Seeing the Wildcats close the score, the Sun Devils still couldn't find any way to limit it.
Harden originally wanted to apply for a rest, but he thought that the situation on the court was so anxious and the performance of his teammates was simply eye-catching. It would be impossible without him.
If he takes a rest, the Wildcats will 100% take the lead and all their previous efforts will be in vain. They can only grit their teeth and continue to persevere.
When the Sun Devils attacked, Harden asked his teammates to come forward and play pick-and-roll in order to save energy.
Since there is no way to pass the ball out, attack in the most energy-saving way.
"These shameless guys dare to target me, then I will hit your weak points."
After the pick-and-roll, Harden got his wish and faced Curry.
"Baby face, suffer death! Let you see how powerful I am!"
Curry on the opposite side looked confused, feeling that the little fat man was so consumed that he lost his head.
"Little fat guy, I'm not called Baby Face, I just look a little cuter." After Curry explained, he concentrated on defense.
The outside world thinks that he is thin and has poor defensive ability.
The junior is not convinced and wants to prove that he is an underrated defender.
In fact, Curry's defense is not that bad. He will work hard every time he defends. It can be said that he is not at a disadvantage against players in the same position.
When Harden saw the baby-face opposite him calling him "fatty", he couldn't bear it anymore and vented all his previous depression and aggrievedness.
No longer saving energy, he used his back to attack the primary school students and used all his strength to push Curry towards the penalty area.
When Harden reached the edge of the penalty area, he did not go deeper, fearing that the Wildcats would double-team without moral integrity.
Although he was very willing to see the Wildcats double-team, he was not confident in passing the ball after entering the penalty area.
Curry knew that the fat man in front of him was going to end the attack, so he was ready to interfere at any time.
Harden squeezed Curry away and immediately stepped back and shot a jumper.
After Curry was squeezed away, he immediately rushed to interfere.
The basketball bounced off the rim and crashed into the net.
Harden's key jumper helped the Sun Devils temporarily stabilize the situation.
"Baby face, you've seen how powerful I am!" Harden said proudly before turning and leaving.
Curry shouted at Harden's back: "Little fat man, stop pretending, I can hear your breathing, don't hold on anymore, go down and rest quickly!"
Harden, who retreated, frowned and clenched his hands.
"Damn it! We're still discovered, so we can't just let me pretend to beep!"
Harden returned to his defensive area depressed, and the goal just now was no longer good.
Looking back, the Wildcats still look for Harden to attack.
Through an off-ball screen, Sun Yi faced Harden again.
"Little fat man, do you still have the physical strength to defend?" Sun Yi asked.
"Damn guy, you don't have to worry about it, I will guard you." Harden said viciously.
Sun Yi turned sideways and started to play with his back, always paying attention to Harden's sudden attack to steal the ball.
After two or three pushes, Sun Yi noticed that Harden behind him softened.
"The staying power is so bad?!"
Sun Yi complained in his heart, then increased his intensity in the back attack, came to the mid-range area on the right, and turned over to shoot a fadeaway jumper.
Harden did not rush to interfere, but just stretched out his hand symbolically. He really couldn't jump and wanted to save his energy for use on the offensive end.
Swish!
Hollow into the net!
"Good shot! Only 2 points away. The morale of the Wildcats is high. Now all the pressure is on the Sun Devils." Breen analyzed the situation on the court.
In the next round, Harden used the pick-and-roll to face Curry again.
This time, the little fat man still wanted to crush Curry with his body, but he was fooled by the elementary school student.
Curry came and pulled the stool, leaving Harden with nowhere to use his strength. He staggered and failed to control the basketball.
Naturally, Curry would not let go of such a good opportunity. He rushed up to grab the ball, then ran towards the frontcourt, came to the three-point line and chased for a three-point shot.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball hits the net hollowly and hits the target steadily!
"Beautiful counterattack! The Wildcats overtook the score." Miller said excitedly, feeling that this is the deterrent that a three-pointer should have.
For the rest of the first half, Harden stopped holding the ball and allowed his teammates to attack on their own.
The other 3D players on the Sun Devils don't know how to attack with the ball. They all shoot against the defender after receiving the pass.
Not to mention, they made a few blind shots and hit two or three difficult three-pointers from the outside to extend the team's life.
The Wildcats have been looking for Harden to play in isolation. It's no use hiding him. They are determined to beat him.
The players of the Sun Devils did not dare to step forward to double-team. They had seen how powerful Sun Yi was in passing the ball before.
Going forward and double-teaming will only allow that guy to lead the team in scoring, which is something the Sun Devils cannot accept.
But they didn't expect that Sun Yi would not get the badge bonus when he entered the three-point line, and his passing ability would be greatly reduced.
It’s not the Sun Devils’ players’ fault, it’s just that Sun Yi himself hid it too well.
In the game, he rarely passes the ball without confidence when he enters the three-point line, making it impossible for opponents to grasp his specific strength.
Moreover, the outside world still believes that Sun Yi has three-point shooting ability and thinks that he is an excellent 3D player.
It can only be said that Sun Yi hid it very well, making reasonable use of his advantages and covering up his shortcomings.
In this way, as Harden's physical strength declines, the success rate becomes lower and lower.
The Wildcats took advantage of Harden's offense and scored frequently, further widening the point difference.
At the end of the half, the score on the big screen was 41 to 34, and the Wildcats led by 7 points entering the second half.
"James, can you still play?" Sun Devils head coach Pera asked looking at his proud disciple with great distress.
The Wildcats' tactics were so insane and rogue that Harden had no choice but to take over.
It seems that he has lost some weight due to his consumption. How many nutritional supplements will it take to make up for it?
"Coach, I can still hold on!"
Harden doesn't want to give up either. After all, he has declared his participation in this year's draft and will not be able to come back next year.
It can be said that this is the last game he played in March Madness.
He really wants to win and lead the team to the next round.
After the short 15-minute intermission, the second half began.
At the beginning of the second half, Harden made a step-back jumper and scored two points, narrowing the gap.
"The Sun Devils haven't given up yet. Their star player James Harden is working hard to catch up with the score." Brin explained excitedly.
He didn't want this wonderful game to end just like that.
Immediately afterwards, the Wildcats still caught Harden and beat him, not giving him a chance to breathe.
Sun Yi and Curry took turns playing Harden in singles, with a very high success rate.
Seeing the point difference getting wider and wider, Harden still did not give up.
After the pick-and-roll, Harden faced Curry again.
After continuously dribbling under the crotch, Harden made a forward change to the right, shook Curry's center of gravity, quickly pulled the ball back, adjusted the ball behind his back, changed direction and rushed into the penalty area to the left.
After getting rid of Curry, Harden came to the basket, pulled the lever to avoid interference from the big white side, and threw the ball.
This can be regarded as Harden's last stubbornness, even though he was defeated, it would be an honor.
But he failed to see the basketball enter the frame, but what was waiting for him was a big hand.
Snap!
Harden's layup was mercilessly slapped on the backboard by Sun Yi who was returning to defense.
Sun Yi shattered Harden's promotion dream with an iconic nail-board block!
After landing, Sun Yi vigorously passed the ball forward.
Curry, who was on a fast break, received the pass, came outside the three-point line, and hit a three-pointer, completely killing the game!
Standing under the basket, Harden was hit with some doubts about his life. He did not expect that the Wildcats would make this move.
Aren't they not going to double-team and help defend? !
The simple Ha Xiaopang was played again.
In the following games, Harden was in no condition and was too physically exhausted. He was taken off the court to rest with about 5 minutes left in the game.
Curry, Sun Yi and others also took off the field to rest.
In the end, the Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils with a score of 75-60 and successfully advanced to the top 16.
"Let us congratulate the Wildcats for advancing to the top 16. They gave us a wonderful game. I believe everyone is still unsatisfied."
"Indeed, this game was very exciting. Through this game, we recognized Sun Yi, Stephen Curry and James Harden, these new stars with great potential. I believe they will have great achievements in the future."
"This game is over, we will see you in the next game."
In the live commentary box, Breen and Miller were doing the finishing work after the game.
At the same time, the best player of the game was displayed on the big screen.
Sun Yi won this honor without any suspense.
In 32 minutes on the court, he scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
After this game, Sun Yi's draft ranking will definitely be improved.
This is March Madness, if you play well, you can become famous!
