Chapter 902 901. Give Me the Ball and I’ll Take You Home!
Liu Mang didn't think this game would be so difficult, so he suddenly came up and played for two minutes in the fourth quarter, completely unprepared.
Because the game they were going to play was completely different from what the coaching staff had planned and what the players thought a minute ago, the Eagles didn't score a single point after going up, but allowed their opponents to score another 3 points.
As for this kind of thing, most Eagles players in the game would never think of it. Liu Mang could think of it because he relied on his cold-blooded nature and did not panic.
This is different from when he played the Spurs. At that time, McGrady was only unwilling to lose two consecutive games to the strong teams in the Western Conference, so he was holding back his energy.
This time, the Hawks were the team that had been leading. Even in the first quarter, they were evenly matched. McGrady felt like the "retribution" for beating the Spurs was coming, and he was a little confused.
Therefore, last time it was McGrady who relied on his unwillingness to cheer up Liu Mang, this time it was Liu Mang who came to boost McGrady's fighting spirit.
When McGrady heard Liu Mang's confident words, hope ignited in his heart.
Seeing McGrady's eyes narrowed and opened a little, Liu Mang continued: "We are still 4 points ahead. Don't think so much. Come on, you go up to defend and leave the scoring to me! I will take you back to the hotel to celebrate the victory!"
After Liu Mang said these words, the power of the head of state naturally infected his teammates.
Coach Kruger saw that Liu Mang had finally dispelled the team's low pressure, and immediately began to make tactical changes... If he stopped playing tactics, he would just fight against the stars!
What kind of tactics should be used at this time? The opponent's momentum has already risen, and now the physical fitness is also due to the possibility of a comeback. There are only a few minutes left and the defensive rotation is not expected to become weaker. Moreover, the main score has been transferred from the inside to the outside. Yao Ming's pressure is also less He only needs to be responsible for defending the basket. Coach Kruger feels that they might as well leave the tactics to the stars!
"Ace, Tracy, Andre, Rasheed, Kwame, come on, Ace and Tracy, whoever has a chance will take the shot and throw the damn ball in!" Coach Kruger came. A simple and crude arrangement was made.
The reason for replacing Iguodala is that the Rockets do not have a single-type three-point shooter on the outside, but a pick-and-roll shooter and a catch-and-shoot shooter. Iguodala, who has better physical fitness and faster movement, is more suitable for defense. Pullin Si is more suitable for players who defend singles, the division of labor is just different.
Rasheed Wallace called Liu Mang, Tracy McGrady, Iguodala, and Kwame Brown together, gathered in a circle and yelled "Defense", and then went on the court together!
…
On the Rockets side, morale is at a high. David Wesley, Mike James, Richard Jefferson, Juwan Howard, and Yao Ming continue to play, preparing to erase the 4-point difference in the last 4 minutes. Tie or even overtake and win the game!
Liu Mang received the ball thrown by the referee and handed it to McGrady, then ran towards the frontcourt.
When Liu Mang arrived in the frontcourt, he saw David Wesley coming up to defend him. He was still defending from the outside and attacking inside. Liu Mang quickly rushed to the top arc and cut inside. Sure enough, he was beaten by Igo. Mike James, whom Darla brought to the right corner, had a tendency to come up and attack. It was still the same defensive strategy of flanking Liu Mang and releasing role players.
Liu Mang suddenly withdrew, exited the three-point line, and ran directly to the left at a 45-degree angle. At the same time, Rasheed Wallace in the left corner cut inside and cut the left side of the basket. Defense takes away.
David Wesley hurriedly chased Liu Mang, but was blocked. Kwame Brown pulled out and was going to help Liu Mang get inside, but when he saw Liu Mang withdrawing and running to the left, he stepped forward to block it with a tacit understanding. David Wesley.
The Rockets' three major defensive masters' switching awareness is beyond praise. David Wesley immediately switched towards McGrady, and Richard Jefferson chased Liu Mang.
McGrady released the ball immediately, and Liu Mang just caught the ball when he ran to the left at a 45-degree angle.
No matter what he does, just do it!
Liu Mang received the ball, turned around and faced the basket, took off and shot a three-pointer!
Richard Jefferson rushed forward to interfere, but Liu Mang was forced to fall back...
"Ding... King of Dry Pulls is triggered at level 5. The host will ignore shooting interference for this shot."
"Ding... Quick Shooting Master Level 5 is triggered. The host will run, catch and shoot regardless of running interference, and the shooting speed will be increased by 30%."
The movement deviation caused by Liu Mang's leaping back was corrected, and he quickly shot a three-pointer!
When Richard Jefferson pounced on Liu Mang had already thrown out!
Determined shots lead to more stable and correct shots. Liu Mang's three-point shot was a hollow hit!
Richard Jefferson felt that Liu Mang's shot was a little different. He couldn't tell what was different, but it was just different!
That slight increase in shooting speed, by 0.1 and 0.2 seconds, seems to be no different, but the defender will feel uncomfortable. The defensive action that he was used to is actually a beat slower, but I didn't feel it was a beat too late.
After Liu Mang hit a three-pointer, his personal score reached 30 points. At the same time, the point difference was once again widened to 7 points. The Eagles led 96 to 89.
The Hawks scored 3 points as soon as they came up, and it was a forced three-pointer. The Rockets suddenly felt a little uneasy.
This kind of hard-fought goal purely based on strength is too demoralizing for the opponent, especially when the opponent relies on defense to gain momentum.
Yao Ming saw one coming from Liu Mang and planned to have one himself.
The Rockets were attacking. Yao Ming went to the low post to ask for the ball. He had just rested for a while and had recovered a little strength. He pressed Kwame Brown to ask for the ball. Rasheed Wallace went directly to double-team Yao Ming, not allowing Yao Ming to catch the ball. Chance.
David Wesley passed the ball to Juwan Howard, who caught the ball and adjusted his mid-range shot... Suddenly a small man appeared in front of him, it was Liu Mang!
Liu Mang rushed over to guard Juwan Howard. Juwan Howard wanted to pass back to David Wesley at the top of the arc, but Rasheed Wallace appeared between Juwan Howard and David Wesley. In the passing route between Slee.
Juwan Howard was still very calm. He turned around and used his height and weight to suppress Liu Mang. Liu Mang struggled to resist but couldn't stop him. Juwan Howard squeezed Liu Mang one step away and made a mid-range jumper with a half-turn!
After being squeezed away, Liu Mang tried his best to interfere and create pressure on Juwan Howard, and then, he succeeded!
When Juwan Howard took the shot, in order to avoid Liu Mang's bouncing block, he turned his body sideways and shot from mid-range!
Kwame Brown tried his best to get stuck with Yao Ming. Yao Ming saw that the situation was not right and did not struggle with Kwame Brown. He turned back to defend. Juwan Howard's shot was short and bounced off the left side of the basket. Liu Mang Swooping in to grab the ball.
Immediately passed to McGrady, the Rockets retreated very actively, but the Eagles still had to fall into a positional battle.
Liu Mang felt the shooting, and after halftime he directly gestured to Tracy McGrady, asking for the two to cooperate.
McGrady received the instruction and dribbled to the top of the arc. Liu Mang came to McGrady's left side and made a pick-and-roll stance to help McGrady block Richard Jefferson. Richard Jefferson and David Wesley immediately Change defense.
However, at this moment, Liu Mang stopped in the pick-and-roll. McGrady handed the ball to Liu Mang, turned around and helped Liu Mang block Richard Jefferson who was changing defense!
This time the pick-and-roll cooperation is not Liu Mang's pick-and-roll for McGrady, but McGrady's pick-and-roll for Liu Mang!
Liu Mang received the ball without hesitation. While David Wesley and Richard Jefferson were switching defenses, Tracy McGrady blocked Richard Jefferson. David Wesley was still going around the "pick and roll". Liu Mang directly pulled it up and shot a three-pointer!
There is no rhythm to this ball, and it is not really open. Even when exerting force, it is not easy to use all the key points used in shooting such as legs, waist, back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers. All the strength was combined smoothly, and four people huddled together to force a three-point shot!
But it felt like Liu Mang was throwing the ball right!
"Ding... The pick-and-roll master is triggered at level 5, and the host's speed +8 and strength +8 within two seconds..."
The body that was originally unable to fully exert its strength, thanks to the enhanced strength, has just reached the strength that a jump shot should have!
Liu Mang caught the ball hand-in-hand and hit a three-pointer again!
Score six points in a row!
Liu Mang's score increased to 33 points, helping the Eagles widen the point difference to 10 points, leading 99 to 89!
The Rockets call timeout!
They had played a 9-point game in 1 minute. In fact, if they were to say it was a goal, they also made two three-pointers in one minute. It was just that in the 60th second, Korver faced Richard Jeffer. Sen fouled, and it's unclear whether the ball could have been made.
Now the Eagles called a timeout, and Liu Mang scored two three-pointers in a row, also two three-pointers in one minute!
And it's not just tactical movement to catch and shoot. Both goals were made by strong personal ability, and he also helped McGrady get two assists!
This is an assist-generating machine!
It’s so demoralizing!
The Rockets had just built up morale by playing 12-3 in 3 minutes, but Liu Mang came up and made two three-pointers.
After the Rockets called a timeout, Liu Mang pointed his gun finger at Yao Ming's right hand. Like a sharpshooter who cherishes his weapon, he dusted off his right hand with his left hand.
Yao Ming returned to the bench with a sullen expression and drank heavily with Gatorade. I heard that Liu Mang loved Gatorade and drank a bunch of cups every time he came to their home court. He took a big sip and looked at Gatorade. Le Cup, can drinking this stuff improve shooting percentage?
…
The morale of the Hawks has increased, and it's time for the Rockets to really fight.
In the last three minutes, we must fight!
After returning from the timeout, neither team made any substitutions.
The Eagles' lineup relied on defense and Liu Mang's strong shooting to extend their advantage to 10 points. Coach Kruger did not make any substitutions to interrupt the game feeling of this lineup.
When the Rockets attacked, Yao Ming couldn't catch the ball in the low post and went directly to the mid-range. David Wesley passed the ball over immediately. Yao Ming directly faced Kwame Brown's defense and shot a fadeaway jumper!
Yao Ming, who felt good shooting, hit another shot!
Scored 14 points on 7 of 7 in a single quarter! His personal score increased to 32 points, only 1 point away from Liu Mang!
In transition, the Eagles attack.
Liu Mang passed the ball to McGrady and then came to the frontcourt. Just as he was about to set a pick-and-roll for McGrady as usual, Richard Jefferson and David Wesley came directly to double-team Liu Mang without the ball.
McGrady was dumbfounded: After all, I was the scoring leader the year before last, and I was second in the scoring list last year, but I actually got a chance to play 1-on-0?
McGrady was dumbfounded. Mike James rushed towards him. McGrady thought this was right. After all, he was also a scoring champion. He immediately passed it to Iguodala, and Iguodala's three-pointer from the right sideline. Break up...
Missed.
When Liu Mang saw Yao Ming grabbing the defensive rebound and holding the ball, he was furious: "Tracy, you shoot!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm not used to being unguarded..." McGrady smiled and quickly returned to guard. He knew that the ball was his problem.
Liu Mang felt a flock of crows flying above his head. Are you not used to it?
Nidaye!
Liu Mang quickly returned to defense, the Rockets advanced over, and Yao Ming continued to catch the ball in the high post.
Yao Ming is so tall and has a good shooting feel. He can't guard anyone when he catches and shoots! Iguodala rushed forward and tried to block the shot from the side.
Yao Ming has good passing awareness, mainly because he is tall and has good vision. He immediately passed it to Mike James who cut in, and Mike James flew for a layup and scored two points.
The center has high post support and the space under the basket is very good.
Anti-counterattack teams cannot defend the full-court press. The Rockets know this very well, so with 1 minute and 58 seconds left, they still did not defend the full-court press. Liu Mang went to pick up the ball, but was stopped by McGrady.
"You hold the ball, I'll cut in." McGrady said, picking up the ball and passing it to Liu Mang, then ran towards the frontcourt.
Liu Mang understood. When he reached the three-point line, he saw Richard Jefferson and David Wesley coming to double-team. McGrady immediately cut in. Liu Mang threw the ball inside, and Richard Jefferson Sen and David Wesley subconsciously pounced on McGrady.
Tactically speaking, guard the one of the two who wants to shoot, force them to pass the ball to the role player, McGrady cuts to catch the ball and drives to the basket, and they immediately block it.
However, Liu Mang was still doing his old trick. He held the ball tightly in his hands, took it back, jumped on the spot, and shot a three-pointer!
"Ding... the marksman is triggered at level 5, and his shooting touch is perfect..."
This time, the shooting opportunity was perfect, the rhythm was perfect, the take-off was perfect...every aspect was perfect, just like training. Liu Mang shot a three-pointer and the ball fell directly into the circle without touching the basket.
Still on target!
Liu Mang scored three three-pointers in a row! It feels hot to the touch!
With 1 minute and 46 seconds left, the Eagles once again opened the point difference to 9 points!
Liu Mang scored 9 points in a row, his personal score reached 36 points, and the Eagles led 102 to 93!
The Rockets' last timeout has been called, and there is no more timeout.
David Wesley pushed forward and couldn't control so much. Mickey Mouse Wesley came on his own, faced Liu Mang's defense, and forced a three-pointer...
It really got in!
96 to 102, the point difference came to 6 points again.
But Liu Mang didn't give them a chance anymore. After advancing into the frontcourt, he saw two opponents coming up to attack him. Without using McGrady to feint the opponent, he directly grabbed the ball and bent his knees...
David Wesley and Richard Jefferson jumped up at the same time, and then their eyes widened in the air. Liu Mang bent his legs as if he was doing a horse stance!
Liu Mang is about to get into trouble! The ball was raised and hit towards the two of them...
"Ding... Master of Porcelain is triggered at level 5. The referee will blow the whistle when the host commits a foul because the host continuously complained that Yao Ming did not call the foul."
"Beep..."
The referee's whistle blows and the thug commits a foul.
At the critical moment, Liu Mang's porcelain-touching style reappeared!
The referee saw that Liu Mang finally relied on his "strength" to call for a foul instead of relying on his words, so he decisively gave the whistle. Moreover, the ball was indeed a foul. It's just that there are different people these days, and sometimes they really can't call it, and that's Liu Mang. He can be so tough that he can win a three-pointer purely by relying on his strength, and at the same time, he can be so wretched that he can even touch porcelain.
David Wesley and Richard Jefferson were annoyed that they forgot about this guy's ability to draw fouls.
Liu Mang stepped to the free throw line amidst the annoyed expressions of David Wesley and Richard Jefferson, and made three free throws steadily, scoring 39 points in a single game!
105 to 96, the point difference is still 9 points!
With 1 minute left and the Hawks leading by 9 points, the Rockets rushed over and relied on Richard Jefferson to hit the basket and cause Rasheed Wallace to foul. They got two free throws and made both of them.
Richard Jefferson also scored 30 points, with 57 seconds left, 98 to 105, a 7-point difference. In theory, there is still a chance.
So the Rockets chose a tactical foul. Liu Mang was hugged as soon as he received the ball.
Liu Mang went to the free throw line and made two free throws.
It was time for free throws. When Liu Mang took the free throw, Kruger coach Jason Terry and Korver replaced Iguodala and Kwame Brown. Jason Terry and Korver Came here just for free throws.
107 to 98, the point difference is still stable at 9 points.
A difference of 9 points in 55 seconds. With the 37-second tragedy of the Spurs not long ago, people have a magical feeling. It seems that there is still enough time!
But the Rockets don't have McGrady, McGrady is on the opposite side!
The Rockets threw a long pass from the frontcourt and threw a three-pointer. Richard Jefferson caught the ball, but at this critical moment, his three-pointer was lost!
McGrady rushed back and just grabbed a defensive rebound when he was hugged by Richard Jefferson. McGrady walked to the free throw line.
Damn two free throws!
Liu Mang said to Tracy McGrady: "It turns out that you are the worst free throw shooter on our team's perimeter."
Maddie thought for a while, yes! It seems that his free throw shooting percentage has never reached 80%, and his free throw shooting percentage is not as high as that of the opposite big man.
Immediately afterwards, the Rockets missed another strong shot in the fast break. They were not suitable for this kind of quick three-pointers, and David Wesley did not make a three-pointer.
There are no more fouls on the Rockets' side. It's 33 seconds, 9 points, and the Maimang combination won't work either!
When the Rockets had more than a minute left in the fourth quarter, they had already scored 33 points in the quarter, but the Hawks had also scored 27 points. The Rockets scored 6 more points than the Hawks in the final quarter. Although their style of play restrained the Hawks, their substitutes were too miserable.
The reason why the Rockets were evenly matched against anyone was that they relied on the main players to play an advantage. The substitutes squandered their advantage in the second quarter. At the end of the second quarter, the main players came up and played with the opponent. In the third quarter, the substitutes started to dig holes. In the fourth quarter, the main players came up and started to chase points, and then they were so anxious that the main players ran out of energy and lost the game.
But in this game against the Hawks, the Rockets failed to gain an advantage at the beginning. The Rockets' rotation lineup directly dug holes from the second quarter. In the end, although the Rockets scored 33 points in the final quarter, they were still 9 points behind.
McGrady received the ball, and the opponent did not foul, so he was relieved. Liu Mang and Terry had no chance to receive the ball, and the opponent left him open. He thought the opponent was going to foul. After advancing to the frontcourt, McGrady got excited and threw a three-pointer directly... and missed again.
The Rockets did not foul, but they still had to fight back. Another three-pointer from behind missed and went straight out of the baseline.
The Hawks were leading by 9 points with 12 seconds left, and the Hawks did not attack. After passing the ball to Jason Terry, Jason Terry controlled the ball and was ready to play until the end, but Mike James was still fighting for the ball, rushed up to steal Jason Terry, and then rushed to the frontcourt to dunk and scored two points, raising the Rockets' total score to 100 points.
Jason Terry went up and pushed Mike James: "Boy, what do you mean?"
Mike James was unhappy about losing the game, and immediately pushed back.
Seeing that their faces were close together, the players from both teams hurried to separate them. Yao Ming stood in front of Mike James. Jason Terry was not afraid of Yao Ming. He was the kind of person who would fight even if he couldn't beat him. However, Yao Ming and Liu Mang were brothers. He didn't want to embarrass Yao Ming. He pointed at Mike James and cursed him, then turned and walked to the bench.
The game was about to end, but the fight didn't really start. The referee was crying in his heart and didn't call a technical foul. Instead, he quickly let the Hawks serve the ball, wasting the last two seconds, and quickly blew the whistle to end the game.
The Rockets and the Hawks clashed again. The TV stations in the United States thought it was normal, but the court station had to explain it!
After explaining, Coach Zhang began to change the subject and talked about the Rockets' problems. He told the fans the Rockets' data analysis given by the director.
The Rockets' starting lineup of David Wesley, Richard Jefferson, and Yao Ming is perfect. They lack an organizer who can pass the ball. They can also rely on defense to play a net score that ranks in the top five among the league's starting lineups, but their substitutes' average points per game are the third lowest in the league.
In this game, fans thoroughly understood the Rockets' lineup structure in this highly anticipated game - a team that wins purely by relying on its main players.
Yao Ming averaged 22.5 points per game, Richard Jefferson averaged 23 points per game, Sura averaged 10.6 points per game, David Wesley averaged 13 points per game, and Juwan Howard averaged 9.2 points per game. The Rockets' starting lineup averaged 78.6 points per game, while the Rockets' entire team averaged only 93.2 points per game, which means that the Rockets' bench lineup can only average 14.6 points per game. Among the top eight teams in the East and West, the Rockets' bench average score ranks last...
The Rockets always like to pick up bargains and sign veterans who played well last year, or dig out contract-year stars from other teams that are unwilling to pay luxury taxes, but they don't have Popovich's vision. The total salary is 1 million US dollars higher than that of the Spurs, but the bench lineup is far worse than that of the Spurs!
The Spurs save money, but they really spend the money they save on the blade. This is the difference between a perennial championship-level team and a team that is lucky enough to get Olajuwon to win two championships.
Although there were some minor conflicts and some thrills during the game, the Hawks finally defeated the Rockets 107-100 without any danger, winning the 39th victory of the season, raising the record to 39 wins and 7 losses, and ending the first three months of the game.
Liu Mang made 13 of 26 shots, including 7 of 12 three-pointers and 8 of 9 free throws, scoring 41 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, McGrady scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, Jason Terry scored 24 points and 4 assists, and Kwame Brown was miserable, scoring 11 points and 8 rebounds.
The best performer on the Rockets side was Yao Ming, with 33 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks; Richard Jefferson scored 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and David Wesley scored 21 points and 6 assists. The Rockets scored a total of 100 points, and these three brothers scored 84 points... Just like usual, the Rockets substitutes played for more than ten minutes, and Sura and Juwan Howard basically made negative contributions in this game.
After the game, Jason Terry was unhappy and prepared to leave.
But before he could leave, Yao Ming called him back. Not only him, but almost all the Hawks players were called up and walked into the player tunnel on the Rockets side.
Before they could go back to the locker room to take a shower, a group of Hawks players "disappeared" at the Toyota Center. The media wanted to interview Liu Mang, who scored 14 points with 3 shots in the last 5 minutes, but found that Liu Mang was missing. Coach Kruger found that all his players were missing!
Jason Terry was a little unhappy, but he sold his face, thinking that Yao Ming wanted him to find Mike James, and Mike James wanted to apologize. Unexpectedly, they came to the parking lot of fans across the Toyota Center together...
The Hawks players saw this place and the Rockets players were all there. Are they going to have a fight? It seems like they are moving something. Are they fighting with props?
…
Twenty-two thousand words today. Please vote for the monthly ticket.
I don’t want to split it up and leave one or two thousand words. I will post it all at once. Twenty-two thousand words today. Please vote for the monthly ticket. My head hurts. I may not update in the early morning. I will lie down for a while. Maybe I can write when I feel better. If I still feel uncomfortable, I will continue tomorrow.