Basketball's best forward and guard

Chapter 50 50 [Not at the same level]

"Let us congratulate Gregg Popovich, after the GDP combination, he finally found the most neutral starting lineup, China Jiang, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, this starting lineup is both offensive and defensive, it requires experience, experience, athleticism and athleticism.”

Many people looked at the Spurs' starting lineup and said with emotion.

In recent seasons, with Tim Duncan retiring and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili getting older, the Spurs' starting lineup has looked a bit misshapen.

Of course Popovich knows this, but he can't help it. He can only piece together a starting lineup as much as possible. This is the reality of the San Antonio Spurs.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that their bench lineup is very strong. "I will dig a hole for the main force, and the substitute will fill it." This is a kind of ridicule, but it is also a kind of helplessness.

But now, no one would have imagined that the stumbling Silver and Gray Legion would have a starting lineup that looks very good.

The birth of Jiang Hao seems to have completely brought new life to this team that was about to fall to the bottom.

From barely qualifying for the playoffs, they are now doing something that is destined to go down in history - the miracle of black eight.

Yes, the San Antonio people are trying to stage a black eight miracle.

A healthy Leonard is too much of a threat to the Rockets. Also, with the Rockets' defense, they can't do much against Jiang Hao, let alone a Leonard who is at the super giant level.

Therefore, even in the first quarter, James Harden and Chris Paul were fully fired on the offensive end and played their best first quarter of the series, but they could not hide the fact that they were still behind in the score.

"The Houstonians may have to hate the playoffs again. Maybe it was a mistake for them to build the team with James Harden as the core from the beginning"

Shaq O'Neal's remarks were very direct. He didn't leave room for himself at all, nor did he show mercy to James Harden.

In fact, before that, he was still very optimistic about James Harden. He hoped that the Rockets, which had achieved the top record in the regular season this year, could defeat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals and then win the O'Brien Cup in the Finals.

But now he finds that he was wrong. The Rockets are still the Rockets, but James Harden is no longer the same James Harden in the regular season.

"We can't say more, I mean if he is this kind of player, it may be useless for us to say more"

Barkley shook his head. Relatively speaking, he was not too surprised by this. Just like he emphasized as early as in the regular season, James Harden does not need to score too many points in the regular season. If they play at a higher level in the playoffs, Houston will have the hope of competing for the championship.

brush!
On the court, this was Jiang Hao's first three-point shot tonight. Because it was a very good time to make a three-point shot, he made it easily.

45: 31!

At this time, the second quarter of the game will be over in 3 minutes.

It's hard to imagine that the Rockets with fierce offensive firepower have only scored 31 points so far.
This is the horror of the Spurs. Leonard is the best super giant on both offensive and defensive ends in active service. His comeback can not only open up the situation for the team on the offensive end, but also put strong pressure on the opponent on the defensive end.

Frankly speaking, this is not just the credit of Leonard alone. The Spurs have too many excellent defensive players. Leonard, Jiang Hao, Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, these are all defensive players. master.

The Rockets themselves are a team that relies on outside scoring.

In this case, it is conceivable how much defensive pressure they will face.

Although O'Neal has a feeling of hatred for Harden, he also has to admit that even the former Kobe Bryant may be very uncomfortable in the face of the Spurs' defensive strength.

"Although the series between the Spurs and the Rockets is not over yet, and although there are still semifinals to come, what I want to say is that even if the Golden State Warriors meet the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, I am afraid they will be in the same situation as the Rockets today. Pretty much, facing the Spurs' tough defense, they only seem to have the ability to tear the defense apart from Kevin Durant."

O'Neal swears that he respects Stephen Curry 73%, but he has to admit that once Curry can't open the game in terms of three-pointers, his role will be infinitely reduced, and when encountering this terrible defense of the Spurs, He doesn't think that Curry can really make a bloody way with a three-pointer. If it can be done, it won't be the runner-up in [-] wins.

"I disagree with you. Stephen Curry may be the best shooter in the history of the league. His three-pointers have always been known for being unreasonable. With Kevin Durant, Curry can even The focus is on the outside, you know, for a pitcher, once you get him into the rhythm, no matter how strong the defense is, it doesn't matter."

Barkley stood on the opposite side of O'Neal without hesitation this time.

"Charles, you always look at things very subjectively. If you want to talk about key ball ability, then I would rather choose Klay Thompson than Stephen Curry. In the past few seasons, Stephen has never been in the playoffs. Prove to us that he has a big heart, but Klay Thompson is doing it, so wait and see! Stephen Curry will definitely not be a key figure in the Western Conference Finals”

…………

O'Neal and Barkley are arguing about the Western Conference Finals, but in fact, Rockets fans are the most uncomfortable at this time. Throughout the regular season, they are the happiest team in the league. Completely suppressed the defending champion in terms of record, which allowed them to see infinite possibilities.

Before the start of the playoffs, in their conversation, the Spurs were never the focus. They had a long-term vision. They were talking about the Western Conference Finals. They were talking about how the team should beat the Golden State Warriors.

But now, the Spurs, who were not valued by them, were doing something that they hadn't thought about or dared to imagine - black eight!

The most heart-wrenching thing, this black eight seems to be about to become a reality, not a very difficult black eight, but a clean 4:0 black eight.

God, is it really that hard for Houston to win again?
Some Rockets fans covered their faces and wept. They thought of the former Yao-Mike combination, which had won 22 consecutive games in the regular season. People called it a new OK combination, but in the end injuries ruined them.

Today, the Houston Rockets' road to rise again is about to be aborted again. The future is really bleak. When will the O'Brien Cup belong to Houston again?
(End of this chapter)