In the next few rounds, Durant and Yang Xu's shooting percentage decreased.
However, the entire second segment was almost exclusively for the two of them.
Durant made 5 of 9 shots and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 15 points.
Yang Xu was even more exaggerated. He scored 7 out of 10, 3 out of 3 free throws, and scored 20 points crazily.
In one fell swoop, the Knicks led the Thunder and ended the first half.
When Yang Xu made a free throw, many fans shouted," MVP!
For a rookie, this was almost a miracle.
The other star players on the field, Durant and Harrington, were suddenly overshadowed.
At halftime, the Knicks returned to the locker room.
Some of the substitutes immediately surrounded Yang Xu and began to brag.
"Yang Xu, you were so strong just now. Even Durant couldn't beat you!”
"Yeah, that slam dunk actually knocked Green over. That's too abnormal.”
"If you continue to play like this, the Best Rookie Award might even be yours.”
At this moment, Harrington coughed twice.
Everyone glanced over and returned to their respective positions.
The more glorious Yang Xu was, the more desolate Harrington seemed.
He wanted the team to win, but he wanted it to be under his leadership.
He wasn't anyone else, and he wasn't a rookie either.
He thought that Yang Xu's job was to defend and assist him, but he did not expect him to become the main character.
What was even more infuriating was that the substitutes were all surrounding Yang Xu, completely ignoring their boss.
Just as he was about to find trouble with Yang Xu, D'Antoni also came to the locker room.
He patted the tactical board with an excited expression on his face." Lads, you played well in the first half. The fans at the stadium were completely blown away.”
"In the second half, adjust the starting lineup. Yang Xu, Hill, Du Hong, Gallinari, Larry Hughes, you guys go.”
In the preseason, every team would not use their full strength, and the main players would play very little.
No one objected to this decision.
It was just that Harrington was a little unhappy. In the first half, he was madly targeted and his data was not ideal.
He did not play in the second half. Although the preseason was not important, he considered himself a star player. His statistics were still too ugly.
However, at this time, the coach had already made arrangements, so he could not say anything else.
After D'Antoni finished laying out the tactics, he sat next to Yang Xu.
Yang Xu looked at him in confusion." Coach, what's the matter?”
" Your performance in the first half was so good that it completely exceeded my expectations," D'Antoni said with a smile." But in the second half, I want to see your other points!”
"Other points? Coach, I don't understand!"
"I want to see your passing. In the second half, you should reduce your offense and share the ball with your teammates more!”
Yang Xu was stunned for two seconds.
It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but he wasn't that good.
Most of his training was done by himself, and he rarely played in matches.
Even with the strongest talent, he still needed some time to learn the timing of the pass, the angle of the pass, and the strength of the pass.
These were all very particular. It was definitely not something that could be done well just because one's physical fitness was good.
Yang Xu wasn't sure if he could do it well and meet the coach's expectations, but since the coach had mentioned it, he could only agree.
"Let me try!"
Yang Xu didn't know that D'Antoni already had the idea of making him the next Nash.
Perhaps it was not appropriate to call him Nash, but he was the best point guard that D'Antoni had ever coached.
The best point guard in his heart was Steve Nash.
The second half began, and the players went on stage one after another.
The Knicks 'Harrington, David Lee, and the Thunder's Durant were all on the bench.
He wouldn't be playing in this match, but fortunately, Yang Xu was a rookie and still had to play.
As soon as he appeared, the crowd cheered.
It was as if a superstar had appeared. Who would have thought that this was just a player who had played in two NBA preseason games?
Young Master Wei, who was sitting offstage, actually wanted to go on stage too.
However, the manager did not allow it, so he could only watch Yang Xu's performance angrily off the field.
Yang Xu was even more unstoppable now that both sides had a lineup.
As long as he wanted to score, no one could stop him.
However, the coach arranged for him to pass the ball more, so he had to change his style of play.
As soon as Yang Xu got the ball, he was immediately pressed down.
He kicked his feet and immediately passed the defender. Facing the one-man inside, he pretended to make a layup.
The defenders 'attention was completely attracted by Yang Xu. Yang Xu went straight for Hill, and Hill received the ball with both hands and smashed the basket.
Another round of attack, Yang Xu once again rushed into the paint.
Faced with the two players 'supplementary defense, he threw the ball to Du Hong in the bottom corner.
The latter raised his hand and grabbed the empty space.
Due to Yang Xu's superb scoring ability, Thunderclap was exceptionally strict with Yang Xu's defense.
As a result, there were always two defenders beside Yang Xu.
As a result, the Knicks gained a lot of empty seats.
Although Yang Xu's pass was not particularly timely, it was enough for the attacker.
Every pass was almost always a huge empty space. As a professional player, this was enough.
In eight minutes, Yang Xu had two points and six assists.
He had completed the coach's task perfectly.
Outsiders watched the show, while insiders watched the show.
Those who didn't understand football would definitely think that he was a passing master when they saw the statistics of six assists in eight minutes.
But D'Antoni knew that these assists were all exchanged for personal appeal.
Compared to Nash, Yang Xu's passing skills were still much worse.
However, he was confident that he could nurture Yang Xu.
The Knicks replaced Yang Xu for the rest of the game. The game was already set in stone, and there was no need to continue.
Moreover, Yang Xu was now a treasure in his hands. There was no need to continue wasting his energy in such a competition that had nothing to do with his results.
At the end of the game, the Knicks had 111:103 Thunder.
Durant had 26 points, while Westbrook had 11 points and five assists.
Harrington had 4 points, and David Lee had 6 points.
Yang Xu came on as a substitute and scored the highest 31 points in the game, plus 10 assists.
The Best of the Match!
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