The strongest unicorn in basketball

Chapter 243 Harden's Ability
After beating the Lakers, just when you thought he was done, the Kings lost to the Warriors at home.

After that, the Kings won consecutive victories against the Nuggets, Jazz and Mavericks, achieving a wave of three consecutive victories.

Just when people thought that the Kings were gradually getting on the right track, the Kings lost to the Suns and the Jazz successively, and they lost two consecutive games.

Whether it is the Suns or the Jazz, they are no longer the Western powerhouses they once were.

Since the Suns traded Nash in 12, they have officially entered a bad period.

Last season, the Suns only scored 25 wins, ranking first in the West and fourth in the league, but after a year of play, they finally selected a white center named Alex Ryan with the fifth pick.

Well, it's like a year in vain.

As for the Jazz, this summer, the three main players in the team, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Mo Williams, all left due to the expiration of their contracts. The selection of Shabazz Muhammad, who averaged only 3 points per game, led the Jazz to go straight to the vice president of the West this season.

But it was these two non-playoff teams that gave the Kings a two-game losing streak, which really upset the Kings fans.

When will the team stop being so crazy?
On December 12, the Kings ushered in the Rockets after a two-game losing streak.

In just two years, the Rockets are no longer what they used to be.

Since Harden joined last year and Howard was traded this summer, the smaller version of the "OK combination" has taken shape.

The Rockets, which were not bad at first, have now regained their strength and restored the strength of the top three in Texas.

And so far this season, the Rockets' record has indeed lived up to people's expectations for this little "OK combination".

The record of 16 wins and 8 losses holds the top four in the Western Conference, and even in the eyes of many media, this Rockets team is stronger than the Rockets in Yao Mai's era, and they already have the strength to compete for the championship.

"Hi Prince!"

"Long time no see, James!"

Before the game, the two old teammates hugged each other.

"You too, you finally came to Sacheng, why didn't you come to see me last night?"

"Hey, you guys in Sa city are boring, I went to a nightclub in San Francisco last night, don't tell me, the beauties there, hey hey..."

For Li Pu's accusation, Harden's naive face was covered with a "you know" smile.

Ever since he left Oklahoma City and came to a big city like Houston, Harden is naturally like a wolf in a herd of sheep, reluctant to leave.

Although Li Pu has never doubted Harden's strength, he is still a little worried about his mental state. After all, just looking at his current body shape, he is a lot fatter than when he was in the Thunder.

God knows what this guy is doing all day long?
Addicted to butt, unable to extricate yourself?
Forget it, let's not talk about the butt today!

The Rockets' starting lineup tonight is still the regular lineup: Patrick Beverley, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard.

Except for Harden and Howard, the other three are all young people. Beverly was the 09nd pick in 42, Parsons was the 11th pick in 38, and Jones was the 12th pick in 18. The picks are not high, but Over the past few years, he has become the backbone of the team.

Coupled with the two inner and outer cores of Harden and Howard, in everyone's eyes, the Rockets are far stronger than the Kings.

But for Kings players including Li Pu, they don't think so.

As long as your team can perform normally, it will never be worse than the Rockets!
Well, of course, the premise is that it can function normally...

After all, the current king is notoriously unpredictable, and even Li Pu doesn't know how his teammates will perform in the next game.

Howard, who came to the Rockets this season, has returned to his peak and was able to score 18+12, supporting the Rockets' inside defense alone.

Howard, who is only 28 years old, is still physically fit, and this time he beat Li Pu to jump to the ball.

This is Li Pu's first jump ball failure this season!
After Beverley got the ball, he found Harden immediately and handed the ball to him.

Don't look at Harden playing shooting guard in the Rockets, but in fact everyone knows that the team's real shooting guard is Beverly, he is a complete point guard.

After Harden came to the frontcourt with the ball, he looked for Jones to play a pick-and-roll.

The reason why Jones was chosen instead of Howard was not because Harden was afraid of Li Pu after the singles switch, but because Howard didn't like to play pick-and-rolls.

Logically speaking, the pick-and-roll is the most commonly used tactic in the NBA. It can not only increase the team's offensive methods, but also improve the data of the pick-and-roll player. It is a win-win situation.

But Howard is different. He has the pride of a traditional center, is proud of low-post singles, and is ashamed of pick-and-rolls.

He was the leader of the team in the Magic, so naturally no one said anything.

But now whether he is in the Lakers or the Rockets, he is not the boss of the team, which makes Howard unpopular.

However, playing the pick-and-roll with Jones was a mistake. After the pick-and-roll, he faced Patterson's defense with ease.

Continuously changing direction and stepping back for three-pointers, all these technical moves have been played out, the only regret is that the ball was not made!
It is estimated that Harden had too much fun last night, so he hasn't recovered yet!
Li Pu received the rebound, and the Kings immediately counterattacked.

The Rockets retreated the fastest was Beverley, but after attracting his defense, Bledsoe handed the ball to Butler.

Butler made a layup, and at this time, Harden, who was facing him, hadn't even retreated to the center line!

Harden, who used to be in the Thunder, let alone his defensive skills, at least his attitude is very serious.

Not only retreated in time, but even took the initiative to defend the opponent's arrow figures.

But as he came to the Rockets, after having the privilege of the boss, he also learned to be lazy, learned to take halftime walks, direct traffic and defend with his hips...

Seeing the Kings score, Harden stopped, quietly waiting for Beverly to dribble to the frontcourt, handing the ball to him, and he didn't even want to take an extra step.

This kind of uncle's demeanor really makes people a little speechless, but Harden has the qualifications!
I saw him facing Butler, the King's best perimeter defender, this time he did not choose the pick-and-roll, but chose singles!
Continuously changing the rhythm, he successfully deceived Butler, came to the inside to face Li Pu and used the European step, and successfully caused Li Pu's foul.

Through the first ball just now, Harden already knew that he didn't feel good tonight, so he decisively went inside.

Because he is too familiar with Li Pu, when facing Li Pu, not only did he fail to defend successfully, but also caused Li Pu to foul.

Standing on the free throw line and making two free throws, Harden used free throws to tie the score at the beginning.

This is the scary thing about Harden. Even if one of his skills fails, he can use other methods to score!

(End of this chapter)