Zhiba NBA

Chapter 134 (130 III) The Miracle Section

The period of March can be described as dangerous. The Rockets have just defeated the powerful Mavericks at home and ushered in 4 consecutive away. The opponents are the supersonics, the leader of the Northwest Division, the top two Suns and the Kings in the Pacific Division, and the underdog Warriors.

On March 3, the Rockets visited Seattle.McGrady, who wanted to rest, also showed a correct attitude after the conversation the day before, and came to the away game with the team.

"If it weren't for the sudden emergence of the Suns, the Sonics would definitely be called the biggest dark horse of this season. So far, their points per 41 rounds are second only to the Suns, ranking second in the league. They are a very efficient offensive team." Tang Shuai said: "Currently, they have 17 wins and [-] losses, second only to the Suns, Spurs and Heat, and rank fourth in the league. So we want to challenge a team with a better record than us in an away game, and we must fight with all our strength."

"Particular attention should be paid to Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen. Both of them have been selected as All-Stars and both have strong shooting ability. You must guard against their three-pointers!" Curry also reminded.

"Chris should also pay attention to protecting rebounds. Your opponent is likely to be Reggie Evans. Although his strength is average, he is very strong on rebounds. He can grab eight or nine rebounds per game, but he only plays more than 20 minutes and is very efficient." Assistant coach Smith also reminded Bosh.

The coaching staff has said almost everything they need to say, but as soon as the players started fighting, the coaches became depressed.This is the same as not saying it!

Throughout the first half, Ray Allen scored 17 points on three-pointers and three-pointers, while Lewis scored 6 points on five-of-six three-pointers.Reggie Evans only played 5 minutes, but he made Bosh into a scumbag. He made 21 of 11 shots and scored 3+3 with 2 points and 1 rebounds.What's even more frightening is that apart from the three mentioned by the coaching staff, the humble second-year point guard Luke Ridnour exploded with 7 assists.The two centers, Jerome James and Nick Collison, despite their mediocre abilities, continued to interfere with Yao Ming by going around the front and defending, not giving him a chance to shoot.Yao Ming was very efficient in the first half but had difficulty catching and shooting, scoring only 5 points.

Fortunately, the Rockets still have two star guards. Tracy McGrady scored 19 points in the first half, and Billups scored 8+3+4. Relying on their outstanding performance, the Rockets were only 9 points behind and ended the first half with 50:59.

Tang Shuai looked gloomy. He didn't want this road trip to start with a defeat.

"Don't be complacent just because you made a few shots. The Sonics' offense is very poor, and they count backwards in the league." Curry reprimanded the players: "Are you the defense of the championship? In the first half, they made 9 three-pointers. Our perimeter defense is too bad!"

"Although the Supersonics are strong offensively and weak defensively, they don't play fast." McGrady, who usually seldom speaks at such moments, suddenly said: "They don't have many fast breaks, and they play very solidly in positional battles. As long as we defend with all our strength for several consecutive rounds, the scoring momentum of this slow team will be curbed."

The locker room suddenly fell silent.What is this?McGrady, who has been working hard on the defensive end this season, started talking about defense?
It was still Tang Shuai who was sophisticated and quickly answered the words. "Tracey said it well. In the second half, we need to strengthen the perimeter defense. If any player feels physical difficulties, you can just say it. Our bench players are strong. Don't begrudge your physical strength. Everyone must run, curb their perimeter transfers, and prevent their three-pointers."

"Defend with all your strength in the third quarter and strive for a wave of climax!" Bosh was the youngest, and he roared as soon as his enthusiasm came up.

"Let them have no chance to shoot a three-pointer!" Jefferson also yelled.

At the beginning of the second half, the Rockets came up and played an inside-out cooperation for the first time.Big Zhi, Chauncey and Jefferson opened up respectively, and Yao Ming assisted McGrady to hit a three-pointer, 53:59.

Lewis ran diligently to find some shooting space. He jumped up and shot. Jefferson also chased with all his strength and almost blocked the opponent's face.

Missed a three-pointer and Yao Ming protected the rebound.

"Fuck!" shouted angrily.

Everyone was surprised. Lewis, who missed the shot, was really annoyed, but Jefferson, who defended well, scolded first.

"I just said that I won't let them have a chance to shoot a three-pointer, and this Lewis slapped me in the face!" Jefferson said angrily; "It's not a gentleman to take revenge!"

Lewis: "."

The Rockets also seemed to have enough energy to fight with their opponents for a three-pointer, but Billups missed a three-pointer.Evans pushed Wang Zhizhi away while grabbing a rebound, foul!The ball is still a rocket.

Yao Ming still missed.This time, the Supersonics handed the ball to the head star Allen. He was unable to shoot a three-pointer under McGrady's long arm block, and could only make a sudden stop with two steps.But McGrady's height and wingspan advantage is too great, forcing him to make some changes in his shots, and he misses the iron.

McGrady also missed a jumper.The Supersonics didn't have a chance after passing many times. When it was given to Lewis, he used his height advantage to force a jumper for a three-pointer, hitting the iron!

"Still shooting three-pointers? I'm so mad!" Jefferson said angrily.In fact, he defended well, but with his standard body of 201cm, it was difficult to effectively interfere with the tall small forward Lewis of 208cm.

Jefferson forced a layup and scored 2 points, and the Sonics requested a timeout at 55:59.

"This strategy is good. Although our efficiency is not high and we only scored 5 points, our opponent didn't score any points!" Yao Ming encouraged everyone.

"That's right, just keep fighting like this and implement good tactics!" Tang Shuai nodded in satisfaction.Winning or losing a game is not so important, what is important is that the team seems to be playing together like a complete group again.

The opponent's timeout was immediate. Allen and James scored 4 points in a row, and the point difference widened again.And McGrady missed a three-pointer again, Tang Shuai covered his eyes, and the game will have to be explained if the game continues like this!

After the Supersonics made a cross move, Chauncey shouted to change defenses.After McGrady didn't get distracted and switched defenses, he kept a close eye on Ridnour, and didn't give him any chance to play the ball at all.Seeing that 24 seconds was not much time, Ridnour had to make a sudden throw and missed.Evans grabbed the offensive rebound, but as soon as it was handed over to Lewis, McGrady quickly took the ball away.

Bosh just played missed a jumper, Ridnour made a pass error and was intercepted by Jefferson. Yao Mingqiang made a foul for James and made 2 of 2 free throws, 57:63.

Just after halftime for the Supersonics, McGrady suddenly forcibly pressed Allen's dribble out of bounds, and the Rockets got the ball again!This time, Billups did not waste the opportunity to hit a three-pointer, 60:63, and the point difference finally returned to within one goal.

"Good job!" Everyone on the bench applauded McGrady and Chauncey.

James' offense was defended by Yao Ming, and Dayao also missed.But Bosh withstood Evans and used his height advantage to poke the ball first, making up 62:63!

Ridnour still missed a jumper, and the Sonics' offensive end seemed to have been locked by the Rockets.Chauncey missed a layup, but he cleverly grabbed the offensive rebound, and then handed in the ball to Yao Ming, and the Rockets took the lead!

Lewis made a mid-range shot under Jefferson's frantic defense.After McGrady missed a jumper, Ridnour was intercepted by Billups again, and the Sonics' offense was completely messed up.

Throughout the third quarter, the Sonics made only 14 of 3 shots, especially in the next 9 minutes, only Ray Allen made 1 goal.They also made a full 7 turnovers and were completely defeated by the Rockets.Although the Rockets' offensive efficiency is not high, they still made 24 of 10 shots and scored 24 points, solidly widening the point difference.

The opponent was defeated 24:6 in a single quarter, and the Rockets started the fourth quarter with a good start of 74:65.Although Ray Allen scored 11 points hard in the last quarter, Yao and Mai contributed 21 points together. The Rockets firmly controlled the situation and maintained a point difference of more than 4 points. With Allen's three-pointer at the buzzer, the Rockets defeated the opponent 100:95 away.

All the victorious soldiers clapped their hands in celebration, and Lao Tang also showed a long-lost smile.He is very satisfied with the team's performance this time, not only satisfied with McGrady who contributed 35+8+5, but also satisfied with the solid defense played by the whole team.If these young players can put aside their previous unhappiness and get back together, who says they can't defend their title?
(End of this chapter)