The Way of the Center

Trailing by nine points at halftime, it wasn't good news for the Rockets. Although the Rockets are a team that advocates offense and likes to shoot outside the three-point line. But in the face of the Blazers' defense, it is not as simple as making three three-pointers to recover nine points.

This is the first time for James Harden to feel the intimidation brought by a center on the basketball court. This guy was born in an era when guards were rampant and centers were declining. From high school to college, and now as the star of the Rockets, Harden has always played the role of the center, and has never been knocked down by the center.

Even his former teammate Marc Gasol never put Harden under such pressure.

Harden didn't know what happened to him just now, but he didn't dare to step into the penalty area, which is an indisputable fact.

There is nothing novel about Rockets coach McHale's arrangement. The best way to break the tight man-to-man defense is to keep running, conducting, and pushing faster and faster. With this order, the Rockets players started their hard work in the second half of the game nervously. The mentality of this group of guys is completely different from that of the first half.

"The Rockets have no other choice. They can't do anything except attack! Continue to strictly defend, and when the Rockets can't shoot anymore, our victory will be won!" This is halftime, Ricard gave Angie and the ideas they instilled. However, the second half of the game has just begun, and Ricard's words have been fulfilled.

The Rockets rushed into the Blazers' half court like crazy, and the rhythm was pushed extremely fast by them. Often in the blink of an eye, Jeremy Lin holds the ball over the center line. In the next second, Harden launched an offense with the ball.

Faced with this sudden speed increase, the Trail Blazers were somewhat unprepared. They were quickly recovered by five points by the Rockets, and the nine-point lead was instantly depleted.

However, at this time, it was An Jie who stood up again. He caught the ball in the three-second zone and headed Asik to complete a rock-shattering in-place jump dunk, which immediately calmed down the scene.

Asik is not clean either, he tried his best to make small moves during the defense. But even so, he still couldn't stop Anjie from completing the attack.

The momentum that the Rockets just played,

All disappeared with Anjie's dunk. Exquisite tactics are indeed the basis for a team to win, but the morale of the players is also an important part of determining the outcome of the game.

After that, the Trail Blazers stabilized the situation. The point difference between the two sides remained within the range of 5-7 points. The Rockets were still relying on peripheral shots to score, while the Blazers frequently attacked the Rockets' weak inside.

During the period, the Rockets and Trail Blazers had substitutions and adjustments, but the situation did not change at all. Until the last four minutes of the third quarter, the re-appearing Anjie and the exhausted Rockets started the five tigers, which became the turning point of the game.

Jeremy Lin continued to control the ball and push forward as usual, but at this moment, it was very difficult for him to get rid of Fisher in front of him.

Although Fisher is old, his body is still strong at the point guard position. Jeremy Lin tried to get rid of it, but he gave up under Fischer's close defense.

As a last resort, Jeremy Lin had to pass the ball to Patrick Patterson. The shooting power forward who beat J.J. Hickson to the north in the first half is now under Hickson's meticulous care. He has no chance to shoot at all now, and Hickson has overcome his problem of unconsciously shrinking the basket when defending.

Patterson had no chance, and the ball was naturally passed back to Harden. After all, Patterson really doesn't have the ability to attack the basket guarded by Anjie.

Harden called Asik for a pick-and-roll, but Anjie didn't follow Asik out. Don't be fooled by Asik's appearance. This soft-looking white insider doesn't shoot very well. An Jie dared to let him shoot in the middle, which also shows how "good" he is at shooting from another aspect.

Harden saw that An Jie was not fooled, so he didn't dare to make a mistake in the three-second zone. But he used a highly ornamental no-look pass to distribute the basketball to Parsons who was standing outside the three-point line.

"What!?" The Frenchman Batum decided to complete the encirclement with Courtney Lee after seeing Harden's breakthrough. He felt that Parsons' position was not good, and it was impossible for the ball to hit his hands. However, Harden's passing vision still exceeded Batum's expectations.

Parsons' touch today is very good. As of now, his three-point shooting percentage and total shooting percentage are above 50%. It is almost impossible for Parsons to miss this open three-pointer.

Batum has already held his head in regret, but the shooting action of "Gao Fu Shuai" is not as complete as before.

"Boom!" With a crisp sound, Parsons' open three-pointer hit the frame. Asik tried his best to push under the basket hoping to catch the rebound, but Anjie deliberately gave way and retreated behind Asik.

Just when Asik was wondering why Anjie did this, he realized that the ball was a long rebound, and Anjie had already judged this by relying on his experience. That's why he deliberately let Asik go to the basket.

After firmly grasping the rebound, the Rockets were afraid that the Blazers would counterattack, so they frantically returned to defense. But An Jie just handed the ball to Fisher unhurriedly, and Fisher naturally gestured like a stroller.

Seeing this situation, Ricard couldn't help but smile.

"The Blazers have completely controlled the rhythm of the game." Yao Ming shook his head and strolled in the courtyard. This is exactly the offensive style of the Blazers.

Sure enough, after the Rockets started to miss shots, the Trail Blazers second team led by Anjie still maintained a very high offensive efficiency. Ricard waited for the whole game, and finally waited for this moment.

The shooting that the Rockets depend on for survival has been disabled, and Ricard wants to see it. That McHale guy, what else can he play.

86 to 76, after the end of the third quarter, the gap between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers finally came to double digits. Looking at the panting players under him, McHale couldn't think of a good way.

The Rockets' lineup is like this. They are not like the Blazers, who can score a lot. If both Jeremy Lin and Parsons lose their threats, no one can save the team except Harden.

"In the fourth quarter, James, you rest below. When the time is right, I will send you on the court. When he comes on the court, all the balls hit his hands! And everyone, try to open up space for him as much as possible! "McHale's arrangement is very clear, that is Harden singles with the ball! To be honest, this former legend of the Green Army may have been very prosperous in the player era. But his tactical background is still a bit weak.

At this time, if it is Ricard, if it is Jeff Van Gundy, if it is Popovich, it is George Karl. Then they will definitely arrange a lot of tactics to help the team play a better offensive and defensive performance and get out of the predicament. But the only thing McHale can think of at the moment is to take the ball to the star for singles.

So as soon as the fourth quarter came up and found that Harden hadn't played, Ricard also guessed about McHale's tactics.

He immediately ordered Iguodala to mark Harden later, while Anjie was ready to help defend in the penalty area at any time. The other insiders of the Rockets? Let them go, even if An Jie focuses on Harden, the Rockets' group of very limited centers can't do much.

Only three minutes into the fourth quarter, McHale had to take Harden up. Because his team is still continuing to hit the iron, and the point difference is still continuing to be expanded.

After Harden played, Ricard first sent Iguodala, but signaled Anjie to continue to rest. Allowing a team's leading star to continue to rest at critical moments, this somewhat reflects Ricard's great confidence.

However, what Ricard did not expect was that. Under Iguodala's desperate entanglement, James Harden actually completed his mission and led the Rockets to close the score!

"Come on, come on!" Sam Smith, who was watching TV at home, yelled loudly. James Harden was now the last straw he could grasp, and it was the biggest obstacle to prevent Anjie from winning 22 consecutive victories.

Sam Smith was ecstatic to see Harden once again pull up a beautiful European layup and get a three-pointer against Iguodala's defense. At that moment, besides Jordan, Harden was the player he looked up to the most!

"I didn't touch him!" Iguodala tried to explain to the referee, but the referee turned a deaf ear. He doesn't care whether a player's foul is intentional or not, as long as he violates the rules, he must call it. Of course, except for those few people who have "privileges".

Iguodala's mentality began to become irritable. The more he wanted to block Harden, the easier it was for him to eat Harden's fake moves.

"Beautiful change of direction in front of the body, Harden's dribbling rhythm is very good. Iguodala dare not foul again, because he has just received his fourth foul. Harden's speed makes Meyers Len Nader didn't have time to defend, he was ready to dunk! Good shot, wonderful dunk, Harden pulled the game back abruptly! 2 points, the gap between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers is only 2 points! "Mike Breen's passionate commentary combined with James Harden's incredible performance made the game that had no suspense become exciting again.

Reporters from various TV stations pointed their cameras at the Trail Blazers bench countless times, but the faces of Ricard and An Jie were still as calm as water.

It wasn't until Harden completed the dunk that Ricard finally called a timeout. Now there are only 3 minutes and 20 seconds before the end of the game, and before that, Anjie has not appeared in the fourth quarter!

Ricard's brain short-circuited? of course not. Even though Harden's performance is so good, Ricard knows that the victory is still not gone.

"Everyone get down and rest except Andre. Fisher replaces Damien, Lee replaces Matthews, Jared Jeffries replaces J.J. Hickson, Ann, you replace Leonard! "When Ricard finished the arrangement, almost everyone looked at him in disbelief. With this formation, is An Jie going to play the last minute with three substitutes?

"Listen, I don't need more attack points, it will only make you more impatient at the last moment. One attack point is enough, and it has to be the most stable one. Therefore, I will add all but Iguodala All the starting lineups have been replaced. Others, give me full support for Anjie! I want him to dominate the game again and take away the victory!" Although Ricard's decision was bold, it was not unreasonable.

Fisher's organization will allow the Trail Blazers to play more steadily, and after Lillard and Matthews leave the field, Angie's shots will also be guaranteed. At least Fisher won't suddenly make a long-range three-pointer in a flash of his head.

The timeout ends and both sides re-enter the game. On the Rockets side, all the starting five tigers returned to the court, and James Harden was even more murderous. Just now, the offensive climax he played with his personal ability allowed the Rockets to escape from death.

But when the Trail Blazers players came on the court, everyone was stunned. Half-substitute lineup? What do the Trail Blazers think! ?

"Is this guy's head burned?" Even Sam Smith found it inconceivable. Now that the situation is so tense, what trick is the Blazers playing?

"You seem a little too bold." Divac said to Ricard, looking at Fischer who was advancing with the ball.

"No, to defeat the Rockets, Ann alone is enough. His efficiency alone may be even higher." Ricard's eyes were firm, and he had seen Harden's performance just now. So he also knew that An Jie would be the guy who interrupted Harden's momentum.

A small number of passes means a small number of turnovers, and Anjie's offense is synonymous with high efficiency. Ricard decided to use his own star to beat the Rockets' star.

Yao Ming watched the field nervously, Anjie was the only focus in his eyes.

In the decisive battle at the last moment, whether the record of 22 consecutive victories will come true depends entirely on An Jie.

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