I just play ball

Chapter 386 Atypical Rocket

In the arena, boos were everywhere.

The audience shouted "garbage referee" wave after wave, and the corner of the referee Drake's mouth showed a smile. Although he quickly put it away, it was still accurately captured by the big screen on the scene, and the boos became more violent for a while.

The big screen lens was aimed at Xiao Hua immediately, but for a full five seconds, he didn't see any expression fluctuations on his face, as if he was an emotionless robot who didn't care about the scrutiny of the audience, making the director just Can switch lenses.

Harden took small steps, twisted his butt and stood at the free throw line, took the pass, patted it casually, and shot it casually.

when!The basketball smashed the basket and hit the iron, and the scene cheered and celebrated.

Harden stretched out his hands to high-five his teammates in front, back, left, and right, took the basketball again, and patted the ball again.

when!Still smashing the basket and hitting the iron, the basketball rebounded and flew far away. Marshall saw his hand and moved forward quickly.

The audience on the sidelines laughed, Rockets coach McHale shook his head slightly, and Harden slowly returned to defense.

Beverley began to cling to the interference in the center line area, Marshall rushed two steps, raised his hand and passed the ball to the left wing.

Kobe went up to catch the ball, backed up against Harden and made a back-hit, but he passed back hand-to-hand, and Marshall caught the ball and broke through.

Beverly squeezed through the screen to catch up, Marshall suddenly stopped and started a layup, and the two hit each other with a 'bang'.

The referee blew his whistle, called Beverly for a foul, and gave the Lakers the right to the frontcourt sideline. McHale spread his hands and expressed absurdity.

Li Yue shrugged slightly. This foul was indeed a bit reluctant, and the referee seemed to want to make up for it.

The Lakers made eye contact for a moment, Li Yue stood on the left sideline, waited for the referee to blow his whistle, and passed the ball to Marshall, who was raised from the bottom corner to the left wing, and strode to the bottom corner to stand still, and at the same time raised his hand to make a tactical gesture .

Marshall brought the ball to the top of the arc, slapped continuously to gain momentum, and suddenly rushed to the right.

At this time, the Lakers' 1-high and 4-low formation was in place. Seeing this, Li Yue ran out quietly, ready to catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer, but he didn't expect Marshall to choose to stop the brakes in the paint and play with Gasol under the basket. Hand to cooperate.

Where the space is too small, as soon as Gasol caught the ball in his hands, Howard and Anthony teamed up to double-team.

Landry wanted to help, but he couldn't reach out, and Gasol yelled and forced him to put the basket.

boom!Howard nailed the big cap, Anthony picked up the basketball, turned around and ran forward,

The players of the two teams started almost at the same time. Li Yue reached the three-pointer first by taking advantage of the early positioning. Seeing Anthony dribbling the ball, he immediately bent his knees and squatted slightly to prepare for a single defense, but Anthony rushed to the front and suddenly braked and chose to score the ball to the left.

Li Yue turned his head subconsciously and saw Harden catch the ball and start it directly, forcing a layup against Kobe.

The basketball hit the board and rebounded, rolled half a circle around the basket and then fell. Kobe raised his hand to catch it and threw it to Marshall.

The counter-attack horn sounded, and the audience cheered and shouted. Marshall rushed the ball to the right wing of the front court, patted and observed for a while, then passed the ball back to Kobe who followed up, and Kobe moved towards the left half without warning. Push hard.

The basketball was like a sharp arrow piercing through the air, almost sticking to Ariza's arm and Howard's fingers, and flew to the left corner with a 'swish' sound. Li Yue received it firmly in his hand. Seeing that there was no one around two meters away, he decisively made a three-pointer.

when!Basketball hits the basket and hits the iron.

A sigh came out suddenly, and Li Yue shook his head slightly.

Such a bold pass missed and a good chance for top five goals was lost.

Howard jumped high and caught the rebound, landed with one hand high, and made a long pass to the frontcourt.Anthony rushed to the left wing, caught the basketball just in time, handed it to Beverly who followed up, and then rushed to the waist to hold Landry with his back.

Beverly made a tacit pass back, Anthony caught the ball and directly relied on his weight advantage to grind it in, grabbed the space step by step, turned around and took off and made a mid-range shot. The basketball fell into the Nets as if it had a positioning navigation, and the Rockets led 4-0 .

"Anthony's joining will greatly enhance the Rockets' low-post lethality, thereby relieving Howard's pressure in low-post attacks, and can further enrich the Rockets' mid-range tactics. It is a combination of 1+1>2." Barkley said, "So Morey's tweet wasn't bragging, although he did brag a lot before."

On the court, Marshall took the ball to the right wing, observed for a moment, and rushed to the free throw line with the help of Gasol's cover.

It's a pity that Howard left room in advance, and Beverly dodged around the screen and firmly blocked the way.

Marshall pulled the ball back to the top of the arc, and with the help of Gasol to cover again, he pretended to go to the right but actually went to the left. After successfully attracting Harden to shrink and assist the defense, he threw the ball 45 degrees to the left. , and throw it vigorously towards the bottom left corner.

The audience shifted their gazes and saw Li Yue catch the ball, pull low and sweep in front of his body, half-step probing, shoulders sinking and rushing, in the blink of an eye, he threw away Ariza who wanted to block the right and left, and went straight to the basket along the baseline.

Howard and Anthony double-teamed at the same time, and Beverly also intercepted from the other side, forming a three-sided encirclement in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Li Yue took off with the ball, twisted in the air to avoid interference, and passed the ball vigorously.

Gasol took off from the free throw line and caught it. He landed and raised his hand to make a total shot. The basketball hit the circle and went into the net.

The Lakers scored for the first time in the new season, the announcer stretched his voice to broadcast, and the Staples Center resounded with cheers.

The Rockets attack, Harden catches the ball in the backcourt, advances slowly, and directs the tactics by the way.

Li Yue was following Ariza at this time, and when he saw Harden raised his hand, he subconsciously turned his head to observe, curious about where he would stand.

It was thought that the four Rockets moved to the right collectively, and the tactics commanded by Harden would open up space for him to play singles.

Kobe also noticed this, and immediately bent his knees and squatted halfway, putting on an appearance of swearing to intercept.

Harden patted the ball and waited, seemingly hesitating for a long time, and suddenly raised his hand to call for cover.

The audience took the opportunity to boo wildly, Li Yue almost laughed out loud, why did he get scared?

Anthony stepped forward, but he is not a player who is good at playing pick-and-rolls. The screen effect is not as good as Terrence Jones. Harden simply changed hands and dribbled behind his back. He forced Kobe to break to the left, and he had to find a way Get rid of the blocking Landry.

After some futile maneuvers, Harden was forced to stop in the middle of the free throw line, turn around and pass the ball 45 degrees to the left.

At this time, there are only 4.9 seconds left in the attack time. Anthony catches the ball and jumps directly, facing Landry and making a three-pointer.

Swish!The basketball is hollow into the net.

Landry had no choice but to spread his hands. There is really no way for this kind of fairy goal.

The Lakers attacked, and Marshall brought the ball to the left wing of the frontcourt, and threw it to Kobe at the top of the arc with the help of a screen.

Seeing this, Li Yue rushed to the bottom line and waved at Marshall from a distance, implying a set of off-ball cross screens.

Landry and Gasol cooperated tacitly and went down to the wall. For a while, the half-court formation was 1 high and 4 low. Kobe bent his shoulders and moved to the left, rushing all the way to the left wing, and hitting the ball to the left sideline.

At this time, Li Yue rushed over with the help of a screen, received the basketball and took a three-threat pose. A moment later, he used Gasol's cover to rush to the free throw line.

Gasol, who disassembled the air cut, received the ball, faced Anthony's big stride and moved laterally to defend, raised his hands high to the basket, Landry just cut in, caught it firmly, kicked off the ground vigorously, and violently dunked Score, the Lakers chased 4 to 7.

"This kind of offensive cooperation is a bit like watching an Afan single movie. Every connection is so smooth." O'Neal said, "The Lakers' eight-game losing streak in the preseason cannot represent their strength. point."

The Rockets attacked, Harden took the ball in advance again, patted left, patted right, and wobbled forward.

"If you just turned on the TV and saw Harden dribbling like this, you might think he has played for 40 minutes," Kenny laughed, "but in fact it was only 2 minutes and 09 seconds of the game, and he was tired. Oxygen is needed."

Harden took the ball across the center line, and suddenly threw it vigorously to the left elbow. Anthony, who was standing there, was unprepared, and hurriedly bent down to catch the basketball, but as soon as he stood up straight and got into position, Harden raised his hand and asked for the basketball.

Anthony frowned slightly, and chose to pass the ball back. Harden caught the ball and made an emergency stop to make a mid-range shot.

With such a strategy, he successfully got rid of Kobe's interference, but the basketball smashed the basket and hit the iron.

Gasol grabbed the rebound and handed it to Marshall. The Lakers launched a counterattack, and the audience cheered.

Li Yue received the ball from the right wing, watched for a moment and threw it towards the top of the arc, accelerated and caught the ball straight into the paint. At the same time, Kobe stepped past Harden who was standing upright, and went straight to the hoop.

One person, one ball met in the paint area. Kobe was surrounded by three people as soon as he caught the ball, and quickly threw the ball 45 degrees to the right.

Marshall caught the ball and raised his hand, and in an instant he went to the right corner, and rushed up to the wall as a screen.Li Yue took the ball and moved out, took the opportunity to get rid of Ariza's interference, twisted his hips and rushed into the paint, facing Howard with an emergency stop and throw.

Snapped!Howard slapped the basketball with his cap.

But the referee blew his whistle and decided to interfere with the ball, and the Lakers chased 6-7.

Li Yue raised his hands and applauded. Landry didn't blow the interference ball before, but the referee finally saw it clearly this time.

Of course, it is also possible that you dare not be too presumptuous.

The Rockets attacked, and Beverly dribbled the ball to the right 45 degrees, then turned and threw it to Ariza who came out of the screen.

Considering that Ariza's ability to hold the ball is average, Li Yue chose to block the right and put the left, and Gasol went around to interfere with the passing route.

Ariza really didn't dare to make a strong pass, and hesitated for a long time, letting the offensive time go by.

Anthony didn't seem to be able to stand it anymore, and ran over from the right wing to respond, but as soon as he took a step, Harden rushed from the bottom corner on the right to the top of the arc, took the first step to catch the basketball, and moved to the right against Kobe's defense.

Anthony hastily cut in to make room for it, never thinking that Harden would have nowhere to go after taking a few strides, so he hurriedly put his back on Landry, received Harden's ground pass, tried several times in a row, and suddenly exerted strength before Turn around, lean back and make a mid-range shot.

Boom!The basketball crashed into the net and the Rockets led 9-6. McHale smiled.

"See? This is what I said before. Anthony's low-post scoring ability ranks among the top in the league. With Harden unable to complete a breakthrough, the Rockets have an extra scoring option, and their strength has definitely more than doubled." Buck Leigh said, "So I think this year's Western Conference Finals will be the stage for the Lakers and Rockets, and it will be difficult for other teams."

On the court, the Lakers attacked, Kobe took the ball to the left corner of the frontcourt, patted and waited.

Although he didn't want to break through directly, Harden still stood upright. Kobe glanced at him in disbelief. After confirming, he suddenly bent his shoulders and rushed to the basket on the left side in the blink of an eye. Harden, take off and hit the board steadily.

boom!The basketball hit the board and fell, and Landry jumped up, caught it, and scored a dunk.

Harden picked up the basketball and retreated out of bounds, threw it into the court at will, and walked forward slowly.

Beverly could only run two extra steps to pick up the basketball. Seeing that Harden raised his hand to ask for it, he quickly passed it back.

Harden dribbled the ball across the center line, threw it to Ariza who was raised to the left wing with Howard's cover, and stopped at the top of the arc.

Ariza received the ball with his left foot in a three-threat pose, pretending to pass it to Howard in the waist, but in fact he stepped down the ball and made a breakthrough to the right. Anthony.

Li Yue turned his head hastily and saw Anthony carrying Landry to take off forcibly, and put a backhand to score.

The Rockets led 11 to 8, Anthony scored 9 points in a row, and McHale got a standing ovation.

"From this point of view, it is very cost-effective for the Rockets to pay the luxury tax for the first time in nearly 20 years." Kenny Smith said, "Anthony is the kind of superstar who can completely change a team. This game is indeed expected to win."

"Li Yue should stand up and respond at this time." Barkley said, "How can we just sit back and watch the rocket rise?"

"Are you kidding? Right?" O'Neill was surprised, "Li Yue still needs to prove himself?"

On the court, the Lakers attack.

Li Yue received the ball from the back court and advanced all the way to the 45-degree three-point line on the right. Seeing that Ariza took the initiative to pull half a distance away, it showed that his crotch changed hands and pretended to make a breakthrough, followed by an emergency stop to pull the ball and retreated. Easily get a half body space.

Ariza rushed back, but Li Yue took off calmly and made a two-pointer. The basketball went into the net and the Lakers chased 10-11.The attack took a total of 8 seconds, and the two big centers Howard and Gasol hadn't had time to get to the basket.

The Rockets attacked, Harden received the ball in the backcourt, and took it straight across the center line, with his left hand over his right, and his right over his left.

A moment later, Beverley finally used the screen to run to the left 45-degree three-point line, and Marshall was a long way behind.

With such a large space, the Rockets' bench will prepare to celebrate in advance, but for some reason, Harden chooses to pass the ball with both hands high.

Seeing this, Li Yue quickly followed up, caught the ball from the center line and went straight to the basket. He swung Anthony away with a European step, and made a fake layup to avoid the flying Howard. .

Kobe caught it steadily, with no Rockets players nearby to interfere, calmly raised his head to aim at the basket, and shot a wide-open three-pointer.

Swish!The basketball was caught hollow, and the Lakers overtook 13 to 11.

"Have you noticed? There seems to be something wrong with Harden," Kenny said, "In addition to shooting consecutive shots, he also made mistakes one after another. Even his best free throws were 2 for 0, as if he had lost his soul." ..."

"Judging from the past few seasons, he is the kind of slow-burning player." O'Neal said, "In fact, he has not adjusted from the vacation state, and Los Angeles is his hometown. He may have had a good time last night. You know of…"

"No, I have a different opinion!" O'Neal waved his hand. "I think the root of the problem is that Anthony joined. The two of them have not yet completed the running-in. This is an atypical Rockets team. Harden is confused about his role."

(End of this chapter)