Chapter 314 The key battle! Domestic and foreign reactions!
Defeating the Timberwolves, who are last in the Western Conference, is not something worth boasting about for the Rockets.
However, due to its special significance (tying the record), many fans at home and abroad are discussing the game heatedly.
On the other side of the ocean, in China, an old fan named "Davidson School Bully" on the Hupu forum published a post titled "Reminiscing about the past, the rise of the Rockets."
The article reads:
"Four years ago, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady led the 'civilian Rockets' to create the second longest winning streak in NBA history when no one was optimistic about it——
22 consecutive wins!
It's a pity that the team's talent at that time was too mediocre, and no one except Yao and Mai could take charge alone.
Coupled with injuries, the Rockets quickly fell.
Times have changed, and Shen Fei emerged and became the new pride of the Chinese basketball world.
The "new Rockets" he built only have Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, veterans of the year.
They were also not optimistic before the start of the season, but now they have reached the same point again - 22 consecutive victories.
I have been a fan of the Houston Rockets since Yao Ming entered the NBA.
This year is undoubtedly the year where we have the best chance of winning the championship.
I only hope that the Rockets can start by breaking records and move towards the final peak step by step!
...
My youth was the Bulls Dynasty, and my prime was the Yao-Mai combination.
But I hope that when I am old, I can talk to the younger generations about the story of Shen Fei’s establishment of the Rockets dynasty!”
This post doesn't have any fancy words, but it is full of emotions between the lines.
Countless Rockets fans, oh no, it should be countless Chinese fans, had many feelings when they read this article.
They may be fans of other teams.
But this year, 99% of them are on the Rockets' side!
There is no other reason. This Rockets team carries too much hope for Chinese basketball!
Shen Fei - the first Chinese general manager in NBA history, has now been promoted to the first Chinese boss in history.
Yao Ming - the little giant of the East. Countless fans got into the NBA because of him.
Jeremy Lin - the first naturalized player in the history of Chinese basketball, and also the answer to the men's basketball point guard in the minds of many fans.
Yi Jianlian - the strongest talent after Dayao.
Although at the beginning of the season, some fans shouted all day long, "Take it easy with the Green Arrows, you only play five minutes in the starting lineup", "Drink Yili, you have energy, you will make one out of ten shots" and other jingles.
But the harsher the scolding and the fiercer the ridicule...actually it is a sign that the fans hate him.
As the saying goes, with deep love comes deep responsibility.
In the final analysis, everyone still hopes that the United Arab Emirates can wake up quickly and get out of the "quagmire".
Later, as Yi Jianlian joined the Rockets and performed brilliantly from beyond the three-point line, Chinese fans quickly began to support him again.
The nickname for Yi Jianlian has also changed from Arrow Alliance to Rocket Alliance!
And these four Chinese people appeared in the same team at the same time.
There is no doubt that this team will be favored by Chinese fans.
Even some fans of other teams have more or less the same idea in their hearts——
At least this year, let the Rockets win a championship and fulfill Dayao's championship dream!
Or: As soon as Shen Fei took over the Rockets, he has been emphasizing that he wants to win the championship this season, hoping that the results will not disappoint him.
In addition to winning the championship, breaking the previous 22-game winning streak is also what many fans hope to see.
In a sense, this is like the Rockets team that carried the youth of countless fans and continues to do so!
Therefore, when an old man commented below this article: "Defeat the Spurs, win 23 consecutive victories, and win the championship!"
The fans who followed immediately turned into repeaters and flashed this sentence on the screen:
"Defeat the Spurs, win 23 consecutive games, and win the championship!"
"Defeat the Spurs, win 23 consecutive games, and win the championship!"
"Defeat the Spurs, win 23 consecutive games, and win the championship!"
...
CCTV5, which regards the Rockets as its "son", also began to preview the game with great fanfare the day before the game.
"At 11:30 tomorrow morning, please stay tuned to CCTV! We will bring you the game between the Rockets and the Spurs."
"Whether we can create history depends on this battle!"
............
Two flowers bloom, one on each side.
While Chinese fans are discussing their winning streak, some are also studying how to defeat the Rockets, who are at their peak.
And the person doing this research is naturally the San Antonio Spurs.
Not long ago, the Mavericks lost to the Rockets at home.
The Spurs took advantage of this opportunity and used a wave of consecutive wins to successfully jump to second place in the Western Conference.
Facing the unparalleled Rockets this time, they are united and ready to make a big splash!
As early as two days ago, the Spurs generals took a special plane and arrived in Houston to prepare for the game.
In two days, legendary coach Popovich has organized his players and held two video analysis meetings.
Now, it's their third meeting!
"We have analyzed all aspects before, and this time we will make a summary and emphasize the key points."
Popovich looked around and said.
The Spurs generals headed by "gdp" nodded one after another with serious expressions on their faces.
"First of all, the Rockets are the best team in the league at the moment."
"They may suddenly break out at any time, and in a very short period of time, they can hit a small climax and widen the points difference in an instant."
"However, there are many young people in the Rockets. If they have a big advantage, they will easily relax and their intensity will drop quickly."
"So, even if they gain momentum, we don't need to panic. If we keep a calm mind and fight, we will very likely be able to smooth out the disadvantage."
Popovich analyzed it clearly.
This veteran coach, who is about to turn 62, has a full head of gray hair, but there is no trace of aging in his brows.
A pair of tiger eyes are bright and lively, giving people a feeling of calmness and self-power.
Not only that, Popovich is also one of the best tacticians in the league.
The Spurs under his leadership ranked first in the league in tactical quality.
Moreover, Popovich is very good at expressing his ideas clearly.
This has not only benefited the players a lot, but even some assistant coaches have benefited from it.
This can be seen from the fact that many "Spurs" coaches shine in other teams!
The Spurs generals nodded after hearing this.
This is the conclusion they came to together after reviewing countless Rockets games in the past two days.
"Furthermore...the Rockets have a strong bench lineup. They often work hard in the transition period and catch their opponents off guard."
"Through the video, we can see that Mark Jackson likes to use two transition lineups recently."
"One set is a shooting team composed of Curry, McGrady, Danny Green, Tucker, and Yi Jianlian"
"The other set is the so-called 'ultimate basketball lineup': McGrady, George, Green, Tucker, and Ben."
Popovich said eloquently.
"So...how to deal with these two lineups?"
Tony Parker asked doubtfully.
In the past two days, they have been unable to come up with a feasible method.