Old players who have played for the Rockets can still perform well when they go to a new team. This is true for Patrick Patterson, and the same is true for "rich and handsome" Chandler Parsons.
This is rocket product, it must be a top quality product!
And there is also a hidden buff. The old Rockets players often perform exceptionally well when facing their old owners. There are many examples in previous lives.
The starters from both sides walked onto the court and did their final stretching.
The Rockets are still the same, Jeremy Lin, Harden, Butler, Garnett and Asik. Before Yao Ming returns, Asik will be the Rockets' unbeatable starter.
His independent offensive ability is negligible, but his ability to score at the basket, screen quality and frame protection are still very reassuring.
For the Celtics, Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Parsons and Buss.
Because Paul Pierce, the team spirit, is in charge, Parsons plays the fourth position for most of the game.
As the referee blew his whistle, the game was about to begin.
From the beginning, Jeremy Lin and Harden frequently fed Garnett the ball, and Asik and Butler also consciously provided cover for the Wolf King.
Garnett lived up to the good intentions of his teammates. First, two mid-range shots hit the net, and then he hit a post-up shot and a hook shot.
In the next round, he passed down the screen from a single block, received a pass from Harden, and succeeded in an alley-oop dunk.
After landing, he beat his chest and roared, quite like an old man talking about being a teenager.
The Green Army fans cheered and applauded when they saw this scene, and they did not hesitate to praise the Wolf King because he was now wearing a Rockets jersey.
On the other hand, for the home team, Rondo missed a layup, Pierce missed a mid-range shot, and Bradley's three-pointer was blocked by Butler. Parsons only relied on two big hits and small cuts to score at the basket.
In the first 6 minutes, the Rockets went on a 16:6 spurt, in which Garnett made 6 of 7 shots and scored 12 points.
During the official timeout period, both coaches made adjustments to their lineups.
McHale is a regular rotation, and Rivers was forced to transfer due to the poor condition of the main team.
Although it was a bad show, it couldn't lose so ugly.
More than half of the reason for the high attendance rate of this game is that the Wolf King returns home. In the past, it was rare for the attendance rate to reach 80%.
The boss also issued an order that regardless of away games, home games must last at least three and a half quarters, and tickets must still be sold.
The timeout ended, Tucker replaced Garnett, Ariza replaced Harden, and Butler moved to the second position.
On the Celtics side, they replaced all four players except Parsons and replaced them with Jared Sullinger, Jordan Crawford, Courtney Lee and Jason Terry. .
This is to fight against the Rockets, Xu Xin thought to himself.
Sure enough, Crawford and Terry made shots as soon as they came up and scored two consecutive three-pointers to help the team reduce the disadvantage.
The Rockets were not disrupted and responded quickly.
Jeremy Lin faced the aging "Jet" Jason Terry. He passed by the basket and hit Sullinger with his left hand.
Then he focused on defense. Terry accidentally dribbled the ball into his lap. Jeremy Lin slid to the ground and grabbed the basketball first. He threw it forward before Terry and Courtney Lee could compete. Butler caught it smoothly. When he arrives, he takes three steps and two steps at a time, then dunks the basket with both hands for another two points.
The pace of the two sides accelerated and they started fighting. In the last 5 seconds, Terry caught the ball in the backcourt, passed through two people with a butterfly, leaned forward and hit the "logo shot" (midfield shot) at the buzzer. At 36:29, the Rockets entered the second quarter with a 7-point lead.
"How about this veteran in our team who is ready to fight, Jason (Terry), are you interested?"
Ainge asked as Terry hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
"The Rockets currently have no plans to make any further personnel adjustments. Firstly, I don't have much leverage now, and secondly, frequent transactions are not conducive to the team's chemical reaction."
Xu Xin explained bluntly.
It seems that he is very sincere, but in fact, what Xu Xin is thinking is that Terry is strong, but no matter how strong he is, can he still compare to Iverson, who is at 80% of his peak?
Xu Xin didn't believe it for a hair.
Besides, Iverson didn't need to spend even a second-round pick to win it. It's not that the "Jets" couldn't afford it, but that the "answer" was more cost-effective.
Hearing this, Anji didn't try to persuade him. He also knew that almost all of the Rockets' young talents were not for sale, and the draft picks held by the Rockets were not high, at least that's how it seems now.
He asked just to test, what if Xu Xin agreed? But trading Terry is indeed the focus of Angie's recent work.
Now that the team has decided to play badly, the immediate combat effectiveness of the veterans is of little significance to the team.
From another perspective, from Terry's perspective, he also wants to shine in a championship team, rather than stay here and waste his time.
At the beginning of the second quarter, it was still an attack. The Celtics mainly focused on non-defense, and the Rockets were embarrassed to be strong on the defensive end.
Anyway, we are leading, the score difference is about 10 points, and it is at the opponent's home court, so there is no need to go too far.
The offensive and defensive rhythm of both sides is very fast, and the shots are basically not delayed until the last 8 seconds. The fans are very happy. Who doesn't like to watch the offensive feast?
There is a saying that goes well, offense wins box office, defense wins championships, don’t lie to me.
In the last two minutes before halftime, Paul Pierce suddenly showed his strength and hit three consecutive mid-range shots, plus a big three-pointer one step beyond the three-point line.
Relying on Pierce's explosion, 72:66, the Celtics trailed by 6 points entering the halftime break.
Even so, Anji didn't show much excitement. The goal was to lose. No matter how exciting the process was, what was there for him to be excited about?
Even for Pierce's outstanding performance, Angie felt a little guilty in his heart. Maybe trading Pierce and sending him to a championship team would be the best choice.
"Xu, Paul (Pierce), are you interested?"
Anji thought of this and suddenly asked.
Xu Xin was a little surprised. He didn't expect Anji to really be determined to sell the team's soul. According to Xu Xin's idea, this would happen, and it would also happen in the offseason after the end of this season.
"Mr. Angie, I need to think."
Xu Xin said that he had never considered this matter before and he needed to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.
"Okay, don't worry. We are old friends too. I won't reveal the matter of trading Paul within a week. I will give you the priority. How about it? I think that's enough."
Angie raised her eyebrows and said.
Xu Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You are so dishonest and you still imitate others in raising your eyebrows. Why don't you wink?
Back in the second half, the Rockets began to exert their strength, starting with the defense. Asik sat under the basket, and the other four people changed whenever there was a screen. The Green Army always kept someone in front of them, and the pressure on the ball holder also increased.
