basketball talent system

Chapter 499 Transformation Harden and Fierce Battle

Time flies, and soon the Lakers ushered in their first regular season game of the new season. Their first game is not held at home, but they need to go to the away game to challenge the Rockets in Houston, the Rockets In fact, this summer has not been particularly good. From miraculously breaking into the Western Conference finals a year ago, to reaching the playoffs at the end of last season and losing in the first round, the Rockets can be regarded as one of the most regressive teams last season.Changing coaches and signing in halfway is like relieving the pain of a patient with a serious illness, but it has not achieved a radical effect.The failure of the Ty Lawson experiment is a microcosm.

Judging from the data, the Rockets are still a typical example of polarization.They averaged 30.9 three-pointers per game, second only to the Warriors, and ranked fourth in total shots, but only ranked 4th in field goal percentage (34.7%).The characteristics of high shooting are reflected in the overall offense, coupled with James Harden's single-core driving effect is remarkable (19 free throws per game ranks first) and the league's 29.4th fastest rhythm, the Rockets still surrender 7 points per 100 rounds (No. 105.5) and a 8 percent true shooting percentage (No. 55.3).

However, the chronic disease of defense killed the Rockets.The team conceded 100 points per 105.6 possessions, tied for 20th. Although the Rockets can recover a quarter of missed shots, they can't hold up to 1%, the lowest defensive rebound rate in the league.In addition, the Rockets' turnovers also remain high, with a turnover ratio of 4, tied for sixth from the bottom.This season, the Rockets directly chose to transition. Due to Beverly's injury, the Rockets themselves lacked a good point guard, so they simply put Harden in the position of point guard.

In terms of signings in the summer, the Rockets did not do particularly well. Judging from the reactions of the media and fans, the Rockets’ offseason signings received more attention than the players they lost, which shows that the Rockets are not hurting. Under the premise of targeted signings (Terry is old, the team status and tactical roles of Warcraft and Jones have been weakened compared to the past), but it also highlights the limited bargaining chips that the Rockets can exchange.At the end of September, the Rockets sent away "Thigh" Beasley, and Motel had a rift with the Rockets' top management because of his delay in renewing his contract, which made people wonder what Darryl Morey was planning.

The joining of Anderson and Gordon shows that the Rockets continue to "search for guns."The two can share Harden's offensive pressure, with a very wide range, and Anderson, who is confirmed to be the starter, will also establish another reliable passing point for Harden.The Rockets responded positively to questions about the health of the two, but the new season is still a ticking time bomb.At the same time, although Anderson can hold the ball and Gordon has the ability to hit the basket, the second ball holding point is still vacant except for Harden.

After all, "bigger thigh" did not escape the fate of working part-time in Aerospace City, and swapped with Ennis to the Bucks.The latter used this to make up for the vacancy of Khris Middleton's injury for several months (although the trade negotiations are reported to be before Middleton's injury, there is no doubt that his injury contributed to the conclusion of the transaction), while the Rockets Numbers have been upgraded.So far in his career, at the age of 22, Ennis, who follows the example of Steve Nash, can send 36 assists per 5.7 minutes.

However, generally speaking, the current Rockets are difficult to find in the arms race, regardless of the attractiveness of the lineup or the bargaining chips.The arrival of D'Antoni has attracted attention. The industry is optimistic about his cooperation with Harden. His past successful resume and unique style of play also make him have the possibility to enhance the Rockets' attractiveness to free agents.In fact, for the Rockets, which suffered a collective decline last season, most of the players will stop the decline and rebound will be the most effective "signing" for the Rockets, not to mention the "bearded man" who has won billions of fat contracts. Great boon.

In the new season, both D'Antoni and Harden have the responsibility of "there is no reason not to do well in the new season" during the offseason, and their running-in is also the top priority.In the list of the number of times assists teammates made three-pointers last season, Harden ranked third, of which 3 assists were made from the bottom corner of his teammates, far ahead of the second place LeBron James (106 times).Harden, who is willing to pass the ball, will be D'Antoni's preferred backcourt leader.Recently, D'Antoni also said that he would let Harden play the role of point guard, and joked that Harden is a "point guard", which shows his reliance on him.

Beyond that, the Rockets are all about the X factor.The team under D'Antoni emphasized precision-guided passing, while the Rockets inevitably started with Harden and ended with Harden. Among them, the wings were weak and unable to play a series role would become the shackles of D'Antoni's tactics.This also paved the way for the possible joining of Rudy Gay and the possible staying of Motel.After all, Gay is an upgrade compared to Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer. Motel's low-post offense and support are also scarce inside the Rockets in the post-Warcraft era.

And some experts believe that "Harden decides the lower limit of the Rockets, and the upper limit is handed over to Capela."With Warcraft and Jones leaving, Clint Capela will be pushed to the fore. Except for the veteran Brazilian Beast, few people can attack him.However, his presence also poses new challenges to the Rockets' sluggish defensive rebounding.Defense is not the director of D'Antoni, but fortunately, the Rockets have armed the coaching staff to the teeth; unlimited defense is a powerful medicine for the Rockets' defense in the industry. Whether Harden can take care of defense will set an example. Draw a question mark, and all of this will be concluded in the first contest of the season.

Soon after the Lakers came to Houston, the game began. The Lakers led by Ye Xuan, shooting guard Wade, small forward Solomon Hill, power forward Randall and center Gasol. Different, Jordan Clarkson was placed on the bench because Jordan Clarkson's singles ability is stronger, and he can get more shots on the bench.

The Rockets are a bit sad, the lineup looks very civilian style, the starting point guard is naturally Harden needless to say, and at the position of shooting guard, the shooting guard just dug from the Pelicans-Gordon.Small forward Trevor Ariza, power forward Ryan Anderson, and center Capela.This lineup last season, except for James Harden's thigh, was basically a soy sauce role in the team. Not to mention Anderson and Gordon, they were the fourth and fifth offensive options in the team's starting lineup. The order is even behind Holiday.And when Ariza was in the Rockets, he was basically in such a state, with few opportunities to make calls.As for Capela, it's even worse. Last season, he was still the third center in the team. It was a joke to play 10 minutes of playing time in a game. But now that Howard and Motel have both run away, so directly Was referred to the center position.

Seeing the opponent's lineup, Ye Xuan also felt that the game might be easier, but soon after the start of the game, Ye Xuan knew he was wrong, because he didn't expect that the Rockets' three-pointers were better than the Lakers' three-pointers. To say the least.In addition, after Harden transformed into a point guard, he found that he played very well. As a result, the Lakers had to fall into a hard fight.

First of all, it is naturally Ye Xuan. At the point guard position, he basically has no players who can defend him one-on-one. All point guard players are either physically inferior to him, or It's just that the flexibility is not enough, but he didn't expect that he would play so hard when facing Harden, the legendary originator of eye defense.

Harden's physical fitness didn't look special, and he didn't even see eight-pack abs on his stomach, but what Ye Xuan didn't expect was that Harden didn't have no abs, but a ninth pack Abdominal muscles, ninety-nine have been unified, and their power has greatly increased, so Ye Xuan is not inferior in terms of physical fitness, and Ye Xuan is not inferior in terms of flexibility, so this makes Ye Xuan unable to attack and defend like a match. Other point guards unilaterally crushed like that.

However, Harden's side is not having a good time. Ye Xuan is relatively a defensive player, so Harden's attacking effect with the ball is not very good. The reason why the Rockets can last for so long is because their other players on the perimeter are full of firepower. That's why the Lakers didn't let the point difference widen.

In the first quarter, the two teams went into a stalemate for nearly 10 minutes.The Lakers finally took the lead in making personnel adjustments, replacing Clarkson, Yang Shaoxia, and Larry Nance Jr., and the Rockets also replaced part of the main players, leaving Harden on the court Fight Ye Xuan.But the problem with the Rockets' substitutes is a bit serious. They are not the opponents of the Lakers' bench lineup at all. In the remaining two minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers used their offensive and defensive transitions and defensive strength. All of a sudden, they beat the Rockets 7:0 and opened up the point difference in an instant.

And the Lakers finally breathed a sigh of relief. If they can't even kill the Rockets with only one Harden, let alone win the championship this year, it will be difficult to even enter the conference finals. Fortunately, the substitutes still showed the level they should have, especially Clarkson, who signed a new contract, and even at the beginning of the second quarter, after Ye Xuan was replaced, he teamed up with Felton to make the Rockets suffer again. hit hard.

By the time Ye Xuan came back on the court, the Lakers' lead had already been extended to 15 points by his teammates.It can be seen that the Rockets' defensive efficiency when Harden and Ariza are on the court and their defensive efficiency when they are not on the court are simply very different. Similarly, after Harden goes down, the Rockets' offensive efficiency is also reduced. Quite a few, both teams have new players in the formation, but it can be seen that the degree of cooperation on the Lakers side is a little higher, while the Rockets side, the lineup needs to be polished again.

At the end of the second quarter, Harden was replaced again. The Lakers also had some slack and were chased by the opponent for consecutive points, but Gasol was still very stable. At the critical moment when the opponent was chasing points, he received Ye Xuan The breakthrough goal hit a 3-pointer, which temporarily contained the opponent's offensive, and then the Lakers quickly adjusted their state and blocked the Rockets' counterattack.

At halftime, the Lakers temporarily led the Rockets by 14 points with Ye Xuan's 7 points, 3 assists, 11 rebounds and Wade's 2 points and 12 steals.Gasol's stats today are not particularly outstanding, only 8 points and 5 rebounds, but he has played a big role in the team. First of all, it is natural to help Ye Xuan cooperate after various pick-and-rolls. Sol's passing touch is delicate, so many effects that Ye Xuan could not achieve in the past can be achieved with Gasol. In addition, Gasol has passed the age of chasing statistics, and now he is enjoying it. Basketball, so from time to time he can also help Ye Xuan get stuck, let Ye Xuan brush the rebounds and so on.

The plot of the second half is very similar to the first half. The Rockets still want to use their outside firepower to open up the situation, but the touch is not what you want him to have, he can have it. In the second half, the Rockets three The feeling of scoring disappeared in an instant. In the first half, he made 18 of 11 three-pointers. In the third quarter, it became 11 of 3. Not only wasted a lot of shots, but also let the Lakers catch There are many counterattack opportunities, and the gap in the lineups of the two sides is also reflected in an instant. The Lakers are blooming more, while the Rockets can only rely on Harden alone to grab points in this kind of hand-to-hand combat. In the end, they are naturally defeated. Come on.

At the end of the three quarters, the Lakers have already achieved an 18-point lead. Walton also replaced all the main players with a wave of his hand. D'Antoni also knows that this game is basically hopeless. , so no players were arranged to continue playing in the fourth quarter.At the end of the game, the Lakers finally defeated the Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, ushering in their first victory of the new season.

Ye Xuan spent a lot of energy in the confrontation with Harden today, so the statistics are not particularly impressive, only 24 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds, but anyway, winning the game is the most important thing of.Today the Lakers team played the best is naturally Wade, although only 11 points and 2 steals at halftime, it looks very ordinary, but it was his sudden explosion in the third quarter that made the game enter early In the garbage time, he not only made all 7 shots in the third quarter, but also made two three-pointers, scoring 16 points at once. The 27 points in the game are also the highest of the Lakers.

As for Harden, it is a bit of a tragedy. Although Harden has matured a lot after experiencing Waterloo last season, of course, there is a big reason why he broke up with Kardashian. In short, Harden is not like this season at all. I was so obsessed with nightclubs last season, and I didn’t have the defensive eyes on the court, but the helpers around me have already walked away, injured, if I want to do something this year , it is estimated to be difficult.

(End of this chapter)