On May 5, the Houston Rockets faced the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at home.
There was an accident on the court at the end of the last game. Spurs point guard Parker accidentally sprained his knee when he landed during a strong attack and fell to the ground in pain. He was then carried back to the locker room by two teammates.
In this campaign, the Spurs made a decisive change when Parker was injured. Rookie Dejounte Murray replaced Parker in the starting lineup.
Rockets starting lineup: Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Capela, Beverley, Harden.
It stands to reason that Parker's absence is good news for the Rockets. The Rockets are playing at home and have a high chance of winning.
But the result was beyond everyone's expectation. In the end, after the whole game, the Rockets lost to the Spurs 92-103 at home, trailing 1-2 with a total score.
Specific scores: 19-21, 24-18, 29-27, 31-26 (Spurs in front).
For the Rockets, Harden tried his best and scored 43 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Ariza had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Beverley had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, and Capela had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks.
, Gordon scored 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
For the Spurs, Ade regained his All-Star power forward status. He scored 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, successfully dominating the three-second zone.
In addition to Ade, Leonard scored 26 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal, Gasol had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, Danny Green had 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, and Mills had 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Simmons had 7 points and 6 rebounds.
…
On May 7, the Houston Rockets faced the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals at home.
Rockets starting lineup: Ariza, Ryan Anderson, Capela, Beverley, Harden.
At the end of the game, the Rockets defeated the Spurs 125-104, tying the series at 2-2.
Specific scores: 22-34, 31-23, 23-34, 28-34 (Spurs in front).
For the Rockets, Harden played efficiently in this campaign. He played 34 minutes, scored 28 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds, and made 10 of 18 shots. He became the hero of the Rockets' win.
In addition to Harden, Ariza scored 16 points, Anderson had 13 points and 4 rebounds, Beverley had 10 points and 6 assists, Capela had 8 points and 9 rebounds, Gordon had 22 points, Lou Williams had 13 points, and Brown had 11 points; Nene had 4
points, but unfortunately retired due to a groin injury.
For the Spurs, Leonard had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, Aldridge had 16 points and 5 rebounds, Murray had 8 points, Gasol had 8 points and 7 rebounds, Green had 3 points, Simmons had 17 points and 4 rebounds, and Mills had 10 points.
He scored 5 assists, Ginobili had 9 points, Kyle Anderson had 8 points, Dedmon had 5 points, Bertans had 2 points, and David Lee had 2 points.
…
On May 19, the Houston Rockets faced off against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals, which is commonly known as the Battle of Heavenly Kings Mountain.
This game is very important for both teams. The Spurs put Mills in the starting lineup and added a pitcher.
Rockets starting lineup: Eric Gordon, Ariza, Capela, Beverley, Harden.
Spurs starting lineup: Leonard, Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Danny Green, Mills.
At the beginning of the first quarter, the two teams quickly started to attack each other. Danny Green scored a three-pointer, and the Spurs took the lead in breaking the scoring drought. However, Beverley also scored a three-pointer with his open hand. His state did not seem to be affected by the death of his family member. The next two games
The team continued to make fuss on the offensive end, and the Spurs' internal and external integration was obviously better. In the middle of this quarter, relying on the attraction of the inside, Leonard and Mills made three-pointers, and the Spurs led 20-11.
However, the Rockets were not affected by this. In the latter part of the quarter, Harden found the touch and hit three consecutive three-pointers to catch up with the score. He scored 15 points in the single quarter. With Ginobili's layup, at the end of the quarter, the Rockets
Temporarily trailing the Spurs 29-32.
In the second quarter, Anderson stood up from the Rockets bench and hit consecutive jump shots and three-pointers to help the visiting team achieve a lead. Then Harden continued the firepower and continuously used breakthroughs to kill the Spurs inside.
However, the Rockets' offense was impressive, but there were still many loopholes on the defensive end. Ade successfully tipped the ball in and the Spurs regained their advantage.
There were 2 minutes left in this quarter, and the most exciting scene of the half was played out. Ginobili dribbled the ball straight to the basket, suddenly jumped up in the chaos, changed hands and dunked into the net. This dream return to the peak of the goal,
Instantly ignited the enthusiasm of the scene.
Before halftime, Capela made a big block on the defensive end, dunked in the middle of the offense, and made consecutive free throws. At the end of the half, the Spurs were temporarily behind 58-60.
After the side change, Harden made a three-pointer as soon as he came up. After that, the Rockets continued to work hard. Gordon succeeded in a layup, and the point difference was once widened to 9 points.
However, the Spurs were very tenacious in the face of adversity. Leonard advanced on a fast break and took off just after crossing the free throw line, trying to dunk Beverley. Although he failed, he committed a foul. With the momentum of this ball,
The Spurs chased wildly.
In the latter part of this quarter, the Rockets' shooting percentage dropped. The Spurs arranged the final attack, and Danny Green scored a three-pointer at the buzzer. After three quarters, the Spurs led the Rockets by 1 point 86-85.
In the final quarter, the two teams fell into a vicious circle, especially the Spurs, who missed all 11 consecutive shots.
Entering the last 4 minutes of the game, Ginobili's three-point shot came out of the basket. Ade grabbed the frontcourt board and succeeded in the second attack, finally breaking the home team's scoring drought. However, relying on Harden's breakthrough layup, the Rockets maintained
A 3-point lead.
Harden suppressed time and launched an attack in the last 5 seconds. After the sudden point transfer, Gordon hit the net with a three-pointer from the front, but Mills responded with a goal from the outside and Ade also hit a hook. The two teams were tied.
With 34.5 seconds left in the game, the two teams were tied at 101.
Harden controlled the ball to attack, but was charged with a collision foul when he broke through.
The ball was transferred to the Spurs. Popovich's last attack unexpectedly hid Leonard. This move almost worked. The Spurs ran out of tactics and Mills hit the net at the buzzer. Unfortunately, this goal
The overtime was ruled invalid. In desperation, both sides had no choice but to enter overtime.
In overtime, the competition between the two teams became intense. In the first 3 minutes, both teams went back and forth, but no one scored. But then Beverley's three-pointer opened the offensive gate, and the Spurs' Danny Green also quickly used a three-pointer.
respond.
Anderson's three-pointer from the corner made the Rockets excited for a while, but just a few seconds later, Green beat Harden alone and made a layup to score 2+1, and the Spurs led by 2 points.
Gordon missed a three-pointer and the Rockets could only commit a foul. Green made one of two free throws and the Spurs led by 3 points. The suspense of victory was still there.
Unfortunately, Harden's three-point shot at the last moment was blocked by Ginobili, and the Rockets lost hope of equalizing.
In the end, after the whole game, the Spurs narrowly defeated the Rockets 110-107, temporarily leading the series 3-2.
For the Spurs, Ginobili was back to his peak in this game. He scored 12 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Leonard scored 22 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. However, due to a sprained foot injury, he was hidden by Popovich in the final period and overtime.
Mills scored 20 points and 4 assists, Aldridge had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Green had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. In overtime, he scored 7 points in a row; Simmons had 12 points and David Lee had 6 points.
For the Rockets, Harden scored 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Although he had a triple-double, he also had 9 turnovers. Among others, Beverley had 20 points and 4 rebounds, Gordon had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Capela had 20 points and 4 rebounds.
Ariza had 9 points and 11 rebounds, Anderson had 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Lou Williams had 6 points and 4 assists.
One of the most classic scenes in this game is the big shot from Ginobili’s back to Harden at the last moment!
Of course, this big hat does not mean that there is anything wrong with Harden. After all, it was the last moment, the Rockets were three points behind, and Harden had no choice but to shoot a three-pointer.
However, Ginobili has a good brain and a high golf quotient, and the performance of this ball is very clear!
…
On May 11, the Houston Rockets faced the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals at home.
The bad news for the Spurs is that coach Popovich revealed in a pre-game interview that Kawhi Leonard will miss today's game due to an ankle injury, and Jonathan Simmons will replace him in today's game.
Starting lineup.
Leonard sprained his ankle when he stepped on a Rockets player's foot during a transition in the previous game.
Leonard averaged 27.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game in this year's playoffs.
Parker is out for the season and Leonard can't play anymore. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Rockets!
If such opportunities cannot be grasped, it only means that Harden cannot fulfill the role of a leader!
The final result surprised everyone. Harden was lost in the game, almost like sleepwalking. As a result, the Rockets' offense was weak and they were extremely passive on both offense and defense.
At the end of the game, the Rockets defeated the Spurs 75-114 and were eliminated with a total score of 2-4. The entire season came to an end.
In this campaign, Ade completely dominated the paint. He scored 34 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the number one contributor to the Spurs' victory.
For the Spurs, in addition to Aldridge, Simmons scored 18 points, Mills had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, Gasol had 10 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, Green had 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Murray had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Assists and 2 steals, Kyle Anderson had 7 points and 6 rebounds, Dedmon had 3 points and 4 rebounds, Forbes had 2 points, David Lee had 2 points, and Ginobili had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
For the Rockets, Harden was strangely lost. He only scored 10 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 turnovers, and 6 fouls. Ariza scored 20 points and 5 rebounds, Capela scored 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals. Harden
10 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, Beverley had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Gordon had 6 points, Lou Williams had 8 points, Decker had 6 points, and Brown had 3 points.
In such a crucial game, two of the opponent's main players were absent, there was no best leader, and the best point guard couldn't play. The Rockets were still playing at home, and they lost so embarrassingly. There are few teams in history!
This game is also the best proof of Harden's hip stretch in key battles - he punches hard in the regular season, is submissive in the playoffs, and must stretch his hip in key battles. This is typical Harden!
