"Let us congratulate Gregg Popovich. After the gd combination, he finally found the most neutral starting lineup, China Jiang, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pau Gasol, Lamaku
Aldridge, this starting lineup has both offense and defense. It needs experience and athletic ability.”
Many people looked at the Spurs' starting lineup and said with emotion.
In recent seasons, with the retirement of Tim Duncan and the aging of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs' starting lineup has been looking a little out of shape.
Popovich certainly knows this, but he has no choice but to piece together a starting lineup as much as possible. This is the reality of the San Antonio Spurs.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that their substitute lineup is very strong. "I will dig the holes for the main players, and the substitutes will fill them in." This is a kind of ridicule, but it is also a kind of helplessness.
But now, no one could have imagined that the stumbling Silver Grays would have a starting lineup that looked very good.
Jiang Hao's emergence seemed to have completely brought new life to this team that was about to hit rock bottom.
From barely qualifying for the playoffs, they are now doing something destined to go down in history - the Black Eight Miracle.
Yes, San Antonians are working hard to perform a black eight miracle.
A healthy Leonard is too much of a threat to the Rockets. Also, with the Rockets' defense, they don't have much to do against Jiang Hao, let alone Leonard who is at the super giant level.
Therefore, even in the first quarter of the game, James Harden and Chris Paul were full of firepower on the offensive end and played their best first quarter of the series, but they could not hide the fact that they were still lagging behind in the score.
"Houstonians may hate the playoffs again. Maybe they made a mistake from the beginning by building James Harden as the core of the team."
Shaquille O'Neal's remarks were very direct. He left no room for himself and no mercy for James Harden.
In fact, before this, he was still very optimistic about James Harden. He hoped that the Rockets, who had the first record in the regular season this year, could defeat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals and then win the O'Brien Cup in the Finals.
But now he realizes that he was wrong. The Rockets are still the same Rockets, but James Harden is no longer the same James Harden in the regular season.
"We can't say anything more. What I mean is that if he is this kind of player, no matter how much we say, it may be useless."
Barkley shook his head. Relatively speaking, he was not too surprised by this. Just as he emphasized as early as the regular season, James Harden does not need to score too many points in the regular season. He only needs to score in the season.
If they perform at a higher level in the post-game, then Houston will have hope of competing for the championship.
brush!
On the court, this was Jiang Hao's first three-point shot tonight. Because it was a very good time to take a three-point shot, he easily completed the hit.
45:31!
At this time, the second quarter of this game will be over in 3 minutes.
It’s hard to imagine that the Rockets, with their fierce offensive firepower, have only scored 31 points so far.
This is the scary thing about the Spurs. Leonard is currently the best superstar on both offense and defense. His comeback can not only open up the situation for the team on the offensive end, but can also put strong pressure on opponents on the defensive end.
Frankly speaking, this is not just the work of Leonard alone. The Spurs have too many outstanding defensive players now. Leonard, Jiang Hao, Dejounte Murray, Danny Green, these are all defense.
Master.
The Rockets themselves are a team that relies on outside scoring.
In this case, one can imagine how much defensive pressure they will face.
Although O'Neal has a feeling of hatred for Harden, he also has to admit that in the face of the Spurs' defensive intensity, even the former Kobe Bryant would probably be very uncomfortable.
"Although the series between the Spurs and the Rockets is not over yet, and although there are still semifinals to come, what I want to say is that even if the Golden State Warriors meet the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, I am afraid they will be in the same situation as the Rockets today.
Pretty much, facing the Spurs' strong defense, it seems that only Kevin Durant has the ability to tear apart the defense."
O'Neal swears that he respects Stephen Curry 100%, but he must admit that once Curry cannot open up the situation in terms of three-pointers, his role will be infinitely reduced. When encountering the Spurs' terrible defense,
He doesn't think Curry can really carve his way out with three-pointers. If he can do it, he won't be the runner-up in 73 games.
"I don't agree with your point of view. Stephen Curry may be the best shooter in the history of the league. His three-pointers have always been known for being unreasonable. With Kevin Durant, Curry can even more
The attention is focused on the outside. You know, for a pitcher, once he finds the rhythm, no matter how strong the defense is, it is useless."
Barkley did not hesitate to stand on the opposite side of O'Neal this time.
"Charles, you always look at things very subjectively. If you want to talk about key ball ability, then I would rather choose Klay Thompson than Stephen Curry. In the past few seasons, Stephen has never been in the playoffs.
Prove to us that he has a big heart, but Klay Thompson is doing it, so let’s wait and see! Stephen Curry will definitely not be a key figure in the Western Conference Finals.”
…………
O'Neal and Barkley are arguing about the Western Conference finals, but in fact, Rockets fans are the most uncomfortable at this time. Throughout the regular season, they are the happiest team in the league. Under the leadership of the light bulb combination, the Rockets have been unstoppable all the way and can
Completely suppressing the defending champion in terms of record, this allowed them to see endless possibilities.
Before the start of the playoffs, the Spurs were never the focus of their conversations. They had a long-term vision. They were talking about the Western Conference Finals and how the team should defeat the Golden State Warriors.
But now, the Spurs, who were not taken seriously by them, are doing something they have never thought about and dare not imagine - Black Eight!
The most disturbing thing is that this black eight looks like it is about to become a reality. It is not a very difficult black eight, but a clean and neat 4:0 black eight.
God, is it really that hard for Houston to win again?
Some Rockets fans hid their faces and cried. They thought of the former Yao-Mai combination, which won 22 consecutive games in the regular season and was called the new OK combination, but in the end injuries destroyed them.
Today, the Houston Rockets' road to another rise is about to be aborted. The future is really bleak. When will the O'Brien Cup belong to Houston again?
Chapter completed!