Vol 3 Chapter 289: Equalize again

Originally, An Luo was very optimistic about the Rockets. Paul's desire to win and his concentration in playing games have greatly improved the Rockets. For the Rockets, they have never lacked the ability to score. Almost defensively. But this problem is no longer a problem now! Unfortunately, because of Paul's injury, the current situation has changed again. No one believes D'Antoni, and the Rockets without Paul are definitely not the Warriors' opponent. What they lack is not the ability, but the momentum.
If Chris Paul can't play. An Luo felt that the team with them for the Finals spot would definitely be the Warriors.
Of course, this is very beneficial to the Thunder players like Anlo. If the Rockets deal with the Warriors in one go, they will be relatively hasty in the challenge. On the contrary, if the Warriors win, they must play the seventh game. When the exhausted warrior meets the thunder that waits for nothing, the latter is naturally easier to gain an advantage. What's more, they still have home court advantage.
This season's Western Conference playoffs, to the final stage, became very interesting. It seems that this year's Western Conference Finals have been around the Thunder. Of course it is not the current Thunder, but the Thunder with the "Three Young Masters" a few years ago. Westbrook, who stayed behind in Oklahoma, took the lead in getting a spot in the Western Conference Finals. He was standing on the shore now, watching the other two brothers fight fiercely. "Big Brother" and "Third Brother" are not so easy. The hot "big brother" is not given due attention in the team system, and the "third brother" with the ball in hand is not in good shape. From what they look like, they are basically going to finish the last two games.
I don't know how the Thunder fans in Oklahoma City are feeling inside now? They used to be the most extravagant team in the league. For two consecutive seasons, the top three of the regular season MVP rankings were occupied by the origins they selected and cultivated. Moreover, the core players of the top three teams in the Western Conference this season are inextricably linked to their teams. I have to sigh, the Thunder management's vision is vicious.
Two days later, the two sides moved to Oakland for the sixth matchup.
Before this game, the Rockets finally announced something that everyone has been paying attention to. Chris Paul missed the game due to injury. Although he came to Oakland with the team, he could only cheer for his teammates on the sidelines and act as a spiritual mentor.
However, the progress of the game surprised everyone.
Without Paul's help, Harden had to strengthen his offense. But his condition is still not good. As soon as he came up, he missed two consecutive three-pointers. In addition to the previous game, he has not scored 22 consecutive three-pointers! This state really worries the Rockets fans. This is not the state that a superstar with a regular scoring method should have.
Fortunately, Anthony, Gordon and Ariza are awesome. They hit three-pointers one after another, and the Rockets started with 15:6. It seems that Harden's lost touch has all been added to these guys. In the middle of the first quarter, Curry hit a super-long three-pointer, but he failed to continue this touch. This was the only three-pointer they hit in this section. And Harden also found the feeling, at the end of the section, he finally hit a super long three-pointer. Subsequently, Gerald Green and Tucker, who came off the bench, also succeeded in long shots. The Rockets quickly opened the gap and ended the section with 41:22.
In the first quarter, the Rockets hit 54.2%, 8 of 12 three-pointers, and 66.7%! Harden scored 12 points in this quarter. Anthony, who had been silent for several games, also came forward today and scored 10 points in 10 minutes in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Rockets continued the shooting feel of the first quarter. Although the Warriors launched a tenacious counterattack under the leadership of Curry. But with the three-pointers and free throws, coupled with Anthony and Gordon's mid-range shots, the Rockets stabilized their lead.
After halftime, the situation changed suddenly. Those who originally thought the Warriors would equalize at home are now dumbfounded. They didn't expect the Rockets to be so strong offensively after missing Chris Paul. They shot 14 of 24 three-pointers in the first half, really let people see the appearance of that invincible Rockets in the second half of the regular season. This is exactly what D'Antoni wants to type! His magic ball theory requires everyone on the Rockets to shoot three-pointers. Once they get along, such offensive firepower will be irresistible.
But the Warriors are the defending champion after all. They fell behind the Thunder in 13 the year before, and in such a difficult situation, they finally reversed the Thunder. It can be seen that this team is not so easily defeated.
The trend of the game also confirmed this ~EbookFREE.me~ At the beginning of the third quarter, Thompson stood up. In fact, in this series, the Thompson chair is the one with the least presence of the Warriors. But now Durant is not in good shape and Curry has been slow to come, he stood up! At the beginning of the third quarter, he hit three-pointers in a row, leading the Warriors to a 12-0 climax, and suddenly overtook the score.
At this time, the Rockets seemed to have no idea how to play! In the end, he relied on Harden, who succeeded in a strong layup and stopped the Warriors' offensive. But because they did not play well at the switch and at the end of this section, they lost as many as 17 points in the single quarter. The Warriors' Splash Brothers seemed to have returned to 15 years, when the two teamed up to score 9 three-pointers! Drained the rocket that was about to take off.
In the last quarter of the game, while the Warriors strengthened their defense, their offense also declined. In contrast to the Rockets, Anthony and Gordon, who performed well before, were both discouraged. Although Harden played tenaciously, he couldn't stand it alone. With Curry and Thompson hitting three-pointers one after another, after the Warriors hit 17:9, the Warriors led the Rockets by 22 points with 101:79. This is the biggest point difference in the six games of the series between the two sides, and the Rockets have won so many points when the Rockets lead by more than ten points. This is a huge blow to the Rockets' morale.
The general situation is over, D'Antoni has to give up and withdraw the main force. In the 3-minute garbage time, domestic fans finally saw Zhou Qi's figure. But after he came up, he didn't get too many opportunities. Grab a rebound and miss a three-pointer. But the defense is very eye-catching, contributed two big hats! In the end, after losing Paul, the Rockets made a perfect start, but failed to keep the victory. The two sides entered the battle of life and death with 3:3.