Jeremy Lin responded with 2 points.
The pace of the game is very fast, and basically every round is resolved within 16 seconds. The scene is open and close, with alley-oops, three-pointers, and counterattacks all happening. The fans enjoy watching it.
In the middle of the first quarter, as Jeremy Lin broke through and forced Jordan to foul the basket, the game entered an official timeout. At 16:18, the Rockets were still behind.
"Slow down the success rate and pass the ball once more. The game was too chaotic just now. If you can't make a shot, you will give the opponent a chance to counterattack. Also, you must protect the backcourt rebounds."
McHale shouted to the players, telling them what to pay attention to.
Although the Rockets still have the advantage on paper, they have been following the Clippers' rhythm in the first half of the first quarter. That is to say, the Clippers feel average, and Caron Butler and Willie Green have two open three-pointers. We are not sure, otherwise we would not be 2 points behind now.
After the timeout, McHale replaced Harden, Garnett and Asik as usual, and replaced O'Neal, Tucker and Ariza, with Butler playing the shooting guard position.
Clippers head coach Negro also made adjustments to his personnel, replacing Caron Butler and Willie Green and replacing them with "Super Six" Jamal Crawford and defensive champion Matt Barn. Sri Lanka.
The trio of Paul, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan is still on the court. This is the basic framework of the team's offensive and defensive system. If one person is missing, it will be compromised.
Jeremy Lin walked to the free throw line in the frontcourt, patted the ball to find rhythm, and made the first free throw steadily, but unfortunately missed the second free throw.
O'Neal Jr. actively fought for offensive rebounds, but Jordan was stuck in his position and did not give him any chance. He steadily collected the rebound and handed it to Paul.
Paul saw that the Rockets retreated quickly and did not make long passes to switch offense. He dribbled slowly to the frontcourt and gestured to Griffin to come up for a pick-and-roll.
Xu Xin concentrated on watching the situation on the court. Paul's pick-and-roll tactics were indispensable in the game. Paul's ability to punish mismatches and Griffin and DeAndre Jordan's explosive talents made the Clippers' pick-and-roll difficult to defend.
Jeremy Lin chose to step off the line and go around the screen. Tucker's position did not advance too much and always stayed within a reasonable distance. After seeing Griffin's pick-and-roll, he immediately moved down and simply retreated to follow. Butler on the side also moved inside. Recycle and be ready to assist in defense at any time.
Paul watched six directions, observing the movements of his teammates and the Rockets' defensive position. The inside was crowded and there was no chance. He made a diagonal pass to find Barnes in the half-empty corner.
Barnes received the ball and faced Butler's flying interference, choosing to let the bullet fly for a while.
He calmly made a shooting fake, took a step to the left, waited for Butler to fly by, and took off to shoot.
"Uh-huh!"
Barnes felt hot as soon as he came on the court and hit a three-pointer at 17:21 to help the Clippers expand their lead.
No wonder the Rockets chose an epic seven-for-one trade to grab Paul. A healthy Paul was indeed one of the best point guards in those years.
Xu Xin lamented that this kind of passing ability and clear judgment of the situation on the court are something that no defender in the Rockets team currently has, not even Harden can do it.
It's not that Harden can't pass this kind of ball. Harden can also pass the ball just now, but his probability of making a mistake is much higher than Paul's.
Xu Xin sighed.
At the other end of the court, Butler cleared one side and held the ball in singles. This was also the Rockets' regular tactic in the second half of the first quarter.
When Harden takes a break, Butler is the one with the strongest ball-holding ability. McHale hopes to get Harden and Butler to the next level through a large number of games. The best way is to give them the ball.
The Clippers' defense was obviously arranged in advance. After Barnes came on the court, he was bound to Butler and became inseparable.
Crawford's defensive ability is weak, allowing him to face Ariza who barely holds the ball, hiding the defensive weaknesses to the greatest extent.
Butler holds the ball on the wing and turns to back to the basket to hit Barnes with his own strength. Griffin helps protect the penalty area. Butler sees Tucker with an open opportunity outside the 45-degree three-point line on the left and passes the ball crosswise. passed.
This pass played right into Paul's mind, and he suddenly intercepted the pass. After receiving the ball, he quickly counterattacked and rushed to the frontcourt.
Cross passing is a taboo on the court.
Xu Xin smiled bitterly.
"Paul's predictions are top-notch in the league, and it makes sense that he has been selected to the All-Defensive Team multiple times."
The assistant teacher on the side sighed.
On the court, Shu Hao was chasing closely behind him and managed to catch up with Paul before he could start for a layup.
Paul sensed the pursuer behind him and came up with a plan. He slowed down and leaned on Jeremy Lin, creating physical contact. Then he used his right hand for a layup and hit the rebound.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle blows, two plus one.
"Jeremy (Jeremy Lin), have you learned it?"
After the ball was scored, Paul turned around and smiled evilly at Jeremy Lin and said.
"Who wouldn't? At least I won't be as embarrassed as you when I beat Deron (Williams)."
Jeremy Lin shrugged and said with disdain.
He is no longer a rookie who has just arrived. Faced with the cynicism of his opponents, Shuhao naturally has to respond. This is also part of the stadium culture.
"you.."
When Paul heard this, he was furious. Deron Williams and Paul were talented students in the same class, and they both served as point guards on the court.
Deron is the No. 3 pick, and Paul is the No. 4 pick. Similar rankings and the same position have made the two people known as "lifelong enemies" since their debut.
Although Paul and Deron are indistinguishable in terms of their respective achievements, at least at this time. But when the two fight against each other, things are different.
Deron is tall and strong, and he has an advantage in size. He can be said to be a perfect match for Paul. Most of the time when facing Paul, he is the one who performs better.
Fans joked that "beating Paul while eating and sleeping" was referring to Deron.
Starting in 2005, it has been almost 8 years now. Paul left New Orleans and came to the metropolis of Los Angeles, changing from "Queen Bee" to "Captain". And Deron broke up with his mentor Jerry Sloan and left the Utah plateau for Brooklyn.
The two went west and east, and the number of matches suddenly decreased, but Deron was still a lingering shadow in Paul's heart.
So when Jeremy Lin mentioned Paul's taboo, Paul felt his blood pressure rise and his anger level rise sharply.
"You brat, I'm going to give you some color later."
Paul muttered, his heart was in turmoil, and he actually missed the free throw.
This time, O'Neal Jr. had the upper hand in the jam with Jordan, collected the rebound, and passed it to Jeremy Lin.
After receiving the ball, Shuhao took advantage of the Clippers generals' delay in retreating and launched a quick counterattack. A gust of wind came to the frontcourt.
