Unless absolutely necessary, the Rockets will not let Battier play in isolation.
Little Black Bean Brooks came to the top of the arc, took one look at the Warriors' defense, and immediately called Scola to come out and cover him.
Scola has a mid-range shot and a post-up shot in the low post. He has more options in the pick-and-roll and is more suitable.
Scola came to the top of the arc, but Lopez, who was guarding him, ignored him at all, and Prince, who was guarding Hayes, followed him.
Brooks was stunned.
What does this mean?
No one is guarding Hayes anymore?
Indeed, the moment Prince left Hayes, there was no one next to Hayes.
Lopez stayed near the penalty area, three or four steps away from Hayes, and ignored him at all.
All this was arranged by Deng Fang.
Lopez stayed inside to protect the frame.
It's just bullying that Hayes has no mid-range shot and no independent offensive ability!
We have five defenses and four defenses, let’s see how you fight?
Pass the ball to an open Hayes?
Can!
If you can, let Hayes surrender to me!
Then I admit it!
You know, Hayes's free throws are one of the most distinctive in the NBA - disjointed free throws!
If you are shot to death by such a player, you have to admit it!
Of course, Hayes can also not shoot, but can catch the ball and hit the basket.
However, Hayes' independent offensive ability is almost zero, allowing him to dribble into the paint?
forget it!
Besides, there is Lopez waiting for him near the penalty area!
Therefore, even if there is an open space for Hayes at this moment, Brooks has no intention of passing the ball to Hayes.
Don’t even pass when there is an open position?
Yes, unless there is an open space under the basket!
There is no way, Hayes' position is still several steps away from the basket, what is he doing with the ball in his hands?
He doesn't have a mid-range shot, he can't dribble, and he and Lopez just stare at each other?
In fact, Hayes is not the only one who is not strong in independent offensive ability. Now, the only one in this Rockets team who really has independent offensive ability is Little Black Bean Brooks.
Although Scola has the ability to attack independently, it is in the low post.
We can't let Scola break through with the ball outside the three-point line, right?
Someone has to put the ball in his hands.
It's a pity that the Rockets don't have such a person.
Therefore, the pick-and-roll between Brooks and Scola is the Rockets' most threatening offensive method.
Scola came to the top of the arc to block Azubuike, and Prince, who had just come up, immediately switched to defend in front of little black bean Brooks.
The Rockets' idea is to let Lopez switch defense in front of the little black bean.
That way Brooks can play small and take advantage of his speed.
But now it's Prince who's defending him!
Azubuike's defense is good, Prince's defense is even better!
Even if he is defending a small guard, Prince will have no problem.
Even if he suffers a slight loss in speed, he can make up for it with his height and wingspan advantage.
Suddenly the Rockets' pick-and-roll was ineffective.
Scola saw Azubuike guarding him and immediately walked to the low post.
Lopez quickly followed, while Azubuike turned around to find Hayes.
At this moment when the two men switched defenses, Hayes was once again left alone.
If the Rockets guard holding the ball at this time is a tall guard with good vision, then the ball is likely to be passed.
But not Brooks.
Brooks is 1.8 meters tall, and Prince is 2.06 meters tall, with a larger wingspan. There is a huge height gap between the two.
Even in terms of speed, Prince didn't suffer much.
With such a tall and long-armed defender in front of him, it will be difficult for the ball carrier to pass the ball comfortably.
What's more, Brooks is not a defender with very good passing vision.
Deng Fang is taking advantage of the weaknesses of Brooks and Hayes on the Rockets.
One pass was not good, and one left the penalty area without any offensive threat.
Seeing that the pick-and-roll was ineffective, Little Black Bean immediately transferred the ball to Ariza's hands near 45 degrees.
Scola was already in a good position in the low post at this time.
Ariza handed the ball to Scola.
Defending Ariza is Laga Bell.
Because Ariza's three-point threat was great, Lagaber did not dare to sit too far back.
Scola received the basketball, glanced left and right, and began to use his low-post steps to drive inside.
I have to say that Scola's pace inside is really good. He turned left and right and reached the basket in two turns.
However, Lopez did not lose his position.
Although Lopez is not fast, Scola is not fast either. He relies more on technique.
As long as he doesn't have an absolute disadvantage in speed, the tall and strong Lopez has nothing to fear in the paint!
No matter how hard you turn, you will eventually take action!
I will raise my hands and stand still to see what you do!
One is 2.06 meters, and the other is 2.13 meters. One is a power forward, and the other is a center. Both are not fast. When they get to the basket, Scola has no advantage.
After two turns, Lopez didn't make a jump. Scola couldn't find a good chance to make a shot, so he had no choice but to pass the ball out.
With only two seconds left on the clock, Battier had no choice but to throw the ball against Curry's defense.
Although Curry is much shorter than Battier, he did not lose his position after all. Battier is more accustomed to open shots, and shooting against people is not within his ability.
In addition, there were only two seconds left in the attack time, so Battier's shot was hasty.
As expected, the basketball hit the basket with a clang and bounced out.
Lopez collected the basketball and passed it to Curry.
Curry was well prepared and immediately rushed forward after receiving the ball.
Azubuike was faster and immediately started a fast break and ran to the frontcourt.
However, the Rockets' defense was still very good, especially Ariza, who ran forward closely behind Azubuike.
The moment he defended Curry, he became the same Battier he had just defended.
Battier is not a player known for his speed. When he saw Curry rushing forward, he raised his hands and ran forward beside Curry.
The same goes for everyone else, but due to speed, everyone except Little Black Bean Brooks was left behind.
Soon Curry arrived near the three-point line.
Battier ran back closely behind Curry, while Little Black Bean was one step behind Curry.
Everyone thought Curry would rush inside, but Curry suddenly stopped one step in front of the three-point line.
Shane's heart tightened and he suddenly felt something bad.
Curry was prepared for the emergency stop, but Battier was different.
If a person is rushing forward quickly and wants to stop suddenly, it is impossible without preparation.
If you have to stop, you will probably get injured!
Now it's a two-on-two fast break for the Warriors. How could Curry stop outside the three-point line?
Even if you shoot a three-pointer, you have to be as close to the three-point line as possible!
So Battier never expected that Curry would stop at that position, and his speed did not slow down.
Due to inertia, Battier, who was side by side with Curry, ran forward two more steps before stopping.
This position is already one step inside the three-point line.
Generally speaking, even if someone wants to shoot a three-pointer, it will be no problem to defend in this position.
Especially a tall and long-armed defensive player like Battier.
But Curry is not on the three-point line at the moment, he is one step outside the three-point line!
Moreover, Battier's center of gravity has not been adjusted yet, and he has not yet regained his footing, so it is completely impossible to block the shot.
Curry quickly collects the ball after stopping, and the shooter is about to shoot.
But at this moment, the little black bean behind had already rushed over.
Seeing Curry about to shoot a three-pointer, Brooks jumped up and tried to block the shot.
As a result, Curry lowered his head and took the ball back to his chest.
The little black bean flew past Curry in a flash!
Curry raised his hand again and wanted to shoot again.
Battier had already established his footing, but he was two steps away from Curry. It was impossible to block the shot. He could only jump up to interfere.
As soon as Battier jumped up, Curry had already raised his hand and shot the ball!
Reggie Miller in the commentary box saw this and shouted: "Oh, no! Curry is crazy! Instead of attacking the basket during the fast break, he actually shot a pull-up three-pointer!"
Mark Jackson also nodded and said: "Indeed, a rookie is a rookie, immature! How can anyone stop and shoot a three-pointer with one step outside the three-point line!"
The audience at Oracle Arena was also stunned.
How can anyone play ball like this?
I've seen the Black Mavericks Warriors team play before, and it wasn't that crazy at the time!
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and hit the net!
6:0!
The referee made a three-point gesture.
The entire audience suddenly became excited and shouted in unison: "Curry! Curry!"
At this moment, they have forgotten Monta Ellis and their dissatisfaction with the team selling many veterans.
