Chapter 30 The white beast comes out of the cage, and the brutal dunk reappears!
After a brief moment of surprise, the scene erupted into enthusiastic cheers again.
Rockets fans never imagined that Howard's attack would be directly overturned by the "glass" young man in the team.
"Oh my God, did you see the height of Griffin's jump just now? The top of his head should be beyond the frame!"
"This is the first time I've seen Howard covered so badly! Griffin's explosive power is too exaggerated!!!"
"Not only is it high, but it also has top-notch bullet speed. From taking off to reaching the highest point, it only takes a split second! That's why Dwight couldn't react."
Several fans expressed their opinions, and there was no hidden surprise in their words.
CCTV commentator Yu Jia couldn't help but lamented: "Before the start of the preseason, many Rockets fans were very worried about Griffin's health."
"But at least so far, his competitive condition is very good, and he seems to have completely recovered from the injury."
Yang Yi nodded when he heard this, but also added seriously:
"Now it depends on whether Griffin can stay healthy."
"Two months ago in the summer league, he was injured after playing a good quarter and a half."
"I hope similar plots will not happen again."
Look back to the court.
Howard was knocked to the ground just now, and now he just got up.
After getting up, everyone found that the smile on Master Huo's face had disappeared, and there was both anger and shock in his eyebrows.
"Rookie, just wait for me!"
Howard said to Griffin, his fighting spirit finally ignited.
Although he is also the No. 1 pick, Griffin has been troubled by injuries in the past, so his evaluation on the Internet is not high.
Therefore, Howard did not take today's showdown with Griffin to heart, let alone make targeted preparations.
But now, he decided to let this rookie learn what the top NBA insider is!
Griffin spread his hands, his expression still relaxed, and he obviously didn't take Howard's harsh words to heart.
The game continues.
Magic baseline serve.
Rashard Lewis made a move, received Carter's pass in the bottom corner, and hit 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 4:3, the magic finally started.
In transition between offense and defense, Lowry passed half court with the ball.
Jordan Hill followed the tactics and set up a screen in the high post.
After a simple pick-and-roll, Lowry got rid of Nelson's defense and found that Howard had not followed up.
He didn't hesitate, immediately collected the ball and took a jump shot.
"Shua~"
Three points scored, answer.ball!
After scoring, Lowry smiled slightly.
Under Shen Fei's instruction, he focused on training outside shooting during the offseason.
The Asian youth’s original words were: “As long as there is an opportunity to shoot a three-pointer next season, whether it is a positional battle or a transitional attack, you must take it as soon as possible!”
Shen Fei's words gave "Little Steel Cannon" a lot of confidence and motivation.
After two months, Lowry's outside shooting percentage has improved tremendously.
Moreover, since Brooks was traded away, Rockets fans have expressed deep doubts about Lowry's ability to replace Little Heidou.
Lowry is also working hard today, wanting to get a good start to the new season so that fans can believe that he can be the team's main point guard.
After changing sides and fighting again, the Magic still focus on Howard.
The Rockets' response strategy is also very simple, which is to double-team Howard resolutely.
After one quarter, Howard sent out 6 assists.
The scores of the two teams also increased alternately.
After the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 28.
During the break, Mark Jackson praised the players' performance: "Well done, kids! Everything is going according to our plan. Continue to defend like this and pay attention to maintaining defensive intensity!"
Hearing this, Jordan Hill asked doubtfully: "But coach, if this happens, all the Magic team's shooters will miss!"
As the No. 8 pick last year, he is very confident in his talent.
In addition, Howard didn't score many points under his defense in the first quarter...
Jordan Hill now has an inexplicable illusion that "I can defend Warcraft alone".
"Don't worry, if you want to try it, when we gain the advantage in the later stage, I agree with you to defend him alone for a few rounds."
Mark Jackson replied with a smile, and then continued to arrange tactics:
"Kids, don't look at how selfless Howard was in the first quarter. As long as we continue to double-team, he will become impatient before long and choose to attack."
"When the time comes, our opportunity will come!"
Mark Jackson said seriously.
This was the strategy Shen Fei gave him before the game!
This strategy is not Shen Fei's original creation, but a method he obtained by standing on the shoulders of giants.
In the original time and space, in this year's playoffs, the fourth-place Magic in the Eastern Conference were eliminated by the fifth-place Hawks 4:2, and the process was basically one-sided.
A counterattack from the downward dog is inseparable from effective tactics.
The key to the Eagles' victory is to resolutely double-team Howard!
According to Shen Fei's words -
"Howard is still a child at heart. He desires not only victory, but also the applause of the fans and eye-catching statistics."
"You double-team him for a quarter, and Howard will selflessly pass the ball to an open teammate."
"But if you double-team him for a whole game, he will definitely not be able to bear it."
"When Howard gets impatient, the Magic's offense will lose its structure, and our opportunity will come!"
............
Sure enough, starting from the second half of the second quarter, Howard gradually lost patience.
He couldn't stand being unable to attack personally.
Therefore, when facing the double team of P.J. Tucker and Griffin, Howard turned around forcefully, and was charged with an offensive foul by Tucker.
In the next round, he hesitated again when passing the ball, and Paul George took the ball away from behind, and he succeeded again in the counterattack.
In just one minute, Howard made two turnovers, which opened up the lead for the Magic.
Not only that, after the Rockets' consecutive successful counterattacks, their morale was boosted and the players became more and more excited.
The last attack of the second quarter.
Lowry holds the ball at the top of the key and plays a pick-and-roll with Griffin.
I saw the little steel cannon make a no-look-pass and pass the ball to Griffin who followed the pick-and-roll.
The next moment, the white monster comes out of the cage!
Faced with Rashard Lewis, who was defending the basket, Griffin picked up onions on dry land, kicked off his feet two steps away from the three-second zone, and lifted off vertically.
When he first took off, Lewis was still disdainful, thinking that the young man was too impatient.
[If you collect the ball from such a distance, how do you finish it?]
But soon, Griffin got closer and closer to him, and Lewis suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
It's that...premonition that it's going to become a background!
He quickly put his hands on his chest and pushed forward, trying to push Griffin away from the basket.
However, when the two sides actually came into physical contact, Lewis only felt an unstoppable force, and then he was directly ejected...
"bang!"
There is nothing fancy, just pure height and power.
Griffin actually faced Lewis's defense and completed the dunk!
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle then sounded.
Two points scored, plus a penalty!
"wow~~~"
Toyota Center is in a state of complete excitement.
Some fans covered the back of their heads with their hands and looked at the stadium in disbelief.
Some have mouths open enough to fit an egg in!
At this moment, they finally realized what kind of monster Shen Fei had traded with!