At the beginning of the second half, as expected, McHale chose to position Asik closer to the inside to protect the basket and let Bosh shoot from mid- to long-range.
The Heat's first attack was still handled by James, who broke through the tank and hit the inside.
The layup was interfered by Asik, who had been waiting for a long time, and the layup failed. Jeremy Lin collected the rebound and launched a counterattack immediately.
Xu Xin had discussed with McHale before that the center should do the job of blocking rebounds, while Jeremy Lin and Harden would protect the offensive rebounds.
The advantage of this is that after collecting the rebound, a transition attack can be formed in the shortest time, saving the time for the center to pass to the defender.
Jeremy Lin, Harden and Morris Jr. are all masters of chaos, and the Rockets' efficiency in counterattacking fast breaks is obviously better than positional offense.
Jeremy Lin rushed to the frontcourt at lightning speed, but faced five players from the Heat who had all retreated. He had no choice but to slow down the pace and wait for his teammates to get into position to make tactics.
"It can be seen that the Rockets' defensive strategy against James changed in the second half. Asik recovered to protect the basket and restricted James from attacking the basket. Next, we will see how the Heat use their tactics."
"On the offensive end, the Rockets intend to speed up and attack in transition, but this has little effect on the Heat.
The five Heat players on the court are not slow and they retreat well.
It can be seen that Jeremy Lin has no good opportunity. If he forces a transition attack, it will only give the Heat a chance to counterattack. You play fast with the Heat, the Heat love it so much. "
Zhang Weiping's analysis hit the nail on the head.
On the court, Jeremy Lin gave the ball to Harden, and Harden asked Asik to come up to cover. The Heat made substitutions when the screen was covered, and Bosh faced Harden.
Harden dribbled the ball under his crotch, passed Bosh through a change of rhythm, and made a layup with his left hand.
"Snapped!"
Bosh, who turned around, slapped him from behind.
The basketball fell into Wade's hands impartially, and Wade started a counterattack. Facing Jeremy Lin's retreat, Mi Zongbu dunked successfully.
49:61.
On the Rockets' side, Jeremy Lin organized the offense and did not choose to hand the ball to Harden this time.
The Heat have tightened their surveillance on Harden. Every step from receiving the ball to attacking requires consuming physical energy. This will undoubtedly make the offense more low-key.
The Heat's defensive attention is all on Harden, and others need to step up at this time, otherwise the game is likely to flow away.
Jeremy Lin dribbled sideways, avoiding Chalmers' interference and observing the movement of his teammates.
Patterson and Morris Jr. made a cross move on the same side.
James and Battier did not explain clearly, and they pounced on Patterson, who had a good touch in the first half. Morris Jr. in the corner had an opportunity.
Jeremy Lin saw the right moment and passed a fast through ball to Morris.
After Morris received the ball, he made no adjustments and shot a jump shot very decisively.
"Uh-huh!"
Three point hit.
52:61.
The Rockets regained the point difference back to single digits.
On the Heat's side, Wade dribbled the ball past half court and passed it to James in the low post.
James picked up the ball with his back outside the three-second zone at an angle of 45 degrees and observed the movement of his teammates. On the other side, Battier and Chalmers crossed paths and had no chance.
James simply went it alone, faced Morris Jr.'s defense, and dribbled inside.
Little Morris pushed hard, but was still pushed in by James who was like a bulldozer.
James turned around and hit the ball for a layup.
52:63.
Jeremy Lin came up and patted Morris on the butt, encouraging him:
"You've already defended yourself very well. He can't always be so energetic. All we can do is wear him down."
Morris Jr. nodded, sent the baseline ball and ran forward, his back very firm.
Jeremy Lin continued to organize the offense and observed his teammates' movements without the ball. This time the Heat defended tighter and had no chance to qualify.
Seeing that there was not much time left, Jeremy Lin decided to go it alone.
Chalmers was passed by Jeremy Lin several times in the first half. He was very unconvinced. He was unilaterally crushed by an undrafted player. As a champion point guard, he didn't want to lose face?
Chalmers let Jeremy Lin take a step, and at the same time, he turned his body slightly to block Jeremy Lin's right hand and let him use his left hand.
He said provocatively: "Breakthrough, why don't you make a breakthrough?"
Jeremy Lin ignored it. Seeing Chalmers one step away from him, he dribbled the ball to find rhythm, and then made a pull-up jumper from outside the three-point line.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball goes hollow into the net.
55:63.
The Rockets scored two consecutive three-pointers to help Harden relieve the pressure.
During the retreat, Jeremy Lin smiled at Chalmers.
"You can't guard me."
Chalmers was so angry that he broke the defense instantly. This year is very crucial for him. If he plays well, he is expected to renew his contract with the team in advance next summer. If he plays poorly, he may be given up by the team and kicked out. .
Moreover, although he served as the team's starting point guard last season and helped the team win the championship, almost everyone regards him as the Heat's weakest link.
He needs to prove himself and prove that he is a true champion defender.
On the court, James was facing one-on-one, carrying Morris Jr. to break into the penalty area. Facing the situation, Asik shrank back to the basket. Asik, who was defending, did not choose to go up, but passed the ball to Bosh.
The Rockets defensive rotation was very fast. When Bosh received the ball and was about to shoot, Patterson had already pounced on him.
Bosh chose to continue passing the ball to Chalmers who was 45 degrees outside. Battier, who was left open in the same corner, was unmarked and wanted the ball.
But facing Jeremy Lin's defense, Chalmers didn't choose to pass the ball and jumped directly to shoot.
"Bang!"
The basketball hit the basket and bounced very far.
Harden was closest to the basketball, took three steps and two steps at a time, took the ball, and then dribbled toward the frontcourt.
At this time, Harden has not yet gained weight, his physical fitness is top-notch among guards, and his speed is not slow.
Wade was chasing after him. Harden rushed to the free throw line and suddenly slowed down. He leaned on Wade and took three steps to lick the basket with his right hand.
"Beep!"
The ball goes in and the whistle blows, "And one!"
Rockets players came over to high-five Harden to celebrate.
James came over and stared at Chalmers, a little dissatisfied.
"You shouldn't have taken this shot."
Chalmers looked indifferent, ignored James' gaze, and said harshly:
“I just wasn’t committed.”
Angrily, James turned away and walked aside, unwilling to talk to him anymore.
Harden made a solid free throw.
58:63.
Coach Spoelstra looked solemn on the sidelines. He was hesitating whether to call a timeout to adjust, but finally decided to take another look and chose to trust the players' judgment on the court.
But this time the Heat's offense was exactly the same, and the opportunity still appeared in Battier's corner.
Chalmers still didn't pass the ball and chose to force his shot. The shot still failed to go in. The Rockets protected the rebound and then counterattacked again.
The Rockets were playing two-on-one in the frontcourt. Wade faced Jeremy Lin and Harden who were running away from each other. He fought and retreated. He retreated to the free throw line and could no longer retreat. He chose to step forward to block Jeremy Lin's dribbling route.
When Jeremy Lin saw this, he didn't panic at all and threw the ball to the basket. Harden jumped high on the other side, spread his wings, grabbed the ball in the air with one hand, and dunked the ball into the basket.
The alley-oop and Harlem connection instantly ignited the atmosphere. The fans cheered loudly and gave the home team warm support.
The Heat were caught in a situation where five people were on the court against 16,000 people.
At 60:63, the Rockets had an 11:2 spurt, closing the point difference to one round.
