Rebirth of Hayes Cyclone

Chapter 92 [New Rocket, Iron Blood Defense]

102 to 97, the Timberwolves who had just completed the transaction ended the Rockets' winning streak with an upset at home.

森林狼的球迷们兴奋的好像球队已经夺冠。阿伦－艾佛森第一次代表森林狼出战，全场贡献了40分7助攻4抢断。凯文－加内特22分11篮板5助攻，两人的出色发挥是森林狼胜利的关键。

Tracy McGrady scored 31 points, Yao Ming 18 points, Hayes 16 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. The other players performed mediocre.

After the game, when Garnett and Hayes shook hands, they still did not forget to say: "You think about it seriously, come to the Timberwolves next season. We are better than the Rockets."

Garnett feels that this victory is enough to prove the strength of the Timberwolves. He and Iverson are already very strong.

Hayes doesn't think so.It's easy for the Timberwolves' dual-core to perform well in one or two games. In the playoffs, they have to play as hard as they can for 40 minutes in each game, so it's no wonder they don't get tired.This is why the Jazz want to go further and find substitutes for Deron Williams and Boozer.

The end of the Rockets' winning streak is actually mainly due to the deal with the Jazz.Juwan Howard and Alston are gone, and the newcomers Millsap and Fisher have not been lifted and cannot play.In this game, the only point guards that the Rockets can use are Spanoulis and John Lucas III. These two have obvious shortcomings and were ruthlessly blown away by Iverson.

In the next game, Fisher and Millsap can play, but their performance is very average.It doesn't seem to be able to provide much help to the team.

After another four-game winning streak, the Rockets lost consecutively to the Mavericks and the Suns on the 17th and 18th.

The Rockets suffered a losing streak for the first time this season.Angry fans pointed the finger at Dawson's stupid trade and Jeff Van Gundy's formation.

Why replace Alston and send Fisher without assists?Trade veteran Juwan Howard for a nondescript second-round pick.Why?
The Houston tabloids broke rumors of discord in the Rockets' locker room.Because Alston didn't pass the ball to Hayes to cause the coach's disgust, he was purged.In addition, Howard was not willing to be a substitute. After returning from injury, he squeezed Hayes to the small forward position, and put on a veteran attitude, making things difficult for Hayes. In the end, the team had no choice but to make money. Trade them away.

Some experts also pointed out that the deal for the Rockets seems to have paid off.But in the long run, it is definitely beneficial.They got a draft pick and got rid of Howard's big contract. Fisher can also add playoff experience and defense to the team.Sending away Alston, the Rockets' defensive system will become perfect.

After the losing streak, the Rockets have a record of 35 wins and 5 losses.After losing 5 games, it became more difficult for the Rockets to break the Bulls' record of 72 wins. However, the Rockets' argument of invincible defense was quickly verified in the following games.

After the Rockets lost to the Suns, they played a crazy 12-game winning streak.Among them, they beat the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hornets, the Spurs in an away game, and the Mavericks twice.

Except that the Mavericks played against the Rockets at home and lost only 4 points, the Rockets won all other games without any doubts.In 12 games, the Rockets restricted their opponents to score an average of 85.5 points, which was far lower than the 89.3 points before the transaction, and the data of lowering the opponent's shooting rate was also lowered to 43%.The Rockets' defense in this winning streak is far stronger than the Pistons and Spurs at their peak.

The Rockets' scoring average has declined, but they can use defense to resolve battles.Against the Spurs for the third time this season, they only allowed the Spurs to score a measly 69 points at home.

The outside world re-evaluated the Rockets' previous two transactions, and they all believed that the Rockets made a profit.

Let's first look at the players traded away by the Rockets.

The Knicks are not bad. Bunche Wells was put into the starting lineup. He played about 35 minutes per game and contributed 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, which was worth the money.

The Jazz have been taken advantage of.During this period, the record is 5 wins and 6 losses.

Alstom's substitute Deron Williams is fairly qualified, but Juwan Howard is far from Sloan's requirements.Sloan originally thought that Boozer's defense was the worst, but Howard came to compare. Before Boozer was injured, he could almost describe it as iron-blooded defense.

Howard is old, slow-footed, not strong, and his inside defense is useless.In the Rockets, he averaged 10 points per game and shot 52.5% from the field, which was the main reason why the Jazz decided to trade him.But without Yao Ming and Hayes to contain the defense, Howard's shooting percentage immediately dropped to 43%, and he could only make mid-range shots, making it difficult to get to the basket.He can't be a qualified backup for Boozer on both ends of the offense and defense.From this point of view, it is better to retain the young and aggressive Millsap to train him.What annoys Sloan even more is that Howard still has a two-year contract, and he can't get rid of it at all. If he wants to trade Howard out of the team after the season is over, he needs to give him more playing time and improve his statistics.

Look at the situation of the Rockets players.

In the main lineup, the firepower of the Big Three is still strong.McGrady scored 7+ points in 30 consecutive games, and his average data rose to 24.1 points, 5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals in one breath.Became the Rockets' leading scorer and assists leader, and won the best player in the Western Conference in January.In the first two months, the best players in the West were Yao Ming and Hayes. After the start of the game, the best players of the three months were taken by the Rockets. This is also a terrifying record.

Tracy McGrady showed his prowess, while Yao Ming's data dropped to 20.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks.

Hayes' data is 16.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals.He averaged only 12 points in the last 13.8 games, so he received some criticism that he was not aggressive enough offensively.But the Rockets coaching team supports Hayes' transformation, and the clear division of labor makes the Rockets more competitive.Among the three strong offensive points, there is always one person who will take the initiative to sacrifice the number of shots. Hayes has reduced the score for the team, but the rebounds are even more fierce, and it is close to 12.

Other role players can also help the Rockets.Jamario Moon and Van Weaver, who rarely played, could also play a role.Their competition is still very fierce, because Kirk Schneider will still squeeze out one person after his comeback.

In terms of defense, Yao Ming is still the biggest barrier for the Rockets' interior defense. His height ensures his deterrent power at the basket.The Rockets averaged 1.8 blocks per game.

Hayes' defense has been recognized by experts, and he often faces the opponent's inside superstar. Hayes can limit the opponent's offensive efficiency even though he is half a head shorter than the opponent.And after injuring Bowen, Hayes' defense went up to a higher level, because Bowen's end was so miserable that timid people were a little worried when they met Hayes, and Hayes had an invisible deterrent force.Some experts are optimistic that Hayes was selected to the All-Defensive Team.

Battier's data is not beautiful, but every game must mark the opponent's arrow figure, which is an important part of the Rockets' defensive system.McGrady was very convinced of Battier's "eye-inserting defense" during training.

McGrady's defense is underrated.As long as he has a serious defensive attitude, at the guard position, relying on his height and long arms, it will be very uncomfortable for those who can entangle him. Seeing other people defending desperately, McGrady is also infected and is much more active.

Azubuike, who came off the bench, got a pass from Battier and has become a reliable defensive player.

The three players that the Rockets traded to the team are the most exciting.

The best performer was David Lee.He averaged about 25 minutes of playing time per game, and he was able to score 6.4 points and 8.2 rebounds. The media unanimously exclaimed that the Rockets were reduced to treasure.David Lee's rebounding level is better than Yao Ming's. Yao Ming's average playing time is 32 minutes and only 9 rebounds.Only give David Lee 30 minutes, and his rebounds must be in double figures.

David Lee's efficiency was higher than in New York, because he couldn't rebound Hayes in training, and he was stimulated a lot, so he worked harder.

Another inside substitute, Millsap, played an average of 13 minutes. The offense was useless, but he worked very hard and was also a good rebounder.

They are all qualified inside substitutes. Even if Yao Ming and Hayes are off the court together, they can support the Rockets inside. Their defensive characteristics are similar to Hayes, and they can use their bodies to resist the opponent outside the three-second zone. .Although Millsap is only 203cm, Houston fans have seen Hayes play center at 198cm, so it is not surprising at all.

Fisher played 25 minutes, scored 8.4 points and 2.8 assists, and shot 41%. Although the offensive efficiency is still very low, the defensive effect is obvious.His footwork is not as fast as before, but he has a good sense and is an excellent help defender, and his strong body makes him not afraid of heavy collisions from tall players when he is defensively changing positions.

Although the team lost three games in January, it can be said that Van Gundy's excitement is no less than that of the 25-game winning streak.The current Rockets is the Rockets team he most wants to see.Their defense is almost perfect!With such a defense, they don't need to fear any opponent at all!
For this reason, the media also conducted an interview with the team manager Dawson, praising him for his foresight and continuous wonderful transactions before retirement, which maximized the strength of the team. His transactions made the Rockets the biggest favorite in the championship.

After this interview, Dawson was very happy, his waist was no longer sore and his legs were no longer hurting, and he went up to the fifth floor without much effort.If the Rockets have not announced a successor, he really wants to work for another two years.

The Rockets' 15-man roster for the regular season is as follows:
Center: Yao Ming, Mutombo.

Power Forward: Chuck Hayes, David Lee, Paul Millsap, Novak.

Small forwards: Sean Battier, Jamario Moon.

Shooting guards: Azubuike, Luther Hyde, McGrady, Van Weaver.

Point guard: Derek - Fisher, Spanoulis, John - Lucas III.

With 12 consecutive victories, the Rockets have entered a short rest period, and the annual NBA All-Star Weekend is here!
(End of this chapter)