In the Chinese Derby, countless domestic fans were sitting around the TV watching this meaningful game.
The atmosphere at Toyota Center was warm, and after the appearance ceremony, the starters from both teams stayed on the court.
Rockets: Rafe Alston, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, Yao Ming;
Nuggets: Li Yan, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene Hilario.
Marcus Camby has just recovered from injury and is on the bench.
Yao Ming's No. 7 pick in the same class, Nene, moved to the center position to face off against Yao Ming.
The two sides jumped to the ball. Although Yao Ming did not jump high but had an obvious height advantage, he still jumped to the ball.
After Alston dribbled the ball across half court, he handed the ball to McGrady.
Li Yan stood in front of McGrady, his attention was very focused.
Li Yan's defense had no flaws. At the beginning of the game, McGrady didn't make a strong play. He gave the ball to Yao Ming inside.
The Rockets' tactics are very solid. Due to weight gain, Yao Ming has become the league's number one inside low-post killer, but he has also lost his movement speed.
The Rockets almost always play in position, playing half-court offense and relying on the offensive abilities of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady to score points.
Alston and Battier are fixed-point shooters on the offensive end; and Hayes, as a 198 power forward without a basket, really doesn't score on the offensive end.
Yao Ming faced Nenei, held it with his back, fought twice, turned around in the middle distance, and even slightly leaned back.
"Shua!" 2 to 0!
Yao Ming opened the scoring, and Nene showed a helpless smile.
Facing Yao Ming, who weighs 226cm and 140.6kg, Nenei, who weighs 211cm and 113kg, is like a "little dried fish", waiting to be chewed up by the "behemoth" Yao Ming.
There is really nothing the Nuggets can do inside. Yao Ming has too many offensive methods, and he is not a rough guy like Howard who only knows one trick.
Nuggets offense.
After Li Yan reached the frontcourt, he gave the ball to Anthony.
Anthony is an absolute strength in offense. Facing most defenders, he can put the basketball into the basket.
Anthony started with a classic triple threat, and then started strongly to kill the inside.
Battier was squeezed away by Anthony, Yao Ming couldn't prevent it, and Hayes was stuck by Kenyon Martin.
Anthony easily hit a mid-range shot.
2 to 2!
Rocket's round.
After halftime, the ball was still given to Yao Ming in the low post.
Yao Ming's threat was too great. In the second round, the Nuggets began to double-team.
Yao Ming had no chance and immediately returned the ball to McGrady.
McGrady received the basketball in the high post. The Rockets' tactics were simple and crude. Yao and McGrady played various singles, while the others watched and squatted down to shoot fixed spots.
McGrady will play Li Yan in singles this time.
"Bang! Bah! Bah!" McGrady feinted with the ball and broke through in one step.
Li Yan was well prepared, and he followed McGrady's first step.
McGrady failed to hit the ball, immediately collected the ball, continued to change direction, and took another step.
Medila found room to take action and immediately made a cool move.
After Li Yan stabilized his center of gravity, he immediately pounced.
The ball caused interference, but the basketball jumped twice and still fell into the basket.
"Shua!" 4 to 2!
Li Yan's defense was pretty good, and McGrady's shot had some luck.
Nuggets round.
Kenyon Martin quickly served the baseline ball.
Li Yan immediately picked up the speed after catching the ball. The Rockets were obviously not fully prepared and were caught off guard by the Nuggets.
Iverson scored two points with an easy layup.
4 to 4!
Rockets offense.
McGrady held the ball for half the game, but Li Yan didn't give McGrady any space and went straight up to press for him.
Li Yan doesn't suffer any loss by exchanging physical strength for physical strength. In addition to the "Wolf King's Roar", Li Yan can also recharge once.
With so many female fans on the sidelines, it won't be too difficult for the "ball master" to perform.
This time Yao Ming mentioned the high position as a cover for Tracy McGrady. Yao Ming's body is broad and strong.
Li Yan was deflected directly. Yao Ming was suspected of moving the ball to pick and roll, but the referee didn't call it, so there was no problem.
Just when Li Yan thought McGrady was going to score easily, Anthony rushed over and interfered, and McGrady's mid-range shot was blocked.
Nene protects this rebound.
"WOW!" Li Yan gave Anthony a thumbs up. In this round, Gua's defense is crucial.
Nuggets offense.
McGrady looks listless. People who don't know McGrady will definitely think that he is wasting his money.
Li Yan also asked for a cover, and Nene caught McGrady.
Li Yan took advantage of the situation and moved inside, taking a European step and making a change of pace.
Yao Ming came over to defend, but Li Yan did not force a shot against Yao Ming. He safely passed the basketball to Kenyon Martin on the side.
Kenyon Martin pulled up and dunked, "Boom!" The basket buzzed.
6 to 4!
After landing, Martin gave Li Yan a thumbs up: "niCe!"
After the opening, the Nuggets' offense was very smooth.
Li Yan's passing and controlling rhythm is very good, and his series ball makes the Nuggets teammates feel particularly comfortable.
The Nuggets blossomed more and were very efficient.
The Rockets relied on the strong play of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady to score points, and the Nuggets were very determined to attack Yao Ming.
The Rockets' outsiders thus got some open opportunities, but Alston and Battier's shooting percentages were not high.
The Rockets fell into a passive situation.
Jeff Van Gundy stopped the game because he was not satisfied with the team's performance.
The Nuggets played so smoothly in the opening game, but the Rockets' defensive intensity was obviously not strong enough.
"The Nuggets played very smoothly. Although Li Yan didn't score, he activated the whole team with his passing."
"Li Yan played very selflessly and played a huge role on both offense and defense."
"The Rockets' efficiency was a bit low. When Yao Ming was flanked, their perimeter players did not seize the opportunity."
After the pause ends.
The Rockets' adjustment paid off. McGrady broke through to attract the defense and create opportunities for Yao Ming.
Yao and Mai connected continuously to score points, and Yao Ming was a sure winner. His basic skills were not comparable to those of later generations.
…………
The Rockets' offense has improved, but defensively they don't have much to do against the Nuggets.
After Li Yan reached the frontcourt, he dribbled the ball in a different direction. When McGrady was distracted for a moment, Li Yan changed direction and got rid of him.
Li Yan's rhythm was very good. The top turned around to avoid Yao Ming's block, and hit the board with "Looking Back at the Moon".
23 to 14!
Li Yan entered the state quickly. Under his guidance, the Nuggets turned away and took the initiative in the game.
