warrior godfather

The next day, Harden got up early, came to the training hall, and started training.

He left the nightclub at eleven o'clock yesterday, went home to rest, and was very energetic.

Harden may not care about the All-Star Game, but the Rockets are stuck in the eighth position in the Western Conference. Every regular season game is very important. Even if the opponent is the Warriors, they cannot give up.

Of course, it is against the Warriors that Harden will restrain himself.

If the opponent were any other team, he would definitely have to fight Rosa for [-] rounds last night before giving up.

The experience of playing against the Warriors in the Thunder and the Warriors in the past three seasons has made Harden unforgettable.

He is well aware of the strength of the Warriors. Before, with his elder brother and second brother, they couldn't defeat the Warriors. Now he is left alone to fight against the Warriors, which is even more difficult.

Although Harden thinks he is no worse than Durant and Westbrook, his teammates are much weaker than when he was in the Thunder.

It is already Harden's limit to bring this rocket full of leftovers to the eighth place in the West.

He now averages 38 minutes per game, which is nearly 8 minutes more than last season. He has nearly doubled the number of shots and almost doubled the number of free throws. He has carried the Rockets' offense with his own strength.

Rockets coach Silas is fucking Harden. After all, with Harden and without Harden, the Rockets are completely two teams.

Harden is very clear that if he wants to win the Warriors, he can only look at his own performance, and his teammates can't be counted on.

But Harden is not afraid of this, he likes this feeling very much.

After coming to the Rockets, he became the boss of the team, but he didn't need to bear too much responsibility.

The Rockets have not made the playoffs in the past two years, and the lineup has also been dismantled.

Harden averaged 26+5+5 per game, bringing the team to the eighth position in the West, and won a lot of praise.

The management and fans are very satisfied with his performance. No one expects him to lead the Rockets to the championship, and no one treats him as a superstar.

In the eyes of the outside world, he is still a genius, a genius who is gradually realizing his potential.

Harden enjoys this atmosphere very much. He is not a person with a strong personality, and his desire for championships is not that great.

This kind of scoring high scores under the eyes of everyone, enjoying the cheers of the fans, and then going to the nightclub to enjoy the luxurious life after the game is very much in line with Harden's wishes.

As for things like championships and MVPs... Not everyone is Curry, he is still young, and he still has a lot of time to chase honors, so there is no rush at this moment.

And Harden wants to win the Warriors just because he wants to lead the Rockets into the playoffs, and he can't give up a game.

He never had the idea of ​​defeating the Warriors, proving that he is no worse than Curry, and proving that he is also a superstar.

It's just playing ball, why work hard?

……

At [-]:[-] p.m., the Toyota Center was packed, Rockets and Warriors players came to the court, and the game was about to begin.

With Houston's strong Texans and Astros attracting sports crowds, attendance at the Toyota Center has been modest.

There are also many large companies that buy team tickets as a benefit to employees and customers, but many of these people will not come to the game, further reducing the attendance at the Toyota Center.

However, the match against the defending champion still managed to attract a large number of fans.

They know that it is difficult for the Rockets to win the Warriors, but it is a very rare opportunity to watch Curry play live, and Houston fans don't want to miss it.

This is also the aspect that attracted criticism when Zhang Yu rested Curry in the away game.

Unknowingly, Curry has become one of the most charismatic superstars.

When the Warriors played away games, many fans of weak teams came in to watch the game just for Curry.

Without Curry, ticket sales for away games will be reduced, and most importantly, ticket prices will also be reduced. Naturally, I am not satisfied with Zhang Yu's rotation strategy.

However, the Rockets' management doesn't have to worry about this. The Warriors' two away games against the Rockets were not back-to-back. Zhang Yu will definitely not rest Curry.

Before the game started, Harden came to Curry, stretched out his hand, hugged him, and said:

“Stephen, did you have fun these two days?”

"Very good, the climate in Houston is much better than the Bay Area, but I didn't go shopping much, and all the time was used for training." Curry laughed.

"That's such a pity. Next time I will take you to a nightclub in Houston. Believe me, it will definitely give you a different feeling from the nightclubs in the Bay Area." Harden winked at Curry.

"Uh...I don't go clubbing much."

"Don't go to nightclubs? Then how do you have fun?" Harden looked at Curry in surprise.

"Playing golf, spending time with family...that's about it."

"Well, you're a decent person, but I still have to say, if you don't go to nightclubs, you will lack a lot of fun." Harden shrugged and returned to the backcourt.

Curry was a little dumbfounded, but he understood Harden's kindness.

Harden is a person with a very good personality and very easy-going. When they participated in the draft, the two knew each other.

Later, whenever the Warriors played against the Thunder, Harden would chat with Curry.

However, as Curry's fame and status became higher and higher, the number of exchanges between Harden and Curry gradually decreased.

The hierarchy in the NBA is very clear, and there is almost no chat between superstars and ordinary players.

At that time, Harden was just a sixth man, and Curry was a superstar who won a team + scoring champion.

Even if Curry has no grudges, Harden will consciously reduce the conversation with Curry.

But after Harden was traded to the Rockets, he succeeded in taking the position and quickly became the leader of the team. Although he was not yet a superstar, he was on an equal footing with Curry, and the two resumed communication.

In this All-Star Game, Harden and Curry often chatted.

After the All-Star Game ended, he did not forget to invite Curry to go to the nightclub to have fun together. It can be said that he really regarded Curry as a friend.

The relationship between the bosses of the team is so harmonious, and the game between the Rockets and the Warriors also started in a peaceful atmosphere.

"Di-"

The referee tossed the ball into the sky, and Asik took the first step and gave the ball to Harden. The Rockets took possession of the ball for the first attack.

After receiving the ball, Harden slowly dribbled the ball across the half court while observing the Warriors' defensive formation.

The Warriors are still the regular starting lineup, with Curry, Clay, Butler, Green and Chandler playing together.

The Rockets' lineup is much more shabby. Beverly, Harden, James Anderson, Patrick Patterson, and Asik started the game. Except for Harden, they are all relatively average role players.

Originally, the Rockets would select Parsons and sign Jeremy Lin, but they were all cut off by Zhang Yu.

And Harden took this group of leftovers and led the team all the way to eighth in the Western Conference. His ability to keep the team's lower limit is really excellent.

Harden dribbled the ball to the top of the arc, and Klay was facing him. Instead of playing singles, he beckoned to Asik and called a pick-and-roll.

Pick-and-rolls and fast breaks are the main offensive methods of the Rockets. Harden is not playing creeps and bombs now, but running and bombing.

Asik came to the top of the arc, Clay squeezed the screen, Harden took advantage of the gap, and dribbled the ball into the three-point line. Chandler retreated to defend, focusing on Asik.

Asik can't do anything else, but his ability to finish down is not to be underestimated.

Under Clay's pursuit, Harden took the ball to the free throw line and stepped back to make a mid-range shot. Under Clay's slight interference, Harden missed and the rebound was grabbed by Chandler.

Harden shook his hand, didn't care, and slowly retreated to the backcourt.

After coming to the Rockets, his shooting efficiency has never been high. When he came up, he first looked for the touch, and he didn't pay attention to blacksmithing at all.

The Warriors attacked, and Harden faced Clay.

After Clay ran through halftime, he began to run without the ball.

Harden chased for two steps at first, then stopped.

There is no problem with his physical strength, but he doesn't want to chase anymore.

As the core of the Rockets' offense, scoring is already tiring enough, so how can they have the energy and mood to defend?
And my elder brother and second elder brother did the same thing back then, so it’s not too much for me to learn advanced experience, right?

Harden slowed down with peace of mind and started walking mode.

The Warriors played pass and cut. Clay used Butler's cover to get rid of Harden's defense. Curry immediately passed the ball.

Clay shot the ball as soon as he caught it, and the basketball went into the net hollow, 3:0.

When Clay shot, Harden just took two quick steps and raised his hand symbolically when he was more than one meter away from Clay.

After Clay scored, he didn't react at all. He turned his head and took two steps, waiting for his teammates to send the baseline ball.

On the sidelines, Silas shook his head helplessly when he saw Harden's defense, but said nothing.

In the 80s, Silas was one of the iron triangle of the Green Army, having experienced and played a real iron-blooded defense.

But he had to rub the sand in his eyes. He is just the head coach now, and Harden is the core star of the Rockets.

With his outstanding performance in the past half season, Harden has unlimited privileges in the Rockets.

If he wants to score, the ball must be in his hands. He doesn't want to defend, and it's useless for Silas to ask for it.

Although Houston is a big city, the ball market is not big.

The Rockets owner Alexander never pays taxes. The Rockets are actually a small team.

And small teams dare not go against the will of the stars.

Harden can score high points and sell tickets, which is the signature and appearance of the Rockets.

Alexander can't wait to confess Harden. In the Rockets, no one can disobey Harden's will.

So no matter how angry Silas was in his heart, he could only hold it in his heart.

In the past, he always asked Harden to defend the outside line with weak opponents' independent offensive ability, covering up Harden's defensive weaknesses.

But the Warriors' three outsiders Curry, Clay and Butler all have good scoring abilities.

Silas can only take the next best thing and let Harden defend Clay. He is already the weakest player in the Warriors' outside offensive ability.

But Harden is still unwilling to move with Clay.

This is Harden's current defensive attitude. He is only willing to put on a show and leave his energy on the offensive end to score.

In fact, this is also a helpless move. The Rockets' offense is so bad that they rely entirely on Harden to score points, much more than the Bulls rely on Rose.

Harden couldn't take care of both offense and defense, so he simply defended with his eyes and focused entirely on offense.

That doesn't mask his lazy defensive attitude, though.

No matter how physical the offense is, Harden is only 24 years old, younger than Curry.

Curry ran hard on the offensive end, returned to the defensive end and still defended seriously, never slack.

Even if Harden's physical strength is not as good as Curry's, he won't be able to walk on the defensive end, and he won't chase without the ball.

In the final analysis, this is still a question of attitude, not ability.

When it came time to attack, Harden's sluggish attitude immediately cheered up.

He took the baseline ball from Beverley, came to the frontcourt, played a pick-and-roll with Asik, and dribbled the ball into the three-point line.

Clay stuck tighter this time and didn't give Harden a chance to shoot.

But Harden was not in a hurry, he kept dribbling the ball into the penalty area and made a European layup.

Harden's movements were relatively slow, and Clay predicted his movements, covering Harden's shooting space.

At the last moment of his shot, Harden grabbed the ball with both hands and stretched forward to fully expose the ball.

Clay subconsciously cut down, but Harden suddenly turned his hands to avoid Clay's cut.

Snapped!
Clay's right hand just hit Harden's arm. Harden raised his hand, leaned back, and yelled in pain.

"Di-"

The referee immediately blew the whistle, and Clay was fouled by the thugs!

Clay froze for a moment, then raised his hands innocently, asking the referee to argue:

"Sir, I did not foul..."

The referee shook his head resolutely and pointed mercilessly towards the free throw line.

He could see clearly that Clay was definitely fighting.

Seeing that the appeal was fruitless, Clay put down his hands helplessly, shook his head and walked to the other side.

He is not a person who likes to tangle with the referee, and now he has realized that no matter whether Harden was intentional or not, he did foul.

Harden stood at the free throw line, shook his shoulders, and hit the first free throw steadily.

Zhang Yu called Clay to the sidelines:
"Harden is very good at making fouls. You must pay more attention. It's okay to let him make a few free throws, but if you accumulate too many fouls, I have to replace you."

Clay nodded:

"I was careless just now, and I will pay attention to it later."

In the scouting report handed over to Clay by the coaching staff before the game, there was a detailed description of Harden's technical characteristics, which specifically marked Harden's ability to make fouls.

When Clay really didn't expect that Harden's foul action was too realistic and his reaction speed was too fast.

This action of exposing the ball to the opponent during the breakthrough is actually very dangerous and can easily be broken.

All coaches will explicitly prohibit their players from doing this kind of action, and no one can resist the temptation to cut the ball.

But Harden was able to avoid the opponent's cut ball when there was no time to send, and his reaction and control were definitely at the top level in the league.

Clay has played in the NBA for more than two years, and he has never seen anyone make such a foul.

When Harden was in the Thunder, Klay also played against him.

At that time, Harden only used conventional methods such as giant loops and deceptive jumps to make fouls.

Now that he has come to the Rockets for just over half a season, he has developed a new foul-making technique, which is so talented that it is rare in the world.

On the court, Harden also made a steady second free throw, 3:2.

Looking back, the Warriors continued to pass and cut. Curry, Green, and Chandler played a classic strong-side three-person cooperation to get rid of the mad dog-like Beverly and hit a three-pointer with the ball, 6:2.

The reason why the Rockets are only ranked eighth in the Western Conference with Harden has a lot to do with their poor defense.

Except for Harden, the other four have a very hard-working defensive attitude, but the Rockets lack a large wing, and Asik's footsteps are too slow, so it is easy to suffer on the defensive end.

Especially in the face of the Warriors, who have few offensive weaknesses and are good at cooperating, the Rockets' defensive resources are even more stretched.

In the round just now, because Asik couldn't defend, Beverly chased hard and was blocked by Chandler, but he could only watch Curry get an open three-pointer.

But for the Rockets, losing points is not a problem. They are a team that relies on offense to win.

Round transition, Harden and Asik play pick-and-roll, others open space, the Warriors did not switch defenses, Harden pulls up and shoots, a three-pointer pops in, 6:5.

After scoring the goal, Harden opened his right hand and sprinkled salt and stirred with his left hand, which aroused warm cheers from the fans at the scene.

"James, kill the Warriors!"

"Whoa! The Rockets will win!"

This is Harden's favorite celebratory action. He once explained the meaning of this action, that is, "trapping opponents on an isolated island, and then burning them with fiery touch".

Tonight, Harden felt that his hands were very hot.

It seems that yesterday's restraint in the nightclub has worked, and he has more confidence in winning this game.

As long as he feels good enough, he is not afraid of any opponent!
The Warriors attacked, Harden followed Clay for a few steps on the weak side, and his pace gradually slowed down.

Clay took the opportunity to run back and cut to the basket, received a pass from Butler and made a layup, 7:5.

Harden stopped at the free throw line and watched Clay layup, without thinking that it was his problem.

He took the baseline ball from Beverly, but his legs seemed to suddenly gain strength, and he quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.

Harden continued to pick and roll with Asik, took the screen and broke through to the inside line, stepped back and made a mid-range hit, 7:7.

This is the characteristic of the Rockets' offense. If there is a chance to counterattack, try to push and counterattack. If there is no chance to counterattack, it is endless pick-and-rolls.

The Rockets really lack offensive resources. If Jeremy Lin and Parsons are not intercepted by Zhang Yu, it will be fine. After they are intercepted, the Rockets can only count on Harden to instigate the offense.

The Warriors attacked, Green held the ball at the top of the arc, and Clay took Butler's screen and easily got rid of Harden's defense.

Green immediately passed the ball, Clay caught the ball and made a shot, and a three-pointer went into the net, 10:7.

When Clay made the shot, Harden took two symbolic steps to this side, watching Clay make a three-pointer.

Seeing Clay make a three-pointer, he raised his eyebrows, glanced at Clay, then turned around and instructed Patterson to serve the baseline.

The three-point shot is pretty accurate...but can you keep shooting?
Harden has played against the Warriors so many times, and he has a deep understanding of the strength of Curry and Butler, but he doesn't think Clay has the same scoring ability as them.

……

The Rockets attacked, Harden singled out Clay, turned from the front to the back, broke through on the left side, and beat Clay by half a body in one step.

After encountering Green's assisted defense, Harden gave the ball to Patterson on the outside. The latter made a shot after catching the ball and missed a three-pointer.

Harden shook his head. Patterson was an open shot. It's a pity that he didn't make it.

But Harden immediately put the ball behind him. With his strong first-step explosive power, he didn't care about Clay's defense at all.

The big deal is that if he breaks through a few more times, there will be many such opportunities, and Patterson will definitely be able to grasp a few of them.

Looking back, Butler singled Anderson and hit the iron in the mid-range shot.

The rebound was grabbed by Asik, the Rockets pushed for a counterattack, and Patterson made a fast break with a three-pointer.

The Warriors attacked, Curry held the ball and Chandler picked and rolled, Asik failed to defend, and Curry used the screen to make a three-pointer.

The two teams rattled and took turns to hit the iron, and the offense came to a standstill.

Harden took the ball, played a pick-and-roll with Asik, and used the screen to get inside the three-point line.

Butler swiped his card to help defend and interfered with Harden's dribble. Harden slowed down and was caught up by Clay.

Harden simply hit Clay directly in the mid-range singles, turned and retreated and made a mid-range hit, 10:10.

After scoring, Harden made another gesture of celebrating with salt.

This is his characteristic, a new trick, eat all over the world.

What Harden likes most is to hone several of the most commonly used techniques to the point of proficiency.

As long as the opponent can't guard him, he will use the same trick over and over again to score until he kills the opponent.

But looking back, Clay was also as if divinely assisted, running off the ball to throw off Harden, with a knife in his hand, and a three-pointer against Anderson who switched defenses in front of him, 13:10.

After Clay scored a goal, he didn't celebrate and ran back to the backcourt silently, but the noise in the audience suddenly dropped a lot.

Rockets fans suddenly discovered that when Harden scored, his opponent Clay was also scoring continuously, and his efficiency was even higher than Harden's!

……

For the rest of the first quarter, it became a stage where Harden and Klay faced each other.

Harden felt hot, while Clay was nurtured by a few easy open shots.

Silas asked Harden to defend Butler and arranged for Anderson to chase Clay, but it was too late.

Klay was completely in his rhythm, catching and shooting, ignoring Anderson's defense.

Curry and Butler stopped shooting and kept feeding Clay the ball. Everyone covered him and created opportunities for him.

And Harden can only fight alone on his own, at most he will play a dozen pick-and-rolls with Asik.

Harden's style of play and the configuration of the Rockets determine that he can only be a lone hero.

After the first quarter, Clay scored 14 points with his fiery touch, and Harden was even better, scoring 18 points.

However, the Warriors still have Curry and Butler. They took the initiative to give up the ball to Clay, but it doesn't mean they won't take the shot.

The two scored 10 points together, helping the Warriors lead the Rockets by 36 points at 28:8.

Harden is in good shape, but his teammates are too stretched and it is difficult to score under the tight defense of the Warriors.

Even if Harden scored 18 points in a single quarter, the Rockets were still behind the Warriors.

In the second quarter, the two sides rotated their lineups to play.

The depth of the Warriors' lineup played a role. Relying on the scoring of Thomas Jr., Butler and Parsons, the Warriors opened the point difference to 13 points in one fell swoop.

It wasn't until Silas replaced Harden that the Rockets stopped their decline.

But Harden was powerless alone, and Clay's touch didn't cool down due to the rest. After returning to the court, he continued to fight Harden, and the Warriors maintained their lead.

After the first half, the score became 75:60, and the Warriors led the Rockets by 15 points.

Clay scored 24 points at halftime, and Harden scored 28 points at halftime. The Warriors can take the lead because of Curry and Butler's scoring.

In the second half, Clay's crazy scoring finally stopped.

Harden made 2 consecutive fouls on him, plus Clay's 3 fouls in the first half, he had 5 fouls on his back, and Zhang Yu had to replace him to rest.

The Rockets seized the opportunity and made two counterattacks, reducing the score to about 10 points, allowing the fans at the scene to see the hope of a comeback.

But Curry took over the game. He played a big military training Asik and scored 15 points in a single quarter.

Butler is also continuing to output, Harden makes fouls, and he also makes fouls.

Harden made fouls mainly by cheating. He took the initiative to expose the ball, and the opponent couldn't help but be fooled, high risk, high return.

Butler mainly seeks physical confrontation to draw fouls. It is more traditional and the income is relatively low, but the victory is stable, no matter where he goes, he is a foul.

In the regular season, Harden's willingness to gamble is obviously better.

But two fists are hard to beat four hands. No matter how hot Harden is, he can't score as well as Curry and Butler.

And with Harden on the court, the Rockets' defensive end is equivalent to one less person, making it even more difficult to defend the Warriors' dynamic offense.

After the third quarter, the Warriors without Clay did not allow the Rockets to recover the point difference and maintained a 16-point lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets resisted for 8 minutes, and the point difference could not be narrowed.

Zhang Yu always maintained a single defense against Harden, and did not flank Harden, just letting him score.

Harden's current offense is still dominated by two-pointers, which is not efficient enough to threaten the Warriors.

There is no need for Zhang Yu to reveal the big move against Harden in advance. It is a method that all teams in the league have painstakingly studied and used to defend Harden, and they have paid a painful lesson for this.

With such valuable experience, Zhang Yu intends to keep it until necessary, and then use it to deal with Harden.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Rockets 116:101.

哈登全场30投15中，三分14中6，罚球13中11，狂砍43分6助攻4篮板。

Clay scored 32 points, Curry scored 27 points, and Butler scored 24 points, all of which were not as high as Harden.

But the Rockets, apart from Harden, Patterson, the highest scorer, only scored 15 points, and only Asik scored in double figures.

……

In the post-match interview, the reporter asked Harden what he thought of the game, and Harden said calmly:

"We have tried our best, but the Warriors are stronger, they deserve this victory, we will play better..."

He didn't take the loss of this game seriously. Although he once thought he had a chance to win the game, after the Warriors widened the point difference, his desire to win the game faded.

Harden consciously scored 43 points, which is already worthy of the fans, and his mind is no longer on the game.

Rosa's hot figure began to appear frequently in his mind. While he was perfunctory to the reporter, while recalling the strange encounter in the nightclub last night, his heart became more and more hot.

When the interview was over, Harden couldn't wait to leave the Toyota Center, smiling and taking photos with a few Rockets fans on the way.

Back home, he took out the gift he had prepared for Rosa and waited for the beautiful woman to come to his door.

The game is just work, life is the most important thing, Harden has to enjoy life.

On the other side, the Warriors have already returned to the hotel early.

They will play a back-to-back game with the Suns tomorrow, and they will take a special plane to Phoenix in the morning.

Players must rest early in order to maintain their form.

Clay, who wants to visit the nightclubs in Houston, can only save this wish for his next visit to the Toyota Center.