I'm really not a superstar

Chapter 53 The Great Streak, Youthful Memories

On the days when Dorsey was injured, the momentum of the University of Memphis team continued unabated and continued to advance all the way.

In addition to his superior strength, the change of the main player Rose's style of play is also an important reason for the team's winning streak.

Since he became a blockbuster in the game against Stanford University and showed his precise shooting ability, he was out of control. In subsequent games, he used more and more long-range attacks.

Technical statistics show that after the game against the Stanford Crimson, his average number of three-point shots per game has continued to increase, with an average of 8.7 shots per game, and his shooting percentage is also frighteningly high, reaching 35.8%!
You know, in the previous life, in the first season of entering the NBA, Derrick Rose only made 72 three-pointers, and only scored 16, and his shooting percentage was only a poor 22.2%.

Only after he was overhauled many times and forced to change his style of play did his hit rate increase significantly.

In other words, Rose has the three-point ability, but it has been developed in advance.

Now the outside world is just marveling at Rose's comprehensive talents and abilities. Only Dorsey knows how important the development of long-range shooting skills is to Rose's future career.

Hopefully, the change in style of play can reduce the damn injuries!
Now Rose, with outstanding personal data and good team performance, is the focus of attention in the American basketball world, and he is in the limelight for a while.

Some media praised: "Even if the draft starts tomorrow, no matter which team gets the No. [-] pick, Rose will undoubtedly be the No. [-] pick!"

And just as Memphis was gaining momentum and winning consecutive victories, a great milestone event in the NBA also quietly kicked off.

On January 2008, 1, the Houston Rockets played against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center. Tracy McGrady was absent due to the flu. Yao Ming showed his prowess and scored 29 points and 36 rebounds in a large double-double, leading the Rockets to victory 19:111.

At that time, the focus of the outside world was on Yao Ming's outstanding performance, and some "archaeological" media pointed out that the significance of this victory was to end the 4-game losing streak against the Warriors.

But no one would have guessed that this was the start of a great winning streak.

In the next period of time, the Rockets defeated one opponent after another like a crushing blow.Pacers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Eagles, Trail Blazers...

One opponent after another surrendered to the feet of the Rockets Yao-Mai combination.

On February 2, the Rockets challenged the Charlotte Hornets, the No. 23 player in the Western Conference. Yao Ming scored 28 points and 14 rebounds in a "routine operation". McGrady scored 34 points and 6 assists, leading the Rockets all the way, and finally won 100:80 , Hao won 11 consecutive victories, and at the same time set the best 10-game winning streak in team history.

At that time, the media exclaimed: "This Rockets team is unstoppable! If they continue to play like this, they can win the championship!"

Four years after the combination of Yao and Mai, they finally ushered in the long-awaited chemical reaction.

And they are no longer surrounded by a group of old, weak, sick and disabled. There are Mutombo, Scola, Landry, Hayes, old, middle-aged and young people in the inside line;
Outside Alston, Battier, Hyde, Bobby Jackson, Brooks also have their own characteristics;
And several marginal players Francis, Novak, and Harris can also stand up at critical moments to save the team from fire and water.

Such a rocket, full of hope, how can you not love it?

The Rockets are hot, and ordinary daily training has attracted a large number of reporters.

As the largest local newspaper in Houston, the "Houston Chronicle" also sent staff to watch it.

Here came the senior reporter Fagan and the even more senior columnist Frank Billingbury.

Father Fulan Billingbury has been writing NBA columns for more than 30 years and has won the Best Sports Column Award in the United States six times. He is one of the most famous sports columnists in the United States.

When Fagan and Billing Burley walked into the arena.The general manager Daryl Mosaic, who was in a good mood, saw it from a distance, and took the initiative to joke from a long distance: "Jonathan, I'm not wrong, the team is about to usher in a wave of winning streak! Look, we have History has been made!"

Fagan was a bit awkward, but he didn't think his point of view was wrong. In fact, after studying the recent game data, he found that Yao Ming's playing time was getting longer and longer.

It is said that Van Gundy fucked Yao Ming ruthlessly in the past, but Adelman fucks even more ruthlessly now!

Can Yao Ming's huge body stand such a hard work?
Seeing that Fagan didn't speak, Mosaic became even more smug, and even teased Mr. Bilimberley again:
"Fortunately, the boss didn't listen to your advice and traded Tracy McGrady in 2005, otherwise I would become a big fool who will go down in the history of the league! I can't blame you. Although you have watched the NBA for decades, it is the first time in Hometown team seeing top talent like this! This is a real superstar!"

Billing Burley sneered: "I watched Olajuwon from college to retirement!"

Mosaic is boring. After all, no matter how talented McGrady is, he can't compare with the "big dream" that led the Rockets to two championships at this stage.

Mosaic muttered, "But McGrady is 35 seconds and 13 minutes..."

When the team is on a winning streak, everything makes sense.Even though Fagan and Billingbury have good reasons, but winning is the last word, they can only pray that they are worrying unfoundedly.

But it turns out, their sense of smell is acute.

On February 2th, the Rockets played against the Wizards. At the press conference before the game at 27 pm, Rockets manager Mosaic announced a bad news: Yao Ming suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and will miss the rest of the season.

This is Yao Ming's first major injury after entering the NBA. At this time, the Olympic Games are less than 6 months away.

The management of the Rockets also fell into a brief chaos.General manager Mosaic and head coach Rick Adelman, who have always been confident in the team's lineup, had to face up to their own lineup.

Suddenly discovered a fact: Without Yao Ming, what kind of things are the insiders of his team? !
A few insiders are old and young.

Uncle Mu said he was in his 40s, but who knows how old he really is?I'm afraid it won't be 50!Landry is a rookie who just joined the team this season, how much can you count on him?

Soft too soft, hard too hard.

Scola's skills are good, but he lacks strength to compete with the muscular clubs of other teams; Hayes is hard enough, but too hard, and his whole body is stiff. Looking at his three-stage free throws, there is a feeling that he wants to hit the ball. Human impulse!

It turned out that it seemed that the soldiers were strong and the horses were strong, but in fact they were old, weak, sick and disabled.It's okay for these people to surround Yao Ming and play support, but to be alone?Hehe, let's wash up and go to bed early!
Just when the Rockets' management was in a panic, the team gave them a reassurance with a big victory.

Relying on the overall performance of 5 players scoring in double figures, they beat the Wizards 94:69 and won [-] consecutive victories!

Two days later, the Rockets once again played overall basketball. With Tracy McGrady’s 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists as an example, 6 members of the team scored in double figures, and only established a 20-point lead in the first quarter, and finally swept away with 116:95. The Grizzlies, while achieving 14 consecutive victories, also made themselves a perfect record of winning in February.

Two consecutive victories made the Rockets' management temporarily dispel the idea of ​​​​a quick deal. They decided to let the bullets fly for a while, and then wait.

The Rockets worked hard and made up for the absence of Yao Ming with diligence and overall basketball.Under the leadership of McGrady, he successively defeated the Nuggets, Pacers, Mavericks and other teams.

Among them, the 16th 117:99 victory over the Pacers also broke the team's longest winning streak since its establishment 41 years ago.

However, the momentum of the Rockets' winning streak has not yet ended, and they continue to make history!

Until March 3, the Rockets sat in the Toyota Center and started a "peak matchup" with the Lakers, the No. 17 team in the West.

In this campaign, the Rockets have shown obvious fatigue. The head star Tracy McGrady did not score in the first two quarters and only made 16 of 4 shots in the game. soul.Scored a career-high 31 points, made 11 of 8 three-pointers, and even overshadowed Black Mamba Kobe, helping the team capture the Lakers 104:92 and win 22 consecutive victories!

But the Rockets have also fired their last bullet. Two days later, the exhausted team faced the No. 74 Celtics in the Eastern Conference led by the Big Three. They lost to their opponents 94:22, [-] The winning streak is over!
This was a great journey. The team relied on Ruhong's morale and the concerted efforts of the whole team when Yao Ming, the backbone of the team, was absent for most of the games, and finally created the second longest winning streak in the NBA at that time. (Later surpassed by Heat and Warriors streaks)
Those extraordinary years have become somewhat blurred with the passage of time, but they will always be imprinted in the hearts of every fan like a stone carving, because it is not just a basketball game, but our gradually fading youth!
The memories related to youth, we miss it...

(End of this chapter)