At 11:13, the Rockets chased 4 points in less than a minute, with only 2 points left.
Walker is quite tough. He has no mental pressure at all and came here tonight to learn from his seniors.
The offense was open and close. Facing Iverson, he was not afraid at all. He broke through and passed by in one step. Facing O'Neal's defense, he pulled up the lever in the air for a layup.
The basketball had a strong spin, bounced off the backboard and fell into the basket.
11:15.
The two sides played back and forth. Even if the Bobcats' substitute players came on the court, they still maintained strong self-confidence. It seemed that everyone had the mentality that it didn't matter if they couldn't beat them. If they won, they would make money.
There is no baggage, playing is easy, and shooting feels like a miracle. The Bobcats, a group of shooters who were not very accurate at first, actually started raining three-pointers at Houston's home court.
With Gerald Green's three-pointer at the buzzer popping out of the frame, the first quarter ended at 25:33, with the Rockets trailing by 6 points at home.
Falling behind in the first quarter of two consecutive games and allowing their opponents to score more than 30 points in both games is not common for the Rockets this season.
McHale's face was ashen. He was not a very strict coach, but for what the team showed on the court, he decided to give his players more strength and tighten the strings.
McHale used a two-minute break to roar at the players, completely waking them up. When he came on the court again, everyone's eyes and expressions became serious.
"It seems they are getting serious."
Yao Ming smiled.
"It's time to get serious. What did you hit in the first quarter?"
Maddie smiled.
The five main players returned to the court again and performed a crushing performance against the Bobcats' bench.
Asik first hit Josh McRoberts on the spot under the basket, replicating Uncle Mu's classic finger-wagging. This is the perfect inheritance of the Rockets center.
Garnett controlled the ball and made a long pass from the fourth quarter to find Butler who was about to go down. The latter counterattacked and sent a gliding two-handed dunk.
27:33.
"Butler's counterattack efficiency is the highest in the team."
Xu Xin praised.
"How is it compared to you back then?"
Yao Ming looked at McGrady with a sly look.
"Better than me."
Maddie said firmly.
The three people discussed Butler, and they all regretted that he was not selected as an All-Star.
On the court, Butler seemed to hear several people talking and was very positive.
First, he defended Jeffrey Taylor's singles, then came to the frontcourt, blocked the position at the waist, caught the ball and pulled Taylor away in singles. Taylor, who turned around continuously and was confused, turned over and hit a fadeaway jumper accurately.
29:33.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Butler scored 4 points in a row and his hand picked up. After that, he couldn't control it, shooting farther and farther. He hit 4 three-pointers in a single quarter and scored 22 points, helping the Rockets regain the lead in one fell swoop.
At halftime, the score between the two sides reached 64:56. After trailing by 8 points in the first quarter, the Rockets led by 8 points at halftime, beating the Bobcats by 16 points in a single quarter, with Butler taking the lead.
"I still wanted to show off? But in the end, I was robbed by you."
Harden walked back to the locker room along the tunnel, patted Butler on the shoulder, and said angrily.
"The second half is up to you to perform."
Butler chuckled.
"Then it's settled, you have to keep your word."
Harden became arrogant when he heard Butler say this.
"You can call in first and then talk."
Jeremy Lin joked.
"Why are you everywhere? No one else knows what my strength is, but you still don't know?"
Harden said with a wicked smile.
"Why do I know?"
Jeremy Lin asked rhetorically.
"Whoever beat me in a one-on-one challenge...lost the game...wuwuwu..."
Before Harden could finish speaking, Jeremy Lin covered his mouth.
"Don't touch me. Have you washed your hands?"
Harden said angrily.
Everyone laughed when they saw it. These two living treasures usually brought them a lot of joy.
The team did not give the Bobcats another chance in the second half. At the beginning of the third quarter, Garnett turned on the Wolf King mode.
Seeing Jeremy Lin hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, Garnett judged where the rebound was and jumped high to beat Mullens for a violent dunk.
In the next round, he picked and rolled with Jeremy Lin and then flicked out. He received a pass from Jeremy Lin and hit the target from beyond the three-point line.
The Wolf King scored 5 points in a row, and the score reached 69:56, and the point difference widened to double digits.
The Bobcats failed to make any more waves. Their style of play itself is very demanding on touch and physical strength. In the second half, their physical strength declined and their touch began to decline. Naturally, their offensive efficiency was not much higher.
The Rockets were different. After being silent for half the game, Harden started his performance in the third quarter just as he said.
He played the entire third quarter and showed off his arsenal, making Henderson lose his temper. His touch continued to improve, and Harden shot farther and farther.
In the last attack before the end of the third quarter, Harden played Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in isolation. He hit the ball continuously in one direction, stepped back and made a strong three-pointer. He hit the ball accurately and sealed the throat with a sword.
The ball went in and the buzzer sounded. At the end of the three quarters, the score reached 106:82. In this quarter, the Rockets scored 42 points in a single quarter. In fact, the Bobcats' 26 points were not that few, but their defense was beaten to pieces by the Rockets. Losing 16 points in a single quarter also made the game basically lose suspense.
Harden carried the team's offensive banner in the third quarter, scoring 6 three-pointers in a single quarter, all without miss. Even in the face of double teams, super long three-pointers can be sent to the basket. The beating made the opponent shudder and his scalp numb.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Bobcats still wanted to fight back, but were beaten 15:6 by Iverson. The point difference widened to more than 30 points. The game completely lost suspense and became garbage time.
In the end, the Rockets got a good start in February at home, defeating the Bobcats 132:106, with a 26-point advantage.
The result of the game was enjoyable, but the process was not easy, especially in the first half. The team was the trailing side for most of the time.
If it weren't for Butler's single-point blast, it's unclear whether the Rockets could have defended their home court.
In the whole game, Butler also scored a team-high 33 points, plus 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks, filling the data column.
This caused the voices that had gradually subsided to burst out again, and the fans began a new round of crusade against the league, complaining about Butler's loss.
Butler himself has regained his former composure. McHale has talked to him several times in the past two days. Constant brainwashing has made him no longer deny himself. Step-by-step training and competition have become his normal state.
The Rockets won the Bobcats and got a rare day off. Although McHale was furious in the last game, he could still understand the fact that the players were slow to enter the state.
The season is long, and players are humans, not machines. As fatigue accumulates, it is inevitable that the state will be abnormal.
