Zhao Feiyang pushed away Harden and scored a goal. This performance made the entire Toyota Center Arena quiet for a while.
Not to mention Rockets fans who found it difficult to accept it for a while, even James Harden himself couldn't help but be confused.
"No! He really passed me..."
"This guy was still playing in China two years ago, and now he has grown to this point... What kind of weirdo are these? No!"
The fans were obviously stunned by this goal.
"He really shook James off!"
"It's unbelievable... I always thought his All-Star performance was a bit watery, but now it seems that all of us underestimated him..."
"This guy must be at a historical level in the history of Chinese basketball! What a pity! If he could have appeared earlier, maybe he could form a strong combination with Yao, which would not be a bad thing for the Rockets... .”
On the court.
The Rockets had no time to wait. Patrick Beverley quickly sent the ball to Harden.
He signaled Harden for a single.
"James, go! I'll help you cover... You have to get back on your feet..."
Harden nodded and recovered from his surprise.
After receiving the basketball, he quickly dribbled it over.
When he came outside the three-point line, Zhao Feiyang had already followed him and stared at him. The two faced each other, Harden dribbled the basketball and kept testing Zhao Feiyang, and Zhao Feiyang kept adjusting his body center of gravity to block Harden's offensive route.
Suddenly, Harden pulled the ball back and took the initiative to create some time. Zhao Feiyang didn't think much and pounced directly on Harden, intending to block Harden.
But just after he rushed forward, he realized that Harden had just faked.
In the past, Harden would most likely step back and shoot in this situation, but that's not the case now. Harden reversed his habitual movements to confuse his judgment.
Harden's fake move smoothly swayed Zhao Feiyang, and Clint Capela in the inside came out in time to pick and roll. Harden easily reached the basket.
Dwight Howard also came up to defend, trying to prevent Harden from taking a shot, but Harden reacted faster than him and threw the ball directly before Howard jumped up.
Uh-huh.
A solid two-pointer.
There was applause from the outside.
But just when Rockets fans were thankful that Harden counterattacked, Adrian Ennis under the basket had already reacted immediately.
As soon as the basketball entered, he immediately went to the basket and served.
While the Rockets players were not paying attention, he threw a long pass to the half court. At this time, Zhao Feiyang had already sprinted towards the half court.
When Zhao Feiyang was approaching the basket, he caught the ball and threw the ball for a layup.
Uh-huh.
The ball went in.
Such a clean fast break caught the Rockets off guard.
However, everything has just begun.
Zhao Feiyang, who was full of physical strength, was almost cheating. In the following time, he continued to break through and shoot three-pointers. His strong performance made the Rockets hard to guard against.
Especially in the second half of the last quarter, Harden, who was physically exhausted, could not stop Zhao Feiyang's attack, nor could he keep up with the explosive and fast Zhao Feiyang.
After the exchanges between the two sides, the Rockets were finally overtaken by the Timberwolves with only 3 minutes left in the game.
Uh-huh.
Adrian inside grabbed the rebound and scored a layup.
When the goal was scored, the score between the two sides was 103 to 101.
The Rockets fought back again, but this time, Harden no longer had the energy to connect the ball. After halftime, he stood on the wing and didn't even start running. Even Beverley waved to him directly, but he waved it down.
Helpless, other Rockets players can only choose to play on their own.
Ariza finally found a chance to take a shot. His three-pointer missed and hit the rim.
boom.
The basketball rebounded in mid-air and was picked off by Howard.
Howard was unambiguous after getting the ball and threw a long pass directly. Zach LaVine caught the ball outside the three-point line, and he and Zhao Feiyang accelerated towards the half court at the same time.
When Beverley was chasing after him, Zhao Feiyang deliberately helped LaVine block Beverley, and then with no one on guard, LaVine dunked the ball into the basket.
The score difference is getting wider and wider.
Seeing that the time left was getting shorter and shorter, Rockets head coach Bickerstaff made a temporary adjustment at the last moment, asking Beverley to switch with Harden, with Beverley guarding Zhao Feiyang, who was feeling hot.
Timberwolves serve.
After halftime, Zhao Feiyang played singles with the ball. Facing the menacing Beverley, Zhao Feiyang didn't pay much attention at all.
The two of them met each other, and Zhao Feiyang suddenly made a cross step and shook him. Before Beverly even had time to react, he was directly shaken away by Zhao Feiyang.
After shaking away, Zhao Feiyang did not rush to the basket, but suddenly took a step back and jumped to the side to the three-point line.
Before Beverly could reach out and pounce, Zhao Feiyang raised the basketball and shot.
Uh-huh.
A crisp three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
After the goal was scored, there were only the last 51 seconds left in the game, and the score between the two sides was 116 to 106.
With a 10-point gap, it seems difficult to make a comeback, especially with the Rockets in such a bad state.
It was the Rockets' turn to attack. This time after the ball passed half court, Harden went solo and hit the basket with a three-pointer. The rebound was grabbed by Capela. He transferred the ball to Ariza on the wing. Ariza raised the basketball and hit a three-pointer.
The basketball still missed.
This time the basketball bounced out and happened to fall into Beverley's hands. Beverley could only choose to shoot a three-pointer.
boom.
The basketball still missed.
After missing three consecutive shots, the Rockets fans on the sidelines were already sighing, and many people let out disappointment and sighs.
Even Rockets coach Bickerstaff couldn't help but shake his head.
"No!"
On the field.
The rebound was picked off by Howard.
This time it was thrown into LaVine's hands, and he and Zhao Feiyang passed halftime one after another. After LaVine was marked, he transferred the ball. Zhao Feiyang, who was standing in the bottom corner, received the pass and shot directly.
Uh-huh.
A three-pointer fell firmly into the basket.
By this time, both sides knew that the game was over!
There were only the last 20 seconds left on the scene.
Although the referee has not yet announced the result, the Rockets have obviously chosen to give up. After all, it’s so difficult to take this little time! Even if Tracy McGrady comes over at his peak, I'm afraid he may not be able to help the team save the defeat.
As a result, all the fans stood up to greet the final moment, and the players from both sides put down their basketballs and came together to hug each other.
As the team leader, Harden looked very frustrated. He walked up to Zhao Feiyang and stretched out his hand to high-five Zhao Feiyang.
"Man, congratulations on winning the series!"
