I just play ball

Chapter 336 Defeating LeBron

The time-out is over and the game continues.

Jeremy Lin of the Rockets replaced Beverly, and Covington of the Lakers replaced Landry.

The referee blew his whistle and Howard kicked off from the baseline.

Jeremy Lin received the hand, faced Kobe's early marking, changed hands continuously, hopped and swayed forward.

Under the guidance of the announcer, the audience applauded sparsely, and there were some cheers along the way. The entire Toyota Center finally had a bit of playoff atmosphere, but the central big screen cut to the boss Alexander's face, but he couldn't see it at all. Even a little nervous, as if he didn't care about the result of the game.

In a blink of an eye, Jeremy Lin took the ball across the center line, handed it to Parsons who came up to respond, and then strode into the inside line, using Howard's cover to go straight to the basket, and made an off-ball cross screen with the oncoming Harden. At the same time, Parsons moved the ball to the left half, and the two formed a typical floppy cooperation.

Such a common running position can basically be seen by the players. In addition, Jeremy Lin also has a certain three-point ability. On and off the court, it was a hectic mess.

At this time, Li Yue moved with Parsons, with his back to the basket, but he didn't know what was going on behind him. When he heard these shouts, he immediately understood, took a step forward, and blocked Parsons' passing route sideways, cutting off the Rockets' cooperation from the source.

The Rockets' offense was blocked, the noise disappeared for a short while, and McHale's hasty shouts followed. Parsons hastily adjusted his body to face the basket. Li Yue subconsciously turned his head to check, and found Harden who should have rushed to the right sideline. I don't know when he made a sudden stop and ran back to the basket, and used Howard's cover to shake off Iguodala and go straight to the free throw line.

Parsons stooped to hit the ground to pass the ball, Li Yue used his muscle memory to catch it, and only caught a handful of wind.

Harden successfully received the ball, turned around and jumped up, flew towards Iguodala, and shot backwards.

Swish!The basketball hit the net hollow, Harden landed and roared, the audience couldn't help cheering and echoing, Toyota Center had a rare collective celebration, but the central big screen showed the boss Alexander, still as cold as ice.

"Wow?" Van Gundy raised his eyebrows and stared slightly. "If I remember correctly, Harden just played the way he played when he first entered the league. Suddenly he looks a bit like Kobe. Do you remember how he played?"

"Agreed!" Mark Jackson nodded repeatedly, "He will cause headaches for the Lakers if he plays like this, but his current weight is much higher than when he first entered the league. It is estimated that it will be difficult for him to adopt this method for a long time."

"Have you noticed?" Brin paused, "The match between the two teams seems to be a personal duel between Li Yue and Harden. The rest of the two teams have not scored yet, but Harden scored 10 points in a row, and Li Yue scored 17 points in a row. point."

On the court, Kobe took the ball to the left wing, slowed down and observed for a while, and raised his hand to call for a back-up tactic.

Seeing this, Li Yue started from the right side at a low price, and with the help of Gasol's cover, he came to the right elbow area.

Almost at the same time, Kobe came to the top of the arc with the help of Covington's cover, stopped the brakes suddenly and passed the ball, then turned around and ran back to the left wing. Only Li Yue and Parsons were left on the field.

The intention of singles was fully revealed, the audience booed and interfered wildly, a middle-aged fat Caucasian audience shouted Li Yue's name, then squinted his eyes and pulled his eyelids, and the audience next to him laughed and clapped their hands.

Li Yue's left foot was the axis, and his right foot continued to step forward, then suddenly stepped forward, turned around and raised his hand to aim at the basket.

Parsons immediately leapt forward, pounced on the basketball as if he was about to eat people, but Li Yue stopped his movement, stepped forward with a cat waist, skillfully stepped up and down, jumped lightly, and threw the ball with his left hand.

boom!The basketball rebounded into the net and scored 19 points in a row.

"Shit!" A black young man on the sidelines yelled loudly, "This is a walking movement, are you blind, the referee?"

Hearing the sound, Li Yue subconsciously turned his head to look at it, and the young man bowed his head instantly, as if giving up protesting.

The Rockets attacked, Jeremy Lin took the right wing, raised his hands high and wanted to pass to the waist.

Gasol tried his best to defend against the card position, and Howard couldn't adapt for a while, so he waved his hand and signaled not to give it.

Jeremy Lin turned his hand and threw the ball to the top of the arc. Asik received it and passed it back after a moment of bewilderment. Jeremy Lin caught the ball and looked at Howard.

Howard received the ball and turned around, raised his hands high and waved to find space for a strong hit. After three consecutive shots, he suddenly turned around and stepped forward, grabbed the basket, kicked off the ground, and shot sideways with a small hook.

bass!The basketball was caught, 12 to 19.

Gasol shook his head in frustration, as if he was not satisfied with his defensive performance. He picked up the basketball and retreated out of bounds. Fighting becomes an absolute factor. As a veteran, it is normal for Gasol to suffer losses, let alone defend with all his strength before.

Gasol smiled back, Li Yue took the ball and pushed forward, and the audience spontaneously shouted for defense in unison.

To Li Yue, this is a sign that the Rockets are on the rise. Perhaps it is because there are players other than Harden who score, and they should find a way to suppress them. After a little thought, they decided to play the ball for Gasol, which can just play an encouraging role. .

After making up his mind, Li Yue took the ball to the left wing and raised his hands high to indicate that he was ready to catch the ball.

Seeing this, Gasol bent his knees and squatted slightly, and the basketball was passed almost at the same time, but Howard went around and rushed the ball away.

The basketball rolled towards the midfield, and Li Yue rushed to catch up, but no matter how fast he was, Howard made a quick save, grabbed the ball in his hands, lifted it up and threw it forward, as if he was about to give it to him. ascend.

But Howard's passing skills are really eye-catching. Not only did the basketball not fly to Harden, but it flew straight to the sideline.

Seeing this situation, Harden stopped immediately, but Iguodala was still chasing after him, jumped out of bounds resolutely, and moved vigorously into the field. He hit the technical stage with his whole body and was brought into the auditorium by inertia. Throw people off their backs.

Li Yue received the ball and turned around, rushed a few steps to the right wing, and found that the Rockets' defensive formation was in chaos. Standing in front of Gasol was Jeremy Lin who was at a disadvantage in height, so he threw the ball over without hesitation.

Gasol caught the ball and made a direct shot, hitting the net with a bang. The Lakers led 21 to 12, and the 9-point advantage was firmly stuck like superglue. No matter how the Rockets struggled, it still lingered.

"Strictly speaking, Li Yue had a better chance of attacking himself just now." Mark Jackson said, "At that time, it was Asik who stood in front of him. Achievement."

"Think about it from another angle." Van Gundy said, "Maybe he wants to surround LeBron in all directions. The scoring task has been completed. Next, there is a high probability that he will focus on assists and defense to avoid the reasons you mentioned before."

"Maybe it's not that complicated, just want to win." Breen said, "Maybe it's to encourage teammates."

On the court, the Rockets attack.

Jeremy Lin sprinted with the ball, crossed the center line with the help of Harden's cover to shake off Kobe, and came to the right wing to hit the ground and pass the ball.

Howard bent over to catch the ball, turned around and raised his elbows high, grabbed the space and then swayed a shot, walking the bottom line and rushing forward.Gasol twisted his hips and moved sideways to chase closely, followed Howard's rhythm, and slapped his backhand for a layup.

The basketball flew to the left sideline, Li Yue picked it up with a bow, bent his knees and kicked the ground and ran forward, straight into the middle like a little cheetah, Iguodala and Kobe followed up from the left and right sidelines respectively, the Lakers launched a three-line fast break .

The audience booed wildly, and Li Yue rushed to the free throw line. Seeing the Rockets double-team, he stopped and braked to score the ball to the left.

Iguodala received it, and there was no one two meters in front of him, so he took off calmly and made a three-pointer.

when!The basketball hit the rim and bounced upside down.

Li Yue saw the landing point, put his back against Parsons, jumped high and caught it, landed and moved to the right to leave the Rockets encirclement, turned around and saw Gasol cut in from the left at 45 degrees, and immediately jumped up to pass in the air ball.

Gasol received the hand, faced Jeremy Lin's defense again, and stepped slightly to make a mid-range shot.

Swish!Hollow into the net, 23 to 12, the Lakers' lead expanded for the first time.

The corners of McHale's mouth twitched one after another, his facial expression was like a powder keg that was about to explode, but he didn't know who to spray, so he could only hold back, his expression became as ugly as if he had been constipated for five days.

The Rockets attacked and Howard grabbed the serve.

Harden catches the ball and strides to the top of the arc, then turns and throws it to the right wing.

Jeremy Lin received the ball with both hands raised high, and it looked like he was about to pass it to the waist. Kobe stepped back slightly when he saw this.

That thought, Jeremy Lin suddenly kicked off the ground and rushed to shoot a three-pointer.

Kobe swooped a little later, the basketball went into the net hollow, bit his lips and clapped his hands depressed.

He turned around and ran to the bottom line, caught the ball and quickly brought it to the frontcourt, took off against Jeremy Lin's close defense, and made a strong three-pointer.

The basketball hit the basket and fell, Asik held Gasol with his back, and Howard easily got the rebound.

The Rockets launched a quick counterattack. Harden took the ball to the left wing and hit the short corner without warning.

The audience on the sidelines were stupefied, and Li Yue himself felt a little surprised, but there was no need to think too much about it. He ran all the way forward and crossed the center line in about two seconds. Seeing that his frontcourt was 4 against 1, and the 1 was Asik. , Decisively and vigorously make a long pass.

Covington received the ball from the free throw line, ignored Asik's interference, and made a three-step layup.

After the two teams gave each other a turnover, the Lakers led 25 to 15, and McHale stomped his feet in anger.

Li Yue turned around and returned to defense, looked up at the big screen, just in time to watch the replay of the Rockets' mistakes. Thinking about it carefully, Harden probably thought that Parsons would go to the bottom line to break through, but Parsons thought that Harden would play singles, and the two had a tacit understanding degree is almost zero.

The Rockets attack, Jeremy Lin dribbles the ball to the right at 45 degrees, turns and throws it to the top of the arc, then runs to the right wing to cover for Parsons without the ball, and Asik catches the ball and moves to the left, handing it to Harden who rushed over , Harden immediately passed to the left waist.

Howard catches the ball and hits Gasol sideways.

Iguodala slowly shrinks in to create a threat. Such a strategy is naturally to prevent the ball from going outside.

But Harden did the opposite, let go of his feet and went straight to the basket. Li Yue saw this and quickly moved laterally to intercept him.

A partial three defense and two defenses were formed under the basket, and the Rockets' offense was severely hindered. McHale hurriedly shouted to remind, Parsons also raised his hands at the top of the arc and waved again and again. Howard quickly jumped up and passed the ball vigorously.

Li Yue wanted to return to the defense but was blocked by Harden in the opposite direction. Parsons took the ball and took a step forward, making an emergency stop at the free throw line.

when!The smashing basket fell.

Li Yue kicked off the ground and caught the rebound. After landing, he changed hands to avoid some thieves from Harden. He rushed forward like a hot wheel, and reached the free throw line in about three seconds. He pretended to go to the right but actually went to the left. Quickly sacrificed the European step, easily swayed Howard to the basket, faced Asik's lateral interception, and made an emergency stop to score the ball with a low hand.

Covington received the hand and made a dunk on the spot. The Lakers led 27 to 15.

The Rockets attacked, Harden dribbled the ball to the left wing, and used Parsons to cover to the top of the arc.

Li Yue switched defenses to intercept and directly blocked the left lane. Harden tried to break through and was blocked and continued to move to the right.

Jeremy Lin moved across to cover, and Kobe switched first.Harden was stunned on the spot, with a small expression on his face as if he was complaining, "This is not easy for him", he hesitated to try a few times, and then changed hands and threw the ball to his waist.

Howard received the ball and turned around, facing the basket and hitting Gasol forcefully, Kobe shrank his defense as usual.

But this time Howard didn't give up. He chose to turn around and walk to the baseline, but Gasol chased him closely, and the available space gradually became smaller. He had no choice but to slow down and brake, and then turned forward to pass the ball back.

Harden received the ball, changed hands and shook continuously, never daring to try to break through.There were only 3 seconds left in the attack time, Harden suddenly pulled the ball back, Kobe hurriedly took a step forward, but Harden did not step back to shoot, but threw the ball to the top of the arc.

Jeremy Lin was completely unprepared, the basketball slammed on his body, Li Yue raised his hand to complete the steal, and ran forward single-handedly, the Rockets had no one to chase except Jeremy Lin, and the other Lakers players were also happy to give up follow-up.

Li Yue came to the free throw line in the frontcourt in a flash, took two steps with the ball, leaped, and scored with a gliding split.

"What's wrong with you!" McHale opened his mouth wide and yelled at Jeremy Lin in a ferocious roar, as if he had finally detonated the powder keg that had been simmering for a long time, "You have to stay so fucking focused!"

Jeremy Lin lowered his head helplessly, picked up the basketball and stood out of bounds, but McHale waved at the referee, signaling the Rockets to request a timeout. The Lakers led 29-15.

...

In the ESPN commentary seat, Van Gundy pushed his glasses: "I think the mistake just now should not be counted on Jeremy Lin's head. Who would have thought that Harden passed the ball with only 2 seconds left? I was ready to explain the singles action at that time."

"No, he should have thought of it." Mark Jackson had a smirk on his face, "It's not the first time Harden has chosen to pass the ball at the end of the attack time, and he has received this kind of pass before, so he should be prepared .”

Brin smiled and shook his head: "Overall, the Rockets are an extremely young team. They still need more time to enrich their experience in the playoffs, especially the mentality of the main players when facing a life-and-death battle."

...

After the timeout, the Rockets copied the Nets' routines against LeBron and the Spurs against Durant, and used methods such as going forward, double-teaming, and forced fouls to target Li Yue, but Li Yue was not affected in any way except for heavy blows every time. Either one hit the top two and make an emergency stop to score, or pass the ball from the cracks to assist teammates, and in turn send steals and blocks.

After halftime, the Lakers led 71 to 42. After halftime, most of the audience at the Toyota Center left.

With 6 minutes and 03 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the game entered an official timeout, and the Lakers' lead reached a terrifying 36 points.McHale withdrew all the main players and declared defeat. Harden left the court early and returned to the locker room. Howard sat on the bench and looked up to the sky thinking.

The Lakers finally won 137-98 and swept the series 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

李越拿到41分15助攻11篮板3抢断2盖帽，暂时完胜勒布朗。

(End of this chapter)