basketball player

Chapter 242 240: First Show

In the 1987 draft, the Indiana Pacers selected a lanky guard from Los Angeles with the 11th pick.At the time, no one was optimistic about the Pacers' choice.Experts even believe that this guy simply can not adapt to the NBA level of confrontation.Pacers fans also hope that the team can select Indianapolis native shooter Steve Alford.

But what happened after that, everyone knows.The lanky guard ended up being one of the greatest players in Pacers history, as well as one of the NBA's greatest shooters.This thin and tall guard is called Reggie Miller!

The operation of selecting Reggie Miller in 1987 can be said to have completely changed the history of the Pacers.

In the 2010 draft, the Indiana Pacers selected another tall and thin guard from Los Angeles under the advice of coach Henson Joe.At the time, no one was optimistic about the Pacers' choice.The media said that Henson was wasting the draft pick. Experts believe that a college player who has not played in the NCAA first division league cannot adapt to the NBA level.

But now, just two years after this draft.Paul George, who was also selected at the end of the lottery, has the same slender body, is also from Los Angeles and is also underestimated, has become the second scoring point of the Eastern Conference champion team!

This reincarnation-like choice and fate also allowed the Pacers to embark on their road to revival.And now, Henson needs the lanky kid from Los Angeles in front of him to help the Pacers end the game like Reggie Miller!

"Kevin Durant's offensive power is terrible. He almost single-handedly supported the Thunder's offense. He scored 13 points in a single quarter, and each goal was completed under the opponent's high-quality defense. I don't think anyone is more worthy of the league's scoring title than him!" Mike Breen was still immersed in Durant's performance in the first quarter. Every jump shot looked so chic and elegant.Of course, it is also very deadly!
Although the Pacers still have a 5-point lead at this time, the fans at the scene are not very relieved.Durant's offensive power is unrivaled. If his scoring ability that ignores defense continues to be so hot, it will only be a matter of time before the Thunder equalize or even overtake.

The fans didn't know what Henson's plan was. They only saw that Henson and Paul George talked the most during the intermission.

Use George with the same height and arm length to defend Durant?Fans think so.

However, after the game restarted, the fans discovered that Danny Green was still facing off against Durant.

"The Pacers took the lead, but James Harden still didn't play. It seems that his poor performance in the first quarter made Coach Brooks very worried. But as we all know, James Harden's real power is in the fourth quarter. I hope he can adjust his state after that."

Even though Paul George almost beat the best sixth man in the first quarter, the commentators still said Harden was long and Harden was short.George was ignored again, but Henson believes that after this quarter of the game, no one would dare to ignore Paul George again.

George initially set an off-ball screen for Danny Green, which undoubtedly attracted Green to the Thunder's defensive attention.Just when everyone thought it was a tactic for Green, George suddenly ran to the top of the arc outside the three-point line!
The "Swiss Army Knife" Sefoloza was still very sharp, and the moment George started, he followed suit.

However, Horford did not know when he ran over to set up a cover for George, and the unsuspecting Swiss collided with Horford!

During the break just now, Henson had a lot of tactics around George.And the execution ability of the players is as strong as ever.

George ran out of space, and he didn't have to worry about the ball not being passed or not being passed in time.With Paul in control of the ball, these worries are undoubtedly unnecessary.

George catches the ball, keeps his eyes on the hoop, lifts the basketball and is about to shoot!Catch and shoot, this is one of the most commonly used scoring methods for George.

Sefolosa has also rushed over at this time, jumping high to interfere with George, who has a high shot point.But this time, George's shot was fake and the breakthrough was real!
After pointing to Sefoloza, George suddenly received the ball and went inside!Before all the Thunder players could react, George took two big strides through the crowd, jumped high, and ended the attack with a tomahawk-style snap!
"Oh! Paul George is too strong today! Everyone thinks that George can shoot, but in fact, George is not just a catch-and-shoot player!" Mike Breen has explained many Pacers games this season, so he knows exactly what George can do.

Like Durant, Paul George is just better at shooting points, but it doesn't mean they can only shoot.As a tall second position, with his natural height advantage and excellent athletic ability, as well as his confrontation ability that is much better than last season, George is actually a very versatile scorer.

With a dunk, George finally focused everyone's attention on himself.At this time, the commentators no longer had only James Harden in their mouths.

And this dunk seems to have started the scoring showdown between George and Durant.

After that, Durant continued to show off.Westbrook was lucky for 18 seconds, but still couldn't get rid of the old Paul.At the last moment, he had no choice but to hand over the "pot" to Durant.

Henson felt that Durant had a good temper. If someone else met this kind of point guard partner, he would probably have gone berserk long ago.

When Durant received the ball at the top of the arc outside the three-point line, there were only 6 seconds left on the shot clock, and Green still couldn't leave an inch.But KD was not nervous at all. He bent down and changed direction in advance with a very large arc, which made Green's center of gravity swing, and he used the dribble to break through the defense line!

A big man who is at least 2 meters tall can dribble away from the defense. Henson couldn't help but gasp when he watched Durant's performance.

This time, Durant also did not choose to end the offense with a shot, but went straight to the three-second zone, hitting high and finishing a layup.

The point difference returned to 5 points again, and Durant undoubtedly hit a very beautiful response!
"It seems that an intermission time did not interrupt Durant's good scoring state. Will he lead the Thunder to another scoring wave?"

Mike Breen had just raised a question, but George broke the Thunder's dream with his second goal in the second quarter!

Offensive climax. Offensive climax. Both sides play one ball and one ball. It is not an offensive climax.

This time, George no longer runs without the ball.Paul gave the ball to No. 24 just after half court, George held the ball at the elbow, while others opened up the space!

This guy is going to single out the "Swiss Army Knife"!
At the beginning of the season, Vogel didn't quite understand why Henson asked Paul George, a big guy, to practice dribbling.But this attack made Vogel see the reason.

After George's three threats found the rhythm, he suddenly accelerated and broke through!Although George's dribbling center of gravity is still high, he found a good rhythm and protected the ball well.Sefoloza tried to make a tackle but got nothing.

Seeing George approaching the basket, Sefoloza hurriedly retreated.If you continue to cling to him, you will only be overwhelmed by George's height.

Seeing Sefolosa retreating, George suddenly retreated while advancing, opening up some space with Sefolo Sala.This space is enough for George to complete the attack!
This lanky guard from Los Angeles has a step-back jumper. In the case of an absolute advantage in height, Sefoloza's interference seems to be just a show.

The basketball went straight to the net and widened the point difference again. George scored four points in a row!People seem to see the shadow of Reggie Miller in him!
"His offensive skills are gorgeous! Did you see Marvin, I said, he can do more than just catch and shoot!"

The entire Conseco Arena was boiling because of George. At this time, he was the most dazzling star on the field!

Scoring champion?Best sixth man?In the Conseco Arena, these two guys can only be reduced to supporting roles for Paul George!
In the following games, two young talents, George and Durant, used their superb scoring skills to stimulate the hearts of fans.Of course, it also stimulated Scott Brooks' heart.

Such a one-ball-by-ball consumption with the Pacers is not the situation Brooks wants to see.What's more, Durant played 12 minutes in the first quarter!In the second quarter, it was impossible for Brooks to let Durant do this.

In the middle of the second quarter, Durant's shooting percentage has obviously fluctuated due to exhaustion.But Paul George's output is still stable.

You know, George is still facing Sefoloza, who is known for his defense!If Harden plays later, he might be beaten up.

Finally, after playing seven minutes in the second quarter, Brooks couldn't wait any longer.He put Sefoloza at the three, then replaced Durant, who was already out of breath, with James Harden.

Everyone thought that Brooks would let Sefoloza continue to defend George.However, when James Harden stood in front of George in a daze, everyone was stunned.

Brooks is not a coach who knows how to be flexible. Compared with on-the-spot regulation, Brooks prefers to follow the plan and is very rigid.

Sometimes, even if there is obviously a weakness on the court that is being targeted by the opponent, Brooks does not adjust, but continues the game according to the regular rotation and matchup.

For example, now, he is using Harden as the second position to face the Pacers' second position.

Will George, who has found the touch on Sefolosha's head, give up the chance to score on Harden's head?

So in the next game of the second quarter, Harden, the best sixth man, completely became George's background board.

George used his superb offensive skills and fiery touch to torture Harden, who is used to defending with his eyes.

Under George's defense, Harden spent a quarter of the game without scoring.

5投中0，算上第一节比赛的7中1，哈登已经被防了个12中1！上一轮系列赛神奇无比的哈登，在乔治和亨森的“重点照顾”面前完全熄火！
Fortunately, Westbrook seized the opportunity to score 7 points in a row when Paul was resting, which didn't let the Thunder lose too much.

But after halftime, the Pacers still walked into the locker room with a 10-point advantage.Paul George scored 19 points in the first half and 10 points in a single quarter in the second quarter, completely smashing James Harden!

The sideline reporter immediately found Henson, and the question he asked was also expected by Henson: "How to evaluate Paul George's performance in the first half of the game."

Henson spread his hand with a relaxed expression, without seeming to be in the slightest of joy, "It's just a routine operation. This is Paul George of Indianapolis. He can score and defend, but everyone always turns a blind eye."

Henson was about to turn around and leave, but seemed to suddenly remember something, so he leaned in front of the microphone again.

"Now, you guys should get to know the second guard besides James Harden, right? Don't be hard on Harden all day long, and think about how the Thunder will deal with George." The Chinese coach couldn't help but added.

(End of this chapter)