basketball player

Chapter 354 Chapter 352: The End of the March of Terror
March 2013, 3, Houston, Texas.

James Harden was dripping with sweat. He looked up at the big screen and then at the front.He knew very well that he could not waste any more opportunities.Throughout today's game, he wasted opportunities.But not now, he must take over the game like a real star!
It is not an exaggeration to say that this year's Houston Rockets have driven high and low.At the beginning of the season, Harden's brilliance made the Rockets seem to have some soaring momentum.But the further the game went on, the more and more problems Harden and the Rockets exposed.

One of the most obvious questions is -- how much can Harden focus on the game?

Nightclubs, big bucks, and sexy girls Since joining the Rockets, the off-court news about James Harden has never been interrupted.Accompanying these news is Harden's increasingly unstable shooting rate.

In the last game, the Rockets played a key game against the San Antonio Spurs.Harden took 16 shots and only hit 6 of them, with a hit rate of less than 40%.Still relying on as many as 17 free throws, he barely pulled the score to 29 points.

3月20日，火箭迎战老对手犹他爵士，詹姆斯.哈登14中5，命中率依然没能超过40%。不过他的18罚17中，依然让他拿到了29分的不俗数据。

From this point, it is not difficult to see James Harden's instability in the middle and late stages of the season, and the Rockets' record has also fluctuated with James Harden's state.Now, the Rockets are still hovering between eighth and seventh in the West.A little carelessness, the Houstonians may say goodbye to the playoffs again.

Unfortunately, today, James Harden's state still did not meet the expectations of Houston fans.

"There are still 2 minutes left in the game, and James Harden has already played 41 minutes before! That is to say, if James Harden played the whole game, his playing time will become 43 minutes. But so far, James Harden has only scored 6 goals in sports games! To be honest, this is very inconsistent with his playing time and number of shots." On the commentary stage of the Toyota Center, Jeff Van Gundy once again brought the topic to Harden.

At this time, Harden attacked with the ball.Although there are still 2 minutes before the end of the game, this is a crucial attack.If scored, the point difference will be reduced to 6 or 5 points.And if the Pacers counterattack successfully without scoring, the point difference will be widened to double digits.

Therefore, this attack will directly determine the success or failure of this game!
After Harden crossed the midfield line, he waved to Asik, and the Turk immediately rushed to set up a screen for Harden.This is the privilege of being a star player. Even if you have missed countless shots before, you can still gain the trust of the head coach at critical moments.

The same is true for Harden. McHale relies heavily on the personal ability of this bearded scorer.

Seeing Harden rushing into the penalty area, Horford did not defend violently. He just made a slight block to delay the game. The purpose was to force Harden to slow down and buy time for Paul George to return to Harden.

Seeing George sticking to himself again, Harden took three steps and was about to layup.There is no doubt that Harden wants to fight for a foul!But George very cleverly raised his arms high and stood up straight without any extra movement!This not only ensures that he can interfere with Harden's shooting, but will not violate Harden's cylinder!

In this way, once again, James Harden failed to make a foul and shot a shot!
Yes, again.And this is why Harden performed poorly today.

Before the game started, Henson told everyone: "Pay attention to your actions and don't give James Harden an easy free throw. As long as you don't let him easily win the referee's whistle, he will lose his offensive rhythm!"

Henson has studied Harden's data and videos. In recent games, he has made nearly 20 free throws. It's hard to see the data.But what about excluding those free throws?Is James Harden's shooting percentage and goal count enough?

So today, Harden repeatedly made shots for fouls, but he always fell into this embarrassing situation where he failed to catch the whistle and failed to score.Harden has only taken 9 free throws so far today, almost half of his usual free throws.And counting the attack just now, James Harden has already made 24 of 6 shots, with a shooting percentage of 25%, not even 30%!Although Harden still scored 22 points, this efficiency made 22 points meaningless.

Such James Harden naturally couldn't let the Rockets take the lead.Not to mention that before today's game, Harden was captured again in a nightclub photo.
It's not without reason that the Rockets and Harden fell halfway.

With Harden's shot hitting the iron, Chris Paul made a quick layup, assisted George to score a layup, and made a quick counterattack!When George had already completed the layup, Harden, who was facing George, was still standing outside the three-point line.Beard's "eye defense" is still the same. After this layup, George has scored 24 points.Of course, the hit rate is a full 20 percentage points higher than Harden's.And you must know that George has only played 29 minutes since today.

"A beautiful counterattack. The combination of Chris's ball speed and Paul George's counterattack speed made the Rockets' defense useless. With a 10-point difference, there was only a little more than 1 minute left in the game. Coach McHale called a timeout, but Coach Henson had already raised his arms to celebrate the victory. Unless a miracle happens, it will be difficult for the Rockets to regain the situation!"

Van Gundy shook his head. In modern basketball, chasing 1 points in more than 10 minute is actually not a fantasy.But considering the state of the Rockets today and the Pacers' defense at least at the Toyota Center at this time, it is indeed quite impossible for the Rockets to win the game.

"Well done, guys, I'm proud of you!" After the players left the field, Henson gave high-fives to his fighters one by one.Their excellent state made Henson's big strategy a big success!

Houston Rockets, this is undoubtedly the most difficult game for the Pacers before April!
If this game is lost, the Pacers' loss will become 9 games.In this way, it is undoubtedly very difficult to achieve 72 wins while being able to take turns.But if the Pacers with an uneven lineup can successfully win the Rockets, then wait for Ray Allen and David West to come back after entering April.Henson's plan can be said to be a complete success!

Therefore, the victory in today's game is of great significance to Henson!This is not just an ordinary victory, but also a victory for Henson's entire grand strategy!
He was proud of George's 29 minutes and 24 points, proud of Horford and Yi Jianlian's smart supplementary defense that didn't let Harden take advantage, proud of Paul's efficient defense and stable organization as always, and proud of Danny Green and Leonard's hard work. Almost every player sitting in front of Henson at this time, he was proud of them.It was their efforts that brought Henson a strategic victory!

"In the last minute, I will not say anything like paying attention to their counterattack. Because that is a contempt for your previous efforts! I can guarantee that as long as you continue to maintain, the group of bastards will not be able to turn the game back! The last minute is more than one minute, let us leave Houston with victory!"

This time out, Henson didn't even arrange anything on the tactical level.Not because Henson forgot, but because he didn't need it.As long as you keep going, the Rockets will lose!

The result of the final game also fulfilled Henson's expectations. 100 to 91, relying on Jeremy Lin's beautiful but meaningless long-range three-pointer at the last moment, the Rockets were able to narrow the point difference to single digits, leaving the last fig leaf.

And Harden, who only scored 24 points in 22 shots, undoubtedly became the "culprit" for the Rockets' defeat today.

"Before the game, people were discussing which of the two shooting guards who shined this year, George or Harden, was better. At that time, I said, I don't want to answer this question. In the end, you said that I was guilty and that I didn't have confidence. Now, you should understand why I don't want to answer, right?"

Henson was in a good mood after the match, so the media couldn't help being ridiculed by Henson.Whenever Henson was too lazy to talk to them, it would be abnormal.

"I have to admit, Henson, that crazy plan of yours seems really feasible." After the game, Stevens studied the remaining schedule of the Pacers. 72 wins seemed within reach!

Taking advantage of the victory over the Rockets, the next day, the defending champion defeated the Mavericks 103-78 back-to-back in Dallas, turning Texas upside down.Two days later in Phoenix, facing the rotten Suns, the Pacers defeated their opponents 112 to 104 cleanly.

So far, the Pacers' March schedule is all over.After defeating the Suns, Henson got good news from the team doctor immediately after he led the team back to Indianapolis from Phoenix.

"Ray Allen and David West are recovering very well. If you want, you can send them to the next game."

Looking at the team doctor's report, Henson smiled slightly.With the badge bonus, can the recovery go smoothly?
The terrible March has passed, and the Pacers survived the most difficult 3 days of the season.This indicates that Henson is getting closer to the legendary record of 31 wins
(End of this chapter)