He was also a little angry in addition to complaining.

If the management hadn't changed their minds back then, such an outstanding 3D player would have been a great asset to the Heat!

Unfortunately, he was now an opponent, and had even joined one of their main rivals of the season.

This really left people speechless.

Spoelstra couldn't wait for a dead ball and directly called a timeout.

Back from the timeout, Spoelstra again put up the small lineup from before.

Wade and Miller on the outside, Battier and James on the front, and Bosh at center.

Popovich on the Spurs side also countered tit-for-tat, switching to a small lineup, with Parker and Green on the outside, Tang Tian and Jefferson on the front, and Splitter at center.

In the Heat's offense, Miller and Battier spread out on both sides to create space.

Miller had already made three three-pointers tonight, and his hotness was comparable to Tang Tian's, so the Spurs didn't dare to play a 2-3 zone defense at this time.

After James asked for the ball in the low post, he directly signaled his teammates to clear out and chose to go one-on-one against Jefferson.

James had gained weight during the offseason, and his weight at this time was close to 125 kilograms, which was a full size bigger than Jefferson, so he directly relied on Jefferson to post up.

In last year's Finals, James was targeted quite miserably by the Mavericks because he didn't have back-to-the-basket skills.

At that time, he failed to back down Barea three times in a row, which became a major topic of conversation for fans after the Finals.

Because of this, James had been working hard on his back-to-the-basket skills during the long offseason, and his improvement was obvious.

Although Jefferson was also full of muscles, his weight was almost 20 kilograms less than James, and the confrontation was not at the same level.

After James exerted his strength, he obviously couldn't hold on.

James pushed to the basket and directly turned around to score a layup.

There was a commotion at the scene.

James' tank-style layup was already unsolvable enough, and now with a bull-like back attack, it really didn't give people a chance to live.

Popovich rubbed his forehead, and his expression was somewhat helpless.

This style of play was really a bit unreasonable.

The Spurs' offense.

The Heat's tactics had undergone a major change at this time. They no longer double-teamed the ball-handler, but switched back to man-to-man defense.

Just like the change that Miller's defense brought to the Spurs, Tang Tian's hot hand also forced Spoelstra to stop doing that.

Parker gestured for a zip hammer play.

Parker's breakthrough pass went to Tang Tian, but Battier returned to defend, and Tang Tian had no chance.

However, Tang Tian didn't stop the ball, he passed it to Duncan, and then continued to run around the screen.

Duncan blocked Battier after passing the ball, and Tang Tian took the ball and shot another three-pointer.

"Clang!"

This shot was a bit unlucky, hitting the edge of the basket and popping out, and the rebound was taken by Bosh.

Although it didn't go in, it startled Spoelstra into a cold sweat.

On the other side of the court, Popovich stood up slightly excited.

Although the hammer play was complex and changeable, it was easy for opponents to target it because the end points were fixed.

Popovich, as the inventor of the tactic, naturally knew this, so he was also thinking about it while playing.

Tang Tian's tactical evolution just now gave him new inspiration.

It turned out that the hammer play could continue to evolve!

The Heat's frontcourt offense, James continued to play Jefferson in the low post.

This time, Jefferson used all his strength, but he still couldn't hold on.

After James attracted Duncan's help defense, he turned around and passed the ball to Bosh under the basket, and Bosh scored with a one-handed dunk.

The Heat chased four points in a row, narrowing the point difference to 4 points.

In the Spurs' offense, Tang Tian didn't wait in the bottom corner this time, but took the initiative to run to Duncan's side to position himself, took Parker's pass and shot again.

"Swish!"

This time he seized the opportunity, and the three-pointer was clean and neat.

The point difference was once again widened to 7 points!

The cheers at the scene exploded, this was already Tang Tian's 5th three-pointer in the first half!

Including the three-point foul he drew on Miller before, the actual number of three-pointers Tang Tian made was 6!

Six three-pointers in the first half, Popovich really dared to give Tang Tian a chance, and Tang Tian was really able to make them!

"Follow him!"

Spoelstra was a little angry. If it weren't for these three-pointers that Tang Tian had made, the Heat would be leading by 7 points now!

Battier ran forward with his head down.

He also wanted to keep up! But Tang Tian was lighter and faster than him. He really couldn't catch up with this kind of catch-and-shoot three-pointer!

In the Heat's offense, James continued to play Jefferson in the low post. At this time, Popovich shouted from the sidelines, telling Tang Tian to double-team James under the basket.

James had a very high basketball IQ. He waited until Tang Tian came over before passing the ball to Battier.

In the Spurs' help defense rotation, Battier passed the ball to Miller again, and Miller's outside three-pointer also went in!

This was also his 4th three-pointer in the first half!

You have your Zhang Liang's plan, and I have my ladder to climb over the wall!

Battier couldn't completely keep up with Tang Tian, so the Heat directly let Wade switch over to defend him.

Wade could keep up, but Green had a chance again. This time he finally seized the opportunity, and the three-pointer he shot fell into the net!

Turning around, James attracted a double-team after posting up in the basket and passed to Battier, and Battier's corner three-pointer also went in!

After both sides switched to small lineups, they started trading three-pointers!

The back-and-forth scene made the fans at the scene excited.

The viewing of this game suddenly went up a big notch.

The two teams had offense and defense, and the point difference on the court fluctuated between 4 and 7 points.

In the last attack before halftime, James' buzzer-beating layup after facing Jefferson was successful, and the Heat ended the first half 46 to 48, trailing the Spurs by 2 points.

The two sides had a balanced first half.

Spoelstra looked good, and he high-fived each of his players as they went off the court.

Popovich, on the other hand, frowned slightly. This stalemate was never what he wanted.

Originally, Tang Tian's three-pointers had widened the point difference, but James' strength had pulled the score back.

If the two sides really met in the Finals, then James would give him more than one night of headaches.

During the 15-minute break at halftime, both teams returned to the locker room to rest, and the coaches also seized the time to conduct a halftime summary and adjustment.

Popovich talked about some of the details of the first half of the game, and as he was talking, he suddenly put down the pen in his hand and turned to look at Tang Tian.

"Can you defend LeBron? Front him and don't let him catch the ball," he asked directly.

Tang Tian was stunned for a moment.

This scene was somewhat familiar. When UConn played San Diego State, Calhoun had asked a similar question.

However, compared to Calhoun, Popovich's question was more direct.

"LeBron is very difficult to defend now, but we can use a rotation, fronting, entanglement... all methods, his weight is heavier than before, which means his stamina will be consumed faster, this is a way!"

Perhaps afraid that his flash of inspiration would disappear, Popovich quickly added.