NBA Old Age Star System

Chapter 343 2-0, Harden’s inner changes
"Unknowingly, the Lakers were already leading by 8 points, and it looked like they were about to hit double figures."

"No, I think the Rockets should counterattack in the second quarter. The Rockets are not easy to deal with. During the regular season, the two teams were still fighting back and forth."

The intermission ended quickly, and the second quarter began.

Because the playoffs are different from the regular season, all the main players have increased their playing time, and the Lakers' overall offense has once again risen to a higher level.

As for the Rockets, the main players' playing time is already long enough, and adding more will be counterproductive.

Before the end of the second quarter, the score difference had reached 12 points, but Harden made a lucky three-pointer before the whistle.

At the end of the first half, the score difference was 9 points, and the Lakers temporarily took the lead.

"The Rockets are so lucky to be able to make it."

"I can only say that my life should not be cut off, but I can only linger on. The Lakers have an obvious advantage. If the Rockets want to resist, their current strength is not enough."

The intermission ended quickly, and the third quarter began.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Lakers directly took over the entire main lineup. Walton wanted to take a big lead at the beginning of the second half.

D'Antoni on the Rockets side naturally expected it, so the Rockets' three-point shots became even crazier.

"James, you can't do this. You can't beat us with just three-pointers." Su Tian joked while organizing the team's offense.

"Don't worry about it!"

At this time, Harden felt even more oppressive pressure from the Lakers than the Warriors.

"Did the previous Lakers always hide their strength? Impossible."

The previous Lakers did not hide their strength, but the current Lakers' strength has improved very obviously.

In fact, it is very simple. The playing time of the Lakers' main players has increased.

When Walton leads the team in the regular season, he has been strictly controlling the players' playing time in order to avoid the interference of injuries.

Both George and Butler benefited from it. As for Su Tian, ​​he has a system and is not afraid of injuries.

At the end of the third quarter, the point difference was firmly controlled by the Lakers to double digits.

During the break, Harden sat on the bench and gasped for air.

"James, you can't play like that. We have to use tactics and coordinate more and pass the ball more."

Chris Paul on the side was still talking tirelessly to Harden, emphasizing the importance of tactics.

"Chris, I know how to play, I don't need you to teach me."

Harden's words directly suppressed what Paul wanted to say.

Originally, there was no communication between the two during this period, and the atmosphere in the team was very abnormal. Now the two are directly at odds.

Paul seemed to be persuading Harden, but in fact he felt that Harden had too much ball power and wanted to give some to him.

Harden naturally sees clearly what Paul wants, but Harden doesn't give him any face at all.

Soon, the fourth quarter began.

For the Lakers, Su Tian came directly onto the field with his substitute lineup.

For the Rockets, D'Antoni thought for a long time and decided to let Harden and Paul play together.

After all, the Rockets are now behind by double digits and must go all out.

After Su Tian came on the court, his all-round performance improved, and his defense became very proactive.

After Paul came to the frontcourt with the ball, he wanted to call his teammates to come over and cooperate with the pick-and-roll, but Harden next to him directly reached out for the ball. Paul originally wanted to pretend not to see it.

But Harden's movements for the ball became more and more intense, and Paul had no choice but to pass the ball to him.

But as soon as Paul passed the ball, it was intercepted by Su Tian!
After successfully stealing the ball, Su Tian quickly rushed to the frontcourt and succeeded with a one-handed chop.

"Steal a dragon!! This is Su!!!"

Buckley was so excited that he shouted.

"Su Dao's dunk was so exciting. Even in a dunk contest, I can give this dunk 10 points."

Kenny Smith's tone was much calmer, but his words still showed his admiration for Su Tian.

And this dunk directly increased the overall momentum of the Lakers and the cheers of the fans at the scene.

The ball was transferred and it was the Rockets' turn to attack. This time Harden advanced with the ball.

After arriving in the frontcourt, he faced Su Tian's defense.

Harden's eyes were fixed on Su Tian, ​​and he kept moving his hands and dribbling with his hips.

Immediately afterwards, Harden broke out and was about to break through, and Su Tian quickly followed.

But Harden smiled slightly, used the "double step back", and shot a three-pointer directly.

However, just when Harden thought everything was safe, Su Tian's palm actually appeared in front of his eyes.

Harden was surprised, and even the power of his shot changed slightly.

boom--

Basketball strikes iron.

Boucher turned around to collect the rebound and passed the ball directly to Su Tian.

Su Tian got the ball and immediately launched a fast break, rushing forward with the ball.

Harden followed Su Tian closely, but it didn't seem to have any interference effect.

bang——

Su Tian succeeded in another fast break dunk.

After Su Tian landed, he turned to look at Harden.

"James, to be honest, the Rockets are no match for us, so give up."

Harden glanced at Su Tian speechlessly.

Harden also said this, so he naturally knows that this is just a psychological tactic.

However, now in Harden's view, the Rockets do not seem to be a match for the Lakers.

"It must be because my teammates are so rubbish, that's right! It's all because of these teammates!"

"If we still want to win the championship next season, we must change our teammates, but who should we replace? It doesn't feel very good. Should we replace them all?"

"Hey! Instead of replacing them all, why not..."

In the end, the game ended steadily, and the rocket's attempt to stir up the waves was suppressed by Su Tian.

122-103, the big score came to 1-0, and the Lakers temporarily took the lead.

"Kenny, I think I can already predict this series." Barkley's confident look made Smith couldn't bear to interrupt.

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"It's obvious! It's so obvious! Rocket has no power to fight back!"

Smith looked at Barkley's confident look and wanted to trick the Jazz again.

"Charles, since you are so confident, why don't you make a bet? For example, do a striptease or something?"

As soon as Smith said these words, he was already laughing so hard, but Barkley on the side had a dark look on his face. "Kenny, I've given up gambling! I won't say things like that again! I won't fall into your trap again!"

At this time on the playing field, after Su Tian finished the game, he followed Wharton to participate in the post-game interview.

"Su, first of all, congratulations on your victory. I would like to ask if the Lakers have the idea of ​​sweeping the Rockets after winning this game easily."

Su Tian cleared his throat and said: "No one can be sure about sweeping this kind of thing. I just pursue victory in every game. As for sweeping the Rockets, I am not sure, but I can only say that the opponent does have some advantages compared to us." There’s a gap.”

Su Tian's words didn't seem to say he wanted to sweep the Rockets, but he publicly stated that the Rockets were not as strong as the Lakers. This sentence was enough for these reporters to make a fuss.

After the interview, Wharton came to Su Tian.

"Sue, why did you say that?"

"It's very simple. The Rockets are currently suffering from internal and external troubles. There are internal problems. As long as there is more pressure from the outside, they will explode! I just accelerated their process. Sooner or later, they will explode."

Seeing Su Tian's confident smile, Wharton had no choice but to believe what Su Tian said.

But after Walton thought about it, Su Tian was indeed right. There was indeed a gap between the Rockets and the Lakers. This was a fact.

With the end of the first game between the Lakers and Rockets, the situation of the second round of the Eastern and Western Conferences has also been revealed.

In the West, in addition to the Rockets and Lakers, the other group is the Warriors and Nuggets.

After all, the Jazz were still a little short and were knocked to the ground by the Nuggets, but the Jazz fans and management are full of confidence because their main and core players are still very young and have a promising future!

In the East, the Bucks' opponent is the Celtics who defeated Philadelphia.

It's pretty good that Philadelphia can persist until now. Although the combination of Simmons and Embiid looks scary, everyone understands it.

On the Celtics side, there is no doubt about Irving's strength. Coupled with Stevens' control, the Green Army as a whole still shows considerable competitiveness.

The Cavaliers' opponent is the Raptors who defeated the Pacers.

It was expected that the Raptors could defeat the Pacers, but the Raptors' competitiveness on the field was very strong.

The addition of Leonard has significantly improved the Raptors' strength.

On April 4, the second game between the Rockets and the Lakers arrived.

The Rockets at this time were different from the first game, and the conflicts within the Rockets team became more serious.

This time, both sides once again chose their previous starting lineups and started playing directly from the start, eliminating the need for testing.

After the first few rounds, Su Tian observed that Paul and Harden not only had no communication off the court, but now also had no communication on the court.

Even when Paul holds the ball, Harden becomes passive, and when Harden holds the ball, Paul becomes passive.

This scene of the Rockets directly amused Su Tian.

"What is this called? This is called God helping me!"

After Su Tian found out, he began to lead the Lakers to launch a fierce attack and firmly control the lead.

At the end of the first half, the score difference had reached 18 points.

"Kenny, look! Let me just say, there is still a clear gap between the Rockets and the Lakers! It is even possible that the Lakers will complete the sweep!" Barkley said.

"Don't draw conclusions so early. The strength of the Rockets does not lie in their stability. On the contrary, the Rockets' terrifying instability lies in their instability, because they don't know when they will suddenly explode."

What Kenny Smith said still makes sense, and the Rockets' performance in the third quarter just illustrates this point.

In the third quarter, Gordon, Tucker, and Gerald Green on the bench hit three-pointers one after another, going 12-3 and making the Lakers break out in a cold sweat.

But fortunately, Harden was defended by Su Tian personally and did not explode.

When the Rockets only have role players breaking out and Harden doesn't break out, then these scores will be like castles in the air and simply cannot withstand the Lakers' continued beating.

So, at the end of the third quarter, the point difference returned to 15 points again.

In the fourth quarter, Su Tian led the bench.

On the Rockets' side, D'Antoni finally made adjustments, Paul won, and Harden led the team on the court.

D'Antoni's choice clearly shows who he stands with. After all, this is a critical moment.

After Su Tian came on the court, he first used assists to pass two good goals, and then Su Tian started to attack with the ball.

As for the Rockets, Harden no longer has the constraints of Paul and began to use his offensive talents to his fullest.

But with Su Tian's defense, Harden's shooting percentage is not high.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, the point difference remained at about 15 points, and D'Antoni called a timeout.

After the timeout, Paul came on the court, and the Lakers also took the opportunity to make substitution adjustments. George and Butler came on the court at the same time.

After having George and Butler, Su Tian once again turned to the organizational end, using his offensive threats to create opportunities for the two.

In the end, the game ended with the Lakers' victory.

The big score of this series is 2-0
After the two games, the Lakers will go to Houston for the next game. Walton still dare not be careless and emphasizes the safety issue over and over again.

However, the Lakers still have two days of rest before heading to Houston, which is very important for the players.

On May 5, the Lakers came to Houston after resting and adjusting.

As soon as everyone from the Lakers arrived in Houston, they felt the "enthusiasm" of Rockets fans.

"Why is there still a traffic jam ahead? We won't be late, right?" Caruso said in the bus.

"No, didn't the coach say he had contacted the local police?" Nunn responded.

"Seth, why are you so calm?" Caruso looked at Curry and asked.

Curry shrugged and said: "It's not certain whether I can play today, so it's not something I should worry about."

"Hey, don't say it, what you said makes sense."

After saying that, the three fell into silence.

During the regular season, in order to protect the main players, substitutes and benches have a certain amount of playing time and have the opportunity to express themselves.

But now that we have entered the playoffs, the bench's playing time has decreased sharply, and even some major substitutes' playing time has been shortened a lot.

The bus was not stuck for a long time, and the Lakers arrived at the arena on time.

Before the game started, Su Tian came to Harden's side.

"James, the traffic in Houston is not very good. Why don't you move to Los Angeles? We rarely have such traffic jams."

Harden knew that Su Tian was teasing him, so he didn't answer.

Seeing that Harden didn't speak, Su Tian had no choice but to walk away alone.

After Su Tian walked away, Harden's thinking began to diverge.

"Houston is indeed very congested, but it's not that there's traffic, it's that the road to the championship is a little congested, no, not a little, it's very."

"With the Warriors in front of us and the Lakers behind us, there's no way we can mess around in the West!"

"Maybe I should have chosen an easier path to a championship."

"It's not like there are no superstars like this. I'm just imitating my predecessors."

Harden's thoughts wandered to nowhere, but the time soon came to the game.

As the referee blew his whistle, Game [-] of the Rockets-Lakers series began.

(End of this chapter)