Vol 3 Chapter 247: Full body rocket

On March 6, 2018, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma.
An Luo sat on the sidelines, gasping for breath. Just after the second quarter, the Thunder still trailed the Rockets by 6 points 56:62. He played 18 minutes in the first half and was really tired now. This game is too difficult to play. The combat power displayed by the full-body rocket caught the Thunder by surprise. An Luo feels that this rocket is better than the Warriors.
The matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 in the West attracted the attention of the entire league. Prior to this, both the media, fans, and even those commentators were looking forward to this game. Especially after the Thunder once again defeated the Warriors, their games with the Rockets, Cavaliers, Raptors, Celtics and other teams have become the most anticipated.
Of course, this game did not disappoint everyone. The intensity of the battle between the Rockets and the Thunder has surpassed the level of the regular season. Both teams are very concerned. The Rockets must seize the chance of the last ten games and hit the first place in the Western Conference. Even if it can't, we must maintain its current second position in the west. Only in this way can they have a greater degree of home advantage in the playoffs. The Thunder is seizing the opportunity to hone some new things and avoid the embarrassing situation of their losing streak.
From the start of the game, the Rockets continued their excellent form for nearly a month. Although they lost to the Thunder in the Christmas game, Paul was out at the time. Since then, the Rockets have emerged from a small downturn and began to sing forward. Especially since January 29th, they have not lost. Harden and Paul are on the court, the complete Rockets will not be afraid of any team.
As soon as they came up, they had a 6-0 start. The starting lineups of Paul, Harden, Ariza, Anthony and Capella are no less than that of the Thunder. Anthony and Harden each contributed a three-pointer. The Rockets have gone farther and farther on the magic ball this season. They have accumulated a large number of players who can shoot from the three-point line, and they all play well.
But then the Thunder caught up, and they have always been strong when they meet. Westbrook and Paul George have a very beautiful match. After Chris Paul's quick drop shot, Westbrook grabbed the rebound and rushed. Although Paul has always followed Westbrook closely, it is still too difficult to hit two. Westbrook shot into the free throw line with lightning speed, his left hand gently moved the ball to the top of the basket, and Paul George, who flew up, easily dunked the ball.
Subsequently, Chris Paul personally found it back. He faced Adams with Capella's screen and easily scored two points with a backward jumper. Although Sao Paulo is no longer the queen bee flying in the sky and retreating back then, his skills have been polished to perfection. Especially small and big, it's textbook level.
Next is the performance time of An Luohe and Harden. Both of these guys have won the best sixth man award in the Thunder, and their scoring ability is very explosive. But compared to Anlow, Harden's scoring methods are still richer. Especially the technique of fouling, An Luo is very eye-catching. In a game, there are more than ten or twenty free throws. It is not easy to score 20 points. You don't need to sweat a few drops!
However, although the two faced each other for several rounds, An Luo did not have the same thrill of Curry's three-pointers. After all, in this league, only Curry and An Luo dare to play the game as a three-point contest, and the coaches of both sides will not say much.
The two sides played inextricably in the first quarter. The point difference has never been widened to more than 5 points. To everyone's surprise, the Rockets seem to be a team that focuses on offense and ignores defense. After all, D'Antoni has done such a thing. And he did a great job with Nash in the sun. But in fact, this section of the game can be seen, the Rockets' defense is actually not bad. In fact, Paul and Ariza are very good defensive players, even Harden was a very good defensive player. It's just that everyone was attracted by their strong offense. Of course, the good and bad defensive attitudes of Harden and Anthony are also important reasons why everyone thinks the Rockets are poor.
In the second quarter, the substitute players from both sides played. Under the leadership of Paul George, the Thunder, cavalry company commanders Brewer, Grant and Kanter all performed impressively. But the Rockets' rotation lineup performed even better.
As soon as the second quarter came up, Paul and Nene had a beautiful aerial relay~EbookFREE.me~ Don't look at Nene's old age, but the work on hand is still there, and the steps are not slow. He screened for Paul at the top of the arc, put Felton in gear, and then dropped to the basket. Paul is a master of pick-and-roll tactics. After seeing Nene's movements, he directly hoisted the ball above the basket. The strength, timing, and height were just right, and Nene flew up and pressed Adams to catch the ball. Then, buckled in.
Subsequently, Bamot, Gordon and Tucker all played very well. Especially Gordon, as the only bargaining chip in the Chris Paul deal that year, his ability is quite outstanding. That is to say, in the Rockets, changing to a team with a little more strength is a steady starter, and even in those weak teams, it is no problem to be a core player. Last year, if An Luo hadn't been born, he would have been the best sixth man.
He used his breakthrough to beat Brewer several times in a row in the second quarter. Although the cavalry company commander has defense, that is not his strong point. What the Thunder wants him to do is not mainly defense.
In the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, the Rockets hit the Thunder with a wave of 15:9, opening the point difference to more than 5 for the first time. Donovan had to replace all his main players on the field. But D'Antoni seems to have figured out what Donovan wants to do, and he adjusted his lineup almost at the same time. In the next few minutes, both sides returned to the rhythm of the first quarter. Not giving way to each other, very anxious. In the end, the Thunder didn't make the difference back.
The starting lineup does not fall behind, and the rotation lineup is even better. This Rockets looks more like the one that can win the game. This irritated Donovan. But if he wants to break the current deadlock, it is really not a simple matter.