dognovel Chapter 86 Mark Deigno: A Familiar 18-Year Fire
Chapter 86 Mark Deigno: A Familiar 18-Year Fire
Alexander is tall and slender, fast, has good ball-handling skills, and a very reliable mid-range shot.
After trading Harden away, the Thunder were ridiculed by fans and league commentators for a decade.
Until the Thunder traded George for Alexander and five first-round picks plus two first-round pick swaps.
In just two years, Alexander had built himself into a cornerstone.
After acquiring George, the Clippers did not dominate as expected. They spent a long time recovering from injuries alongside Leonard, which not only cost them luxury tax but also made them drift further away from the championship.
So the mockery shifted from the Thunder to the Clippers.
Of course, Ballmer didn't care about the money; for him, money was just a number.
Alexander gathered the ball at his waist, took a probing step, and then changed direction. Although Wang Xiucheng followed, Alexander's long arms blocked Wang Xiucheng on the outside.
He drove into the paint and jumped to shoot.
Swish!
The ball goes in.
Alexander retreated expressionlessly, his eyes fixed on Wang Xiucheng.
Shen Jing served from the baseline. Wang Xiucheng received the ball and accelerated past the half-court line. Alexander crouched down and reached for the ball, but Wang Xiucheng took a half-step back to avoid it.
Alexander did not give up. He took another step forward and used the momentum to bump Wang Xiucheng in the chest with his shoulder.
Wang Xiucheng seemed to stagger from the impact, but under immense pressure, his eyes lit up, and he bent down again to reach for the ball.
But Wang Xiucheng brought the ball together with both hands and charged past Alexander's head.
Wang Xiucheng directly placed his hands, which were under immense pressure, between his arms.
Wang Xiucheng cried out and did a somersault, shooting the ball from beyond the three-point line, but the ball was weak and airballed.
Alexander quickly pulled his arm back and raised both hands to look at the referee.
The referee seemed to delay blowing the whistle for half a second.
"Three-pointer, this is a three-pointer," Wang Xiucheng said to the referee, pointing to the three-point line at his feet.
"Shut up, you liar," Alexander said, shaking his head as he berated Wang Xiucheng.
After a discussion, the referees called a foul on Alexander, but it wasn't a three-point foul; it was just a regular foul.
Therefore, Wang Xiucheng took two penalty kicks.
Ignoring the somewhat berserk Alexander, Wang Xiucheng went to the free-throw line to shoot.
2 out of 1.
Wang Xiucheng shook his head in anger.
Should we get a skill card that increases free throw percentage next time?
It seems a bit wasteful.
Then all I can do is practice hard.
The Thunder are on offense, and Wang Xiucheng is guarding him with immense pressure on the ball.
To prevent Alexander from breaking through, Wang Xiucheng, like the others, grabbed Alexander's waist.
Alexander suddenly did a big loop, putting Wang Xiucheng's arm on his own, and then did a somersault as well.
The ball obviously didn't go in, but Alexander immediately shouted to the referee, "Three points! It's three points!"
His tone and manner were exactly the same as Wang Xiucheng's just now.
"Shut up, you liar," Wang Xiucheng retorted helplessly.
The referee blew his whistle and called a foul on Wang Xiucheng.
However, it was just a regular foul.
Alexander walked past Wang Xiucheng triumphantly, like a victor.
Both free throws went in.
Wang Xiucheng grinned. Alexander was clearly a skilled referee, and his free throws were more accurate than his own.
If things continue like this, we'll only end up losing out.
Wang Xiucheng received the ball and slowly dribbled forward. Alexander was still trying to steal the ball, but Wang Xiucheng used his speed to dodge each time, then broke into the penalty area and passed the ball to the player on the outside.
Whether it's Christopher, Martin, or Matthews, they all have the ability to shoot three-pointers.
Even Shen Jingdu shot twice, but he just didn't make it.
Mark Degno crossed his arms, his brows furrowing slightly. The more he looked at the rocket, the more familiar it seemed.
Swish!
Matthews hit another three-pointer.
Mark Degno's eyes suddenly lit up.
This Rockets team is somewhat similar to the Rockets team from the Harden era.
The 18 Rockets at that time had a configuration of one star and four shooters. Especially after Tucker was brought in, almost everyone was standing outside the three-point line.
Rockets today are very similar to those of that time.
But the question is, does Wang Xiucheng have the same abilities as Harden?
Mark Degno does not deny that Wang Xiucheng may have such abilities in the future, but is it too early to cultivate Wang Xiucheng like this now?
If he were the Rockets' head coach, he would let Wang Xiucheng run his own course and wouldn't force him onto a fixed path.
Just like Alexander now, he can play both point guard and shooting guard without the ball.
He played point guard only because he was under a lot of pressure today because Kidd couldn't play.
The game continues.
Alexander scored consecutively, keeping the Thunder from widening the gap with the Rockets.
With Wang Xiucheng's passing, the Rockets scored three-pointers one after another, and once the Thunder's defensive focus shifted to the perimeter, Wang Xiucheng could also drive in and make a floater.
Silas called a timeout with four minutes left in the second quarter, substituting Wang Xiucheng and several other substitutes.
At this point, the score was 48-48, a close contest.
Sitting on the bench, Wang Xiucheng and several other rookies from Shenjing were panting heavily, occasionally taking a sip of ice water before continuing to gasp for breath.
The game went very smoothly, which meant the players had almost no time to rest and were running almost constantly.
Silas looked at Porter Jr. and the others.
Old Gordon, Theis, Tate, and Danuelhouse all stood up.
Only little Porter kept his head down and didn't move.
Porter Jr. only took the towel off his shoulder and went onto the court when the referee blew the whistle.
He seemed not to notice the fist bump between Gordon and his group, and walked straight past them.
The game resumes.
For some reason, Porter Jr. started his solo scoring spree, finishing almost every single ball.
Even when facing Alexander, he did not back down.
Old Gordon stood in the corner, frowning, seemingly noticing something was wrong, but powerless to do anything about it.
Perhaps he already knew this would happen, but he wasn't sure when.
The Thunder gradually gained a slight advantage, though not a large one.
With one minute left, Porter Jr. drove into the paint, collided with an opponent, but still managed to complete a powerful dunk.
The Thunder quickly inbounded the ball, and while Porter Jr. was still celebrating, Alexander made a three-pointer.
The Rockets' offense then failed to score, and the first half ended.
With that final three-pointer, the Thunder led the Rockets 60-53, a seven-point advantage.
The halftime show begins, and the players from both teams enter the player tunnel and return to their respective locker rooms.
Wood was sitting in a chair playing on his phone, with ice on his ankle.
The Rockets players, coaches, and front office staff entered the locker room, but this did not make Wood look up.
Porter Jr., sitting next to him, said to the team doctor beside him, "Alex, can you take a look at me? I feel a little pain."
Several team doctors rushed over to check on Porter's leg.
It seems that during the previous attack, he collided with the opponent's leg, causing some bruising on Porter's leg, but it's not a serious problem.
"The bones are fine, the muscles are fine, overall, there's no problem."
Team doctor Alex cracked a joke, as he always does.
But Porter Jr. didn't laugh. He looked at Alex and said, "I think my leg hurts a lot. I probably won't be able to play in the second half."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room, including head coach Silas, looked at Porter Jr.