The invincible kryptonite of basketball

The offense in the opening rounds became the epitome of the first half of the game between the two sides.

Cousins ​​was a bit confused inside, but the Pelicans were in good form tonight, and under the leadership of Tang Tian, ​​they were in a stalemate with the Rockets.

More than 7 minutes into this quarter, D'Antoni replaced Cousins ​​with Capela.

Cousins ​​is heavy, and his physical fitness has been a problem on the court.

The Pelicans also replaced Jokic with West, and Jokic was exhausted fighting Cousins.

With Cousins ​​off the court, the Rockets' offensive focus shifted from the inside to the outside.

Harden broke through Ariza with the ball, changed direction and scored two points with a throw against Ariza.

Harden also used this hand throw before, but he did not encounter confrontation and look for the whistle as before, but resolutely completed the shot.

He's the same as he showed when he played the Jazz, and he has become more consistent than before.

Davis missed a shot from the basket, and Capela protected the defensive rebound.

Looking back, the Pelicans made defensive adjustments, and Holiday switched to Harden.

Harden didn't return the ball, he changed direction and made a sudden step, and then made a signature step back for three points.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the ball goes in again!

The Toyota Center instantly boiled.

Harden personally scored 5 points in a row, helping the Rockets build a 5-point lead!

Not only has he become more stable, but he also feels very good tonight!

Tucker and Morris struggled to defend against Tang Tian's shot, and the Pelicans had gone three consecutive offenses without scoring.

The balance of victory began to tilt towards the Rockets.

"Let's.go!" Rockets! "

The fans shouted excitedly.

The Pelicans are the defending champions and now have the league's best record. They are standard public enemies.

The Warriors made a name for themselves by beating the Pelicans last game, and now they have to do the same.

Especially Cousins ​​boasted before the game. If he really won, he would be pretending to be a big push.

Thinking about that scene is refreshing.

And this is indeed the Rockets' strongest team since the Olajuwon era!

Harden went to the frontcourt and was ready to continue asking for the ball.

Durant was unstoppable in the last game. Now he has to follow the example of his elder brother and play a game that no one can solve and then lead the team to win and avenge last season's 4-1.

The script is pretty perfect.

Paul is also going to give the ball to Harden, Cousins ​​​​in front, and Harden now, it is the instinct of a top point guard to give the ball to someone in good condition.

But as soon as Harden held the ball, he found that the defender in front of him had changed again. It wasn't Ariza or Holiday, but Tang Tian.

Just like in the previous game, Tang Tian was forced to come out to block the bullet hole.

Harden didn't return the ball to Paul. He is not Durant, so he doesn't have such a big psychological shadow on Tang Tian.

And more importantly, he understands basketball differently.

Just like he was able to use the rules to play before and adjust his style of play now, he is a player with a very high golf intelligence and knows what is the best way to win.

As long as he continues to play Tang Tian, ​​even if the efficiency is not high, consuming Tang Tian's physical energy is the best way to win.

In the last game, Durant didn't try his best to fight Tang Tian, ​​but Tang Tian took offense and defense, and his physical fitness became a problem in the fourth quarter.

If he played with all his strength, Tang Tian would be beaten to the point where he would lose his strength even without going to overtime.

At that time, it was time for the Rockets to reap the game.

He made up his mind and signaled his teammates to pull away and prepare to beat Tang Tian forcefully.

D'Antoni sat up straight on the far bench. Harden's choice seemed unwise to him, but he didn't stop it.

His teammates pulled away, and Harden crossed continuously, but he couldn't get past Tang Tian.

Tang Tian, ​​as the best defensive player for three times, it's not so easy to get past him.

But Harden's offense didn't stop, and he didn't pass Tang Tian with his continuous acceleration and change of direction, and then chose the iconic mid-distance retreat.

This is how he's found his form in the past scoring.

However, he still didn't shake Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was half a head taller than Harden, and had an advantage in speed. After a successful prediction, he gave enough pressure to save.

Seeing that he was about to be blocked, Harden was forced to adjust the arc of his shot.

"Dangdang!"

He evades the block, but the shot is noticeably short, bouncing off the edge of the rim.

This is a long rebound.

Tang Tian successfully predicted the rebound's landing point. After landing, he turned around and grabbed the rebound, turned around and made a fast break.

Harden took out a handful but missed it, so he could only turn around and watch Tang Tian make a fast break with his eyes.

Tang Tian went to the frontcourt with Paul's help defense, and Paul jumped up to fight against small moves in the air.

After the penalty scale was changed, his defensive method became aggressive, and the defensive effect doubled.

However, Tang Tian completely ignored Paul's small movements. With a muscle stick and a tortoise bombarding him, he was not afraid of confrontation in the air at all.

Paul's small movements didn't work, he was pushed back by Tang Tian's strength.

"Oh!"

Amidst the exclamation of the fans, Tang Tian smashed the ball into the basket through Paul.

The Pelicans bench boiled instantly, and Forbes jumped up and threw the towel up.

This ball is awesome!

The referee froze for a moment before reacting, and then whistled to signal Paul's blocking foul.

Paul was a little agitated when he heard the whistle, and turned to the referee to argue.

Under the new penalty scale, his defensive action just now can be blown or not, but this is the home court of the Rockets!

The referee ignored Paul's protests, even though he was the president of the players union.

You can play it or you can play it. Tang Tian is now No.1 in the league. It is not appropriate not to whistle this kind of ball to a superstar.

Chapter 937 Harden: This script is wrong!

With a steady hit and penalty, Tang Tian's defensive counterattack successfully helped the Pelicans narrow the point difference to 2 points.

D'Antoni got up from the bench and walked to the sidelines.

Harden went to the front court and continued to ask for the ball. Although he missed the ball just now, he felt that his thinking was correct and it would work if he persisted in playing.

He continuously changed backwards and broke through to kill inside.

Tang Tian kept his defensive position tight and didn't give him a chance to easily go inside.

Harden took a step back during the march, and he has already mastered the technique of the step back.

But he still didn't get rid of Tang Tian!

On the defensive end, Tang Tian was a candy he couldn't get rid of!

This time, Tang Tian's block covered the sky and the sun, and he barely escaped the defense with all his strength in the air.

It turned out that the ball he threw was an air ball, three non-stick!

There was a commotion at the scene.

Tang Tian's defensive pressure was really terrifying!

Harden was defended two goals in a row, and the other was three non-stick, but his face didn't change much.

Tang Tian's two balls consumed a lot of energy.

D'Antoni looked at Harden who retreated, hesitant to speak.

The Pelicans' frontcourt offense did not score, and Capela protected the defensive rebound.

Harden went to the frontcourt and continued to ask for the ball.

There was a commotion on the sidelines.

"Harden is a bit over the top!"

Brin sighed.

"No, he's playing smart, he's draining Don's energy, do you remember how the Pelicans lost to the Warriors?"

Miller spoke.

Brin nodded thoughtfully.

In the last game, Tang Tian was attacking and defending with one hand, and his stamina dropped a lot, but that's not his fault. Few people in this league can afford to do that.

But you said it would be even worse to let Tang Tian not attack.

The strongest point of the Pelicans is Tang Tian. If he is forced to give up offense for the sake of defense, it would be a waste of martial arts, and the gain outweighs the gain.

"That's gotta get some points."

McGrady broke the discussion between the two.

Yes, if it is for this purpose, it doesn't matter if the efficiency is lower, but at least you get points!

No matter what you think, it looks stupid!

Harden obviously knew this too. He glanced at Tang Tian, ​​who made three consecutive tentative steps, and then seized a chance to quickly break through from the right.

His first kick was excellent, reflecting his super strength, but his speed was still slow, and Tang Tian quickly retreated to his defensive position.

And more importantly, the confrontation he was best at was not very effective for Tang Tian, ​​and he failed to push Tang Tian away during the breakthrough.

In a blink of an eye, the two reached the basket, and Harden turned around and made a backhand layup.

It turns beautifully.

"Snapped!"

But there was a crisp sound when he turned over, and he wanted to lighten his hand again, but Tang Tian had already slapped the ball away!

Tang Tian's steal!

People pass, the ball does not pass!

After stealing, Tang Tian made a fast break to the frontcourt, knocked Paul away and scored 2 points, helping the Pelicans to tie the score!

D'Antoni didn't wait any longer and replaced Harden directly.

At this time, there are only more than two minutes before the end of the first quarter, which can be regarded as a normal rotation.

But Harden was obviously a little unhappy. He said a few words with D'Antoni when he was off the court, and he was still communicating with assistant coach Bzdelik when he returned to the bench.

With Harden off the court, the Rockets' offensive strength declined, while Tang Tian played the entire first quarter for the Pelicans.

Under his leadership, the Pelicans played an 11-1 offensive at the end of the quarter, helping the team establish a double-digit lead 31-21 at the end of the quarter.

During the timeout between quarters, D'Antoni did not accept interviews with reporters on the sidelines, but communicated with Bzdelik and Harden.

The three were discussing the team's tactical thinking.

The Rockets did not expect the Pelicans to use Tang Tian to defend Harden before the game, so there was no tactical deployment.

D'Antoni thinks that Harden can't continue playing like this, while Harden thinks that the Pelicans are in good shape today, and only by playing like this can they win.

The two were at a stalemate, and finally Bzdelik made a suggestion.