Chapter 900 899. Double Wave Combination and One Wave Flow (Asking for Double Monthly Tickets!)

Relying on Prince and Rasheed Wallace to score 15 points in the first quarter, the Hawks withstood the pressure from the Rockets' super positional defense combination of David Wesley, Yao Ming, and Richard Jefferson, while McGrady failed to score a goal and only made 3 of 4 free throws, and Liu Mang only scored 6 points.

The advantages of the Hawks' role players were revealed.

During the intermission, the Hawks replaced Liu Mang with Jason Terry, Iguodala, Muhammad, and Alonzo Mourning.

The combination of three rebounding and defensive frontcourt players and two free-shooting guards is the regular lineup of the Hawks' rotation lineup. Jason Terry should have brought Korver up, but there was no point difference and they were tied with the Rockets, so Liu Mang had to come up to support.

Liu Mang looked at the Rockets' substitute lineup...

What kind of lineup is this!

Mike James, this point guard is good, ability rating 78, offense 84, defense 71, three-pointer 86, mid-range shot 77, layup 87...

Liu Mang remembers that this is the only Rockets substitute who averages more than 5 points per game, averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 assists per game, but this is a scoring point guard. He scored 10 points in 20 minutes as a substitute in the Celtics, but was forced to organize the offense with 3.7 assists and 2.9 turnovers in the Rockets because there was no passer...

Liu Mang's impression of him is that he broke out in the Celtics last season and killed them once, which reminded Liu Mang that this guy was the winner of the "ESPY Most Inspirational Award" in the first decade of the 21st century. The main thing is that this guy defended Kobe in the game where Kobe scored 81 points and Kobe scored 27 points in the third quarter. He had an impression that he averaged 20 points per game in the Raptors that season, and got a 5-year, 30 million contract in the summer of 2006. He counterattacked. As an undrafted player, he played for 12 seasons and retired in 2014.

After the end of last season, this guy averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game. The Bucks signed him with a two-year contract, which means he finally gained a foothold in the NBA. Previously, his contract was non-guaranteed.

But the Bucks went bad, so he was almost given to the Rockets for free.

Except for Mike James, who is a player with an average of 10+ points per game, and Richard Jefferson leading the team, Liu Mang looked at the other players who rotated in the Rockets, which was really miserable!

Richard Jefferson continued to be tough, the young guy has good physical strength, Jon Barry, averaging 4.3 points per game, Maurice Taylor, who got a big contract from the Rockets and got a salary of 9 million this season, has played 15 games so far and is a big injury player. It seems that his average of 7 points and 4 rebounds per game is good, but his data has almost no effect on the Rockets' average score.

Mutombo, averaging 2.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, rebounds and blocks are still very good, but he can't score! 0 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in a single game is Mutombo's standard this season...

Originally, there was Jim Jackson, one of the 3Js, but he not only overlapped with Richard Jefferson, but also asked for an early renewal of the mid-level class after playing 12+6 last season. The Rockets were not willing to spend that money, so he was sent to the Suns in a three-way trade for David Wesley of the Hornets.

Now the Rockets' bench lineup is really miserable!

Liu Mang took the bench lineup to the court, Richard Jefferson took the bench lineup to the court, and the second quarter began.

Rockets have the ball.

When Richard Jefferson was needed to score singles, the Rockets knew that they were at the end of their rope. Richard Jefferson wanted to rely on his physical fitness to force a breakthrough, but Iguodala's physical fitness was not inferior to his. Iguodala's defensive experience was gradually enriched. He followed Richard Jefferson's strong breakthrough and brought Richard Jefferson to the defensive range of Mourning. Richard Jefferson forced a shot. Mutombo wanted to help Richard Jefferson block Mourning's defense, but was squeezed away by the stronger Mourning. Mourning slapped Richard Jefferson's shot away.

Liu Mang rushed up alertly to grab the ball, received a defensive rebound, and quickly advanced!

Liu Mang, Jason Terry, Iguodala, and Muhammad quickly rushed to the frontcourt.

Liu Mang rushed to the 45-degree three-point line on the right side of the opponent's basket and jumped!

Richard Jefferson and Mike James, who had chased back, rushed towards Liu Mang. Liu Mang threw the ball to Jason Terry who was following up in the middle. Jason Terry missed his first three-pointer, but Muhammad, who was following closely, blocked Morris Taylor who rushed back to grab the defensive rebound, and Iguodala grabbed the offensive rebound!

Iguodala did not lay up directly, but passed it to Jason Terry again!

Iguodala, who was originally selfless, became even more selfless in the Hawks... Jon Barry and Mutombo, who had chased back, just passed the midline and saw Iguodala grab the offensive rebound and face the empty basket. They turned around and ran back to the front court. Who knew that Iguodala would pass the ball in this situation!

Jason Terry received the ball again at the top of the arc and continued to shoot decisively.

Jason Terry, who knew that he had not exerted the right force just now, tried to shoot and hit it steadily this time!

27 to 24, the Hawks overtook the score difference by three points!

Offense and defense change, the Rockets attack.

Richard Jefferson's breakthrough attracted Muhammad's mid-range blockade, and Richard Jefferson quickly passed the ball to Morris Taylor.

Morris Taylor's position made Richard Jefferson vomit blood after passing the ball. He actually stood in the three-second zone. After receiving the ball, he didn't think about shaking to attract Mourning's defense and pass it to Mutombo. Instead, he squeezed together with the two and forced a shot. Mourning stood with his arms outstretched and interfered, and the forced shot missed!

Muhammad turned around and received the defensive rebound.

Richard Jefferson's ball-holding attack was really good. He could break through and attract double-teaming from Mourning or Muhammad, but Mutombo had no offensive threat. Morris Taylor got a big contract and suffered injuries, but his enthusiasm was getting worse and worse. He just stood under the basket and didn't rely on mid-range shots to open up space, which made Richard Jefferson vomit blood.

The Rockets retreated much faster this time. Richard Jefferson interfered with Muhammad and tried to steal the ball. Muhammad protected the ball and passed it to Liu Mang. The Hawks missed the first fast break.

Liu Mang had a little regret. In addition to the slow center, the Rockets' lineup was also old, which was a perfect counterattack opportunity.

Liu Mang pushed forward to the frontcourt, and the person defending him was not Richard Jefferson, which shocked Liu Mang. Richard Jefferson went to defend Jason Terry!

Liu Mang dribbled the ball and played against the "inspirational man" in front of him.

Mike James was very active, but he couldn't defend him!

Mike James was short and had good speed. Liu Mang couldn't get rid of him by speed and rhythm, so he squeezed Mike James to the top corner on the right side of the free throw line, turned around with his back to Mike James, suddenly jumped and turned around, and shot from mid-range!

Liu Mang turned his back to the high post and turned over. With his height advantage, he easily threw the ball over Mike James' head and scored two points steadily.

29 to 24, the Hawks led by 5 points!

Finally, Richard Jefferson relied on his three-point ability and Iguodala's defense to force a shot from outside the three-point line, and the Rockets slightly eased the scoring crisis.

It was the Eagles' turn to attack again. Liu Mang continued to hold the ball and play one-on-one. Richard Jefferson came to defend Liu Mang this time. Liu Mang saw Richard Jefferson coming to defend and immediately passed the ball to Jason Terry.

Jason Terry faced Mike James, dribbled two steps, broke through, and then retreated and jumped out of the three-point line... In fact, this action was useless. Mike James did not lose his position at all. Mike James's poor defense was not due to his defensive attitude and enthusiasm. He was good at defending outside shots, but he could not defend against breakthroughs and... He was too short to defend against strong shots!

Jason Terry made a few random breakthroughs and stepped back, and then forced a backward jump shot against Mike James' block!

Dare to shoot, really dare to score!

In the shouting of the guest commentator Zhang of the court TV, Jason Terry's random three-point shots really went in!

Liu Mang saw Jason Terry's operation and felt that this guy's actions were just to prevent him from assisting!

The direction of the game was completely different from what the fans expected.

Fans in front of the TV watched the defensive battle between the two teams in the first quarter, saw Yao Ming's footsteps, Liu Mang and McGrady's outside pick-and-roll, and the two teams' high-speed and effective switching defense strategies. They were full of expectations for the next three quarters of the game, and felt that a fierce and anxious battle had just begun.

However, the Rockets told the fans that the team in the Space City is different from other teams. How can ordinary people predict the team flying in space?

After the second quarter of the Rockets, it was completely different from the first quarter!

Just like the Chinese national team in the original time and space suddenly plummeted without Yao Ming, the Rockets are now very prominent in this aspect.

The Rockets are known as the Houston 50-50 team because they only played well in the first and fourth quarters, and played very badly in the middle two quarters!

Because Yao Ming's physical fitness can only support him to play the first and last quarters, and he can only play the last three or four minutes in the middle two quarters at the end of the quarter.

Liu Mang and Jason Terry scored 8 points in a row, and they were in hot form. In the next game between the two teams, Liu Mang and Jason Terry's singles hit rate remained at an efficient level of 50%, which means that they could make at least one shot out of two shots.

The Rockets had to make one shot in three or four attacks.

In terms of rebounds, Mourning and Muhammad took advantage of Yao Ming's absence to bully the Rockets' substitute inside line. Mutombo was very tough, and he was still very tough at an unknown age, but he never understood what offense was. In his peak period, he only scored by offensive rebounds and dunking. Now that he has no offensive rebounds, he can only deter the defense, but the offense is completely useless.

The Rockets can only try their best to slow down the rhythm, relying on Mutombo's defensive rebounding ability to barely prevent the score from opening up so quickly. On the offensive end, they can only rely on Mike James and Richard Jefferson to take turns to single out and score.

When the official timeout came in the first quarter, the Hawks were already 42 to 34, leading the Rockets by 8 points!

The Hawks played a wave of 18 to 10!

…

With 5 and a half minutes left in the second quarter, it was too early for the Rockets to replace Yao Ming, but the Rockets' offense was frustrated, so Van Gundy could only replace Juwan Howard, hoping that Juwan Howard could help the team counter the fierce attacks of Liu Mang and Jason Terry with comprehensive offensive means.

The Hawks also made timely substitutions, replacing the twin towers of Muhammad and Mourning with Josh Smith and Kwame Brown to increase the mobility of the inside line.

After the timeout, Juwan Howard, who was substituted in to attack, played very actively. His attitude throughout his career has always been good, but the effect has never been very good. The fact that he has not played much in the playoffs shows that his strength is indeed inconsistent with his price.

Juwan Howard's mid-range singles were not good when he encountered Josh Smith's close defense. He was very good at mid-range shooting, but his technique of getting rid of defense was far behind Nowitzki, who had a similar style of play; he also failed to attack the basket by turning around with low-post footwork. Kwame Brown, who was abused by Yao Ming, rushed up like a vicious dog to block the shot.

Richard Jefferson and Mike James took turns to single out and pass the ball, at least they could pay attention to controlling the rhythm, but Juwan Howard did not have this awareness and was counterattacked by the Hawks continuously.

The cavalry company finally found an opportunity to charge!

Jason Terry and Liu Mang took turns to be the vanguard of the counterattack. The first ball was Jason Terry's fast break and passed the ball to Liu Mang. Liu Mang received the return pass from Jason Terry who rushed into the basket during the counterattack and made a three-pointer.

At the ninth minute of the second quarter, Jason Terry received a pass from Liu Mang and shot a three-pointer, which went in again! He scored his third three-pointer in this quarter, raising his personal score to 11 points!

When the Hawks scored 9 points in two and a half minutes, the Rockets only got 4 points with Richard Jefferson's tip-in and a foul caused by an open cut!

When the rhythm was completely in the Hawks' rhythm, the Rockets were in a terrible state.

The Hawks, who only scored 24 points in the first quarter, had already scored 27 points in the second quarter after playing for 9 minutes, beating the Rockets 27 to 14 and leading by 13 points with 51 to 38!

The Rockets called a long timeout again and had to make a substitution.

…

In the first quarter, the commentator of the court station almost blew the game into a "finals preview", but who knew that in the second quarter, the situation suddenly changed. The Rockets went from a team that could beat the Suns and the Hawks to a weak team.

What else can the commentator do? Find a way to make up for it.

Coach Zhang's knowledge of basketball is still very strong. Although he had to analyze the reason with great difficulty, he really analyzed it for him.

Coach Zhang explained to the fans that the reason why the Hawks played differently from the Suns when facing the Rockets was that when the Rockets defended the Suns' perimeter, they mainly defended the Suns' role players. The Suns' role players scored the most points, and the Suns' core point guard Nash had the lowest average score among the Suns' five starters.

The Hawks' points were concentrated on Liu Mang. The Hawks averaged 109.7 points per game, second in the league, but Liu Mang's score accounted for the highest proportion of the team's total points among all players in the league. He scored 33% of the team's points alone, and his average of 26.5 shots per game accounted for 29.1% of the Hawks' average of 91 shots per game. Only Iverson's shot ratio in the four years from the 98-99 season to the 01-02 season was higher than Liu Mang's.

Therefore, the Rockets' rotation defense in the first quarter mainly defended Liu Mang and former scoring champion McGrady, but Prince and Rasheed Wallace scored 15 points in a single quarter, holding up the Rockets' best defensive performance in the quarter. The Rockets failed to take advantage in the first quarter, and the Rockets' bench lineup was not good, so they had no advantage to squander.

The Suns lost to the Rockets in three consecutive games because they did not score more than 20 points in the first quarter in three consecutive games, and the Suns' defense was poor. The Rockets' pitfall offense could beat them to 133 points.

Although Liu Mang was defended in the first quarter of the Hawks, Prince and Rasheed Wallace broke out, preventing the Hawks from falling behind when their style of play was suppressed.

In addition, the Hawks' defense was not comparable to that of the Suns. The Rockets scored 39 points in the first quarter against the Suns, but only 24 points in the first quarter against the Hawks.

So when the Rockets rotated their lineup, they had no chance to take a breather with their lead, and the Hawks widened the gap in one go.

Yu Jia, the commentator of the court TV station, almost applauded after hearing the explanation that Coach Zhang had managed to hold back and made it sound like the truth!

In fact, it was the truth, and this was what the Hawks had expected.

After watching the game between the Rockets and the Suns, the Hawks had expected that the Rockets' slow-paced play would be very restraining for a defensive counterattack team like them, so Coach Kruger used all the starters to carry the entire first quarter and held the score. In the second quarter, he released two waves and really took the absolute initiative.

…

With 3 minutes left in the second quarter, the Rockets replaced four main players and the sixth man with the worst statistics in the league, David Wesley, Mike James, Richard Jefferson, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming.

This is the strongest lineup of the Rockets, with David Wesley, Mike James, and Richard Jefferson, the three best passers of the Rockets, all on the court.

The Hawks replaced Calderon, McGrady, Korver, Rasheed Wallace, and Kwame Brown.

Facing the Rockets' main lineup, they didn't need such good defense. McGrady only needed to defend Richard Jefferson. What they needed was offense, so McGrady led two shooters to the outside.

Liu Mang returned to the bench to rest for a while. In the second quarter, he scored 7 points and 2 assists. Jason Terry scored 13 points and 3 assists. Liu Mang hated Jason Terry's habitual dribbling and shooting after receiving the ball, so he decisively gave more balls to Jason Terry.

There is no other way! After Jason Terry's fancy style came out, Liu Mang, who has been partnering with Jason Terry for the fourth year, immediately knew that this guy was in the right mood, and he could solve the problem by giving him the ball.

Sure enough, Jason Terry scored 13 points in 9 minutes and also sent out 3 assists!

After the timeout, the referee blew the whistle and the game resumed. Liu Mang cast his eyes on the court and saw Kwame Brown being abused by Yao Ming again. He felt that Kwame Brown was too pitiful!

……

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