But if Harden comes off the court, the Rockets' offense may stagnate. Butler's touch is average tonight, and his main way of scoring is in the area closer to the basket.
The basket guarded by Jordan and Griffin is one of the best combinations in limiting the opponent's shooting percentage. Butler cannot support the Rockets' offensive system.
After much thought, McHale hardened his mind and chose to continue putting Harden on the court.
Harden also seemed to see McHale's helplessness, and continued to break through and draw fouls, and went to the free throw line.
At such a time when your energy level and physical fitness are declining significantly, getting to the free throw line is the wisest choice.
Harden took a deep breath, found rhythm by shooting the ball, and made two free throws again. At 85:85, the two sides were tied again.
After several rounds, the two sides took the lead alternately, and the game was inseparable. Paul's "logo shot" at the buzzer near midfield at the last moment missed the mark, ending the third quarter.
The Clippers relied on their inside advantage to score 32 points in a single quarter. At 95:95, the two sides stood on the same starting line and began the final contest of the fourth quarter.
McHale already had a plan in mind and took the lead in arranging the combination of Beverley, Livingston, Ariza, Tucker and Garnett.
For the Clippers, Negro replaced the starting five. In order to chase points in this quarter, Negro chose to let the starting five play the entire quarter. Now they are all exhausted and breathing heavily.
Bledsoe, Crawford, Grant Hill, Odom and Turiaf will be the Clippers' lineup for the next more than three minutes.
As for whether the main force can be allowed to rest for a while, it depends on the performance of these people.
Odom served a baseline kick, and Bledsoe held the ball through half court.
Beverley led the defense from the backcourt, attacking delays all the way, and even almost intercepted the ball one-on-one. Bledsoe spent a lot of time and could barely pass the halftime before 8 seconds, but he was Beverley was forced to stop the ball.
Upon seeing this, Tucker stepped forward to double-team, trying to create a competition for the ball.
Fortunately, Odom came to help in time and ran over to respond. Bledsoe was able to pass the ball and breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously.
Odom held the ball to support, Grant Hill ran out, took over the pass, took a step inward and shot a mid-range jumper.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball hit the net.
95:97.
When the Rockets attacked, Livingston held the ball and greeted Garnett for a pick-and-roll. He dribbled through to attract Turiaf's defense, and passed the ball from behind to Garnett who was outside.
The Wolf King caught the ball and shot in one go, and a large two-pointer fell into the bag.
97:97.
The Clippers sent a baseline kick, and Beverley pretended to retreat, staring closely at Bledsoe. The moment he caught the ball, he suddenly took two steps forward and cut off Bledsoe's hand. basketball inside.
After the basketball landed, it bounced out of bounds. Beverley jumped up, caught the ball in mid-air and threw it diagonally behind him. It hit Bledsoe's foot and bounced out of bounds.
The fans in the front row could see clearly and stood up to applaud.
"He's so hardworking."
said a little boy holding popcorn.
"This is the player who fits the temperament of our team."
said the little boy's father.
Relying on Beverley's active fighting, the Rockets successfully obtained the ball.
Garnett sent a sideline pass, and Livingston and Tucker exchanged a look. The latter understood the situation and set an off-ball screen for Livingston near the free throw line.
Livingston took advantage of the screen and took a pass from Garnett. He jumped high and made a slightly drifting fadeaway mid-range shot, which he hit steadily.
The sideline ball tactics were executed perfectly, 99:97, and the Rockets took the lead again.
Xu Xin nodded secretly on the sidelines. The more he saw these two signings, the more satisfied he became. Both Livingston and Beverley were players with distinctive characteristics, and they are very suitable for the current Rockets.
This lineup actually allows Livingston to play Harden's role and let him initiate the offense. Of course, his singles ability is incomparable to Harden.
Mainly based on the pick-and-roll tactics with Garnett, the other three were waiting for opportunities to prepare for shots or rebounds.
On the defensive end, the five players implement unlimited defense changes, and the defense against the ball holder is very intense. Especially Beverley, his unique defensive style is an important part of disrupting the opponent's offense.
On the court, Beverley almost completed the break again. Bledsoe became angry and pushed Beverley away. Beverley was not stupid and used the force to lie down on the ground.
The referee was right in front of him, he saw it clearly, and without saying a word, it was an offensive foul!
Beverley stood up with a grin, and applauded Bledsoe. Bledsoe was so angry that his nose was about to smoke, and he walked to the backcourt without looking back.
"Why is this person like a dog-skin plaster?"
Bledsoe and K-6 complained.
"Calm down, I will hold the ball in the next round, and you find opportunities to cut and run."
Crawford said.
With the Rockets having the ball, Livingston once again used the pick-and-roll to break through inside. This time Turiaf was half a beat slower and failed to defend.
Livingston seized the opportunity and made another mid-range pull-up jumper.
"Bang!"
The strike missed.
Opportunities come out, but missing shots is also part of the game.
Odom collected the rebound and gave it to Crawford who was asking for the ball.
Livingston hurriedly ran back to defend, and Crawford was his opponent. He hurriedly rushed, but before he could reach the defensive position, Crawford threw the ball.
"Uh-huh!"
Converted to a chasing three-pointer and hit the net, 99:100.
"mine."
Livingston raised his hand and patted his chest and apologized to his teammates.
"It's okay, brother, call back."
Tucker encouraged.
Among the young players in the Rockets, Tucker is the one with the most leadership qualities.
The Rockets attacked. This time Livingston handed the ball to Ariza, and he ran to the low post. After confronting Crawford, he turned around to gain position, opened his hand for the ball, and then turned over and leaned back to make a steady hit.
This is his sweet spot and his hit rate is very high.
Crawford did not hesitate to give in and took over the Clippers' offensive banner. Turiaf and Odom both put up the screen to create shooting opportunities for them. Crawford also took advantage of it and hit another three-pointer.
The Clippers' offensive efficiency is really amazing. Looking at the technical statistics, Xu Xin made 15 of 28 three-pointers, a shooting rate of over 50%.
Although it has something to do with the Rockets' zone defense in the third quarter, it is an indisputable fact that the Clippers' pitchers are in surprisingly good condition.
McHale was pacing back and forth on the sidelines. The transition period was the Rockets' dominant period, but the score did not reflect his expectations.
101:103, after 4 minutes of this quarter, the Rockets not only did not lead, but fell behind by 2 points.
Let's see how an offense goes. The score difference cannot exceed 5 points. If it exceeds, it will be difficult for the Rockets to beat when the main players of both sides come back.
McHale pondered.
On the court, Livingston and Garnett played a pick-and-roll. This time it was a fake screen. The Wolf King lifted up and brought Turiaf to the line. Suddenly he turned around and passed smoothly. Livingston passed the ball just right.
The Wolf King caught the ball and dunked with both hands to help the Rockets tie the score.
