Chapter 430 Open the difference and make a bold substitution!
The game continues.
In the next few minutes, the two teams fell into an anxious situation.
On the Rockets side, several main players have blossomed more.
Yao Ming, who felt cold at the beginning, also found his touch in the middle of the first quarter.
His three-pointer and a mid-range shot helped the Rockets successfully expand their lead.
The Thunder basically rely on the personal ability of Second Young Master Dewey.
The two of you sang and I came on the stage, continuing the firepower for the team.
The most outstanding performance among them is the "God of Death"-Kevin Durant.
Facing George, who had just been selected for the first defense, he scored 12 points in 10 minutes in the first quarter!
It was precisely because of his outstanding performance that the Thunder were able to hold on to the score.
After the first quarter, the two teams battled to a score of 32:27, with the Rockets leading by 5 points.
At the beginning of the second quarter, both sides replaced substitute players.
The Rockets have put on a "five-shooter" lineup: Curry, Roy, Danny Green, P.J. Tucker, and Yi Jianlian.
The Thunder are led by Harden and Durant, with Eric Maynor, Nick Collison, and Ibaka as assistants.
"It can be seen from the lineups of the two sides that the Rockets have a deeper bench."
"The Thunder adopted a short rotation. The three starting players only rested for two minutes before returning to the court. The Rockets' substitutions were much bolder! Except for Curry, the other four players were substitutes."
"I just don't know if the physical fitness of these Thunder players can support long-term and high-intensity games."
Zhang Weiping explained in a timely manner.
"It's okay, these Thunder starters are all young."
"Young people should play more, haha~"
Xu Jicheng said jokingly.
While the two were talking, the Thunder team had already launched an attack.
Harden called for a pick-and-roll at a 45-degree angle on the right, and Ibaka quickly moved up to set a screen for him.
With the help of the screen, Harden changed direction and got rid of Roy's defense.
But the Rockets adopted a wireless defense tactic.
Tucker and Roy immediately switched defenses, and the former quickly blocked Harden.
Harden immediately took two steps back and signaled his teammates to pull away.
Fighting the big with the small is one of his best skills.
Faced with such an opportunity, Harden naturally wants to go solo!
Tucker, on the other hand, stepped forward and stood ready.
Then, Harden dribbled the ball in front of him.
Tucker moved in small steps and kept reaching out his hand to try to intercept.
Although he did not really threaten the basketball in Harden's hands, he invisibly put a lot of pressure on Harden, making it difficult for him to get into rhythm.
Seeing that he was about to fall into passivity, Harden suddenly lowered his center of gravity and accelerated his breakthrough with a cross step.
Tucker was not shaken, so he moved sideways to block it immediately.
"Bang~"
Harden hit Tucker in the chest.
The next moment, the two of them raised their heads in unison and fell backwards.
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle and the Thunder committed an offensive foul.
Harden immediately stood up, his eyes as wide as bells, and looked at the referee in confusion.
The referee ignored him, but picked up the ball and walked to the sideline, waiting for the Rockets players to come over and serve.
Harden laughed angrily, shrugged, and threw himself into defense helplessly.
Tucker did predict his intentions on the ball just now.
But when the two collided, Tucker's feet were not stationary and were still moving laterally.
Of course, this all happens very quickly.
Without the help of slow-motion playback, it is indeed difficult to see what is happening.
Harden suffered a dumb loss this time!
Offensive and defensive transition.
After Curry passed half court with the ball, he handed the ball to Roy and devoted himself to running without the ball.
Not only him, but the other four Rockets players except Roy were working hard to cross paths.
In the process, they also actively screened each other off the ball.
Finally, Danny Green got rid of the defense and reached beyond the three-point line.
Roy flicked his wrist and passed the ball.
After Green received the ball, he drew his bow and arrow and shot a three-pointer...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
35:27.
The Rockets' lead increased to 8 points.
As soon as the goal was scored, the Thunder players immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.
If the next attack still fails, the point difference may be widened to double digits!
This point difference is a common watershed in basketball games.
Generally speaking, if the score difference exceeds double digits, the lagging side will fall into a great passive situation.
If you want to equalize or even overtake the score, it will be twice as difficult!
Thunder is determined to win the next attack!
Harden and Durant made eye contact and clarified the next tactics.
After the transition between offense and defense, the two started a pick-and-roll outside the three-point line.
"Duden" pick-and-roll, this is the Thunder's killer move in the first round!
As we all know, Durant and Harden are both stars with both outside shooting and inside kills.
With the two of them blocking and splitting, there are too many offensive methods to choose from.
Defensive players often lose sight of one thing and are at a loss.
The Spurs were at their wits end with this trick!
But... Rockets are different.
Under the strategy of unlimited defense switching, Roy and Danny Green switched defenses decisively (the former defended KD and the latter defended Harden).
Upon seeing this, Durant quickly moved to the free throw line, then lowered his center of gravity and began to take position.
Harden understood the idea and passed the ball with a hit.
After Durant got the ball, he raised his right knee, made an independent golden chicken, and shot a fadeaway jumper...
He is tall and has long arms, and his shooting point is extremely high.
Roy jumped with all his strength to interfere, but to no avail.
The basketball flew over his fingertips, drew a rainbow-like arc, and finally fell into the net.
35:29, Durant once again carries the team on his shoulders!
One minute later, the Thunder successfully defended the next goal.
During the fast break, Harden rushed to the basket with the ball.
Facing Yi Jianlian with his hands raised in the air, he performed his signature European step.
Ah Lian didn't react in time, his upper foot seemed to be nailed in place, and he could only watch Harden complete the layup.
35:31.
The difference between the two teams is only 4 points!
Harden was very excited after scoring the goal.
In the process of returning to defense, he smiled and ran towards Durant, wanting to high-five him in celebration.
But Harden wasn't happy for long, and the Rockets quickly responded.
After Curry passed half court with the ball, he stopped at the logo.
Upon seeing this, the Thunder's backup guard Maynor rushed towards Curry.
Before the game, head coach Brooks warned them - as long as halftime is over, Curry may take a shot from anywhere!
Because...his shooting range covers the entire half of the court!
To prove this to the players, Brooks also played a highlight of Curry's super long three-pointer.
Maynor carefully watched the collection and was amazed by Curry's shooting skills.
But when it came to the game, he still subconsciously thought that Curry didn't dare to shoot from such a distance.
There is no way, this is the limitation of the times.
During this period at the beginning of the decade, no one in the league except Curry could shoot like this, which made it easy for defensive players to form a certain mindset.
Then, with the entire audience watching, Curry took the logo-shot.
The fans held their breath and followed the basketball with their eyes as it flew to the basket.
At the same time, on the Rockets bench, Lowry stood up with his arms raised, already celebrating in advance.
The Thunder players on the court all looked worried.
Many of them already had a premonition that the ball would fall into the basket!
Sure enough, after a long flight, the basketball hit the net without any bias.
"Shua~"
The Nets were turned upside down!
The next moment, the audience burst into warm cheers.
38:31.
The significance of this goal is not only to add three points to the Rockets, but its morale effect is also immeasurable!
This can be seen from the excited expressions of the Rockets generals.
Moreover, not only the players, but also the fans at the scene were emotionally aroused!
When Harden dribbled the ball through half court, a uniform chant rang out in the Toyota Center Arena:
"Defense!!!"
"Defense!!!"
"Defense!!!"
The sound was so loud that it seemed like the roof of the arena was about to be lifted off.
In such an atmosphere, some players became more and more excited, while others became nervous.
The Thunder's backup point guard Maynor obviously belongs to the latter.
Through unremitting efforts, he finally got an open shot opportunity.
But when there was no one within a one-meter radius, Maynor's three-pointer was actually an air.ball!
The fans at the scene immediately laughed at him.
At the same time, Yi Jianlian collected the rebound and passed the ball to Curry.
The Rockets took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack.
During the fast break, Curry attracted a lot of Thunder's defensive attention, and then threw the ball to the following Arab League.
The moment Ah Lian caught the ball, Durant was already in place to help defend, blocking him.
But Yi Jianlian remained unmoved.
At this moment, he has entered into a shooting rhythm!
I saw UAE jump up on the spot, set up a high-altitude turret, and hit Durant with 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!
41:31.
The score difference between the two teams reached double digits!
The Toyota Center is already boiling at this moment.
Thunder coach Brooks saw that the Rockets were about to gain momentum and quickly called a timeout.
During the dinner, Maynor kept apologizing for his poor shooting.
Durant was speechless.
Harden said calmly: "It's okay, just vote well next time."
Westbrook patted Maynor on the shoulder to express comfort.
When Brooks saw this scene, he smiled slightly and said:
"Although we were hit by a shock wave of 6:0, I am still quite satisfied with our team's performance during this period."
"Russell, you'll be on the court as soon as the timeout ends."
"If the Rockets maintain the same lineup as before, you can boldly dig in. Their interior frame protection is very average."
Westbrook nodded solemnly when he heard this: "I understand, coach."
............
At the same time, in the box, Shen Fei stared at the stadium with a calm expression.
So far, he is very satisfied with the performance of his players.
The Thunder and Heat actually have some similarities.
Their talent is undoubted, but their shortcomings are also obvious - lack of depth on the bench.
In order to make up for this weakness, both teams use one or two star players to lead substitute players.
This approach will accelerate the physical consumption of core players.
But in the short term, this is the best way to maintain the healthy operation of the team!
If they accumulate some advantages under the leadership of the core, they can take the initiative in subsequent games.
But today, the Rockets' bench was very impressive.
Under the leadership of Curry, not only did they not be close to the point difference by the Thunder led by Duden, but they also expanded their advantage!
This is the most satisfying place for Shen Fei!
[You can’t stop me in the second quarter, but in the third and fourth quarters, what are you going to do to fight me?]
Thinking of this, Shen Fei couldn't help but smile and shook his head.
Among the three Thunder boys, only Westbrook can be called a physical monster.
There is a big question mark as to whether Durant and Harden can maintain their form after a long game!
............
The timeout ends and players from both sides return to the court.
"Did the Thunder directly switch back to the full starting lineup? They only played less than 4 minutes in the second quarter, can Brooks not be able to bear it anymore?"
"Oh, the Rockets are even more outrageous. They have made extensive personnel adjustments..."
"Jeremy Lin, Tracy McGrady, George, Tucker, and Ben, these five players with a height of about two meters appeared together. This is the 'ultimate basketball' lineup we are familiar with!"
When Zhang Weiping saw the five Rockets players, he immediately exclaimed.
"There are still some differences from before, Director Zhang."
"Our scholar replaced Danny Green and entered this 'Ultimate Basketball' lineup. Next, he should play the role of organizer."
Xu Jicheng added.
"Yes, it is indeed true. Then let us look forward to Shuhao's performance together!"
Zhang Weiping said with a smile.
The game continues.
Westbrook held the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
Harden used the screen to come out, and then started a pick-and-roll tactic with Ibaka.
The Rockets still responded with unlimited defense changes.
When Harden saw that the defender was Tucker, he couldn't help but have a headache.
After some testing, he failed to find a good offensive opportunity, so he returned the ball to Westbrook.
After Guigui caught the ball, he looked up at the timer.
At this time, there are only 10 seconds left in the 24-second attack time.
Westbrook made a prompt decision and signaled his teammates to pull away. He was going to fight alone!
The scholar who was guarding him immediately lowered his center of gravity and assumed a standard defensive posture.
Westbrook looked at the scholar in front of him with a relaxed expression.
He took two steps backward, then accelerated and rushed towards Jeremy Lin.
Westbrook is too fast!
In an instant, he had passed the scholar and rushed towards the Rockets' restricted area.
Just when Ben wanted to help defend, Perkins turned sideways and firmly blocked his way.
Tucker, another Rockets insider, switched to the outside and had no time to return to defense.
Ever since, McGrady, who was with Tucker earlier, became the team's last line of defense.
I saw him jumping up on the spot, and once again staged a talent showdown with Westbrook!
"Bang~"
The two had physical contact in the air.
[Monster...]
In the flash of lightning, Westbrook couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He took off at full speed!
But McGrady can jump as high as him while taking off on the spot, and the speed at which he reaches the highest point is almost the same...
What a bounce and speed!
Westbrook had no choice but to give up the idea of dunking, slightly tuck his abdomen in the air, and pull up for a layup...