I'm really not a superstar

Chapter 263 Preview of the second round of the playoffs
Get monkey off back!

This is an American slang term that literally means throwing the monkey off the back.

The actual meaning is to get rid of the pressure, and now, the Rockets finally got rid of their first round of curse!
After eliminating the Trail Blazers, everyone in the Rockets was extremely excited. This is the joy of success after hard work.

Even since his return, Tracy McGrady, who has been icy cold, has a heartfelt smile on his face, although he is the only player on the Rockets' playoff roster who did not play.

After returning to Houston, Dayao invited the whole team to have a dinner together at the famous "Yao Restaurant" in his home.

During the dinner, Dayao made an exception and drank a bottle of red wine.

But the Rockets' celebration is over, let's stop there.

Although the fans in the media are still rejoicing and celebrating this difficult breakthrough, as members of the Rockets, they know that there are even greater challenges ahead of them.

The Lakers have already defeated the Jazz with a total score of 4:1 three days in advance, and they have a good time in Los Angeles, waiting for the Rockets to challenge.

Some people will say that the Rockets have broken the curse of the first round, and they can enjoy the rest of the game.

But the Rockets didn't think so. They knew how hard-won this breakthrough was, and they also knew that the team's current spirit was in full swing. Since they could break through the first round of the curse, why didn't they go all out and pursue the victory? , To create more brilliant achievements!
Three days after the Rockets won, Rose fired his last bullet at the Shore Garden in North Boston.

In the tiebreaker against the Celtics, he scored 40 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, but the Bulls still lost to the Celtics with the Big Three.

The Bulls also narrowly lost to the defending champion with a total score of 3:4.

The mad slash turned into an empty slash, and Rose was very sad, not only because the team was eliminated, but also because he could not fulfill the agreement with Dorsey to meet in the finals.

That night, the call time between Dorsey and Ross broke the record again. It was not until the battery of Dorsey's mobile phone died that he finally calmed down the heartbroken Ross.

Two days later, the first round of the playoffs was all over.

西部:湖人4:1淘汰爵士，火箭4:2淘汰开拓者，掘金4:1淘汰黄蜂，唯一一个以弱克强的是小牛，常规赛第6的他们居然以4:1干掉了No.3马刺。

东部:骑士4:0横扫活塞，老鹰4:3战胜热火，凯尔特人4:3险胜公牛，魔术4:2战胜76人。

The next showdown.

West: Lakers VS Rockets, Nuggets VS Mavericks
East: Cavaliers VS Eagles, Celtics VS Magic.

Among these four matchups, the outside world feels that the Lakers vs. Rockets is the one that has the least suspense, because the Lakers won all four games against the Rockets in the regular season!
And it was relatively easy to win!

In terms of desire to fight, the Lakers wear purple and gold jerseys with a graceful and luxurious demeanor. They are born to compete for the championship. If they do not win the championship, even if they reach the finals, they cannot be regarded as success.

But the Rockets are different. A group of Texas natives. After the dual-core became a single-core, they are completely a civilian team. After so many years, they have finally survived the first round. They should be content. It seems that there is no need to continue Fight to the death with the opponent.

In terms of combat power, the Lakers are also far ahead of the Rockets. In almost every position, the Lakers are stronger than the Rockets.

In terms of height and ability, Brooks is not as good as Fisher and Scola is not as good as Gasol; in terms of movement speed, Yao Ming is not as good as Bynum and Gasol, Scola is not as good as Odom, Metta Shiping is not as good as Ariza; In terms of experience and fame, the rookie Dorsey, the main attacker of the two teams, seems to be unworthy of being compared with Kobe at all.

In addition to the players, the coaches of the two teams are also two old coaches who are often compared by people.

But in the era of the Sacramento Kings, McNeil, a famous columnist of the Sacramento Bee, gave Adelman an attributive sentence: "Rick will never be able to play with Old Fayer in his life!"

Adelman's formations tend to be conservative, but his tactical style gives the stars too much freedom, and the tactical discipline is not strict. Mayfair Jackson's formations are very bold, and his tactical command is unconstrained. Although he also likes Let the star solve the problem by himself, but always maintain the absolute authority of the opponent's players. Whether it is Jordan or Kobe, he has to obey him.

Comparing these two coaches together, one is like a mediocre "good student" who only knows how to study hard all day long, but his grades are always in the middle and upper reaches; But one to the exam Liu ranked among the top geniuses.

In addition to past records, desire to win, and personnel comparison, the Lakers have one more home court than the Rockets. In addition, they eliminated the Jazz early and took three days more rest than the Rockets.In addition, the league's policy of protecting superstars, I will make referees pay more attention to Kobe's fouls.

The right time, place and people are all on the side of the Lakers. Therefore, the major media generally predict that the Lakers will eliminate the Rockets with a record of 4:1 or 4:2, and some bold people even predict that the Lakers may sweep.

There are only very few voices who believe that the Rockets will cause trouble for the Lakers. The arguments of these voices are either that Yao Ming is the best center in the league today, or Metta Shiping and Battier are the best forward defensive partners in the league, or It is Dorsey, Brooks, Lowry, Landry, these young people who are brave and fearless, and will set off a youthful storm...

There is also an extremely weak voice saying that McGrady is still in the Rockets formation, maybe he will return the king.

But this kind of statement, everyone laughed it off. After all, in the tense first round, Adelman didn't give McGrady any chance. McGrady, who has long been in harmony with the team, played the game.

Billing Burley, a senior columnist of the "Houston Chronicle", is different from the views of the outside world. He has always been pessimistic about McGrady, but he has changed his gender. He wrote in his pre-match prediction commentary:
"Don't the Rockets, which lack talent but are united, hardworking and tenacious, have no chance at all? My answer is no!

They have a chance, and a great chance!
It's not because of their high talents and abilities. On the contrary, without the "three high" superstar McGrady with the highest talent, ability, and salary, they are completely an inconspicuous civilian team. They are fighting with a lineup worth 2000 million dollars less than their opponents, and it is with this lineup that they broke the curse of the first round!
It is precisely because of the absence of McGrady that they have changed their game attitude and playing style. Each of them is closely united, doing their best for their own destiny and the destiny of the team.

They proved: In the playoffs, regardless of talent and potential, victory ultimately goes to the team that works harder and is more united.

But is this enough?Can hard work and unity defeat the mighty Lakers?
Of course not!

Yes, just like no matter how hard I try, it is impossible to beat Tyson in the ring.The talent of the Lakers has gone beyond the category of pure hard work.

However, don't forget that the Rockets are talented. At the end of the bench, there is a superstar with a talent of 2300 million US dollars.
Of course, I know that the current T-MAC is no longer the scoring leader of the year, but his talent is still unique in the Rockets. If he can come back (I mean if), the meaning and effect on the Rockets will definitely be great. It's as simple as adding an All-Star player.

He can stimulate and boost the confidence and morale of the Rockets, and make the Rockets more confident. More importantly, at the tactical level, he can liberate Joey Dorsey, so that Dorsey, the panacea, can strengthen the team's weakness at any time links!
If Yao Mai joins forces again, plus Dorsey, Ci Shiping, the Rockets who work together and talent, there may not be no chance!

Therefore, I am here to appeal to the management of the Rockets and Adelman to give McGrady a chance. This is not only his salvation, but also an opportunity for himself to move forward! "

(End of this chapter)