Jeremy Lin's opening three-pointer seemed to indicate the Rockets' state. In the rest of the first quarter, the Rockets blossomed more.
James Harden scored consecutive singles, almost completely beating Nick Young who was defending him.
Inside, Dwight Howard also played his best. Not only did he block Lakers players twice, he also suppressed Pau Gasol and grabbed several key rebounds.
In this situation, the Rockets quickly opened up the score. At the end of the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 26-16.
A 10-point gap is not an exaggeration for the Lakers, but it was just like this in the first quarter, which simply made many Lakers fans watching the online broadcast feel incredible.
Head coach Mike D'Antoni was also very depressed. After the defeat in the first quarter, he once again tried to adjust the team's lineup.
Nick Young, one of the few players with outstanding singles ability and good scoring ability, was not replaced. Instead, Kendall Marshall in the first position was replaced and replaced by Steve Nash.
"Steve, I believe in your organizational skills!"
"You are a very smart guy...so I need you to organize the ball...Nick, I hope you can cooperate with Steve..."
Head coach Mike D'Antoni made new arrangements.
The second quarter started soon.
The Lakers lineup has not changed much, and Steve Nash has become the new tactical initiator. For the Rockets, James Harden took a break, and Dwight Howard was still protecting the rebounds in the paint.
The game continues.
The Lakers took the lead in attacking. Steve Nash held the ball. Facing Jeremy Lin's defense, Steve Nash did not dare to take it lightly. Instead, he used his body to protect the basketball while giving offensive gestures to his teammates.
After James Harden came off the court, Nick Young's pressure suddenly dropped. When he saw Steve Nash organizing the team's offense, Nick Young immediately ran up to respond.
Upon seeing this, Steve Nash made a gesture to Nick Young to pick and roll, but Nick Young didn't know what he was thinking. He watched Steve Nash indifferently and did not go up to help him pick and roll.
Steve Nash was also helpless. Seeing that the tactics were difficult to initiate, he could only give the ball to Nick Young, who was open.
After winning the ball, Nick Young started singles mode again.
He dribbled the basketball from the outside, suddenly changed direction and drove to the basket. He thought he could successfully send the ball into the basket, but unexpectedly when he rushed into the penalty area to take a shot, he was hit by Dwight Howard who came up to him. .
Snapped.
The basketball was blown away directly.
The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.
The referee's whistle sounded and the ball was still in the hands of the Lakers.
"Nick, what do you want to do?"
Steve Nash also took this opportunity to go up and communicate with Nick Young, "Man, don't make such meaningless singles, I know you want to score, I can help you... but I need Do you understand your cooperation?"
Nick Yang said nothing, with a cold face as if he was not happy to be criticized. He just looked elsewhere and nodded.
The Lakers serve again.
Steve Nash received the ball, picked up the basketball and made a pick-and-roll gesture again. This time Nick Young finally came.
As soon as he came up for the pick-and-roll, Patrick Beverley in front of Steve Nash was immediately blocked.
Steve Nash did not hesitate, dribbling the ball straight towards the basket. As he rushed into the penalty area, he attracted the defensive attention of the two Rockets players under the basket.
Just when Steve Nash thought his strategy was successful and planned to transfer the ball to Nick Young who was following up, Steve Nash was surprised to find that Nick Young did not execute the tactics, or in other words, there was no tacit understanding. Choosing to follow up, he stood on the three-point line in the left corner.
Snapped.
Steve Nash still passed the ball.
It's not that he wanted to pass, but that he was surrounded by two insiders and couldn't find a suitable shot. The other teammates were either not in a good position or there were defensive players marking him, so they could only pass to Nick Young.
Nick Young looked confident after receiving the basketball. He raised the basketball without hesitation and threw it directly towards the basket.
boom.
After a moment, the basketball bounced out of the basket.
The scene was filled with sadness.
Nick Young also held his head and looked in disbelief. Head coach Mike D'Antoni, who was still standing in front of the team bench, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh when he saw this scene, and then sat back on his chair. position.
Throughout the second quarter, Steve Nash was trying to cooperate with others, especially with Nick Young.
But in the end, the other players spent one quarter proving that they didn't have much tacit understanding with Steve Nash, and they were quite unfamiliar with Steve Nash's tactics.
call out.
The first half is over.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets tied 57 to 41.
The 16-point gap tilted the balance of victory more and more towards the Houston Rockets.
During the first half, the core players of the Rockets also performed very steadily.
Dwight Howard scored 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks; James Harden scored 10 points. His playing time was not too much, but his efficiency was still quite good; Jeremy Lin as a ball player The team's first point guard scored 11 points and also sent out 6 assists. His performance was quite good.
At this time, the pre-game battle between Jeremy Lin and Zhao Feiyang as "the strongest yellow defender" has completely evolved into a one-sided situation.
At major sports forums in China, many fans also praised Jeremy Lin's performance.
"Shu Hao dares to fight and fight hard! His assist performance is also good, much better than Zhao Feiyang!"
"Not to mention whether Zhao Feiyang is strong or not, his tactical status is simply far behind Jeremy Lin. He hasn't even played for a minute now, so what else can he do?"
"One is a starter, and the other is a substitute. How do you still expect Zhao Feiyang? Don't brag about him! Jeremy Lin is the real number one defender of the yellow race!"
The public opinion outside the court was like this. Zhao Feiyang, who was resting in the Lakers locker room, was also a little dissatisfied. He questioned the arrangement of head coach Mike D'Antoni. He had played so many wonderful performances before, so why did he appear in the first half? No chance?
"Is there any mistake?"
"Am I not accurate in my three-point shooting?"
"Nick Young is so wasteful in one-on-one shooting without replacing him? What is the relationship between this guy and Coach Mike?"
Just when Zhao Feiyang was complaining, the second half followed. After entering the court, head coach Mike D'Antoni finally set his sights on him.
"Zhao, take off your jacket and warm up. You will play the second position in the third quarter!"
