In this game, the Rockets rested some of their main players. The starting lineup at this moment is: Curry, Roy, George, Griffin and Oden.
This lineup is surprisingly young, with the oldest one being 26-year-old Roy!
The Trail Blazers fielded their regular starting lineup.
The old and strong Andre Miller forms the backcourt with Wesley Matthews, who is both offensive and defensive.
Batum and Aldridge, two powerful players, partnered up front.
Guarding the penalty area is the veteran inside gatekeeper-Marcus Camby.
This veteran who once defeated Duncan to win the DPOY is getting stronger with age and actually got better in the competition with Oden.
Pioneers attack first!
The old Miller passed half court with the ball, stuck his butt out, and turned into a back-to-the-frame state, and then started to organize his teammates to move.
This action was the standard starting move for point guards in the previous era.
Like Magic Johnson, now the head coach of the Rockets - Mark Jackson, this was the case in the game back then.
Turning your back as soon as the half is passed makes it difficult for the opponent to steal, but it also means that it is difficult to attack quickly.
Curry, who was facing him, lowered his focus and defended patiently.
Soon, French magician Batum came out with the help of his teammates' cover.
Miller waved his hand and passed the ball.
However, a red figure suddenly jumped out and intercepted the ball.
The person coming is none other than George!
In the process of chasing Batum, he deliberately exposed flaws and gave the latter a certain amount of running space in order to induce passing routes!
George is like a hunter, setting a trap in the defense and waiting for the enemy to take the bait.
After completing the steal, his front was open all the way.
"bang!"
A classic 360° turnaround dunk gave the Rockets a good start.
Shen Fei in the box couldn't help but applaud this wonderful defense.
In this time and space, due to the positioning of the team, George's defensive ability has developed much faster than in the original time and space.
It's only been less than half a season, and Shen Fei feels that his perimeter defense is already comparable to Battier's.
The game continues.
On the next possession, the Trail Blazers handed the ball inside.
After receiving the pass in the low post, Ade immediately started playing with his back.
Behind him, Griffin tried his best to defend, but his height and wingspan disadvantage made it difficult for him to interfere with his opponent's straight-arm shooting.
"Shua~"
Ade turned over and succeeded in a jump shot.
2:2, the Trail Blazers equalized the score.
In transition between offense and defense, Curry quickly advances with the ball.
After reaching the three-point line, he made a beautiful behind-the-back dribble and passed the old Miller's defense.
After breaking into the penalty area, Curry chose a difficult throw.
The moment the ball left his fingertips, Camby, who was on defense, slapped him directly in the palm of his hand.
The basketball went into the basket, but the referee did not call a foul.
After scoring, Curry quickly signaled to the referee and shouted: "Foul!"
But the referee ignored it.
Camby, who has been in the league for more than ten years, saw this scene and immediately had a plan in his mind.
"The scale is very loose today, so be aggressive and give them some bodywork."
Camby called his teammates to him and said softly.
The pioneer generals nodded after hearing this.
One minute later.
Griffin, who was suffocating because he was beaten by Ade, received a pass from Curry after running down the pick-and-roll and soared directly into the air...
Suddenly, Camby on the other side rushed out halfway and stopped in front of Gifen.
The two bodies collided violently in the air, and then both lost their balance.
In a flash of lightning, Griffin casually threw the ball toward the basket, then fell backward to the ground.
The basketball flew toward the basket at a weird angle and bounced on the rim several times...
bingo!
In the end, he fell into the net.
This is a lucky ball!
After scoring the goal, Griffin naturally raised his arms and began to show off his biceps.
Obviously, he was already prepared to impose additional penalties for a while.
However...
The referee had no reaction.
When Camby saw Griffin still sitting on the ground, he immediately sent a baseline kick.
Old Miller made a long pass and found Matthews who was about to go down. The latter suddenly shot a cold arrow from the three-point line...
"Shua~"
At 4:5, the Trail Blazers overtook the score.
Now, Griffin was stunned!
He stood up from the ground with a jerk and trotted towards the referee.
"Isn't there a foul on this ball?"
"He leaned forward obviously and violated my cylinder!"
Griffin said aggrievedly.
The referee shook his head and did not respond.
Kanbi on the side got the advantage and behaved even more.
He walked to Griffin and said into the air:
"Today's young people are really too soft when it comes to playing football. They have to report every little bit of confrontation."
"You're going to cry soon, hahaha..."
Griffin's blood boiled up when he heard the incident, and he turned around to start a fight with Camby.
Fortunately, Curry appeared in time and stopped him: "You have been fooled, Blake, we will respond to him with basketball."
Griffin, who was originally "cold and white-skinned", was now so angry that his face turned red.
But after hearing what Curry said, he still suppressed his anger.
When Roy who was not far away saw this scene, his eyes flashed with a sharp look.
If the Rockets had to choose a ruthless character among the five starting players today, Mamba Huang would definitely be the best choice.
Back then, as a rookie, he dared to teach Randolph, the big black bear, how to behave in the "Portland Prison" with just one slap.
But now, someone was bullying his little brother under his nose, and Roy was very unhappy.
However, he is silent by nature, and even though he has thunder in his chest, he still looks calm on the outside.
But this will just make the other party lower their vigilance.
After the transition from offense to defense, Roy passed Matthews' defense with an in&out feint.
Then, he turned his horsepower to maximum and rushed directly into the Blazers' penalty area.
Camby rushed over to prepare for the defense.
Roy kicked off his feet and jumped with all his strength!
In the air, he raised his left elbow high and hit Camby as he took off...
"Bang~"
There was a muffled sound.
Camby flew out with a look of pain on his face, and immediately covered his face with his hands after falling to the ground.
After the confrontation, Roy actually maintained a stable center of gravity, flicked his wrist, and sent the ball into the basket.
However, he did not celebrate after scoring, but looked in the direction of the referee.
Roy knew that this was a clear offensive foul and might even be called a violation of the rules.
But for the sake of his younger brother, he was willing to be punished.
Moreover, Roy withdrew his strength at the last moment and did not cause too much damage to Camby.
However, something strange happened...
Roy looked at the referee for a long time, but the other party didn't even say anything!
The baseline referee even reminded the Blazers players to serve quickly, otherwise it will be a five-second violation.
This operation stunned the players of both teams.
"No...isn't this a violation?"
"If he gets stronger, I will see blood, do you understand?!"
Canby growled.
"Beep!"
The whistle sounded, and the bottom line referee crossed his hands and made a "t" sign.
Technical foul on Camby!
"Good guy..."
Curry was eating melon on the sidelines the whole time, and couldn't help but sigh at this moment.
Roy's face was also full of doubts, not knowing what was going on.
In the box, Shen Fei frowned slightly.
He already has a rough idea of what the alliance means.
"This is to relax the standards without distinction and make the Rockets' game full of physical confrontation..."
Shen Fei murmured to himself.
Both sides should relax the rules and encourage confrontation.
As a result, the two teams will inevitably take more and more actions until they reach the referee's bottom line.
Shen Fei immediately realized that doing so might not affect the Rockets' winning rate, but it would cause great risks to the players' health!
In other words, Nike's goal is to prevent the Rockets' core players from appearing healthy in the finals, thereby preventing the Rockets from winning the championship!
Thinking of this, Shen Fei narrowed his eyes.
This move is too poisonous! It goes against sportsmanship!
However, this trick is not impossible to deal with.
On the contrary, Shen Fei even made advance arrangements for this!