nycdaug Chapter 60 Morant: Do you like guns?
Chapter 60 Morant: Do you like guns?
The game went smoothly, and the coach did not call a timeout.
The referee had no choice but to call a timeout himself.
Wang Xiucheng and Kyle Anderson walked toward the team's bench, and their shoulders bumped as they passed each other.
It was described as a shoulder collision, but actually it was just Wang Xiucheng's shoulder hitting Kyle Anderson's chest, given the significant height difference between the two.
Under Wang Xiucheng's orchestration, the Rockets played relatively well, with Martin and Christopher scoring three-pointers in succession.
Shen Jing also demonstrated her newly learned dreamlike footwork several times.
Wang Xiucheng's breakthroughs and passes remained extremely threatening, and coupled with his occasional floaters, the Rockets had already scored 24 points in the first half of the second quarter.
Keep in mind that the Rockets only scored 20 points in the entire first quarter.
The Grizzlies also played well in the second quarter. Although they didn't score as many points as the Rockets, 20 points was enough to satisfy head coach Jenkins.
Especially Kyle Anderson at the small forward position, the Rockets already have no one who can match up with him, and Kyle Anderson also has the ability to play from the top of the key, which is really a headache.
The timeout ended quickly, and both teams' key players entered the game.
When Morant returned to the field and saw Wang Xiucheng sitting on the sidelines, his enthusiasm instantly waned.
With these lousy players on the court right now, Morant doesn't even have the motivation to make a breakthrough.
So Morant started to play playmaking, and only when there was too much space would he reluctantly break through and then dunk, giving the fans in the arena a chance to shine.
Thus, by the end of the first half, the Grizzlies had scored 41 points in the quarter, while the Rockets had scored 36 points.
However, if we take the timeout as the dividing line, the score when both teams' substitutes were on the court was 24-20, with the Rockets leading by 4 points.
After both teams substituted their starters, the score was 21-12, with the Grizzlies leading by 9 points.
With one point inside and one point outside, the Rockets were essentially outscored by 13 points.
In the first half, the Grizzlies led 74-56 by 18 points.
The game has practically become garbage time.
Slas's face was as black as a lump of coal, and his usual gentle demeanor had completely vanished.
Wang Xiucheng didn't actually remember what tactics Silas mentioned during halftime.
But he understood what Silas meant by the change in the match time.
Silas demanded that the starting five play the entire third quarter.
In other words, Wang Xiucheng will not play in the third quarter.
As for how the fourth quarter will be arranged, Silas didn't say, and the substitutes didn't dare to guess either.
But this change made everyone in the locker room, from the players and coaching staff to the uniform and support personnel, feel a sense of impending doom.
The second half began quickly.
The fans at the scene quickly noticed that the Rockets, who usually bring in their substitutes during timeouts in the third quarter, did not do so.
Wang Xiucheng was still sitting on the bench, biting his nails.
Silas showed no intention of letting him play.
The Rockets didn't make a single substitution until the end of the third quarter.
The Rockets' starters and the Grizzlies' starters played the full 12 minutes.
The Grizzlies led 31-15 in the quarter, a full 16 points ahead.
The Grizzlies scored more than twice as many points as the Rockets.
Compared to the Grizzlies' starters, who played the full 12 minutes in the first quarter, the Rockets scored 5 fewer points.
The difference is that the Rockets' substitutes played for 5 minutes in the first quarter, but didn't play in the third quarter.
The final score is now 105-71, with the Grizzlies leading by 34 points.
Silas clapped, and whether he was sincere or not, he even shouted "Not bad" a couple of times.
Not bad my ass!
All five key players had their heads down, with Porter Jr. even covering his head with a towel.
Silas ignored the others and started drawing something in front of Wang Xiucheng with his tactical board.
Wang Xiucheng listened attentively for a full minute before Silas put away his tactics board and asked, "That's it. Did you understand?"
Wang Xiucheng nodded.
Silas talked for a long time, but his meaning was basically the same: you decide what to do.
Whether it was a pick-and-roll or a drive and pass, Silas let Wang Xiucheng make the decisions himself.
This gave Wang Xiucheng a great deal of autonomy, which was a sign of trust in his abilities.
But Wang Xiucheng knew that this was also a test for him.
Because Silas added at the end, "If you manage your energy well, you'll play the last 12 minutes."
The pause ends.
Wang Xiucheng, Shen Jing, Martin, Christopher, and Garruba got up and came on.
The game seemed to have no suspense left. If someone who doesn't follow Rockets games saw this, they would definitely think that the Rockets were sending out rookies to gain experience during garbage time.
Although these five rookies looked full of fighting spirit, it was completely different from the disappointed expressions of the five starters when they left the court.
With a difference of more than 30 points, the Grizzlies' starters have already finished today's game.
Even key substitute Kyle Anderson remained seated, showing no intention of playing again.
The Grizzlies replaced their bench players with almost all of them rookies from the last two years.
The game begins again.
A common problem among rookies is that they are too eager to prove themselves.
That's how the Grizzlies' rookies are; they don't cooperate much and just go it alone.
But somehow, he manages to score.
For example, Aldama, a center with a physique, likes to float on the outside, leaving Shen Jing with no choice but to keep running after him, which resulted in the Rockets' interior defense being weak.
When facing the Grizzlies, who rely on driving to their advantage when they get the ball, there's really not much that can be done for them.
Fortunately, the Rockets' offense, orchestrated by Wang Xiucheng, was well-organized and scored almost every time.
The two teams presented two extremes in their performance.
The Grizzlies are the epitome of individualism; almost every play is a personal showcase.
The Rockets' team basketball is the other extreme.
The two teams traded leads for almost the entire time, making it difficult to determine a winner.
The two teams were tied 31-31 in the fourth quarter until the referee blew the final whistle.
The Grizzlies won the game 136-102, defeating the visiting Rockets.
The moment the whistle blew, Morant jumped up and went straight to the center of the field to find Wang Xiucheng.
This forced Kyle Anderson, who also wanted to come, to go find other people first.
After shaking hands with Wang Xiucheng, Morant seemed somewhat unwilling and said, "You played well, very fast. Although I couldn't stop you, you couldn't stop me either, don't you think?"
"Yes, I rarely see anyone as fast as me," Wang Xiucheng said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.
Hearing Wang Xiucheng say that, Morant was clearly pleased. He covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, "Do you like guns?"
"A gun?" Wang Xiucheng was instinctively startled.
Morant nodded and continued, "I have a dozen or so rare guns hidden away, including one that is said to have been used by Hitler. Would you like to take a look?"
Wang Xiucheng broke out in a cold sweat instantly, only then remembering that Morant, besides being known as the "King of Waist," also had the nickname "King of Guns."
Wang Xiucheng quickly shook his head and said, "Our country doesn't have access to this stuff, and I'm not interested in it. Besides, I don't have time. We're leaving Memphis tonight and flying to Oklahoma."
"What a pity." Morant looked regretful, as if Wang Xiucheng had missed out on the most beautiful thing in the world.
At this moment, Jalen Green came over and shook hands with Morant, and Wang Xiucheng took the opportunity to leave.
"Wang Xiucheng." A voice sounded from behind, calling Wang Xiucheng by his Chinese name, though not in perfect standard.
But that was enough for Wang Xiucheng to know who it was.
Wang Xiucheng turned around and saw the tall Kyle Anderson, his hands clasped tightly together, and then the two bumped chests.
This action made both of them realize that the other knew who they were.