The referee blew the whistle, threw the basketball high, and the game began.
Asik was even better in the jump ball with Lopez, and he passed the ball to Jeremy Lin in the backcourt with half a hand ahead.
Jeremy Lin received the ball in the backcourt, and Sam Goad came to help him first. He jumped and dribbled to the top of the arc. It was not until Vasquez stepped forward to defend that he lowered his focus to protect the ball.
Asik came to the wing to set up a back screen, and Harden took the opportunity to get rid of Gordon and move to the other side at 45 degrees.
Jeremy Lin's direct pass accurately found Harden who ran out of opportunity. The latter made a hollow shot from outside the three-point line.
3:0, Harden scored the Rockets' first point, helping the team take the lead.
After the ball was scored, many fans in the stands applauded.
Seeing Xu Xin in a daze, it really made Lucas the old man right. Is the treatment for away games so good now?
Rockets players looked very excited on the court facing such enthusiastic fans. On the defensive end, Jeremy Lin stole Gordon's cross pass, took the lead and ran forward, completing a rare one-handed dunk.
5:0.
When the Hornets attacked, Gordon held the ball in his hand and played a pick-and-roll with Anderson. After the split, Anderson bounced outside the three-point line and Gordon accurately connected with a back pass.
Anderson caught the ball and a wide-open three-pointer bounced out of the frame.
The game has just begun and he still needs to find his touch.
The Rockets players showed their condition much earlier. Butler smoked in the corner, received a pass from Jeremy Lin, faced Aminu's defense and shot resolutely, hitting the Rockets' second three-pointer, 8:0.
Looking back, Gordon once again played a pick-and-roll with Anderson. This time Gordon did not choose to pass the ball. After two consecutive passes with no effect, he decided to go it alone.
Relying on his physical strength to break through to the basket, he leaned on Garnett for a layup.
8:2, helping the Hornets get their first sports game score.
But on the defensive end, the Hornets still couldn't stop the Rockets' offense.
This time, Jeremy Lin and Garnett were in a pick-and-roll. The latter opened it and pretended to be a bomb, deceiving Anderson's center of gravity. Then suddenly, Jeremy Lin advanced with the ball in his right hand. With a slight toss during the run, Garnett leaped high into the air. Receive the basketball steadily in the air, blast the basket with both hands, and make an alley-oop.
The scene was once again filled with exclamations of surprise.
"You can see the 37-year-old Wolf King alley-oop, so the tickets are worth buying."
A younger fan said excitedly.
If Xu Xin heard this, he might feel a little helpless. He was not watching the game to watch the home team win, but to watch the visiting team's stars perform. This is really rare.
The Rockets started strong, with Jeremy Lin leading the team's offense and Vasquez putting little defensive pressure, allowing Jeremy Lin to pass the ball with ease.
Harden and Butler hit long-range shots one after another from the outside. Asik and Garnett also received Jeremy Lin's second pass, and easily took advantage of the basket.
For the Hornets, the team had poor outside touch and failed to hit in several attempts. They could only rely on Gordon's strong bursts and Aminu's air cuts to score some points.
Halfway through the first quarter, the Rockets led 24:12, fully doubling the lead.
The Hornets head coach failed to stop the decline even by calling two timeouts. Counting the time, it was impossible to call a third timeout.
After much deliberation, I could only try my luck by substituting players. I would play everyone who could be on the bench, and I would only be able to score three goals if I had some.
McHale was much calmer, and the substitutions and adjustments he made were all targeted. Harden, Garnett, and Asik took a rest, and Ariza, Tucker, and O'Neal Jr. came on.
This is the Rockets' most regular rotation.
After some adjustments, the Hornets not only showed no improvement, but actually got worse.
The Rockets continued to advance with great success. With two minutes left in the first quarter, Jeremy Lin missed a three-pointer. O'Neal Jr. grabbed the rebound and forced a foul under the basket.
At this time, the Rockets already led by 17 points, 36:19.
With a wave of McHale's hand, Jeremy Lin and Butler also took a rest and were replaced by Iverson and Gerald Green, who had already been unable to contain themselves.
"Sean (Livingston)'s playing time has been reduced a lot during this period."
Xu Xin whispered to the old Lucas sitting next to him.
"Sean has been in poor condition recently. He also sprained his knee during training this morning. The team doctor checked and said that no bones were injured and the problem is not serious. But to be on the safe side, let him rest for a while."
Lucas Sr. explained.
"Let Sean practice more long-range shooting. His current style of play is somewhat incompatible with the team's tactical system and personnel configuration."
Xu Xin thought for a while and said.
He just heard the meaning of the words of the old Lucas. Combined with the pre-match warm-up, Livingston was able to move freely on the court and there was nothing unusual.
Let him sit on the sidelines and protect him secondly. The main reason is to allow Iverson to quickly integrate into the team.
"He has been practicing shooting recently, and the results are pretty good."
Lucas Sr. said.
Xu Xinyan nodded, but the idea of trading Green to "pursue his dream" came up in his mind.
Garnett is getting older, and it is not an exaggeration to say that every year is worse than the previous year. Xu Xin needs to think about the main power forward candidate for next season.
Now Green is a substitute among the substitutes. At the power forward position, he is only the third overall pick.
In front of him is former Knicks star, All-Star player, white power forward David Lee. There is also the "Magic Bird" Carl Landry, a former Rockets player who is loved by fans and works so hard that even his front teeth were knocked out.
The two of them occupied almost 48 minutes at the power forward position. Green had no choice but to play small forward a lot of the time.
He has not yet shown his passing ability. He is only loved by the head coach because of his tough defense. His trade value is not high. This is a good time to buy at the bottom.
If Green comes to the team, Livingston will definitely be the beneficiary, but then what?
The most fatal problem is that Harden needs to change his style of play. Without the ball, Harden is half useless. Furthermore, Green's short temper is also a double-edged sword for the team. Even if his blade is directed towards the outside world, it will make the Rockets in trouble. The favorability in the eyes of passers-by has been greatly reduced.
This is not what Xu Xin wants to see.
"Forget it."
Xu Xin muttered to himself.
"Forget it?"
Old Lucas was confused.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm thinking about the team's starting power forward candidate next season."
Xu Xin explained.
"Well, KG is indeed not suitable anymore. He is one year older. He is more than enough to serve as a substitute, but if he continues to start, he will not be able to do it."
Old Lucas thought for a while and said.
"But if KG comes off the bench, what about PJ (Tucker)?"
Before Old Lucas finished speaking, he suddenly thought of the problem.
"This is where I struggle the most."
Xu Xin smiled bitterly. Seeing the same sad look on old Lucas's face, Xu Xin pretended to be relaxed and continued:
"Forget it, let's arrange this season first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the enthusiastic cheers from the fans at the scene made Xu Xin return his attention to the court.
