Chapter 428 The curtain opens, Rockets vs Thunder!
The starting lineups of both sides are as follows:
On the Heat's side, Chalmers and Ray Allen partnered in the backcourt, with Wade and James playing the third and fourth positions, and Howard sitting in the penalty area.
For the Celtics, Rondo is in charge, Delonte West is partnering with him in the backcourt, Paul Pierce and Big Baby are on the front line, and Jermaine O'Neal is the center.
O'Brien and Howard stood on both sides of the center line.
As the referee threw the ball high, the two men took off at the same time...
Howard was one step ahead and slapped the ball back into his own half.
The Heat attack first!
Chalmers carried the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
Howard got stuck in the low post and opened his hand for the ball.
Chalmers understood the situation and passed the ball to the penalty area immediately.
After getting the ball, Howard immediately opened his back and played.
And O'Neal Jr., who was guarding him, is no longer the All-Star insider he was back then.
After his physical fitness declined, he was just an ordinary insider.
Seeing Ou being easily crushed, Rondo decisively gave up on defending Chalmers and rushed inside to help defend.
Howard realized that the opponent wanted to double-team him, so he immediately waved his hand and passed the ball back to Chalmers.
But at the same time, the Celtics' defensive rotation started to run.
After receiving the ball, Xiao Cha had no chance to make a move and could only conduct the ball again.
After three passes and two leads, the ball came to Wade.
Facing Pierce's defense, the Flash made a fake shot to shake the former's center of gravity, and then accelerated towards the Green Army's inside line.
After arriving in the penalty area, Wade took two European steps towards the big baby.
Big Baby didn't react in time and turned around in the wrong direction.
Wade smiled slightly, kicked off the ground with his left foot, and jumped up high...
"bang!"
Almost all players finish with a layup after using the European step, but Wade is different. His explosive power allows him to still have room to complete a dunk after making such a large fake move.
This is The Flash!
2:0, the Heat took the lead!
During the transition between offense and defense, Rondo dealt cards online at the top of the arc.
Delonte West used the screen to get out and successfully got rid of Ray Allen.
Rondo led the way with the ball and guided West to the most suitable position to catch the ball.
After the latter caught the ball, there was no one to defend him one meter in front of him, so he raised his hand and shot...
"Snapped!"
A dark figure appeared out of nowhere and slapped West's shot away from the side...
It's James!
As early as when West got rid of Ray Allen, he was crouching and equipped with "sneak attack".
Rondo's guided pass caught James a little off guard, but with his super explosive power, he finally arrived in time before West took action and delivered the hot pot!
Moreover, James' blocking angle is very particular.
He didn't simply destroy the opponent's shot, but slapped the ball into the Greens half.
In this way, after completing the block, James will have the opportunity to go directly to the fast break!
However, Rondo is also a player with a very high basketball IQ.
He quickly discovered James' intention, rushed to the landing point of the basketball, and finally took control of the ball first.
James clapped his hands after landing, with regret written all over his face.
Fortunately, although Rondo blocked his fast break, the Celtics' offensive time was running out.
After Long guided the ball through half the court, he could only take a hasty shot, and the ball flew directly out of the baseline.
"Mario, you can't shoot this kind of ball like this. If the shooter had been Stephen, he might have scored!"
James reminded with dissatisfaction.
"I know, but he is Rondo, I know it in my heart."
Chalmers argued hard.
James shook his head speechlessly, turned around and walked to the baseline to catch the ball.
He knew Chalmers' character very well.
This third grader has extremely strong self-confidence.
He has his own judgment and will not be timid just because his teammates are super giants.
This kind of confidence is a double-edged sword.
The good thing is that Chalmers won't have stage fright when facing opposing stars; the bad thing is that big brothers like James will be rejected if they want to give him face-to-face advice.
James knew Chalmers well, so he didn't say anything more.
The game continues.
When the Heat attacked, James held the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side and started a pick-and-roll tactic with Howard.
The Green Army's defensive strategy is very clear - give up shots but not surprises.
So when James and Ho played a pick-and-roll, both Big Baby and O'Neill chose to shrink, and the opportunity almost retreated to the penalty area.
Seeing this, James decisively chose to take a mid-range shot...
"Shua~"
The basketball hit the net.
4:0.
A minute later, James made a comeback and started attacking with the ball again.
This time, he turned around and passed Big Baby, came to the inside and threw the ball high.
Xiao Ao looked up blankly, and the next moment, he felt a huge force coming from behind, and then flew out.
And when Xiao Ao fell, the monster was already out of the cage!
He caught the basketball in the air and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands...
"bang!"
After dunking, Howard grabbed the basket and swung for a while.
In an instant, the entire basket frame was pulled to the point of collapse.
Xiao Ao, who fell to the ground, realized what had happened.
He immediately raised his hands and told the referee that he had been violated, but the referee just looked at him lightly and did not make any sign.
6:0, the Heat got a perfect start.
............
The Rockets generals as far away as Houston saw this situation and started talking about it.
"The talent gap between the two teams is too big. The Heat are going to eat the Celtics alive."
Tony Allen sighed.
"The defensive abilities of the three of them are top-notch at the same position. We also have to think about how to deal with this."
Mark Jackson said.
"Chalmers is a breakthrough point. In addition, although James is very capable of single defense and assist defense, he is a small forward after all. Playing the fourth position may be effective in a short period of time, but for him
The consumption is also very large.”
"So, we can design corresponding tactics for Stephen and Blake, and let them serve as vanguards to open up the situation for us."
Ben Wallace said in a low voice.
Among the players present, he is one of the few who has the experience to win championships, and he has also been the core player to win championships.
After hearing this, everyone nodded thoughtfully.
"Blake, if you were asked to beat LeBron in the low post, would you be confident?"
Mark Jackson turned to look at Griffin and asked.
"em...I think I can!"
"His height and weight are similar to mine, but my inside offensive skills are definitely better than his inside defensive skills!"
Griffin said seriously.
What he said does make sense.
But after hearing this, everyone just nodded encouragingly.
Everyone knows that James is a strong contender for the best defensive player.
How easy is it to overcome the defense of such a talented guy who is at the peak of his career?
What's more, Griffin is just a rookie in his first year playing in the NBA.
"Okay, if we really meet the Heat in the finals, our opening tactic will be for you to beat LeBron in the low post."
Mark Jackson said with a smile.
He has always been encouraging to young people.
Since Griffin has such confidence, Mark Jackson is also willing to give him a chance.
Then, the Rockets coach turned his attention to Curry.
Among the five matchups in the double-server starting lineup, Mark Jackson feels that Curry has the biggest advantage.
"It's not a big problem, leave it to me."
Curry said with certainty.
Mark Jackson smiled and nodded, this was the answer he wanted.
"Actually, it's not difficult to beat their defensive strength."
It was McGrady who spoke. As soon as he opened his mouth, he attracted everyone's attention.
Xinke mvp, his words are really domineering.
"It's definitely not difficult. Who can't be beaten by MVP~"
Lori said with a smile.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone couldn't help laughing.
But what Lowry said is indeed true.
mvp represents the highest level in the league this season.
Since it is the highest level, you should have an advantage against any player!
"Well, everyone is very motivated, which is good."
"However, the Heat's high-position press is amazingly powerful. Let's take a closer look and see if there is a suitable way to break it."
Mark Jackson said seriously.
The Rockets generals all nodded after hearing this and turned their attention back to the TV.
............
The game continues.
The Heat always had the upper hand relying on their fierce defense.
Among them, former Green Army general Ray Allen performed particularly well.
He received passes from James and Howard and hit two long-range shots from beyond the three-point line, helping the Heat expand their advantage.
More importantly, Ray Allen's consecutive three-pointers directly prevented the Celtics from shrinking inside.
This also gives the Heat's two top breakthrough experts, James and Wade, room to show off their skills.
The two men rushed to kill each other, leaving the Green Army in a "mess" inside.
The point difference between the two teams also reached double digits during this process.
After the first quarter, the Heat led the Celtics by 12 points at 32:20!
In the second quarter, the game entered the transition period, and both sides replaced some substitutes.
The Heat have fielded a "one-star, four-star" lineup with Howard as the core.
The Celtics were led by Rondo with four substitutes.
Howard, who just missed the team some time ago, was already simmering with anger in this game.
Coincidentally, the Green Army had no one inside, and Warcraft easily took over the penalty area.
As soon as the second quarter started, he succeeded in consecutive post-ups in the low post.
In order to restrict Howard, the Celtics could only double-team him.
But in this way, the Heat's outside shooters will have an opportunity to take easy shots.
Ray Allen, James Jones, and Mike Miller shot three-pointers from the bottom corners on both sides and from a 45-degree angle on the right side.
With 3 three-pointers and two successful shots, the Heat's lead expanded to 20 points!
Green Army coach He Document had no choice but to call a timeout.
After the timeout, he replaced Pierce early in order to stop the decline.
After Zhenli came on the court, he did use continuous singles to "extend the life" of the Celtics.
However, the huge gap in strength between the two teams cannot be bridged by him alone!
After about five minutes of the second quarter, Wade returned to the game.
As soon as the Flash came on the court, he started scoring mode.
He continuously attacked the inside, either directly attacking the basket or causing a foul. He did not miss a single attack in several attacks!
Some of the scores that Pierce finally led his team to regain were quickly lost again.
When the Celtics finally found a way to restrict Wade, a "fully charged" James returned to the court.
As soon as he came up, he beat Pierce continuously in singles, and even performed a dunk on a breakthrough!
Just like that, the Heat were gaining momentum and the Celtics were losing ground.
At the end of the second quarter, the Heat led the Celtics by 70:45 by as much as 25 points!
Such a huge advantage is almost a "hole" that is difficult to fill in an era like 2011 when the pace of competition is not so fast.
In the second half of the game, Rondo stepped forward and used breakthroughs and assists to help the Celtics recover some points.
But the Heat, whose overall strength was significantly superior, still firmly controlled the situation.
In the end, they defeated the Celtics 120:99 at home and won the first game of the series!
............
After watching the game, the Rockets generals were still a little unhappy.
In their view, the Celtics, who were short of major generals, did not allow the Heat to exert their full strength.
Such a competition has little reference value.
"I hope we can see something different in the Eastern Conference finals."
Kyle Lowry said this.
But Ben Wallace has a different view.
"Such a fragile defeat will never happen again. Even if those old guys in Boston lose, they will never allow their opponents to win so easily."
"In the following games, they may increase their intensity, change their tactics, or even use some off-the-table tactics. But no matter what, the Celtics will not be defeated like today."
Da Benyan said firmly.
This affirmation is because the playing temperament of this Green Army is very similar to that of the Pistons.
The Bad Boys could not withstand time and began to weaken. However, whether they faced James's Cavaliers or Wade's Heat, they fought until the last minute.
The Pistons' strategy at that time was - no dunk (no dunks).
In other words, I would rather send you to the free throw line, or even get a technical foul, than give your opponent a chance to dunk.
This is their attitude towards the game.
Ben Wallace is convinced that the Celtics will not make it easy for the Heat in the following games, even if the final victory belongs to Miami.
"What I said makes sense, let's watch their games together later."
"Okay, everyone, go back and rest early, it will be our turn to play tomorrow!"
Mark Jackson said with a smile.
After hearing this, Yao Ming stood up silently, walked to the center of the conference hall, and stretched out his right hand.
Everyone responded quickly, walked to Dayao's side and folded their hands together.
"one.two.three!"
"go.rockets!!!!"
............
One day later, Toyota Center.
The second round of the Western Conference playoffs - the game between the Rockets and the Thunder has arrived as scheduled!