Chapter 381: Chapter 293: Zeng Xingyang’s Showdown with Harden!
The brightly lit arena was filled with an atmosphere as intense as flickering flames, with the cheers of the audience rising and falling.
The match between Zeng Xingyang and Harden was highly anticipated by the fans.
The coordination between Zeng Xingyang and Jokic remained as seamless as ever.
In the previous dozen games, Zeng Xingyang often let Butler organize the offense. However, in recent matches, he has taken back the reins of organizing. Although Butler possesses some organizational abilities, making him play as a pure point guard is a bit of a stretch.
Next, it was the Rockets’ turn to attack.
Harden, using the screens from Howard and Harrell, slowly but surely penetrated the paint, instantly compressing the Nuggets’ defense.
He then made a no-look pass to Ariza on the perimeter.
Ariza caught the ball, adjusted his footing, and decisively shot a three-pointer from a diagonal position.
"Swish!" The ball went through the net cleanly, with a crisp sound echoing throughout the arena.
The score was now 4 to 7.
Ariza had previously been nurtured to be the Rockets’ leader, but he ended up with the nickname "Iron Ariza."
As it turned out, he wasn’t suited to be the primary ball handler and was better suited as a 3-and-D player.
When he focused on the 3-and-D role, his efficiency greatly improved.
Howard, face flushed, yelled at Jokic, "Hey, fatty, where’s your defense?"
"Weren’t you supposed to have the best defense in the league?"
"You guys can’t keep up with our pace at all!"
Jokic remained calm, ignoring Howard’s taunts.
Unlike Zeng Xingyang and Butler, Jokic didn’t like trash-talking on the court; he preferred to speak off the court.
Zeng Xingyang, nearby, couldn’t help but laugh at Howard’s words. He thought to himself, you weren’t the one who made the three-pointer, what’s there to shout about?
"Want to get dunked on again?" Zeng Xingyang shouted as he passed by Howard.
Howard instantly shut his mouth, a hint of apprehension crossing his face. When it came to Zeng Xingyang, he truly admired and respected him, having no choice in the matter.
The Nuggets started their attack.
Butler quickly advanced with the ball to the front court and then passed it to Zeng Xingyang.
The defender on Zeng Xingyang was Ariza. Zeng Xingyang feinted a three-point shot, his body leaning slightly back, with his arms making a shooting gesture, prompting Ariza to jump up to block.
However, Zeng Xingyang didn’t actually shoot. Just as Ariza jumped, Pope came over at the right moment to set a screen, successfully blocking Ariza.
Harden immediately switched to guard Zeng Xingyang.
"Oh oh, the showdown between Harden and Zeng Xingyang, this is exactly what I’ve been eager to witness!" the commentator shouted excitedly, his voice echoing throughout the arena, "Let’s see if Harden can put up a decent defense and not get bypassed too easily."
Harden’s defense had long been criticized, but Zeng Xingyang didn’t dare to be careless.
He knew that the defense of top players often depended on their defensive attitude. At this moment, Harden’s eyes revealed a strong defensive desire.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled low on the right side, the basketball rhythmically bouncing in his hand.
Harden lowered his center of gravity, legs slightly bent and arms spread wide, ready to intercept the ball at any moment.
Butler was constantly directing his teammates to create space for Zeng Xingyang to break through.
Zeng Xingyang dribbled with his left hand, suddenly accelerating to break through.
Harden reacted quickly, immediately sticking close. Zeng Xingyang saw this, slowed down, then crossed over to the right side, accelerating again, finally getting past Harden.
This series of moves was seamless and crisp.
The audience was amazed by Zeng Xingyang’s exquisite dribbling skills, and the group of Chinese fans erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
Harden tried to chase after, but his steps were too slow, allowing Zeng Xingyang to shake him off completely.
Howard quickly came over to help defend, leaping high, arms extended, ready to block Zeng Xingyang’s dunk.
Zeng Xingyang had a poor passing angle at this moment, and his teammates’ positions were also restricted.
But he remained unusually calm, decisively choosing to throw the ball off the backboard while on the move.
Howard leaped with all his might, but the distance was slightly too great, and he couldn’t touch the ball.
"That’s not a floater," the commentator said in confusion, "What’s Zeng doing?"
It turned out the ball wasn’t headed directly to the basket but was bouncing back off the backboard.
After releasing the ball, Zeng Xingyang quickly leaped again, fully extending his body and arms to grasp the rebounding ball firmly, then slammed it home with a powerful dunk.
"Bang!" The rim shook violently, as if telling the story of this astonishing dunk.
to 7.
This self-lob dunk instantly ignited the atmosphere on the Nuggets’ bench.
"Oh oh, that was awesome, the rim at Toyota Center is crying!" the commentator shouted excitedly, his voice changed by the thrill, "That’s the second top play of the day I’ve seen, and the first one wasn’t long ago!"
"Is this a tribute to T-Mac?"
"As a Rockets fan, I’m almost in tears."
The Rockets fans on the scene, seeing Zeng Xingyang’s self-lob dunk, instantly remembered Tracy McGrady, who used to play in such a style.
Unfortunately, his achievements were destined to fall short of Zeng Xingyang’s.
Butler ran over with a broad smile, high-fiving Zeng Xingyang: "Man, that move was so cool!"
Zeng Xingyang shrugged his shoulders, then ran back.
Beside him, Harden, with sweat pouring off his forehead, showed a trace of amazement in his eyes; he hadn’t expected Zeng Xingyang to handle it that way.
"Yang is awesome!" A student couldn’t help but shout in class, resulting in having their phone confiscated by the teacher...
"Amazing!"
"Can’t stop him!"
"Deng’s defense has indeed become a mere backdrop."
"Self-lob dunk, that’s sick!"
"This is the violence of aesthetics, Zeng Xingyang’s talent is fully displayed."
"The God of Chinese basketball, as I declare!"
The captions in Penguin Sports’ live stream were frantically scrolling, with fans growing increasingly excited.
The commentator Wang Meng exclaimed, "There are reasons why Zeng Xingyang is so popular in the NBA; the man’s skills are right in front of us."
Kovan shouted, "Oh oh, this self-lob dunk was a stunner!"
On the court, the Rockets launched another offensive.
Harden, using Harrell’s screen, charged in like a bull, gripping the basketball with both hands, leaning into Grant, and laying it in.
to 9.
Harden’s upper body strength was exceptionally powerful, completely pushing Grant aside during this confrontation.
Returning to the other end, Zeng Xingyang executed a pick-and-roll with Grant, creating a mismatch against Harrell.
"Bang!" "Bang!" Zeng Xingyang continuously shifted directions, the basketball seeming to come alive in his hands.
He expertly disrupted rhythm, sidestepping to create space, and quickly shot a jump shot.
Harrell’s rhythm was entirely disrupted, unable to close out in time.
"Swish!"
The basketball swished cleanly through the net.
to 9, Zeng Xingyang and Harden commenced a scoring duel.
McHale stood at the sideline, arms crossed, not calling for a time-out, still observing the situation on the court.
On the court, Harden and Harrell set another pick-and-roll.
After the pick-and-roll, Harrell rolled to the basket, and Harden delivered a bounce pass, the ball shooting through the gaps in the defense like a bullet, landing accurately in Harrell’s hands.
Harrell, receiving the ball, confronted Grant, soared high, and put the ball in.
to 11.
Harrell’s best scoring method was receiving down-the-lane passes, thriving alongside Harden.
After completing the attack, Harrell howled to the skies repeatedly.
Since moving from the Clippers to the Rockets, Harrell has been eager to prove he’s worth a big contract, worth respecting.