laid-back. After the game ended, Iverson even said upon returning to the locker room, "Sonny, I don’t even feel like I broke a sweat."

"Maybe the next game will be the real Finals; this one was just a warm-up." Gan Guoyang felt the same as Iverson.

Two days later, things were even more relaxed than the first game.

to 91, Glory crushed the Cavaliers once again.

James performed much better than in the first match, scoring 22 points off 8 of 22 shooting.

Arenas also scored 19 points, but it was futile; Glory steamrolled over the Cavaliers like a bulldozer.

Only then did people realize the gap between the two sides was far wider than imagined; this complete Glory was of historical strength, while the Cavaliers weren’t as formidable as they seemed.

And LeBron James had no idea how to handle this Finals series.