The first quarter ended, and the Cavaliers players walked off the court with their heads hanging.
On the bench, James stared blankly at the scoreboard, having even forgotten to bite his fingers.
George seemed somewhat absent-minded. This had never really been where he wanted to be.
Love had been bumped aside by Whiteside, just as helplessly as he had been shoved away on defense.
The Cavaliers had been thoroughly rattled by the Pelicans in just one quarter.
Lue was also at a loss now. He had anticipated many things before the game, but never imagined it would turn out like this.
"Guys!"
Before Lue could speak, Wade reached out and gathered all the players together.
"I don't know why they played so well in the first quarter. Maybe they received some kind of inspiration before the game, or maybe they were simply in great form.
But believe me, they can't maintain that kind of form forever. If we defend hard and execute our offense well, we still have a chance.
What the Warriors can do, we can do too.
Think about what our goal is this season. We can definitely overcome the difficulties in front of us!"
At the crucial moment, Wade played the role of the locker room leader. After that motivational speech, the Cavaliers players' morale visibly recovered.
James looked at Wade with great affection in his eyes.
He was not someone skilled at encouraging his teammates with words, while Wade happened to excel at it.
Their chemistry was still as seamless as it had been in Miami.
Even though he had once let Wade down.
The Heat Brothers would not fuss over such details.
After hearing Wade's words, Lue slapped his forehead. Inspiration struck, and he came up with a tactic.
"We'll focus our energy on offense