Chapter 160 Three Knives Threading the Needle

Next game.

Perhaps because he knew that Boggs couldn't defend against jump shots, Kenny Smith felt hot after trying a few shots. The Rockets' offensive focus at this stage was given to him, and they caught the Hornets off guard at the beginning.

Kenny Smith, nicknamed the Jet.

Unlike the glider Drexler, Kenny Smith emphasizes the starting speed of the breakthrough. In addition to this, he is also commendable for his 52% shooting percentage. He can break through when he is small and can break through when he is big. You can vote.

Obviously, it was too easy for Kenny Smith to face a small defensive player like Bogues. Even if other Hornets players double-teamed him, as a point guard, he still had a precise pass to his teammate who was defending in the air.

As a strong team in the Western Conference that is expected to compete for the championship, the Rockets have sufficient offensive capabilities in every position. Bogues became the shortcoming of the Hornets' defense in front of Kenny Smith, who was very popular, and was completely torn apart.

On the other hand, the Hornets...the defense was blown away, and the offense failed to take advantage.

Curry made a few shots to test the waters, and the touch was not too bad, but it was difficult to find a good opportunity to take a shot. Newman rushed to the basket twice, but Olajuwon slapped him out, and most of the Hornets' shots were in Johnson singled out Rockets power forward Otis Thorpe several times, but the effect was average. Although Thorpe was not good at offense, he still did a good job in cooperating with his boss Olajuwon's defense.

As for Li Shengli... Because of the Rockets' blockade, he rarely receives passes, and all his focus is on defense. The Rockets' outside play is so good that there is no need to force the inside line, so all Li Shengli can do is compete for the ball. Grab every rebound.

The game continued until halfway through the first quarter.

The Hornets trailed by an unprecedented 12 points, 12 points at half quarter. If this rhythm continues, it is possible for the point difference to be reduced to 20 points, and the strength of the two teams is reflected at this time. Incisively and vividly, Alan called a timeout in a hurry.

…

The lion fought the rabbit with all his strength. The Rockets faced the Hornets without letting any slack. As the head coach of the Rockets, Rudy saw everything too clearly.

Because the Hornets' lineup is so bad, they don't have enough visibility on the outside, so they can only attack inside. Therefore, Rudy's arrangement is to put the focus of defense on outside players and cut off the passing routes inside and outside.

Defense, pass defense!

This is what Rudy asked of the Rockets, and he didn't even mention the offense. Although on the offensive end, Kenny Smith's touch is hot, it is just an unexpected blessing that is the icing on the cake, sublimating Rudy's tactical arrangement. According to Rudy's expectation, even if the Rockets don't feel good in this game, the internal and external defense alone is enough to overwhelm the Hornets.

Every game is a gamble.

Rocket Rudy has already taken action, and he has obviously more resources at his disposal than Hornets Bishop Alan, which made Alan frown.

Although it is the first quarter of the game, if the lost sheep is not mended, there may be no wool in the sheepfold. Alan must come up with a way.

How to resolve the situation?

Without any hesitation, Alan replaced Larry Johnson with Tony Bennett on the bench. Originally, Bennett was a substitute for the point guard and a speed player. Together with Li Shengli, a lineup of one large and four small was formed. .

…

The timeout ends and returns to the court.

Although they only watched half of the quarter, Hornets fans were worried enough. They were 12 points behind in the middle of the quarter. They were definitely hit by the Rockets until they exploded. They were originally waiting for Alan to line up and rescue him... but no one did. To think that, as the Hornets' only few firepower points, Johnson was actually taken down? !

Not to mention the fans, even the Rockets players and head coach Rudy couldn't understand this substitution.

What do you mean?

In this game, Larry Johnson's performance was not very good, but his personal ability is still good, and he has a certain effect on the offensive end. And replacing a smaller player as a substitute... is this surely not suicide?

…

Although everyone did not understand, the five people who appeared on the Hornets side were very clear about their missions, because Alan had assigned them their own tasks.

The first is defense, a desperate defense!

Curry and Bogues switched defenses, with Curry suppressing Kenny Smith, who had a hot hand, and the others had to defend the Rockets. As for Li Shengli, he had to sit in the penalty area and knock back all opponents who broke through.

The remaining focus is on offense.

Li Shengli is the first firepower point, and Curry is the second firepower point, one inside and one outside. Bogues, Bennett, and Newman are fast and have strong ability to organize and pass the ball. As the three knives in series and threading the needle, Responsible for moving the ball inside and outside.

It has to be said that Alan's tactical arrangement was very bold. The Rockets wanted to cut off the Hornets' internal and external connections, but he had to stick up the internal and external connections and fight against each other to crack the Rockets arrangement hard-core.

Under normal circumstances, he would not have taken over Larry Johnson, but at this juncture of the trade turmoil, coupled with the All-Star's setback, Johnson was determined to ignore Li Shengli and did nothing.

Don't want to fight?

Then just make a bench!

The arrangement Alan gritted his teeth to make seemed like a bold move, but in fact it was more helpless.

…

Hornets offensive round.

Boggs was not good at defense, but few could stop his breakthrough. He easily shook off Kenny Smith, brushed against Li Shengli, and almost handed the ball to Li Shengli hand by hand. Then the four of them quickly scattered, pulling Rockets defenders ran all over the court, creating one-on-one opportunities for Li Shengli in the penalty area.

Li Shengli held the ball and hit from behind, and Olajuwon immediately stepped forward.

The current situation of the Hornets is very bad. Li Shengli knows that if he can't produce results at this point, then the Hornets will not only lose this game, but may even be slaughtered by the Rockets for four quarters. No one dares to imagine how difficult it would be to get a job.

So even when facing Olajuwon, he didn't have any stage fright. He exerted force with his feet and pushed back hard. Olajuwon was a little overwhelmed. When he stabilized his center of gravity, Li Shengli had already completed the turn and hit the basket. , even though he followed up to block the ball, Li Shengli still dunked the ball into the basket, sounding the clarion call for counterattack.

…

Until the end of the first quarter, the Hornets' tactics were surprisingly effective.

The defensive end gradually began to contain the Rockets' outside offensive, forcing Olajuwon to stand up and support the offense. Although his steps under the basket were very dreamy, and he repeatedly hit Li Shengli, who was not experienced enough, but he gained a lot from each step. wisdom……

After Li Shengli suffered enough from Olajuwon, he began to understand why O'Neal was beaten by Olajuwon in the All-Star Game, and he became cautious about taking off and blocking. Even if he is one step slower, he is not willing to be knocked away. Direct blocking will not work, so he will use interference offense.

After one quarter, Olajuwon's offensive efficiency was not high due to the interference of Li Shengli.

As for the Hornets' offense...

Li Shengli and Curry accounted for more than half of the team's shots. Curry's touch was normal, but it was enough. The big head was still on Li Shengli's side. Facing Olajuwon's experienced defense, he really tried his best. , fighting hand-to-hand with Olajuwon, forcing him to the basket to launch an attack, making it difficult for Olajuwon to defend.

Trailing by 12 points at half quarter and trailing by 8 points after the first quarter, the Hornets temporarily stopped the bleeding.