"I think the Rockets are too strong this season. Compared with previous seasons, they are completely different teams."
An old fan with a white beard sighed and said.
"I think we can win. Dirk (Nowitzki) is getting better and better, and the team's overall condition is getting better and better. In addition, the Rockets are back-to-back. They barely beat the Clippers by one point last night and almost lost. They are very physically demanding.”
A tall female fan said.
The people around her agreed very much, not because of her figure, but because what she said did make sense.
On the field, after a cool entrance ceremony, the game is about to begin.
The Rockets' lineup tonight is not complete. Garnett was too exhausted in the last game. For safety reasons, McHale arranged for his old comrade to rest.
O'Neal Jr. was suspended for one game by the league for helping his teammates.
In addition, Delfino was traded and new aid Gerald Green is still on the way.
Delfino's inability to play has little impact on the Rockets, but the absence of Garnett and O'Neal has left the team stretched inside, with only Asik and Tucker available.
McHale temporarily transferred Greg Smith back from the G-League affiliate.
During this period, Smith has played very well in the Development League. From January to now, he has averaged 22.8 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. He was also elected as the Development League Western Conference Player of the Week last week.
McHale recalled him, and the young man seemed extremely excited. In the warm-up session just now, he even performed a few windmill dunks.
The starters from both sides took to the center of the field.
For the Rockets, Tucker replaced Garnett as the starting power forward, and everything else remains unchanged.
On the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki and his national team teammate Kaman partnered in the interior, small forward Marion, and Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo in the backcourt.
In terms of strength, the Rockets are definitely better, but since Garnett won't play tonight, Tucker will suffer too much in terms of height when defending Nowitzki.
Xu Xin frowned slightly, thinking.
The referee blows the whistle and the game begins.
Asik jumped to the ball and dialed to Jeremy Lin.
Facing Kaman at the end of his peak, Asik still has some advantages in mobility.
Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball across half court and looked for Butler for the first attack.
This is what McHale specifically explained before the game. One is that Harden consumes a lot of energy in a game, so choosing Butler as the main attack point is a better choice.
The second is that Harden is now ranked second in the Western Conference in All-Star voting, and has basically secured his position as the Western Conference All-Star starter, while Butler is only ranked twelfth.
The Texas Civil War has always attracted much attention, giving Butler more ball rights. If he can seize the opportunity to perform brilliantly, his votes can increase further.
Butler caught the ball and faced Marion's defense, but did not choose to drop the ball and attack.
First, he observed the movement of his teammates. The three threats broke through from the right, and Collison on the flank swiped to defend. Butler took advantage of the situation to pass the ball to Jeremy Lin. Collison hurriedly turned back to defend, but was still half a beat too late.
Jeremy Lin shot from outside the three-point line and hit the target, giving the Rockets the lead.
3:0.
The Mavericks attacked, and Collison advanced to the frontcourt to find O.J. Mayo.
After half a season of running-in, Mayo has gained the trust of his teammates with his hard power and has become the team's first offensive option from the outside.
Mayo used Kaman's wing pick-and-roll to get rid of Harden and came to the wing three-point line. He received Collison's direct pass, took off slightly, and shot a three-pointer.
"Uh-huh!"
The basketball hit the net, hit a three-pointer, and returned the favor.
3:3.
After the shot, Mayo smiled confidently and high-fived Collison on the way back to the backcourt to celebrate. Just during the warm-up, he made all ten shots from beyond the three-point line, and his touch was very hot.
For the Rockets, Butler continues to lead the offense.
This time Butler chose to make a mid-range jump shot after a smooth breakthrough. Marion responded quickly, but his movement speed was still slower than that of the young and strong Butler.
The outstretched arm barely touched Butler's elbow.
"Uh-huh!"
Butler made a mid-range shot.
After landing, he touched his elbow and looked at the referee, indicating that the ball was fouled by Marion.
But the referee turned a blind eye and chose to turn a blind eye. After all, it was the Mavericks' home court, and it was normal to have a home whistle.
"The country is waiting for talented people to emerge, and a new generation will replace the old ones."
Xu Xin lamented that the former "hacker" was also the league's leading forward defender. Time is not forgiving, and now he has begun to decline significantly.
This is the case with high-level athletes. When you can see him declining, he has actually gone a long way downhill.
Collison dribbled the ball across half court and continued to look for Mayo's off-ball opportunities. This time Harden came prepared and followed closer.
After being reminded by his teammates, he took precautions against Kaman's lower screen.
He squeezed through the screen deftly and appeared in front of Mayo in time before he jumped to take the shot. His arm was straightened, just blocking Mayo's eyes.
Mayo felt his eyes go dark in the air, and his shooting movements were slightly deformed.
But shooting is like this, a slight miss can make a huge difference.
"Bang!"
The basketball hit the frame and missed, but a figure flew out from the crowd, stood up from the ground, collected the backboard, and succeeded in a dunk.
Shawn Marion!
After landing, he roared: "I can still jump!"
The fans behind the basket stood up and gave him warm applause. Marion was also very excited tonight. This is good news for the home team.
When the Rockets attacked, Jeremy Lin once again handed it over to Butler, and then ran to the corner, ready to catch the ball.
This time, Butler chose to call a single screen.
Tucker put up a pick-and-roll, and Butler went around the screen to break through, but Marion moved very quickly and squeezed through the screen to block Butler again.
It seems that because of the successful make-up dunk just now, the defense is more active.
Upon seeing this, Tucker turned around and made another screen. Butler made an "in and out" dribble fake, successfully deceiving Marion and driving straight to the basket from the right.
Nowitzki, who was guarding the back, took three steps and two steps at a time, coming over to cover the defense. Marion also chased back, watching eagerly from behind.
Butler was very calm and did not choose to attack violently. He made the most correct judgment while running.
He jumped out of the way and made a fake throw, further compressing the Mavericks' defense, and then passed the back pass to Tucker who bounced out after the pick-and-roll.
Tucker caught the ball at the top of the arc, glanced down to make sure he didn't step on the line, raised his hand and hit a three-pointer.
"Bang!"
The basketball hits the neck of the basket and pops out. Tucker is still better at shooting three-pointers from the corner, and his shooting percentage in other positions is average.
Butler struggled to grab the rebound and made a very subtle push from behind.
