Under the spotlight, the game between the two sides officially started. The Rockets set up their twin-tower lineup as soon as they came up. After the first ball was carried to the frontcourt by Beverley, it was handed over to Warcraft to play inside, and Warcraft used its back heel.
, turned around flexibly, passed Suns center Frye, and then faced the unguarded basket and succeeded with a dunk with the signature of Warcraft.
Looking back, the Suns quickly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Dragic handed it over to Morris. Morris quickly made a half-shot shot but missed. Rockets Yao Yao picked off the rebound and returned to the frontcourt.
This time, Beverly still handed the ball to Warcraft, but Warcraft kept an eye on it and did not hit hard. Instead, when the opponent was double-teamed, he suddenly threw the ball to Dayao on the other side of the basket.
Yao was not polite and also succeeded in a dunk.
The Suns continued to attack. Dragic and Frye played a pick-and-roll, trying to dribble for a layup. But with the twin towers guarding the Rockets, how could they get a layup so easily? Warcraft made a big block.
The ball was blocked and the Rockets made a fast break. Beverley rushed forward alone. When he saw that two people were already guarding the basket, he suddenly passed the ball back to the bearded man who followed behind. The bearded man also followed.
Without saying a word, he hit a three-pointer.
The Rockets opened the game 7-0.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek couldn't bear it any longer. He almost jumped up and called a timeout. In such an important game in the playoffs, he was beaten 7-0 by the opponent in the first place. This was okay.
Come on.
The Suns players walked off the court with their heads lowered, knowing that they would face the coach's wrath. But they had nothing to do, and they didn't know why, but today seemed to be particularly bad. Their hands were stiff from the beginning, and even
When I walk, I feel different from usual. No matter what movement I make, I feel a harsh and harsh sound inside my body.
Hornacek was about to get angry, but when he saw the expressions of the Suns players, his anger suddenly had to be suppressed. It seemed that everyone was too nervous. It's no wonder that they are all young players and have almost no postseason experience.
With game experience, it was their first time standing in the playoffs, so it was understandable that they were nervous.
Hornacek encouraged the players while comforting them to relax and have confidence.
The Rockets players were excited. When the players came to the rest area, the players on the bench also had smiles on their faces. The first game of the playoffs started 7-0, which was a big surprise for them.
It's a good start. Although the Rockets players basically all have playoff experience, this is the first time they have played so smoothly in the playoffs.
McHale shouted to the players to "keep working hard and try to beat them."
On the sidelines of the court, TNT commentator Reggie Miller saw the Rockets playing a 7-0 run and immediately smiled and said: "The Rockets opened 7-0. It seems that the experience that has been proven repeatedly in history is correct.
Yes, that is: having twin towers in the playoffs is equivalent to having victory. In the past few rounds, the Rockets used their twin towers to crush the Philippines.
The Knicks are inside, but it is extremely difficult for Phoenix to break through their inside screen. Moreover, the Rockets have James Harden outside the twin towers, which makes the Rockets even more powerful. Phoenix may not be able to beat them. The same goes for them.
It proves the truth that a team without a good inside line cannot survive in the playoffs. Except, of course, Miami."
The big-mouthed Charles Barkley shook his head and said: "I don't agree. Since Miami can be excluded, there must be a second team except Phoenix. I can say now that Phoenix will beat the Rockets today.
It’s not that difficult.”
Reggie Miller looked helpless and said with a smile: "You are always like this. You won't admit defeat when you are about to die. To use a Chinese saying, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin."
"This is called confidence." Barkley said, "I believe in the Suns." He looked proud as he spoke.
But soon, Barkley's tone became less tough, and his voice became less loud. Because in the next two minutes, the Rockets went on another 8-2 run. In other words, the Rockets
The game started with a score of 15 to 2.
"Let me just say, the Rockets are obviously on a higher level than the Suns. Look, this is the evidence." Miller found evidence to attack Barkley.
Barkley bit the bullet and said: "The game is not over yet, anything can happen."
Miller was already aware of Buckley's insistence on not giving up until the Yellow River, so he didn't argue with him and just waited for the last minute result to come out before teasing Buckley.
Far away in Wen Hao's hometown, the villagers started to get excited after seeing the Rockets play 15-2 in the opening game, and they kept talking about the Rockets' performance just now. But what made them dissatisfied was that the Rockets did not let Wen Hao.
Hao came on stage. However, many people still thought that powerful people usually appear last, so they didn’t say anything more.
At this time, Rockets fans across the country are as excited as the villagers of Wenhao's family. If they continue to play like this, the Rockets will definitely win today's game.
But the good times didn't last long. When Phoenix called the second timeout and came back on the court, the Rockets' situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, allowing the Suns to outscore 10-3 in five minutes.
This time, Charles Barkley felt elated. He smiled and shook his eyebrows and said, "Look, I said, anything can happen until the last minute. This is the NBA, where miracles are born."
Reggie Miller smiled awkwardly, but did not answer Barkley's words. He was looking for the reason why the Rockets were beaten by the Suns just now. Why did the Rockets suddenly stop working after just saying this?
The Rockets continued to play after the timeout, but after this, the Rockets continued to be beaten by the Suns.
At this time, Reggie Miller finally saw clearly that after the second timeout, the Suns obviously accelerated the pace of their offense. Originally, the Suns' pace was fast enough, but in the past few minutes, their speed was almost too fast.
To the extreme, it is almost like the seven-second offense led by Nash back then. It took three seconds to pass halftime and seven seconds to complete the offense. Regardless of whether the offense was scored or not, the defense was immediately retreated.
And at the pace of the Suns, the Rockets also became faster. They also followed the footsteps of the Suns. However, they have twin towers, and their speed cannot be too fast. Now that they are chasing the footsteps of the Suns, they have lost themselves.
Basketball is like boxing. It has its own rhythm. If you can grasp your own rhythm, the game will feel smooth. But once you fall into the opponent's rhythm, you will be passive and led by the nose.
Gone.
Reggie Miller shook his head helplessly: "It seems that the Rockets must change their point guard. It is undeniable that Beverley's defense is indeed very good. So far in the first quarter, he has defended Dragic by 5 times."
He made 1 shot and only scored 3 points. But he has not yet reached the stage of grasping the rhythm. Whether compared to Jeremy Lin or Wen Hao, he is a little worse. I suggest that McHale change to a point guard as soon as possible."
"Hehe," big-mouthed Klee sneered twice, "it's useless to replace anyone, the Rockets are in danger today."
Barkley's words immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of the fans at Toyota Center. Many people stood up and yelled at Barkley. But Barkley's face was as thick as his scalp and he didn't pay attention at all. He still sat there happily.
Watch how Phoenix tortures the Rockets.
At this time, McHale also seemed to have heard Reggie Miller's suggestion. Moreover, with his many years of career as a player and coach, he was also very aware of such obvious problems with the Rockets, so he replaced Beverley and replaced the opponent.
Jeremy Lin has a better grasp of the rhythm, but not Wen Hao. Because in a defense-first battle like the playoffs, Jeremy Lin, who has better defense, is better on the court.
Sure enough, after Jeremy Lin came on the court, the Rockets' offensive rhythm was slower than before. At least they did not follow the Suns. The Rockets resumed positional warfare when attacking and handed the ball to the twin towers inside. If
If the inside line doesn't work, try again.
To the outside. Of course, under normal circumstances, the Rockets' inside line is sure to dominate the Suns' inside line. On the defensive end, although the Rockets' inside double tower defense prevented the Suns' inside and outside breakthroughs, the Suns' three-pointers suddenly showed their power at this time.
, scored several three-pointers in a row.
When the first quarter ended, the Rockets were temporarily behind the Rockets by 9 points. Reggie Miller had already seen the problem with the Rockets: Jeremy Lin controlled the rhythm, but he faced Dragic on the defensive end.
The restriction effect is not very good. Among the three-pointers of the Suns, two were hit by Dragic, and one was assisted by him.
He was unable to limit Dragic's offense, and his own offense was not going very smoothly. Wherever the Rockets' interior twin towers stood, they occupied a lot of space. Shuhao's breakthrough was impossible to use, and his three-pointer
It's not very accurate, so he plays for a few minutes and doesn't contribute much.
After a short break in the middle, the game resumed in the second quarter. The Suns' three-point shooting was still hot, and Dragic was almost magical at this time. In the second quarter, he made three of three three-pointers, and his assists were already there at this time.
Reached 7 times.
Jeremy Lin, who faced him, performed mediocrely. He controlled the rhythm of the Rockets and hit the two towers in the interior in a satisfactory manner. Although the shooting rate of the twin towers was also very high, reaching 60%, they could not withstand the Suns' three-point shooting.
It's so hot. So far, the Suns' three-point shooting percentage in this game is as high as 75.2%, which is really scary.
So with three minutes left in the second quarter, the Rockets were already trailing by as many as 25 points.
When McHale saw this, he felt bad. This is the rhythm of kneeling. This is okay. As the number one player in the Western Conference, he was defeated by the eighth player in the Western Conference at his home court. How will he meet people when he goes out in the future?
At this time, Reggie Miller was cursing McHale in his heart: What is this old man thinking? Hao above! (To be continued.)
