章節 51: Chapter 51: The Frustrated Rockets
After the Nuggets took possession, Iverson faced Barria's defense. With a quick burst of speed, he effortlessly blew past Barria, drawing Yao Ming to defend. He swiftly passed the ball to Camby under the basket.
Camby caught it and went for a shot, but before he could release it, a large hand came crashing down.
"Boom!"
It was Yao Ming again, turning defense into dominance. But before the Rockets could recover, Martin snatched the loose ball. Without hesitation, he jumped, aiming for a powerful dunk. Yao, however, had no intention of letting him get away that easily.
"Boom!"
Another massive block! The ball flew out of bounds as the arena erupted in deafening cheers.
"Fuck!" Yao Ming roared, staring directly at Martin.
Jackson, the ESPN commentator, chuckled. "Looks like Yao's back at it again with his 'tomato' shout. He's fired up tonight."
"Yeah, I'd be too," Brin responded. "Martin had that run-in with Andrew before the game. It must've lit a fire under Yao."
"So… it's not about tomatoes then?" Jackson teased.
Yao was known for his calm demeanor, but when pushed, especially by a player like Martin, he preferred to let his game do the talking. And with those two blocks, he'd spoken loud and clear.
Martin, on the other hand, wasn't as composed. After being embarrassed in front of thousands of fans, he hastily ran to the corner to inbound the ball. But the Rockets were relentless. With only seconds left on the shot clock, Iverson received the inbound, and in classic AI fashion, hit a stop-and-pop jumper.
Even though AI was no longer in Philly, his scoring prowess hadn't dulled one bit.
On the next possession, Yao held the ball at the free-throw line. He found Millsap on the outside, who coolly drained a three-pointer.
But Iverson wasn't done. In response, he once again sliced through Barria's weak defense and effortlessly made a layup.
"AI! The man is a nightmare tonight!" Brin exclaimed, his excitement echoing through the commentary booth.
"The poor undrafted kid... this must be his worst night ever," Jackson added with a smirk.
It was a hotly contested game from the start, with both teams scoring on almost every possession.
When the Rockets went on the attack again, McGrady's deep three didn't connect, but Millsap fought his way through the defense to grab the offensive rebound, drawing a foul from Martin.
Martin, already visibly frustrated, began arguing with the referee, but his protests were quickly ignored. Millsap, grinning with satisfaction, calmly sank both free throws.
You could feel the tension building.
Martin had been riled up ever since his altercation with Andrew before the game. Now, the entire Rockets team seemed out for blood.
Seething with anger, Martin tried to take matters into his own hands. He leaned hard on Millsap, determined to back him down in the paint, but Iverson ignored him and took over, driving through Barria before dishing it out to Anthony for a cold-blooded three.
Martin slapped his hands in frustration as the crowd let out a collective roar of laughter. Despite his pedigree as a number-one pick, Martin had never evolved into the leader the Nuggets needed. And tonight, that was painfully clear.
The Rockets regained possession, and McGrady, still itching to make his mark, darted into the lane for a layup. Martin, now tasked with defending him, tried to stand his ground. But with his forehead already bandaged from an earlier encounter, he instinctively raised his hands to shield his face. The result? McGrady bulldozed him straight out of bounds.
"My God! T-Mac is back!" Brin bellowed, unable to contain his enthusiasm.
The crowd went wild. It was a scene reminiscent of McGrady's legendary days—unstoppable, fearless, and hungry.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle blew, signaling a blocking foul on Martin. McGrady, seeing this, landed and erupted in excitement, shouting toward the crowd. The message was clear: he didn't need to throw punches; his play did all the talking.
Martin, meanwhile, continued to argue, only to be ignored once again by the officials. With his earlier foul on Millsap already on record, Martin now had two fouls. After just three minutes of play, he was forced to sit on the bench.
As Nene walked to the scorer's table to sub in, Martin yanked off his hoodie and tossed it angrily onto the floor, triggering a wave of hissing from the fans.
One of the Nuggets' assistant coaches quickly scooped it up before the referees could dish out a technical foul.
With Martin out, the Nuggets didn't lose much in terms of strength. Nene, in his second year, was tougher and more physical. The two teams continued trading blows on the scoreboard, eventually tying at 32 apiece as the first quarter neared its end.
But while the Rockets had kept up, Barria was getting demolished by Iverson. AI had racked up 16 points and 3 assists in just one quarter.
Andrew, watching from the sidelines, sighed. He had hoped Barria's speed could emulate Tyronn Lue's iconic defense against AI during the Lakers' heyday, but tonight, it seemed like too much to ask.
As both teams began subbing in their reserves, Andrew didn't bring Blake onto the court just yet. Instead, he let him continue observing from the bench.
The Rockets looked a bit disorganized, but Hide, with his veteran savvy, held the fort, keeping the game close. However, Andrew couldn't help but notice Barria sitting on the bench, staring at the floor in front of him.
Despite his struggles, Barria had earned a spot in the NBA. His performances in the Summer League and practices with the Rockets had shown promise. So why was he faltering now?
Looking across at the Nuggets' bench, Andrew saw Iverson resting. Then, it hit him—he had been expecting too much too soon from Barria. Facing a superstar like Iverson in your very first NBA game? Of course, the kid was nervous.
Realizing this, Andrew stood up and walked toward Barria. It wasn't just about physical talent; it was about confidence. And if he didn't step in now, Barria might never recover from this night.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票