rpbooks Chapter 427 The halberd in the third match
Chapter 427 The halberd in the third match
Chapter 427
The "Houston Chronicle" interview with Xu Tian was quickly uploaded on the Internet, and this interview was instantly reprinted by major sports media, allowing fans to see Xu Tian's remarks.The statement that the probability of the Rockets advancing is zero has caused him to be strongly criticized by Rockets fans.
Xu Tian never thought of reconciling with the Houston fans and the team, turned off his mobile phone, and fell into a deep sleep peacefully.He didn't sleep well last night, and this rest is very important.
The next morning, Xu Tian played the role of Harden again, bringing a substitute to attack the Lakers' starting lineup defense.George was mainly responsible for defending Harden this time, and he basically tried his best. The effect was not particularly ideal, but it was much better than Clarkson's defense.
Scott was still worried about the Rockets' pick-and-roll to make Clarkson face Harden. He kept the players near the end and practiced the pick-and-roll around the screen, allowing George to find a way to defend against Harden.Now is a critical period, and we can only let George take as much responsibility as possible.
Naturally, George would not refuse. He used all his energy to try to bypass the screen and chase Xu Tian who played Harden.His defensive effect is much stronger than that of Clarkson who switched defenses.
At noon, Kobe invited all the players and the coaching staff to have lunch to let them relax and prepare for the challenge of Game [-] of the series.
The entire Rockets team saw Xu Tian's remarks in the "Houston Chronicle", so they naturally had extra motivation to defend their home court advantage.Their strategy has not changed much, double-teaming George, with the strongest defensive player chasing Kobe, while the rest of the Lakers did not pay much attention to defense.
Time flies, and the third game of the series at the Toyota Center in Houston has quietly arrived.
Xu Tian still couldn't appear inside the stadium, so he could only stay in the locker room, watching the game while rehearsing the game process.This is the price he paid for being young, and he can only bear it silently.
The Lakers played a good tactical cooperation at the beginning and took the lead for a while.But soon the Rockets players adjusted on the defensive end, gradually narrowed the point difference, and achieved a lead.
The game was played at the Toyota Center, home of the Rockets, so they got more favorable calls, the most obvious feature being that George quickly received two defensive fouls.This is basically not seen when the Lakers play at home.
Harden's shooting percentage is not high, but he connected the team very well and gradually and steadily expanded the point difference.
Kobe led the team alone, even if he played a performance similar to his youth, he still failed to narrow the point difference.At this time, he was basically in a state of being alone.
The depth of the Lakers lineup is not deep enough. After George left the court, no one could restrain Harden on the defensive end, and the latter began to explode, scoring 17 points in a single quarter, leading the team to expand the point difference to double digits.This is the fastest time for the Rockets to establish an advantage, which greatly increases the confidence of the players.
The Lakers are just the opposite. They came to the Toyota Center with sufficient confidence, but they used almost all their strength in the first quarter, and the effect was still not very satisfactory.This will inevitably affect morale, and it seems very silent during the break.
At the beginning of the second quarter, George took the field to lead the team, but he encountered the Rockets' breakthrough targets and received his third foul in just over a minute.Can only go back to the field, and then led by Kobe Bryant.
Clarkson, Nance Jr., and Warren are too immature to provide Kobe with enough help. He can only make an impact without hesitating his physical strength and try to maintain the point difference between the two sides.It's just that D'Angelo Russell's explosion on the offensive end made Kobe's efforts seem a bit futile.
The fans at the Toyota Center were extremely excited. During the free throws of the Lakers players, they kept shouting trash talk about "the probability of the Lakers advancing is zero", and taunted the visiting team players in the most mentally-affecting way.
Of course Xu Tian would not be affected by these remarks, but just focused on watching TV, for fear of missing any offensive round.
Kobe played a super performance, which turned many media headlines into dreams of returning to the peak.But this is just him, the Lakers are still behind the Rockets.
During the intermission, Xu Tian told what he saw, the method used by the Rockets to trick George into fouling, and tried to make George pay attention to his defensive actions and avoid leaving the game early.Otherwise, there is still not much chance of a comeback in this game.
The Rockets made adjustments in the midfield and risked giving Capela a more important role, so that the Lakers could not narrow the point difference through hacking tactics.Howard reluctantly accepted this tactical arrangement in order to win the game.
In the second half of the game, according to Xu Tian's suggestion, George paid attention to his actions and stance, and the number of fouls decreased significantly.But the Rockets didn't play Howard for too long, which made the Lakers unable to use slashing tactics, and the offensive end failed to open up. They could only rely on the personal abilities of George and Kobe to score points.
The Rockets played more overall. Harden broke through and scored consecutively, assisted Jason Terry and D'Angelo Russell to hit three-pointers, and continued to expand the score advantage.The three quarters are not over, and the Lakers have shown signs of impending collapse.
Kobe hit unreasonable three-pointers at the top of the arc consecutively, chasing the point difference back, bringing the suspense of the game into the fourth quarter.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Harden hit the basket three times to make kills, tricked George, who took off early, and caused the latter to foul twice.This situation is extremely unfavorable to the Lakers.
Bickerstaff could also see that he wanted to target George and gave instructions for Harden to break through again and try to foul George.The attempt worked, and with five-and-a-half minutes left in the game, George fouled out six times, leaving Bryant alone.
The Rockets were stronger as a whole, and scored consecutively on the offensive end, and soon widened the point difference to 20 points, bringing the game into garbage time.
Kobe was replaced by Scott, and when he sat back in his chair, he was very angry and hit the chair next to him with his right fist.This kind of chair is very soft, and there is no risk of injury when it is dropped.
The Rockets home fans saw Kobe's actions, and then sprayed trash, which made the Lakers players feel more uncomfortable.This is competitive sports. It is never glorious to lose, but only ridicule and ridicule after failure.
After Harden scored a triple-double, he fouled and was replaced by Jason Terry.
Lakers fans are not satisfied with Harden's behavior, pointing out on the forum that he shouldn't be swiping data during garbage time.
The Rockets fans did not show weakness, and continuously issued remarks to fight back, claiming that as long as they can lead the team to victory, even if they are suspected of brushing data, it is completely acceptable.The two fans insisted on their own opinions and argued endlessly.
The Rockets still went smoothly in the third game, crushing the Lakers to win, rewriting the big score of the series to 2-1, and the Rockets took the lead temporarily.
Houston is not a basketball city. Due to the large point difference and the lack of much to argue about, many fans left early.This kind of phenomenon is hard to see at home games in other cities, but it is already a common thing here, and no one is even surprised.
(End of this chapter)