Seeing this, Butler suddenly changed his tactics while rushing in, braked suddenly and took a mid-range jumper.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball goes hollow into the net.
McHale was a little surprised and turned to look at Xu Xin,
"Does he still have this skill?"
"It shouldn't be a conventional weapon, but Butler has the courage to take action at critical moments and the courage to take responsibility. This attribute is not possessed by others in the team."
Xu Xin replied.
At 70:61, the score difference returned to single digits.
When the red team attacked, Harden slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and was not in a hurry to attack. In one minute and 40 seconds, he led by 9 points. His choice was undoubtedly the right one.
When there were 10 seconds left in the attack time, Harden began to operate.
Asik and Parsons both put up screens, one tall, one short, one fat, one thin. The two white walls successfully hindered Butler's pace of following the defense.
Harden accelerated his breakthrough, got rid of Blake and Motel who were defending, and took three steps for a layup.
The moment he raised the ball with his left hand, a tall and thin figure shot out of the diagonal stab, cut the ball off, and helped Harden complete an air layup.
It turned out that Shaun Livingston had quick hands and eyes and cut off Harden's layup.
Upon seeing this, Butler turned and ran forward. Livingston saw Butler who was about to leave. He made a long pass from the quarterback and accurately found Butler who had already reached the three-point line.
After Butler caught the ball, he took one step and took three steps to dunk with both hands.
70:63.
"Although Livingston lost his speed and explosiveness after a serious injury, his defensive awareness and passing skills are still online."
McHale was very satisfied.
Through this training game, Livingston successfully won McHale's trust.
Harden continued to press time. With 10 seconds left in the attack time, he continued to use the screen to break through to the basket.
This time, he didn't rush to take three steps for a layup. Instead, he observed the defensive player's position while walking, and then succeeded in the throw.
72:63.
This is Harden's ability to read the game and never make the same mistake twice.
The blue team sent a baseline kick, and Butler took the ball and advanced quickly.
There is less than a minute left in the game. Although the result cannot be changed, Butler is the kind of player who will never give up as long as the game is not over. Whether it is a formal game or team training, he goes all out.
How else could there be a joke about being in the Timberwolves in his previous life, leading a group of substitutes to defeat the main team led by the two No. 1 picks.
Facing Parsons' defense, Butler stopped again and took a mid-range shot. This time the shot missed, but Livingston grabbed the offensive rebound and tipped it in.
72:65.
There are 40 seconds left in the game, less than two rounds.
Seeing that his side was still leading by 7 points, Harden stopped attacking after dribbling the ball past half court.
But Butler didn't believe in evil. After the red team's offensive time ran out, he took the sideline ball from his teammate, dribbled to the three-point line, faced Parsons' defense and hit a three-pointer, and the basketball bounced on the basket. After two clicks, he fell in.
72:68.
McHale was very surprised. Butler had only been on the team for a few days, but the fighting spirit and hard work he showed were something other Rockets players didn't have. This kid from Houston was really different.
The training match ended and both sides hugged each other.
Harden held Butler for a long time without letting go, muttering:
"Brother, it's just a training match, there's no need to work so hard."
Butler smiled shyly:
"That's my approach to the game, it's always been that way."
This sentence aroused Harden's fighting spirit and reminded him of the days when he was in the Thunder in the previous three seasons, soaking in the gym with his eldest and second brothers, sweating and training hard.
In fact, after coming to the Rockets this season, the team went smoothly, winning six games in a row. Harden had an amazing start and gradually became the boss of the team.
The praise from the outside world, the respect within the team, and the lack of competitiveness within the team made him gradually become arrogant and undisciplined.
Butler's arrival gave him a renewed sense of competition, which rekindled Harden's fighting spirit. He wanted to prove that he was not only the best one on the team, but also the most diligent, or at least one of them.
On the other side, each player came over to give Livingston a high-five and a hug to express their respect.
After the players left the court one after another to take a shower, Xu Xin and McHale stepped forward.
"Congratulations. After taking a shower, I will do a routine physical examination and you can sign the contract at noon."
Xu Xin looked at Livingston with a smile and said.
"Get ready. Join the team in the afternoon and leave for Portland. You will have a chance to play tomorrow."
McHale did not hide his affirmation of Livingston in his words. He and Xu Xin had been discussing it for a long time off the court just now. McHale was full of confidence and felt that he had mastered Livingston's instructions.
"Thank you manager, thank you coach, I will try my best."
Livingston kept thanking him.
At noon, Livingston sat opposite Xu Xin with some anxiety in a high-end restaurant in downtown Houston, looking at the surrounding environment.
"Manager, I'm not very hungry. I don't need to eat. Let's go back and sign the contract. I will leave for Portland with the team in the afternoon. I'm afraid that it will waste time and affect the team's rest."
Livingston had said this twice on the road, but Xu Xin ignored it.
As soon as he finished speaking this time, Livingston's stomach growled unsatisfactorily.
Xu Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't expect that Livingston, who had seen 13 of 15 in the finals in the finals and killed everyone, could also be so embarrassed.
"You have to sign a contract, and you have to eat. Well, I've brought the contract. I'll sign it here after dinner. I'll go to the airport with you later. I will go every time the team goes on an expedition. I'll forget if I'm late. mine."
Xu Xin took out the contract from his bag and showed it to Livingston.
Seeing this, Livingston gradually relaxed.
Throughout the lunch, the two chatted happily.
Livingston was very excited and told Xu Xin about his recovery process and wandering experience after his serious injury.
Xu Xin is a good listener. He looked at Livingston's moist eyes and patiently listened to Livingston's memoirs.
Livingston finished speaking and the meal was almost finished.
Xu Xin took out two contracts, opened them, and placed them in front of Livingston.
“These two contracts, one is 1.5 million for one year and the other is 6 million for three years, are fully guaranteed.
Oh, by the way, the three-year contract has no team options or player options. The choice is left to you. You think about it. If you are not satisfied, we can talk about it. "
Livingston was a little surprised. After a serious injury, he was a famous glass man in the league. He didn't expect Xu Xin to give him full guarantees, one of which was a three-year long-term contract.
Livingston had his own little plan. The speech he just gave to Xu Xin alone was not just a casual chat.
He wanted to prove through words that he was still capable of fighting, and his wandering experience also hinted that Xu Xin could quickly adapt to an unfamiliar team in order to get a better contract.
His psychological expectation was a full guarantee of 1 million yuan for one year, but he knew that Xu Xin in front of him would most likely not be fully guaranteed.
