Chapter Seventy-Six: Stand Up
"The Rockets certainly didn't expect that they would encounter such stubborn resistance from the Thunder before the game, although the Rockets did firmly control the tempo on the court, but the Thunder also kept biting the score. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info If the Rockets make the old mistake of collapsing in the fourth quarter, then the Thunder will definitely not refuse this big gift. The decisive battle is imminent, and the commentators of each channel have also made an analysis before the decisive battle.
"I think the key to the fourth quarter was the performance of these two big Chinese men. One of the ESPN commentators offered a different view.
"Oh, Yao Ming has already scored 18 points in the third quarter, and An Jie of the Thunder team has only 9 points and 7 rebounds now, do you think he can compete with Yao?"
"Maybe Ann's stats on the books are really not as good as Yao's, but don't forget that Ann also handed out 6 assists, and you don't forget how Durant's 4-of-4 shooting in the second quarter came about. If it weren't for Ann's perfect operation, the Thunder's frizzy kids would have been able to play so efficiently?"
"Oh, Ancore is a 2.19m big center, you can't use him as Steve Nash. I admit that he did pass a few good shots, but with the genius of this Chinese kid, the Thunder couldn't win the game. If I want to see the fourth quarter, the key is whether Westbrook or Wilcox can step up, and if they can step up on the offensive end, then Durant's offensive pressure will undoubtedly be greatly reduced. ”
The commentators had a heated discussion, and it could be seen that Calesimo didn't actually target Anjie, just because everyone looked at the game from a different angle. It's just a pity that in the eyes of Karasimo, Anjie's style of play has not been recognized.
Although it was a break, the cheers in the audience never stopped. Houston is a team aiming for a championship, and if they suffer a defeat against an opponent like the Thunder, it will undoubtedly be unacceptable to the fans. They used their hoarse shouts to cheer up the Rockets' players in the hope that they would be able to stabilize the situation in the fourth quarter.
But when the fourth quarter began, the hearts of Rockets fans hung again.
First, Ralph Alston missed a three-point shot from an open position.
Then Luis Scola slammed his hand into the basket.
Then there was Ron Artest's two mid-range shots.
The Rockets have failed to score four consecutive attacks, and fans feel as if that cursed fourth quarter has once again hung over the Toyota Center.
took advantage of the Thunder big forward Wilcox to chase after the victory in these few rounds, and he scored four points in a row on 2-of-3 shooting, and the difference was only two points.
"The Rockets will pay a terrible price for their sluggish fourth quarter!" the ESPN commentator couldn't stand the Rockets' squandering of their advantage.
The Rockets went on their fifth offense, and everyone was expecting someone to step up and break the embarrassment of the Rockets not scoring in the fourth quarter. At this time, Yao Ming and Maddie are both sitting on the bench, so can the other members of the Rockets withstand the fierce counterattack of the Thunder during the break of these two central axes?
Unfortunately, after another three-point miss from Aaron Brooks, fans throughout the Toyota Center were distraught. Adelman also had to call a timeout after possession returned, with only seven minutes left in the game, and it seemed time for the showdown to be played earlier.
Calesimo had to admit that Anjie's ability to protect the basket was indeed stronger than Collison and Petro, so after some struggle, he decided to send Anjie to play the last seven minutes.
"Ann! Remember! Give me a low position! Don't go too far from the three-second zone! Don't go to the high position to stand on the pile! Except for blocking and dismantling, I want you to stay in the low position all the time!" Karasimo emphasized his intention to An Jie, who did not answer, but nodded slightly.
“...... The weakness of the Rockets in the fourth quarter has a lot to do with Coach Adelman's employment strategy! The inappropriate rotation in the first three quarters has already caused the players to consume a lot of physical strength, and in the fourth quarter, the players who are physically exhausted are simply unable to exert their strength! Eh, An Jie and Yao Ming are ready to play! In the CCTV studio, the two commentators who were discussing fiercely were attracted by the two yellow-skinned big men on the screen.
"Audience friends, it seems that we can feast our eyes on the next decisive battle!"
"Ann, you can rest assured to go to the low position, Russell and I can handle it. Durant knows that Anjie and the head coach have a disagreement, although Anjie can indeed make him more comfortable playing by passing the ball, but he can't cause Anjie to lose his main position for the sake of his own statistics.
"You can rest assured, I will try my best to contain Yao Ming. An Jie looked at Yao Ming, who was re-appearing, this big brother was very easy-going and easy to get along with outside the court. But on the field, he still really didn't give An Jie any face. When it's time to make a move, Yao Ming will never be soft!
Sure enough, as soon as Yao Ming came up, he leaned on An Jie and reached out to ask for the ball. An Jie's chassis was very stable this time, and Yao Ming's first impact found that he had only advanced a small step!
Not only because An Jie was well prepared, but also because Yao Ming's physical strength declined seriously in the fourth quarter. Dragging such a large height and weight, while these things bring benefits to Yao Ming, they will also make Yao Ming carry a greater burden than others.
Yao Ming did not continue to walk inside, but turned to face the frame and jumped to shoot.
The hearts of all Rockets fans are tugging, can this ball break the scoring drought of the Rockets in the fourth quarter?
An Jie tried his best to interfere, but he could only interfere, and it was impossible to cover this ball.
Yao Ming was not intimidated by An Jie's long arms, and he still shot the ball according to his shooting rhythm.
"An Jie's defense is very good! Yao Ming shot! The ball went in! The Rockets finally scored their first point since the start of the fourth quarter! Yao Ming didn't make a mistake in the face of An Jie! Even though An Jie tried his best, he still couldn't stop Yao Ming's scoring!" Every head-to-head duel between An Jie and Yao Ming would lead to a climax in the CCTV studio.
"Good defense, but I'm not going to let you win. "Yao Ming warned An Jie after scoring a goal, wanting to snatch the victory from him?
The feel is softer than yourself, and the field of vision is wider than yourself. An Jie reluctantly picked up the basketball and ran to the bottom line, this is the strength of the league's No. 1 center.
"It's not your fault! it's okay, just one of us!" Westbrook was full of confidence, and An Jie smiled, he knew what he should do later.
Westbrook pushed the ball into the opposition half with lightning speed, and Alston was suddenly disgraced by the rookie today, so he focused every time he ran into Westbrook.
Westbrook was ready to break through with a direct change of direction in front of the body.
"Don't think the NBA is so simple!" Alston said, immediately following suit. But because his attention was all on Westbrook, he didn't notice that An Jie was already standing beside him at this time.
"Bang!" The fierce collision, the thin Alston was solidly blocked by Anjie, and Westbrook's breakthrough path was unimpeded!
His speed is already very fast, but what people didn't expect was that Westbrook could still speed up!
Yao Ming hurriedly made up for the penalty area, but because Westbrook's speed was too fast, and Yao Ming's pace was a few beats slower in the fourth quarter, Yao Ming did not arrive in time, but was fouled by Westbrook.
"That's it!" Karasimo shook his fists in the ring, only seeing Westbrook's brilliant breakthrough and ignoring Angel's perfect cover.
Westbrook didn't make a mistake this time, hitting two free throws and two free throws steadily, and the Thunder continued to maintain the threat to the Rockets!
Yao Ming and Maddy did not disappoint the fans in the following games, and instead of showing weakness in the fourth quarter, these two arrowheads are the best players for the Rockets right now.
Maddie even hit two shots in front of Durant, including a three-pointer in the net.
In addition to Yao Mai, Karl Landry also showed his aggression in the fourth quarter. In the face of Wilcox's defensive black hole, he was able to show his offensive skills in an all-round way.
A young team has the advantages of being a young team, but there are also disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that there is no experienced and capable guide in this team, and there is no one who can help them stabilize the situation when it matters most. How many frizzy young people are able to stay calm at critical moments?
Due to Calesimo's orders, Anjie couldn't get a chance to score in the low post, and after a few losses, the Rockets' players also changed their defensive strategy, and now Anjie's blocking is not as threatening as it was at the beginning.
The Thunder's offense is mired in the mud again, and now Calesimo only wants Durant to take over the game with his individual abilities.
However, in the face of Ron Artest's ferocious defense, Durant looked a little overwhelmed in the absence of support. If there is an experienced veteran in the Thunder team at this time, then the three newcomers can at least have a clear offensive idea. It's just a pity that the Thunder don't have such a role in the lineup.
But Durant, who is slightly emaciated like Anjie, is no match for Artest's beast.
Durant passes the ball and finds Westbrook. Adelman is no fool, and after Alston completely lost his threat to Westbrook, the man who defended Westbrook became Maddie. In the face of Maddy's defense, Westbrook's sharp breakthrough could not be repeated.
Westbrook, who was at a loss, saw Anjie opening his hand to ask for the ball!
"That guy, are you going to play Yao Ming in the low post!?" Westbrook's eyes widened, but he still handed over the ball in time.
Seeing that his teammates couldn't open the situation, An Jie felt that he had to stand up, he could score once on Yao Ming's head, why couldn't he have a second time!
An Jie held the ball with both hands, and kept testing Yao Ming with his back.
"It's very tight, it's now!" An Jie suddenly dribbled and turned in the direction of the bottom line, trying to break through!
Yao Ming quickly puffed up his chest and blocked An Jie's way. However, An Jie did not back down, and used all his strength to break in.
"It's the last level!" An Jie knew that the breakthrough was not over, and he still had to be able to dodge Yao Ming's block.
So after breaking through, An Jie did not jump directly to attack the frame, but continued to move along the baseline and ran from one side of the basket to the other. After that, he didn't look up at the frame, but jumped directly, and An Jie, who had his back to the basket, buckled his hands behind his back!
"An Jie broke through Yao Ming's defense! In this back-to-back single, An Jie successfully scored on Yao Ming's head!" ESPN's commentator had to applaud this highly watched dunk, these two Chinese really brought a wonderful inside duel to the audience!
"We will not give up Brother Yao!" An Jie responded to Yao Ming's words just now, and these two Chinese are also friends and enemies on the field, encouraging each other, but not giving in to each other.
An Jie stepped up at the crucial moment, and his brilliant dunk brought the difference back to six points again, and it was only three minutes before the end of the game. It seems that until the last minute, these two teams will not be able to distinguish each other.