The invincible kryptonite of basketball

Barkley already has an expression that you can do whatever you like.

Only O'Neill laughed.

Harden's shot was a bit self-closing, and he didn't make another shot for a while.

The Pelicans only used Ariza to mark him, and stepped up their defense against Cousins ​​and Paul.

As a result, after this quarter, the point difference between the two sides was further widened, and they were already rushing to 30 points.

The Rockets' loss was worse than the first game.

But the worst was Harden, who made 15 of 0 shots at the end of the three quarters and barely scored 10 points with free throws.

This is definitely the worst fight of his career.

In the last garbage time, the main players of both sides did not appear again. The Pelicans finally defeated the Rockets again 101-80, rewriting the big score to 2-0.

哈登全场15投0中得到10分5助攻2抢断4失误，全场没有运动战进球。

He also refreshed Jordan's previous record of 11-for-0 shooting and became the new record holder.

In the first game, D'Antoni's show operation caused the Rockets to be bloody.

But in the second game, the two sides played openly, and the result was just like what O'Neill said in the commentary, the Rockets had already fallen before Tang Tian exerted his strength.

Chapter 8: Yao Ming's Jersey Retirement Ceremony

"I am a system player, we are all system players."

In the post-match press conference, Tang Tian responded very positively to the remarks on social media.

2 to 0, two big victories, the progress of the Western Conference finals between the Pelicans and the Rockets was a big surprise.

While complaining about the performance of the Rockets, the fans are also feeling the strength of the Pelicans.

From the start of the game to the present, this Pelicans has refreshed their cognition little by little.

Just like what Tang Tian showed at the press conference, he is very calm in the face of any situation.

The first two games are over, and the two sides will move to Houston for the next two games.

There is a three-day break in between.

At this time, the first two games of the Eastern and Western Division semifinals also ended one after another.

The Eastern Cavaliers lead the Heat 2-0.

Although the Heat lost two consecutive away games, Whiteside's performance was very eye-catching, averaging 20.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, blowing up the Cavaliers inside.

The Knicks and Raptors tied 1-1.

Although the performance of Lowry and DeRozan was not as good as in the regular season, Valanciunas and Carroll performed well, and the two sides played evenly.

The Warriors and Thunder also tied 1-1.

The sequelae of the Warriors' hard work in the regular season came out, and the whole team was exhausted. If it weren't for their strong strength, they might have fallen behind 0 to 2 now.

Just as the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals were in full swing, Woj broke the news that the Rockets would have Yao Ming's jersey retirement ceremony before the next game.

Yao Ming announced his retirement in 2011, and it has been 5 years since his retirement.

Yao Ming spent eight years of his career in the Rockets. He helped Alexander rise from the poorest owner in the league to the top. He also opened the door to the Chinese market in the NBA and allowed Houston to build a Chinatown. He made great contributions to the Rockets and Houston .

His jersey retirement is almost inevitable.

As early as the regular season, there were rumors that Yao Ming might have a jersey retirement ceremony this summer, and the preparations that should be done are similar.

I just didn't expect it to be ahead of schedule.

But it seems understandable if you think about it.

The Rockets have the most luxurious lineup in history, but now they have suffered successive defeats. They need some off-court factors to motivate their players.

As a legendary player of the Rockets, Yao Ming's retirement will definitely have a positive effect on the performance of the Rockets.

The day before the third game, the entire Pelicans arrived in Houston and continued their daily training after arriving.

Although they lead 2-0 with a big score, they must not take it lightly.

After all, the Rockets' hard strength lies there, and the news that Woj broke out, the first away game will definitely not be so easy.

And three days is enough for the Rockets to make some adjustments.

On the night of the game day, the Toyota Center was full of seats, and there were many famous Rockets, Olajuwon, Drexler...

Yao Ming's former teammates, McGrady, Mutombo, Battier, Francis, etc. were all present.

NBA President Xiao Hua also came to the scene to witness this historic moment.

Because of the retirement ceremony, an hour before the start of the game, the arena was already full of seats.

The two teams also entered the arena ahead of schedule.

Tang Tian greeted Yao Ming, who hadn't seen each other since last summer.

"I'll invite you to Yao's restaurant for supper tonight. I have a lot to say to you."

Yao Ming extended an invitation to Tang Tian while embracing.

Tang Tian nodded, he had no reason to refuse.

With 45 minutes before the game, Yao Ming's jersey retirement officially started.

Players from both sides stood in front of the bench to watch.

Yao Ming's contribution to the NBA is not only for the Rockets and Houston, but also for the entire league.

Yao Ming's Rockets No. 11 jersey was framed and stood in the center of the court.

Yao Ming sat on the edge of it, and on both sides of him were the heavyweight guests present.

McGrady, Francis and Mutombo sat on one side, and Olajuwon, Alexander and Silver sat on the other.

The host introduced the people present one by one. When Yao Ming was finally introduced, the cheers were endless.

Tang Tian also extended his hands and applauded.

He even imagined the scene when his jersey was retired in his mind.

That was the most important moment as a player and the greatest pride.

After the introduction, Yao Ming began his jersey retirement speech.

"When I walked into this arena again, I looked up and saw my number hanging above the arena, and I knew that my New Year's resolution had come true, because I would never sign a 10-day short contract with the Rockets again. .”

Yao Ming's opening remarks made many audiences laugh.

Tang Tian also laughed.

Because Yao Ming is tall and looks a little dull, many people call him "silly big man" and "silly Yao".

But in fact, Yao Ming's golf quotient and emotional quotient are both top-notch.

He then teased the teammates who came to support him one by one, from the eldest brother Francis in the early stage of his career, to Mutombo, and finally to Tracy McGrady who was broadcasting live on ins with a mobile phone in his hand.

"Although there are many unknown things on the court, just remember one rule, and give the ball to McGrady in the last 35 seconds."

When talking about McGrady, his words caused another burst of cheers from the scene, and McGrady couldn't stop laughing.

"You know what I told my neighbor when I was driving home after that game? He turned off the TV a few minutes before the end of the game, and I told him, I cut 1 with Tracy McGrady in the last minute. Points, reversed the game."

He even used the stalk of scoring 83 points with Kobe.

Tang Tian couldn't help cheering for him.

In the future, his jersey retirement ceremony must be so interesting.

At the end of his speech, he told an interesting story about spending the Spring Festival in the United States.

During his first Spring Festival, each of his teammates gave him a red envelope, but when he opened it, there was only two dollars inside.

"So I said to Dawson, who was the general manager at the time, 'Usually we put at least $10, not $2.' And Dawson said, 'You know teams have salary caps, right?"

At the end of the speech, Yao Ming also used this story to make a conclusion.

"To this day, I still have that two-dollar bill in my wallet because I know that no matter where I go or how far I go, as long as it's with me, my home is there."

After his speech, the entire Toyota Midwest was boiling.

The excitement could be seen in the eyes of the Rockets players.

That's what a team legend does.

Amid the cheers, the curtain of Yao Ming's No. 11 jersey was unveiled, and there was a new retired jersey over the Toyota Center.

After the jersey retirement ceremony, Yao Ming turned around and hugged Silver, Alexander, and Mutombo, and finally hugged and whispered to the Big Three of the Rockets.

The Rockets hope to use Yao Ming to motivate the Rockets players, and Yao Ming is willing to do that.

"Be more patient, stay emotional, believe that you can beat anyone..."

Yao Ming chatted a lot with Cousins, who is also a center. If possible, the two of them could chat with him for an hour.

Tang Tian let out a long breath when he saw this, and pulled his emotions out of the retirement ceremony.

Tonight, there will be a fierce battle.

Chapter 821 The Houston Totem Shows Its Power

After the retirement ceremony of Yao Ming's jersey, the players from both sides warmed up.

Yao Ming and those present guests stayed and sat in the front row of the audience to support the Rockets.

After the opening ceremony, the starters of both sides appeared one after another.

The Rockets did not adjust the starting lineup, and Morris is still the starting power forward.

Earlier news broke the news that Morris had to shoot 500 three-pointers every day during these three days.

Now it seems that it should have an effect.

Perhaps because of the exchange with Yao Ming, Cousins ​​looked very excited, jumped the ball faster than Davis, and returned the ball to the Rockets half.

Paul holds the ball to the frontcourt and organizes the offense from the outside.

Unlike the previous two games, the Rockets did not hit Harden at the beginning, but focused their offense on the inside.

After giving Harden a false screen, Cousins ​​rolled down and received a pass from Paul to squeeze Jokic for a layup.

The entire technical movement is completed quite smoothly.

In the Pelicans' positional battle, Tang Tian singled out Tucker's retreat and scored points for the Pelicans.

Both sides scored the opening first attack.

The Rockets' offense, Cousins ​​repeated his old tricks, but this time Davis' shrinking defense was in place, and he didn't have a chance.

He double-teamed Zhongyuan and turned around, leaning against Davis's body to hook on the right side.

Davis reached out and jumped to block the block, but Cousins ​​hooked a very high arc.

"Shh!"

After the ball passed Davis' fingertips, it fell straight into the net bag.

Cousins ​​scored two goals in a row!

The scene suddenly burst into cheers from the fans.

The Rockets have suffered a big defeat in the past two games, and Harden's performance has been terrible, and he is the number one target of attack by Rockets fans.

But the performance of the other two giants, Paul and Cousins, was mediocre, and they were also the targets of crazy complaints from fans.

After all, the Rockets are the Big Three. If one giant is not playing well, the other two should stand up.

They waited for two games, and Cousins ​​finally stepped forward first!