LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 89 Who's Intensifying Whom?

After winning two straight games at home, the Cavaliers moved the game to Indianapolis.

This place boasts the most passionate basketball atmosphere in the entire United States.

Concord Arena.

The stands are very close to the stadium, and the steep angle of the stands makes it easy for noise to accumulate.

The moment the Cavaliers entered the arena, a sea of ​​golden yellow stretched out before us, resembling a vast, impenetrable cornfield.

The entire arena came alive, filled with roars, howls, and thunderous pounding, ready to face the Cavaliers' foes.

Before the game, Tyronn Lue gathered the players together again.

"You must imagine the difficulties you are facing here today."

"They would bump into you with their elbows, shoulders, or even their hips, constantly entangled with you, their faces pressed together, their hot breath on your faces."

Are you afraid?

Before the players could answer, Tyronn Lue quickly delivered a pep talk.

"I want each and every one of you to remember that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we will be the ultimate winners."

"We will walk out of Conceco with our heads held high after the game."

"Believe in yourself, believe in your teammates."

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

Tyronn Lue's words weren't particularly special, but the bass kept repeating them over and over, instilling in him the belief in victory.

They tried to instill the idea of ​​winning into the minds of every player.

On the other side of the court, the Pacers' starting lineup had already taken to the court, and with each heavy pound of the home crowd's drum, the home team's fighting spirit grew higher and higher.

It's hard for any player not to be infected by the fervent atmosphere when playing in Indiana.

These fans can be really awful sometimes; they'll boo Turner, who's been with the team for ten years.

But their passionate obsession with basketball cannot be denied.

Every fan in the stands was fully engaged, glaring and waving their arms, as if they were about to rush down at the referee's whistle.

Chandler jumps off possession.

As soon as Paul got the ball, the cheers from the home crowd erupted, accompanied by the thunderous beat of a sledgehammer.

Defense

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Defense

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Defense

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Every sound was uttered with all one's might, strained and desperate.

With the home-court advantage, Collison actually came over to Paul and started applying pressure.

From Chen Shuo's angle, it was clear that the arm on Paul's waist was constantly pushing against him.

Standing right in front of Chen Shuo, referee Foster, who was at the same angle as Chen Shuo, completely ignored these actions.

This is the NBA playoffs.

Arriving at the away game with a 2-0 lead, they will inevitably face a more relaxed approach.

Paul's strength was clearly superior to Collison's. He subtly exerted his power during the breakthrough, causing Collison to fall to the ground and creating the illusion that he had been shaken by the crossover.

Foster kept his whistle firmly in his mouth.

Paul hit a practice-like three-pointer to give the away team their first point.

As he retreated, he bumped right into West, who was running towards the frontcourt.

Chen Shuo chuckled to himself.

West was already giving Paul a heads-up.

We need to play with high intensity in this match.

[Old teammate, I won't hold back.]

Paul patted West on the backside in response.

Come on, be bold!

The roles of offense and defense have reversed.

The Pacers changed their offensive strategy.

The first ball was passed to Hibbert in the paint.

Facing the boxing champion, Hibbert drove the ball hard, using his body to force a foul from Chandler.

He roared.

Hibbert stepped to the free-throw line and made one of two shots.

Vogel then took advantage of the free throw interval to call Paul George over and give him a private talk.

Next round.

George appeared directly in front of Paul.

In the three games of the series so far, George has come closer to Paul each time.

In Game 1, Paul dominated Collison for half the game before George finally got his hands on Paul, and Thompson exploded in the fourth quarter; in Game 2, George started guarding Paul in the second quarter, and Thompson scored 12 points in the quarter to secure the victory.

Chen Shuo was very interested to see Vogel's strategy for Thompson.

Thompson saw Collison in front of him and immediately ran to the basket, which is the starting point for many off-ball shooters' runs.

After all, the space under the basket is extremely sensitive, and it's easy to get a steal if you're not careful.

Thompson instinctively pushed Collison aside, made a V-shaped run, and was directly hit by a mountain.

Hibbert controlled his strength and didn't let Thompson fall to the ground, but this delayed things considerably.

Thompson glanced at Paul's positioning, abandoned his run, and prepared to retreat to the three-point line to create space. However, the Pacers players seemed to have eyes in the back of their heads and would always brush or touch Thompson when he passed by.

Chen Shuo silently watched Thompson stumble and fall.

Just as expected.

The Bad Boys' tactics, Chuck Daly made the most of the big men's bodies, encouraging them to make as much physical contact as possible and try to disrupt their touch.

Under the modern basketball system, the "flicking" motion has been toned down considerably, but its effectiveness has been retained by at least 80%.

This is a case of achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Especially for rookies like Thompson, who lack playoff experience, it's easy for the Pacers' big men to disrupt their shooting touch.

Thompson's off-ball movement didn't work.

Paul's attempt to force a clearance resulted in him drawing a foul as well.

However, Foster's gesture pointed to the sideline.

Paul kept coming up to argue and put pressure on him, indicating that the shot had already been taken.

But the old pro clearly chose the wrong opponent.

He certainly didn't know that Foster would later be known as "Paul's Nemesis".

After some arguing, Foster remained adamant in pointing to the sideline.

To be honest, Chen Shuo was a little surprised that Foster didn't give Paul a T.

This also reveals the mission assigned by the alliance.

The officiating was allowed to escalate, tilting the game in favor of the Pacers, but consistency in officiating was maintained.

This means that both sides are allowed to increase the intensity together.

The league didn't force the Cavaliers to lose; it simply gave the Pacers a better chance of winning, putting the game in the Pacers' comfort zone.

The Pacers have four players over two meters tall, and these players are all incredibly strong. Coupled with the difficulty in developing their offense, they are clearly more suited to this kind of grueling game. Of course, most importantly, Paul suffers greatly in this kind of grueling game.

In the regular season, with referees maintaining a normal standard, Paul can use the rules to his advantage, allowing his 1.83-meter frame to deliver the performance of a point guard god.

But in the playoffs, when the game was played more freely, Paul's physical disadvantages were magnified.

Once Paul dares to penetrate, the Pacers' tall lineup will be like a small boat on the ocean; if they are knocked around and don't fall apart, it's a testament to Paul's sturdiness.

The city of the void in the original timeline is the best proof of this.

Paul's injuries during the playoffs are precisely due to the playoff standards.

This is also why Chen Shuo is having a headache with the Pacers.

Chen Shuo's solution to this is: if you want to fight on defense, then come on.

G3 will undoubtedly be the most physically intense match.

Aside from Paul, the Cavaliers also have a group of tough players on and off the court, and in terms of health bars, the Cavaliers have an even longer one.

Since it can't be avoided, let's see who can last longer.

Just four minutes into the game, Tyronn Lue made a substitution, taking Paul off the court and replacing him with the physically stronger Jeremy Lin.

At the same time, Garnett, Leonard, and Thompson were also substituted, and Tucker, Ariza, and Green were brought in.

Vogel frowned.

Let's look at the Cavaliers' lineup on the court.

Chandler, Tucker, Ariza, Green, Jeremy Lin.

The Pacers conducted a detailed scouting report before the game, so they were well aware of how fierce and difficult these players were.

Jeremy Lin and Draymond Green are relatively thinner, but both of them play with a do-or-die attitude.

Jeremy Lin's first possession.

He initiated a pick-and-roll with Chandler, accelerated through the cleared path Chandler had created, crashed into the paint, and threw himself into the air, colliding with Hibbert.

Foster blew his whistle and pointed to the free-throw line.

Jeremy Lin's strategy was very clear: if he could make the shot or draw a foul, that would be a win; if he missed, it wouldn't matter, as his teammates could always drop back to defend.

A loud noise came from the cornfield, attempting to distract Jeremy Lin from his free throws.

But Harvard guards are born for the big stage.

Facing the almost palpable roar, he calmly sank both free throws, issuing a challenge towards Conseco Arena.

Looking back.

Collison had just dribbled past half-court when the referee's whistle blew.

Vogel only saw Granger lying on the ground.

He quickly looked up at the big screen.

Granger tried to break free with West's screen, and Tucker switched to Ariza's defense, but Tucker was unable to keep up with Granger, possibly due to unfamiliarity with the situation.

In a moment of desperation, Tucker grabbed Granger and knocked him to the ground.

Vogel looked completely bewildered after reading it.

Who should increase whose intensity?