Two days later, the Rockets returned home to face the Eastern Conference powerhouse, the Orlando Magic.
Shen Fei came to the Toyota Center Arena in person to watch the game.
In the box, waiting for the game to start.
It is worth mentioning that after becoming the boss, Shen Fei's perspective on things also underwent some subtle changes.
For example, in the past, when he heard the on-site DJ shouting: "Welcome everyone to come to the Toyota Center Arena to watch the game," he would not feel any emotions in his heart.
Because Shen Fei was just the team manager at that time.
All his focus is on improving the team's competitiveness.
Times have changed, and Shen Fei is now the absolute master of Team Rocket.
When he heard the DJ's introduction again, he suddenly felt strange...
A team with a Chinese boss, the home stadium is named after a Sun Country guy!
Although this is an issue left over from history, Shen Fei still feels unhappy.
“Can the arena be renamed?”
"In the history of the NBA, it seems that very few owners would change the name of the arena..."
Shen Fei murmured to himself.
After thinking about it, he suddenly came up with a bold idea - [How about building a new arena?]
Of course, building an arena requires a lot of money and energy!
Shen Fei doesn't have time to think about this matter seriously yet.
However, he has already kept this in mind.
When the team's situation stabilizes in the future, Shen Fei will start taking care of this matter!
............
While he was thinking about it, the players from both sides had finished their warm-up and walked to the center of the field to prepare for the start of the game.
It is worth mentioning that Magic general Dwight Howard, who is always known for his optimism and laughter, had a dark face and a serious expression throughout today.
There were two reasons for his bad mood.
First, the Magic performed poorly this season and their record suffered a serious setback!
Aspiring to compete for the championship, they are currently only ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Such a record is far lower than Howard's expectations!
Moreover, Vince Carter, the "demigod" whom the Magic spent a lot of money to acquire, has still not had a chemical reaction with his teammates this season after a season of adaptation.
Although he has good statistics on the surface, he actually doesn't help the Magic much.
Nowadays, neither Magic fans nor players can avoid one problem - after losing Turkoglu, they are no longer the favorites to compete for the championship!
The second reason is the recent trading rumors about Howard.
Recently, many media have revealed that the Heat intend to trade Howard, one of the Big Three, Chris Bosh.
If this rumor appeared before the start of the season, everyone would just laugh it off and never take it seriously.
But now, with the sudden rise of the Rockets, the Magic's window to win the championship seems to have been completely closed!
In this case, selling core players in exchange for more future assets seems to be a good choice.
Of course, this is thinking about the issue from the perspective of the team management.
In the eyes of fans, this is undoubtedly a betrayal!
Warcraft, who was once "loved by everyone", recently felt the boos from home team fans at the Magic's home court for the first time.
Howard is very aggrieved!
He did nothing and became the target of public criticism!
Now, Warcraft just wants to prove itself with a hearty victory!
Even if what he will face today is his nemesis since his career, the little giant-Yao Ming!
............
As the referee throws the ball high, the battle is about to begin!
Howard jumped up hard and unexpectedly won the duel with Yao Ming.
Magic strikes first!
As soon as they came up, they put on a posture of defeating the enemy and determined to win.
Carter faced his cousin Tracy McGrady and opened the scoring for the Magic with a mid-range shot.
In transition between offense and defense, Howard showed off his World of Warcraft style on the defensive end.
When George rushed to the basket and prepared for a layup, he appeared out of nowhere and slapped the ball away with one palm!
After completing the block, Howard still looked serious, his eyes full of angry flames.
Shen Fei in the VIP box smiled slightly when he saw this scene.
He knows that this game will not be that simple!
Rockets serve from the baseline.
Curry used the screen to get rid of Magic point guard Nelson's defense and "shot" from outside the three-point line.
bingo!
curryfromdowntown (Curry hits a three-pointer)!
3:2, the Rockets took the lead.
After finally delivering a hot shot, his opponent made a three-pointer the next second. Howard couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
He buried his head and ran towards the Rockets half court without saying a word, preparing to attack.
Nelson knew that his defense was at a disadvantage, so he reached out and wanted to give Howard a high-five to express his apology.
Unexpectedly, the always easy-going Warcraft actually ignored his hand and walked past him.
Nelson retracted his hand in embarrassment.
Once upon a time, they were very close teammates, but unexpectedly they are now strangers.
In fact, World of Warcraft does not get angry with teammates.
It's just that Curry's three-pointer just now really hit him, so much so that he didn't see the hand extended by his teammate.
............
After changing sides, Howard asked for the ball in the low post and took the initiative to challenge Yao Ming.
From this offensive choice, we can also see the anxious mentality of Warcraft.
You know, Yao Ming is taller and stronger than him. You can imagine how difficult it is to attack in the low position!
Nelson hesitated and passed the ball.
Howard caught the ball and immediately switched to a face-to-face attack.
I saw his center of gravity sinking to the left, making a breakthrough, and then making a cross step, he changed to the right to break through.
The decisiveness of Warcraft's attack this time surprised even Yao Ming.
Moreover, Howard's fake moves just now were very realistic and he successfully deceived Dayao.
Yao Ming's center of gravity shifted to the left. After discovering that he had been cheated, he quickly moved to the right to compensate.
Unexpectedly, Howard suddenly turned around while walking.
This time, Yao Ming was completely wiped out.
The next moment, the monster comes out of the cage...
"bang!"
Howard made a crisp one-handed tomahawk and dunked the ball into the basket.
"Roar!!!"
After scoring the goal, Howard screamed to the sky and vented his dissatisfaction.
In addition to anger, there was also a hint of excitement in his eyes.
Obviously, the success of challenging the "natural enemy" this time has greatly enhanced the confidence of Warcraft!
At this moment, Shen Fei in the box also showed a rare expression of surprise.
[Howard in this time and space...has the ball increased?]
Warcraft has always been famous for its explosive talents.
But his rough technology has always been a stumbling block that hindered him from going further.
Over-reliance on talent is also an important reason why Howard always suffers when he meets Yao Ming.
But in the round just now, Warcraft showed off a set of dreamy moves under the basket and directly knocked out Yao Ming!
"If this attack just now was not a flash in the pan... Howard can compete with Yao Ming in the future."
Shen Fei murmured.
Moreover, if Howard can compete with Yao Ming on both offense and defense, his role on the court will inevitably be higher than that of Yao Ming.
After all, Peak Warcraft's defensive capabilities are among the top three in NBA history!
Then, Shen Fei suddenly remembered the previous trade rumor about the Heat.
If the "upgraded version" of Warcraft joins them, the Heat's strength will surely rise to a new level again!
"If there is a trade, the Heat will definitely use Bosh as their core bargaining chip..."
"James-Wade-Howard, the Big Three are definitely the only ones with physical talents in history."
Shen Fei thought to himself.
If the Heat really complete this robbery-like transaction, then they will undoubtedly replace the Mavericks led by Nowitzki and become the Rockets' biggest opponent for the championship this season!
"It's interesting, let's see."
Shen Fei has never been afraid of powerful opponents.
Even if the Heat deviate from its original historical track and become a stronger team, the Rockets will confidently challenge it!
When the time comes, the Yao-Mai combination has regained health, the new generation is gradually growing - Curry, George, Griffin, and all the bench gangsters...
With this Rockets team, Shen Fei doesn't think they will be worse than any other team!
............
While Shen Fei was thinking for a moment, the two teams were playing in full swing.
The Rockets are in full bloom, and the Magic, under the leadership of Howard, have successfully operated a "one star, four shots" system.
This unique system is what the Magic relied on the most to reach the finals two years ago!
In the first meeting between the two teams this season, they failed to operate this system because of Yao Ming's restrictions on Howard.
But today, Warcraft broke free from the shackles, made further progress, and successfully gained an advantage in the matchup with Dayao.
The "one star shooting everywhere" system was able to operate smoothly!
After the first quarter, the two sides were tied at 32.
............
Intersection break, Rockets bench.
Yao Ming gasped for air and wiped the sweat on his forehead with a towel.
In the first quarter, he and Howard both played for 12 minutes.
This must be a lot of consumption for a 2.26-meter center!
Howard is younger than him and has a better physical foundation than Yao Ming.
Therefore, by the end of the first quarter, Warcraft already had a clear advantage.
"Are you okay, Yao?"
Curry asked with concern.
Yao Ming shook his head and said with some helplessness: "Dwight's ball is up, I can't hold him down."
"You've done a great job."
"Let's take a rest first, don't be exhausted."
Mark Jackson said comfortingly, and then turned his attention to Oden.
"I come!"
Oden volunteered, and as he spoke, he took off his long sleeves, revealing his No. 52 jersey.
"The Magic are in desperate need of a win now, and Howard may bite the bullet and continue to play."
"But he has been fighting against Yao Ming for a whole quarter, and it must have been very taxing."
"After you go up, fight him physically as much as possible and continue to consume his physical energy."
"But there's a caveat...don't get hurt, Greg!"
Mark Jackson said solemnly.
"I understand, coach, don't worry."
Auden nodded seriously.
............
The break ended quickly, and players from both sides returned to the court one after another.
The Rockets brought in multiple substitutes.
The Magic, as Mark Jackson expected, still kept Howard on the court.
As soon as Oden stepped onto the court, he immediately caused a burst of cheers.
Rockets fans stood up and applauded the big man who was suffering from injuries.
Oden was a little flattered and quickly raised his hand to respond to the fans.
Then, he jogged all the way and came to Howard's side.
Looking at the monster in front of him, Oden couldn't help but remember that before the draft, he had been compared with Howard.
At that time, Oden was said to be a genius once in 50 years, and his self-confidence was naturally overwhelming.
"I will become a better center than Howard!"
This was the answer in his heart at that time.
Everyone knows what happened next.
Now, Oden finally has the opportunity to compete with Howard, which makes him extremely excited!