Defending champion

Chapter 315 I will be there wherever the team needs me!

Chapter 1 Where the team needs me, I will be there! Next

Without Paul, the Hornets couldn't run the offense at all. Mason's pass was intercepted by Shane Battier.

Battier quickly dribbled the ball and drove to the restricted zone of the Hornets, which was empty. He leaped high, and with a loud bang, Battier dunked successfully with one hand.

On the offensive end, the Rockets blossomed a lot. On the defensive end, they resolutely double-teamed the inside Jack.The way the Hornets tried to get the ball to Jack or into Chandler's hands simply didn't work.

The Hornets couldn't open the inside, so even the Hornets' outside sights began to drop continuously.

"Boom" Peja Stockovic's three-point shot was interfered with, the basketball hit the front of the basket heavily and bounced high.

Mutombo grabbed the rebound and made a bowling pass. At a 45-degree angle on the right side of McGrady, McGrady made a shot, and the basketball hit the net with a bang.

After spending most of the quarter, McGrady's hand began to thaw and slowly warmed up.This is undoubtedly worse for the Hornets who lack Paul.

The Hornets' offense was very unsmooth. The Rockets took advantage of this opportunity to beat the Hornets to a 12-0 spurt and directly extended the score to 20 points.

At this time, there are still 3 minutes and 56 seconds left in the third quarter.

Hornets attack!
The third quarter of the game has not finished yet? However, Mason made 3 turnovers in passing alone.

Just said it and now it's here again.Another Mason pass miss.

In this quarter of the game, Mason completely acted as an undercover agent and made frequent mistakes.

Mason dribbled the ball forward, and Mason made too many mistakes.At this time, he also seemed very nervous, and when he came to the frontcourt, he thought more about passing the ball.Mason handed the ball to Peja Stockovic who came to meet him.

What Tracy McGrady was waiting for was now. McGrady, who had been waiting beside Peja Stockovic for a long time, bent his knees and kicked the ground in a posture like a wolf pounced on a rabbit. The moment Mason shot, Fly out...

Oops!Jack cursed loudly, and at the same time, he galloped forward and retreated!
With a sound of "snap...", the ball passed by Mason was broken by McGrady.Immediately afterwards, McGrady dribbled the ball quickly, and rushed towards the empty frontcourt like a mad bull.

There is no doubt that this is an excellent opportunity for a slam dunk show.McGrady, who came to the three-point limit, suddenly slowed down his dribbling speed, and he was thinking about what kind of posture he would use to end this dunk.

McGrady was moving at a high speed, taking a swift big stride, bending his knees, kicking the ground, McGrady stepped firmly on the wooden floor, his body jumped high, and the ball holder raised one arm high, fully stretched out in coordination The coming body, at this time, is like the American Statue of Liberty.

Facing the basket that was close at hand, suddenly, McGrady found that the basket in his hand was empty, and the pressure behind him increased sharply...

McGrady turned her head hastily, and what she saw was Jack's ferocious face...

McGrady couldn't help being startled, and McGrady was also shocked by Jack's actions, thinking: This guy is really the one who wants to play basketball.

"Crack" the basketball in McGrady's hand was pressed down abruptly by Jack.Jack took McGrady's basketball directly in the air by the way.

Jack held the basketball tightly in his arms.And McGrady staggered and fell to the ground because his body could not maintain his balance.

Jack made a very clean block, and the referee's whistle did not sound.Jack, who caught the basketball in the air, took the ball and handed it to Mason.Before Mason took two steps, Mason was immediately pressed by Alston's close body.

Mason had no choice but to return the ball to Jack's hands again.

Jack can only dribble across the half court by himself and arrive at the top of the three-point arc.The Rockets put up an impregnable defense against Jack.The main defender of Jack is still Hayes.Adelman must have targeted Jack before the game, and arranged defensive tactics specifically for Jack.

Hayes acted as the first line to defend Jack, and Dikembe Mutombo and Battier in the interior are all eyeing Jack?Even though they led by 20 points in the third quarter, the Rockets players did not dare to relax at all.

Because, the Hornets have Jack.

Jack faced Hayes' defense, and the Hornets didn't get a point in the past few minutes, as the leader of the Hornets, Jack.At this point, does Jack have any other choice besides coming forward?Jack has no choice.

Jack faced Hayes' defense with a three-point posture at the top of the arc of the three-point line. Jack made a fake shot. When Hayes defended Jack, he was not very confident. Jack's fake action was a lie. The center of gravity of Hayes' defense was raised upwards.

What Jack was waiting for was now, as if a sharp knife cut Hayes shoulder to shoulder.

"Huh..." The wind whistled past Hayes' ears, and Jack and Hayes passed by. After passing by Hayes, Jack didn't hesitate at all, and Jack strode straight to the Rockets. In the penalty area, at the moment when Mutombo couldn't make up the defense in the penalty area, Jack threw the basketball in his hand high.

The hand moved the basketball very softly, except for the thumb, the palm of the hand was completely undulating.

The basketball twirled and floated over the throwing hand, and fell towards its destination.

There was a sound of "shabu" and the sound of the basketball hitting the net sounded.

The fans of the New Orleans Hornets, who had been silent for almost a quarter, burst into cheers at this time.

After shooting the basket, Jack turned around and turned back directly. The Hornets teammates patted Jack on the shoulder wordlessly, and then ran back to his position.

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"Hayes, you don't want to fight anymore, don't you? Why didn't you block him just now?" Adelman even now the Rockets have led by more than 20 points.However, after being scored by Jack, he still looked very angry, and he cursed loudly at Hayes who made a mistake just now.

Hayes could only nod, indicating that it was his mistake.What can Hayes say now?He can't say anything.The pain of defending Jack can only be suppressed in his heart.

Battier also seemed to have noticed something was wrong with Hayes, he hurried up, patted Hayes on the shoulder and said, "It doesn't matter, we are the ones leading, Jack is not the kind who just wants to defend." A player who can defend."

After hearing the comfort from his friend, Hayes felt a little better, and he began to cheer up again.

The Rockets attacked, and Alston continued to pass the ball on the outside. Finally, Battier handed the ball to Hayes on the inside. Hayes resisted a few times and found that there was really no The way to shake Jack.

Hayes immediately handed the ball to McGrady on the outside line. After McGrady received the ball, he immediately handed over the basketball in his hand to Battier who was ambushing in the corner of the three-pointer. Going to retaliate for Jack's two-pointer just now to help Hayes avenge him.

The point difference between the two sides has come to 21 points again, and there are 1 minute and 32 seconds left before the end of the third quarter.If the Hornets' point difference is still more than 20 points in the last quarter, then basically the Hornets can be declared the death penalty for this game.

In Jack's heart, at this time, he also felt a sense of powerlessness. What he got back in the end after working so hard was that the gap would not widen further. Whoever it was would definitely not feel good.

Byron Scott, who was sitting on the bench, also waved his hand in an unrepentant manner.Byron Scott used up the final timeout of the quarter.

Hearing the timeout whistle, all the players of the Hornets returned to the bench in relief.Such a game is really too difficult for them.

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"Man, I admit that Jack's personal ability is really nothing to say. However, what I have to say is that it is really hard for the current Hornets team without Chris Paul to chase more than 20 points in a little more time. It's a bit of a pushover. In my opinion, most of the fourth quarter will be in garbage time." Kenny Smith said.

This time, Charles Barkley did not answer Kenny Smith's words, and Charles Barkley, who was always talkative, also fell into silence at this time.

The situation is indeed very tense for the current Hornets.

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Back on the bench, Jack, who was already drenched in sweat, picked up the water handed over by the staff, and poured it into his mouth in big gulps.

At this time, the Hornets' bench fell into silence.Chandler and the others all looked sad, their eyes fixed on the ground.They also played very depressingly in this game.Now they can only stare helplessly at the ground in a daze.

Jack was also very angry when he saw the expressions of his teammates. Jack stood up from his seat and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Everyone did not expect that Jack, who has always been very kind to his teammates, would be so angry and lose his temper.

Seeing that his players didn't say anything, Jack continued to shout: "If it's a man, don't be like that just now, shrinking, and I get angry when you look at you. If it's a man, face the challenge. Just fight back like a man. Fight like a man, play like a man."

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The lack of Paul's impact on the Hornets throughout the third quarter, all highlighted.

The Hornets lacked Paul's internal and external connections on the offensive end, resulting in a disconnect between the Hornets' internal and external lines.

Jack doesn't even want to get basketball inside. The Hornets' proud inside advantage in the league can't play the advantage they should have.Because the Hornets couldn't open the inside line, the Hornets were completely defeated in the third quarter.

Throughout the third quarter, the Hornets' lack of Paul's impact on the Hornets has been fully demonstrated.

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"It seems that the game is not as exciting as we imagined. The third quarter is not over, but the Hornets have fallen behind by more than 20 points. Charles, I want to tell you a fact. The reason why the miracle is called a miracle is that It's because they can't be produced every day, do you understand?" Kenny Smith said to Jack in a mocking tone.After watching the first half of the third quarter, Kenny Smith was more sure that the Rockets would beat the Hornets.

"Although I like the Hornets and Jack very much, I have to say that the Hornets have little chance of winning this game." Charles Barkley sighed.However, Charles Barkley had a faint feeling in his heart that this game would not end as easily as it appeared on the surface.

Charles Barkley didn't know where his confidence came from, but he vaguely felt that things were not as simple as he imagined.

Looking at Jack's lonely figure on the field and the No. 33 jersey on his body, Charles confirmed his thoughts again and again in his heart.

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"Slack is the biggest enemy of winning. Before we can slack off, we need to pursue the victory. The biggest problem for us to win is to contain Jack's offense. Hayes, your important task is to At the price, you have to guard Jack and reduce his scoring efficiency..." Adelman was scratching the scoreboard with his hands on the bench, while constantly gesticulating with his hands.

"Mutombo, Battier, you are ready to help defend Jack at any time. I don't want that rookie to score more than 20 points today."

After listening to Adelman's words, Medina's eyes that seemed to have not woken up suddenly became abnormally bright.Think to yourself: Do you think it's realistic to limit that guy's scoring?
Adelman was also taken aback by McGrady's actions, and quickly asked: "Tracey, do you have any questions about my arrangement?"

"No, no!" McGrady, as a superstar in the league, of course he would not express his concerns in order to save face.

"Beep..." The whistle sounded for the end of the pause.

Jack glanced coldly at the side of the Rockets' bench, then glanced at the score displayed on the midfielder, Jack looked back at his teammates, raised his right hand imposingly, and shouted: " The brave are invincible!"

"The brave are invincible!" Everyone shouted in unison, and even the teammates off the field stood up, echoing in unison, and the atmosphere suddenly became high.

Now the Hornets fans immediately burst into cheers.Whether it was the Hornets fans or the Rockets fans at the scene, they were all attracted by the shouts of the Hornets, and all the eyes of the scene were shot at the Hornets' bench.

Seeing that the score was so far behind, the morale of the Hornets was still not low, and the fans of the Hornets on the scene burst into applause like waves hitting the shore.

The game continues, and the Hornets have the offensive ball.

This time the Hornets' lineup has some changes compared to just now, the most important of which is that Mason, who has made 4 turnovers, has been replaced.And David West, the best sixth man of the Hornets, was put on the court.

"Is Byron Scott crazy? Or does he want to give up the game early? Did the Hornets have this kind of dismissal before? Do they still have a three-forward tactic in the league? Byron is immortal Because Paul was injured and stimulated, he doesn't know how to line up?" Kenny Smith explained in the commentary booth.

"Please, buddy! Don't be such an amateur, okay? Who did you hear that a player can only play one position? Have you ever heard of the term Almighty King?" Charles Barkley also felt very Surprised by Byron Scott's formation like this.However, it is more about anticipation. He is very much looking forward to how much the Hornets' adjustment will bring to the Hornets.

Kenny Smith choked on Charles Barkley again.

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"Wow..." There was a lot of exclamation at the scene. Jack, a big man with 211, dribbled the ball across the half court. Jack played the role of a point guard in the half game.

Although Jack is a big man at 211, he is still able to dribble skillfully. Jack dribbled the ball safely across half court steadily.

"Wow wow wow wow wow wow!..." Charles Barkley let out a lot of exclamations.

No wonder Charles Barkley exclaimed, it is really rare for a 211 big man to act as a point guard.It's not unheard of in the league, but he has never seen Xiang Jack so professional.

Adelman was also stunned by Byron Scott's unreasonable playing of cards this time.

The Rockets adopted a man-to-man defensive strategy this time. Jack first handed the ball to Butler who came to meet him.After that, Jack began to run towards the basket.

The attention of all the Rockets players was attracted by Jack, and the Hornets' offense was going on quietly.

After Butler made a fake shot, he made a sprint, but immediately passed the ball to David West, who was standing at a 45-degree angle to the right and left of the three-point line, David Weiss Te received the ball and didn't let the ball stay in his hands. With a shake of his hand, he passed the ball to Peja Stockovich who had just rushed over from the left side, Peja Stockovic The moment before David West passed the ball, Qi had almost no buffer after receiving the ball, and pulled it directly from the ground.

With a sound of "shabu", the basketball hit the net, and the basketball made a very clean and crisp sound of the basketball brushing into the basket.

Battier, who was supposed to defend Peja Stokovich, put all his defensive attention on Jack. He didn't have time to worry about Peja on this side. For this reason, the Hornets also Paid the price of trembling.

Byron Scott saw the success of this trick.He was also waving his arms very excitedly. At the same time, he looked at Jack who was actively defending on the field with complicated eyes.

(End of this chapter)