On November 4th, Beijing time, the Rockets ushered in their fourth game of the regular season.
Today, they will sit at home to face the challenge of the San Antonio Spurs.
It is worth mentioning that both teams have won three consecutive games since the start of the season.
Therefore, this Texas Civil War has become one of the games that fans are most concerned about today.
CCTV will naturally not miss such an important game.
"Hello dear viewers, this NBA game broadcast brought to you by tv-5, I am Yu Jia!"
"I am your old friend - Zhang Weiping!"
"Director Zhang, can you give us a brief analysis of the situation of the two teams?"
Yu Jia asked.
"OK."
“I don’t know if you have heard of a saying called the Three Major Illusions of Texas.”
"The Mavericks are strong, the Spurs are old, and the Rockets are weak."
"So, today it's the old and slow Spurs who are facing the new and weak Rockets."
"But in fact, both teams are the two best performing teams since the new season."
Zhang Weiping said with a smile.
"Indeed, these two teams always give people the illusion of being weak, but I believe that not many teams are willing to meet them in the series."
"However, Director Zhang, I would also like to ask which team you are more optimistic about?"
Yu Jia continued to ask.
"Spurs."
Zhang Weiping gave his answer without hesitation.
"I think the Spurs are very hopeful to compete for the championship this year."
"The strength of the 'gdp (Duncan Parker-Ginobili)' combination is obvious to all. The only criticism of the Spurs is that after the age of the core players has increased, the team lacks a backbone, or a talented person with strong athletic ability.
players.”
"But the arrival of Richard Jefferson has made up for the Spurs' lack of talent."
"Although he did not perform as well as he should have last year, I believe that after such a long period of time, Jefferson should be able to integrate into the Spurs this year."
"Although the Rockets have been gaining momentum recently, their main players are still young and it is difficult to maintain a high level stably."
"In addition, Yao Yao has not returned yet, and the Rockets' inside line is actually in a vacuum. It will be very difficult to encounter Duncan today."
Zhang Weiping analyzed.
"My opinion is similar to yours."
"If the Rockets want to beat the Spurs today, they must have several young players playing together."
"If Griffin and Duncan can fight against each other, Lowry restrains Tony Parker, and McGrady continues to perform at a super level, the Rockets still have a chance to overcome."
Yu Jia added.
"Okay, the game will start soon, let's hand the camera to the front!"
He waved his hand and the screen cut to the Toyota Center Arena.
............
At this time, the starters from both sides had already walked to the center of the court.
"As you can see, the Spurs have basically continued their core lineup for many years."
"On the back line, the little French sports car - Tony Parker partners with Gary Neal, Jefferson and DeJuan Blair form the front line, and the center position is the 'Stone Buddha' - Duncan."
"On their bench, there is also the familiar 'Demon Sword' - Manu Ginobili."
"The Rockets' starting lineup is the same as the past three games - Lowry, McGrady, George, Griffin and P.J. Tucker."
Yu Jia introduced.
On the court, McGrady looked serious, knowing that today's game would be a tough battle.
George quietly observed Spurs small forward Jefferson.
Richard Jefferson, once one of the Three Musketeers of the Nets, once helped the team reach the Finals.
Before the game, Mark Jackson gave George the task of guarding this powerful player.
Pickle pepper accepted it very excitedly.
George never shied away from marking the opponent's arrowheads.
On the contrary, he maintains a positive attitude towards it.
In George's eyes, such a matchup can, on the one hand, hone his defensive skills, and on the other hand, he can learn the opponent's offensive skills.
After all, although he has trained with McGrady for two months, T-Mac is an extremely talented player, and some of his skills are not suitable for George.
[Come on, let me see what's special about you.]
George thought to himself.
At the same time, in the box, Shen Fei was lazily leaning on the sofa, overlooking everything on the field.
Today's game is very important for the Rockets.
As long as he wins, Yao Ming can get treatment immediately.
In other words, if you win today, the Rockets' lineup will be complete tomorrow!
For such an important game, Shen Fei naturally had to go to the scene to watch the game.
When necessary, he will also provide "help" to the Rockets players at any time.
............
As the referee throws the ball high, the game officially begins!
Duncan jumped high and won the duel with Griffin.
Although the two are about the same height, their wingspan is still much longer than that of Griffin.
Spurs attack first!
Parker passed half court with the ball and met Lowry's defense.
The French sports car waved, and Blair immediately stepped up inside to set up a cover for him.
Parker didn't think much and simply relied on the pick-and-roll to get rid of the defender.
Unexpectedly, as soon as his front foot got around Blair, Lowry squeezed through the screen with his back foot and followed him.
"Hey, Lowry's move is so powerful! He directly squeezed through Blair's pick-and-roll, which is equivalent to defending one against two."
Zhang Weiping said in surprise.
"The flexibility advantage of a small defender is evident at this moment."
Yu Jia added with a smile.
Parker's plan failed and he was about to reorganize the attack, but Lowry suddenly stepped forward and almost completed the steal.
Fortunately, Parker was experienced and immediately put his body between the opponent and the basketball, barely protecting the basketball.
Moreover, after the two people came into physical contact, the French sports car staggered back a few steps, while Lowry stood motionless.
"Tough defense, Lowry can really lead the defense!"
Zhang Weiping couldn't help but praise again.
And in just a few seconds, Parker realized that the young defender in front of him was definitely not a good guy!
He did not choose to attack, but passed the ball to his teammate-Jefferson.
At this time, there was not much attack time left, and the other Spurs players consciously opened up, leaving ample space for Jefferson to play singles.
The team came to him to do this!
It is equivalent to having a strong solution when tactics fail to work.
Although Jefferson is not a small forward at the level of James and Anthony, his offensive ability is still good, and his skills are diverse and proficient.
He looked at the first-year rookie in front of him, George, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Rookie, have you seen my game?"
Jefferson lowered his center of gravity, dribbling the ball while talking trash.
"Um."
George was noncommittal, his eyes never leaving the basketball.
"Then you should know...I like to use this!"
In the middle of his words, Jefferson suddenly burst into anger.
I saw him changing his right hand to dribble the ball to his left hand, and then stepped out with his left foot to make a crossover!
The whole set of movements is smooth and smooth. Although the amplitude is not large, it is still very deceptive.
After changing direction and dribbling, Jefferson was very confident and the opponent would definitely not be able to react.
But the next moment, a cold voice sounded...
"Know."
"Snapped!"
As soon as he finished speaking, George pounced forward, stretched out his ghost hand, and directly left the ball in place.
"Accurate prediction! The Rockets youngster actually judged the position of Jefferson's change of direction in advance and took action to directly complete the steal!"
Yu Jia commented timely.
After George intercepted the ball, he immediately began to advance and launch a counterattack.