NBA: Being criticized for half a year at the beginning

Time quickly entered December, and the Rockets ranked third in the West with 13 wins and 3 losses.

On December 12, the Rockets challenged the Grizzlies, who ranked fifth in the West, away. Anthony has always been the nemesis of the Grizzlies.

But today became the day of suffering for Melon.

In the past five games at the FedEx Center, Melon averaged 33.8 points per game and shot 51.3%.

In the duel on March 10 last year, it was Anthony's buzzer-beater with 0.5 seconds left before the end of the game that helped the Rockets narrowly beat the Grizzlies. It was a classic.

However, in this game, Melon failed to continue his strong performance. In the first 5 minutes of this game, the Knicks only scored 2 points with Harden's layup.

At 6 minutes and 7 seconds in this quarter, Anthony finally hit a three-pointer from the outside, and then Melon hit another ball under the basket.

However, the Rockets' overall offensive weakness in this game also made it difficult for them to stalemate with the Grizzlies.

At the end of this quarter, after Harden and Durant left the court, Anthony had to take on two roles, not only to pass the ball, but also to take on the responsibility of offense.

In the last 2 minutes of the final quarter, Melon sent two assists and scored two goals, but the Rockets were still in a passive situation.

After the first quarter, the Grizzlies led the Rockets by 5 points at home 26-21.

In the second quarter, Harden and Durant continued to be silent, and the Rockets still couldn't find their own rhythm on the offensive end.

At 4 minutes and 13 seconds in the second quarter, Anthony broke into the paint area on the right side of the restricted area. With the outside shooting rate being very bleak tonight, Melon chose to break into the inside and score closer to the basket.

However, Zach Randolph, the black and white duo of the Grizzlies, knocked Anthony to the ground very hard. Melon's expression was very painful, covering his left wrist.

The Rockets' team doctor tonight is the beautiful team doctor Chelsea Ryan, who immediately came in to ask about Anthony's condition.

"Is your wrist injured, Cameron?"

Anthony gritted his teeth and said, "My left wrist hurts!"

Hurrying to help Anthony to the bench, Chelsea Ryan immediately touched Anthony's wrist, and then covered it with an ice pack to relieve Anthony's pain.

Tang Yu asked, "Can you still play?"

Anthony replied, "It's much better now, it should be fine!"

After executing the free throw, Tang Yu replaced Melon for further treatment from Chelsea Ryan, and Anthony returned directly to the locker room.

Tang Yu sighed in his heart. First, Curry's injury reduced the team's offensive ability a little, and now Anthony is like this, the team's offense and defense must decline again.

At the end of the second quarter, the Rockets were still behind the home team at the FedEx Center, the home court of the Grizzlies.

After returning to the locker room, Chelsea Ryan said that Anthony could continue to play, and his wrist injury was not particularly serious.

Tang Yu said worriedly: "Chelsea, are you sure that Cameron is okay?"

Chelsea Ryan said: "The specific injury situation needs to be checked in more detail tomorrow. Of course, boss, you can also let Cameron sit on the bench."

Tang Yu looked at Anthony, who said firmly: "Boss, I'm fine. We are still behind now. I will respond on the court."

Tang Yu saw that Melon was eager to fight, and he couldn't discourage the enthusiasm of his generals. He could only nod and agree: "Then continue to play!"

After coming up in the second half, Anthony made a jump shot, but for Melon, this night was really a double whammy.

Just 2 minutes into the third quarter, he collided with the Grizzlies' "white bear" center Marc Gasol again in a fight for the ball and sprained his right ankle.

Then Melon limped to the bench, and after a short stop, he walked into the locker room, and soon Tang Yu got the news that Anthony would not come back in this game.

Tang Yu's heart was like an ice cave. For him, this was the biggest challenge since he started coaching.

Although Yao Ming was not injured, his athletic ability had declined greatly. He never played back-to-back and his playing time was reduced to less than 15 minutes.

Curry was injured first and will need to recover in February.

Then "Little Airplane" Jason Terry will also be absent for 8 weeks due to injury.

Coupled with Landry's injury at the end of the bench and Anthony's injury tonight, the Rockets are now facing a wave of injuries.

After sacrificing Anthony, the Rockets were encouraged and launched a Jedi counterattack when they were already 13 points behind in the fourth quarter.

Harden started his harvesting mode, grabbing both offense and defense, scoring 11 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in a single quarter. He and Durant scored a total of 21 points in the final quarter.

The Rockets played out in a single quarter.The score difference of 38-18 overtook the home team Grizzlies and won the game.

Durant and Harden combined to score 10 points in the last two minutes to win the game!

After the game, Tang Yu came to the press conference again in a gloomy mood, and Anthony became the focus of the topic.

"Coach Tang, after losing the general again, the Rockets' injury list has reached 4 people. Do you have any countermeasures?"

Tang Yu sighed and said, "I hope Cameron's injury will not last too long. I will inform everyone as soon as possible after a detailed examination tomorrow."

Anthony's X-ray report the next day showed that the test results were negative, which also meant that Melon was just a simple sprain and was not a big deal. This was a blessing in disguise for the Rockets.

In addition to the wrist injury, Melon must rest for a while.

After losing several generals, Jeremy Lin finally made it to the substitute list, but he only served as a water dispenser manager.

With only two star players, Harden and Durant, left, the Rockets' record began to decline.

On December 21, the Spurs announced the signing of Stephen Jackson, who was cut by the Bobcats!

On December 22, on the eve of the Christmas game, the Rockets faced the former Eastern Conference powerhouse Detroit Pistons in the last game of their six-game road trip in the East.

The Pistons are now facing a stage of transition between the old and the new, but their inside line is still guarded by Ben Wallace and Greg Monroe.

Originally, the Rockets could easily defeat the weak Pistons, but the Rockets, who are aiming for a three-peat, do not seem to be blessed by God.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Rockets were already leading by 16 points. As long as they continue to maintain this offensive momentum, I believe they will soon enter garbage time in the fourth quarter.

Accidents always catch people off guard, and the Rockets are about to face another big disaster!