Chapter 349 The curtain falls, and the mind of the beast has been decided!
Van Gundy's timeout did not have the desired effect.
After the game restarted, the Rockets still had an absolute advantage.
The Magic have only Howard struggling to support them.
At the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 40:20.
The score difference is getting wider and wider, but Howard's mood is no longer so low.
After just thinking about it, he already regarded today's game as the last battle of his magic career.
Therefore, during the break, Howard took the initiative to ask the coach for instructions, hoping to continue playing and strive to win.
Van Gundy glanced at Warcraft with complicated eyes.
For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
Before the game started, Howard looked unhappy, but now he looks relieved.
"You played so hard in the first quarter, so you should take a break first to recover your physical fitness."
Van Gundy advised.
In the first quarter of the game, Howard played all 12 minutes and scored 10 of the team's 20 points. This was definitely considered his best effort.
"No, coach. I'm in good shape now, let me continue playing."
Howard said sincerely.
Van Gundy said nothing more and nodded in agreement with his beloved general's request.
............
After the timeout, the Magic deployed their best "one-star, four-star" lineup.
Howard is a pillar in the paint, and the other four are all capable of shooting.
The Rockets' rotation is still bold.
Mark Jackson waved his hand and brought on five substitutes.
In addition to the regular rotation of Lowry, Roy, and Danny Green, he also specially prepared an inside package for Howard-Oden plus Ben Wallace!
These two insiders, old and young, would make anyone tremble if they came across them.
During the break on the court, Ben was still giving Oden face-to-face instructions.
"Do you know how the Celtics guarded Chamberlain in the past?"
Ben Wallace asked.
Auden shook his head.
"It's just relying on a big center to defend, and then Russell is waiting for an opportunity to block shots from behind."
"Rashid and I guarded against O'Neal in this way back then!"
"So, when you go to challenge Dwight later, be sure to ensure adequate physical confrontation, and leave the rest to me."
Daben patted his chest and promised.
"No problem, leave it to me."
Auden nodded in agreement.
As both the No. 1 pick, the Emperor has actually been looking forward to playing against Howard.
Many fans may not know...
Before he officially landed in the NBA, Oden was the more optimistic of the two and would become the league's number one center in the future!
This can be supported by a piece of information.
Neither Howard nor Oden were guaranteed top picks in the draft.
The difference is that Howard's competitor is an ordinary blue-collar insider-Okafor.
But Oden's opponent is the God of Death - a person like Durant!
Judging from the quality of opponents defeated by the two, the Emperor is obviously the more talented one.
Unfortunately, their situations are completely opposite.
Howard went smoothly and quickly performed as expected.
But Oden was plagued by injuries and almost died.
Now times have changed, and the two talented centers are finally facing each other again!
............
Howard saw Oden's figure from a distance.
He didn't panic at all, just because he had enough confidence when facing the latter.
However, the first time the two faced off, Oden shocked Howard.
That was the Rockets' offensive possession...
Lowry followed the tactics and lobbed the ball to Oden inside.
After the Emperor caught the ball, he decisively started playing from behind.
"Bang~"
"Bang~"
"Bang~"
He pushed up and down toward Howard.
What is surprising is that in the power showdown with Warcraft, Oden did not fall behind at all.
Without using any skills, he relied on brute force to advance into the three-second zone.
Then, Oden turned left and shot a hook shot with his right hand.
His whole set of movements was smooth and smooth.
Moreover, due to the fierce physical confrontation, Howard did not jump to block the shot immediately.
However, Oden may still be a little nervous.
After the opportunity came up, his hook was too strong and the basketball bounced out of the frame.
Howard quickly took off twice and collected the rebound.
[What a risk...]
He thought secretly in his heart.
Although the one-on-one defense was successful this time, Oden's strength still left a deep impression on Howard.
After the transition between offense and defense, Warcraft took a position in the mirror position of the court and successfully received the pass from his teammate.
Behind him, Odenza dismounted and prepared to defend.
Howard doesn't have any fancy moves, he just dribbles the ball and hits hard.
Obviously, Warcraft does not think that its power is inferior to Oden.
But I have to say that the Emperor is more like a traditional heavy center.
Compared with Howard, his frame is larger and he also has a clear advantage in terms of tonnage!
Although Warcraft relied on acquired efforts to develop an explosive upper body, it was still difficult to shake Oden's defense.
After some hard talk, Howard only took half a step forward.
The fans at the scene saw this and began to boo and jeer.
The monster became more and more anxious.
In desperation, he slumped his shoulders angrily and thrust forward.
This one hit Oden directly in the chest.
Even though he was as strong as an emperor, he couldn't help but groan.
This is an obvious foul play.
After Howard finished the call, he secretly glanced at the referee.
Perhaps it was because the Rockets were leading by a huge margin, but the referee didn't say anything.
Howard was delighted, and then turned around, preparing to finish the game with a throw.
But the next moment, an explosive head suddenly flashed in front of him...
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, a big hand knocked down Howard's shot!
The person who came was none other than Da Ben.
He has been waiting for you for a long time!
Lowry on the side reacted quickly and quickly controlled the ball.
The Rockets took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Roy received a pass from the small steel cannon, went straight to the basket, and made an easy layup.
42:20!
The Rockets continue to expand their lead.
At the same time, on the other side of the field, Ben was looking at Howard aggressively.
The look in his eyes made the monster feel annoyed.
The two emotions of dissatisfaction and dissatisfaction made Howard make a comeback in the next round!
Based on the experience last time, Warcraft chose to play singles with the ball head-on, and used a faster first step to successfully get past Oden's defense.
After reaching the basket, Howard and Big Ben had a head-on showdown!
Both of them took off with all their strength.
This time, Howard had the upper hand in absolute height.
"Crack!"
"Duang!"
Ben hit Howard's wrist, causing the latter to dunk the ball away.
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded and the Rockets committed a defensive foul.
Although Warcraft failed to complete the dunk, it caused a foul by Ben Wallace, which was considered a win.
However, Howard, who stepped to the free throw line, missed both free throws and failed to change the score.
This goal also became the epitome of the second quarter.
The Rockets' bench is getting better and better, but the Magic are always left with Howard alone.
But even Warcraft, under the attack of Oden and Big Ben, had an extremely difficult time.
At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets had led by as many as 30 points, and the game basically lost its suspense.
In the third quarter, Howard only played for 5 minutes before being replaced by Van Gundy.
After that, the game quickly entered garbage time, and Howard did not return to the court.
In the end, the Rockets sat at home and beat the Magic by 38 points 140:102!
The moment the timer hit zero, Howard left the tunnel without looking back.
Along the way, whether coach Van Gundy or other teammates greeted him, Howard had no response.
This time, he left very simply and without any nostalgia.
In the stands, Shen Fei happened to witness this scene.
"It seems that the pattern of the alliance is about to change again..."