The most outstanding player on the Pacers' bench is Delfino, who has just been promised a new deal. Several three-pointers are the most critical factor for the Pacers to survive that period of disadvantage. "
Su Kui said.
"Yes, let's look at the technical statistics of both sides. On the Rockets' side, Harden's offensive efficiency is very high. He scored 20 points on 7 of 12 shots, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. We still have to run tonight. 30+ triple-double. Butler also scored 12 points, and also had 6 assists and 5 rebounds, which was also very comprehensive.
For the Pacers, George's efficiency is relatively average, but most of the missed shots occurred in the first half of the first quarter. In the second half of the first quarter and the second quarter, George played much more reasonably, scoring 16 in the half. Points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds are his normal level. Pierce played the role of a savior. He didn't take many shots, but his shooting rate was surprisingly high. He also scored 16 points. "
Yu Jia said.
"The head coaches of both sides will definitely make more targeted arrangements during the halftime break. It is foreseeable that the defensive intensity will further increase in the second half, and the scene may not be as beautiful as the first half."
Su Kui analyzed.
"Yes, the two sides were tied in the second quarter. The current score is 67:62, and the Rockets are temporarily leading by 5 points. I believe the suspense of this game will be retained until the last moment. Let's take a short break. After the commercial, let's watch the Rockets together. The second half of the game against the Pacers."
Yu Jia said.
Su Kui is indeed experienced, and his judgment of the trend in the second half is accurate.
At the beginning of the second half, both the Rockets and the Pacers put more energy into the defensive end. The physical confrontation between the two sides became more intense and the offensive success rate dropped significantly.
During this period, the referee was very busy and kept calling fouls, which greatly affected the smoothness of the game.
Although the scene was not pretty, in terms of score, the Pacers equalized bit by bit and took the lead in the middle of the third quarter.
Relying on Hibbert's inside advantage to cause damage, Asik and O'Neal accumulated 4 fouls one after another, and McHale had no choice but to replace Smith.
The quality of the Rockets' interior defense has declined, Hibbert's strong attack at the basket has given George a better use for his breakthrough.
Vogel's tactics were a great success. Before the game started, he decided on a strategy of starting from the inside and drawing fouls. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. By the middle of the third quarter, the Rockets' originally strong inside configuration was already stretched thin.
McHale realized it later, quickly called a timeout, and deployed the same tactics. Harden, Butler and Jeremy Lin are also masters of drawing fouls, especially Harden, who is a master.
Hibbert is the only strong point in the Pacers' interior, so we will also attack the interior and cause Hibbert to foul. As long as he is forced to leave the game, the two sides will still be at odds in the interior.
However, the ideal is very full, the reality is very skinny, and the defensive ability of the two-gun backcourt composed of Hill and George is quite strong. Relatively speaking, Pierce has become the weakest link.
But for such an obvious thing, Vogel naturally thought of it. After the timeout, he decisively replaced Pierce and replaced him with Stephenson, who will definitely have the most exciting defensive lineup as long as he can concentrate and not power off.
The "junior brother" came on the field with a mission. When he came up to face Butler, he glared at him and refused to give him a chance to break through easily.
Jeremy Lin, Harden and Butler have many difficulties in drawing fouls, and it often takes a lot of physical effort to break through.
Even when he rushed in, Hibbert kept his guard up. If you choose to go hard, I'll give you 2 points.
The first hit was successful, the second hit was successful, and by the third time, the sharp drop in physical strength made them weak at the end, and their hit rate began to drop.
This is the effect Vogel wants to see.
The game of these few minutes was, on the surface, a competition between the players from both sides, but in fact it was a battle of wits and courage between the two head coaches. There is no doubt that Vogel won with a bang.
It wasn't until the Rockets fell into a two-minute scoring drought that McHale realized something was wrong. The players became more and more tired as they played on the court. The offense was not good and the defense was gradually unable to keep up with the opponent. The Pacers relied on two chasing three-pointers by George and Stephenson to open the score to 7 points in one fell swoop, 84:91.
McHale quickly called a timeout to adjust and replaced with a more energetic and physically capable defensive team. The most important thing now is not to let the score difference widen.
"What do you think of George and Stephenson compared to Harden and Butler?"
Seeing the wonderful performance of the two, Bird asked Xu Xin with a smile, unable to restrain his pride in his tone.
During this period, the American media has always boasted about how powerful Harden and Butler are, and how they will grow into a combination of Jordan and Pippen.
In his opinion, George and Stephenson on his team are not bad at all.
No, in the head-to-head confrontation between the two sides, Harden and Butler were not as powerful as the media boasted.
"George will be an All-Star player and even a superstar. Stephenson, if he can always focus on basketball, his future is also limitless."
Xu Xin said seriously, only half-answering Bird's question, and praising Bird's two favorites. As for the comparison with Harden and Butler, Xu Xin didn't mention a word. This kind of answer is wrong. He won't touch the problem.
Bird nodded with a smile and did not ask any more questions. It was enough for him.
It was said that Xu Xin had a good eye for people, and he had already found the answer from Xu Xin's words.
George is definitely not for sale to the team, and Stephenson is the best choice to take advantage of the situation.
After the timeout, McHale replaced O'Neal, Tucker, Ariza, Beverley and Livingston.
Vogel also replaced the substitute lineup, with Mahinmi, Hansbrough, Delfino, and Stephenson all on the field, leaving only the team's brains, George Hill.
For Vogel, this 7-point advantage is enough, and it is a wiser choice to let the main players retain enough physical strength to prepare for the decisive battle in the fourth quarter.
But there was one person on the court who didn't agree, and that was O'Neal.
Xiao Ao was very excited to return to Yincheng. Facing Mahinmi, who was bullied by him in various ways in the first half, he played more proactively.
Inside, he hit with his back and connected with a small hook, turned around and shot a jump shot, stepped up and down with his back, and a set of combination punches made Mahinmi lose his temper.
As a result, the Rockets chased 6 points in a row, 90:91.
After all, O'Neal's explosion was not taken into account. Counting the first half, he had already scored 16 points, far exceeding his season average.
Just as Vogel was thinking about a solution, Delfino surprised him again.
The Pampas shooter first ran without the ball, caught the ball and hit a three-point jump shot. Then he received Stephenson's breakthrough pass, took two steps outside the three-point line and hit a three-pointer from a long distance.
