Turning around, He Ximeng continued to cooperate with Horry, trying to pull Barkley out, but this time, Barkley did not stick close to He Ximeng. Instead, he took a step back, both to be able to lunge and interfere with He Ximeng, and to quickly retreat and double-team O'Neal...
Barkley's mind was indeed sharp, and he made a response immediately, trying to find a balance between the two. But this move clearly underestimated He Ximeng's extended three-point shot...
He Ximeng immediately showed Barkley a little color!
As he retreated, he didn't stay close to the three-point line but retreated to a position one step beyond the three-point line!
Barkley, thinking he could interfere with He Ximeng's shot by staying close to the three-point line, found that when he tried to lunge forward again, He Ximeng had already pulled up and shot. The basketball sailed over Barkley's head, and to his astonished eyes, it went in steadily!
"Heard you can fly?" He Ximeng retorted to Barkley's taunt from the previous round.
If it were Barkley in his youth, he could have indeed used his explosive speed and jumping ability to block the long shots of guard players. But now, Barkley was almost 35 years old and clearly couldn't fly anymore. He might still have a chance to block drives by playing a floor game and using rhythm, but for a straight-up shot from a distance like He Ximeng's, he was already willing but unable...
If Barkley wanted to help Hakeem Olajuwon double-team O'Neal, he had to endure He Ximeng's bombardment from beyond the three-point line!
For the Rockets, either choice was a painful one.
Turning around, Maloney wanted to replicate He Ximeng's tactic and use the same method to deal with Horry. However, Horry stayed close to Maloney, not giving him a chance for an open shot. As for passing to Olajuwon in the paint... go ahead and pass!
We welcome Olajuwon one-on-one against O'Neal!
Maloney did pass, and Olajuwon received the ball and made a move! But O'Neal guarded him fiercely and moved very agilely, giving Olajuwon no chance to fake him out. In the end, Olajuwon had to turn and force up a shot, which missed again.
He Ximeng used the defensive rebound secured by O'Neal to initiate a fast break. Taking advantage of the Rockets' slow transition defense, he broke through to the Rockets' paint, faked a shot, and instead of attacking the basket directly, passed the ball to Eddie Jones, who was trailing in the middle!
The Rockets players rushed back into the paint, but He Ximeng avoided the strong points and passed to Eddie Jones, who was open beyond the three-point line, for an open three-pointer!
The Lakers had both set plays and fast breaks! One lineup, two tactical systems running simultaneously. Under He Ximeng's control, they switched seamlessly.
Between the Lakers' inside and outside game, the Rockets chose to contain the Lakers' inside presence! That is, they tightened their defense, not allowing O'Neal to dominate the paint.
O'Neal originally wanted to go head-to-head and power through, but whenever O'Neal was double-teamed, He Ximeng would often position himself outside the three-point line on the same side as O'Neal to act as a pick-and-roll option!
O'Neal attempted a pass, and He Ximeng received it and hit the shot!
O'Neal passed again, and He Ximeng hit again!
O'Neal passed again, and He Ximeng hit again!
...
O'Neal and He Ximeng engaged in a dynamic duo.
When the Rockets' interior defense was lax, He Ximeng assisted O'Neal in scoring!
When the Rockets' interior defense tightened, O'Neal assisted He Ximeng in scoring!
...
Barkley was so frustrated by the Lakers' "disgusting" pick-and-roll play that he directly glared at O'Neal and yelled, "If you have the guts, don't pass! Come and attack me directly!"
Barkley wanted to use psychological tactics to ignite O'Neal's anger and force the Lakers to change their strategy.
However, O'Neal was not a brainless muscleman with a big chest; he was quite sharp. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, grinned, and bared his big white teeth at Barkley, taunting, "Huh? Are you stupid? You want me to ignore the sharpshooter on the outside and engage in a physical battle with you in the paint? If you have the ability, try to contain both our inside and outside game at the same time..."
Barkley was speechless, thinking, if we had the ability to contain the Lakers' inside game simultaneously, why would I be babbling here? I'd just go at them...
As it was, in less than 10 minutes of the first quarter, He Ximeng was 3-for-3 from three-point range, plus a driving layup and a free throw, scoring 12 points and 4 assists in the quarter!
O'Neal was not bad either! In the first quarter, he was 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 10 points and 3 assists! O'Neal with 3 assists in a quarter was quite rare...
At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led 30:18, easily gaining a 12-point advantage.
In the latter half of the second quarter, He Ximeng played for 6 minutes, continuing the pick-and-roll dynamic, hitting two more three-pointers and a long-range mid-range shot. By halftime, He Ximeng had already scored a team-high 20 points and 6 assists!
Looking at his shooting touch and momentum, it was clear that He Ximeng was poised for an explosion today...
Before the second half began, Coach Harris specifically instructed He Ximeng to shoot boldly and establish his perimeter threat, without worrying about shot selection...
No need to consider shot selection? This meant that in this game, He Ximeng had been granted a special privilege by Coach Harris, possessing unlimited shooting rights!
The Lakers currently had several scoring options.
Both core players. Although O'Neal had unlimited shooting rights, he didn't have the ball-handling rights. Therefore, when his shooting touch was off, He Ximeng would proactively help him "reduce" his shots. When his touch was good, He Ximeng would continuously increase his shot opportunities. Thus, on average, O'Neal's average shots per game were around 20.
Eddie Jones' status had improved this season, with his shot selection stable at around 16 attempts.
If Kobe Bryant were not injured, his shot selection this season would have risen to 12 attempts.
Under normal circumstances, He Ximeng's shot selection would be around 12 attempts.
In the first half, He Ximeng had used 10 attempts and made 7 shots. According to the original rules, He Ximeng would only have 2 shots left in the second half, with a maximum allowance of 5 more, totaling 15 attempts, which was He Ximeng's ceiling.
But since Coach Harris had spoken, it meant that in the second half, He Ximeng could break this ceiling of 15 attempts and approach O'Neal's 20-shot mark, or even surpass it...
However, the second half was different from the first. The Rockets clearly tightened their restrictions on He Ximeng. To stop He Ximeng's shooting, they even resorted to aggressive fouls, sending He Ximeng to the free-throw line, all in an attempt to deter his shooting!
The typical He Ximeng seemed to "fear" contact and disliked scoring, thus giving the Rockets a false impression that they could deter He Ximeng through aggressive play... It's likely that the Rockets were not the only team in the league with this idea.
But did He Ximeng truly fear contact?
The Rockets' deterrence did not make He Ximeng retreat; instead, it ignited He Ximeng's ferocity!
With his good shooting touch today, and with Kobe Bryant not on the court to distribute the ball, He Ximeng decided to shoot freely and test his scoring limit...
And so, the Rockets were in for a miserable time!