warrior godfather

Rockets fans are waiting for Paul to kill the Quartet, but I don't know if the prayers of the Warriors fans have worked. In the rest of the first quarter, Paul did not take the ball against Lopez in every round as he did in the previous games.

After he played one round, he couldn't touch the ball for a long time, and then seized the opportunity to play twice, succeeded once, and then there was no pick-and-roll round against Lopez.

When Paul doesn't have the ball, it's all in Harden's hands.

Harden has become the Rockets' first main attack point, and the ball must pass his hands in every round. Even if Paul holds the ball in a pick-and-roll round, Harden first controls the ball and then passes it to him.

The roles of the two seem to be reversed, Harden has become a point guard, and Paul has become a shooting guard-although he does not play off the ball, most of the time he is on the three-point line Make room.

Rockets fans are very puzzled, why Paul didn't take advantage of Antetokounmpo's injury to target Lopez crazily.

The Warriors fans were puzzled with deep gratitude. Paul hit Lopez 3 times and succeeded 2 times. If he keeps playing, no one knows how many points he can get.

The commentary was also very puzzled, Van Gundy frowned and said:
"Neither Lopez nor Markkanen has the ability to switch defenses. Why doesn't D'Antoni let Paul hold the ball to attack? This is the most offensive way to target the Warriors' defensive weaknesses!"

Mike Breen guessed:

"Maybe D'Antoni thinks Harden is better at attacking with the ball?"

Mark Jackson laughed:
"Really? Judging from the game, D'Antoni's idea is obviously wrong..."

In the first quarter, the effect of Harden's assists with the ball was very bad. Except for the step-back three-pointer singled out by Wiggins, he had no achievements outside the three-point line.

Wiggins has been defending Harden's breakthroughs, giving Harden a half-step space. Many times the interference is not in place, but Harden just can't make three-pointers, and his shots are always a little shorter, knocking on the front of the basket. Rockets fans I can only lament Harden's bad luck today.

However, Harden still scored 10 points in the first quarter. When a player can control all the balls, there is no difficulty in obtaining statistics.

It took him 8 shots and 4 free throws to score 10 points. He consumed a lot of possessions and was very inefficient.

This is why Van Gundy questioned D'Antoni. The effect of Harden's main attack was not good. As a result, D'Antoni did not make adjustments, but let Harden waste precious opportunities.

But D'Antoni is also suffering and can't tell. If he can do it according to his ideas, of course Paul will hold the ball and target Lopez and Markanen to death, but unfortunately, he does not have the right to control everything.

Although he is the head coach of the Rockets, Harden is the person with the highest status in the Rockets. As an MVP-level superstar, Harden has unimaginable privileges for outsiders.

Small things like being late for training, staying out at night after the game, and going to Las Vegas for a cool night before playing away games are already commonplace for Harden, and the Rockets dare not raise any objections.

Harden's biggest privilege is that he has unlimited firepower on the court. When he wants to attack with the ball, no one can stop him, including D'Antoni.

This Rockets team was built around Harden. The lineup and tactics were all designed to maximize Harden's strength. This allowed Harden to perform at the MVP level and allowed the Rockets to win 65 and enter the Western Conference Finals. The biggest constraint for the rocket to break further.

Harden is used to the feeling of being in control of the ball. The feeling of being in power and dominating everything is so intoxicating, how can he give it up so easily.

In the first few games of the Western Conference Finals, Harden could also give up the ball to Paul in order to win, and let him pick and roll the ball against Lopez.

But after Antetokounmpo was injured, the dark clouds above the Rockets dissipated, and the future was bright. How could Harden give up the ball to Paul.

If the Warriors really succeed in a 1:3 comeback under the leadership of Paul, then who will be the boss of the Rockets?

Although Paul is willing to come to the Rockets to be Harden's second head, everyone knows that he has always been an ambitious person, and his desire to win and be a leader has never weakened.

And Paul's style of play that needs to keep the ball in his hands also has a natural conflict with Harden's play style of holding the ball. The cooperation between the two this season seems to be close, but in fact they reached a compromise for the championship. Very average.

Now, the tickets to the finals are in sight, and the contradictions and conflicts buried under the water surface between the two have finally surfaced. With the status of the team leader, Harden will not let go while holding the ball. Paul is limited by his qualifications and strength. He could only silently wait for Harden to give him some leftovers.

Harden didn't pass the ball at all. When his chances were too bad or he was cornered, he still passed the ball to Paul.

After all, he just wants to personally lead the Western Conference Finals and lead the team to complete the comeback as the boss, instead of letting the Rockets complete all this under the leadership of Paul.

And this approach, coupled with the Rockets' frantic flanking of Curry and the defensive strategy of emptying out others, gave the Warriors a chance.

When Zhang Yu asked Markkanen to start, he was actually a little nervous. His experience is not as good as that of Lopez. If he is targeted by Paul, he will not only lose points, but also may lose fouls, which will affect the Warriors' subsequent rotation. .

But he didn't expect that Paul actually played 3 pick-and-rolls, and the rest of the time he was playing off the ball. The Rockets have been dominated by Harden, who has a poor hand.

This makes the twin tower combination of Lopez + Markkanen pay almost no price. Harden didn't shoot mid-range shots, and when he burst into the basket with Lopez protecting the frame, Wiggins gave him the space to step back and take a three-pointer , he couldn't make the shot either.

Conversely, Lopez and Markanen, who were not targeted on the defensive end, shined brilliantly. Lopez scored 2 three-pointers, had 2 powerful offensive rebounds, made a tip-up, and scored 1 points. He made 8 of 5 three-pointers and scored 3 points.

The two insiders scored a total of 17 points. With Curry being closely flanked, they became the backbone of the Warriors on the offensive end.

Curry was surrounded by two people all the time, and his hand feeling was relatively average. Even if he ran out of the opportunity, he didn't make a three-pointer. He made 3 of 0 shots in the first quarter and scored no points.

However, he has made outstanding contributions in other aspects. The ball under the attack is accurate and timely. He can always find open teammates without making a single mistake. The defensive end actively rotates and shrinks, and gets 4 assists. With 5 rebounds and 1 steal, he played a Green-style triple single.

In addition, Wiggins also assumed more responsibilities in the absence of Antetokounmpo, and his tactical status rose to the second scorer. When the Rockets rotated and the Warriors had no chance, he would play singles with the ball , took 6 shots in the first quarter and scored 7 points. Although the efficiency was not high, it successfully digested the ball and filled part of the gap after Antetokounmpo was injured.

Jaylen Brown and Bogdan, who played in rotation, also increased their shots. It may be that Zhang Yu's encouragement has aroused their fighting spirit, or it may be the reason why the underdogs must win. Under tremendous pressure, both of them took With a good competitive state, he seized the open opportunity.

After the first quarter, the Warriors were only 30 points behind the Rockets at 33:3. The Warriors relied on the unity of the team, especially the outstanding performance of Lopez and Markkanen. If it is not high, it can still lead the Warriors.

However, the Rockets fans were not very happy. The Warriors were able to hold on to the score without Curry scoring a point, which greatly exceeded their expectations.

However, the Rockets made 11 of 5 three-pointers in the first quarter, giving Rockets fans confidence in the next game. When the Rockets can make three-pointers, they are unstoppable.

Moreover, Paul has always led the team during the transition period. Today, Paul's state is exceptionally good, and the Warriors have flaws in their interior defense. He should be able to bring some "surprises" to the Warriors.

During the intermission, Van Gundy also said:

"Wait for Harden to take a break and Paul to lead the team. Now D'Antoni should give Paul enough possession of the ball. We can see how the Warriors will deal with Paul's pick-and-roll mid-range shot..."

"Om-"

With the buzzer beeping for a long time, the second quarter began. Players from both sides entered the field, whether they were Rockets fans or Warriors fans, they all stared at the Warriors bench.

They all want to know how Zhang Yu will arrange the substitute lineup.

Then they saw that a substitute player who played less than 5 minutes in the first 30 games of the Western Conference Finals and averaged less than 6 minutes per game stepped onto the court. He looked as old as 40 years old, It seems that there will always be a weak Warriors backup center-Kevon Looney.

"Looney?" Van Gundy was a little surprised at first, and then suddenly said, "That's right, the Warriors have no one to use inside. Since Coach Z can activate Markanen, of course he can also activate Looney. It's just that he was almost half-abandoned before. Obviously, coach Z is not optimistic about his performance against the Rockets, and now it is the most critical moment, and if he is sent on the field again, will it be able to play a role?"

Van Gundy's question is also the voice of the majority of fans. Seeing Looney playing, the Warriors fans' hearts sank severely. It seems that they have seen the picture of Looney clumsy like a wooden stake in front of Paul, and he is in a mess.

They could understand Zhang Yu's choice, but they still couldn't help feeling aggrieved and unwilling, and then looked fiercely at Tucker, who was in a suit and leather shoes on the Rockets' bench.

If this guy hadn't injured Antetokounmpo, how could Coach Z have used two almost hidden insiders in a row?

At this moment, they can't wait for Zhang Yu's order to abolish Paul or Harden, an eye for an eye, an eye for an eye, so that the Rockets can also taste the painful feeling of the head star being injured at a critical moment in the playoffs.

But they could only think about it. Zhang Yu didn't mean to take revenge at all. On the contrary, he stood on the sidelines with his hands in his pockets, watching the Warriors players come to the field. With a smile, it seems that the feet are rooted on the floor, like a towering mountain, calm and quiet, but indestructible.

Seeing Zhang Yu's posture, the Warriors fans calmed down inexplicably, and their worries and worries disappeared unconsciously.

Coach Z is not worried, what else are they worried about?