During the third quarter, James Harden chose to rest off the court to conserve his energy, while the Minnesota Timberwolves kept Zhao Feiyang on the court.
In everyone's opinion, this is a very irrational decision. After all, Zhao Feiyang is already 30 years old.
As a professional player, generally speaking, he is on the decline after his physical peak. If he plays too much time in the third quarter, he may not have any physical strength at all in the last quarter.
The Houston Rockets decided to turn a blind eye when it came to the Minnesota Timberwolves' selection.
So, in the second half of the third quarter, Zhao Feiyang went crazy on the court! When he got the ball, he wreaked havoc on the Rockets' basket. As long as the opponent was close to the defense, he would break through. As long as the opponent let go, he would shoot a three-pointer.
The teammates also cooperate very well and will always help Zhao Feiyang cover pick-and-rolls from time to time to help him save energy and reduce the consumption caused by fighting against the body.
By the end of the third quarter, the score between the two sides was already wide open.
The Timberwolves and the Rockets played 90 to 77. The 13-point gap made the Timberwolves look full of advantages.
Only the Rockets seemed in no hurry.
Break time.
James Harden sat on the team bench and continued to chat and play with his girlfriend Khloe Kardashian. The other Rockets players saw all this. Although many people felt uncomfortable, no one Take a stand.
call out.
The referee's whistle sounded, the break ended, and the last quarter finally arrived.
Harden walked onto the court with confidence. After resting for most of the quarter, he had plenty of energy and was in better mental condition than before.
"Oh! Come on! Brothers, let us recover the score and kill them..."
Other Rockets players looked tired.
Except for Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela who spoke out, the other players basically looked weak, and the Rockets' overall morale seemed somewhat low.
On the other hand, for the Timberwolves, Zhao Feiyang played most of the time in the first three quarters. Not only did he have outstanding scoring data, but he also had a lot of assists. What he brought to the team was not only data, but also mental encouragement.
With him taking the lead and rushing to the front, he is the most active in both offense and defense, and naturally and subtly affects his teammates.
"Brothers, kill them all at once!"
"This is our home court..."
As soon as Zhao Feiyang opened his mouth, everyone else stretched out their hands. Everyone's faces were filled with excitement and anticipation. Whether they were the main players or the substitutes, they were already eager for the victory in front of them.
call out.
The game continues.
The Rockets attack.
Beverley took the ball across half court, and after half court, he handed the ball over to Harden. After getting the ball, Harden also waited for his teammates to cover him while holding the ball and planning to rush into the basket.
He moved very quickly, specifically using his teammates' pick-and-roll to avoid Zhao Feiyang's defense. When he broke through the obstacle and successfully entered the two zones, Harden dribbled the ball and jumped into the basket, watching as he avoided all defenses. The player is about to throw the ball.
At the critical moment, a figure suddenly rushed from behind him.
Snapped.
Zhao Feiyang stretched out his hand and slapped the basketball thrown by Harden. Although he only hit part of the ball, he successfully stopped Harden's shot.
The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.
When Harden noticed that it was Zhao Feiyang who blocked him, his face showed an incredulous look.
"No!"
"This guy has been fighting for so long, why does he still have so much physical energy? Isn't he tired?"
Harden was confused.
The basketball fell early.
Howard grabbed the basketball.
Without any hesitation, he threw a long pass to LaVine who was standing outside the three-point line. LaVine accelerated and ran wildly. After crossing the half court, LaVine made a fast break layup and entered the basket.
His shot was interfered by Beverley, and the thrown basketball bounced off the backboard.
Andrew Wiggins followed up and grabbed the rebound with quick eyes and hands. Because his position was not good, he chose to give the ball to the wing this time.
At this time, Zhao Feiyang has come to the wing to occupy his best shooting spot.
Harden arrived late, and by the time he pounced in front of Zhao Feiyang, Zhao Feiyang had already thrown the ball out first.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
The Timberwolves' offensive and defensive conversion efficiency shocked the fans present and gave their opponent the Rockets a huge headache.
Rockets head coach Bickerstaff stood there shaking his head and sighing.
"It's over! We are definitely defeated now!"
On the court.
Seeing the Timberwolves playing so efficiently, Harden couldn't help but feel worried. After getting the ball, he attacked with the ball for the first time. This time he continued to let his teammates pick and roll screens. After entering the basket, he no longer rushed in, but looked for an opportunity to shoot a throw.
Uh-huh.
The ball finally went in.
Harden breathed a sigh of relief.
But soon, as soon as his ball was scored, Adrian Ennis quickly released the basketball under the basket.
He threw the ball to the half court with a long pass. Zhao Feiyang accelerated with the ball, and LaVine followed up behind him. The two bullied Beverley, a defensive player, two-on-one.
When approaching the penalty area, Zhao Feiyang pretended to make a layup to attract Beverley. Beverley had no choice but to follow up, but as soon as he pounced on Zhao Feiyang, Zhao Feiyang immediately threw the ball.
The basketball was flying in the air, and LaVine, who was following behind, leaped high and slammed the ball into the basket with a windmill dunk in mid-air.
boom.
The ball went in.
The atmosphere was once again ignited.
Seeing that the score difference between the two sides is getting bigger and bigger, and the physical exhaustion of Zhao Feiyang that Harden expected did not appear, Harden was really anxious this time.
The next time the Timberwolves served, as soon as Zhao Feiyang got the ball, Harden immediately moved over and set up a marking posture.
The two were one-on-one outside the three-point line.
Before Zhao Feiyang planned to attack, Harden's hand rushed towards him. Compared with Harden's previous performance of not being very defensive, this time he defended very hard and even started to engage in physical confrontation.
Such a serious Harden naturally put a lot of pressure on Zhao Feiyang. Zhao Feiyang first opened a little distance, and then suddenly launched an attack.
He made a feint and rushed to the basket. Harden followed him and resisted him. When he was approaching the penalty area, Zhao Feiyang did not slow down. He directly switched the ball to his left hand and threw the ball towards the basket with one hand. basket.
Harden pounced upon seeing this, but unfortunately he was still a little short. He failed to block Zhao Feiyang's layup, and could only watch as Zhao Feiyang sent the ball into the basket.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
Zhao Feiyang scored a layup, and Harden's targeted defense failed.
Seeing that he could not stop Zhao Feiyang's outstanding form, Harden could only choose to exert his strength on the offensive end. In the three minutes before the end of the game, Harden kept looking for opportunities to take action at the three-point line, trying to recover the lost score with long shots.
But the magical touch he used to have in the past is gone this time. No matter how he shoots, his three-pointers are always unable to hit the basket accurately.
To make matters worse, Harden's calf also suffered cramps more than a minute before the end of the game.
call out.
Rockets coach Bickerstaff replaced him, and his teammates helped him to his seat to rest.
Harden sat down on the court with a look of reluctance, and had no intention of chatting and playing with Khloe Kardashian before. Even though the latter kept talking to him, Harden didn't make any move to talk to him this time.
Seeing that the game was bound to be lost, the other Rockets players also became very silent.
Beep.
A moment later, the game came to an end. The score between the two sides was 109 to 99. Although the Rockets continued to chase points, they still lost by a double-digit difference.
The Minnesota Timberwolves successfully won their first victory in the series at their home court.
After winning the game, China's CCTV Sports News also reported the incident specifically that night. Regarding Zhao Feiyang's performance of scoring 39 points in the game, sports news praised him a lot and even specially edited it for the fans to see.
On the Internet, many Chinese fans also watched this game in person. Many people originally thought that the Rockets might have a greater chance of winning. After this, many people were also surprised by the result of this game.
"Zhao Feiyang is so awesome! This game lasted 40 minutes! Damn, this playing time is already better than many stars. Harden only played 34 minutes in this game. If the team hadn't fallen behind, I would have It is estimated that his playing time will be reduced..."
"Harden is very capable, but his attitude towards defense is so bad, and I don't understand why he always likes to hang out with women like Kardashian...His key performance throughout the game It’s really too tight..."
"Brother Deng immediately withered as soon as he went to the nightclub. As soon as he left the nightclub, he immediately took control of the whole place...I don't understand why he had to get together with Kardashian? Every one of those NBA stars, with Kardashian Have the women of the Daishan family ever had any good results from getting together?"
"You don't understand this! Brother Deng is frustrated and proud of himself on the court. What's the big deal if he loses? Go back tonight and play the second half with the Kardashians. I guarantee that this time Brother Deng will be able to hit every shot and even be able to explode. Dunk on Kardashian... Of course, it's also possible that Kardashian's defense is too strong, and it's entirely possible that Deng ran out of energy in the middle..."
"It's only the first game of the series, and we still can't tell who is better... If Harden continues this state in the next game, then the Rockets may really have no hope this time!"
Fans are buzzing.
The league as a whole also has a newfound appreciation for the Timberwolves' performance.
In everyone's expectations, the Timberwolves will soon face the Rockets in their second showdown. This time it's still the home court of the Timberwolves.
Compared with the performance in the last game, this time the Timberwolves team performed almost beyond normal. From the first quarter to the last quarter, the players were in good condition. Zhao Feiyang took fewer shots, but he still scored 31 point.
LaVine and Martin performed well. The two scored 33 points together. Howard, the big killer inside, and Adrian, the technical flow, also cooperated tacitly. The two scored a total of 26 points and 17 rebounds.
Easily defeated the Rockets 104-78 to win the second game.
