The Rockets players moved very aggressively without the ball. Asik provided a solid screen for Harden on the wing, blocking Sefolosha firmly in front of him. Harden took advantage of the screen and came out, and Jeremy Lin sent a wonderful pass.
When the ball came to the player, Harden was outside the 45-degree three-point line on the right side. He caught the ball without adjusting and shot a three-pointer. The basketball drew a beautiful arc and spun straight into the net.
3:0, the Rockets scored the first attack.
As the two sides ran back, Harden smiled and said to Sefolosha, who was guarding him:
"You're still you, but I'm not the same person I used to be."
Sefolosha responded with a smile:
"After you score a ball, you start to float. I think you are still the same person you used to be."
In the live broadcast room, Yang Jian is doing his own work.
"Good shot, the quality of the screen was very high. Harden was in good shape tonight. He made the first ball."
Yang Jian said.
Westbrook took the baseline ball from Perkins and jumped to the frontcourt with the ball.
Ibaka came up to cover Westbrook. Westbrook used the screen to get rid of Jeremy Lin from the right side. Facing Parsons' defense change, he chose to pass the ball back to Ibaka.
After Ibaka received the ball, he ignored Jeremy Lin's shorter defense and made a solid mid-range jumper.
3:2.
"Ibaka is really good. His half-volley shots in the past two seasons are very impressive. In the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals last season, Ibaka's mid-range shot defeated the Spurs."
Su Kui said.
In the opening stage, the Thunder's offense is usually ended by Ibaka or Sefolosha, and it was the same step by step today.
When the Rockets attacked, Jeremy Lin did not choose to use the transition attack after the Thunder scored. The main reason was that the opponent retreated quickly.
Although the Thunder also use two more traditional inside players, Ibaka's athletic ability and lateral speed are definitely the best at the traditional power forward position.
Moreover, the number and success rate of the Thunder's conversion offenses this season are also extremely good, currently ranking second in the league behind the Heat.
The Rockets are ranked sixth in the league. They are good at switching offenses and their opponents are better at them, so they should use them with caution.
When there is no particularly good opportunity, it is a better choice to lower the tempo and stay in position to achieve success rate. This is also what McHale focused on before the game.
Jeremy Lin came to the frontcourt with the ball, and the Rockets did the same thing. Asik continued to provide Harden with no-ball coverage on the wing.
This time, the Thunder's defensive attention shifted to Harden. Sefolosha and Durant, who was marking Ariza in the corner, both moved in the direction of Harden's escape, preventing Harden from using the screen to catch and shoot again. .
Ariza saw the right moment, made a misdirection move up the line, and cut from the baseline. Jeremy Lin looked in the direction of Harden and passed a quick through ball to Ariza who cut to the basket.
Pass the ball without looking!
Ariza caught the ball and dunked with both hands, adding two more points to the Rockets.
5:2.
When the Thunder attacked, Westbrook used the screen to break through, compressed the Rockets' defense, and passed the ball to Sefolosha on the left at a 45-degree angle. After receiving the ball, the Swiss Army Knife did not hesitate and jumped up to take the shot. The action was very cool.
"Bang!"
It's a pity that it's just blacksmithing.
Asik protected the backcourt rebound and gave it to Jeremy Lin.
This is also McHale's arrangement. Throughout the first half, as long as the Harlem duo are on the court at the same time, McHale prefers Jeremy Lin to be the starting point of the offense, while Harden can save energy and serve as the end point of the offense.
Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball to the front court unhurriedly. Asik once again came to the wing to provide Harden with a wing screen. This time Sefolosha predicted in advance and squeezed through the screen without losing his defensive position.
Seeing this, Asik came to the vicinity of the three-second zone and made a screen without the ball.
As the name suggests, the screen is for the covering player to move down the line facing the baseline to provide a screen for players in the low or relatively low position without the ball.
While Asik ran down the line, Ariza and Parsons in the bottom corners on both sides understood clearly that the first choice of this tactic had no chance, and the next step was their chance.
The two made a cross move along the baseline, and Harden also moved to the penalty area, clearing both sides at 45 degrees.
Durant and Ibaka had communication problems while defending without the ball, and both of them stared at Ariza.
Parsons came out from the right side at a 45-degree angle, and there was no one in front of him.
Jeremy Lin made another no-look pass. Parsons received the ball, jumped slightly, raised his hand from outside the three-point line and hit a three-pointer.
8:2.
"The Rockets have a good offensive strategy. Asik's offensive ability is very weak, so use him as a shield and constantly provide screen without the ball to create opportunities for teammates.
The four Rockets perimeter players all have very high shooting skills. The three-point shooting percentages are Harden 37%, Ariza 39%, Jeremy Lin 36%, and Parsons 42%. "
Su Qujie said.
Xu Xin nodded frequently in the stands, very satisfied.
Compared with the large number of singles at the beginning of the game, after ten games, the Rockets' tactical execution has obviously improved to a higher level, which is a good thing.
Harden does not need to play in isolation every round. Role players increase their chances of touching the ball and can better maintain their touch.
I believe that if things continue like this, Harden's much-criticized problem of weak key balls in the previous life will be eradicated, and he can even make "judgment shots" many times in the future.
Westbrook advanced with the ball and once again found Sefolosha in the half-open space outside the three-point line through a breakthrough. This time the Swiss Army Knife seized the opportunity and made the ball.
8:5.
In the following rounds, both sides strengthened their defensive intensity, and the offense was basically completed by role players. The shooting percentage of both sides was not very high. The game lasted seven minutes and ended with the official timeout.
Both sides sent in rotating lineups.
For the Rockets, Harden, Asik, and Parsons were replaced, and Butler, Livingston, and Motiejunas were replaced.
For the Thunder, Westbrook, Ibaka, Perkins and Sefolosha were replaced, and Nick Collison, Kevin Martin, Thunder Jackson and Hasheem Thabeet were replaced.
The Thunder made a regular rotation. Normally in the first quarter, Westbrook would go down to rest first and Du Shao would lead the team. At the beginning of the second quarter, Du Shao would rest again and Westbrook would come up to lead the team.
There is no way, this team has almost no third offensive starting point.
Kevin Martin, who was briefly the boss of the Rockets, counts as half of the team. He can score some points by holding the ball, making pull-up jumpers and hitting porcelain, but he has no coordination ability and cannot drive his teammates.
As for Thunderbolt Jackson, he is still too immature in the second grade, and his playing style is somewhat similar to Westbrook.
But both his finishing ability and passing awareness are far behind Westbrook. Calling him a "bankrupt version" of Westbrook is a compliment.
For the Rockets, this is not a regular rotation.
Under normal circumstances, Argentine marksman Delfino's playing time would be much earlier, but he did not play today.
