Legendary basketball manager

Nowitzki played this time against Griffin, who performed brilliantly at the end of the first quarter.

Shen Fei in the stands immediately prayed for Griffin in his heart when he saw that the two were facing each other.

Let's hope this young man, who is just showing some sparks, doesn't get hit too soon.

However, the reality is always cruel, especially the basketball court.

The Mavericks are clearly aware that Griffin is the biggest hole in the Rockets' defense.

As soon as he came up, Barea sent the ball to the low post.

Nowitzki turned to face-up offense while receiving the ball.

Griffin lowered his center of gravity and raised his right hand to block Nuo Tianwang, as if he was facing an enemy.

Griffin has been waiting for this moment for a long time!

He is very eager to play well on the defensive end, so that Mark Jackson can believe that he can "survive" in the high-end game!

But things backfired.

Nowitzki saw Griffin's defensive position, without any hesitation, he directly pulled out the shot...

Griffin couldn't react in time, so he quickly raised his center of gravity and rushed forward.

"Shu~"

"Beep!"

At the same time as the goal was scored, the referee's whistle sounded at the same time.

and. one!

The noisy Toyota Center fell silent in an instant.

The fans also realized that after Nowitzki played, the situation of the game changed immediately...

The German chariot walked to the free throw line and made a steady hit with the extra penalty.

At 32:34, the point difference returned to two points.

Rocket attack.

Griffin was just eaten by the sheet, and he was not convinced. He wanted to get back to the field quickly, so he fell to the low position and opened his hands for the ball.

Curry hit the ground and passed the ball in.

Facing Nowitzki's defense, Griffin turned his back a few times, barely squeezed into the attacking range, then forcibly turned around and hooked...

"duang!"

The ball hit the front of the basket and bounced out.

Dirk Nowitzki relaxed the ape arm, accepted the rebound, and then handed the ball to Terry.

The Mavericks took advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack!

During the fast break, Terry advanced quickly with the ball, came to an emergency stop near the three-point line, and distributed the ball to Nowitzki who followed up in the middle.

Griffin rushed to the horse and stood in front of the German tank.

This time, he didn't dare to press the center of gravity so low again, but the result was not much different...

Nowitzki made a false shot after receiving the ball, and then swayed Griffin, and then dribbled a long two-point shot...

Again!

At 34:34, the two sides returned to the same starting line.

Mark Jackson stood up from the coach's bench and called a timeout decisively.

He knows very well that once Nowitzki is fully in the state, the next game will become extremely difficult.

However, Nowitzki seems to have entered the state now...

As he walked back to the bench, Griffin looked uncharacteristically frustrated.

Not only did he fail to guard Nowitzki, but he also let the latter play easily, seemingly with little effort...

After sitting in the seat, the fire in Griffin's heart was not extinguished, and he hammered the chair hard.

The teammates were stunned.

Ben Wallace reached out and patted him on the back, but didn't say anything comforting.

"The timeout is over and we will make substitutions, Ben and Lin, you two get ready."

Mark Jackson looked at Big Ben and Jeremy Lin and said.

The two nodded.

Griffin lowered his head, unable to see his expression clearly.

After the timeout, the Rockets' lineup became: Jeremy Lin, Roy, Green, Ben and Oden.

The game restarts.

After Daben came on the field, he soon had a direct conversation with Nowitzki.

Because of the two fouls on his back, Ben Wallace's defensive aggression has decreased.

Of course, this is compared to his previous defensive strength, which is still more than one gear higher than Griffin.

But Nowitzki feels hot.

Under the defense of Big Ben, he used the signature "Golden Rooster Independence".

Ben Wallace had already sealed his fingertips when he shot, and if he was a little more, he would either complete the block or be called a foul.

But with this defensive intensity, Nowitzki still made the ball!

36: 34.

The Mavericks played a 6:0 spurt in the second quarter, leading the score again!

On the sidelines, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming have already taken their positions on the technical stage, waiting to play.

The time for the two to play again was much earlier than before.

It can be seen from this that the pressure that the Mavericks put on the Rockets is far from being comparable to the opponents in the previous two rounds!

Soon, Yao Mai got the chance to play.

After attracting double-teams, Roy passed the ball to Ben Wallace who was emptied.

Daben took off with both feet in place, and made a gesture of withholding.

Nowitzki struggled to take off to block the shot, but limited by his jumping ability, he failed to send a hot pot, but instead sent a foul.

Big Ben goes to the free throw line.

first penalty...

No entry!

Before the second free throw, Yao Ming and McGrady replaced Oden and Roy respectively.

Second penalty...

hit!

At 36:35, the difference between the two sides was only 1 point.

The Mavericks attacked, and Nowitzki, whose hands were hot, continued his personal offense.

But this time, under the full defense of Daben, he failed in the mid-range shot!

After Yao Ming took off the rebound, the Rockets quickly launched a counterattack.

During the fast break, McGrady rode his white horse with a spear and broke into the Mavericks penalty area alone.

Facing Marion's defense, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left in the air and made a layup!

At the same time as the goal was scored, t-mac also caused a thug foul by Marion.

Two points scored, but also a penalty!

Before McGrady made a free throw, the Mavericks also made substitution adjustments.

Carlisle replaced all the bench players and replaced all the starters.

t-mac goes to the free throw line.

For McGrady, the Rockets fans will naturally not hesitate to cheer, and the entire Toyota Center rang out a uniform slogan——

"mvp!!!"

"mvp!!!"

"mvp!!!"

......

McGrady took a deep breath and made a steady hit with a penalty!

At 36:38, the Rockets successfully overtook the score.

In the transition between offense and defense, the Mavericks gave Kidd an open three-pointer after a series of transmissions.

Old Kidd hit a three-pointer with a knife in his hand.

At 39:38, the leading team changed hands again!

For this ball, Kidd was able to get an open opportunity. In addition to the team's fast and effective conduction, it also relied on Nowitzki's containment.

When he got the ball, not only was Ben Wallace fully focused on defending, Jeremy Lin was also on the sidelines ready to help.

And it was precisely because of Brother Hao's distraction that Kidd got a three-point chance!

In the next few minutes, the two sides basically maintained a balance of power.

After 7 minutes in the second quarter, the two teams tied at 50.

With a wave of Mark Jackson, Curry replaced Ben Wallace and George replaced Danny Green.

And it was McGrady who defended Nowitzki at the fourth position!

This kind of formation surprised the commentator of CCTV.

"Hey, what is the Rockets' plan? McGrady is a swingman, and he is at a natural disadvantage in terms of strength to defend against a power forward like Nowitzki!"

"However, I do remember that in the playoffs a few years ago, McGrady actually played against Nowitzki, and the defensive effect was not bad."

Zhang Weiping recalled.

"I am cautiously optimistic about this kind of matchup arrangement... McGrady did defend well back then, but it is different now. Nowitzki, I feel, is stronger than his mvp season!"

"In this year's playoffs, every one of his skills has been very mature, and he has been able to face all styles of defenders with ease."

"McGrady wants to replicate the defensive effect of the year, it is too difficult..."

Su Qun shook his head and said.

............

The game continues.

Curry played as soon as he came on the court.

He delivered the ball at the top of the key and then began to move without the ball.

Near the baseline, Curry sprang into action and weaved between Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady near the elbow.

Butler, who was defending him, was blocked by Yao Mai's double pick-and-roll, and could only watch Curry leave.

"Beautiful, this is the 'elevator door' tactic that the Rockets have tried time and again this year!"

Su Qun explained in a timely manner.

And Roy, who dealt the card at the top of the arc, also passed the ball in the first place.

Curry shot quickly after receiving the ball, and Chandler, who defended the defense, tried his best, but failed to arrive before his shot.

After the basketball left Curry's fingertips, it spun at a high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air...

"Shu~"

Hollow into the network!

50: 53!

After scoring the goal, Curry began to point in the direction of Yao Mai, thanking the two for their pick-and-roll.

Offensive and defensive transitions, the aces of the two teams, Bull and Fire, ushered in a head-to-head confrontation.

Nowitzki got the ball at the free throw line, and McGrady stepped up and defended behind him.

The size difference between the two is not small.

McGrady is 2 meters, Nowitzki is 03 meters, and the weight gap is huge.

But the strange thing is that under the top defense of McGrady, the advance of the German chariot was not smooth.

T-mac firmly resisted Nowitzki's foot, which made the latter very uncomfortable.

In this regard, McGrady achieved the same effect as Yi Jianlian.

And when Nowitzki turned over and leaned back, t-mac predicted his action in advance, moved sideways to flash out of the space, and then took off to block the block...

The next moment, an amazing scene happened.

Nowitzki's fadeaway shot was actually touched by McGrady's fingertips.

The ball fell in front of the basket and fell into George's hands.

The pickled peppers accelerated for the first time.

At the same time, the rest of the Rockets also rushed down.

For a moment, the four people except Yao Ming were like four sharp swords, piercing straight into the heart of the calf!

After George dribbled halfway, he handed the ball to Curry.

The Rockets took it easy on the 30th, and returned the ball to George with a freehand no-look-pass.

Paojiao took a long leg, rushed to the back of the penalty area and took a step forward, taking off with both feet...

"bang!"

After a powerful tomahawk dunk, the score became 50:55!

After the offensive and defensive transition, Nowitzki fell to the low post.

McGrady soon came to his side.

"Just defended well."

Nowitzki said a little arrogantly.

"Huh? It's okay."

McGrady didn't expect the other party to speak to him, and was taken aback for a moment.

The relationship between the two is actually good.

If the Rockets officials and Shen Fei hadn't started a team on Twitter, the two of them would not have had no communication in the previous games.

"But I know how to beat you."

Nowitzki continued.

McGrady's smile stagnated: "You try."

............

Soon, Kidd handed the ball to Nowitzki again.

McGrady repeated his old trick and continued to work hard on the lower plate confrontation.

Who knows, Nowitzki turned around and turned into a face-up attack.

In this way, his weight advantage as an inside player cannot be used.

But at the same time, McGrady's defensive method of being stuck in the lower plate cannot be implemented.

Seeing Nowitzki's tentative step, he forced t-mac back half a step.

A fake shot made McGrady's center of gravity fluctuate again.

Although the latter is still in a defensive position, everyone can see that McGrady is very passive at this time.

At this moment, Nowitzki suddenly changed back to the posture of back hitting.

With only one physical confrontation, McGrady, who was not ready, was pushed back a few steps.

Nowitzki then turned over and shot.

"Shu~"

Basketball hits the net!

52: 55.

At this time, there are still 2 minutes before halftime, and Nowitzki has scored 20 points!

Rocket attack.

McGrady advanced from the backcourt with the ball alone.

Not far away, Marion dismounted and stood ready.

But as soon as the two met, McGrady suddenly accelerated and passed him with a lightning-quick first move.

After coming to the penalty area, Nowitzki took a step sideways and blocked in front of him.

t-mac didn't get aggressive, but keenly observed that George was in an open position, and passed the ball decisively.

Pickled pepper catches the ball from the bottom corner, raises the knife and drops it, and hits a three-pointer!

At 52:58, the Rockets quietly expanded their lead.

Looking back, the Mavericks finally had other players stand up.

Butler caught a hand-off from Kidd at the top of the key and switched the defender to Curry.

Facing Mengshen's defense, Butler didn't make any fake moves, and made a sudden attack from the right.

He stood against Curry's defense all the way, carrying a pack of explosives to the inside of the Rockets, and finally caused a foul.

After walking to the free throw line, Butler made two free throws.

The score became 54:58!

After the offensive and defensive transition, McGrady ignored the defense from outside the three-point line and pulled out his shot...

"duang!"

The ball hit the front of the basket and bounced out.

It can be seen that the arc of McGrady's shot is slightly lower than before.

When Mark Jackson saw this, he immediately realized that defending Nowitzki would consume a lot of t-mac.

In other words... if you continue to let him defend alone, it will be difficult for McGrady to maintain the efficiency of the offensive end!

That's not to say McGrady can't play both offense and defense.

Although his defense and physical fitness are not as good as Kobe's, at least he started as a defense back then, and his awareness and ability are above the average level.

But no matter how good McGrady's physical talent is, he is essentially an outside player.

Even for a heavy forward like James, if you let him defend the opponent's inside for several rounds in a row, it will be difficult for him to maintain efficiency on the offensive end.

With this in mind, Mark Jackson called PJ Tucker from the bench again.

This is another surprise he prepared for Nowitzki.

Taking advantage of a dead ball, Tucker replaced Roy.

So far, Ben Wallace, Yi Jianlian, Griffin, McGrady, and Tucker have all guarded against Nowitzki.

In Zhang Weiping's words - "It's not just the four famous arrests, the Rockets even moved out of 'Wuzhishan'!"

The Rockets' strikers continued to consume Nowitzki, and finally played an effect at the end of the second quarter.

In the last two rounds, the German chariot made consecutive shots.

The Rockets seized the opportunity and continued to expand their lead.

The score was fixed at 58:68 when the red light on the timer came on and the second period ended.

The Rockets returned to the locker room with a double-digit lead!

............

After returning to the locker room, the Mavericks generals were relatively silent.

Especially the starting players.

They played for a long time and consumed a lot, and they were still behind in the score, so naturally they didn't have the desire to speak.

"Coach, the Rockets' offense is too difficult to limit. The starting lineup alone has at least three strong points."

"They still have monsters like Roy on the bench...We can't grasp it at all..."

Chandler complained helplessly.

He is the centerpiece of the Mavericks' defense.

It can be said that the Mavericks' entire defensive system is based on Chandler's ability to help defend and block shots.

But the current situation is that Chandler can't handle the targets he defends alone, let alone help his teammates defend.

"It's really not possible, we can only attack against attack, and give it a go!"

Kidd said seriously.

Carlisle touched his chin with his right hand, his brain was running fast.

"Let's adjust the lineup in the second half. Jason, you replace Caron."

After thinking for a long time, Carlisle said to Terry.

Since these two games, he has been afraid to give Terry too much playing time.

The reason is very simple, that is, he is worried that Terry will become a loophole on the defensive end.

But the problem now is that even with Caron Butler, the Mavericks can't limit the Rockets' outside offense well.

And Butler's offensive firepower cannot be compared with Terry's.

Coupled with the fact that the Mavericks are now in a backward situation, Carlisle decided to give it a try!

"We will defend like this in the second half, Jason, you go to defend Curry, and you have to press close to the body after halftime."

"Jason (Kidd), you go on George. Sean, you go on McGrady."

Carlyle arranged.

The three of them nodded after hearing the words.

"The defense is over, let's emphasize the offense again."

"Guys, we have no way out. If we lose this game, we will be very passive."

"So, everyone must be very decisive in the second half! When an opportunity arises, don't hesitate to make a shot immediately, even if you miss it, it doesn't matter!"

"If anyone hesitates, I will replace him immediately, understand?"

Carlisle looked around at the crowd and asked.

"clear!!!"

All the Mavericks spoke with one voice.

............

At the same time, in the locker room of the home team, the Rockets were obviously much more relaxed.

"Everyone, don't relax too much. Be sure to maintain the intensity of the second quarter."

"Ben, you have to pay attention to the number of fouls. You have committed three fouls now."

Mark Jackson reminded.

"clear."

Big Ben nodded.

Although the Rockets are leading now, no one can tell whether the suspense of the game will last until the last moment.

If the two sides fight to the end, Big Ben is still the fourth position that Mark Jackson relies on most.

Although the United Arab Emirates defended Dirk Nowitzki well, they are definitely not as good as Ben Wallace in terms of experience.

"Clap clap clap..."

"Let's focus, let's talk about our offensive strategy in the second half."

Mark Jackson walked to the tactical whiteboard and said seriously.

The team members immediately stopped what they were doing and focused their eyes on the whiteboard.

"The last time the boss came to participate in our training, he put forward a 'military training theory', everyone should be very impressed, right? We had a serious rehearsal yesterday."

Mark Jackson asked.

Everyone nodded.

"The Mavericks' two insiders are both taller and heavier, and both of them played very long."

"For two people who are so suitable, if you don't give them a good military training, won't the boss be teaching for nothing?"

"So...in the second half, we focused on high-post pick-and-rolls, and the inside players rolled down immediately after the pick-and-roll, to see if we could create a small chance to play big."

Mark Jackson said excitedly.

"This tactic is good! If Nowitzki can defend against defenders a few times on the defensive end, I don't believe that he can maintain such a high efficiency on offense."

Lowry said with a smile.

"The key is to force the Mavericks to switch defenses, so that they have a chance to play big."

"So the quality of the pick-and-roll must be high, and the double screen can be used. As long as they can make a few long shots after the pick-and-roll, they will naturally start to switch defenses."

Tony Allen analyzed.

When Shen Fei put forward the theory of "military training" in training, Tony Allen was astonished!

In his cognition, if one's own outside players have excellent "small and big" ability, this offensive method is almost unsolvable.

The only way to crack it seems to be...unlimited switches!

However, with the Mavericks' lineup configuration, it is obviously impossible to achieve unlimited defense changes.

This is definitely a tactic against the Mavericks!

Tony Allen still couldn't understand how Shen Fei, a big boss with a lot of things to do, came up with such a tactic.

In history, it seems that no one else has proposed a similar tactic?

It's a pity that no one can explain Mr. Tony's doubts.

............

The inter-section break will end soon, and the third quarter will start soon!