On the evening of December 17, the Rockets' away game against the Raptors came as scheduled.
Although Garnett was injured unexpectedly and was unable to play on the Rockets' side, Bargnani, the team's own top pick, was also unable to play on the Raptors' side.
The two sides formed a match, and the Rockets' overall strength was still higher than that of the Raptors, who had just completed their reconstruction.
But when the game started, the actual score did not reflect the difference in paper strength.
On the defensive end, the Raptors used all three forces, man-to-man, and did a good job of grabbing screens.
Jeremy Lin was not used to Lowry's oppressive defense. He made two consecutive mistakes and gave DeRozan two counterattack dunks.
McHale called a timeout in time and made substitution adjustments, taking out Jeremy Lin and replacing him with Ariza.
The court has become a 2.13 big center Asik and four forward swingmen of about two meters. The shortest Harden also has 1.96.
Harden came to the No. 1 position and faced a smaller version of himself, Lowry, and played very calmly.
By organizing the offense in an orderly manner, the Rockets' offensive efficiency has been significantly improved.
The score was recovered bit by bit after falling behind for the first five minutes.
On the defensive end, the Rockets, like the Raptors, also use man-to-man marking. Except for Lowry and DeRozan, the other three starters have almost no independent offensive capabilities.
Although the "Trash Brothers" have made significant progress this season, their ability to fight tough battles is not good.
Facing the defense of Ariza and Butler, the shooting rate was quite satisfactory. The Raptors' two strongest points were unable to perform beyond their normal capabilities, let alone others. The Rockets successfully completed the lead.
At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led by 6 points, 28:22.
Due to Jeremy Lin's matchup disadvantage, McHale made adjustments to the rotation order on the spot.
Butler left the game early, and Harden led the team for the entire first quarter.
As soon as the second quarter started, while Lowry was resting, Jeremy Lin went out at the wrong time. Teaming up with Butler and Livingston, the three guns took turns to score points. The Raptors' defensive line was distracted and fragmented.
A 12:2 climax stopped the Raptors.
Coach Casey called two timeouts in a row to no avail. It's hard to make a meal without rice, and there are no substitutes, so Lowry and DeRozan can only be replaced.
But Jeremy Lin has regained his form at this time. Facing Lowry again, although he will not have an advantage, at least he will not be as passive as in the first quarter.
Both sides went back and forth, the game was fast-paced and the scene was exciting.
At halftime, the Rockets led by 16 points, 64:48.
At the beginning of the second half, Lowry and DeRozan both broke out. In five consecutive minutes, the two made a combined 8 of 12 shots, plus 6 free throws, and scored a combined 24 points.
I had a small climax of 26:12.
The score difference was close to 2 points.
McHale turned back to Xu Xin, who was sitting behind the bench, and said:
"When the backcourt combination of Harden and Jeremy Lin faces a backcourt duo with strong scoring ability, the hidden dangers on the defensive end are exposed."
Xu Xin nodded in approval and replied:
"Don't worry, the person I mentioned to you will be able to join by mid-January at the latest."
McHale gave a thumbs-up gesture and turned away to continue focusing on the game.
Taking advantage of the dead ball, he made substitution adjustments, replacing Jeremy Lin again and bringing on Ariza to restrict Lowry.
The Rockets quickly controlled the situation on the court. Ariza and Butler did a good job in defending the "Trash Brothers". In addition, Lowry and DeRozan's physical fitness declined sharply, and their shots were frequently hit.
The Raptors' offense stalled, and the defense was unable to stop Harden's indiscriminate singles and Butler's cutting runs.
In addition, Ariza and Tucker stood in the two corners respectively, received Harden's pass, and hit three-pointers from the corners one after another, and the lead reached 20 points.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rockets led 106:84 by 22 points.
Xu Xin is very satisfied. With the transformation of Harden and Butler, and the addition of Ariza, Tucker, and Livingston, this Rockets has taken the prototype of the 18-year-old.
Butler is targeting Paul as the team's No. 2 offensive starting point. Although his ability to organize offense is not good, the team still has Jeremy Lin and Livingston who can control the ball.
Butler just needs to focus on offense and defense.
Coupled with his body's toughness, his attendance rate is not comparable to Paul's.
Paul's groin almost collapsed every critical moment in the playoffs, and thinking about Xu Xin gave him a headache.
Fortunately, this rocket is almost full of iron men.
This is also Xu Xin's intentional move in signings. There is currently no skill in the system that can help players speed up their recovery from injuries.
So Xu Xin didn't dare to take the risk of trading for a star who played well but didn't play much.
On the field, Jeremy Lin came up in the fourth quarter to clear away the haze of the third quarter. In tonight's matchup with Lowry, Jeremy Lin was tortured by Lowry's big butt. He really didn't call him a little steel gun for nothing. .
I was forced to adjust the rotation time twice. I really thought I had no temper!
Jeremy Lin was playing with great energy and a strong desire to attack. He scored 7 points in three rounds with layups, mid-range shots, and three-pointers. He scored 7:0 personally, and the point difference was 30 points.
Coach Casey was forced to call a timeout. When he saw Lowry still wiping sweat on the bench after the third quarter, he couldn't replace Lowry now.
Replaced with DeRozan, who only rested for 2 minutes in the third quarter.
With DeRozan coming up, the Raptors' offense finally gained something, but the defense still couldn't stop the impact of Jeremy Lin and Butler. Livingston could score a mid-range shot from time to time.
McHale's arrangement for Livingston is to let him form his own system, and his offensive options are unique in the team.
With 7 minutes left in the game, the Rockets led 122:90 by 32 points, and the game completely lost suspense.
Faced with bursts of boos from the home fans, Coach Casey had no choice but to admit defeat.
It's not that the players don't work hard, it's that the opponent is too strong, especially Harden and Butler. These two are simply unsolvable.
Coach Casey scolded the Thunder and Bulls management 10,000 times in his heart. These are the cornerstones of the team. At least they are much better than Lowry and DeRozan in his hands. You just sold them if you said they would? Selling so cheaply.
The home fans have begun to boo, and tonight they were also fans of Harden and Butler.
Harden's signature step-back three-pointers, Golden Rooster independent three-pointers, Butler's small inside hook, and mid-range pull-up jumpers are all pleasing to the eye. This is called basketball!
As the referee's whistle blew, the seven minutes of garbage time also ended.
The score was finally settled at 137:112.
The Rockets still saved face for the Raptors. They did not lose by more than 30 points, but lost by 25 points.
After winning the Raptors, the Rockets' Northern Expedition was not over yet. After a short rest, they boarded a plane to New York early the next morning.
Tonight, they have back-to-back games against the New York Knicks.
