As the referee blows his whistle, the game officially begins.
Hibbert jumped to the ball, flicked his right hand, and the basketball flew in the direction of George Hill.
Jeremy Lin was well prepared. When the referee's whistle blew, he jumped out with jaw-dropping speed. He intercepted the basketball halfway, made a three-step and two-step overhand layup, and put the ball into the basket. .
The whole process took no more than 3 seconds. Before the Pacers players could react, the fast break was already completed.
With eyes full of smiles, Harden reached out and gave running back Jeremy Lin a high-five to celebrate. 2:0. Jeremy Lin's activeness helped the Rockets take the lead.
"mine."
Hibbert raised his hand to indicate that the force he used to dial the ball was too small. If the ball was faster, Jeremy Lin would not be able to complete the steal.
"It's okay, just focus."
Pierce reminded that when he came to this young Pacers, it was his duty to assume the role of leader.
George Hill holds the ball in his hands and organizes the offense. He is a relatively traditional point guard with a balanced offense and defense.
George and Pierce moved very actively without the ball, and with the help of Hibbert and West's cover, they made a cross move.
Harden and Butler had communication problems during the defense change. The two chased George at the same time, missing Pierce, who was running in the opposite direction.
Hill saw the opportunity, stared in the direction of George's running, pointed east and west, and passed the ball straight to Pierce on the other side.
There was no one three meters in front of Pierce. He still had time to adjust after receiving the ball. He took a dribble and jumped up to shoot.
"Uh-huh!"
The three-pointer hit the net, 2:3.
The fans at the scene gave applause and encouragement, and Pierce made the first shot in a Pacers jersey.
"James, they are crossing positions and we will definitely replace them."
Butler reminded.
"Okay, this ball is mine."
Harden quickly admitted his mistake.
"James Harden is a good player. He has the courage to take on responsibilities on the court and doesn't have the airs of a boss. You have a good eye for selection."
Bird saw all the details on the court, looked at Xu Xin and said.
"Ahem, Mr. Bird, Harden was traded to the team the day before I became the team's acting general manager."
Xu Xin explained awkwardly.
"Ah, I mean you have a good eye for people. He is in your team, and you are the one who strongly encouraged him to become the core of the team, isn't it?"
Bird touched his nose and tried hard to explain himself.
"Thank you Mr. Bird for the compliment."
Xu Xin smiled.
The Rockets attack and treat others in their own way.
Asik provided Harden with a solid off-ball screen near the bottom corner. Hibbert was too slow to remind him. George was unprepared and ran into Asik's arms.
Harden took advantage of George's delay, moved to the wing at a 45-degree angle, and received Jeremy Lin's pass.
The basketball went hollow into the net, and Harden responded with an "answer ball", 5:3.
"Good shot. Harden's response to the ball is at least half of Asik's credit. Asik's screen quality is very high and he blocked Paul George."
Su Kui said.
The Pacers attacked and ran the same tactic again. This time Harden and Butler were more alert and immediately switched defenses as soon as the opponent screened. Neither George nor Pierce had a chance to escape.
The first tactic didn't come out, so Hill immediately directed his teammates to run the next tactic.
He first handed the ball to Pierce on the wing, and immediately ran to the corner to take away the defender. Hibbert and West set up a screen near the free throw line. George made a half circle and came out of the arc. Harden was caught in the process of chasing. Pacers Twin Towers delayed.
Pierce saw the right moment and immediately released the ball. George received the ball, took off, and shot. The whole set of actions was done in one go, which was quite smooth.
The basketball is like a rainbow in the air, spinning and flying into the basket.
5:6.
After the ball was scored, George made a cool celebration, and the fans cheered heartily. This is the new king of Indiana!
They are not envious when they see Harden in the Rockets, because their George is not bad at all.
"George has made great progress this season. He made the first long-range shot in the opening game. This is a great improvement for his shooting confidence. The game tonight was great to watch."
Su Qujie said.
On the court, while George was retreating, he made a "2" gesture towards Harden who was running toward him, and said:
"I'm going to make that many threes tonight on your defense."
Harden said disdainfully:
"Enter 2, you are too uninterested."
"It's not 2, it's 2 digits!"
George shook his head and said jokingly.
"You don't have to make drafts to brag. If you score more than ten three-pointers, I will take your last name from now on."
Harden snorted and responded.
"Okay, are you ready, James George?"
George teased.
"You make the shot first, Paul Harden."
Harden saw that the other party was taking advantage of him and refused to give in, so he retorted.
Then he opened his hand for the ball. He was bound to give George a look with this ball.
Jeremy Lin had a good eye and ran towards the bottom corner after handing over the ball. Hill hurriedly followed up. The top of the arc turned into a royal PK between Harden and George.
After Harden made three consecutive threats, the probing step changed George's defensive focus, and then he used his signature 012 step back, crossing to the right, creating a huge shooting space for himself, and took a jump shot.
Relying on his excellent physical fitness, George instantly adjusted his center of gravity, stretched his body to its longest stretch, and pounced on Harden.
Unfortunately, the distance was too far, and his left hand barely touched Harden's elbow. The referee happened to be nearby and caught a move.
"Shua!" "Beep!"
The ball goes in and the whistle blows, three plus one.
"See, this is called shooting."
Harden looked at George and said proudly.
"You're lucky enough to get one. What's there to be proud of? You're so worthless. You won't be able to eat four dishes in your life."
George countered, although he was at a disadvantage in this attack and defense, he did not give in at all.
Harden didn't take it seriously and said:
"If I take you tonight, our manager Xu will treat me to eight dishes."
"I can't hold you to death."
The two exchanged words without a word, which was very funny. It wasn't until the referee reminded Harden to hurry up and take the free throw that the verbal PK battle between the two came to an end.
Against the boos of the fans in the audience, Harden made a steady free throw.
Scored 4 points in one round, 9:6, and the Rockets took the lead.
Hibbert walked over and fired a baseline kick.
"I come."
George shouted to Hill. Hill nodded, took the initiative to delegate power, and ran forward.
My young master has spoken, but he must not be pampered.
George caught the ball, and Harden behind him stepped forward and launched a full-court press defense against George.
"Oh? This is the first time I've seen James (Harden) defend so aggressively."
In the box, Bird raised his eyebrows, looked at Xu Xin and said.
"James and Paul are fighting."
Xu Xin smiled.
"It's normal for young people to disagree with each other and want to differentiate themselves. This kind of healthy competition between them is exactly what the new generation of stars lacks."
Bird said old-fashionedly.
