Adelman called a timeout, one because he wanted to interrupt the Warriors' offensive rhythm, and the other because he wanted to make a substitution.
If it doesn't work in the starting lineup, then try being on the bench!
The Rockets' bench lineup is Lowry, Carl Landry, Budinger, Ariza and David Anderson.
Ariza is young and strong and is the tentative core of the team, so he needs more playing opportunities.
The Warriors were more straightforward and directly put on a full bench lineup. The five players on the field became Livingston, Anthony Morrow, Belinelli, Radmanovic and DeAndre Jordan.
The Rockets' substitute lineup mainly relies on Landry's isolations to score points.
Landry's singles are indeed a threat, but it depends on who is guarding him.
If the opposing backup centers are short and physically weak, Landry can indeed defeat his opponent alone.
But if the opponent is replaced by a tall and powerful center like Jordan, it will be more difficult for Landry to score.
Deng Fang replaced Jordan mainly for this reason.
Once you encounter a center who is fast and has strong singles ability, Jordan will have a place to play!
In addition to Carl Landry, the Rockets also have Kyle Lowry on the bench who is also very good.
But that’s later!
At this time, Lowry was still leveling up.
Kyle Lowry was drafted by the Grizzlies with the 24th overall pick in the first round of 2006.
Lowry spent the first two seasons with the Grizzlies and was Conley's backup.
Last season, the Grizzlies, Rockets and Magic completed a three-way trade, sending Lowry to the Rockets in exchange for a first-round pick.
Lowry has great physical fitness and is known as a little steel cannon.
The main reason why the Grizzlies sent Lowry away was that Lowry's mid-range shooting was unreliable and his scoring methods were single.
At this time, Lowry's ability is indeed average, especially his long-range shots, which are very unstable. His main scoring method relies on breakthroughs.
It is also for this reason that Lowry can only serve as Brooks' substitute after joining the Rockets.
The defensive strategy deployed by the Warriors is one-on-one defense.
DeAndre Jordan defended Landry alone, and Livingston defended Kyle Lowry alone.
Landry can make a mid-range shot, and so can Kyle Lowry, but there is no way for the two of them to get into the paint!
Whether it was DeAndre Jordan or Livingston, they were both much taller and faster than their opponents, so it was very difficult for Landry and Kyle Lowry to play.
In turn, the Warriors' offense is much more comfortable.
Livingston and DeAndre Jordan pose a great threat in the pick-and-roll, making it difficult for the Rockets to defend.
Once Jordan gets the ball inside, the Rockets have no choice but to foul.
Jordan's free throw shooting percentage is also good, reaching over 60%.
This is acceptable for a center.
In order to prevent Jordan from taking advantage of the alley-oop in the paint, the Rockets had no choice but to switch defenses.
Once the defense switches, Livingston will rely on breakthroughs and mid-range shots to score.
If the Rockets help defend, Livingston will pass the ball to the three guns outside!
The Rockets ignored one thing and played very passively.
Don't use old tricks. After a few rounds, the Warriors began to use Livingston's height to attack Kyle Lowry alone.
This is Livingston's specialty.
It is also an important means of scoring off the bench.
Everyone just shoots mid-range shots!
A healthy Livingston is much more reliable than Landry!
Soon, the first quarter ended and the score became 36:21!
The Warriors took a big lead.
The bench lineups of the two teams competed, and the Warriors did not fall behind at all.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the two teams continued to compete with each other on their substitute lineups.
The Warriors replaced Azubuike for Anthony Morrow.
Azubuike's breakthrough and defense are better, and his singles ability is also good.
The Rockets couldn't bear it even more.
Two minutes later, the score became 46:28.
There was no other way, so Adelman had to call another timeout.
After the timeout, the Rockets changed into the starting lineup.
Several starters from the Warriors also rested and took the field again.
This time, the Rockets changed their defensive strategy.
As long as Curry and Lopez pick and roll, someone will come up to help defend.
Two people flanked Curry, and one person came up to help defend Lopez, preventing both of them from shooting.
On the offensive end, Battier started to screen and roll Brooks, forcing Curry to switch defenses, and then Brooks screened and rolled with Scola.
In this way, the Rockets' two strongest offensive players will face the Warriors' two weakest defenders.
I have to say that this strategy is still effective.
Scola and Brooks' mid-range shots have become more decisive, and their shooting percentages have also remained good.
However, the Rockets' defensive strategy gave the Warriors' three shooters a lot of open opportunities.
Lagaabel, Prince and Azubuike pitched with joy.
Neither team could guard the other, and the score rose rapidly.
Soon, at the end of the second quarter, the score between the two teams became 58:40.
Looking at the score on the big screen, Reggie Miller in the commentary box shook his head repeatedly: "58 points at halftime! The Warriors' offensive firepower is too strong! I now believe what Deng Fang said! So far in this game, I
I can’t see the Rockets having any hope of winning.”
Mark Jackson also said: "The Warriors are indeed much better than the Rockets. If Curry is injured and withdraws in the first quarter, the result will be uncertain. But now that Curry is unscathed, the Rockets really have little hope!"
During the intermission, the cheerleading team performed, and the audience was extremely excited.
This is the first game of the new season. The Warriors, who have been weak for many years, actually played so well. The team has a completely new look. It's really amazing!
Anyone who knows the inside story admires Deng Fang very much.
They knew that almost all of this was because of Deng Fang's appearance.
Soon, the second half of the game began.
Both teams started the match with their starting lineups.
This time, the Rockets set up a lot of screens for Brooks, allowing him to move without the ball.
This trick still has some use.
However, Brooks is more accustomed to dribbling three-pointers. He is not very fast when shooting without the ball and is easily disturbed.
Moreover, the Warriors have three good defensive players who can help with defense and delay. After getting familiar with it, Brooks' off-ball tactics gradually became ineffective.
In turn, the Warriors' offense remains fierce.
Due to the Rockets' focus on guarding, Curry has few outside opportunities.
However, others on the Warriors have more opportunities.
Lopez no longer just picks and rolls and cuts outside, he starts to cut inside more.
You know, Lopez was originally a traditional low-post singles player.
With Curry in check, Lopez's chances of getting the ball in the paint greatly increased, and he also began to score in the paint.
The Rockets were forced to use help defense again.
As a result, Azubuike, Prince and Lagabell began to get a lot of open opportunities on the outside.
This is what they do best!
The score between the two teams continued to expand.
Three minutes later, the score between the two sides became 69:49!
Adelman had to call a timeout again.
When the gourd is pressed, the gourd rises. What should we do?
