The Godfather of Basketball

The game on the court continued, and gradually, Jackson and Brin also discovered the problem.

Not only McGrady, after the Hornets double-teamed, Pietrus and Millsap also scored a little too much.

After halftime, Paul scored 26 points, breaking his halftime scoring record, but the Hornets trailed the Rockets by 16 points 36-52.

"The Hornets' defense on the front line is really terrible!" After watching halftime, the old commentator Brin couldn't help complaining.

"Yes, I just discovered that too, but the Rockets' ability to play in such a targeted manner shows that they have made arrangements before the game. The Rockets...well, their head coach is Tang Tian." Jackson said in the end that he could only helplessly shaking his head.

Brin didn't answer at this time, and after glancing at Jackson, he smiled wryly.

The Rockets' targeted tactics are not a matter of this season. Last season's Western Conference finals gave away the most popular Spurs, not to mention the fact that they are now facing a virgin Hornets in the playoffs.

The reporter who interviewed before the game sat behind the commentary booth, listening to the exchange of the two commentators in front, and watching the situation on the court, she finally understood what Tang Tian said in Chinese.

He forced him to be strong...

The Hornets couldn't find a solution in the second half. After three quarters, they were 25 points behind, and they called in early to withdraw.

In the end, the Rockets defeated the Hornets 109-87 in the second game of the series, won the second game of the series, and tied the total score at 1-1.

Paul played three quarters and contributed a career-high 38 points in the playoffs, but he couldn't hold back the collective explosion of the Rockets' striker.

McGrady played an atypical game, contributing 23 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, transforming from a super scorer to a point forward.

Millsap scored 24 points and 7 rebounds, and his scoring also set a new playoff high.

Even Pietrus and Battier scored 14 and 12 points respectively.

A big victory completely wiped away the haze brought about by the loss in the first game.

And what is more exciting than the big win itself is the way. The Rockets have figured out how to play the Hornets, which is more useful than how many points they win.

At the press conference after the game, Hornets coach Scott didn't know whether he didn't notice it or was helpless. He bluntly said that the other Hornets players were just out of shape in this game, and they will adjust their state and fight back when they return to the home court.

After two days of rest, the two sides moved to New Orleans to continue the game.

In 2005, New Orleans suffered a historic disaster. The entire city was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and the prosperous city became an endless wilderness. After the disaster, many experts believed that it was no longer suitable for human beings. live.

But two years later, the city has been rebuilt, although many traces of the original disaster can still be seen.

The disaster scarred the city, but it also united its people here more than anywhere else.

At the New Orleans Arena that night, the entire arena was packed.

The fans didn't think about it that much. The team made it to the second round after reaching the playoffs for the first time after the disaster, and even won a 1-1 battle with the defending champion. A championship-caliber team.

Amid the cheers of the fans at the scene, the fans of the Hornets played more excited and positive than the previous two games that night.

Paul broke his personal record again, scoring 39 points and 6 assists in the game. Peja and West also scored 15 points each, but being active and working hard could not solve their defensive loopholes, nor could they help them win the game.

In the end, the Rockets still won the game 117-106, rewriting the big score of the series to 2-1.

Because the Hornets did not double-team McGrady in this game, McGrady ushered in the glorious moment of his career. He made 23 of 37 shots and scored a new high of 58 points in a single playoff game.

This is a textbook game that illustrates a case where a super scorer can really kill the game by himself.

After the 3 games, those doubters all chose to shut up.

Last season against the Spurs, this season against the Hornets, the Rockets' tactical switch and the results made everyone realize that as long as this team has Tang Tian, ​​no matter what opponent they encounter, they can finally handle it.

"Mom, my team needs Tang Tian to be the head coach." In the TNT program after the game, Barkley laughed and shouted, and the effect of the program exploded.

With a touch of entertainment, Game 4 of the Rockets-Hornets series continues at the New Orleans Arena.

The fans are still enthusiastic, the Hornets are still tenacious, and the final result is still the same.

The Rockets defeated their opponents again 106 to 99, expanding the total score to 3 to 1.

However, there was an accident in this game. I don't know if it was because of the physical fatigue caused by consecutive high shots, or the Hornets player Peterson intentionally. Seven minutes before the end, McGrady's foot stepped on Peterson's foot. , Sprained his ankle directly.

Injuries are the most common thing in the NBA. After Tang Tian joined the Rockets, he played for more than a year before his main player got injured. He was considered very lucky.

The good news is that McGrady has been stepped on too much, so he instinctively took the defensive action of rolling to the ground. The injury examination report after the game showed that he can fully recover after about 3 to 4 days of rest.

When Tang Tian played against the Nuggets before, he got 1 honor point, but it wasn't enough for the player's ankles, which meant that the system couldn't help him this time, and he could only rely on himself.

Fortunately, the absence is not too long, at most two games, the next round of the series should not be affected.

McGrady averaged 33 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in the first four games of the series. The importance to the Rockets is self-evident. This absence immediately attracted a lot of discussion from the media and fans.

"Damn injuries, this is the worst thing I've ever seen!" Barkley yelled directly on the show. As a player, he knows best how injuries hurt players and a team.

"However, this also means that the Hornets have an opportunity. They have had nothing to do with T-mac in the past few games, and now they have a good chance to take the opportunity to accept the series." Smith on the side was emotional and analyzed rationally. .

Smith's analysis is not unreasonable. After the Rockets adjusted their tactics, McGrady was the starting point of the offense. Now that McGrady is injured, even if the Hornets' defensive problems are still there, it cannot be as big as the previous few games.

The fans were also worried after the game. They would rather use a victory in exchange for McGrady not being injured.

It's just a pity that there is no if.