Chapter 396 Curry's response! The Spurs are desperate!
"No..."
Not far away, Parker, who was standing two meters outside the three-point line, preparing to defend, suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
As early as the last time the two teams met, Curry had made a super long three-pointer near the center circle.
At that time, it was Parker who was responsible for defending him!
At this thought, the French sports car speeded up instantly and ran towards Curry at full speed.
But no matter how fast he is, he can't shoot as fast as Curry...
Rocket No. 30 jumped lightly and took action calmly...
Three-point arrow, the flames of hell!
Curry's shot drew a wonderful arc in the air and went straight to the net.
"Shua~"
Basketball goes hollow into the net.
"wow!!!"
“curry.from.downtown!!!”
"skyfucker(日天)~"
The Toyota Center arena erupted instantly, and the fans couldn't help but cheer for Curry.
After scoring the goal, Curry was also very excited!
This logo-shot is actually very important.
It is like a declaration, telling the Spurs players that even if McGrady is injured, the Rockets are still invincible!
With 30 seconds left, the Spurs attack.
Tony Parker took advantage of his speed and broke through the Rockets' first line of defense.
But when he was about to lay up with an underhand shot, Tucker, who was on defense, made a move and cut the ball from his side!
After completing the steal, the shoe king immediately passed the ball to Curry.
The latter lowered his head and accelerated towards the Spurs half court.
At the same time, the other four Rockets players quickly followed suit.
The five people walked in unison, uniformly, and their running positions were very scattered.
You can tell at a glance that they are well-trained!
Seeing this scene, Zhang Weiping couldn't help but sigh:
"If we say, the 'Ultimate Basketball' just now is the pinnacle of mobility."
"The Rockets' current lineup of five pitchers maximizes the space on the court!"
"In comparison, I even think this lineup will make it more difficult for the Spurs to defend."
As soon as Zhang Weiping finished speaking, the Rockets verified his judgment with actual actions.
With a flick of Curry's wrist, he made a scalpel-like pass and found Yi Jianlian ambushing in the right corner.
After Ah Lian got the ball, he shot a three-pointer without hesitation.
After the basketball left his fingertips, it spun at high speed and drew a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
46:29.
The Rockets had a 6-0 spurt in less than a minute!
At this time, there are only 10 seconds left in the first quarter.
Parker quickly advanced with the ball and passed the ball to Jefferson on the weak side.
The latter broke through smoothly after receiving the ball, and relied on his strength advantage to hit a layup over Danny Green's head.
The ball goes in and the light comes on!
The score in the first quarter was fixed at 46:31!
Seeing this score, both CCTV commentators felt it was unreal.
"46:31...This is almost the score of an exhibition match."
"Who would have thought that the Spurs, who have always been good at defense, would one day be defeated by their opponent and score nearly half a hundred points in the first quarter."
Zhang Weiping sighed.
"Popovich is going to be mad!"
"If they lose tonight, the Spurs will not only become witnesses to the Rockets' historical record, but they will also be widely discussed because of the big score."
Su Qun added.
............
Spurs bench.
The players all had their heads drooped, not daring to look up at the coach.
The strange thing is that Popovich is unusually calm at the moment.
He wasn't roaring or yelling, he was just looking around at the team members quietly.
Popovich knew that his players had given 100% of their efforts in the first quarter of the game.
The competition is very intense!
So much so... that the opponent's two stars were forced to leave the field.
But even so, the Rockets still played a mercury-filled offense.
Thinking of this, Popovich let out a long sigh.
The gap in strength between the two teams can no longer be made up by hard work!
Time passed by minute by minute, and the second quarter was about to begin in a blink of an eye.
The Spurs generals, who were collectively silent, finally made some noise before taking the field.
But the one who spoke was the usually taciturn Stone Buddha—Duncan.
"Guys, the rocket is indeed ridiculously powerful, far beyond our expectations."
"Everyone should be like me and be ready to become a 'stepping stone' and witness the Rockets making history."
"But what I want to say is...even if we lose, we shouldn't lose so cowardly."
"The Spurs will never give up in the first quarter!"
After saying that, Duncan stood up on his own initiative and asked Popovich to fight.
Seeing the leader's attitude, the Spurs generals who had been silent once again had the fire of fighting in their eyes.
Parker stood up and whispered: "Next, I will hit the inside with every ball!"
When everyone heard this, they all looked at him.
Although these words are simple, Parker's determination can be seen from them.
The strongest technology of French sports cars is breakthrough.
When he makes up his mind to break through with the ball, that's when he makes a desperate move.
Popovich finally had a smile on his face when he saw the two beloved generals expressing their opinions.
He slowly walked to the middle of the players, stretched out his right hand, and said loudly:
"Children, try your best again, don't think about the score, just go for it!"
The Spurs generals responded immediately and folded their hands together.
"one.two.three..."
"go.spurs!!!"
............
The game restarts.
The Rockets have continued their previous shooting lineup.
The Spurs replaced Duncan and Splitter back on the court.
Spurs serve.
Parker passed half court with the ball and beckoned Split to step forward for a pick-and-roll.
With the help of the screen, Parker successfully passed Curry and accelerated toward the penalty area.
Facing Tucker, who was on defense, the French sports car made a small change of direction and passed him, and hit an underhand layup!
In transition between offense and defense, Curry also used the pick-and-roll to break into the basket.
But Duncan had already taken precautions and through reasonable position selection, pushed the cute god to the bottom line.
The latter had no choice but to jump up and pass the ball.
Jefferson predicted in advance and intercepted the basketball on its flight path.
The Spurs launch a counterattack!
During the fast break, Gary Neal, who came on as a substitute for Ginobili, showed his true qualities as a shooter.
He received Parker's breakthrough pass, raised his hand and hit a three-pointer...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
46:34.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Spurs launched a 5-0 shock wave, quickly narrowing the point difference.
"It's okay for the Spurs to come out strong in the second quarter!"
"Although the Rockets scored 46 points in the first quarter, they were actually scored 29 points. Their defense was not very good."
"It's only the second quarter now, and the point difference is only 12 points. The Spurs still have a chance!"
Su Qun commented timely.
However, not long after he finished speaking, the Rockets quickly responded.
Yellow Mamba - After Roy got the ball at the top of the arc, he used his personal ability to stop and succeed in the mid-range.
48:34, Rocket also opened.
Offense and defense transition.
Duncan takes the position in the low post.
And the one guarding him is China's number one power forward - Yi Jianlian!
The Arab League concentrated on defense and tried hard to get in position with Duncan.
But once he confronted him, he discovered that the foot of the stone Buddha was as stable as a rock and could not be squeezed at all!
Duncan reached back with his left hand and pinned Ah Lian firmly behind his back.
Parker saw this and passed the ball with a lob.
Duncan easily caught the ball and turned around, entering the three-second zone.
Ah Lian quickly turned around, but the opponent had already jumped on his feet.
He didn't care too much and jumped up to block the shot...
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded and Yi Jianlian committed a defensive foul.
Duncan stepped to the free throw line and made two steady free throws.
48:36.
The Spurs continued to hold on to the score.
Then, the game entered a stalemate stage.
The two teams come and go, and no one can restrict the other.
However, the Spurs gradually narrowed the score with the steady performance of Duncan and Parker.
When five minutes into the second quarter, the score reached 60:52.
The point difference is only single digits!
Mark Jackson saw this and called a timeout.
After the timeout, he replaced the Rockets' main players back on the court.
Of course, McGrady's position will be temporarily taken by Roy.
It is worth mentioning that t-mac has returned to the bench at this time.
His ankle is now wrapped with a thick ice pack.
According to the team doctor's request, McGrady will not return to the game tonight.
No one from the Rockets, including T-Mac himself, has any objections to this.
After all, setting historical records is important, but the most critical thing this season is the ownership of the O'Brien Cup.
Tracy McGrady doesn't want to take risks for a regular season game!
The game continues.
After Yao Ming and Griffin came on the court, they began to attack in the paint.
The purpose of the two is very simple. They can not only score points for the team, but also allow Duncan to consume more energy on the defensive end.
This trick really works!
After Yao Ming's post-up game and Griffin's frontal attack and two consecutive goals, the Spurs were forced to change their defensive strategy and began to shrink the basket more.
But this way, the Rockets' outside shooters will have more opportunities.
Curry was the first to bear the brunt. After Yao Ming was double-teamed, he successfully made a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
Then, George used an air cut to complete a one-handed dunk after receiving a hand-to-hand pass from Griffin!
Come back.
After Duncan was busy on the defensive end, his enthusiasm on offense dropped.
During a one-on-one game against Griffin, he accidentally dribbled the ball to his feet and gave the ball directly to the Rockets.
Then at this opportunity, Roy rushed into the Spurs penalty area again, faced Split's defense, and made a layup!
67:52.
After a 7:0 spurt, the Rockets once again established a large lead.
And this shock wave turned out to be the last straw that broke the Spurs' back.
They finally gathered their breath and recovered some of the points difference, but they were beaten back to their original shape in a short period of time.
At this moment, the body language of the Spurs generals can be summed up in two words - despair!
In the stands, Shen Fei also discovered this.
There is an old saying that goes like this: Once you gain momentum, it will weaken again, and then you will be exhausted.
The Spurs are feeling a bit "exhausted" right now.
"Who will give them the last blow..."
Shen Fei murmured.
............
Time flew by and it was the last two minutes of the second quarter in a blink of an eye.
At this time, the score reached 75:60, and the Rockets still led by 15 points.
Although the point difference has not changed, the state of the two teams' captains is very different.
On the Spurs side, the thirty-year-old men Duncan and Parker have only rested for about 3 minutes so far.
The long hours of competition and the heavy responsibilities they shouldered took a huge amount of physical energy out of both of them.
Now, whenever there is a free throw or out of bounds, they will lean down and put their hands on their knees to rest.
On the other hand, look at the Rockets.
Both Curry and Yao Ming have received sufficient rest before, and now it is time to be in hot form!
Rockets serve from the sideline.
George passed the ball to Curry, who immediately started a pick-and-roll with Griffin.
At this time, the Spurs did not dare to double-team Curry.
After all, as long as Griffin is given room to speed up, this fierce young man will punish him with a dunk for slighting him.
Therefore, Parker was the only one chasing Curry at this time.
Meng Shen stepped out with his right foot, making a breakthrough.
The next moment, he pulled the ball back and took a step back.
Parker secretly thought something was wrong and quickly adjusted his focus and pounced forward.
Who knows, this is another fake move by Curry.
Rockets No. 30 bowed to the Buddha and completely knocked Parker away, then took a small step forward and prepared to shoot.
Gary Neal on the side directly gave up on Roy and rushed towards Curry.
The latter was not greedy for credit and immediately passed the ball to his teammate who was left empty.
After Roy caught the ball, there was no one three meters in front of him.
He dribbled the ball, adjusted his steps, and took the shot calmly...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
78:60, the Rockets continued to expand their lead.
Changing sides and fighting again, Parker once again stormed Curry and drove towards the basket.
But on the last step of the three-step layup, he failed to kick up due to physical problems.
Yao Ming stretched out his right hand and blocked Parker's layup without even taking off.
"woo..."
There was an uproar at the scene.
Tucker on the side reacted quickly and immediately protected the ball.
However, just when he passed the ball to Curry and prepared to launch a counterattack, the Spurs generals had already quickly returned to defense.
Curry looked up and found that it was less than 24 seconds before halftime, so he simply slowed down and made the final attack.
Normally at this time, Tracy McGrady would definitely step up and ask for the ball.
But now that t-mac is resting off the court, this burden naturally falls on Yao Ming's shoulders.
But Dayao is a big center after all, and he cannot hold the ball and play in isolation like outside players.
He could only quietly come to the low position and wait for his teammates to deliver cannonballs to him.
A major pain point for the Rockets' offense in the past was that no one could comfortably put the ball in Yao Ming's hands.
Fortunately, Curry is now passing the ball for Yao!
With 6 seconds left, Meng Shen hit the ground and accurately handed the ball to the low post.
Yao Ming vs Duncan.
Two All-Star insiders have direct conversations again!
Dayao hit him twice first, then shook his shoulders to the right and turned around, but the next moment he turned to the left...
If he were an ordinary center, he would probably be passed by Yao Ming this time.
But the person guarding him was the top inside gatekeeper in history - Tim Duncan. He didn't falter at all. He moved laterally and accurately blocked Yao Ming's path.
"Bang..."
The two had physical contact.
Yao Ming took advantage of the force of confrontation and took a step back, then leaned back and shot...