Chapter 406 The curtain falls, and S-level skills are drawn!
Behind him, Ibaka was also running with all his strength.
The two are similar in height and both have very strong athletic abilities.
If we have to talk about differences, Griffin's explosive power is still one level better than Ibaka!
The two followed each other all the way and soon arrived near the free throw line.
Ibaka knew very well that if he didn't stop Griffin at this time, the latter would take off and dunk if he took another step forward!
As a result, Ibaka kicked the ground with his right foot and rushed towards Griffin with all his strength.
Then he reached out with his right hand and hit the basketball in Griffin's hand.
This time's tackle can be said to have fully demonstrated Ibaka's excellent defensive ability.
He has the ability to move at high speed, the timing of steals, and the use of movements are also good enough.
But...he met Griffin this time!
In a flash of lightning, the latter protected the ball with his right hand, turned around, and passed Ibaka.
And live a clean life!
Ibaka, who was leaning forward, lost any hope of recovery after failing to steal the ball.
Griffin turned around and immediately took off...
"bang!"
A tomahawk chop that shocked everyone, causing the Toyota Center, which had been silent for a long time, to burst into warm cheers again.
At 71:66, the Rockets launched a 5-0 shock wave at the beginning of the second half.
However, the Thunder generals did not panic.
With the experience of chasing points in the first half, they still believe that they will soon be able to withstand the "three axes" of the Rockets in the opening game.
But things went counterproductive.
The next game suddenly became McGrady's personal performance.
In the next round, Durant singled out Tony Allen but failed.
McGrady had quick eyes and quick hands, grabbed the rebound, and launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, he changed direction and passed Westbrook. After arriving in the penalty area, he used an elegant change of hands for a layup, and scored the ball under Ibaka's defense.
A minute later, McGrady made a comeback.
This time, he and Yao Ming played pick-and-roll tactics in the high post.
McGrady used the pick-and-roll, took a step forward, and then directly pulled out his hand...
Perkins jumped hard to interfere.
But his matchbox-like bounce poses no threat to McGrady at all.
t-mac raised the knife and hit a three-pointer!
At 76:66, the Rockets had a 10:0 climax.
Thunder coach Brooks had no choice but to call a timeout.
"Everyone has seen that Kevin encountered a lot of pressure on the offensive end, and Tony Allen was very difficult to deal with."
"Perkins, Ibaka, you need to set up more off-ball screens to help Kevin get rid of the defense."
"Russell, by increasing his personal offense, he must tear a hole in the Rockets' defense!"
"James, get ready. After the timeout, you will replace Sefolosha."
"Also, McGrady seems to have found his touch. We must be more careful in defending him next."
"James, next you have to defend him. If the effect is not good, immediately switch to defense. Kevin and Russell can try it."
...
Brooks crackled the layout.
It can be seen from the speed of his speech and expression that he is a little anxious.
After all, now that the game has entered the second half, we cannot relax as much as we did in the first quarter.
If the score difference cannot be narrowed in time, it will be almost impossible to replicate the point-chasing wave of the second quarter in the fourth quarter.
However, this suspension had no effect.
After the game restarted, McGrady continued his fiery touch.
No matter whether the defender in front of him is Harden, Durant, or Westbrook, there is nothing he can do against him.
In the next 5 rounds, McGrady actually used pull-up three-pointers, breakthrough layups, post-ups, catch-and-shoots, and pull-up mid-range jumpers, scoring 5 goals in a row!
Counting the previous three-pointer and the layup, McGrady has scored 7 goals in a row and scored 18 points!
The Rockets were also in the process, establishing a winning streak in one fell swoop.
At this time, 6 minutes into the third quarter, the score became 89:74, and the Rockets once again led by 15 points!
This time, they didn't let the Thunder get another chance.
The five starters played the entire third quarter, steadily expanding the score advantage...
105:85, the Rockets entered the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead!
In the battle for the scoring title, McGrady relied on his 22 points in the third quarter, bringing the total score to 32 points.
In the second half, Durant was completely out of shape under the defense of Tony Allen and only scored 4 points. At this time, he scored 22 points in total.
This means that even if McGrady doesn't score a single point in the fourth quarter, Durant still needs to score 27 points to reverse the situation and win the scoring title!
One can imagine the difficulty of this!
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Rockets put on their bench.
Lowry, Jeremy Lin, Tucker, Yi Jianlian, and Oden all appeared.
As for the Thunder, Durant didn't take a break and continued to play in the fourth quarter.
Joining him on the court are Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka and Sefolosha.
This is a small lineup.
Ibaka was pushed to the fifth position.
Obviously, the Thunder is planning to make a last ditch effort!
At the same time, on the Rockets bench, George was consulting with Tony Allen on defensive issues.
Teacher Tony shared the secret of his success in defending Durant with Pickle without any reservation.
Of course, this doesn't mean George can learn it.
After all, the two are defenders with different styles.
Tony Allen's extremely aggressive defense has natural restraint against skilled stars.
Kobe, who was as strong as in his prime, once said in an interview that Tony Allen was the most difficult defender he had ever encountered.
George has a slender figure, excellent reaction speed and explosive power, coupled with good defensive awareness, allowing him to often intercept the opponent's passes.
But in one-on-one defense, the sense of pressure George gives his opponents cannot be compared to Teacher Tony.
Today's matchup with Durant is a very typical example.
Under the defense of Tony Allen, the coach did not dare to dribble too much.
When facing George, he can make various technical moves.
"You don't have to imitate my defensive style, and you can't imitate it, but you can do it as well as me, or even better."
"It's just that you still need more time and more games to figure out the defensive method that suits you best."
Tony Allen saw that George was a little depressed, so he tried to enlighten him.
............
His eyes returned to the playing field.
The fourth quarter officially begins.
Lowry carried the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
Jeremy Lin used the screen to reach the outside and catch the ball.
After he received the ball, Yi Jianlian immediately took it up and set a screen for him.
The effect of this Chinese connection is quite good.
Jeremy Lin took advantage of the screen and passed Harden's defense.
After accelerating all the way to the free throw line, Brother Hao made a sweeping move and passed the ball back to Yi Jianlian.
Ibaka's attention was attracted by Jeremy Lin, so he didn't pay attention to the Arab League.
Yi Jianlian drew his bow and arrow and decisively shot a three-pointer...
"Shua~"
The basketball went hollow into the net, and the score difference came to 23 points!
During the transition between offense and defense, Durant was eager to score points for the team and took the initiative to ask for the ball just after Westbrook passed halftime.
And the one guarding him is pj Tucker.
Tucker's defensive style is similar to Tony Allen's.
He also started to move his body before Durant caught the ball, constantly using physical contact to disrupt the latter's rhythm.
Finally, Adu got stuck in position and successfully caught the ball.
But after having played for 36 minutes, his physical fitness was about to bottom out and his movements were much slower.
The moment he caught the ball, the young coach was cut by Tucker and was almost intercepted.
But Durant is Durant after all.
Dragging his tired body, he mobilized all the functions of his body and hit Tucker with a right hand crossover!
Tucker was shaken, staggered back a step, and his center of gravity shifted.
But he quickly adjusted and pounced on his opponent again.
But Durant's performance is not over yet.
Seeing Tucker rushing toward him, he stepped out with his left foot and made another left crossover!
This time Tucker was completely stunned.
He turned his whole body to the right. In order to return to the defensive position, Tucker was so anxious that he turned around in a circle.
Durant won't wait for him.
While Tucker was spinning in circles, the young coach jumped up slightly and hit the shot!
After scoring the goal, Durant clenched his right fist to cheer himself up.
A minute later, he came back again.
This time, Durant chose to take position on the bottom line.
After receiving Harden's pass, he tried to hit his back twice.
But Tucker's base was as solid as a rock, and Durant couldn't make any progress.
In desperation, he could only choose the extremely difficult method of turning over and leaning back...
"Duang!"
The ball hit the front edge of the basket and missed.
Oden jumped high, grabbed the rebound, and handed the ball to Lowry beside him.
After getting the ball, the Xiaogangpao quickly advanced, suddenly stopped two meters outside the three-point line, and shot for a three-pointer...
The basketball left his fingertips and spun at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...
"Shua~"
Hollow into the net!
111:87.
As soon as the goal was scored, the score difference instantly became 24 points!
Seeing that the game was over, Westbrook became anxious.
After dribbling the ball through half court, he accelerated and rushed past Lowry, "carrying the explosive bag" and rushed into the penalty area.
Oden was waiting for work, settling down in the three-second zone to welcome Westbrook's arrival.
Westbrook is well aware of the Emperor's shot-blocking ability, but at this time, he is already a little over the top.
I saw him kicking his feet on the ground, jumping up hard, facing Oden, and trying to dunk the ball in.
But after reaching the highest point, Westbrook suddenly discovered that Oden's big hands were looming over him, making it impossible to get past him!
In desperation, Guigui could only forcefully change his moves.
He tightened his abdomen in the air, and his original posture for a tomahawk dunk was forced into a pull-up layup...
The consequences of such a reluctant move can be imagined.
The basketball bounced off the board but never touched the basket.
Ah Lian relaxed his arms, collected the rebound, and handed the ball to Jeremy Lin.
After getting the ball, Brother Hao lowered his head and accelerated towards the enemy half.
Along the way, Harden was close behind, and Durant also tried hard to catch up...
But Jeremy Lin relied on his incredible speed to rush into the Thunder half.
The Thunder's last line of defense is Sefolosha.
Jeremy Lin did not hesitate, stepped forward to meet the man, and scored the ball hard!
113:87, the Rockets continue to expand their lead.
It is worth mentioning that Shuhao's one-stop layup this time was almost identical to Westbrook's layup in the second quarter.
This also made the commentator on the scene, A-Smith, couldn't help but sigh at Brother Hao's physical fitness, thinking that he was a smaller Westbrook!
After this ball, Shen Fei in the stands was convinced that the Thunder's momentum was over.
In the next few minutes, Durant and Harden each made two difficult three-pointers.
But looking back, Lowry and Jeremy Lin also made contributions respectively.
In this way, the Rockets maintained a lead of more than 20 points.
Five minutes into the fourth quarter, Thunder coach Brooks finally gave up on the game, called it a day and replaced all three players.
The game also entered garbage time.
When the red light on the timer lights up, the score is fixed at 125:105.
The Rockets sat at home and defeated the Thunder with a 20-point advantage, winning their 73rd victory of the season!
In addition, although McGrady did not appear again in the fourth quarter, his 32 points were still ahead of Durant's 30 points.
This makes t-mac not only the scoring leader in this game, but also the league scoring leader this season!
The Rockets' regular season journey this season has come to an end!
............
At the same time, at the moment the game ended, the cold metallic sound of the system sounded in Shen Fei's mind again:
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the system task!"
"Task rewards are being distributed, please check carefully..."
"...."
"...."
"Ding! The rewards have been distributed!"
The next moment, Shen Fei's cell phone rang with a text message alert.
He picked it up and looked at it, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but raise slightly.
With this US$2 billion, the construction of the Rockets' new stadium can be accelerated again!
In addition, the two [S-level random star skill packs] also made Shen Fei very excited.
[I already have three such skill packs in my hand now. There is no point in keeping them, so why not use one first...]
Shen Fei thought to himself.
But for a while, he didn't think about whom to use it on.
There are currently four Chinese players in the team.
Ah Lian has already obtained a skill and is not in the scope of consideration for the time being.
Dayao is strong and can maintain the status quo for now.
Then only Jeremy Lin and Sun Yue are left.
Both of them are defenders.
Shen Fei's positioning for them is to attack and defend.
Shuhao's future positioning in the Chinese men's basketball team is basically similar to Westbrook's position in the Thunder.
As for Sun Yue, Shen Fei hopes that he can become a defensive gate.
"How about I draw it first, and if it comes out with offensive skills, give them to Shu Hao, and if they come out with defensive skills, give them to Sun Yue."
Shen Fei murmured to himself.
As soon as he thought of it, he immediately called out the system in his mind and selected one of the [S-level random star skill packs].
The first is location selection.
The options inside are not only available for regular positions such as pg/sg/sf/pf/c, but also special types such as shooting guard swingman, 3D player, and fourth and fifth position swingman.
Shen Fei thought for a moment and chose "shooting guard swingman".
After all, Shu Hao and Sun Yue are both big guards. Whether they are point guards or shooting guards, they are both capable.
Of course, if you can fight, you can fight. How well you fight is another matter.
Then Shen Fei opened the skill package.
The next moment, a box appeared in front of Shen Fei's eyes.
The box was opened and a ball of light emerged.
Then, the ball of light began to play like a lantern, showing images of various shooting guard swingmen in NBA history.
Payton's steal, Iverson's crossover, "Penny" Hardaway's back play...
As time went by, the screen played wider and wider, and finally it was difficult to see clearly what was being played.
"Ding!"
The picture finally freezes, with a figure standing in the brilliance!