The Houstonians' next two opponents were the rebuilding Jazz and the weakened Knicks, both of whom failed to bother the defending champions too much, and the Rockets got through easily. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

On Feb. 14, the Rockets went to Staples to play the Clippers again. The Lakers have been too eye-catching this season to overshadow the edge of their fellow city team, the Clippers. In fact, they also played a good 29-20 record, and the winning percentage was far higher than in previous years, behind the top three in the West behind the Fire Lake Duo and Niu Mayang, but they were still ranked seventh behind the top spot in the Northwest Region.

Unfortunately, due to the absence of Margetty and Radmanovic, the Clippers had a large gap between the bench and the Rockets, and after the first quarter was difficult to solve, the absolute difference between the second team in the second quarter decided the outcome of the game. The Clippers scored a net minus 12 points in the second quarter and lost by 10 more points in the third quarter. Reed scored 21 points on 4-of-5 three-pointers, while the Clippers only hit three three-pointers as a team.

The final battle before the All-Star break turned into a battle between two star guards. Nash and Billups went back and forth, constantly cutting points and assists.

Don't look at the Suns players who can't withstand Yao Ming's strong inside play, but Boris. Christian Dior and Cotter. Thomas and Thomas are both very good at jumping shots inside, and both of them have more than 4 to 2 shots in long shots, especially Thomas, nearly half of his shots come from long shots. Yao Ming was very uncomfortable with this style of play and was beaten bitterly. The fatigue on the defensive end also affected his offensive touch, and he began to miss consecutive shots.

Another core Billups continued to play a role, and he continued to assist the Rockets' outside shooter to fire, and he finished with 19 points and 14 assists. But Yao Ming made a crucial mistake at the last moment to bury the Rockets' hopes of a comeback. Thomas makes a steal and Nash assists Raja. Bale hit a three-pointer to stretch the deficit to six. In the end, the Rockets lost 106-112, and their record fell to 46-6.

After losing the final game before the All-Star break, the Rockets were not in a good mood, and the atmosphere in the locker room was a little dull after the game. But a set of statistics made them happy again.

"The pre-NBA All-Star record was set by the 76ers in 1967, who had a 90.7 percent win rate, followed by 89.4 percent for the '96 Bulls and 89.1 percent for the '72 Lakers." Yuan Fei told everyone: "We are currently 46-6, with a winning rate of 88.5%, which is more than the 87.5% of the Bulls in '97 and ranks fourth in NBA history. It's not easy, and it's history. ”

(Quick fact: In the 15-16 season, the Warriors' pre-All-Star win rate was 92.3%, setting a new record)

The players, who were originally very depressed, couldn't help but feel a little more excited after listening to Yuan Fei's words.

"Don't forget, we deliberately let the Heat play before." Yuan Fei continued: "If we can win one more game, we will have a win rate of 90.4%, which is the second highest in history. So there is no need to cry and mourn, the initiative is still in our own hands. Keep winning the following season and set a record of 73 wins! ”

"Yes!"

"Let's enjoy All-Star Weekend, this time on our home turf, so it's easy to spend." Adelman laughed.

The Rockets' excellent record has naturally been recognized by fans, and in the All-Star vote, although only Yao Ming entered the starting lineup, other players also received a lot of votes. Billups, in particular, is a pity, with a high vote count, but rivals Kobe Bryant and Nash are just too good. Chauncey ended up narrowly missing out on the third-place defender in the West and failed to make the starting line-up. And Yao Ming beat James and Kobe Bryant to be elected as the All-Star vote king, and his votes are three times more than the second center in the West, Camby, and more than five times that of the third center Oku.

With the Rockets leading the West, Adelman became the head coach of the Western Conference All-Star team and had the right to select seven bench players from the Western Conference. A Shuai is a humble gentleman, but his identification with his players is from the heart, and he will not deliberately avoid suspicion. He didn't hesitate to select Rockets players Reid and Billups, and the other five players selected were Marion, Ginobili, Nowitzki, Brand and Gasol. Although the coach would like to select Bosh as an All-Star, the competition for the forward position in the West is too fierce.

The Eastern Conference starters were O'Neal, James, Carter, Wade and Iverson. Eastern Conference coach Bernie Sanders also selected a number of Pistons players to the bench: Bodi Loga, Hamilton and double Wallace, plus Pierce, Joe. Johnson and Studjakovic. Among them, Studjakovic just came to the East in the player swap that the Kings and Pacers completed on January 25, and he was swapped with former best defensive player Artest.

In the first three-point contest, Nowitzki won the championship. He became the tallest three-point champion in NBA history. In contrast to it, in the next slam dunk contest, the "little potato" Nate who is only 175cm tall. Robinson beat Andre Iguodala to win the dunk crown. Roy, who is the host, also congratulated his old teammate. However, Nate is not the shortest dunk king in history, and the 1986 slam dunk king Spart. Webb is only 170cm tall.

Finally waited for the All-Star Game, and the starting lineups of both sides went to the court to make a decision. In addition to Yao Ming standing out in the west, Garnett and Duncan are also big men with a height of more than 210cm, while the forwards in the east are James and Carter, which is a big difference in height. Wade and Iverson on the guard line are also shorter than their opponents, and the starting five in the East are collectively shorter.

The two sides played lively, with the West crushing the interior with height, and the East relying on the athleticism of James and Wade Superman, and playing gorgeous fast-break dunks one after another. The first quarter was tied at 30. can fight to the second lineup, and the appearance of the Pistons Four Tigers turned the All-Star Game into hand-to-hand combat, and the game suddenly became much more ugly. Since All-Star is just entertainment, everyone usually just wants to play well. At this time, Sanders ruined the harmonious atmosphere between the two sides, and the Western troops also became serious, regardless of the aesthetics, they handed the ball to Yao Ming in the low post. Yao Ming has a favorable home location, and the players also know the beauty of adults. And the fact that the double Wallace is struggling with Yao Ming has been proven countless times, not to mention that the All-Star Game is not convenient to foul. Yao Ming obtained a large number of rights to shoot, so naturally the gods blocked and killed the gods and Buddhas.

Eventually, the game ended with a three-point miss from James. The Western Army narrowly defeated the Eastern Army 124-122, and Yao Ming scored a game-high 33 points on 15-of-22 shooting, and was elected All-Star MVP without any suspense.

The All-Star tour ended with a great harvest for the Rockets, and the players were about to go into a stressful regular season again. At this time, Yao Ming's heart was full of longing for the future.

"Now that I have an All-Star MVP and a Finals MVP, can I get a regular season MVP and achieve a Grand Slam like Tracy?" Yao Ming also became more and more confident. (To be continued.) )