The older superstars of the NBA

After the Minnesota Timberwolves won two straight, the Houston Rockets finally returned home.

The 0-2 lag undoubtedly woke up the sleeping Rockets, and finally woke up those fans in Houston who thought the Rockets would definitely win.

Of course, before the arrival of the third game of the series between the two sides, the situation in the West is also changing due to other teams.

The Golden State Warriors met the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

For this eighth-ranked team in the Western Conference, there is almost no suspense in their game against the Warriors. The first two games ended in a complete sweep.

The Warriors easily won them in their two home games.

In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James met the Detroit Pistons in the first round.

The Pistons were already weak, and the team couldn't produce any decent stars. It was completely expected to be defeated.

Therefore, the Cavaliers won two games without much effort.

Another high-profile Toronto Raptors, they met the Indiana Pacers in the first round.

The performances of the two teams were evenly matched, with one win and one loss in the first two games. Although the "Gemini" of the Raptors performed steadily, they also showed a little fatigue. Compared with the "Big Three" Cavaliers As far as the team is concerned, their stamina is obviously insufficient.

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Game [-] of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Toyota Center.

This is the home court of the Rockets and the venue for Game [-].

After losing two away games, the Rockets returning home have a little confidence.Before the official start of the game, James Harden said that he must lead the team to win the game.

"We made some mistakes before, but they will be resolved soon... Our goal this season is still the Western Conference finals. I am very confident to lead the team to the finals..."

Harden personally expressed his position in an interview in front of the media.

What's more interesting is that when the live game was about to start and Harden's girlfriend Khloe Kardashian made a high-profile appearance in the arena, what she got was not the cheers of the fans, but the boos of countless Rockets fans.

The scene suddenly showed a consistent state. Many Rockets fans booed Khloe Kardashian, and some people kept shouting. In short, it was not a good thing.

The on-site cameraman didn't seem to like Kohler very much either, and he didn't even want to give her a close-up shot, and even made a large-scale close-up of the fans' boos.

The situation at the scene also made Kohler look very bad. As the leader of the team, Harden naturally didn't want his girlfriend to be bullied, so he stood up and rushed to the fans on the sidelines to stop booing.

After all, he is still the leader of the Rockets, so his stop has a little effect, of course, it only has a little effect.

beep.

The start of the on-site timer sounded, and players from both sides stepped onto the field.

Before the official jump ball, Harden came in front of Zhao Feiyang. After the two games of attacking and defending each other in the previous two games, they had already competed on the court.

Whether it is Zhao Feiyang or Harden, neither of them has the slightest idea of ​​backing down, and they treat each other with an attitude of eagerness to try.

"Zhao, this is our home stadium, I won't let you win this victory..."

Harden spoke.

Zhao Feiyang stood beside him, staring at the referee who was about to throw the basketball, and responded to Harden, "James, I admit that I like your ball-handling state very much, but you will definitely miss the finals this season... ..."

"Tell you, a star who indulges in gentleness will not achieve anything. If you don't believe me, ask Dwight..."

Although it was a joke, it still provoked two people at the same time.

Before Harden could react, Howard, who was about to jump the ball, turned his head and looked at Zhao Feiyang with a helpless look, "Hey, buddy, can you take me with you? I don't have one right now. Indulge in nightclubs..."

"Dwight, ready to jump the ball, what are you doing?"

The head coach Norman Thomas on the sidelines saw this, and rushed to Howard on the court in a hurry to shout.

As soon as his voice fell, the referee threw the basketball. Fortunately, Howard reacted in time and slapped the ball before Clint jumped up to touch the basketball.

boom.

The basketball falls into the hands of Zach LaVine.

LaVine took the ball across half court.

Zhao Feiyang was ready to respond at any time at halftime, and Harden never let up at his side, and the two were also energetic, pushing each other away and pushing each other with small movements.

"Zack, here."

Zhao Feiyang asked LaVine for the ball.

Harden, who was blocked by him, kept blocking him, but unfortunately he couldn't physically suppress Zhao Feiyang, so he could only watch LaVine deliver the ball to Zhao Feiyang.

Snapped.

Zhao Feiyang, who got the ball, faced Harden in singles, and the two faced each other. Zhao Feiyang suddenly rushed to the basket from the left.

Harden rushed forward without any hesitation. When he was near the basket, Zhao Feiyang evaded with a lever movement. Seeing that it was difficult to block Zhao Feiyang, Harden was so angry that he slapped Zhao Feiyang's hand directly.

Snapped.

The basketball was sent flying, followed by the referee's whistle.

Harden was called for a thug foul.

Zhao Feiyang walked to the free throw line.

There was an uproar at the scene, and many fans couldn't believe it. They didn't expect that Harden, the team leader, would commit a foul in the first quarter, and it seemed that he was actively fouling.

The host and guest commentators who were in charge of the TV broadcast on the spot were also puzzled by this.

"No, James' foul this time should not be!"

"It seems that there is a strong smell of gunpowder between the two! This is just the beginning of the game, Zhao forced James to block him, which is really unbelievable..."

"James should be vigilant! They have already lost two games. If they lose another game, they will basically have no chance of turning defeat into victory..."

"Objectively speaking, if I thought the Rockets could win before the series started, then now, I think the probability of the Rockets winning the series is relatively small... This year's Timberwolves are very strong, To be precise, Zhao is very strong..."

On the field.

Zhao Feiyang took the referee's pass and threw the basketball under the deliberate boos of countless fans in the Toyota Center Arena.

Swish.

The first hit was a solid hit.

Zhao Feiyang high-fived his teammates, and after the referee passed the basketball, he clapped and looked at Harden under the basket.

"Hey, James, do you believe it? I can score this free throw with my eyes closed... How about we take a gamble?"

Such a contemptuous attitude made Harden look at him coldly, and he didn't even respond to a word.

Zhao Feiyang didn't care at all, and continued to provoke Harden, trying to use this method to anger Harden.

Harden is the offensive point of the Rockets. Once he is sent off or cannot play because of too many fouls, it is basically impossible for the Rockets to win.

After talking to Harden, Zhao Feiyang closed his eyes as expected.

In the next second, under the watchful eyes of the audience, Zhao Feiyang easily threw the ball into the basket.Even if his eyes were closed, it didn't affect his fiery touch in the slightest.

Swish.

The ball is in.

It's the Rockets' turn to attack.

Harden did not respond in a hurry, but waited at halftime.After Patrick Beverley came over with the ball, he pretended to go up to respond, but in fact helped his teammates open up space.

Snapped.

Beverley sent the ball to Marcus on the wing with a second pass, and Marcus took the ball straight to the basket.

His breakthrough was very sharp, but unfortunately he was blocked by Howard when he was approaching the penalty area.

Howard spared no effort to play against the Rockets, almost showing the best mental state of the season.

He can defend on the court and never let it go, he can block the shot and never shrink back, he will dunk the ball that can be dunked, and try to make up for the ball that can't be dunked.

Especially every time Harden rushed to the basket, Howard jumped up and blocked the block with all his strength.

In an attack at 9 minutes and 01 seconds of the third quarter of the second game of the series, Harden dribbled the ball and made a fast break towards the basket. He had already rushed to the penalty area. They all chose to let it go, but Howard didn't have such a thought. He just caught up with a big cap amidst the exclamation of the audience.

This big cap was quite fierce, and the slap almost slapped Harden off with the ball. Although the referee eventually called a foul, Howard was quite proud of it.

This time was no exception. When Marcus was approaching the basket, he saw Howard jumping so exaggeratedly that he could only pass the ball out in order not to make a mistake.

Snapped.

The basketball was given to Harden on the wing.

Harden picked up the basketball and made a quick shot. Zhao Feiyang stepped up to defend in time, but it was a pity that Harden was just a feint. After avoiding Zhao Feiyang, Harden immediately stepped back and pulled away.

When there was enough space for the shot, Harden raised the basketball and threw a three-pointer.

Swish.

Basketball finally scored.

Harden looked very happy, kept patting his chest, and let out a few roars to release his passion.

Perhaps it was the home court that made Harden regain his form. In the next few minutes, Harden made consecutive shots and hit Zhao Feiyang in a single. After receiving two passive fouls, Zhao Feiyang was indeed caught. Harden's style of play was "scared".

Considering the progress of the game, head coach Norman Thomas temporarily replaced Zhao Feiyang with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

LaVine temporarily took on the heavy burden on the court, and he organized the offense to continuously bomb the Rockets' inside line.

Interestingly, the one who was replaced by Zhao Feiyang was none other than the former "foul-making master" Kevin Martin.

Martin's style of play has changed since he came to the Timberwolves. However, as a master who used to make fouls in the Rockets, his skills are still there.

Coincidentally, James Harden's interpretation of foul-making techniques is also top-notch. When Martin was replaced, the duel between the two officially began.

"Kevin, I need you to keep an eye on James... Doesn't he like to draw fouls? Remember, you do what he does... I believe in your ability... ..”

"Go! Teach James a good lesson..."