Zhiba NBA

Chapter 44 (43) Strive to be the leader
In the game on November 11, most of the Rockets players seemed a little listless.Back-to-backs are already tiring, and a 29-point defeat will also torture the nerves of young players.Fortunately, the rival Supersonics are not strong. First, they traded away the old superstar Payton last season, and the new core Ray Allen has been sidelined for a long time due to ankle surgery. The lineup is not challenging enough.The Rockets in a sluggish state were still inseparable from their opponents. With the start of McGrady's superstar performance, the Sonics finally surrendered at the end of the game. 30:95 The Rockets won the away game, McGrady scored 88+37+7 and almost overturned the opponent by himself.

On the last day of November, the Rockets did not have a game. After training, Dameng also advocated that his teammates combine work and rest, and went to his home to watch the live broadcast of the Lakers Pacers, the two most popular championship teams.The game ended with a 11-point victory for the Lakers at home.

"Our Rockets have not led the league for a long time. Even if we won the championship, we were not the regular season champions (the regular season Western Conference champions during the two consecutive championships were the Sonics and the Spurs). So in the last years of my career, I had the opportunity to sprint for the first place in the league. I cherish this opportunity." Dameng said affectionately in the African accent familiar to the players.

"Then we have to work hard to realize this dream for the captain." After Yao Ming finished speaking, he was laughing. He didn't expect that the Rockets' record was so good.

“现在步行者湖人同以14胜3负领跑联盟，而13胜3负的我们和12胜4负的国王也很接近。”比卢普斯分析道：“其他几支强队却表现不佳。”

"Without Mourning, the poor record of the Nets is also expected." Yuan Fei said: "But they only had a poor record of 7 wins and 9 losses, which is really unexpected. Now let alone wanting to win the Eastern Conference for three consecutive championships, they even have problems entering the playoffs. However, there is a saying in China that a lean camel is bigger than a horse. I think the Nets will still enter the playoffs."

"We're going to play the Pistons in early December, and they're also an opponent worth noting." Battelle, who didn't talk much, also said: "The Pistons just changed their starting point guard a bit slowly, and they seem to have found their form recently, with a record of 12 wins and 11 losses."

"Bus, you should look at the Western Conference opponents first. If the Pistons want to touch us in the playoffs, they will have to go to the Finals!" Da Zhi smiled and patted Bus on the shoulder.Yuan Fei smiled wryly after hearing this sentence. In history, the Pistons dominated the Eastern Conference and reached the Finals in 04.It's just that now they lack Billups, the key team brain, and I don't know if they can reproduce their glory.

"Rookie, which team do you think is worthy of our vigilance?" Wallace likes to rely on his old age to sell Bosh the most. With Bosh, he is no longer the little brother in the team.

"I think it's the Timberwolves." Bosh replied earnestly: "Although the Wolves have been in the first round in the past few years, they have strengthened a lot this season. Currently, they only have 9 wins and 8 losses, which is lower than expected. In addition, Garnett is very good. If I play against him, it will be very stressful (historically, I was abused by the old wolf king during the Heat period)."

"What do you think of Chauncey? You know the Wolves better." McGrady said.

"According to my experience, many Minnesota fans will pessimistically think that this will be another mediocre season." Chauncey chuckled, "I think the most surprising thing is the defending champion Spurs. They just lost to the poaching target Golden State Warriors, with a record of only 9 wins and 8 losses. They are the top two super teams in the Western Conference for three consecutive years."

Old Curry, who was in charge of game analysis, said, "Although Arenas scored 19 points against his old team against the Spurs against the Warriors, the Warriors still relied on Van Exel's key three-pointer to kill the Spurs. The Spurs really started this season relatively mediocre, but don't forget that they overtook the Mavericks to become the number one at the last minute last season."

"That's right, the Spurs are the team that eliminated us. They are the defending champions. They must not be underestimated. What we have to do now is to play hard and strive for the No. [-] spot in the Western Conference. It is best to let the two favorites, the Spurs and the Lakers, meet and fight first, so that we can reap the benefits." Dameng concluded the conversation.

***
12月首场比赛在3日，火箭主场再战爵士。爵士新核基里连科再次贡献了19+5+7+8（抢断）+5（盖帽）的超级全面数据，但火箭队麦迪打出了令人瞠目结舌的表现。

"51 points! 8 rebounds! 9 assists! McGrady, who was just elected as the best player in the Western Conference in November, performed a strong triple-double, proving that he is the best candidate!" Even the Houston veteran "Big Mouth" Barkley, who is very harsh on the Rockets rookies, can only worship McGrady.

（小知识：从2001-2002赛季起，NBA月最佳球员从每月1人改为每月东西部各1人，个别时候有并列获奖。差不多可以说01年前后月最佳的含金量是1比2的关系。例如可以说詹姆斯32次东部月最佳追平了乔丹的16次月最佳。）
Perhaps it was the best award of the month that inspired McGrady. After the Rockets beat the Jazz by 16 points, McGrady seemed to have started the killing mode.

On December 12, the Rockets beat the Hornets away, McGrady scored 5 points and 36 rebounds.

On the 6th, the Rockets beat the Pistons by 6 points at home. McGrady contributed 27 points, but he was not the number one contributor.Yao Ming faced the Pistons' weak center Campbell and kept attacking the basket. Pistons coach Larry Brown dispatched troops and sent the best defensive player Da Ben to defend Yao Ming, but Yao Ming took advantage of his height and continued to make accurate mid-range shots.In the end, Yao Ming scored 22 points and 20 rebounds, the first double 20 in his career.Big Ben was only 7+10, and he was deflated against Yao Ming for the first time.

On the 9th, the Rockets beat the Trail Blazers with 2 points at home. McGrady scored 37 points and 9 assists.

After a day's rest, the Toyota Center again endured the test of the defending champion's strong defense. The Rockets only scored 77 points, and Tracy McGrady scored 34 points on 15 of 37 shots.The Rockets narrowly beat the Spurs by 3 points!
In the Rockets' winning streak, the Pacers couldn't stand it anymore.They are house leaks and rain all night.At the beginning of the season, the number one star O'Neal injured his knee, and the third-year point guard Tinsley (who averaged 9 points and 8 assists per game in his rookie season) was constantly troubled by back injuries, playing and stopping.In December starter Ron Artest was sidelined with back spasms, and two key backup guards, Anthony Johnson and Kenny Anderson, were rested with abdominal strain and left foot pain.The injured Pacers lost to the Trail Blazers and the Kings successively. It is not easy to maintain the number one in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers also lost to the Mavericks, handing over the leader's position to the Rockets.

On the 13th, the Rockets came to the Holy City to fight their old neighbors in Texas, the Spurs.This time it was no longer the good luck of the previous game. Although Tracy McGrady continued to perform strongly and scored 28 points, new Spurs aid Arenas scored 18 points and 11 assists, linking up the team's offense.The Spurs bloomed more points and 5 scored in double figures. The Rockets lost to their old opponents 83:90.

这次6连胜被终结，则没有上一次那样令火箭球员垂头丧气。由于同日湖人输给了开拓者后战绩为18-5，步行者更是意外输给了弱旅公牛，战绩跌至18-6。18胜4负的火箭保住了联盟第一的宝座。

(End of this chapter)