Chapter 431 Shuhao plays a turtle, Maddie scores four points!
"Snapped!"
There was a crisp sound, and McGrady struck the ball hard with his palm.
The ball then hit Westbrook's knee and bounced out of bounds.
But just as McGrady was celebrating his successful defense with a fist pump, the referee's whistle suddenly sounded.
"Rockets No. 1 committed a defensive foul and made two free throws!"
The referee made gestures while making a penalty.
Maddie spread her hands slightly, with a puzzled look on her face.
When Westbrook walked to the free throw line, he silently walked to the referee and said calmly: "I just hit the ball completely and didn't hit his hand."
Seeing McGrady's good attitude, the referee explained: "It was indeed a good shot, but before blocking the shot, you violated Russell's cylinder."
Maddie was speechless for a while after hearing this.
He took off vertically, and Westbrook hit him directly. This turned out to be him violating Westbrook's cylinder...
The audience at the scene was also very unhappy after seeing the slow-motion replay.
“referee.sucks!”
“referee.sucks!”
“referee.sucks!”
.......
It was under such boos that Westbrook completed the free throw.
Fortunately, his mental quality was excellent and he made both free throws steadily.
41:33, these two points are very crucial for the Thunder!
Rockets offense.
Jeremy Lin carried the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
Westbrook stepped forward to press, hoping to take advantage of the momentum he had just scored to pursue the victory.
Unexpectedly, the moment he pounced, Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball from behind and easily passed him.
Westbrook was shocked and quickly braked to pursue him.
But just when he was about to return to the defensive position, Jeremy Lin suddenly dribbled back from his hips and then shot for two points...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
43:33.
After scoring the goal, Shuhao looked relaxed, as if he had done something simple.
The CCTV commentator was not so calm.
Zhang Weiping exclaimed: "What a ball! Shuhao handled the ball so calmly. The moment Westbrook grabbed the ball, the basketball seemed to be stuck to his hand. His behind-the-back dribbling not only avoided being intercepted, but also took advantage of the situation.
Completed the extravaganza... Shuhao really increased his goals at the end of the season!"
Xu Jicheng was also full of praise: "Je Hao's dribbling does have the feeling of man and ball becoming one. It reminds me of the classic advertising slogan - Is it really that silky smooth?"
On the court, Tracy McGrady took the initiative to extend his hand and high-fived Jeremy Lin.
Shuhao's shot just now made his eyes light up.
T-mac even wondered if he could have done it so perfectly if he had handled the ball just now.
The scholar was also very excited.
He can clearly feel that after his dribbling ability improved, both the coach and his teammates' attitudes towards him have undergone subtle changes.
[Sure enough, on the basketball court, strength is still the most important thing. As long as I can make a name for myself, everyone will respect me and trust me...]
The scholar thought so.
............
The game continues with the Thunder attacking.
After Westbrook and Durant played a pick-and-roll, the ball was passed to the latter.
At this time, it was Jeremy Lin who defended KD.
Obviously, Shu Hao is regarded as a breakthrough by the Thunder.
Although as a defender, his physical fitness is indeed excellent.
But in front of Durant, Jeremy Lin is at a clear disadvantage in everything except speed.
Fortunately, the Rockets generals responded quickly and knew how to adapt.
After seeing this matchup, George made a quick decision, left his defender, and came to assist Shu Hao in defense.
At the same time, others also rotated quickly, not giving Durant a chance to pass the ball easily.
However, kd also behaved very calmly when being flanked.
He held the ball high in front of him and looked at six directions with his eyes, looking for passing opportunities.
Westbrook at the top of the arc suddenly started and drove straight to the basket from the middle.
Durant flicked his wrist, and the ball came to him, and he accurately handed the ball to Westbrook.
[good chance!]
Westbrook was overjoyed after getting the ball because his front was clear.
He pushed hard on the ground with both feet and instantly rose into the air...
At this time, Durant, who had sent the pass, had already raised his right fist and was ready to celebrate.
Shuhao, who was distracted on defense and allowed Westbrook to easily cut through, looked annoyed.
But the next moment, a figure suddenly jumped out, standing between Westbrook and the basket.
The person who came was wearing an explosive head, and the muscle lines on his arms were as sharp as knives. Looking from a distance, you could feel the explosive power contained in them...
This person is naturally Ben Wallace!
He exerted all his energy and swung his right hand in a gesture that was almost like a volleyball smash...
"boom!"
With a crisp sound, Westbrook's dunk was slapped directly by Ben and flew to the second-floor stands!
Moreover, after delivering the shocking hotpot, Ben Wallace lowered his head slightly in the air and made a gesture of hiding from the basket.
Just because he jumped too high!
And this block with a strong visual impact also completely ignited the fans at the scene:
"Wow~ Ben, you are such a monster!"
"No flying over Houston!!!"
"Russell had a hard time today. When he rushed into the penalty area, he either met Tracy McGrady or Ben Wallace. None of them were kind, hahaha~"
On the court, Westbrook shook his head helplessly and dejectedly went to the sideline to serve the throw-in.
Later, Durant tried to play Paul George in isolation.
This time, George learned the lesson from the first quarter and continued to exert physical confrontation on the opponent in defense.
Although he did not complete a steal or block, he affected Durant's shooting rhythm very well, allowing the latter's emergency stop to pop out of the frame from mid-range.
Big Ben leaped high, grabbed the rebound over Ibaka's head, and passed the ball to the scholar next to him.
After getting the ball, Brother Hao immediately accelerated and headed towards the Thunder half court.
In the process, he once again encountered Westbrook's obstruction.
"Pah...pah...pah..."
Shuhao changed direction three times in a row while dribbling under his hips, causing Westbrook to turn left and right, which was really embarrassing.
Westbrook, who has a sweet temperament, was upset by this show-off operation, and finally made a tactical foul to stop Jeremy Lin from advancing.
Brother Hao was also a little helpless.
A great opportunity to counterattack was just gone.
After the ball was served again, the fans at the scene actually shouted in unison:
"Shake him!"
"Shake him!"
"Shake him!"
...
Obviously, Rockets fans have become obsessed with the scholar's gorgeous dribbling and hope to see him continue to "tease" Westbrook.
However, Shu Hao himself has a very calm attitude.
He never plays to tease others.
In other words, whatever action Shuhao takes on the court is to help the team win.
Therefore, in the next two minutes, he did not dribble too much, but organized the offense normally.
It wasn't until a tactical operation failed and Tracy McGrady was entangled again and had difficulty catching the ball that Shuhao once again showed his dribbling skills.
I saw Shu Hao holding the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side and feinting at Westbrook.
Seeing that the latter was indifferent, Brother Hao exploded the ball with his left hand, causing the ball to bounce high and float in his hand.
Then he mobilized all his body functions and made a huge crossover!
Westbrook, who was fully defensive, was finally deceived and his focus shifted to the right.
But he was extremely explosive, pushed hard on the ground with his right foot, quickly adjusted his center of gravity, and pounced on Jeremy Lin again.
Brother Hao took a step back and bent his knees slightly, making a shooting posture.
Westbrook suddenly flew up, trying to get back on the field with a block.
Unexpectedly, this is another fake move by the scholar!
After dangling Westbrook, he immediately prepared to shoot.
Harden on the side couldn't stand it anymore, so he left his defender behind and came to help his second brother defend.
Shuhao didn't panic, flicked his wrist, and passed the ball to George.
After the latter caught the ball, there was no one to defend within a one-meter radius...
"Shua~"
George raised the knife and hit a three-pointer.
49:37.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Rockets already led by 12 points!
Not only that, several core players of the Thunder also encountered physical bottlenecks at this time.
Harden has played continuously for about 10 minutes, and Durant has only rested for two minutes so far.
The two young men, who were not known for their physical fitness, looked exhausted at this time.
If there was a slight gap, they would either put their hands on their hips or hold their knees, trying their best to get more rest.
When head coach Brooks saw this, he could only call a timeout again.
During the dinner, he seriously asked Duden if they could continue to play.
It's not that Brooks wants to kill the players, but that the Thunder's reserve reserves are too weak.
Once these two people leave the field, the team's strength will decline rapidly.
"I'm fine, I can continue to fight."
Durant said, taking a sip of Gatorade, and big beads of sweat kept falling down his face.
The assistant teacher on the side quickly handed over a towel.
After KD took it, he briefly wiped his sweat and put the towel on his body.
"I don't have any problem either."
Harden said seriously.
"Okay, then just hold on a little longer."
"There are less than 6 minutes left before halftime. Our next goal is to reduce the point difference to about 5 points."
"There is no certainty about the Rockets' substitutions, but they should soon bring back their main players. We must withstand this wave of offensive!"
Brooks emphasized.
The Thunder generals nodded.
Up to this point in the game, they have realized the gap in strength between them and the Rockets.
But newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, and the young people of Thunder are not timid at all.
Like Durant and Harden, after feeling the power of the Rockets, they became more motivated to fight!
............
The timeout ends and players from both sides return to the court.
The Rockets once again made substitution adjustments.
Shuhao and Ben, who had performed well before, continued to stay on the court, and the lineup became: Curry, Shuhao, Tracy McGrady, Ben, and Yao Ming.
Seeing this lineup, Shen Fei in the stands couldn't help but become excited.
Next season, Shu Hao and Yao Ming will be the core players of the Rockets.
Curry and Tracy McGrady are the few non-Chinese players who have a high probability of staying on the team.
Shen Fei is very much looking forward to what kind of sparks these people can create!
The game restarts.
As soon as he came up, Durant started scoring mode.
He first succeeded in hitting Tracy McGrady in the low post, and then used the cover to suddenly launch a cold arrow from the outside.
After scoring 5 points in a row, the Thunder narrowed the point difference to 7 points.
But the good times did not last long, and McGrady, the new MVP, quickly responded.
He received a pass from Shu Hao in the left corner and immediately started a singles play.
Facing Durant's defense, McGrady first assumed a triple-threat posture, and then stepped on the ball with probing steps.
kd was slightly shaken, but did not lose his defensive position.
The offensive time passed by second by second, and Durant had already seen the dawn of defensive success.
But the next moment, McGrady suddenly stood up!
kd was already on guard and quickly jumped to interfere.
He is taller than Tracy McGrady and has good jumping ability.
Therefore, before taking off, Durant was very confident in himself - even if this ball could not block the shot, it could still block McGrady's sight!
But things went against expectations. T-mac jumped slightly, his vision was wide open, and he easily threw the ball...
Moreover, the moment he pressed his wrist, Durant's hand came up.
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded, Durant's thug fouled!
At the same time, the basketball rotated strongly, drew a rainbow-like arc, and flew towards the basket...
bingo!
If you score a three-pointer, there will be an extra penalty!
More importantly...
All of this was accomplished on the head of the Thunder’s leader, Kevin Durant!
After scoring the goal, McGrady also punched the air with a smile on his face.
The fans at the scene also applauded and cheered when they saw such a wonderful performance by the core of the team.
And when McGrady stood on the free throw line, there was only one sound left in the entire Toyota Center, and that was the roar of "mvp" like a tsunami!
It is hard to imagine that this player who enjoyed the cheers of the audience was still the "sinner" of this city less than a year ago...
McGrady himself felt like he was in another world at this moment.
He took a deep breath, put the distracting thoughts behind his mind, and then shot a free throw...
The ball goes in!
At 53:42, the score difference returned to double digits again.
And this four-point score also brought the Rockets' morale to its peak.
In the following time, the Rockets generals worked together and showed the strength of the league leader on both offense and defense.
On the offensive end, Yao Ming, who was a little quiet in the first quarter, stepped up.
He first set up a screen for Curry at the top of the arc, and then received the latter's ground-breaking pass while going down the arc, and dunked easily.
Later, Yao Ming played Perkins in the low post again.
Taking advantage of his height advantage, Yao turned around and made a fadeaway jumper. He made a huge move and scored two more points!
A minute later, he passed the ball to Jeremy Lin who was in the open position after attracting double-teams.
The unmarked Brother Hao decisively shot a three-pointer...
"Shua~"
The basketball hits the net!
While the offense was flourishing, the Rockets also played a dominant performance on the defensive end.
Under the leadership of Ben, they established a no-fly zone in the restricted area.
It was difficult for the Thunder boys to overcome the steel defense line formed by Ben and Yao Ming, so they could only take shots from the outside.
But after their physical fitness declined, their shooting percentage began to decline, and they didn't score a single point in three minutes!
As the situation progressed, the score difference between the two teams further widened.
At the end of the second quarter, the score reached 72:50.
The Rockets already lead by as much as 22 points!
............
At halftime, Shen Fei in the stands was already very confident that the Rockets would win this game.
Although the three young men from the Thunder have high talents, they still need time to accumulate.
[If these three do not separate, in 2-3 years, they will have the ability to compete with any team, even the Rockets...]
Shen Fei thought of this.
But these are all things for later.
With Detonator's IQ, it's probably hard to see the three of them reaching their peak together in the Thunder.
Not to mention, Shen Fei has now taken up Harden's mind.
Afterwards, Shen Fei had nothing to do, so he took out his mobile phone.
Today, in addition to the Rockets and Thunder, there is another focus game that starts at the same time, and that is the game between the Mavericks and the Lakers!