When a team's owner, manager, head coach, captain, and core stars all recognize losing, it is naturally not difficult to lose. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info Yuanfei also made a special plan for this, facing the four teams of Wolves, SuperSonics, Nuggets, and Clippers with relatively close records, we must pay special attention to it, and only defeat is not allowed to win.

In the first game against the Spurs after Christmas, the Rockets still lost 100-105 despite Maddy's 28+9+7 cut. Big Dream lamented that the years were unforgiving. The old rival "Admiral" Robinson, just because he was 2 years younger, still maintained a good level of competition. For veterans, 2 years old is a trench.

On the second day, back-to-back battles against the superSonics, big dreams were rested, and the rocket's interior line was empty. Maddie played just 25 minutes before going off the pitch. 108:88, a big defeat.

December 30, 2000 finale. The Rockets slaughtered the Mavericks 120-101 on the road. Maddie 24+11+10 and got the first triple-double of his Rockets career (the upper double refers to a statistic reaching double digits, and the triple double refers to three statistic upper doubles).

On January 1, 2001, the Rockets traveled to Minnesota to take on rival Timberwolves. Mobley exploded and scored 30 points, but the team lost 100-106. The Wolves extended their lead over the Rockets from four to five.

On January 2, the Rockets fought back-to-back against the Cavaliers, and Big Dream took another turn. But Brendan Rodgers, who came off the bench, suddenly broke out and cut 22+10, and the Rockets won an unexpected victory 105:98.

On January 4th, a battle of points was staged. The Pistons' Stark House scored 46 points, but Maddy contributed 34+12+8, and the Rockets narrowly won by 3 points.

In this way, the Rockets lost slowly and methodically, and they also won some. Houston fans have not the slightest doubt that this team lacks fighting spirit. Some commentators in the world of sports have seen some clues. Sports Illustrated was the first to stand up, with an article analyzing Maddy's 32 minutes per game as questionable, citing Kobe Bryant, who is close to Maddy's age. Bryant averaged 40 minutes per game that season.

This was followed by ESPN Sports, where they counted the Rockets' most efficient five-man duo as Big Dream, Williams, Maddy, Reed and Curry. The duo scored a staggering 13.4 points per 100 possessions (even higher than the league's No. 1 Kings starting five), but they only played 88 minutes together. The report sparked controversy in the sports world. In that muscular era, a large and four small lineup was still a rare lineup.

Tang Shuai, an old fritter, is still quite calm in the face of the waves of the media. He said in an interview that he heard that if these five people played the whole game, they could win the championship, and he decided to follow ESPN's advice and give it a try. However, he also said that Olajuwon and Curry, the two old guys, will strike once they play the full game.

In the next period of time, the Rockets basically focused on killing weak teams such as the Grizzlies and Bulls. Playing strong teams has fewer wins and more losses, and teams with similar winning rates are almost all defeated. When encountering some balls that may be won, simply let the old players such as Big Dream Curry take turns to rest.

On March 15, although Tang Shuai only let Maddie play for 24 minutes, and Big Dream also rested, Mobley exploded and scored 30 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists, completely destroying the core of the opposite Nets, Marbury. The Rockets still narrowly won 108-106. "I accidentally won against the Nets, but it doesn't matter, the Eastern Conference team should win." Tang Shuai comforted himself.

"Rudy, the day after tomorrow at home against the Spurs, let's play it all out." Yuanfei suggested.

"That's not like what you're suggesting."

"After playing the Spurs, we have to play a streak, and the opponents also include the Clippers and the SuperSonics, which we don't want to win, and we will definitely lose in a row. Let's just try to play at home and see if we can surprise the fans. ”

"It's a great idea, I like it. Maddie would be happy to hear it. ”

***

"Jason, last time you told me that the tactics of defending Garnett are very effective, and now the Wolves have been winning against us, but Garnett can no longer be arrogant when he sees me." Thomas laughed and said, "The day after tomorrow, I have any skills for Duncan?" ”

"Duncan's free throws aren't as good as Garnett's, it's about 60 percent, so if you can't, you'll foul."

"What kind of bird idea is this......" Kenny said with a bitter face.

There really are no shortcuts. Wolves are only a mid-table team, and although they have strength, they also have obvious shortcomings. And the Spurs were the champions of the previous year, with a strong lineup. In the face of this kind of opponent, except for showing his own strength, there is no skill at all. Yuanfei calculated in his heart that the 38-year-old dream could be exchanged for the 36-year-old Robinson, who is also one of the four major centers, and it is unrealistic to expect him to play (the four centers in the 90s refer to Olajuwon, Robinson, Ewing and O'Neal, in fact, Mourning and Mutombo, who were at the same time as O'Neal, were also very strong, so the author does not agree with the statement of the four).

If you want to win, you have to rely on Maddie's play! Yuanfei thought so.

***

After the first half, Yuanfei found that he still thought too well. Olajuwon just had just played a few minutes before he sprained his foot and went to rest. Rodgers was blown up by Robinson, Thomas couldn't have prevented Duncan, and the Spurs' interior twin towers blew up the Rockets' interior line. Fortunately, Maddie and Mobley played well, and the two also blew up the Spurs' outside defenders, and the Rockets trailed by 15 points at halftime.

"In Hakim's absence, we can't fight the Spurs Twin Towers. Anyway, I can't prevent it, so let's just fight with the Spurs to attack! Thomas suggested to Tang Shuai.

"Oh, how do you spell?"

"I'm going to play Robinson, Williams to Duncan, and we're going to put our pitchers up. Anyway, we shoot a lot of three-pointers, maybe the rebound will bounce far, and our people will be able to grab it. ”

"Kenny, you're good, you're thinking about it. When you retire, you can also become a coach. Tang Shuai teased Thomas, "That's it." The second-half starters were Kenny, Wirt, Tracy, Michael and Cutino, and Dale warmed up at the start and was ready to play. ”

"Understood, Coach!" The players replied loudly.

"By the way, I'll say more." Yuanfei spoke: "Beat Afri more. Johnson, he's the Spurs' only defensive weakness. In the first half, Catino attacked well, and the second half continued. ”

"Understood!" The players replied Yuanfei like they answered Tang Shuai. In their hearts, this little boy has become one of the most authoritative people in the team.

***

The second half was kicked off by the Rockets. Williams easily pulled Duncan near the three-point line. Maddie broke through the defense and Robinson pounced on the defense. Maddie missed a layup, but the whistle blew and the defense was fouled.

Maddie made both free throws. Popovich reacted quickly, with Robinson down and substitute Daniels on. Yuanfei couldn't help but secretly admire, worthy of Popovich, the change of formation is fast. The Spurs, famous for their twin towers, actually played one big and four small.

But Spurs Avery. Johnson's defensive holes were still there, and after a pick-and-roll, a misalignment was formed, and Maddie easily hit a 2-point jumper on his head. Mobley then broke through his defense and gave Reed a three-pointer in the open spot. Yuan Fei smiled secretly in his heart, and persuaded Johnson to let him retire as a coach as soon as possible. In the future, he coached Mavericks and other teams for many years, and his record was not bad.

Popovich saw the move and replaced Johnson, who was 178cm tall, with a 191cm tall Steve. Cole. Yuanfei saw another snickering, although Kerr is taller and shoots accurately, his defense is even weaker. Like Johnson, Kerr also became a head coach after retiring and has achieved great results. The depth of the Spurs' roster this season is really average, so it's no wonder that Duncan once wanted to transfer.

Sure enough, Kerr was fouled by Reed and Mobley in a row, and the Spurs' rhythm became more and more chaotic, and all players except for Duncan's strong point were blown up by the Rockets. The Rockets blossomed inside and outside to tie the score in the third quarter. Popovich's clever woman is difficult to cook, and the overall talent of this group of players of the Spurs is indeed a little worse.

In the fourth quarter, Bobo switched back to the twin towers and restarted the battle with the Rockets. The rocket also fell into a bitter battle. In the end, relying on Maddy's brave performance in the fourth quarter, the 104-107 Rockets struggled to defend their home court. Snatched a win from a 46-19 rival Spurs.

The Rockets then lost three straight road defeats to the Kings, Clippers and SuperSonics, and then returned home to a miraculous victory over the Jazz.

The next script basically develops according to the setting of Yuanfei. By the end of the season in April, the Rockets lost to the SuperSonics and Nuggets with close records, and in the final finale, the team finally showed its fierce minions, and bloodied the Timberwolves by 27 points at home (87-114 in history). It is a coincidence that the opening and closing games of the season were played at home.

"It's so cool, look at Garnett's deflated old face, hahaha." The laugh came from Kenny, of course. Thomas too. He is becoming more and more experienced in defending Garnett, and Garnett only scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting in this game, of course, it is also due to the fact that the Wolves are about to meet the playoffs and have no intention of fighting.

"Brandon was blown up by me too, haha." Mobley laughed as well.

"I'm more and more confident that our team will be able to compete for the championship in a few years." Maddie was also in high spirits, and he played a quasi-triple-double of 24+10+9 in this game.

"You've grown a lot from the beginning of the season." Tang Shuai smiled and looked at several young players like a loving father, "You have really become stronger. ”

The Rockets ended the 00-01 season with a 38-44 record. This result is only better than the Grizzlies, Warriors, Clippers, and three weak teams in the West, and finally ranks 11th in the West (45 wins all-time, ninth in the West), but the young Rockets have gained confidence.

Next up is the playoffs, which have nothing to do with the Rockets, and the only good news is that Maddie was selected as the most improved player of the season. But something unexpected happened to Yuanfei at this time.

The Los Angeles Lakers suddenly found their groove late in the regular season and won back-to-back games. The playoffs are even more devastating. Bryant. For the first time in his career, Bryant found the feeling of a superstar, and he and O'Neal were invincible and reached the Finals with a record of 11 wins. None of the mighty Spurs, Kings, and Trail Blazers have been able to take a win away from the Lakers.

And in the East, the Raptors have followed a different trajectory than history. Thanks to the addition of Francis, Cato and Anderson, the Raptors have risen to third in the rankings, away from the fifth place in the East at the same time in history. In the semifinals, they defeated the second-place Bucks in the East 4-2. In the finals, Francis' crucial shot wiped out Iverson's efforts as the Raptors defeated the Eastern Conference regular-season champions 76ers 4-2. The Maddie trade led by Far Flying made the 76ers miss out on the Eastern Conference championship and changed the entire NBA history (the 76ers beat the Raptors 4-3 and the Bucks 4-3 to reach the Finals).

In the finals, the Raptors were beaten by the Lakers and finally relied on Vince after falling behind 3-0. Carter and Francis both broke out to pull back a game, 4-1, and the Lakers became the team with the highest playoff win percentage in NBA history.