Chapter 102 Unlimited firepower tonight, 5 3-pointers in a single quarter!
Lin Fei's most scoring game in the NBA was 6 points in G35 of last season's finals. It was also the night when the Minnesota Timberwolves won the championship. Lin Fei was naturally impressed.
虽然拿到了35分,但林飞却只用了11次出手,三分球11中10,罚球5中5。
In the first two regular season games of the new season, Lin Fei scored 24 points and 27 points respectively. He averaged only 9 shots per game, and hit 18 three-pointers in 15 shots, and his shooting percentage was as high as 83%.
Not to mention giving him enough shot rights tonight, as long as he can get 15 shots, if every catch is an opportunity, Lin Fei will be confident to score at least 36 points.
Wade doesn't think that Lin Fei is bragging, because his three-point shooting percentage is really horrible.
"Lin, then let's open up the shooting and get 40+, or even 50+, so that I can get double figures in assists again!"
Seeing Wade's smug expression on his puffed cheeks, Lin Fei couldn't help laughing.
"Okay, so you're doing assists for yourself!"
Wade smiled and said: "Lin, this should be called everyone getting what they need. Partnering with you, this assist is really great!"
In the first two games of the new season, Wade scored 9 assists and 11 assists respectively, averaging 10 per game. He ranked second in the assist list of the new season, second only to Steve Nash.
During the playing time with Lin Fei, Wade played more of a point guard for the Heat. In addition to sharp breakthroughs, now he is more and more keen on studying how to pass the ball well.
In Lin Fei's view, Wade has excellent vision, a high golf quotient, and a certain talent for organizing offense.
In the original world, before LeBron James joined the Heat, Wade had always averaged about 7 assists per game, which was a standard point guard level.
Now that he is a first-class three-pointer, Wade has shifted more energy from scoring to assisting, which will definitely make his overall career statistics more comprehensive.
"Tonight you score, I assist, and Shaquille rebounds. The three of us are a perfect match!"
Wade's words were heard by O'Neal, who was running up while returning to defense. The big shark raised his eyebrows and said confidently:
"Lin, let go of the shooting. I will grab at least 20 rebounds over Yao's head tonight!"
Feeling the encouragement and support of Wade and O'Neal, Lin Fei's desire to score quickly burned, and his hands were extremely hot.
Since McGrady wants to compete with him in three-pointers, he will let this guy lose in front of his home fans tonight.
At this time, on the high-definition four-sided screen above the head, the whole process of Lin Fei's backward three-point shot at Yao was played back in slow speed, and the Rockets fans at home were even more shocked.
McGrady got the ball in the frontcourt, perhaps because he was provoked by Lin Fei's difficult fadeaway three-pointer just now.
Facing Eddie Jones outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, with the help of Dayao's pick-and-roll, McGrady moved laterally and misplaced to find enough space, pulled up and shot again.
"Shh!"
There is also this ball, and McGrady has hit two three-pointers tonight, scoring 10 points in less than half a quarter.
"Tracy's outside touch is also very hot tonight. He has made 3 of 2 three-pointers. Is he going to compete with Lin? Then this game will be much better to watch!"
"Even though Tracy's career three-point shooting percentage is not high, with an average of only 37% in the last two seasons, if he encounters a hot night, he can still easily hit 8 three-pointers in a single game!"
"Tracy's pull-up jump shot is very iron, even more so than the Black Mamba, but once it is accurate, it will become more and more accurate, making consecutive shots!"
Mike Breen and Chat Ford in front of the courtside commentary desk obviously understand McGrady's game characteristics very well, and they are also looking forward to McGrady having a wonderful explosive battle tonight.
On the sidelines of the Heat, head coach Stan Van Gundy frowned slightly. Dayao was as tall and tonnage as O'Neal. His pick-and-roll effect at the top of the arc was very good, allowing McGrady to get enough space to shoot.
The pick-and-roll between Yao and Mai is indeed a major weapon for the Rockets.
The ball is transferred and the Heat attack.
Lin Fei continued to screen with Wade, who was holding the ball, near the 45-degree three-point line on the right, and quickly rushed towards the bottom corner.
Jim Jackson and Tyronn Lue switched defenses very smoothly this time, and did not give Lin Fei a chance to catch the ball.
"Whoosh!"
So Lin Fei kept moving, quickly rushed to the basket, passed between the two giants O'Neal and Dayao, and changed his direction to reach the three-point line at the top of the arc.
At about this time, it just happened to be brought up to provide a cover for Lin Fei. Jim Jackson, who was pursuing the defense, was effectively delayed. Juwan Howard could only quickly change defense to chase Lin Fei.
Lin Fei's running speed is quite fast. After a whole offseason of training, his 3-meter sprint and 4/ sprint have made breakthroughs again, and he is like an elf on the court.
Uncle Huo's defense change was very timely this time. Coupled with his relatively quick steps at the power forward position, Lin Fei did not get a good enough opportunity after running at the top of the arc.
But Wade passed the ball too quickly. Lin Fei, who received the ball at the top of the arc, had no choice. In order to avoid being blocked, he could only pounce on Juwan Howard and once again tried a very difficult three-pointer with a fadeaway. .
Lin Fei has already started practicing this kind of backward one-step catch and jump shot in training. This is also an effective way to avoid blocking shots, but as the difficulty increases, the hit rate is naturally difficult to guarantee.
The last time he hit Dayao's three-pointer with an element of luck, this time it was difficult to guarantee the sight in front of Uncle Huo's defense.
"Bang!"
Sure enough, this time Lin Fei missed his fadeaway three-pointer, and the basketball bounced high off the rim.
"Snapped!"
The rebound was grabbed by O'Neal against Yao.
At this time, Lin Fei didn't stop after he missed the shot, and borrowed a screen from Wade on the right side of the top of the arc, and quickly ran to the right near the 30-degree three-point line.
"Whoosh!"
O'Neal, who was holding Dayao with his back, was always observing Lin Fei's movement. Seeing that the opponent had a chance, he quickly passed the ball out.
At this time, the Rockets' defensive attention was focused on O'Neal and Wade. Lin Fei seized the opportunity after receiving the ball, pulled it up and shot another one.
"Shh!"
The third.
On the timer, the first quarter was set at 6 minutes and 22 seconds.
Lin Fei played less than 3 minutes, and he made 4 of 3 three-pointers and scored 9 points in a row, helping the Heat quickly complete the overtake.
Heat (13): (12) Rockets.
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy quickly called a long timeout, it seems necessary to change the defensive strategy.
The Rockets' defensive strategy tonight mainly revolves around O'Neal and Wade. They are always ready to double-team O'Neal in the low post and also limit Wade's breakthrough.
But Lin Fei made three consecutive three-pointers as soon as he came up, which directly disrupted the Rockets' defensive arrangement.
With a terrifying three-point shooting rate of more than 80%, no head coach of any team dares to ignore Lin Fei's defense, otherwise it will be a dead end.
In the VIP seats in the front row on the sidelines, the Rockets' two famous players, Hajim Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, also came to the scene tonight.
The Houston Rockets joined the NBA in 1971, much earlier than teams such as the Heat and Timberwolves.
On the roof of the Toyota Center Arena, in addition to two championship flags flying (the 93-94 season and the 94-95 season), there are also four retired jerseys hanging.
They are Rudy Tomjanovich's No. 45, Moses Malone's No. 24, Hakeem Olajuwon's No. 34, and "Glider" Drexler's No. 22.
In the two seasons when Jordan retired for the first time, under the leadership of Olajuwon and the joining of Drexler midway, the Rockets also seized the opportunity and won two consecutive championships.
Among them, in the finals of the 94-95 season, they defeated the Magic led by O'Neal in the third grade 4:1.
"Hajim, this Lin is really amazing. His three-pointers are far more accurate than Reggie Miller and Ray Allen!"
Olajuwon nodded and said, "Yes, if we had a shooting guard like Lin at our peak, the Rockets would have won at least four championships!"
"The jigsaw puzzle of winning the championship is really too fitting. Although Lin's personal leadership ability may not be very strong, he can make a championship-level team reach his highest limit!"
Drexler also sighed. He also reached the finals once when he was with the Trail Blazers, but lost to Jordan's Bulls 2:4.
"If the Trail Blazers and I had teammates like Lin in the 91-92 Finals, I believe we would definitely have a chance to defeat Jordan's Bulls!"
On the court, the timeout came back and the game continued.
The Rockets stepped up their cover and pursuit of Lin Fei, and also focused on blocking Wade's passing line. This defensive strategy achieved good results.
On the offensive end, McGrady called pick-and-rolls twice in a row and then mismatched Lin Fei. With his height, wingspan and talent advantages, he hit consecutive pull-up shots on Lin Fei's head and scored 5 points.
Facing a top scorer of McGrady's level, even though Lin Fei's overall defensive value has increased to 76 points and his steals are 84, they still cannot fully match.
After winning two regular season games in the new season, Lin Fei received a total of 200 system rewards. Coupled with daily training, this improved his overall defensive attributes.
The current Lin Fei is quite good in terms of speed, strength, and endurance. Facing a shooting guard like Jim Jackson, he can basically compress the opponent's shooting percentage to less than 40%.
But against Tracy McGrady, if you want to misplace one-on-one defense, you will still suffer a lot overall.
After all, McGrady has an obvious height advantage when playing shooting guard, and his breakthrough speed and post-up skills are comprehensive.
Not to mention the current Lin Fei, even if Wade is misplaced and faced with Tracy McGrady, he still can't defend well.
However, in the subsequent defense, Eddie Jones and Lin Fei had a tacit understanding when switching defenses, and they seized the opportunity to decisively double-team McGrady who was holding the ball.
McGrady was not mentally prepared for the Heat's double-team, and he was too excited to pass the ball, so he forced the shot against Lin Fei and Eddie Jones.
"Bang!"
Finally, the ball missed, and the defensive rebound was protected by O'Neal, who quickly passed the ball to Wade.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
The Heat played a counterattack and fast break, but the Rockets were a little slow in returning to defense. This also reflected McGrady's excessive singles, which significantly reduced the enthusiasm of his teammates in offense and defense.
Jim Jackson, in particular, is currently the Rockets player who is most at odds with Tracy McGrady privately.
Lin Fei seized the opportunity and made a sharp back run as he went down from the wing, and made a quick cross screen with Wade, who was holding the ball, at the top of the front arc.
The "Flashman" attracted the defense during the breakthrough process, turned over and quickly passed the ball back.
Lin Fei caught the ball outside the three-point line at a 45-degree angle on the left and took off, ignoring Tyronn Lue who was ten centimeters away from him, and decisively shot to chase the three-pointer.
"Shh!"
the fourth.
Although facing the Rockets' targeted defense in the positional battle, it was difficult for Lin Fei to run a good chance, and it was not easy for Wade to pass the ball.
But once there was a chance to counterattack the fast attack, and the Rockets were lazy to defend, Lin Fei quickly unsheathed the sharp blade, and swayed the nineteen states with a sword.
Lin Fei high-fived the rushing Wade, and at the same time he smiled and spread his hands to Tyronn Lue as he stepped back to defend:
"Tayron, retire early! I think you are more suitable to be a head coach!"
Listening to Lin Fei's words, Tyronn Lue didn't feel any ridicule at all. Instead, he admired Lin Fei in his heart. How did this guy know that he had a dream to be a head coach?
When the ball was transferred, Jim Jackson was obviously dissatisfied with McGrady's continuous shots. He directly demanded the ball in the backcourt and came to the offensive end to face Lin Fei on defense. He wanted to play in isolation without calling a pick-and-roll.
Although Lin Fei can't guard Tracy McGrady now, he is still relatively confident in guarding Jim Jackson.
Jim Jackson's continuous attempts to break through were blocked by Lin Fei's quick defensive steps and long arms. In his impatience, he turned sideways, lowered his center of gravity and used his body's strength to forcefully dig in.
"Boom!"
Jim Jackson, who is 1.98 meters tall and weighs 100 kilograms, is quite strong at the front and back. Of course, his weight also affects his sharpness in breakthroughs.
Lin Fei gritted his teeth and endured Jim Jackson's push. He suddenly withdrew his stool at the right moment, causing Jim Jackson to lose his balance in an instant, staggering and almost falling.
"Snapped!"
Lin Fei's long arms cut off like a scalpel, and taking advantage of the opponent's almost dribbling error, he slapped the basketball in his hand to the ground.
Steals +1.
Flying to pick up the basketball, Lin Fei took a step and quickly gave the ball to Wade who was on the left.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
The Heat's third-line fast break started again, with Wade, Lin Fei and Eddie Jones going left, center and right respectively.
Jim Jackson, who was intercepted, gritted his teeth and returned to defense, angrily chasing Wade who was dribbling the ball down quickly.
Tyronn Lue was left behind by Wade. McGrady quickly returned to defense. Hesitating between chasing Eddie Jones and Lin Fei, he rushed between the two, planning to act according to the opportunity.
"Whoosh!"
After Lin Fei and Eddie Jones rushed to the top of the frontcourt near the three-point line, they quickly made a back-running cross-screen, and went straight to the right three-point line at a 0-degree angle.
McGrady subconsciously went after Lin Fei, while Eddie Jones completely let go.
Wade on the left threw a high ball, and Eddie Jones, who entered the penalty area from the middle, took the ball and jumped up, directly sending a one-handed dunk.
"Boom!"
Although he is 33 years old, Eddie Jones seems to have returned to his rookie season under the influence of young people such as Wade and Lin Fei.
After all, Eddie Jones also participated in the dunk contest back then.
McGrady was seized by Eddie Jones and Lin Fei for a partial 2-on-1 opportunity. Naturally, he was not very angry. He frowned and glared at Jim Jackson who made the mistake.
Although Jim Jackson was wrong, he didn't talk to McGrady at all.
Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy looked solemn on the sidelines, thinking that he should find a way to trade Jim Jackson, an uneasy man, as soon as possible.
The Rockets attacked. This time McGrady and Dayao continued to play pick-and-rolls in the high post, but this time the pick-and-roll effect was not good. Eddie Jones got around quickly.
McGrady gave the ball to Dayao in the high post. Dayao faced O'Neal, made a fake shot and passed the ball, and then gave the ball to Juwan Howard on the right.
Facing a mid-range jumper after a fake, Howard's general defense was still slow, and the basketball crashed into the net.
"Shh!"
As the first billionaire in the history of the league, Uncle Huo's strength in his peak period was still very good. He had strong low-level skills in the early stage, and developed a solid mid-range shot in the middle and late stages.
Last season when the Magic teamed up with McGrady, Uncle Huo was the team's second scoring point, averaging 18 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The offense is still strong, but the defense is lackluster.
At the end of the first quarter, Lin Fei played a screen on the offensive end, caught Uncle Huo's untimely switch, and hit a pass from Wade.
"Shh!"
the fifth.
After the entire first quarter, Lin Fei played 9 minutes, made 6 of 5 three-pointers, and scored 15 points efficiently.
Heat (24): (29) Rockets.
The Rockets relied on Tracy McGrady's explosive performance of 19 points in a single quarter, coupled with the solid offensive output of Dayao and Uncle Huo.
Leading the Heat by 5 points entering the second quarter.
The overall performance of Wade and O'Neal on the offensive end in the first quarter tonight was relatively average. Wade couldn't get to the basket and was unable to make mid-range and half-volley baskets.
Under Yao's active defense, O'Neal didn't have much desire to attack and played a little casually. Instead, he got two fouls in the first quarter.
As a teammate, Lin Fei could see clearly that Wade and O'Neal had obviously gone too far in the nightclub last night, and their energy for tonight's game was a little slack.
After the start of the second quarter, Lin Fei cooperated with Eddie Jones on the offensive end, using a rough cover to catch the ball in the corner and quickly hit another three-pointer.
"Shh!"
sixth.
But the gangsters on the Rockets' bench quickly stood up, Bob Sura and Mike James hit consecutive three-pointers at the empty guard.
In the subsequent confrontation between Dayao and O'Neal, Dayao regained his position and caused an offensive foul on O'Neal. There was also a hook on the offensive end, and the point difference was quickly opened to double digits.
After the main force returned, Wade's offensive breakthrough was too hasty. McGrady, who was being defended, saw the right time and directly sent a flying shot to chase the goal.
"Snapped!"
The Rockets quickly launched a counterattack and fast break. McGrady's white horse spear was heroic, and he made a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
"Shh!"
Heat (28): (42) Rockets.
Less than 5 minutes into the second quarter, with McGrady's chasing three-pointer, the Heat were already 14 points behind the Rockets.
Stan Van Gundy had no choice but to call another timeout.
The home fans at the Toyota Center Arena cheered for joy. The Rockets and Yao Mai finally played a wonderful game in the new season.
"I've already said that Yao and Mai need to work together. Look at how well Tracy played on the offensive end tonight? He has already scored 24 points!"
"With 24 points in less than halftime, Tracy is going to score 40+ tonight!"
"Did Shaquille and Dwayne play so badly tonight? The Heat relied on Lin's three-pointer to resist! Did the girl play too much last night? Haha!"
Stan Van Gundy seemed to have seen the clues and re-formulated the offensive tactics to create more opportunities for Lin Fei, Jones and roughly these three points.
"Lin, Dwayne and Shaquille are not in good shape, you will be the Heat's first main attack point tonight!"