no shortcuts in basketball

Chapter 27 Harden's Change

After halftime, the score of the two teams was fixed at 24-30.

The Devils trailed by 6 points to end the half.

Stanford University can achieve a record of winning, and their coping ability is also very strong.

After the Devils continuously attacked the zone defense, they quickly switched to man-to-man defense.

At this time, the Devils can't make outside shots, and the Lopez brothers can sink to the basket when they switch defenses. It is not so easy for the Devils to grab offensive rebounds.

Although the Devils still did a good job defensively, they failed to tie the score.

However, this result is acceptable to both parties.

The Cardinals contained the Devils' counterattack, and the Devils relied on defense and rebounds to narrow the point difference a lot.

During the intermission, the players returned to the locker room one after another.

That's when someone noticed that Harden hadn't returned.

Sandek didn't mention Harden when he came in to set up tactics.

It wasn't until the end of the halftime break that the players returned to the court one after another, only to find that Harden had been staying on the court to practice three-pointers.

It can be seen that he is anxious to get his outside touch back.

Xu Yong went over and patted Harden on the shoulder after seeing it: "Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself, your mentality will affect your shooting."

When you are behind, you can't make a goal. A big reason is that your mentality has changed.

In history, when Harden led the Rockets to toughen the Warriors, the Rockets shot 27 of 0 three-pointers, and the influence of mentality was a major factor.

Although [Brave not out of bounds], although [Five hits eight], in fact, there are many open spaces in there.

Harden nodded and put down the basketball in his hand.

He is so smart, of course he also knows this, but Xu Yong told him at this time, the effect is completely different.

Because after chasing points in the first half, his trust in Xu Yong has reached a new height.

After sitting back on the bench, he took a deep breath to relax himself.

Soon, the half-time break came, and the game between the two sides continued.

Back in the second half Brook Lopez continued to attack in the low post.

Xu Yong chose to attack, and Brook Lopez chose a fadeaway jumper that turned to the baseline.

This choice exposed his weakness. In fact, when Xu Yong flanked in the first half, it could be seen that he was not good at dealing with double-teams.

At this time, it is obviously better to quickly distribute the ball to Robin Lopez under the basket than this difficult shot selection.

Brook Lopez's final shot went wide of the basket, and Ayres turned around and pocketed the defensive rebound.

The Cardinals' first attack back in the second half was blocked!
The Devils continued their defensive performance in the first half, and now they have the opportunity to further narrow the point difference.

Many home fans subconsciously looked up at the score.

A difference of 6 points is not safe at all.

Offensive and defensive transitions, the Cardinals continued to man-to-man, and the Lopez brothers continued to sink.

Glasser gets a chance to fire outside at a 45-degree angle to the left.

The ball still bounced off the edge of the rim, but Ailes saw the opportunity to take off the long offensive rebound.

Although after a halftime break, the Devils are still working hard to defend and grab rebounds.

Ayers gave the ball to Xu Yong on the outside, and Xu Yong quickly passed it to Harden at the top of the arc after seeing Gus coming to defend.

Harden's chance.

He adjusted his rhythm and shot a three-pointer.

From his expression, you can tell that he is very calm at this moment.

And the consistency of his shots was significantly better than in the first half.

After the basketball whirled in the air and crossed a high parabola...

"Shh!"

Hole through the mesh bag!

Harden hit the Devils second-half and first [-]-pointer of the night!

After scoring the goal, Harden pointed to Xu Yong.

The fans at the scene were restless.

27 is better than 30!

The point difference has come to 3 points, a gap of one ball!
The bench of the Devils was boiling, and the Devils finally waited for the moment when the feeling recovered!
Offensive and defensive transitions, the Devils' defense is still excellent, but Anthony Gus' cut-in catch and layup continued to score for the Cardinals.

This goal also made the silent fans burst into violent cheers.

The advantage of the Cardinals is the inner twin towers, but they are not only the twin towers. When the twin towers restrain the defense, Gus, the team's outside core, began to stand up.

"Defense! Defense!"

Driven by the live DJ, the fans began to cheer for the home team in unison.

If you want to conquer Stanford University, a holy land of giants, it will never be that simple.

The Devils played a "bull horn" tactic, but the Cardinals showed their defensive strength amidst the shouts, and even the Lopez brothers tried their best to defend with their legs, and no longer gave the Devils an easy shot.

Seeing that the offensive time was running out, Harden saw that Brook Lopez was defending him, and after asking for the ball, he directly signaled to open the small and play big.

Lopez's defensive position is inside, he knows Harden's breakthrough kill.

Seeing this, Harden dribbled the ball behind the frame to make a breakthrough posture, quickly received the ball after a breakthrough fake, and then made a three-pointer.

The previous three-pointer obviously boosted his shooting confidence.

Lopez's speed was very slow, and he was forced to lean back by Harden's fake action. He couldn't do it anymore. He seemed to be frozen in place, and he could only watch Harden make a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

The basketball is hollow again!
Harden made consecutive three-pointers!
He missed a three-pointer in the first half, but made two consecutive shots in the second half.

Harden showed a ruthless face after the shot, and this time he went straight to Xu Yong and gave him a high-five to celebrate.

Everything Xu Yong said is correct, no one will always fail to make a shot!

Not only Harden, but all members of the Devils have a strong psychological hint that their touch is recovering and they can complete the reversal.

Sandek unconsciously looked at Xu Yong. Appointing Xu Yong as the captain was the most correct thing he did.

Gus missed again, but Robin Lopez grabbed the offensive rebound and earned two free throws.

The Cardinals are worthy of the label of a strong team, and they did not mess up because of the Devils' resurgent three-pointers.

Robin Lopez made two free throws and the Cardinals still led by 3 points.

"Defense! Defense!"

And the shouts from the scene resounded through the arena again.

At this time, Xu Yong took the initiative to step forward to set a pick and roll for Harden, and he did not pick and roll. The purpose was to send Robin Lopez to Harden again.

After the success, he also signaled his teammates to open up space for Harden in singles.

As a reborn, he knows exactly what it will be like when Harden's outside touch comes, and he is dislocated against the opponent's inside.

The desire in Harden's eyes is getting stronger and stronger. After being underestimated by "Sports Illustrated" in the last key battle, he really needs a good performance to prove himself!
Continuously changing direction and breaking through feints, Lopez's center of gravity swayed uncontrollably like seaweed.

Grasping the moment when Lopez's body leaned to the right, Harden suddenly accelerated and broke through to the left.

Lopez also struggled to shrink to the left.

But in the next second, Harden pulled back with his left crotch, and the whole person quickly withdrew to outside the three-point line.

The two had a physical confrontation during this process, and Lopez lost his center of gravity directly, and fell to the ground to the left with a "plop".

The fans at the scene stared blankly.

Lopez was knocked down by Harden!

This is not the first time Harden has swayed someone. In the previous opener against the University of Arizona, he swayed past McClellan.

But this time the visual effect of Huang Fei was far better than that of the previous one.

Because this is when the two teams are in a stalemate, this has a great impact on the morale of both sides.

Moreover, Harden did not shoot immediately after flying Lopez, but stood still and glanced at Lopez. After Lopez got up, he made a three-pointer.gif!

From this choice, he can fully feel the relaxation of his mind at the moment.

As a result of relaxing his mind, the basketball fell into the pocket again.

Harden, three-pointers in a row!

The Cardinals just reached out and called timeout.

Harden was really excited now, and ran up to Xu Yong and directly bumped his chest against him.

Xu Yong also had a smile on his face, because at this time he was convinced of Harden's change.

(End of this chapter)