Another time, he passed the ball in a panic, but Butler caught him, completed the steal, and dunked easily and happily.
After two consecutive mistakes, Barea's condition declined, and he finally used Pekovic's single screen to gain space to shoot.
The three-point shot actually missed. Garnett took possession of the ball and passed the ball long to find Jeremy Lin who was about to go down. The latter counterattacked the fast break and added two more points with Budinger's high layup.
In just two minutes, the Rockets responded with a wave of 11:0, 56:36, and the point difference returned to 20 points.
The small fire that had just ignited in the center of the target was doused again by a basin of cold water.
The arena returned to silence.
Finch was also unprepared for everything that happened on the court. He thought that the Rockets would definitely make some offensive achievements after the timeout, but he did not expect that the Timberwolves were shattered in less than two minutes.
He looked at the referee with a sad face and called a timeout.
In terms of playing style, he has nothing to adjust. He can only rely on substitutions and intermittent rhythm to see if he can prevent the Rockets from further widening the point difference.
It can only be said that he was in vain. After the timeout, Finch put Rubio and Ridnour back on the court.
Rubio's height of 1.93 and wingspan of 2.13 ensure that he will not be passive when facing Jeremy Lin's defense. In terms of passing the ball, he is undoubtedly much more stable than Barea.
But whether it is Love or Pekovic, facing Garnett and Asik who are going all out and treating the second quarter as the fourth quarter, it is very difficult to play in the back.
Only two goals were scored in four attacks.
Looking back at the Rockets, Harden was as comfortable playing Ridnour as he was playing Budinger, and a slight change in rhythm could wipe him out.
The first line of defense was easily broken, and the others could only fill in to deny him the opportunity for an easy layup.
This is Harden's favorite way to defend, observing the position of his teammates as he moves.
Love made up the defense and passed to Garnett at the elbow. Williams and Rubio's defense is divided between Butler and Jeremy Lin in the corner.
The three of them were also very competitive, and they all took advantage of the big open opportunities.
Before halftime, Harden controlled the final attack time and started it with 6 seconds left.
Ridnour was passed continuously, and he was more careful about Harden's breakthrough, focusing on retreating. This played right into Harden's plan. He broke through inward and then stopped and pulled back. He stepped back and hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. It was a response to Barea's extraordinary shot in the first quarter.
Although it is not as far away as the Bariana ball, it is not inferior in terms of viewing value, and it is 3 points.
At 67:40, in more than four minutes after McHale's timeout, the Rockets launched a 22:4 offensive feast, laying the foundation for victory in one fell swoop.
"Well done!"
McHale waited in the tunnel in advance and high-fived every Rockets player.
A slap in the face gives a sweet date, he understands this principle well.
"The brothers played well, we will focus on the last four minutes of the second half,"
In the locker room, Garnett encouraged everyone.
Xu Xin looked on and was very pleased. This was why he paid a high price to exchange for Garnett.
Garnett's biggest role is not how many points he scores, how many rebounds he grabs, or how many blocks he completes, but the spiritual addition to the team.
Compared to McHale or new encouragement or criticism, Garnett's words are more valuable to this group of young guys to a certain extent.
Winning the championship as a core player, one of the best power forwards in history, with various honors accumulated all over him.
Even for rising stars like Harden and Butler who are already outstanding, it is unknown whether they can reach such heights in the future. So why should they not respect Garnett?
Next door, in the Timberwolves locker room, the atmosphere was very dull.
All the players were silent except for Finch, who was talking endlessly about the tactics of the second half in the middle of the field. But just the few that were tossed over and over again made the players’ ears tingle.
Finch's mouth went dry as he spoke, and he looked around to see the faces of everyone in the room, but most likely he didn't listen.
Finch sighed, feeling bored again. He suddenly had the urge to dismiss get out of class. Coaching in this kind of team not only has to endure the results of repeated defeats, but also faces multiple pressures from the management, media, and fan groups. This is really a hard job.
The ten-minute intermission flew by and the second half began.
At the beginning, Garnett took the lead.
First, Dapeng spread his wings on the defensive end, rejecting the tomahawk dunk of Derrick Williams, the new No. 2 pick, and holding down the ball.
Then on the offensive end, he took the initiative to initiate a high pick-and-roll with Jeremy Lin, broke it down, received a pass from Jeremy Lin, and succeeded in a two-handed dunk.
"Why is KG in such good physical condition? This is better than usual in games that are not back-to-back. Xu, could it be related to your massage?"
Old Lucas thought of something and asked curiously.
"should be."
Xu Xin said with a smile.
"The relationship is good. If you have time in the future, please give these veterans a little more attention. Our championship this season is really just around the corner."
Lucas Sr. said excitedly.
As a veteran of the team, if we just talk about the love for the Rockets, I am afraid that few people on the team can compare with the old Lucas.
After saying this, Old Lucas suddenly felt that something was wrong, which could be seen from the embarrassed expression on his face.
As the team's assistant coach, he ordered the general manager to do things, which is undoubtedly abrupt.
But just now, Lucas Sr. only thought about doing the best for the team, and Xu Xin was too young and approachable. For a moment, Sr. Lucas lost his sense of proportion.
Xu Xin saw the embarrassment of old Lucas, and before he could speak again to make amends, he said first:
"I do have this intention. I opened a massage parlor opposite the team base and hired professional masseuses, just to help all our players recover quickly and reduce the risk of injuries."
"Really? That's great! Manager Xu is planning ahead. I'm already looking forward to the Rockets realizing an unprecedented dynasty under your leadership!"
Old Lucas said excitedly with tears in his eyes.
On the field, the Timberwolves' offense came to a standstill again. Love encountered a double-team on a back-up play and passed the ball to Williams.
The Rockets' perimeter defense rotated very quickly, and Harden quickly filled in. Williams had no chance and had to continue passing the ball.
After two passes, the ball came to Rubio.
This was intentional on McHale's part. He let the Timberwolves' least accurate player shoot, and the defense was basically successful.
As for double-teaming, it was also McHale's attempt.
In the last game, Hibbert was beaten inside, which made him and Xu Xin realize that when facing a strong team with low-post weapons, it is not enough to rely on unlimited defense changes.
In this morning's training session, McHale specially arranged a set of double-teaming and defensive rotation tactics for the low ball holder.
Now leading by almost 30 points, it is not a bad idea to boldly use this tactic.
Rubio caught the ball and with only 2 seconds left on the shot clock, he had no choice but to shoot.
"Uh-huh!"
The ball didn't go in, but slid out of the net. It can be said that it was a two-way game.
"At this time, Ricky (Rubio) is only reliable in free throws."
Old Lucas couldn't help but said when he saw this scene.
Xu Xin smiled and said nothing, thinking to himself, why else would Rubio have the nickname "Lu Yizhong"?
