Chapter 613 Chemical Reaction with Catalyst (First Update!)
After the opening ceremony, the starters of the two teams appeared one after another.
The Pelicans have a regular lineup, and the only change is that Jokic starts instead of Whiteside.
On the Knicks side, Calderon and Tim Hardaway Jr. are on the outside, Anthony and Bargnani are on the front line, and Howard is the center.
Howard jumped Davis and gave the Knicks a chance to take the lead.
Calderon dribbled to the frontcourt and gave the ball to the basket for Howard's single.
Howard's performance with the Knicks this season is second only to the peak performance of the Magic.
In addition to the good recovery from the back injury, the more important point is that I have more ball possessions and play happier.
He hard-gouged Jokic to the basket, turned around and hooked.
The straight up and down hard hook, the technique is still rough, the basketball hits the edge of the basket and bounces.
But Jokic's weight loss and increase have not yet been completed, and he is at a comprehensive disadvantage when confronting Howard.
Howard pressed Jokic off the offensive rebound and scored a second tip.
The fans on the sidelines were restless.
Jokic's defense is a bit worse than Whiteside's.
Sure enough, Whiteside's absence had a great impact on the Pelicans.
But Jokic didn't have any mood swings because of a failed defense.
Just like Tang Tian knew before, although he looks white and soft, his temperament on the field is very tough.
The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt. As soon as Tang Tian held the ball, Hardaway took the main defense, and Anthony on the weak side came to double-team with help.
Tang Tian scored 50+ points in 3 consecutive games before the All-Star Game, and now this defensive method is his standard.
He passes the ball to Ariza.
The Knicks' defense rotation was relatively quick, and Ariza returned the ball to Tang Tian without a chance.
After Tang Tian received the ball, he changed direction and made a breakthrough. Seeing that Anthony came to help him again, he turned around and shot backwards.
The ball hit the front of the basket, bumped a few times and rolled in.
This ball is a ball.
Anthony took the ball in the frontcourt, signaled to pull away, and then gave the ball to Howard.
Woodson is not a good offensive coach, but he does a good job of catching the weaknesses of the opponent's lineup.
Howard continued to hit Jokic hard, and hit the board after turning around.
However, Davis showed his talent. He quickly helped defend to the basket, directly gave Howard a big cap, and took the defensive rebound.
There was a burst of cheers at the scene.
Davis' talent is really strong.
The Pelicans attacked the frontcourt, Tang Tian continued to attack with the ball, and turned back to meet Anthony, who was helping to defend, and made a jumper.
"Boom!"
The basketball smashed out of the frame, and Howard jumped high to receive the rebound.
After two rounds, Tang Tian already knew that his hands were not good, and the effect of such a strong attack was mediocre.
The Knicks went to the frontcourt, and this time they switched to Calderon to hold the ball. Anthony ran a tactic and made a jumper after receiving the pass.
"Shua!"
The basketball is hollow into the net.
4 to 2, after the Knicks run in, they are indeed stronger than when the two sides met for the first time.
Holiday took the ball to the frontcourt and gave the ball to Tang Tian, who directly gave the ball to Jokic, signaling the latter to organize the attack.
When the hand feels bad, it is a good choice to change the offensive method.
Ariza pulled to the bottom corner, Tang Tian and Davis cut into the basket from both sides.
The Knicks shrunk their defense.
Tang Tian ran back to the high position in reverse.
That's when the Knicks' weakness was exposed.
Their lineup defense is average, even putting aside Woodson's system, Anthony's defense is average, and Calderon and Bargnani are even more defensive black holes.
This time, it is obviously slower to take it back and come out.
Jokic's speed was very fast, and he gave the ball to Tang Tian immediately.
Tang Tian had an excellent opportunity to catch the ball and shot a jumper.
"Shua!"
The basketball is hollow into the net.
Putting aside the defensive strength, talking about the touch is playing hooligans. Tang Tian's poor touch is due to the high-intensity defense. He is still sure about this kind of almost open ball.
He arranged the first 4 points of the team's opening.
After the goal, he pointed to Jokic.
The Pelicans' starting lineup is almost perfect, but they lack a second organization point to help Tang Tian share the pressure.
Both Holiday and Davis were almost embarrassed, and Jokic's ball just now was just right.
The last time the two played together was against the Rockets, Tang Tian shot a very comfortable three-pointer at that time.
Counting this time, the chemical reaction between the two is really there.
The Knicks ran tactics in the frontcourt again. This time Ariza followed closely and did not give Anthony an easy shot.
Anthony received the ball and signaled to pull away, and the tactics became singles.
Continuously relying on the tentative steps of turning around after hitting, Ariza clings to the defense.
But Anthony suddenly turned around in a washing machine, turned over and shot a jumper.
"Shua!"
Go in after the basketball is shot.
After Anthony lost weight this season, his knee injury has less impact on him, and he has become the omnipotent offensive kaleidoscope before.
6 to 4, the Knicks are in a brave state tonight, and this is really coming for revenge.
Holiday took the ball to the frontcourt and gave the ball to Jokic to organize.
Tang Tian accelerated to get rid of Hardaway and cut to the basket.
Jokic hits the ball nicely.
Tang Tian catches the ball and kills the basket.
The Knicks quickly shrunk their defense.
Howard also quickly retreated to the basket.
Tang Tian's confrontation was excellent, but he had to decide who to fight against. There was definitely no advantage in confronting Howard head-on.
He looked back at the moon and threw the ball directly to the top of the arc.
Jokic fell outside the three-point line at the top of the arc as soon as he passed the ball.
Because Jokic played as a substitute before, this positioning is not a tactical arrangement, but entirely Jokic's own consciousness and judgment.
The ball was accurately delivered to Jokic, but Howard couldn't make it out, Jokic raised his hand and made a three-pointer.
The trajectory of the ball is high, but the parabola looks positive.
"Shua!"
His first shot hit!
7 to 6, the Pelicans once again overtook the score!
There was a burst of cheers at the scene.
Jokic sent a quick pass to Tang Tian earlier, and Tang Tian immediately reciprocated the next round.
Anthony's emergency stop jumper missed, Howard took off the offensive rebound and caused Jokic to foul defensively.
Missed both free throws, Jokic protected the defensive rebound.
In the frontcourt, the running positions of Davis and Tang Tian restrained the Knicks' main defensive energy.
Jokic turned around and went to the basket, put a fake shot to trick Howard, turned around and put the ball into the basket easily.
Although the defensive end was at the bottom in the confrontation with Howard, he played very confidently and effectively on the offensive end.
More than 9 minutes into the first quarter, the Pelicans led the Knicks 30-21.
Both Jokic and Tang Tian were replaced and rested.
Tang Tian scored 10 points and 3 assists, and Jokic scored 5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Of the three assists of the two, two of each were passes to the other side.
The chemical reaction between the two was not only there immediately, but also with the addition of a catalyst, it came quickly and violently!
ps: I am not a very powerful person, just an ordinary person. Like you, sometimes my mentality will fluctuate and fluctuate, but I will try my best to ensure the quality, and I will try my best to calm my mentality and move towards the goal of 3 million words Keep going, thank everyone who is still supporting, one per person, love you all.