In the locker room, all the Pistons generals were dejected. When the head coach saw everyone's appearance, he was suffocating and angry, and roared:
"A bunch of fuckers, what were you playing in the first half? You're like a piece of shit! You can lose the game, but you can't lose spinelessly!
The people opposite are also young people. Are you worse than them? Show your fighting spirit. Even if you lose, you must leave with your head held high! "
"But we can't limit Harden at all."
Starkey replied weakly.
"As I said just now, especially you, you can't guard against Harden with conventional methods, so fuck him!
You don't want him to catch the ball easily and get involved in a confrontation. It doesn't matter even if he gets a foul. It's extremely difficult for him to score every point.
Others, after Harden took the first dribble, came up to double-team him, forcing him to stop the ball.
Focus on blocking his passing routes to Patterson and Morris. Jeremy Lin can leave this point appropriately. "
The young people headed by Knight, Monroe, and Drummond listened carefully to the coach's instructions and arrangements, raised their heads, and regained their fighting spirit.
"Don't worry, coach, brothers, we let go in the second half and we lost by almost 30 points. What more baggage do we have? It can't be worse than this."
Knight inspired the team.
But is it really like what Knight said, can it be worse than this?
In the case of tonight's game, certainly not.
As soon as the second half started, the Pistons were given a slap in the face. Harden continued to attack, including counterattacks, mid-range shots, and three-pointers.
The key is his height of 1.96, wingspan of 2.10, and the height of the Pistons' backcourt and wings. When double-teamed, it is difficult to interfere with Harden's ball.
Jeremy Lin, who was selectively shorted, successfully made 2 shots from beyond the three-point line.
Although the Pistons can also rely on Knight's personal ability to score points, the point difference has not narrowed, but has widened.
What's even worse is that in the second half, Rockets head coach McHale chose to rotate early, replacing Jeremy Lin early and replacing him with Argentine striker Delfino.
Except for Asik, the other four people on the court can shoot three-pointers. The Pistons' defense was exhausted.
At the end of the third quarter, the score reached 102:69, completely losing suspense.
When the game came up in the fourth quarter, the Pistons head coach brought up the starting lineup and worked for another 5 minutes.
For the Rockets, McHale chose to believe in Jeremy Lin. On the court, Jeremy Lin partnered with Motiejunas, Jones, Parsons and Delfino.
Facing the main force of the Pistons who were somewhat unwilling to fight, they fought back and forth without falling behind at all.
In particular, Motel and Jones seemed to be more adapted to the rhythm of the game, and their performance was much better than in the first half.
Xu Xin in the box was drinking champagne, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he was very satisfied with these young people.
He said to the assistant sitting beside him,
"After the game, I contacted the team's media department and team secretary, and emphatically praised the six Rockets, saying that they have grown rapidly and will be the hope for the team's revival."
"Rocket Six?"
The assistant was a little confused.
"Yes, Harden, Jeremy Lin, Parsons, Morris, Patterson, Asik."
"Okay, manager."
In the last seven minutes of the fourth quarter, the game completely turned into garbage time, with both sides replacing fringe players.
The cheers of the home team's fans could barely be heard at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
For them, it was a great shame that the home team they had been looking forward to all summer was defeated in the first game by the similarly rebuilt Rockets in less than half time.
And these young people on the team seem to make people unable to see the hope of rising.
Time ran out and the game ended. The score was finally fixed at 128:100, and the Rockets got off to a good start.
In Harden's first game after joining the Rockets, his performance completely exceeded people's expectations. In 28 minutes of playing time, he made 15 of 22 shots, 5 of 7 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 40 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Jeremy Lin showed more of his passing side in this game, scoring 12 points and 12 assists.
Patterson and Morris were a pleasant surprise.
As the two lottery picks selected by the Rockets for three consecutive years, their performance in the past one or two seasons can be said to be unsatisfactory.
But this game is eye-catching. They seem to have improved a lot.
Although he does not have the potential to be a star, his shooting accuracy on the offensive end has been greatly improved, and he is conscientious on the defensive end.
The static talents of the two also prevent them from becoming defensive holes. Such a player has the potential to become the third in charge or even the second in charge.
In the studio, Su Kui and Yang Jian were very happy. As commentators, naturally they cannot predispose the two teams in the match. This is unprofessional.
But in my heart, I hope that the Rockets can win. After all, the Rockets, which once had a great reputation, subtly became the home team in the hearts of most Chinese people in that era.
Teacher Su Kui was doing post-match analysis, and he was very emotional:
"Harden's performance today was really amazing. You know, he only joined the team yesterday.
He just did a brief pre-match training with his teammates this morning, and he didn't even participate in a joint training session.
This reflects Harden's super high basketball IQ. The cooperation between him and Jeremy Lin is better than expected. "
“Of course, his hot shooting touch is difficult to continue in a long season, but we can see how active he is on the court.
His off-the-ball movement on the offensive end, exquisite passing and unremitting devotion on the defensive end all ensure that Harden can still provide a lot of help to the team in winning games on nights when his hands are cold. "
"Thanks to Mr. Su Kui for sharing. It seems that fans have been talking about it. There is a saying, 'The three major illusions of the Southwest are that the Rockets are strong, the Mavericks are weak, and the Spurs are old.' It seems that they will all become It’s the truth.”
Yang Jian joked.
"Haha, you can't say that. The Mavericks have to go through the field test this season. They may not be weak."
"Although the Spurs' GDP is old, their strength remains the same as before. The young people in the team, led by Leonard, are also growing steadily, and the overall framework is not old."
Teacher Su Kui helped find supplements.
In the arena, Xu Xin stood in the player tunnel early to welcome the arrival of the Rockets generals.
The players came over one after another, and Xu Xin gave them high-fives, hugs, and words of encouragement.
The young guys were very impressed and walked into the locker room laughing.
Of course there are reserved items in the locker room.
When Harden was the last one to enter the locker room, Jeremy Lin, who was ambushing behind the door, poured a bucket of ice water on Harden's head. The players rushed forward and celebrated happily.
Xu Xin stood aside and did not step forward, but he became more determined to help Harden win the championship.
After the game, the team went through a short period of repair and rushed to Atlanta without stopping. The team's second game of the season was against the Hawks.
