At the same time, Thunder coach Brooks also made substitution adjustments.
He replaced Perkins with Harden and also changed the lineup.
But other than that, Brooks retained all of his starts.
The Thunder's lineup at this time is: Westbrook, Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka.
Su Qun immediately sighed after seeing this lineup: "Aren't the four core players planning to take a rest? It seems that the Thunder are going to fight for their lives today..."
Yang Jian shook his head: "Young teams must have the courage to risk everything. Since the lineup is not as thick as the Rockets, they must use physical strength to make up for it. This game will be a good show!"
The game continues.
McGrady held the ball at the top of the arc and raised his hand to signal Tucker to step forward to pick and roll.
Tucker quickly moved up and set up a cover on the right side of T-Mac.
Harden, who was on defense, noticed Tucker's position with his peripheral vision and adjusted his position very vigilantly, ready to squeeze through the screen at any time.
Soon, McGrady moved.
I saw him stepping forward with his right foot, trying to bypass the cover.
But at the next moment, McGrady made a slight early change of direction and dribbled the ball back to the left.
But it was such a no-show, small change of direction that caught Harden off guard, causing him to lose his center of gravity and almost fall to the ground.
After getting rid of the defense, McGrady then took a step to the left, and then took off and shot...
Durant, who was chasing after him, jumped up to block the shot.
Because he rushed too hard, he even hit McGrady directly.
But even so, Durant still couldn't prevent T-Mac from completing the shot.
In the end, both of them fell to the ground.
"Beep!"
The referee also blew the whistle at this time.
McGrady and Durant sat side by side, watching the basketball fly toward the basket.
The ball hit the back edge of the basket and bounced high, then slowly fell...
"Shua~"
This three-pointer had a certain amount of luck, but no matter what, the ball still went in!
If you score a three-pointer, there will be an additional penalty...
This is a chance to score four points!
This goal was very important to the Rockets, so after the goal was scored, the Toyota Center Arena burst into thunderous applause.
But McGrady was very calm.
He smiled slightly, and after being helped up by his teammates, he also pulled Durant up.
Durant looked annoyed.
Usually in games, he makes such difficult shots over his opponent's head.
Now that the "perpetrator" has become a victim, kd feels somewhat uncomfortable.
Then, McGrady walked to the free throw line and the audience started chanting MVP.
t-mac took a deep breath and hit the extra penalty steadily.
At 29:24, the score difference instantly approached 5 points!
During the transition between offense and defense, Westbrook passed half court with the ball and then handed the ball to Harden.
Durant also dropped to the bottom corner and acted as a shooter.
Obviously, the two are preparing to assist Harden during this period.
In this way, Harden's ball-handling characteristics can be brought into play, and they can also reduce physical consumption.
Harden lowered his center of gravity and observed the Rockets' defense while dribbling.
Soon, Ibaka stepped up and set up a cover for him.
With the help of the pick-and-roll, Harden got rid of George's defense, but Ben Wallace quickly followed up and was very aggressive.
But the bearded golfer took his time and waited for Ibaka to follow while protecting the ball.
Then, Harden flicked his right wrist and made a one-handed pass, passing the ball from Tucker's feet to Ibaka.
This pass comes with a lot of spin.
Therefore, before hitting the ground, it almost flies close to the ground, and then bounces high after hitting the ground.
It is very difficult for a defensive player to get down and intercept in a short period of time, even someone as powerful as Ben Wallace cannot do it.
After Ibaka got the ball, there was no one in front of him.
He jumped high and dunked with both hands!
31:24.
Harden's organizational skills are most vividly reflected in this round!
Rockets offense.
McGrady, who was organizing the offense at the top of the arc, suddenly started to speed up and passed Harden's defense in one step.
After reaching the penalty area, the Thunder players had to shrink their defense.
McGrady waved his hand and passed the ball to the right corner.
The speed of this pass is not very fast, but at this moment, there is no one in the right corner!
Fortunately, the next moment, Danny Green rushed over before the ball flew out of bounds.
After holding the ball firmly, Green stretched out his bow and arrow and shot a three-pointer...
This is another open shot with no defender within a three-meter radius.
For a 3D player like Green, this is almost an opportunity held in hand.
But unexpectedly, after the basketball drew a beautiful arc, it hit the back edge of the basket hard and missed.
[Good opportunity to counterattack again!]
Ibaka jumped high, ready to collect the rebound, and at the same time started looking for the passing object with his peripheral vision.
But the next moment, he suddenly felt a shadow covering him in the sky.
When I looked up, I saw an afro with glaring eyes, reaching out to grab the backboard.
The explosive muscle lines on his arms are terrifying.
This person is naturally Ben Wallace!
Relying on his excellent jumping and bounce speed, he actually grabbed an offensive rebound over Ibaka.
Then, Ben took off for the second time, preparing to blow up the basket with both hands...
Ibaka's ball speed is also very fast, and his right hand hits the basketball accurately.
If an average player is hit like this when dunking, he will probably stop playing.
But Ben Wallace was different. He actually wanted to use brute force to dunk the ball into the basket.
During this process, the two people will inevitably come into physical contact.
In the end, Ibaka was dunked "flying", but he still stubbornly kept the ball away.
Ben dunked the ball on the edge of the basket, and the basketball bounced high and flew directly to the half court.
In an instant, the other eight players on the field rushed to the logo area.
The Rockets have four 2-meter tall men with extremely strong athletic abilities, but it was Thunder point guard Westbrook who grabbed the ball first!
Relying on his amazing explosive power, Venus Westbrook snatched the ball from the gap between George and Danny Green, and then ran away, heading straight to the Rockets' hinterland.
During this period, once Westbrook is one step ahead of others, it is basically impossible for his opponents to catch up!
Just when the fans were about to appreciate his violent attack on the basket, Westbrook only made a quick dunk.
At 33:24, the score difference reached 9 points again.
Seeing Westbrook's offensive choices, Su Qun couldn't help but sigh: "Today's Westbrook, I think, can be described as a 'calm turtle'. He knows that today is not to perform dunks, but to win."
Yang Jian nodded: "Such an ordinary dunk is certainly not as entertaining as Westbrook's usual dunks, but it definitely saves a lot of energy. This is a wise choice."
............
At the same time, Shen Fei in the stands also began to pay more attention to this game.
If the Rockets fell behind in the first quarter because of poor touch, then starting from the second quarter, the Thunder's offensive and defensive efficiency truly demonstrated the possibility of challenging the Rockets.
"If these people hadn't been replaced by detonators, they might have accomplished great things..."
Shen Fei couldn't help but admire the talent of the Thunder's third young master and Ibaka.
In his previous life, when he was playing the 2k game, he had simulated the situation of the Thunder retaining Harden several times.
The results of these simulations, without exception, are that the Thunder have established their own dynasty.
Although it's just a game, the potential of the Thunder's third young master can be glimpsed from this point.
In this time and space, the growth of these three people seems to be much faster than before.
............
The game continues.
McGrady gathered his teammates together and said some words of encouragement.
The teammates nodded one after another, and no one had a frustrated expression on their face.
Rockets offense.
McGrady passed the half court with the ball, and with the help of a screen at the top of the arc, he changed the defender to Ibaka.
Facing this tall man who is good at blocking shots, t-mac lowered his center of gravity and accelerated to complete the breakthrough.
After getting inside, he faced Durant's defense and switched hands in the air for a layup.
33:26!
After the goal, the Rockets quickly retreated on defense.
Ben Wallace shouted: "Switch!"
Everyone immediately understood that the next step was to adopt an infinite defense strategy.
Soon, Westbrook ran over with the ball and handed it to Harden hand-in-hand.
Harden lowered his center of gravity and dribbled the ball slowly.
Ibaka quickly brought it up and set up a cover for him again.
But this time, Harden had just bypassed the screen, and Ben and McGrady directly switched defenses.
When Brother Deng saw that Ben Wallace was guarding him, he immediately raised his hand to signal his teammates to pull away.
Then he dribbled laterally to a 45-degree angle on the left side, then got into a stance and started dribbling with his hips.
During this period, Harden's dribbling rhythm is still quite different from his peak period, but his aggressiveness is already very impressive.
Ben lowered his center of gravity and devoted himself entirely to defense.
But when Harden changed his rhythm and took a step back, he still failed to react in time.
Harden succeeded with one move and decisively shot 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!
At 36:26, the score difference reached double digits.
Da Ben stood there and shook his head helplessly.
In his era, players rarely used the step-back three-point play.
I have never seen him stay in place like this, dribbling under his hips and then following up with a step-back three-pointer.
[Get closer to your body.]
Daben thought for a moment and came to this conclusion.
In the next round, Harden made a comeback.
Same position, same moves...
But this time, Ben Wallace stepped forward and wanted to use physical contact to disrupt Harden's rhythm.
Such changes have immediate effects.
Harden was forced to retreat step by step, and finally dribbled the ball to his feet in order to avoid Big Ben's shot.
The basketball rolled out of bounds, and the Rockets have the ball!
"Beautiful defense! Ben's defensive awareness is so good. It's unrealistic for Harden to use the same move to defeat him a second time."
Su Qun commented timely.
"After all, he is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Ben's ability to adapt on the spot is really strong."
Yang Jian agreed.
The game continues.
After the successful defense, the morale of the Rockets players has also been improved.
Attack round.
McGrady passed the ball to George.
Facing Harden's defense, Paojiao also took a stance and started dribbling with his crotch.
His dribbling speed is not as fast as Harden's, but it is just as smooth.
After some shaking, George suddenly pulled up and took a decisive shot in front of Harden...
"Shua~"
The basketball hit the net.
36:28.
In the next round, Durant missed Danny Green's shot in isolation.
Ben jumped high, grabbed the rebound, and handed the ball to McGrady immediately.
t-mac advances with the ball.
After passing the half court, he found Tucker who was open.
McGrady waved his hand and accurately passed the ball to the bottom corner.
Tucker raised his hand and hit a three-pointer...
bingo!
At 36:31, the point difference was quickly narrowed to 5 points.
Thunder coach Brooks frowned on the sidelines.
Just when he was still hesitating whether to call a timeout, Westbrook's passing intention was predicted by George.
Paojiao stepped forward, stretched out his right hand, and blocked the ball.
In an instant, the Thunder Gate opened wide, and George had a smooth road ahead.
Durant caught up and retreated at full speed.
But he has played for about 16 consecutive minutes at this time, and his physical fitness is naturally not as good as that of George who is well rested.
After running for a few steps, kd realized that it was impossible to catch up, so he simply stopped to save his energy.
George was so reckless that he kicked off his feet and jumped...
"bang!"
A two-handed windmill dunk that astounded everyone and instantly made the Toyota Center Arena boil.
36:33.
The Thunder's lead has been approaching zero.
Brooks quickly signaled to the technical desk and requested a timeout.
............
On the Thunder bench, Brooks looked at Dewey, who was breathing heavily, and fell into deep thought.
It was obvious that the two of them needed a break.
But Brooks knows that once the two are replaced, the situation may be reversed by the Rockets in an instant.
But the problem now is...
If Durant and Westbrook are forced to stay on the court, their efficiency will inevitably decline, and it will be difficult to maintain their advantage.
[It would be nice if someone on the bench could step up...]
Brooks thought to himself.
At this moment, Harden suddenly spoke: "Coach, let Kevin and Russell rest for a few minutes. I will lead the team."
After saying that, he looked at Brooks sincerely, hoping to get a positive answer.
Dewey and the two were stunned for a moment when they heard this, but they acquiesced.
Athletes are very aware of their physical condition.
They know that they really need to take a rest so that they can perform better in subsequent games.
"I guarantee that when Kevin and Russell come back, we will still be in the lead!"
Harden said solemnly.
As soon as he said this, Brooks showed a surprised expression.
In his eyes, Harden is still a big boy who loves to play and sometimes even goes to nightclubs to have fun on the eve of games.
But now, like a man, he wants to carry the team on his shoulders.
"Since you said that, I definitely believe you. James, then it will all depend on your performance in the next period of time."
"Nick (Colison), Kendrick (Perkins), please help him more."
Brooks thought for a moment and finally nodded.
"give it to me!"
Harden nodded excitedly, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
The timeout ends and players from both teams return to the court.
Su Qun immediately explained after seeing the Thunder players on the field: "The Thunder are finally willing to let Durant and Westbrook take a break! Then the core of their offense should be Harden."
Yang Jian added: "The Thunder's current lineup is like this: Harden plays the one position, partnering with Daequan Cook in the backcourt. Cook is an excellent shooter, and his three-point shooting rate this season is as high as 40%.
"
"On the front line are Sefolosha and veteran Nick Collison, and guarding the penalty area is Perkins."
"This lineup has a balanced offense and defense. Two guards are responsible for offense and the other three are responsible for offense and defense. It can be considered that the division of labor is clear."
Su Qun nodded: "But what kind of effect it can produce mainly depends on how Harden performs as a point guard."