in2ebook Chapter 147 Play like a superstar!
Chapter 147 Play like a superstar!
Soon it was the last minute of the first quarter.
Wang Xiucheng had the ball, and the Hawks' 196cm reserve, Wright, was guarding Wang Xiucheng.
Wright is a bit like Tate on the Rockets; his offense is weak, but his defense is decent.
Wang Xiucheng didn't attempt a single three-pointer in those four minutes.
However, the Rockets' scoring did not stop.
Wang Xiucheng made several drives into the paint, scoring with a floater or drawing a foul.
Christopher, Martin Galluba, and Fernando, who were recently acquired through a deal, mostly followed Wang Xiucheng around without a single complaint.
For them, it's the same even if they play alongside Portwood Jr.
If he were with Wang Xiucheng, at least he could improve his positive and negative scores.
With five seconds left, Wang Xiucheng made another breakthrough move, and Wright moved backward.
But Wang Xiucheng stepped back and caught the ball.
Wright immediately braked and pounced on him.
Wright, who thought it was too late, was surprised to see that after Wang Xiucheng caught the ball, he waited for a moment before jumping.
Wright's heart skipped a beat; he knew he'd been tricked.
So he raised his outstretched hand as high as possible to avoid contact with Wang Xiucheng's hand.
But Wang Xiucheng's arm kept reaching forward, deliberately seeking contact.
Finally, at the moment of shooting the basketball, Wang Xiucheng, relying on his hang time and jumping ability, managed to make contact between his wrist and the opponent's fingers.
Swish!
beep!
Three-pointer, in!
Meanwhile, Glassie, who had been keeping a close eye on Wright, also blew her whistle.
Lai took the wrist, and was awarded a penalty.
Wright held his head in disbelief, as if he had suffered a great injustice, and said to Glacy, "Wang Xiucheng deliberately tried to foul me, not me!"
Gracie didn't even look at him, went to the baseline, picked up the basketball, and waited for Wang Xiucheng to come over for the free throw.
Trae Young on the Hawks' bench was all smiling.
It's like anyone can cheat by feigning a foul.
Swish!
Additional penalty.
With two seconds left, the Hawks attempted a long three-pointer from the backcourt, but it didn't even touch the rim.
The whistle blew to end the first quarter.
Rockets 35 to 24.
With four minutes remaining and Trae Young out of the game, the Rockets went on a run, giving them an 11-point lead over the Hawks.
Penguin Live Room.
Wang Meng was quickly reporting the data: "Wang Xiucheng played the entire first quarter, scoring 19 points, including 3 out of 5 three-pointers. Do you two have anything to say?"
Yang Yi said directly, "Wang Xiucheng once scored 20 points in a single quarter against the Warriors, so 19 points is nothing."
"But Wang Xiucheng's strong desire to attack is rare."
"This shows that Wang Xiucheng can also be a player who scores 30 or 40 points, or even more, in a single game, but he doesn't like to play like that."
Wang Shipeng nodded: "Since the All-Star Game, Wang Xiucheng's playing style has become more flexible and varied."
"You think he's going to pass the ball, but he suddenly takes a strong shot and makes it; you think he's going to shoot, but he drives past you with a crossover."
"Xiao Wang has many offensive methods now. He can drive, shoot, and pass. It's not easy to defend against him."
"Perhaps because it was the last game, Wang Xiucheng had a very strong desire to attack today."
"The second quarter has begun. Wang Xiucheng is resting on the bench, and Porter Jr. and Wood are finally coming on," Wang Meng said at this moment.
The second quarter begins.
After holding back for a quarter, Porter Jr. and Wood showed their superior strength compared to the opposing substitutes as soon as they entered the game.
Actually, just a few months ago, these two were the Rockets' key players.
Playing against the opponent's pure substitutes is, in theory, a case of a superior horse playing against an inferior horse.
However, when Porter Jr. had the ball, the Rockets' speed visibly slowed down, and they would only shoot in the final stages of each possession unless there was a chance for a fast break.
The person who made the move was either Porter Jr. himself or Wood.
This meant that as long as the opposing team kept an eye on these two players, the Rockets' offensive firepower was largely suppressed.
It's just a pity that the Hawks' bench players also have limited offensive capabilities.
When the game reached the 6th minute, a timeout was scheduled.
The Rockets led the Hawks 46-37, a 9-point advantage.
Wang Xiucheng and several other key players stood up again, ready to take the field.
In reality, the Rockets have already secured their worst record of the season, so the outcome of this game is not important.
If Wang Xiucheng, Green Shenjing, and others can win the game, it will naturally not affect the team's plan to draft the number one pick.
On the contrary, it will give fans something to look forward to, which will be beneficial for ticket sales in the next season.
With the Rockets' key players back, the Hawks' key players naturally can't continue to rest.
The Rockets can win or not, but the Hawks must win, otherwise they will hand over the initiative to other teams competing for the playoffs.
The Hawks had possession of the ball.
After a good rest, Trae Young still chose to shoot himself after Capela's simple pick-and-roll play.
He needs to know if he still has the feel for the game.
Swish!
The ball goes in.
Not only did he make the shot, Trae Young also deliberately chose a long-range shot from a step beyond the three-point line.
This indicates that his performance today has been consistent.
As the undisputed core player, Trae Young has been playing this way ever since he entered the league after switching teams with Luka Doncic.
No one would find it strange.
but……
After possession changed, Wang Xiucheng brought the ball to the frontcourt and, without even needing to use his skills, before Shen Jing even reached the perimeter, Wang Xiucheng used a simple fake move to get past him and then launched a three-pointer.
Bang!
Swish!
The basketball hit the rim, but luckily it still went in.
Wang Xiucheng, just like Trae Young, also chose to do it himself.
And it went in.
The league has a statistic called "Offensive Real Rounds Percentage".
Trae Young's market share is over 50%.
Today, Wang Xiucheng's round share has also reached this level.
In other words, today's Rockets team has become Wang Xiucheng's team all by himself.
This will inevitably reduce the number of shots taken by other players.
For example, Jalen Green and Shen Jing.
But neither of these two rookies nor veterans like Gordon had any complaints.
It's as if Wang Xiucheng is supposed to play like this from the start.
The Hawks' next attack failed, and Shen Jing grabbed the rebound and passed it directly to Wang Xiucheng on the outside.
Trae Young followed Wang Xiucheng, trying to prevent him from receiving the ball.
But Shen Jing has encountered this situation far too often.
Wang Xiucheng swung the basketball high into the air and dashed out like a gust of wind, catching the ball just centimeters from the baseline.
Despite being two body lengths ahead of Wang Xiucheng, Trae Young still managed to catch up when Wang Xiucheng slowed down to retrieve the ball.
Wang Xiucheng has reached the very corner of the baseline, which is the cross corner.
Trae Young arrived at that moment, sticking close to Wang Xiucheng and preventing him from turning around.
Trae Young even subtly used his knee to push against Wang Xiucheng's leg, causing Wang Xiucheng to tend to fall outwards.
The referee, positioned on the other sideline, naturally disapproved of Trae Young's underhanded tactics.
And even if they saw it, it's hard to say whether they would blow it due to such a small movement.
Time was running out; Wang Xiucheng's body had already fallen outwards.
Trae Young added one last push with his knee, then immediately pulled back, maintaining a distance of a few centimeters from Wang Xiucheng.
A fleeting look of smugness crossed Trae Young's eyes.
In his opinion, Wang Xiucheng definitely wouldn't be able to pass the ball out.
Because the rest of the Rockets were being marked by the Hawks.
Wang Xiucheng's fate will inevitably be to step out of bounds with the basketball in his arms.
Or just toss the basketball onto the court.
It's hard to say who will have possession of the ball at that point.
But just as that scheming thought flashed through Trae Young's eyes, he was shocked to see Wang Xiucheng actually jump off the field.
Furthermore, Wang Xiucheng turned around to face the basket.
The basketball in Wang Xiucheng's hand was actually lifted up by Wang Xiucheng and then thrown out almost like a fling.
Trae Young quickly raised his hands to indicate that he had not had any contact with Wang Xiucheng.
Trae Young then immediately turned to look at the basketball.
The basketball's trajectory is off!
The basketball doesn't fly onto the court.
Instead, it headed towards the backboard.
However, because Wang Xiucheng was positioned at the corner of the baseline, the ball flew over the backboard in a parabolic arc, and then seemed to suddenly lose momentum, almost falling directly into the net!
Swish!
The ball goes in!
The referee also made a three-pointer gesture.
The crowd erupted in cheers, followed by applause.
That ball not only went in, it was a three-pointer!
Wang Xiucheng had already fallen to the baseline when several Rockets cheerleaders who were waiting for the halftime show happened to be there. So Wang Xiucheng pinned all these beauties of various skin colors down on his body.
When Green and the others came over and helped Wang Xiucheng up, Wang Xiucheng turned around and hugged a blonde, busty woman who was in close contact with him.
This made the blonde, busty girl blush immediately.
Even the slight pain in my chest area was no longer felt at this moment.
Trae Young could only shake his head helplessly as he watched Wang Xiucheng celebrate with his teammates.
There's nothing anyone can do about this kind of lucky shot.
It can only be said that Lady Luck favored Wang Xiucheng at that moment.
Trae Young received Capela's baseline serve and began to advance.
The second quarter was fast approaching, with only one minute remaining.
Gallinari received a pass from Trae Young and made a three-pointer.
This allowed the Hawks to keep their deficit in single digits.
Thanks to this three-pointer, the Hawks trailed the Rockets 59-68, still down by 9 points.
Trae Young bumped fists with Gallinari as he passed by.
As they passed each other, Trae Young suddenly widened his eyes.
Because he discovered that Wang Xiucheng had already started moving quickly with the ball.
Furthermore, Wang Xiucheng was hiding behind Gallinari, so much so that Hawks players, including Trae Young, didn't notice him for a moment.
Capela didn't even turn around before Wang Xiucheng rushed past him without any hindrance.
At this moment, only Huerter was standing on the three-point line, while Wang Xiucheng had already reached Huerter's side.
Hürter was momentarily bewildered.
Should I retreat inside the free throw line or stand outside the three-point line to defend?
With a thud, the basketball in Wang Xiucheng's hands fell to the ground as heavily as a missile. Then, in Huerter's eyes, Wang Xiucheng was like a whirlwind, instantly turning to his side.
In that instant, Hürter even felt a gust of wind sting his face!
Bang!
Before Huerter could react, he heard the loud bang of the basketball hoop behind him.
Then came the cheers and applause of the entire stadium, interspersed with screams from female fans.
Hürter glanced at Wang Xiucheng, who had passed by him without showing any expression as he returned to the field.
too fast!
Wang Xiucheng's speed is even faster than when they last met.
But unlike the last time they faced off, Wang Xiucheng has become the Rockets' absolute core player this time.
Like Trae Young and Luka Doncic.
At that moment, Trey Young reached out and patted Hürt's butt.
Huerter then came to his senses and went to the baseline to serve.
With 28 seconds remaining, the Hawks have enough time to launch a full offensive play.
Therefore, Trae Young wasn't in a hurry when he was dribbling the ball up the court.
Similarly, the Rockets did not use a full-court press, but instead waited outside the three-point line.
Time passes slowly.
The Hawks' other four players all dropped to the baseline, pulling the Rockets' defenders apart and giving Trae Young enough space.
Wang Xiucheng was the one defending Trae Young.
Ace defends against Ace.
With 6 seconds left on the Hawks' shot clock, Capela and Huerter suddenly moved, quickly running to the three-point line and standing on either side.
This is a tactic commonly used by the Hawks.
Trae Young could choose to use a screen and then shoot himself at this point.
If the opponent double-teams him, he can also pass the ball to an open player.
Trae Young dribbled the ball to Huerter, and after passing Huerter, he shot a three-pointer.
Bang!
The ball didn't go in!
With Capela still on the perimeter, the Hawks had no one to grab rebounds.
So the moment the ball was lost, everyone on the Hawks started frantically getting back on defense.
Shen Jing easily got the basketball and wanted to find Wang Xiucheng as soon as possible, just like always.
But Trey Young stood firmly in front of Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng didn't start running at full speed, so Shen Jing passed the basketball to Green, who was not far away.
Green glanced at the time; there were 5 seconds left in the first half.
This time wasn't long, but it was enough for the Rockets.
After taking two steps, Wang Xiucheng suddenly braked sharply, putting some distance between himself and Trae Young.
Green, who had been keeping a close eye on Wang Xiucheng, passed the ball out instantly.
Wang Xiucheng gracefully caught the ball with one hand, then stepped back a short distance to deflect the impact before catching it in his hand.
A fleeting look of envy crossed Trae Young's eyes.
That's such a damn show-off!
In that instant, Wang Xiucheng moved.
There were no feints, and no probing steps.
As before, Wang Xiucheng pulled up and shot a three-pointer.
Swish!
Let's go in again!
The "Guaranteed Three-Point Shot Card" is now active.
The whistle blew to end the first half at the same time.
Thanks to Wang Xiucheng's buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Rockets led the Hawks 73-59 at halftime, a 14-point advantage.
Trae Young shook his head and walked towards the locker room alone.
After the Rockets players exchanged high-fives, they headed towards the player tunnel.
Wang Xiucheng habitually slowed down and soon reached the last position.
Silas, accompanied by his uniformed team, arrived at Wang Xiucheng's side at this moment.
However, instead of communicating with Wang Xiucheng, he sped up and overtook him.
At the Houston Rockets, everyone knows that Wang Xiucheng always likes to walk at the back.
I always sit at the back when I take a plane or a bus.
Therefore, no one will disturb Wang Xiucheng at this time.
Unless you're not a member of the Rockets.
"Your Majesty, it's been a long time!"