Chapter 448: The Curtain Raises, Thunder and Fire's Third Battle!
CCTV will naturally not miss such an important game.
"Hello all viewers, tv-5 brings you the broadcast of NBA games."
"I am Yu Jia!"
"I am Yang Yi."
In the broadcast room, two commentators started.
This is already the third group of guests that CCTV has sent to the beautiful country to give commentary!
It is precisely because of Shen Fei, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Jeremy Lin and others that the NBA's popularity in China has reached unprecedented heights.
Today's game is very important. Almost all families in China who are able to afford it are in front of the TV.
Some Rockets fans even took time off to cheer for the Rockets at home!
"What we bring to you today is the highlight game - the Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game!"
"Coach Yang, can you give us a brief analysis of this game?"
Yu Jia asked.
"Okay. Everyone must know about the previous game. The Rockets, who were originally widely optimistic, actually made a comeback at home."
"The strong potential shown by the Thunder has also given many fans hope of winning the series in an upset."
"It can be said that after the last game, the suspense of this series has been completely aroused!"
Yang Yi analyzed with a smile.
"Then who do you think has the advantage between the two teams currently?"
Yu Jia continued to ask.
"If you ask me, the Rockets are more advantageous."
"After all, judging from the lineup configuration, the Rockets' bench depth is stronger."
Yang Yi replied.
"Coach Yang, from what you're saying, do you think the Rockets' starting lineup is actually not an advantage?"
Yu Jia was a little confused.
"Yes, I think judging from the starting lineup alone, the Thunder's talent is not inferior to that of the Rockets at all."
"Curry, George, and Griffin are all very young players, but the Rockets' real advantage is actually the combination of Yao and Mai."
"But the talents of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden can largely make up for the gap in experience. This is also the reason why they won the last game."
"Now I am more optimistic about returning to home court. The Thunder, with the right time and place, can win another victory!"
Yang Yi said firmly.
Yu Jia stood by and listened dumbly.
He never expected that his partner would make such a conclusion.
Not to mention the Rockets' horrific record in the regular season, it is enough to prove their strength.
Just talking about the Rockets' Chinese background, it seems a bit strange for Yang Yi to support the Thunder at this juncture.
"I know that if this statement is broadcast live, there will definitely be verbal criticism of me on the Internet, but I feel that as a commentator, I should stand from a neutral perspective when explaining the game."
"The analysis of the strength of both sides is my true inner thoughts."
Yang Yi added.
Yu Jia understood instantly after hearing this explanation.
What Yang Yi said is brilliant!
In such a highly anticipated competition, you can definitely get super high traffic if you don't say anything amazing and keep dying.
Even if it is a name, it is still a name!
Of course, Yu Jia would not expose Yang Yi's ideas, but followed the latter's words and continued to ask: "Coach Yang, what do you think the Rockets should do to win the game?"
"Catch the thief first. The Rockets must limit Durant, Westbrook and Harden."
"In fact, the Rockets have a lot of defensive resources, such as George on the first defense, Danny Green on the bench, and Tucker all have strong defensive capabilities."
"But judging from the first two games, they couldn't guard Durant. In fact, the person best suited to guard Durant is Tony Allen. His aggressive defense is the one who can really affect Durant's offensive rhythm. It's a pity that he
hurt."
Yang Yi continued his analysis.
"In other words, George and others need to play the defensive aggressiveness of Tony Allen in order to restrain Durant and help the Rockets win?"
Yu Jiadao.
"Yes, but the defensive style is difficult to adjust in a short period of time. George and Green are both skilled defenders. Tucker's aggressiveness is good, but his defensive awareness is not enough. This is why I am not optimistic about the Rockets.
.”
Yang Yi is very confident in his analysis.
"Okay, then let's see if anyone from the Rockets can step up and guard Durant."
"The game is about to start now, let's wait and see"
After that, Yu Jia waved his hand, and the screen turned to the stands of the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Energy Arena was packed today.
The game hasn't officially started yet, but Thunder fans have already started making deafening noises.
"let's.go.okc!!!"
"let's.go.okc!!!"
"let's.go.okc!!!"
...
The fans' voices were full of excitement.
Since the start of the playoffs, the Thunder have been underdogs.
When the Spurs were played in the first round, almost all football commentators believed that the veteran Spurs would have the last laugh.
As a result, the young Thunder exerted an indomitable momentum and successfully knocked the big brother to the ground.
For the Rockets in the second round, public opinion before the game was even more one-sided.
After the first game was over and the Rockets won by a huge score, even Thunder fans no longer had any hope for this series.
They just want to see San Shao grow rapidly in the game and lay a solid foundation for future victories.
But the second game gave Thunder fans a huge surprise.
"Good guy, we even beat the Rockets?!"
This was the first reaction of most fans after watching the game.
With this victory, the Thunder, from players to fans, have the confidence to win.
For example, the Thunder official tweeted before the game: "Some team will win, why can't that person be us?"
This tweet not only received many likes, but was also forwarded by Thunder players led by Durant.
On the other hand, the Rockets are much more low-key.
Faced with doubts on the Internet, the players did not respond on any social platform.
Before the game, a reporter came to McGrady and asked him what he thought about these doubts.
t-mac smiled slightly and said he would only respond on the court.
It is worth mentioning that Shen Fei took a special plane from Houston to watch the game today.
Also traveling with him was Sun Yue.
The two of them were sitting together in a box in the stands, quietly waiting for the game to start.
"I thought the atmosphere at Toyota Center was good enough. Only when I got to the Thunder today did I know what a 'devil' home court is."
Sun Yue looked around at the crazy Thunder fans and said with a sigh.
"When the 'Chinese Era' is completed, we will also be able to have such a home atmosphere."
Shen Fei said lightly.
The Rockets' new arena focuses on better technology, better viewing experience, and better marketing methods.
Shen Fei believes that this new arena will become an epoch-making arena!
Sun Yue nodded after hearing this.
He didn't understand anything about the arena, but Shen Fei's words had a magic that made people want to believe them.
Then, the two set their sights on the court.
At this time, the starters of both teams were doing their final warm-up training.
Durant hit several three-pointers from the outside, and Westbrook showed off a tomahawk dunk.
On the Rockets' side, Curry tried a long three-pointer in the logo area.
However, when he took three consecutive shots, the ball either missed or missed, and it felt very cold.
"Look at this posture, the thunder is coming fiercely..."
Sun Yue said with worry.
"It's okay, this is settled."
As Shen Fei spoke, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
............
Five minutes later, the starting players from both teams walked to the center of the field one after another.
In this game, both sides maintained the same starting lineup as in the previous game.
Rockets side: Curry, McGrady, George, Griffin, Yao Ming.
As the referee throws the ball high, the game officially begins!
Yao Ming jumped up hard and hit the ball back to his own half.
Rockets attack first!
Curry held the ball through half the court and came to the top of the arc to organize.
In the first attack, the Rockets chose to attack from the inside.
Curry lobbed the ball to Yao Ming in the low post.
When Dayao caught the ball, he immediately turned around and made a shooting motion.
Perkins jumped up to meet him.
I never thought that this was actually a shooting fake.
"Bang..."
Perkins ran directly into Yao Ming.
"Beep!"
At the same time as the whistle sounded, Dayao completed his shot...
The ball goes in!
"and.one!"
Yao Ming shouted excitedly.
The originally noisy Energy Arena was briefly quiet because of Dayao's performance, and then erupted into even louder boos.
"Beautiful! Yao Ming played the ball well!"
Yu Jia explained excitedly.
"Well... let me just say, the Yao-Mai combination is the Rockets' real advantage."
Yang Yi added that his expression was not very natural.
Yao Ming endured the boos and made a steady hit with extra penalties.
3:0, the Rockets took the lead.
In transition between offense and defense, Westbrook advances with the ball.
Just after halftime, he found Curry running towards Sefolosha, while Tracy McGrady was waiting for him not far away.
"Eh? The Rockets are not planning to defend against each other? McGrady is guarding Westbrook, and Curry is guarding Sefolosha. This change of positions is a bit surprising..."
Yu Jia said in surprise.
"This position change is indeed somewhat innovative, but how effective it will be will only be known after testing in the game."
Yang Yi said calmly.
In fact, not only were the two commentators surprised, but Westbrook on the court was also a little surprised.
Just switch to a shooting guard to guard him. McGrady is still one step inside the three-point line preparing to defend...
This made Westbrook feel a little disrespected!
[Prevent me from shooting? Okay!]
With this thought in mind, Westbrook decisively collected the ball from outside the three-point line and shot...
"Duang!"
The ball hit the front edge of the basket hard and bounced out.
Yao Ming relaxed his arms, collected the rebound, and handed the ball to Curry.
Meng Shen quickly advanced with the ball and led his teammates to launch a counterattack.
On the way, Sefolosha wanted to use a tactical foul to disrupt the Rockets' fast break.
But the moment he pounced, Curry passed him cleanly with a light dribble from behind.
And rushing forward also means that the door behind Sefolosha is wide open.
Curry moved to two meters outside the three-point line and 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!
6:0, the Rockets got a dream start!
After scoring the goal, Tracy McGrady had no expression on his face, did not make any celebrations, and went straight back to his own half.
Thunder offense.
When Westbrook was holding the ball at the top of the arc, he was let go again.
But the team got off to a bad start, and he was so confident that he didn't dare to take action easily again.
Ever since, Westbrook decided to use his best breakthrough to break the deadlock for the team.
McGrady put him two steps away, and he planned to use absolute explosive power to ignore this distance and forcefully break through!
"Wow~"
Westbrook pushed his feet hard on the ground, and his whole body was like an arrow from the string, rushing towards the Rockets restricted area.
McGrady was well prepared and blocked Westbrook with a sideways movement.
The latter lowered his center of gravity and continued to accelerate his breakthrough. When he came to the free throw line, he took off with both feet, hoping for a "chicken-stealing" layup.
But Tracy McGrady reacted quickly and jumped high beside him...
"Snapped!"
Westbrook's layup was nailed directly to the backboard!
Then, McGrady took off a second time, protected the rebound, and then launched another counterattack.
The Thunder generals reacted quickly and began to retreat immediately.
McGrady, on the other hand, carried the ball directly to the Thunder half and met Durant's defense.
This is the first head-to-head confrontation between the aces of the two teams tonight.
McGrady stepped out with his right foot and made two consecutive crotch dribbles.
During the second pass, he increased his dribbling force with his right hand, causing the ball to bounce high and float in his left hand.
At this time, Durant's nerves were highly tense.
He has studied many videos of Tracy McGrady, so he knows very well that this is most likely the latter's dry pull-up style.
Sure enough, the next moment McGrady stepped forward with his left foot, then his right hand gradually moved closer to his left hand, and his eyes looked in the direction of the basket.
[guessed!]
Durant was overjoyed and immediately jumped to block the shot.
If you can avoid McGrady's pull-up in one-on-one defense, it will be a great boost to the morale of the entire Thunder team!
But when he jumped into the air, Durant suddenly discovered that McGrady didn't take off to shoot at all...
This turned out to be a fake act of "worshiping to Buddha"!
After swaying Durant, McGrady strode straight to the basket.
Ibaka's knees were slightly bent and he looked straight at Rocket One rushing towards him.
The Thunder fans at the scene also held their breath at this moment.
Everyone knows that a talent showdown is about to begin!
The two took off almost at the same time.
The difference is that McGrady has the momentum to sprint, while Ibaka takes off from the same spot.
In addition, there is no difference in level between the two in terms of jumping ability, and the result of this duel can be imagined...
Tracy McGrady took advantage of the wind and was so powerful that he not only completed the dunk, but also knocked Ibaka out of the baseline.
"Roar!"
After completing the dunk, McGrady hit his chest hard twice to let out the accumulated emotions of the past two days.
8:0, as soon as the Rockets came up, they showed their dominance!
On the sidelines, Thunder coach Brooks saw that the situation was not good and called the first timeout less than two minutes into the game.
............
"Coach Yang, what do you think of the Rockets' opening performance? Do you want to change your pre-game judgment?"
Yu Jia looked at Yang Yi with a half-smile and asked.
"Hmph..."
"I think the main problem with the Thunder is that their offense has been disorganized since the start of the game."
"Westbrook took two shots, both of which were completed without any cooperation or even a pass."
"If after the timeout, they can adjust their playing style in time and perform at the same level as the previous game, it is still unclear who will win and who will lose in this game."
Yang Yi said forcefully.
"Okay, Coach Yang still insists on his own ideas, so let's see if the Thunder can adjust its status quickly."