Chapter 162: The playoffs continued with great momentum, and Tiffinson was humiliated by a dunk!

The Cavaliers' second playoff opponent is the Pacers.

The Pacers this season are really not weak, they can even be said to be very strong.

In another parallel world, the Pacers almost brought down the Heat's Big Three.

Paul George is becoming more mature, his teammates are also very strong, and the chemistry is very good.

In fact, when Granger was not injured, he almost defeated the Heat, but was injured by someone and the Pacers suffered a bitter defeat.

At the pre-game press conference, Paul George, Hibbert and Stephenson were interviewed.

Hibbert is not good at speaking, but Stephenson is very talkative.

Reporters also particularly like to interview him.

"Lance, you performed very well in the first round of the playoffs. You often scored at critical moments and played very tough! Are you ready for the game against the Cavaliers?"

Stephenson smiled disdainfully: "I've waited a whole season just to beat the Cavaliers in the playoffs! I've found a way to deal with the Cavaliers!"

The reporter knew that he was always a big mouth and didn't know what to say, so he deliberately asked, "Then can you tell me more specifically, what is the solution?"

Stephenson smiled mysteriously, shook his head and replied: "I can't tell you for now, you will know after the game is over!"

Paul George and Hibbert next to him were trying hard to hold back their laughter. In fact, they knew that Stephenson didn't have any special tricks and there was no targeted training within the team.

All they have to do is launch their own offense. As for defense, they no longer expect to be able to defend against Wang Yan.

As long as the Cavaliers can keep the rest of their players below average, the Pacers will have some hope.

At the Cavaliers' press conference, Wang Yan and Irving were interviewed by reporters.

"Wang Yan, the Cavaliers swept their opponents again in the first round of the playoffs. Does this mean that you have no rivals in the Eastern Conference?"

Wang Yan stretched out his finger and shook it a few times: "No! You must have heard the saying: There are no weak teams in the NBA! Every team has its own characteristics, and some unexpected events will happen during the game. You don't know what will happen until the game is over!"

This answer got perfect marks and the reporters couldn't help but applaud Wang Yan.

Another reporter asked Irving another question.

"Kyrie, you performed very well in the first round of the playoffs. Will you leave the Cavaliers in the future?"

This reporter is stirring up trouble again.

Although Irving is only a sophomore rookie, he will not leave in the short term.

But his statistics look very impressive and his playing style attracts fans, so some fans think that Irving can stand on his own and can be the boss of a team.

This is the biggest threat to a championship team.

After all, the championship is just an honor. What players need most is high salary.

Most players will not stay on a championship team if they can go to another team to be the boss and get a fixed salary.

This is the law of business alliances and also the embodiment of human nature.

Many championship teams fail in their second year, often for this reason.

Therefore, in the history of NBA, there are very few teams that have won two consecutive championships, and even fewer that have won three consecutive championships!

When Wang Yan heard the reporter's questions, his face remained expressionless and there was no emotional change.

Irving was anxious. He angrily scolded the reporter: "I am a Cavaliers player now and in the future. Unless the team doesn't want me, I will not leave the Cavaliers!"

This is equivalent to crushing those rumors.

The reporters all nodded. In fact, many of them are also fans of the Cavaliers and hope that the Cavaliers can make history.

If Irving really leaves, it will definitely have a negative impact on the Cavaliers.

But Wang Yan didn't agree with it.

Of course, he and Irving have a good relationship privately, but Wang Yan is confident that the Cavaliers have the ability to win the championship without either of them!

Besides, if Owen really had an idea, he would definitely discuss it with Wang Yan in advance.

Without Wang Yan leading the way, Irving's statistics wouldn't be so good.

Owen's mind was as clear as a mirror.

So Wang Yan is very confident that Irving will never leave the Cavaliers.

Even if he really leaves, he will regret it later!

. . . .

7:30 pm, Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavaliers' second round of playoffs G1 begins!
The Pacers' starting lineup was Paul George, Hibbert, West, George Hill and Stephenson.

The Cavaliers' starting five is still TT, Wang Yan, Jamison, Butler and Irving.

Jump ball in the center circle.

Hibbert has good static talents, but his jumping speed and jumping height are not as good as Wang Yan.

So he just made a gesture and quickly retreated.

Wang Yan easily passed the ball to Irving, and the Cavaliers launched their first attack.

All the Cavaliers fans stood up, looking forward to Wang Yan's opening show.

Almost all the Pacers players were blocked around the penalty area just to stop Wang Yan's flight attendant.

With Hibbert and West's height and tonnage, it would be difficult for Wang Yan to accomplish their mission even if they tried their best to destroy the opponent.

But this is at the Cavaliers' home court, and the fans are looking at him with expectant eyes. He has to complete it no matter how difficult it is!

Wang Yan made a special gesture to his teammates.

The teammates understood and started moving.

The Pacers players must have done their homework before the game, so they remained unmoved and continued to guard the penalty area tightly, forming an iron bucket formation.

If you have the ability, just go out and shoot a three-pointer, or a big two-pointer. Anyway, I won’t let you shoot an alley-oop!
More than 10 seconds passed, and no matter how the Cavaliers moved, the Pacers players still defended the inside, leaving the outside completely open.

This is psychological warfare!

During football matches, there are often non-professional fans who wonder, why can't the team defend the goal?

If it really doesn't work, there are eleven people blocking the door and letting you shoot as you like, how many can you shoot in?
Can you beat me 7:0?

Realistically, no team can do that.

Because that would lose the meaning of sports competition.

The Pacers had a confrontation with Wang Yan at the opening today. They would rather be laughed at by the fans than stop Wang Yan's opening show!

There were still 6 seconds left in the offensive time. Wang Yan saw that the Pacers were really not going to be fooled and didn't come out at all.

If that's the case, don't blame me!
Wang Yan made another gesture to Butler and pointed at Stephenson of the Pacers.

The Pacers had five players around the penalty area, some high and some low.

After all, Hibbert and West have static talents. If they really force their way in, they might be called for an offensive foul.

So Wang Yan also wants to pick a weak spot.

Stephenson is a shooting guard after all, and he is only 1 meters tall.

So Wang Yan pretended to move towards West, but at the moment when the Pacers' defense line shrank rapidly, Wang Yan changed direction and rushed towards Stephenson.

Butler threw the ball immediately.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Stephenson hurriedly tried to stop it.

But Wang Yan had already occupied the attack route and took off directly.

The junior brother felt a darkness in front of his eyes and a figure floated past.

boom!
Wang Yan actually flew over Stephenson’s shoulder and completed the opening show!

However, Wang Yan still saved face for his junior fellow apprentice. After all, they had no grudges against each other.

Wang Yan did not step over, but deliberately twisted his body and flew over his shoulder so as not to embarrass Stephenson too much.

Even so, Stephenson was embarrassed.

The Pacers players were stunned. They couldn't imagine Wang Yan would play so violently.

Paul George shook his head slightly, sighed, walked over and patted Stephenson on the shoulder, comforting him: "Forget it, I really can't stop him..."

The Quicken Loans Arena immediately erupted into deafening cheers. "The Cavaliers must win!"

"Wang Yan Niubi!"

"MVP! MVP!"

. . . .

Really infuriating.

The Pacers played defense to the extreme, but still couldn't stop Wang Yan's opening dunk!
Head coach Vogel was so angry that he laughed. He glanced at Wang Yan with his heart filled with respect.

Coach Vogel is very capable. In another parallel world, if it weren't for the Heat's Big Three, the Pacers could really break out of the East.

Later, he led the Lakers to win the championship, which also demonstrated his strength and value.

Pacers attack.

Stephenson had just been wronged, and with his temper, he had to retaliate.

His teammates cooperated well and started to provide cover and positioning for him. Stephenson faced off against Butler and scored a goal.

Stephenson during this period was at the peak of his skills and physical condition, and was indeed very good.

2:2 tie!
After Wang Yan completed his opening show, he started passing the ball again.

However, the Pacers' defense was really good, while the other Cavaliers players' touch was average.

The Pacers began to slowly take the lead.

Paul George and Stephenson took the lead and continued their hot form in the first round of the playoffs.

After more than 9 minutes of the first quarter, the score was 26:21, with the Pacers leading by 5 points.

Both sides began to replace their substitutes.

I originally thought that the Cavaliers would be able to catch up with the score after their substitute players came on the court.

However, there was a tough player in the Pacers' bench lineup who actually suppressed the Cavaliers' bench lineup.

That was Augustine.

Augustine is a very impactful defender. His speed and offensive skills are top-notch.

The main reason why he did not become a main player was that he was unstable.

Sometimes he is a god, sometimes he is a ghost.

Today's Augustine is God!
Even with double-teaming, Middleton and Thomas couldn't limit Augustine because of his strong passing ability.

In addition, Gerald Green and Plumlee, who came off the bench, played very aggressively, making the Cavaliers' bench lineup difficult to adapt to.

At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers were leading by 13 points, 34:21.
The Cavaliers' bench players were frustrated and walked to the sidelines with their heads down.

But Wang Yan still high-fived them and encouraged them.

Fans thought that Wang Yan would appear on the court early, after all, the score gap was tending to widen.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yan was still sitting on the bench and the other main players did not play.

This is trust in teammates.

At the start of the second quarter, the Cavaliers' substitutes increased their intensity on offense and defense.

And as expected, Augustine turned into a ghost again, and his hands became cold.

The Cavaliers' substitutes took advantage of the opportunity to narrow the gap.

Wang Yan turned into a cheerleader on the sidelines, waving a towel constantly to cheer for her teammates.

After more than four minutes of the second quarter, the Pacers were only leading by three points.

42:39
Pacers head coach Vogel had no choice but to call a timeout.

He knew Augustine's personality, that he was a lunatic, and there was nothing he could do about him.

Both sides changed their starting lineups again.

The Cavaliers fans started to get excited, they knew that this was the time when Wang Yan would start to get angry!

Some old fans simply went to the toilet, or went outside to smoke or take a walk.

I came back on time just to see Wang Yan get angry!
Wang Yan was indeed furious, but he did not immediately lose his temper on the offensive end. Instead, he improved his level on the defensive end.

In the first quarter, Wang Yan did not play with the intensity of the playoffs, but just played like in the regular season.

The Pacers attacked, and Stephenson probably thought of Wang Yan's opening show.

Even though Wang Yan gave him face, his junior brother's personality was like that of a child, and he would take revenge if he had any!
Of course, his means of revenge is playing ball, not doing dirty work.

Stephenson took the initiative to ask for the ball and even rushed towards Wang Yan.

When his teammates saw him playing like this, they all shook their heads secretly.

Now the whole league is avoiding Wang Yan, and you are still taking the initiative to find Wang Yan. Aren't you asking for trouble?
Seeing him coming towards him, Wang Yan did not take it lightly. He moved quickly and blocked his attack route in advance.

At the same time, he spread his arms and wove a big net for Stephenson.

Stephenson rushed left and right, and found that no matter where he went, he was Wang Yan.

This made him anxious.

There was no choice. There was not much time left for attack, so he had to pass the ball away in disappointment.

Pickle George received the ball with more than 3 seconds left.

Facing Jamison's defense, Paul George moved flexibly and drifted for the shot!

The movements were quite smooth, but unfortunately, the feel was not as hot as in the first quarter, bang!

The iron is struck.

Wang Yan jumped high and grabbed the rebound over Hibbert's head.

The Cavaliers teammates immediately started and launched a counterattack.

Wang Yan did not take credit for himself, and immediately made a long pass, whoosh!
Accurately passed the ball to Irving near midfield.

The ball flew over Irving's head, which allowed Irving to catch the ball comfortably at high speed and enter the penalty area without slowing down.

Although George Hill was chasing desperately, Wang Yan and Irving's cooperation was really tacit.

Irving got to the basket and scored a layup!

The point difference returned to 1 points.

Although Wang Yan did not score any points himself, his attack and defense were still extremely exciting, and the home fans applauded warmly with satisfaction!

In the next few rounds, Wang Yan played extremely reasonably. While attacking himself, he also helped his teammates pass the ball.

The Pacers couldn't hold on.

After the Cavaliers took the lead, they slowly widened the score.

At the end of the first half, the Cavaliers were leading by 16 points, 68:52
Pacers head coach Vogel sighed, knowing that the game was over again today.

In the first half of the third quarter, the Pacers played well. Paul George's touch returned, and West also made several tough shots in a row, narrowing the score difference to around 10 points.

But Wang Yan started to exert his strength again.

He first used a super pull-up shot after a breakthrough to widen the gap to 13 points.

He then blocked West and made a long pass to Butler, scoring another 2 points.

Wang Yan led the team to a small climax and widened the score difference to 20+.

At the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers had basically established their victory.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Pacers sent their main players onto the court and tried to close the score, but the Cavaliers' substitutes played very aggressively and did not let the Pacers succeed.

In the end, the Cavaliers won Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs easily!

Wang Yan played for 31 minutes today, scored 34 points, had 11 assists and 13 rebounds, another big triple-double.

Judging from the data, Wang Yan did not use his full strength, but the Pacers also played at their level.

I can only say that the Cavaliers are too strong and more mature than last season!

(End of this chapter)