Old coach Hubie Brown wanted to spit blood on the spot to show the other side!
In the past half of the quarter, the Grizzlies gradually took the initiative. The three core players of White Chocolate, Bonzi Wells and Gasol played very well on offense with two big shooters, Battier and James Posey, on the wings.
Bonzi Wells scored 11 points in a single quarter, Gasol scored 6 points in a single quarter, and the wing made 3 three-pointers... According to conventional scoring, the Grizzlies should have led by at least four or five points.
But the Trail Blazers maintained their lead until the end of the first quarter even when Randolph was resting!
It’s all because of that rookie. Liu Xiu scored 3 goals, plus 1 free throw, and got 7 points in half a quarter!
Hubie Brown had watched Liu Xiu's game videos before and knew that Liu Xiu played very steadily.
But I didn’t expect it to be so stable!
Once you have the restraining force, just use it as a restraining force.
With 13 points in the first half, he hardly participated in the offense afterwards. Apart from the three scoring shots, he only missed one punt shot.
Liu Xiu did not attack in the second half of the first quarter, allowing the Little Flying Squirrel to display his one-on-one ability and allowing Tianzun to fully display his catching, shooting and supporting abilities.
And it's not just a pure distraction, it's also constantly looking for that fleeting opportunity and seizing it!
The players returned to the bench and Hubie Brown found someone to curse at first.
Who should I scold this time?
Just blame Gasol.
They are all called Brown, but unlike Larry Brown and Hubie Brown, who curse on the street, their curses are not as vulgar. When Gasol was cursed, he just scratched his head and smiled.
Hubie Brown was a famous coach of his time. Although he wanted to spit blood on the opponent's face, he saw the good points that Liu Xiu did.
Bunch-Wells looked at nothing else but the score.
He worked hard to get 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in a single quarter, which is an excellent performance in the eyes of anyone, but that rookie only scored 20 points!
Almost twice as long as him!
It was like a slap in the face. As he walked back to the bench, he heard the fans behind the bench discussing whether this deal was a loss .
No matter how much they booed, during the intermission, when the emotions calmed down, most Grizzlies fans had the same thought when they saw Liu Xiu score 20 points in a single quarter - this deal was probably a loss!
Who was the last rookie to score 20+ points in a single quarter?
Allen Iverson!
When Liu Xiu scored 20 points in the quarter with a free throw, the Grizzlies fans who had been firmly in favor of the logo man trading a rookie for a top-notch small forward, Bonzi Wells, began to waver...
The other side of the bench.
Maurice Cheeks first praised Liu Xiu, then asked directly: "Keep playing?"
If Cheeks wasn't a superstar back then, he was one of the top players in the league.
Liu Xiu nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Of course he had to continue fighting!
Maurice Cheeks encouraged: "Well! Show me a scoring record that no rookie this year can break!"
"certainly."
Liu Xiu responded, thought for a moment, took out his backpack from under the bench, and reached out...
"Jace, you're hungry already...huh? What is this?"
Morris Cheeks looked at the long paper box that Liu Xiu took out. Wasn't it a lunch box?
When the paper box was opened, there were small red balls strung together on a bamboo stick.
Liu Xiu took a bite of one before responding, "Candied haws, coach, do you want to try one?"
Putting aside the difficult-to-pronounce name, what is this "take a bite first and then ask" thing about? Who is going to steal your food?
Liu Xiu suddenly felt something was wrong and asked Maurice Cheeks, "Coach, where is Kevin?"
While eating a candied haws, I took a moment to glance at the system and found that Kevin Pritchard provided a series of several points and dozens of healing points.
The one who gave the most, of course, was Bunch-Wells.
Morris Cheeks then realized that there was someone missing next to him: "He, eh, yeah, where is he...oh, over there..."
Liu Xiu looked in the direction that Maurice Cheeks pointed, and saw their top assistant coach Kevin Pritchard squatting in the corner drawing circles...
Liu Xiu played well and Kevin Pritchard was happy, but he felt that the world was really unfair.
He worked so hard back then, but he didn't have the opportunity to play in the NBA.
This kid is so lazy, yet he can score 20+ points in a single quarter!
Is there anything more unfair than this?
After drawing circles for a while, Kevin Pritchard returned to the bench to help Maurice Cheeks adjust and arrange tactics for Liu Xiu!
He scored 20 points in the first quarter. Wouldn't he score 40 points in a single game to celebrate in the next live broadcast on the imperial court TV station?
…
Come back from the inter-session break.
The Trail Blazers sent out a combination of Liu Xiu, Derek Anderson, Travis Outlaw, Randolph and Dale Davis.
The Grizzlies sent out a combination of Earl Watson, Mike Miller, Battier, Gasol, and Stromile Swift.
Liu Xiu continued to play, and the boos from the audience were even more violent than when he took free throws at the end of the first quarter.
The fans felt they had been at a disadvantage, but the more they felt at a disadvantage, the louder they booed.
Because Liu Xiu is not their rookie, they don't want to see Liu Xiu continue to perform well.
If Liu Xiu's performance cools down and is not as good as before, then the Grizzlies won't suffer such a big loss.
The second quarter began, the Grizzlies attacked first, and Mike Miller made a three-pointer after receiving the ball, helping the Grizzlies tie the score.
In the offense-defense transition, after Derek Anderson received the ball and advanced across half court, he saw that it was Battier who was defending him, so he immediately passed the ball to Liu Xiu.
Liu Xiu received the ball, took a step sideways and broke through!
Earl Watson is less talented defensively than White Chocolate, but he is much stronger, more violent in his movements, and more ferocious in his pressure defense.
Dale Davis helped Liu Xiu block Earl Watson on the right side of the free throw line. Liu Xiu made a quick stop and started to shake off Stromile Swift who came to defend him. He broke through to the right side of the three-second zone and made a flying shot... Gasol, who came over to make up for it, was a beat slow and could only watch helplessly as Liu Xiu's shot hit the bank.
When the Grizzlies attacked, Gasol passed the ball from the low post and made a lob. Stromile Swift jumped high and slam-dunked for two points.
In this ball, the physical fitness of the fake second pick was fully demonstrated.
When the Trail Blazers attacked, after Liu Xiu ran to the frontcourt, Earl Watson no longer defended him so tightly.
There is really no way Earl Watson can do anything about it. Stromile Swift's awareness of defending pick-and-roll is too poor. Liu Xiu's play can only be described as a pick-and-roll, and Stromile Swift can't defend it.
Derek Anderson pushed forward and passed the ball to Liu Xiu, who jumped up and shot a three-pointer...
"Talent: Catch and Shoot Expert is triggered. The host will directly shoot a three-pointer after receiving the ball. The shooting speed will be increased by 25%..."
Earl Watson rushed over immediately, but it was still too late!
With good luck, Liu Xiu made his first three-pointer in the second quarter!
Including the three-pointer that missed, Liu Xiu made 2 of 3 three-pointers in this game!
40 to 37, the Trail Blazers continued to maintain their lead.
Hubie Brown was yelling at the sidelines again to make adjustments.
But this time he didn't need to yell, as the players themselves were planning to switch back to the defensive strategy of keeping a close eye on Liu Xiu in the second half of the first quarter.
Although that kind of defense will give other Trail Blazers players better opportunities, it is better than Liu Xiu, a rookie, constantly scoring, right?
At the beginning of the second quarter, they just gave it a try and followed the usual defense, but Liu Xiu scored 5 points in a row again!
Although it is not certain that Liu Xiu can perform so well in the future, but what if? Liu Xiu has already scored 25 points!
…
In terms of the overall strength of the entire league, the Trail Blazers are not weaker than the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies' bench players are slightly stronger, but the Trail Blazers' starting twin towers are stronger.
Stars are the key, so the Trail Blazers perform much better than the Grizzlies against first-rate teams and top teams.
But the Grizzlies have an absolute advantage against the Trail Blazers - Gasol restrains Randolph.
This is not like Tianzun can limit Gasol's one-on-one play. Gasol has good abilities in all aspects on the offensive end, while Randolph's abilities are much more limited.
Restriction and restraint are two different things.
So even though the Grizzlies were behind tonight, they were always in the initiative.
However, Liu Xiu's threat greatly reduced the Grizzlies' initiative, and Liu Xiu's patience drove the Grizzlies players crazy!
Is there any genius like Liu Xiu who could score 20 points in the first quarter and then honestly create space, organize the offense, and wait when there is no chance in the second quarter?
Hubie Brown has such a bad temper!
The following game fell into a tense state again.
At the end of the first half, the score was 60 to 58. The Trail Blazers and the Grizzlies played a 25 to 26 quarter score in the second quarter, and the Trail Blazers led by two points into the halftime break.
In the latter part of the second quarter, Liu Xiu only scored 6 points and had only 1 assist, but he still had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in a single quarter. At the end of the half, Liu Xiu's personal data increased to 31 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block!
If we ignore Liu Xiu's 5 points at the beginning of the second quarter, then Tianzun was the best performing player of the Trail Blazers in the last 11 minutes. Tianzun was substituted after playing for more than 4 minutes in the second quarter. At that time, the Trail Blazers had already fallen into a slump. After Tianzun came on, he used a three-pointer, two free throws caused by a foul in a counterattack, and a mid-range shot to seize the situation. He scored 7 points in less than 8 minutes.
But the one who left the deepest impression on people was Liu Xiu!
He grabbed three offensive rebounds in one round and was blocked twice, but he still persevered and caused a foul, scoring two points.
A catch-and-shoot shot after a counterattack, and a close-range quick stop and jump shot after cutting in from the wing.
Every point was earned under strict defense, and it was precisely because of these 6 points that Liu Xiu could continue to maintain the threat and help the team maintain this slight lead.
…
During the halftime break, in the visiting team's locker room, Kevin Pritech and Maurice Cheeks looked at Liu Xiu who was eating a box lunch, and both of them swallowed their saliva...it seemed really delicious!
In the second quarter, Liu Xiu scored in double digits again.
Even with the Grizzlies' defense, Liu Xiu was able to catch the opponent off guard and score 5 points, laying the foundation for 11 points in a single quarter.
Liu Xiu's outburst today was too intense in the eyes of both coaches.
The two coaches discussed it and decided that the opponent would definitely continue to strengthen their defense against Liu Xiu in the second half. This way, other players would definitely have better scoring opportunities than in the first half.
Then it will be possible to gain a real advantage and lay the foundation for winning the game.
As they were chatting, Maurice Cheeks said, "Kevin, I have a bold idea..."
"Please put away your bold idea. Do you think that kid will agree to let you ignore victory just to get points?"
In this regard, Kevin Pritchard particularly admires Liu Xiu.
Maurice Cheeks sighed regretfully.
After rejecting Maurice Cheeks' bold idea, Kevin Pritchard said, "Even with the advantage of Jayce's containment defense, it will be difficult for us to play later. The Grizzlies' Princeton style and rim defense counterattacks are very restraining for us."
"Yeah...eh? Fight back? Kevin, I have another bold idea!"
…
The half-time break was almost over and the players from both teams returned to the field.
The Trail Blazers players are full of energy and want to win this game.
However, the coach's tactical adjustments during the half-time break made the players feel uneasy.
"Jace, our adjustments... um..." Tianzun felt that he couldn't find any suitable words to describe it.
"Radical." Liu Xiu helped think of a word.
Tianzun immediately responded: "Yes, yes, yes! Isn't that too radical?"
Randolph next to him also nodded.
Liu Xiu responded: "It's very radical, but playing this way may allow Zach to participate more in the offense, which is very important for us..."
There was still half of the sentence left unsaid - "It seems like he wants to give me more chances to score!"
Although they had some doubts in their hearts, the Trail Blazers players had one advantage - once they stepped onto the court, they just played as they were told!
The third quarter began and players from both teams came on the court.
Liu Xiu continued to play, and Damon Stoudemire, Reuben Patterson, Randolph and Rasheed Wallace came on the court together.
The Grizzlies sent out a starting lineup of White Chocolate, Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells, Lorenzen Wright and Gasol.
The Grizzlies attacked first, White Chocolate advanced to the frontcourt, encountered pressure from the Flying Squirrels, and chose to force a breakthrough.
Breaking into the inside, White Chocolate encountered Reuben Patterson's defense and immediately passed the ball.
As soon as the ball reached Bonzi Wells, Tianzun made up for the defense, Bonzi Wells passed the ball again, and Gasol received the ball in the middle distance on the left side of the three-second zone!
Gasol received the ball and saw Randolph rushing out. He wanted to pass the ball and lead the team with the ball, but when he saw Liu Xiu and Little Flying Mouse moving in the direction of the pass from both sides, Gasol made a quick decision, raised the ball, and shot... In the end, Gasol remembered that this was his best chance.
The opportunity came so easily, but I didn’t make it!
Liu Xiu grabbed the defensive rebound before Bonzi-Wells and immediately passed it to the Flying Squirrel. The Flying Squirrel was already prepared, received the ball during the sprint, and started a fast break!
White Chocolate and Bonzi Wells retreated very quickly. The former was transformed by Hubie Brown, and the latter played very hard tonight, scoring 20 points in the first half... The point is that Bonzi Wells scored 20 points in the first half, and the score gap with the rookie even widened! Not only did it widen, but as the game went on, the rookie seemed to have no interest in him as a "tough opponent", which made him very angry and he played even harder.
The Flying Squirrel rushed to the front court but had no chance to break through, and Lorenzen Wright also chased after him. Randolph and Tianzun had poor opportunities to cut in.
This means that the fast break failed and we should resort to positional warfare.
but!
After the little flying squirrel stopped suddenly, he jumped up and shot a three-pointer...
Missed!
Bonzi Wells blocked the rushing Tianzun, and Lorenzen Wright seized the opportunity and grabbed the defensive rebound before Randolph.
Randolph failed to grab the ball, but immediately pressed towards Lorenzen Wright, trying to steal the ball!
As a veteran, Lorenzen Wright would not let Randolph succeed so easily. He skillfully protected the ball and passed it to the nearest Bonzi Wells. Tianzun also pressed towards Bonzi Wells immediately!
Bonzi-Wells quickly passed the ball, White Chocolate received it, and the Flying Squirrel pressed forward again.
Compared to his two teammates, White Chocolate's ball control is naturally countless times better. Just looking at the ball sense, he is one of the top five players in the league. He protected the ball very well. Due to the pressure and rush of Little Flying Squirrel, a large gap was exposed. White Chocolate accelerated his advance to avoid being consumed in the backcourt.
The speed of the game has been increased!
When White Chocolate reached the frontcourt, the Trail Blazers' defense was in disarray. He seized the opportunity to pass the ball to Mike Miller, who received the ball and passed it again. Bonzi Wells, who rushed from the backcourt, received the ball and made a layup!
60 square meters!
The Grizzlies players had no time to be happy, as Liu Xiu, who had run back, had already picked up the ball and passed it out. The Grizzlies players quickly quickened their pace of retreat.
The ball was passed to the Flying Squirrel, who sped up his advance, but not at full speed like he did in the counterattack just now, but within the acceptable range for his teammates.
That's enough! The Grizzlies' defense is not stable!
The little flying squirrel rushed straight to the basket... He was careless and underestimated the defensive discipline of the Grizzlies. Although he didn't land steadily, he contracted and double-teamed very quickly!
Fortunately, someone followed up in the middle, and the little flying squirrel spotted the person and passed the ball... Liu Xiu received the ball with one step inside the free throw line, took two steps in a row, entered the basket, and made a layup against Gasol who had not yet fully turned around!
This step-over layup technique was learned from the Flying Squirrel. I definitely don’t use it so well normally, but tonight, I used it very skillfully.
Bonzi Wells turned around and ran to the front court and now only wanted to (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!
He worked hard to get two points, and this rookie immediately got two more points!
As he was getting angry, Bunch-Wells suddenly heard someone calling him, and turned around... a round object was coming towards him...
The ball hit Bunch-Wells in the face with a "bang"!
Seeing the ball bounce away, Bonzi Wells didn't reach out to grab it. He was stunned...
Reuben Patterson rushed forward and grabbed the ball, looking for someone... Found him! Pass the ball!
Liu Xiu came to the left side at a 45-degree angle to receive the ball, jumped, and shot a three-pointer... His movements were smooth! A wide open space, and his hand was hot!
Liu Xiu made another three-point shot!
36 points! On the live broadcast of the Imperial Court TV, Zhang Weiping shouted that Liu Xiu had broken this year's rookie single-game scoring record! The record he broke was his own!
However, at this time, the players on the court were not paying attention to Liu Xiu. They couldn't help laughing when they saw Bonzi Wells being hit in the face by the ball. The same went for the Grizzlies players. Although they were teammates and the team lost three points because of this mistake... they really wanted to laugh.
If not for this, Liu Xiu had just received the pass from Bonzi-Wells and they would have been able to get in position to cause interference.
The referee blew the whistle to signal the Grizzlies to attack. The Grizzlies players then came to their senses, served the ball, and attacked.
Most of the players' concentration was good. When they got back into the game, the Grizzlies players remembered that the scene just now seemed familiar!
correct!
Yes!
In the first two quarters, Liu Xiu scored 5 points right away!
Although this was an accident, Liu Xiu still came up and scored two goals to get 5 points!
This time the Trail Blazers' defense did not press the entire court, but after White Chocolate reached the frontcourt, he still encountered the tight defense of the Flying Squirrels.
Compared to the beginning, although White Chocolate was still forced to speed up his movements, he was now much calmer in dealing with the situation.
A genius is a genius. Although he met a good teacher on the "right way" of playing basketball too late, in terms of court control, White Chocolate still reached the level of a championship-level team's point guard in less than a season.
However, just as White Chocolate was about to stabilize the rhythm, he heard Bonzi Wells, who had just staged one of the five most embarrassing moments, yelling for the ball while leaning against Reuben Patterson on the left side of the three-second zone!
Failing to maintain the rhythm, White Chocolate passed the ball to Bunch-Wells.
Liu Xiu immediately let go of Mike Miller and moved towards Bonzi Wells, feeling ecstatic - he no longer had to use quick rotations to pressure the defense and guide the Grizzlies to speed up their offense!
With great joy in his heart , Liu Xiu double-teamed Bonchi-Wells and attacked him with all his strength.
As Liu Xiu expected, when Bunch-Wells saw Liu Xiu coming up to double-team him, he did not pass the ball but continued to play one-on-one.
Reuben Patterson had the skills but couldn't withstand it, Liu Xiu had the skills but it wasn't enough, Bonzi Wells lowered his center of gravity and forced his way through the double-team!
Bonzi Wells broke through to close range, jumped, shot, and Tianzun made up for the defense!
Bonzi -Wells was forced to lean back further, but his close-range shot missed!
Few people can bully Randolph like this, but he encountered such a person this time. He clearly blocked the opponent, but the opponent was able to use his height, wingspan and flexibility to touch the ball over his head!
Unfortunately, Gasol missed the tip-in and tried to press forward but was blocked by Randolph, who was acting like a young man. The ball was then retrieved by Liu Xiu.
Liu Xiu immediately passed the ball to the little flying mouse, and then quickly followed the little flying mouse.
Liu Xiu, who already had 36 points, was targeted by the opponent in the counterattack. However, Liu Xiu did not slow down because of this. Instead, he actively looked for opportunities to tie down the Grizzlies' defense.
The flying squirrel took the opportunity to rush to the basket and made a layup.
67 to 60, the difference is 7 points!
There was a chance to increase the score to double digits! The Trail Blazers players were very excited and started the full-court press defense again.
White Chocolate received the serve from Gasol and made a quick decision - play fast!
After two or three chaotic rounds, White Chocolate will most likely be able to stabilize the rhythm again.
If he keeps messing around for a while longer, White Chocolate has a 50% chance of getting the rhythm right again.
But if there is a teammate who is one of the strongest players on the team and has outstanding personal abilities, and refuses to cooperate...
Although White Chocolate was very coquettish in the past, she has always been a timid person and was always the one who got beaten when there were conflicts.
White Chocolate chose what he thought was the best approach at the moment - to play fast with the Trail Blazers and increase the tempo together.
In this matter, they are not afraid of the Trail Blazers!
…
The Grizzlies were forced to keep up with the Trail Blazers' fast pace, and Randolph's ability to rush and attack the basket was better utilized.
Players with a ball-shaped body like Randolph can play fast breaks, which is a real headache for the Grizzlies.
Coupled with Liu Xiu's follow-up distraction, as long as they start running, the scoring chances of Little Flying Squirrel and Tianzun will increase greatly.
Halfway through the third quarter, the score was 77 to 72, and the Trail Blazers were leading the Grizzlies by 5 points into the official timeout!
Just before the official timeout, Liu Xiu hit a long layup, raising his personal score to 38 points!
The two coaches in charge of the Trail Blazers were ecstatic!
Maurice Cheeks tried to create opportunities for Liu Xiu to continue scoring.
Of course, he could only try to create scoring opportunities for Liu Xiu. Whether he could score depended on the situation and Liu Xiu himself.
Although the process was different, it disrupted the rhythm and affected the Grizzlies, whose rhythm was obviously smoother tonight. The Grizzlies paid more attention to the score and could not focus on Liu Xiu... This goal was achieved!
Moreover, surprisingly, they achieved a bigger lead than at halftime... After being excited for a while, Maurice Cheeks began to make detailed adjustments to the current playing style.
On the other hand, Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown also did not change his playing style, but instead strengthened it.
In a previous dead ball, Hubie Brown replaced Mike Miller with James Posey who could keep up with the speed and played fast.
When he heard the sound of substitution, Bonzi Wells, who caused the Grizzlies to fall into this situation, thought he was going to be substituted.
But that didn't happen. Instead, because of his comprehensive skills, he continued to stay on the court and was used as the main attacking point.
At this point in the game, Hubie Brown knew that there was no turning back.
In this case, we might as well make the best use of our resources and compete with the Trail Blazers in a fast manner.
Hubie Brown, who coached in the 1970s and 1980s, was very good at playing fast.
The timeout is over and players from both teams come on the court.
Hubie Brown looked at his players...
We clearly had the advantage tonight, playing at home and in top form, but we were dragged into this situation of mutual consumption time and time again by the opponent...
Because they lack a leader!
With a leader who can really calm the situation down, how could a small thug like Bunch-Wells stand up?
Hubie Brown looked across the court... The rookie on the other side was saying something to his teammates when he came on the court, and his teammates nodded...
"Logo Man really made a mistake this time!"
…
In the second half of the third quarter, Liu Xiu fought even harder!
Just fight and you're done. Don't worry about your physical strength. Tonight, I have 90+ physical strength from my "super performance". I also ate candied haws and a box lunch. Now my physical strength is very good. If I feel tired during the break, I can still afford to eat candied haws...
Liu Xiu can feel the constant encouragement from Maurice Cheeks and the preference from Kevin Pritchard, especially tonight!
Now Liu Xiu feels that he is not fighting just for himself, nor just for victory, but also for the expectations of his coach and the help of his teammates!
It’s already 38 points...there’s still one and a half quarters left!
Victory is, of course, extremely important, so Liu Xiu was not in a hurry. He moved actively, looking for opportunities to shoot, to tie down the opponent's defense, to create better scoring opportunities for his teammates... and then to find loopholes in the opponent's tight defense!
Liu Xiu's patience far exceeds the Grizzlies players' understanding of a rookie.
In more than 5 minutes, Liu Xiu found 3 very good opportunities, 1 of which was scored, 1 was fouled and he made 1 of 2 free throws, and 1 three-pointer from the bottom corner missed.
The Grizzlies defended very hard and the fans at the scene booed as hard as they could, but Liu Xiu still scored 10 points in a single quarter. After three quarters, he had 41 points!
After entering the intermission, fans were no longer so concerned about the fact that the Trail Blazers led the Grizzlies by 7 points, 93 to 86, going into the intermission.
Before the game started, the media raised an interesting topic: Can Liu Xiu make the Grizzlies regret trading him for Bonzi Wells? How long will it take to make the Grizzlies regret it?
Fans of other teams are not interested in this topic, even fans of the Trail Blazers are not interested, but many fans here tonight have discussed this and they are very interested.
The answer is out!
It only took 36 minutes from the time this topic was brought up to the time when Grizzlies fans regretted it!
Liu Xiu played the full 36 minutes in the first three quarters, making 17 of 25 shots, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, plus 4 of 5 free throws, scoring 41 points!
The last rookie to score 41 points in a single game was Elton Brand, the No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft!
…
"Jace, can you still play?" Kevin Pritchard was even more nervous and excited than Liu Xiu himself, leaving Maurice Cheeks next to him speechless.
Half an hour ago, who said to give up that bold idea?
When we were discussing the adjustments for the fourth quarter just now, who was suggesting that we should just let Liu Xiu fire unlimitedly?
Although this bold but tempting idea was rejected again, Liu Xiu continued to fight. As long as Liu Xiu could still fight, they would definitely send Liu Xiu up.
30+ in the first half doesn’t really mean anything, because even a top scorer can hardly guarantee 20 points in the first half.
But 40+ in three quarters, that’s different…
Liu Xiu swallowed the candied haws in his mouth and replied, "Yes!"
Kevin Plittcha nodded and stepped aside.
It was the head coach's turn to say something, and under Kevin Pritchard's gaze, Maurice Cheeks asked, "Jace, is it really that delicious?"
Liu Xiugang took another bite, said nothing, nodded vigorously, and handed the candied haws to Morris Cheeks.
This time Morris Cheeks couldn't help it. He held Liu Xiu's hand holding the root with one hand, and carefully pinched one with the other hand. He took it down while rotating it and put it in his mouth... It tasted delicious!
Morris Cheeks felt that the sugar on the surface was so delicious that he felt that he had never eaten such delicious candy in his life! It melted quickly in his mouth! Sweet but not greasy!
I took a bite like Liu Xiu... the taste of the hawthorn entering the gap between teeth is very special...
Kevin Pritchard, who was watching from the sidelines: ????
At such a tense moment, you two were actually verifying whether the snacks were really that delicious?
…
Come back from the inter-session break.
The Trail Blazers sent out a combination of Damon Stoudemire, Liu Xiu, Travis Outlaw, Randolph and Dale Davis.
The Grizzlies sent out a combination of Jason Williams, James Posey, Bonzi Wells, Stromile Swift and Gasol.
Liu Xiu, who played the entire first three quarters, continued to play.
Bonzi Wells, who scored 28 points in the first three quarters, looked at Liu Xiu and wanted to curse.
After the start of the last quarter, Liu Xiu encountered tighter defense.
Especially Bonzi Wells, he wanted to leave his defender open and double-team Liu Xiu who had no ball.
It's not just Bonzi-Wells, other Grizzlies players also pay too much attention to Liu Xiu.
Under such circumstances, the Grizzlies' already chaotic defense became even more chaotic.
In the chaos, the little flying squirrel started to get excited!
Under Hubie Brown's excellent on-the-spot command, the Grizzlies maintained their scoring efficiency regardless of the situation.
But now the Grizzlies are playing more and more chaotically, especially on the defensive end. Even if they can maintain a high scoring efficiency, the Trail Blazers' scoring efficiency is higher!
Only three minutes into the final quarter, the Trail Blazers went on a 10-6 run to extend the lead to 11 points, leading 103-92!
After the score difference widened to 11 points, the Grizzlies suddenly woke up and began to strengthen their defense against the Flying Squirrels, who had already scored 22 points in just 24 minutes.
As for Liu Xiu, the 10 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter had nothing to do with him, but there will always be opportunities.
When the flying squirrel attracted the defense's attention again, opportunities began to emerge...
The reason why the opportunity arises - the Grizzlies want to win, have the ability to win, and still have a chance to win!
At 3 minutes and 55 seconds in the fourth quarter, Liu Xiu went around the baseline and received the ball with the help of a pick-and-roll. He leaned against Gasol who was switching defense and turned around to enter the basket. He dived like a flying squirrel and looked back at the moon for a layup... and it went in!
At 5 minutes and 29 seconds, Liu Xiu grabbed the sixth offensive rebound of the game and caused a foul, making both free throws.
At 6 minutes and 47 seconds, the official timeout had passed and the score was 114 to 106. The Trail Blazers were leading by 8 points and were now counterattacking. Liu Xiu followed up with a pass from Randolph on a fast break and made a flying jump shot... Bonzi Wells fouled!
This time, Liu Xiuzhen might not be able to make the shot. The fast break was not smooth. It was because Little Flying Squirrel and Randolph followed the coach's instructions and had to keep the speed steady even when they rushed forward and forced a fast break.
But Bonzi-Wells rushed forward and bumped into Liu Xiu, sending Liu Xiu, who was about to shoot, to the free throw line.
In the words of Zhang Weiping, who was commentating on the game, this was an unnecessary foul.
Liu Xiu took a few steps back before he could stand firm. He was about to go to the free throw line again. Of course he was happy.
It’s so hard to score!
Even if the Flying Squirrel could attract the attention of the defense, he only had some opportunities, which could only be called chances, very bad chances, even worse than those in the third quarter.
There are free throws, of course.
After Liu Xiu stood firm, he picked up the ball that was knocked down and was about to throw it to the referee when a hand reached out to him... Liu Xiu grabbed the ball with one hand and dodged it, but the referee was relentless and reached out to grab it.
What is this guy going to do?
Although he didn't understand, Liu Xiu didn't give the ball away. Instead, he pushed away the person who was pressing him with his other hand.
Bunch-Wells!
After being pushed away, Bunch-Wells found an excuse to get mad... er...
Just as Bonzi Wells was provoking, Randolph, Rasheed Wallace and Travis Outlaw quickly surrounded him. When Bonzi Wells succeeded in his provocation and was about to lose his temper, the three were already standing behind Liu Xiu.
An outlaw, a rookie, it doesn't matter.
But what was going on between Tianzun and the butcher? And the few people standing up on the sidelines...
The Portland Jail team he had been in actually united? Because of a rookie?
Bonzi-Wells was panicked, and the referee was even more panicked!
Are they going to fight again?
The referee quickly stood between the players on both sides.
Liu Xiu ignored Bonzi Wells and asked the referee, "Sir, shouldn't he be given a technical foul for that action?"
"???"
Bunch-Wells was completely confused, thinking he was going to be beaten, but he didn't expect Liu Xiu to go and complain!
The referee didn’t expect Liu Xiu to be so... polite?
But it's not appropriate to call a technical foul now! He wanted to blow the whistle just now, but the Trail Blazers surrounded him, and his first reaction was to stop the fight, so he didn't call the technical foul.
Fortunately, another referee blew the whistle for a timeout at this time, and Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown called a timeout.
When his teammate gently pulled him, Bonzi-Wells immediately turned around and walked towards the bench, and the teammate who gently pulled him was dumbfounded.
Is this still the number one troublemaker in their team?
…
The head coaches of both teams were making adjustments. With more than 5 minutes left and a score difference of less than 10 points, the outcome was still unknown.
As for the Grizzlies, the game had come to this point, but a rookie had already scored 45 points... Oh, and they just conceded two free throws for nothing. They had already lost face, and the trade was probably a loss as well. They couldn't let the Trail Blazers take the victory.
On the other side, Maurice Cheeks and Kevin Pritchard no longer cared how many points Liu Xiu scored.
Regarding Liu Xiu's performance tonight, the two of them racked their brains but could not figure out how to make Liu Xiu perform like that again.
Just let Liu Xiu perform on his own so as not to affect his performance.
The timeout ends and players from both teams return to the court.
The Grizzlies sent out a combination of Jason Williams, Mike Miller, James Posey, Battier and Gasol.
The Trail Blazers sent out a combination of Little Flying Squirrel, Liu Xiu, Reuben Patterson, Randolph, and Rasheed Wallace.
Only 5 points away from 50+ in a single game... As calm as he is, he was also dazed during the intermission. Shaking his head, Liu Xiu focused his attention and walked to the free throw line, making both free throws!
47 points!
116 to 106, the difference is 10 points!
It was the Grizzlies' turn to attack. The Grizzlies team, with one big team and four small players, played a beautiful pass and cut combination in the Trail Blazers' fast rotation defense. Battier received a pass from Gasol and slammed it with one hand to score two points.
After the goal, the Grizzlies quickly retreated!
There are still 8 points left and 5 minutes left.
Liu Xiu realized that the opponent's lineup was making a last-ditch effort!
After receiving the serve and advancing to the frontcourt, Liu Xiu resisted the urge to shoot directly... James Posey was in front of him... He passed the ball to the Flying Squirrel and continued to immerse himself in the tactics.
This made the Grizzlies players very annoyed, and defending Liu Xiu became particularly tiring and stressful.
The two teams started to bombard each other again. The Grizzlies deployed three pitchers. Battier and James Posey had good cutting ability. Under the leadership of White Chocolate and Gasol, they started the final bombardment.
It's just that Hubie Brown didn't care about Liu Xiu's scoring. It's impossible for the players not to care. The infinite rotation defense that Hubie Brown expected to work wonders turned into everyone on the Grizzlies targeting Liu Xiu whenever they had the chance.
The Grizzlies scored 8 points in more than two minutes, but conceded 6 points to the Trail Blazers, 114 to 122, and failed to substantially narrow the gap!
If Liu Xiu had made that three-pointer just now, the score difference would have been even bigger!
It was the Grizzlies' turn to attack again. Gasol was not as weak as imagined at the critical moment. The three major pitchers pulled away, and Gasol received the ball in the low post, turned around and made a hook shot!
At this stage of the game, independent adjustments on the court basically depend on feeling.
It was the Trail Blazers' turn to attack. Since Liu Xiu had just missed the three-pointer, this time he came out around the baseline. The Grizzlies did not rush to make up for the defense as they did before, but subconsciously rotated normally, giving Liu Xiu the opportunity to receive the ball!
Liu Xiu received the ball and shot. The Grizzlies players believed that Liu Xiu would shoot. The normal rotation just thought that Liu Xiu's hot hand stage should be over, but they believed that Liu Xiu, who already had 47 points, would definitely shoot if he had the chance. Battier, who switched defense, rushed forward... Liu Xiu got the ball back and broke through the baseline!
Liu Xiu broke into the inside, grabbed the ball one meter outside the right side of the three-second zone, took two steps and flew up to shoot... and it hit!
Liu Xiu's decision to break through this time was as resolute and decisive as ever! He seized the opportunity that would be lost if he hesitated!
With two minutes left in the game, the Grizzlies finally narrowed the score to 116 to 122. Liu Xiu immediately widened the gap to 8 points again. This gap would require three goals to catch up. The Grizzlies were anxious!
Quick serve, quick attack, Mike Miller received the ball and shot a three-pointer against Reuben Patterson...missed!
Randolph rushed back and picked up a rebound and immediately passed it to the Flying Squirrel.
Counterattack!
The Grizzlies played this ball in a hurry, trying to make a strong fast break in the transition period. It would have been fine if they made the shot, but the Trail Blazers had to pick up the ball and serve, and if they didn't make it, the Grizzlies' backcourt would be in chaos!
The little flying mouse quickly advanced to the front court, attracting the attention of a group of people, and then he jumped up... not to shoot! Instead, he jumped up and passed the ball!
Just now, the Grizzlies launched a strong counterattack and Liu Xiu, who was still under the basket, was unable to retreat.
Just now, the opponent's attention was all on Jason Williams, James Posey, and Mike Miller who were on the fast break, and now it's on the counterattack of the Flying Squirrel. Liu Xiu moved to the right sideline to receive the ball, with a wide open space!
He received the ball, adjusted himself, and shot a three-pointer before Battier, who was rushing towards him like crazy, got to his defense...
Finally, there is a real big gap again, and the hot feeling is here!
With enough time to adjust, he made a hot three-pointer in a wide-open space!
127 to 116, with 1 minute and 34 seconds left, the score difference widened to 11 points!
When the score difference was narrowed to 6 points, the fans at the scene felt that hope had come, but Liu Xiu scored 5 points in a row, widening the gap to double digits again, and there was a wailing at the scene.
The wails and sighs drowned out the boos!
Hubie Brown called the Grizzlies' last timeout of the game.
Surrender!
The score difference was narrowed to 6 points just now, which was the Grizzlies' last chance in this game. Hubie Brown knew very well that Liu Xiu's three-pointer had shattered the Grizzlies' last hope!
The Trail Blazers watched as the Grizzlies' two non-10-man rotation players, Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones, were substituted in, and they also replaced Liu Xiu and the twin towers, leaving the Flying Squirrel and Reuben Patterson to hold the team.
As for Liu Xiu's playing style, Maurice Cheeks was certain that Liu Xiu would not make any direct contribution if he stayed on the court - after losing hope, the opponent would definitely double-team him even without the ball to prevent him from scoring any more.
After the wailing and sighing, when the fans saw Liu Xiu putting on his training suit, they burst into deafening boos again!
But after the boos, all that was left was sadness.
In the last minute or so, there was no chance that someone would score 12 points in a row to lead the team to a comeback. When the final whistle sounded, the score was fixed at 129 to 119, and the Trail Blazers defeated the Grizzlies with a 10-point advantage!
However, people don’t care about winning or losing anymore… They definitely care before the winner is decided, but they don’t care anymore after the winner is decided.
Even on the road, after the final whistle, the big screen was focused on Liu Xiu who was surrounded by his teammates.
Liu Xiu's data is listed on the big screen.
Liu Xiu made 20 of 33 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers, and 8 of 9 free throws. He played for more than 46 minutes and scored 52 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block!
Seeing that Liu Xiu made 4 of 8 three-pointers, many people remembered that Liu Xiu made 1 three-pointer in the first quarter, 1 three-pointer in the second quarter, and 1 three-pointer in the third quarter, all at the beginning of these three quarters, and the last three-pointer was at the end of the game. These three-pointers were all three-pointers made in a row to score 5 points!
Start the spree by scoring 5 points in a row, and end it by scoring 5 points in a row again!
Watching Liu Xiu on the big screen acting like he was "that cool" and being "beaten" by his teammates, the fans at the scene were envious and helpless.
The game was over, and the fans at the scene finally realized what they had missed...