novellk Chapter 71 That Yellow Flash!
Chapter 71 That Yellow Flash!
Durant scored 11 points, and the Thunder's scoring was mainly driven by those two players. Westbrook had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, showing a well-rounded game. However, he did commit 3 turnovers, which seemed a bit reckless.
Despite making many mistakes, Westbrook was very satisfied with his performance.
Coach PJ Carlesimo on the sidelines never imagined that after such a difficult start, the team could still keep the score close.
"Haha, the Thunder's firepower is really strong. The Rockets seemed to be struggling to keep up in the second half. Fortunately, it's halftime."
"The Thunder's fourth and eighth picks have performed well, and Kevin Durant's performance is becoming more and more consistent."
Contrary to the fans' expectations, the weak Thunder did not surrender to the Rockets' "Big Three," but instead fought with unwavering determination.
"Throughout the first half, the Thunder played at their own pace and did not panic because of the opponent's strong overall strength. On the contrary, when their interior defense was overwhelmed, they actively created scoring opportunities by running on the perimeter and increasing the pace of the game."
"Yes, but we need to be careful. The Rockets will play more targeted defense in the second half. Let's see if the Thunder's young players can hold on."
Barkley and Smith were discussing the first half of the game.
"Yao, you did a great job in the first half! Keep attacking their inside game like that!"
Although the point difference was closed, Adelman in the locker room was not in a hurry. He had great faith in the Rockets' strength. The Rockets' style often meant that they would not win by a large margin, but rather win by a few points steadily. He felt that the Thunder's young players could only have an occasional burst of brilliance and could not maintain that rhythm continuously.
Thinking of those three young men from the Thunder, Adelman felt a little envious of Carlesimo, whose roster had such young talent and strength.
"KD, Russ, Zeng, calm down, don't go too fast. Can't you see the inside players can't keep up?"
However, Carlesimo doesn't like to push the pace too fast; he prefers positional warfare and a more organized style of play.
"OK!"
"good!"
"no problem."
Without this fast pace, how can we catch up?
Should we force them to slow down and fight a positional battle?
Durant, Westbrook, and Zeng Zhen were all somewhat suppressed, but they couldn't say anything.
"Zeng, you'll start at the 3 position in the second half, KD, you'll rest, Russell, you'll be the point guard."
"OK!" Westbrook and Zeng Zhen both nodded.
Zeng Zhen felt that Carlesimo was using him as a swingman at positions 1, 2, and 3, but it didn't matter. He could play any position, and once on the court, he could decide which position he wanted to play.
"Joe, you go too, play power forward and partner with Joe Han."
Carlesimo called out to Joe Smith and Johan Pedro.
Joe Smith, 33 years old and 2.08 meters tall, was once the number one draft pick. Since the Timberwolves' dual contract scandal, he has gradually declined from his peak, averaging only 8 points and 5 rebounds per game last season.
Johan Pedro is a 2.13-meter center who averaged 5.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game in his career, with a field goal percentage of 47.2%. He is a typical blue-collar center, adept at offensive rebounding, aggressive on defense, and primarily finishes his game around the basket.
Joe Smith is a regular rotation player, but Joe Hanpedro is an off-rotation player. Carlesimo's decision to use these two was out of necessity, as the frontcourt duo of Nick Collison and Wilcox was completely outplayed by Yao Ming.
In the first half, Yao Ming scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Carlesimo still harbors some resentment towards the management for their lack of available centers. They need centers, but the team keeps adding guards in the draft, even taking away players like Jeff Green who can play both the three and four positions.
Beep beep!!
"Alright, the second half begins. The Thunder have started their full second unit, with Westbrook and Zeng Zhen both on the court. Let's see how the game goes."
"The Rockets' lineup is Alston, McGrady, Artest, Landry, and Yao Ming."
Westbrook dribbled the ball past half-court and passed it to Zeng Zhen on the right side.
Artest quickly moved closer, raising his hand to interfere, and slurred, "Hey, why isn't KD coming up here? Let this rookie get tormented by me?"
"Did you fucking eat onions? Your breath stinks!"
Zeng Zhen looked down on Artest, who always had a foul mouth and was always trying to suppress rookies.
Zeng Zhen looked up from beyond the three-point line to observe his teammates' positions.
Although the frontcourt has been changed to Joe Smith and Joe Hanpedro, Zeng Zhen is well aware that the two of them still don't have many good ways to score against the Rockets' frontcourt, and it's impossible to rely on the two of them to initiate the offense.
I'll have to practice alone now.
Zeng Zhen called for a screen, and Johan Pedro came out to screen and blocked Artest. Yao Ming came out, and Zeng Zhen took a step on the right and drove past him, but there were too many people in the paint. After driving in, Zeng Zhen passed the ball out to Westbrook at the top of the arc.
Westbrook had a three-point opportunity, but he didn't shoot. Instead, he passed the ball to Joe Smith on the right.
Joe Smith knew Zeng Zhen's abilities well during the team's practice matches, and he then passed the ball to Zeng Zhen.
Seeing that Alston was the one switching onto the defense, Zeng Zhen signaled to Joe Smith to create space so he could take a one-on-one opportunity.
Zeng Zhen gripped the basketball with both hands and leaned forward to probe. Alston dared not relax and straightened his chest. Then Alston saw Zeng Zhen take the ball away from his body and reached out to try to steal it.
When Zeng Zhen saw Alston trying to steal the ball, he couldn't help but laugh. This guy probably hadn't experienced being falsely accused of a staged accident before.
Zeng Zhenlai's big loop shot caused Alston to "grab" his arm, and he jumped up to flick the ball out.
"Snapped!"
"Beep beep!!"
Alston's action was very obvious, and the referee promptly blew his whistle.
The referee extended his left hand, patted his forearm with his right hand, and gestured with three fingers toward the scorer's table.
"OMG!!"
Alston held his head in his hands, his face full of disbelief. How could he have committed a three-point foul?
Zeng Zhen shrugged, walked to the free-throw line, and prepared to inbound the ball.
The play was being replayed on the big screen, showing Alston trying to cut the ball from Zeng Zhen's hands, but Zeng Zhen seized the opportunity.
Everyone saw clearly what happened; it was a deliberately created foul.
Zeng Zhen made all three of his free throws.
51:49.
The gap between the two sides narrowed again.
On the Rockets' offense, Yao Ming received the ball inside, and Joe Smith, with his experience, double-teamed him. Yao Ming passed the ball out, and McGrady received it outside the three-point line but missed the shot.
This is still a long rebound.
Westbrook leaped up and grabbed the rebound, and Zeng Zhen quickly ran down the court.
Westbrook turned and passed the ball to Zeng Zhen in the frontcourt.
"Whoosh!"
Zeng Zhen burst forth with incredible speed, like a flash of yellow light, with only Alston keeping up with him.
Zeng Zhen took a long stride to the right, dribbling forward with great speed. In this situation, not only Alston, but even Artest couldn't stop him.
Zeng Zhen dribbled at high speed to the basket, then slowed down three steps and swept the ball over Alston's head before jumping up and making a layup.
51:51.
The fans at the Ford Center cheered wildly.
Carlesimo shrugged on the sidelines, somewhat helplessly. The game wasn't the slow-paced match he had hoped for, but the effect was excellent.