Before the start of the game, James. Harden stood in the Rockets' halfcourt with his hands on his hips and his eyes glaring at everyone on the Pacers.

No one knows what Harden was thinking at this time, maybe remembering the humiliation in the Finals half a year ago, or maybe thinking about how to break through the Pacers' defense. In short, fans rarely see Harden have such a deep moment.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the court, Henson was also staring at James. Harden doesn't let go. Last season, he was able to put the sixth man off the ground with ease. But this season, Henson has had a dilemma about how to defend Harden. This guy has improved so much that when he first saw Harden at UCLA, Henson knew that this guy would not be a general person in the future.

Until now, Henson's head is still running at high speed. Thinking about game strategy while playing, Henson didn't have much of that experience.

"Henson." It wasn't until Vogel poked Henson with his elbow that the Chinese-American coach took his eyes off Harden.

"Hmm." Henson nodded, then clapped his hands to gather the group, and he was about to put the finishing touches on the arrangement.

"Listen, raise your arms as high as you can, and try not to touch him! I'd rather let him shoot than let him get an easy score from the free throw line! Henson's final emphasis on his players was naturally defending James. Harden's strategy, Henson doesn't think it's going to work, but it's the only way he's going to do it at the moment.

"The starters from both sides came on and it was going to be a tight game! James. Harden was completely lost against the Pacers in the Finals last season, and I have reason to believe that he will do everything in his power to break that nightmare! Seeing the two starters stepping into the stadium, the atmosphere is immediately lively, and the emotions of the commentators are also very high.

The Rockets started at center, and Turk Asik stepped into the center circle. Al. Although Horford is falling behind in height, Henson is not worried. Asik's performance has been tepid since joining the Rockets, and he has not been able to pose a threat to Horford.

But except for Asik, Henson thinks that the other starters of the Rockets are all threats!

Jeremy Lin, the No. 1 position, has not played the performance of the "Lin Crazy" period again this season, but his performance has been very steady. No. 2 James. Harden naturally needless to say, small forward Chandler. Parsons showed his potential last season as well. This season, Parsons, a sophomore forward, is averaging 15.5 points per game, and he has become an important scoring point for the Rockets.

Finally, the Rockets' starting power forward Marcus Murphy. Morris, despite being a sophomore, made just 17 appearances last season. But this season, Morris has shown versatility that many teams have begun to pay attention to him. Morris can shoot, he can attack the rim, he can defend and be mobile, and he is by no means a fuel-efficient lamp.

It is this lineup that has allowed the Rockets to achieve a 14-12 record so far. This result is indeed not worth mentioning compared to the top teams in the league, but compared to the past, the improvement of the Rockets is definitely visible to the naked eye.

The referee blows the whistle and throws the basketball into the air. Horford used his advantage in bounce and speed to overcome the height gap and successfully dialed the ball into Paul's hands! Henson was focused from the first second of the game, and he was about to start "stripping" the Rockets' bottoms!

The Rockets' offense is outstanding, even comparable to many of the top teams. But the reason why their record is average, the problem is in defense.

Jeremy Lin and Parsons are two guys who are hard at work on the defensive end, but they can't be called strong because of their physical fitness. James. Harden is an offensive knife, but he is often distracted on the defensive end. Marcus. Morris is a little lacking in strength, and sometimes he can't withstand the impact of the opponent. The same problem was also exposed to Rockets center Asik.

So for the Pacers' offense, Henson isn't too worried. As long as the players themselves are not in a hurry, nothing will go wrong.

As soon as he came up, Paul played a classic pick-and-roll with West. This time, Jeremy Lin used his aggressive defense to get around Paul, but even that couldn't bring the Pacers' offense to a standstill.

Paul burst into the middle distance and hit the ground with a pass to give the ball to West! David. West singled with the ball, he pushed two steps back, and Marcus. Morris couldn't stand it. Seeing that the distance was right, West turned over and made a jumper and scored the first point for the Pacers with his soft touch!

"Very simple but efficient offense, and it seems that the Pacers players are very well prepared for this game." Barkley clapped his hands, David. West, a retro striker with excellent skills, is not often seen in the league.

As Henson thought, the Pacers didn't have a problem with their offense. Paul kept the team organized, but that didn't mean Henson was going to relax. He stood on the sidelines, holding his chin. Team Rocket's offensive round, that's where the trouble begins!

Jeremy Lin was pressed by Paul as soon as he passed the half, but the Chinese point guard did not panic, stabilized the rhythm of the ball and passed it to Chandler. Parsons in his hands.

Before Parsons could get the ball hot, he passed the ball directly to the top of the three-point line! Over there, James, who has transformed from a sixth man to a star of the game. Harden, ready to finish the Rockets' first offense!

Paul. Just as Henson had hoped, George held one arm high and ready to interfere with the shot, while the other arm was down and ready for a steal. In the finals last season, it was George's excellent performance that overshadowed Harden and made him famous.

Harden holds the ball and threatens with three threats, his eyes full of anger!

With a false shot, Harden suddenly picked up speed and went straight to the restricted area!

Compared to half a year ago, Harden is more confrontational, and now George can't easily stop him.

After hitting the three-second zone, Harden suddenly raised the basketball to the left side, and just as George changed his center of gravity, he strode to the right side again, and then shot the basket!

Harden's large two strides and weird rhythm made him dodge the space to shoot! George jumped up and waved his arms, but only a cloud of air was fanned. James. Harden's layup pace is too weird!

"Nice European step, James. The change in rhythm when Harden lays is always unpredictable. "Kenny. Smith nodded approvingly, European step, which is the scoring skill that Harden has relied on to survive this season.

Harden's European step is not fast, but wins at a strange pace. When you think he's going to be fast, he suddenly takes three steps slower. When you think he's going to be slow, he can jump into the forbidden area like a snake out of a hole.

Of course, the most terrifying thing is Harden's ability to make fouls in the process of using the European step. Fortunately, this time George's defense was relatively clean, so he didn't let Harden play a 2+1 at the beginning!

Although this season, due to the soaring level of attention, Harden has often been exposed to the news of spending a lot of money in nightclubs. But Henson believes that at least this summer, the bearded man has worked hard!

After that, the offense of the Pacers and Rockets continued to be layered. On George's side, he used his height advantage to make a mid-range shot with the ball. But soon, Jeremy Lin's breakthrough shot allowed "Rich and Handsome" Parsons to shoot from beyond the three-point line.

Al. Horford cuts into the dunk, Marcus. Morris received a pass from Harden and scored from mid-range......

The offenses of both sides played back and forth, and the fans watched it so lively! But Henson couldn't get excited, and attacking was not a good way to contain the Rockets.

Finally, in the fourth minute of the first quarter, the whistle blew.

This time Harden grabbed George's arm with his own arm when he broke through, and yes, it was he who took the initiative to clamp George, not George who caught him! But in the referee's opinion, he doesn't care who gets caught first, he only looks at who is attacking and who is defending!

Just like that, Harden raised his arm halfway through and threw the basketball onto the board.

"Toot toot! Shooting fouls, two free throws! ”

The referee shouted and pointed to the technical table, and George didn't complain, just shook his head helplessly. You can say that Harden is using the rules, or you can say that he is simply playing a scoundrel. But no matter how he evaluates it, Harden can always rely on this method to win scoring opportunities. And in competitive sports, being able to score is a good offense!

Henson crossed his waist on the sidelines, and the time to come is still coming. If Harden makes both free throws, the Pacers will trail by two points. It seems that there is no chance of winning a single one-on-one.

So Henson sat back on the bench for the first time in the game, picked up the tactical board, and he was about to start trying to rip off the Rockets' bottoms for the first time.

.。 m.