Zhiba NBA

Chapter 202 (two hundred and one)

Although the Rockets' winning streak has been ended, the media has already paid attention to this team that continues to surprise them.Looking back on the past: In 03, the Rockets were considered impossible to break through the first round, and they ended the Lakers dynasty; in 04, the Rockets were considered difficult to beat the F4 version of the Lakers to break through the Western Conference, and they won the championship; in 05, McGrady was injured and no one was optimistic that the Rockets would win, but they still managed to defend the title;The Rockets hit a 24-game winning streak that created the second highest record in history!

Finally, a reporter asked a question-"Will the Rockets break the Bulls' record of 72 wins?" Most people's first reaction to this is no.After all, Jordan is the god of basketball in people's minds. Although the Rockets have McGrady, a superstar who is close to the god, he is also absent.Now Yao Ming, the biggest player in the team, can't compare with Jordan at all.

The Rockets have a very positive mentality at this time, neither underestimating themselves nor being arrogant.They were neither swayed by the end of their winning streak nor swelled by media talk of 72 wins.Steady and steady, they made persistent efforts on January 1. After a tough overtime battle, they overthrew the new Eastern Bulls in an away game with a slight advantage of 20 points.

After a day off, the Rockets came to Detroit to fight their old rival Pistons.The two teams have played against each other a lot in recent years, and they know each other well, and meeting each other is bound to be a big battle.

The Pistons are very depressed at this time. They have achieved the best start in team history with 32 wins and 5 losses. You must know that when they won the championship twice that year, they also lost double-digit games until mid-January.If in previous years, 1-32 is undoubtedly the leader of the league, the focus of attention of the whole league.But this year, there was a perverted Rocket, who actually played a record of 5-35.Not to mention the hatred in the two finals, the relationship between the record alone made the Pistons gnash their teeth at the Rockets, seeing the Rockets as a thorn in their side and insisting on getting rid of them.

For the Rockets, the Pistons are just one of many opponents, nothing at all.If you have to pick a Rockets rival, they are likely to say it is the Spurs rather than the Pistons.Of course, among them, Bowen has to take the lead in the creation of grievances between the two teams.

This battle of old enemies in the finals and the battle for the leadership of the East and West began on the evening of January 1.Both sides did not dare to be careless, and each sent the strongest lineup.

Daben won the ball, and the Rockets were very aggressive when they came up. Bodi Loga couldn't find any opportunities under Jefferson's strict defense.

On the Rockets' side, Bosh created an open space for Reid to cover without the ball. Reid made a catch and shoot at the free throw line, but unfortunately missed.Bodi Loga wanted to launch a fast break, but Jefferson quickly caught the ball with his eyes and hands, and almost succeeded in stealing.When the Pistons protected the ball, the fast break opportunity was lost.

"Jefferson was very active on the defensive end today and played an eye-catching performance." Barkley affirmed.

The Pistons fell into a positional battle again, and Da Ben held the ball in a high position and turned it to the running Hamilton. The latter made a dry shot and hit a two-pointer.The two sides finally broke up.

"So far, both sides have focused on guards." Smith said, "The Rockets should make more use of Yao's strength."

As if hearing what Smith said, Billups took advantage of his low center of gravity to break through Bodi Loga's defense, and a clever pass passed the Pistons inside and directly to Yao Ming at the basket.Dayao easily dunked to tie the game.

Although the Pistons are proud of the double Wallace insiders, these two are of mediocre height, and they are helpless against the little giant of the East.If we really talk about hard power comparison, Yao Ming may not be better than Ben Wallace, but he is really overwhelmed by one thing and one thing (note: the two have played against each other 10 times in history, and Yao Ming averaged 16+9 per game, which is better than Wallace's 5+10, especially after 05. Yao Ming, who has matured since 18, has never scored less than [-] points against Wallace).

Bodi Loga is also very smart in playing, knowing that he wants to win from outside, he made a strong three-pointer.But the Rockets were not weak on the outside, and Reid also returned a three-pointer, and the two sides drew again.

Rashid had a hard time playing Bosh in singles. He had a wide vision and turned to the outside line. Prince also made a long shot after receiving the pass, 5:8.

Reid, who was thrown away, showed no weakness, attacked and pulled up and shot again, and hit again!

Prince also gritted his teeth and wanted to return a three-pointer, but his shooting stability was much worse than Reed's, and he missed the shot.

The Pistons changed their true nature of melee inside and played a three-pointer with the Rockets.The Rockets didn't give in either, and the two sides shot each other from outside, playing like an All-Star Game.But then the Pistons replaced the Argentine guard Carlos Delfino as a substitute. This is a good shooter, and he hit two consecutive three-pointers when he came on the court.After the first quarter, the Pistons performed super-level, making 8 of 5 three-pointers, and actually scored 29 points in the first quarter, leading the Rockets by 3 points.

But the Rockets players were not impatient at all. Adelman encouraged the players: "The Pistons are only a little ahead with such a super-standard outside line. Once their touch returns to normal, I am afraid that our Rockets will be in the lead."

Sure enough, the next game was just as he had judged.The Pistons, who are not good at long-range shots, began to shoot frequently. In the second and third quarters, they made 8 of 0 shots from beyond the three-point line. The Rockets easily overtook the score.

This game is very stressful for the Pistons, and they carry too much baggage.If the Pistons can't win the championship again this year, they will face the risk of the main lineup being dismantled.This is because the contract between Big Ben and Prince is about to expire. Among them, Big Ben has performed well in recent years, and his salary will definitely skyrocket.And Prince got a cheap rookie contract before, even if the renewal price is not high, it must have a very high increase compared to before (only 176 million this season).The Pistons are not as rich as the Lakers and Knicks. Only when they win the championship will the boss be willing to pay a lot of luxury tax.

Under the heavy pressure, the Pistons lost their morale, and they began to make low-level mistakes.Even Bodi Loga, who has always been sophisticated and calm, made a naive mistake in passing the ball to the Rockets.New Pistons coach Philip Sanders was the former coach of the Wolves. He stayed in the Wolves for 10 years and coached a fringe team in the playoffs all the year round. He lacked control over the championship-level team and his influence in the team was far less than that of the old coach Larry Brown.Faced with this situation, he was also in a mess, and several substitutes such as McDyess and Evans could not play a decisive role.

第四节火箭打出了28:13的比分，最终以112:91大胜对手。报了赛季初主场20分惨败的一箭之仇，也将战绩提高到了36胜4负。

After crossing this threshold, the Rockets took another big step towards the goal of 72 wins.

(End of this chapter)