Lue was still thinking when James drove and delivered a lightning pass. Whiteside caught it, muscled Jokic aside, and threw down a two-handed slam dunk for another score.
5–10!
Whiteside had accounted for all of the Cavaliers' points since the opening tip!
When it came to finishing easy baskets, he was far better than Mozgov and Tristan Thompson!
That $98 million was not useless after all!
But on the way back, Tang Tian continued exploiting Whiteside's slow lateral movement, driving into the paint and assisting Davis on a mid-range shot for another 2 points.
Compared with his offense, Whiteside's inability to defend out on the perimeter was even more fatal.
James kept attacking and kicking it out, once again feeding Whiteside!
He had figured it out too. For Whiteside to be useful on the court, he had to be given more opportunities to attack around the basket.
Whiteside caught the ball and tried to power up again, but Jokic stood his ground with his arms raised.
His offensive methods were limited. No hook shot, no footwork—just a forceful attempt after contact.
Clang!
The basketball bounced off the rim.
But he had a quick second jump and was about to grab another offensive rebound.
Just then, a figure beat him to it, flying in and snatching the rebound with one hand.
Tang Tian!
Jokic was slow off the floor, Davis was boxed out by James, and just like in the previous possessions, it was difficult for the Pelicans to secure the Defensive Rebound.
But the Cavaliers had left Tang Tian unguarded!
Tang Tian, who had needed to play card forward for rebounds last season, had clearly improved his ability to judge where rebounds would fall and secure Defensive Rebounds after gaining the Rebound Master skill.
Combined with his height and leaping