Chapter 42 McGee's Chance

In this way, McGee's new opportunity to play might be coming.

It's often said that those who smile are lucky, and McGee's cheerful personality meant that luck really came knocking on his door.

Before the game that night, Williams once again added McGee to the active roster.

McGee looked a little excited. After the last game, he thought he would never have another chance.

He didn't expect God to be so kind to him, and that the opportunity would come again so quickly.

The Rockets were currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference, but the Clippers were only one win behind them, making every game crucial.

Moreover, Harden really wanted to win this game.

His team record, MVP ranking, and external evaluation were all inferior to Tang Tian, so he needed this victory to prove himself.

In this showdown between strong teams, the Smoothie King Center was packed to capacity.

It had to be said that the Pelicans' schedule was pretty good, with consecutive home games saving them from the fatigue of traveling.

TNT's Big Three were also at the game, providing commentary and starting their usual banter before the game.

It was worth noting that after Tang Tian's previous comments, signs like "my.boy" were nowhere to be seen.

Tang Tian's words were still quite effective.

The Rockets had undergone some subtle changes since their last encounter.

Their starting center, Asik, had suffered a wave of injuries, and rookie Capela, who replaced him in the starting lineup, had performed impressively, averaging 9 points and 7 rebounds.

His offensive and defensive partnership with Bosh was quite harmonious, which led to Asik losing his starting position after returning from injury.

Asik's contract was expiring at the end of the season, and he had a history of butterfingers and declining defense.

This move by the Rockets, like the Warriors' development of Green, was about preparing for the future, regardless of background.

In other positions, the Rockets were the same as last season, with Beverley and Harden in the backcourt, and Parsons and Bosh on the front line.

The Pelicans also had their regular starting five.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Whiteside won the tip-off against Capela, kicking off the game.

Whiteside continued to show his excellent competitive state, opening the game with a pick-and-roll with Tang Tian, receiving the ball and muscling past Capela to slam it into the basket.

Capela proved himself with the opportunity, but he was still inexperienced, and like Nurkic in the previous game, he struggled to compete with Whiteside.

However, Harden was in excellent form, scoring 16 points and 3 assists in the first quarter with a combination of shots and free throws, helping the Rockets tie the Pelicans 26-26.

His desire to prove himself was not only in his heart but also reflected in his actions.

At the start of the second quarter, Williams turned around and called McGee over.

In the last two minutes of the first quarter, he used Davis at the center position, but the effect wasn't very good.

When McGee saw Williams' gesture, it was like seeing a sexy woman beckoning to him, and he jumped up in an instant.

This opportunity was much better than the last one, considering it was during regular rotation time!

This action startled Williams.

He remembered McGee's bewildering performance in the last game and called McGee over to give him a few words of advice.

McGee nodded vigorously, his expression frantically indicating that he was fine.

Williams finally patted McGee's hand, signaling him to enter the game.

Both teams came back in the second quarter with one starter and four substitutes.

The Pelicans had Ariza leading the team, along with Dinwiddie, Gordon, Aminu, and McGee.

The Rockets had Bosh leading the team, along with Terry, Brewer, Josh Smith, and Asik.

The Rockets attacked first in the second quarter.

Williams stood on the sidelines, his eyes fixed on McGee.

Despite all the instructions, he was still worried about McGee.

Bosh held the ball high, orchestrating the offense, with Terry and Smith cutting in from both sides.

Bosh passed the ball to Smith, who took the ball and broke through to the basket.

McGee's defensive positioning was problematic. As a center, he was on the weak side, allowing Asik to completely box him out, leaving the Pelicans' interior wide open.

Smith rushed to the basket and slammed it in with both hands.

It was a display of the former Eagle King's style.

The Rockets' bench erupted in cheers.

"This is new material."

O'Neal said seriously at the commentary desk.

His words caused Barkley to burst into laughter. The new material naturally referred to Shaqtin' a Fool.

Smith shook his head helplessly.

McGee was really taking care of O'Neal's "business."

Williams reached out and rubbed his forehead on the sidelines.

With McGee's defensive positioning, he really wouldn't want to use McGee if there was anyone else.

Borego shouted at McGee a few times, reminding him of his defensive positioning.

In the Pelicans' offense, Dinwiddie organized on the perimeter, passing the ball to Gordon, whose three-pointer missed the rim.

Asik reached out to grab the defensive rebound.

But just then, McGee jumped up and grabbed the ball with his long arms, snatching the offensive rebound from behind Asik!

McGee was 2.10 meters tall, but his wingspan reached 2.29 meters. Although not as good as Biyombo and Whiteside, it was still absolutely top-notch.

And the key was that his running jump reached 82.6 centimeters, which was absolutely top-notch data for a big man.

With a long wingspan and the ability to jump, he was not called the best center with physical talent for no reason.

"Stop him!"

Rockets assistant coach Bickerstaff shouted from the sidelines.

Asik tried hard to hold off McGee.

But McGee didn't mean to force the attack. He directly passed the ball to Dinwiddie, who cut in, and Dinwiddie caught the ball and flew up for a layup, scoring directly!

A brilliant pass!

The Pelicans tied the score!

Williams was stunned on the sidelines.

A bad choice of defensive positioning, but able to deliver such a brilliant pass.

He really didn't understand McGee.

Tang Tian didn't quite understand either, but at least this play showed that his previous judgment was correct: McGee's basketball IQ wasn't low.

Back on the defensive end, McGee's positioning was in the restricted area this time. Borego's reminder was still useful.

The Rockets used the same tactic again, with Brewer cutting in this time, catching the ball and flying up for a layup.

Asik tried hard to block McGee, but McGee's arms were really long, and he managed to swat the ball out of Brewer's hands right through Asik's body!

A block over someone!

The fans in the arena were dumbfounded.

This talent was no worse than Whiteside!

The blocked ball was picked up by Asik, who quickly shot, but his butterfingers trait was triggered, and the ball slid out of the rim.

McGee landed and grabbed the rebound.

Williams nodded on the sidelines at this moment.

Compared to the previous play, the block and rebound protection were still very good.

McGee passed the ball to Dinwiddie, who dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and broke through to the basket after a pick-and-roll with Aminu.

The Rockets' interior contracted, and Dinwiddie showed the vision of a tall point guard, passing the ball back to McGee in the middle.

McGee caught the ball, accelerated, took two big steps, and flew towards the basket.

Asik in the interior pounced out to defend.

But he was obviously too slow.

McGee took off a step away from the restricted area, and slammed the ball into the basket over Asik.

There was physical contact between the two.

"Bang!"

McGee slammed the ball into the basket over Asik.

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