Forward to the basket

When you see a guy who is 7 feet 6 inches tall and make such a sensitive defensive action, besides applauding his block, probably the only thing you can do is look up at that tall figure.

The little giant from Shanghai, China has never been a standard inside defensive support point, although the statistics of this season prove that he can average two blocks per game, and he can also guarantee 9.4 rebounds per game.

But no one will use him as an inside protector, especially on the defensive end. Even Van Gundy himself admits that he prefers Yao Ming to play a role in the inside that involves the opponent's energy. Can play with his soft touch and can interfere with shots on the defensive end.

It's just interference, you really can't expect Yao Ming to be a shot-blocking machine in the paint every game day, running back and forth and making switchbacks, constantly moving his body that is getting stronger day by day.

The same is true of Yao Ming's shot blocking, he doesn't have that earth-shattering feeling, but he knows how to use his height to stand on your shooting route, and then he doesn't have to slap his big slap too hard.

Just like just now, Jefferson's small hook is very standard, it is completely an inside offensive template, but he still can't escape the slap brought by Yao Ming's height advantage, there is no feeling of thumping, but The basketball still flew out, regardless of the expression on Jefferson's face now, he could only accept the result.

You really can't expect Yao Ming's jumping power of more than 50 centimeters to give you a trapeze-like super big hot pot, but there is no heavy muffled sound, and the basketball is blown away, which has already achieved his goal.

And this slap not only blew away the Celtics' hope of equalizing, but also made the Rockets fans start shouting "yao! yao! The greatest yao!", maybe they really want to sing, medicine, medicine , Chuck made a fuss, but at this time, they might let go of their voices and howl twice to let them release their emotions.

This season is definitely the happiest time for the Houstonians who are eager to return to the top. Although they only rank No.5 in the West, no one denies that the current Rockets are absolutely competitive.

Maybe except for the Jazz and Spurs, the two main opponents in the Western Conference, who have not won yet. When they meet the Mavericks and the Suns, they are not behind. Fans don't care so much, they just hope that their team can go further in the playoffs.

In fact, Van Gundy's team has already done this. If they can maintain the current rhythm of the game and continue, maybe they can really get past the cursed first round in the playoffs this season. At least Van Gundy and his players have this kind of confidence, and the home win rate is their reliance.

Especially when McGrady and Yao Ming can display their abilities normally, they are almost invincible at home, even the newspapers before the game have written that, although the Celtics are hundreds of away The Lakers, but don't forget, we also beat the Los Angeles by [-] points at the Toyota Center two weeks ago.

This is the confidence of the Houstonians. At their own gate, their set of defensive tactics may seem a bit rigid, but there are really few teams that can completely defeat them at the Toyota Center.

If McGrady's one-stop attack brought the entire Toyota Center into a cheering atmosphere, then the shot that Jefferson was slapped by Yao Ming almost made the Houstonians fall into the feeling of carnival.

"Perfect cover! Yao! You are the patron saint of Houston! You are the best!", the dj's almost nasty commentary made the nerves of all the fans start to boil, and they all shouted wildly.

Van Gundy has always been a coach who rarely shows his emotions, but when Yao Mingfan shot Jefferson, this guy also shook his fist fiercely on the sidelines, as if he blocked the ball.

Now Jefferson can only stand by the side very suffocated, watching the cheers of the fans on the sidelines, and the high-fives of the guys in the Rockets uniforms in front of him, although the guy who slapped his shot didn't look like that. Some old guy sitting on the bench wagging his finger at himself, which is enough to make Jefferson angry.

He absolutely did not expect such a result after squeezing Howard away. He had already blocked the interference behind him, but he did not expect that his usual little hook would be slapped away so quickly.

Although the Celtics now own the ball, the block just now really made Jefferson a little angry. You know, the guy wearing the No. 11 team uniform rarely blocked shots like this. Simply!

This is the dual core of the Rockets. The two biggest players under Van Gundy, the entire team is also formed by relying on them. These two All-Stars gave the Celtics a blow in their own way. The knocks are both accurate and ruthless, one is to steal the ball and fast break, and the other is to block the block head-on!

The performance of the two of them really detonated the entire Toyota Center immediately, and almost all the Houston fans shouted at them, and the crazy voices around them almost drowned out all the movements on the field.

With such an atmosphere, even the Rockets, who followed every step of the way, showed aggressive momentum. After the Celtics served from the sideline, the Rockets' tough defense made the Bostonians return without success.

Pierce had already received a pass from Rondo at the bottom line, but at the moment he made the shot, Battier stretched out his hand to interfere. In order to avoid the block, Pierce also chose a slightly higher shot point At that point, the thrown ball hit the basket and bounced out, and Yao Ming scooped it up immediately.

After Pierce missed the shot, he slammed his fist into the air. It can be seen that this guy is in a bad mood now, especially when he is pestered by Battier. When that guy interfered with Pierce's shot, The hand was almost on the opponent's face, so it's no wonder that Pierce's shot was a little bit off.

Battier is a very smart defensive player. His actions may appear very aggressive, but in terms of fouling and non-fouling, this guy who has practiced at Duke University will make it difficult for referees to judge.

Even if he was about to put his hands on Pierce's face for the interference just now, he would still stop before he was whistled.

This allowed Pierce to complain to the referee when he failed to make a shot. At least in his opinion, Battier definitely fouled, including when he was running before the shot, he was also dragged by that guy for a long time.

But the referee will not blow the whistle on this kind of ambiguous confrontation. After all, this is just the beginning, and this is the home court of the Rockets. The most important thing is that Battier has a good grasp of the action scale when defending.

Even if Pierce complained a few words now, it would not shake the referee's mind. It is difficult to change what those guys believe, so Pierce can only complain, and then retreat to prepare for defense.

Although Rivers also yelled a few words on the sidelines, it was just to exert some influence on the referee. It didn't help the situation on the field at all. The Celtics' offense after the start has not gained anything yet.

The two offenses were fruitless, which is not too bad. After all, when any team has cold hands, the Celtics' offensive firepower is only temporarily frustrated. This does not prove that the team is playing badly now. .

However, compared with the setbacks of the Celtics, the Rockets' offense was extremely smooth. Although Alston was also entangled by Rondo in the peripheral possession of the ball, he did not choose to rely on himself. The hand-handling skills practiced on the street went to a one-on-one match, but threw the ball to Yao Ming after crossing the half court.

This is the way the Rockets attack. The point guard doesn't have to make any breakthroughs. He just needs to hand the ball over to his dual cores after halftime. , That's the scene Van Gundy doesn't want to see the last time, what the bald man needs is to be more stable.

So even if Van Gundy has Alstom as the point guard, he is still considering whether to continue to strengthen this position, and Morey is indeed thinking about trading on the point guard throughout the transfer period.

If it is not that there is no suitable candidate, maybe Alston has said goodbye to his starting position now, but if he does not make some changes, Van Gundy will not take the risk of using a favorite One-on-one against a group of point guards, although Alston often did that on the street, it definitely doesn't mean that Van Gundy will tolerate him playing this trick in the NBA.

So after Alston came to the Rockets, he has changed a lot in general. Although his passing is often a bit unreliable, the habit of "walking in the clouds" is gone. .

Just like now, after halftime, Alston threw the ball to the inside. As for whether Yao Ming should play alone with the ball, or find an opportunity to pass the ball out and then organize, it is all up to him to decide. .

Then Alston and McGrady or Battier began to look for open space on the periphery or in the middle distance.

If Yao Ming's offense in the interior is frustrated or interfered, they will always wait on the weak side. As long as the little giant can pass the ball, it may be a very good shot opportunity. This is definitely very standard, inside- The outside tactics may not be very gorgeous, but it is definitely very practical.

The old guy Sprewell once said that when he was in the New York Knicks, Van Gundy liked to use this method to break the opponent's defense. Ewing held the ball inside, and then Alan Houston and Sprewell Cruising on both sides, once the "gorilla" does not attack well, the two of them will have a chance.

It was by relying on such a simple and effective offensive strategy that the Knicks were able to create a black-eight miracle that season.

Van Gundy likes to use such an effective offensive method very much. He doesn't need to be gorgeous and beautiful in the offensive process, especially he doesn't need to have a stormy feeling like the Suns. He just likes to play positional battles so steadily, There's the pull, there's the screen, there's the run, and then there's the shot.

It's the same now. Yao Ming kept such a commanding height unused, which is definitely not in line with Van Gundy's character. He not only knows how to use it, but also uses it very handily. From the day Van Gundy officially took over the Rockets, he has already made up his mind. The idea is to make Yao Ming a core, both offensive and defensive.

Maybe this bald man wants to replicate his successful experience in the Knicks in the Rockets, or he once saw Yao Ming's wonderful performance of dodging O'Neal's scoring with his flexible feet, so he used a center as the fulcrum of the offense , this idea has been applied by Van Gundy to the game. Except for McGrady's solo play with the ball, the inside offense has always been one of the main directions of the Rockets. When playing, don't miss your own offense with the ball.

Yao Ming is not the kind of guy who likes to show off, but this does not mean that there is anything wrong with his personal ability.

If he had been born in the golden age of a center, maybe he would have been the cornerstone of a team, but in the current environment that requires sprinters, he is destined not to be like Chamberlain or Olajuwon.

Even the fans in Houston admitted that they didn't have the extravagant hope that the little Chinese giant could bring the team back to the glorious experience that Olajuwon won the championship for two consecutive years, but they hoped that Yao Ming could help the team from Coming out of the trough that has lingered for a long time, at least one must become a strong player in the west.

Yao Ming is not living up to his reputation as the No. [-] pick. At least in terms of statistics, he can help O'Neal hold up another half of the sky in this era when traditional centers have become rare. Maybe he is not as good as Olajuwon. Fantastic footsteps, nor O'Neill's domineering offensive firepower, but in this era of bombardment, the existence of the little giant can still remind people of what the role of a center should be like.

Just like this attack, Alstom sent the basketball into the three-second zone, and the other players of the Rockets were running, but Yao Ming just made a simple back-and-back ball-holding action inside, but it has already made Jefferson felt a bit overwhelmed, not because of the strength of the opponent, but because of the pressure brought by his height, which made Jefferson obviously feel that even if he stretched his hands, he might not be able to block them. The opponent's gaze directly at the basket, unless he is jumping up, may also interfere with the opponent's shooting sight.

Turning his back and leaning against the opponent behind him, Yao Ming's movement range did not slow down because someone was supporting him. On the contrary, it was precisely because Jefferson was resisting that the little giant's crushing advance to the inside was only possible. He became more active. Although Yao Ming's strength was not strong, his weight of 140 kilograms definitely made Jefferson, who has always boasted of his stocky body, a bit overwhelmed. After all, there was a difference of 20 kilograms between the two.

Pushing his back and completing his turn, Jefferson desperately raised his hands high, trying to block Yao Ming's possible shot angle, but his waving hands didn't touch the basketball, nor did he slap anything, but his eyes were on the tall The figure, after turning around, took a step back, and instantly separated the two bodies that were still close together just now, and then that guy just shot at the three-second zone line!

Yao Ming's touch is not a little bit soft. Even O'Neill said that Yao's shooting feels very good.

Indeed, when Yao Ming first set foot on the NBA court, his not-so-strong body was obviously at a disadvantage when confronting those muscular men at the basket. He was able to stand firm thanks to his soft touch.

Even Olajuwon sighed when he saw the game of this big man who inherited his mantle. Yao's mid-range shooting skills will make many centers blush for free throws, because the Chinese giant's touch is so good!

Jefferson didn't know how many people praised Yao Ming's hand feeling back then, but now he has experienced it for real. The opponent's entire offensive movement was done in one go, without any pause at all, and even when he made a shot, he adjusted his hand shape The chance, Jefferson's raised hands did not hinder Yao Ming at all.

With a swipe of the net, he was already reminding Jefferson that he was not only blocked by Yao Ming during the offense, but also defeated by the opponent in a single-handed attack on the offensive end, and this offense made him very helpless .

"Yao! Beautiful mid-range shot! The opponent's defensive player is like a puppet, and has no reaction to his shot at all. Yao added two more points for the Rockets! Hey, man, you did a great job!"

The on-site commentary is really a bit exciting today. The Rockets’ games are generally a bit dull, but today they played very proactively in the opening game. Both offensive and defensive ends gave the Celtics a big blow, especially in the interior. Yao Ming, with a big cap, followed by a beautiful mid-range shot.

The players play proactively. There is no reason for the commentator not to use his loud voice to mobilize the atmosphere of the entire stadium. The fans naturally like to see this kind of game. Who would be unhappy if they can win at home?

The people in Houston are very happy, but Rivers and Thibodeau absolutely have no idea of ​​taking advantage of others, but Yao Ming's offense just now is indeed a bit confusing, "Al's height still suffers too much in the confrontation."

This is the truth, and Rivers is no different. After all, one is only 20 meters tall, and the other big guy has a giant figure of more than 20 meters. There is a gap of more than [-] centimeters, as if Chen Feng is looking down on Rondo , You may not feel that there is anything at ordinary times, but if you put it on the field and fight against it, you will immediately feel the irreparable gap, especially when Jefferson is defensive and good at offense, he will suffer even more.

"And that guy's touch is really good." Thibodeau has nothing to do with this talent gap, he can only sigh with emotion about the opponent's height and the unimaginably soft touch.

"Man, don't be emotional. When I met the Rockets in the past two years, I would sigh like this almost every time because of that guy's shooting. But besides the touch, Yao's weight is also a big problem."

Rivers may feel more empathetic than Thibodeau. After all, his team has encountered the Rockets more than once in the previous two seasons. He has witnessed Yao Ming from a slender guy to a heavyweight player.

Now it is up to Rivers to guard against such a big man, it seems that it is really difficult for that guy.

But there is no better way now. The Celtics have such a natural defect inside. The strength may be impeccable, but in terms of height, they do have to suffer a bit.

But this can't be helped. There was still Ogwokandi who could support him, but that guy has basically become disabled, so he was fired by the Celtics a month ago.

And the other guy named Ratliff, although he used to be a shot-blocking king, but now he is almost half-disabled. Rivers put him on the injured list and didn't plan to release him again.

Facing a big man like Yao Ming who can overwhelm the sea in the paint, Rivers was also worried. The advantage of his height of more than 20 centimeters is really fucking one inch long and one inch strong...