The game is over, James. Harden got up and walked to the tunnel tunnel.

This is the first time he has led the team to the playoffs as a core, but this first experience has made Harden miserable.

11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, James Brown. Harden's stats today are a far cry from his regular season averages.

Garbage time Link didn't go on but faced Tony. Aaron and Jimmy. Butler and Harden also scored only 2 points.

To put it mildly, the score is a double. But Harden's performance is certainly not what fans want to see.

Harden originally had a lot of hopes for this game, after all, he was the one who played in the Finals. After all, last year, it was his brave play that helped the Thunder stand on the opposite side of the Heat.

He also thought that he might be able to make a name for himself in this series.

But playing the playoffs as a sixth man is a completely different concept than playing the playoffs as a centerpiece, and you know what the playoffs are all about when you have to face the best defenders on the other side.

Harden is not only facing the Grizzlies' best defender today, but also the Grizzlies' most mouthful defender.

121 to 98, a margin of 23 points, the Rockets failed miserably. This year's first place in the West and eighth place in the West are simply a world of difference.

After Harden dodged reporters and walked into the players' tunnel, he silently calculated the score. He only scored 11 points today, and if he wants to tie Link's 43 points, there is still a gap of 32 points!

Will he be able to score 32 points in the next game? Harden can't guarantee it. Today's game has made Harden see what it looks like when the Grizzlies are defending to the extreme, and on Link's head, it's thankful to score 20 points.

32 points? This seems like a far-fetched number.

Therefore, even if Link gives Harden another chance to play, Harden is likely to not be able to catch up with Link in scoring.

The score of the two games is not as good as the other one...... Thinking of this, Harden is even more lonely.

In the post-game press conference, Harden was listless. He was actually very well prepared for this game, and he didn't go to the nightclub for two days!

You know, during Harden's finals last season, he didn't forget to go to nightclubs. But this year, in order to play this first round, Harden forcibly held back.

However, Harden's efforts proved to be futile. If the Grizzlies could be beaten just by not going to a nightclub, the Grizzlies wouldn't be the No. 1 team in the league and wouldn't be a 70-win team.

McHale was visibly disappointed with the result, but in order to appease the players and fans, McHale made reassurances.

"We're trying to win at home, and the playoffs aren't a win-or-lose. It's not over yet, we still have a chance. ”

However, the media did not buy McHale's words, and the next day, on a television program, the host commented on McHale's statement.

"When Kevin. When Coach McHale said those words, he probably didn't even believe it. The gap between the two teams was 23 points, and Link scored 43 points! This gap cannot be filled by fighting at home! ”

The Rockets have only fought one game, and they have already been included in the list of "elimination pending". And Link, with a double-double of 43 points, was also selected by ESPN as the best player in the first game of the first round.

Now, the whole world is waiting for the Grizzly Bear to take out the rocket sooner rather than later. This round of the series has lost its appeal to the fans.

Just two years ago, the Grizzlies were struggling for their first playoff victory. But now, the Grizzlies don't bother to waste time in the first round.

The playoffs are fast-paced and don't give anyone time to breathe. Just two days later, the second game between the Grizzlies and the Rockets officially began.

While it would be humiliating to chase a score in two games, Harden decided to give it a try, believing that he had adapted to the intensity of the playoffs and that this game would at least not be as bad as the last one.

However, the result of the game was very different from what Harden thought, and the bearded man found that it was not a question of adaptation, but a matter of hard power!

With Link's defense, that's all you can do!

Harden's performance improved in this game, with 15 points and 6 assists, and a shooting rate of 44.6%, which is considered a decent performance.

However, that's more than double Harden's goal of 32 points.

As for Link, he wasn't as irascible as he was in the last game, but he was still ruthless. At the end of the third quarter, Link had already scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

For the entire fourth quarter, Link didn't play again. But even then, his stats were enough to make him the best man of the game.

At 106 to 91, the Rockets scored even five fewer points than in the previous game. The Federal Express Arena lost one game after a whole season. If the Rockets want to win here, the odds are naturally slim.

To add insult to injury, Jeremy Lin also suffered a shoulder injury in this game, and whether he can play in the next game has become a mystery. Although Jeremy Lin, who is playing the playoffs for the first time, played poorly in both games, at least he didn't panic and was able to organize the offense calmly.

As soon as Jeremy Lin was injured, the Rockets were left with Beverley, a second-round point guard. For the Rockets, even if they are about to return to their home court, there is no hope.

After Game 2 of the series, Link said he was already watching the video of the Nuggets and Clippers game.

If other players were so crazy, they would definitely be bombarded by reporters. Just like Maddie back then, his sentence "I'm already thinking about the next round of opponents" has become the biggest black spot in his career.

But Link's remarks made perfect sense to reporters.

Is it possible for Link to punch himself in the face? Borrowed from Charles. A quote from Barkley, "There are many possibilities in this world, but it is impossible for the Rockets to defeat the Grizzlies." ”

※※※

April 27, 2013, Game 3 of the series. Since 2009, the Rockets have finally had a playoff game at home.

But at the scene, the mood of the Rockets fans was not high. They didn't wear uniform red T-shirts, nor did they create a warm enough home atmosphere.

The first two games were beaten into pigs' heads by others, and this time the Rockets fans really have no confidence.

Rockets General Manager Darrell. Morey sat in the luxurious box, very serious. And at this time, his boss Leslie. Alexander sat next to Morey.

Alexander's face was expressionless, which made Morey even more nervous. He knew that Alexander wouldn't call himself to watch the game for no reason. Unless, there is something to discuss.

However, before the game began, the two didn't say anything. In this way, the third matchup between the Rockets and Grizzlies began at the Toyota Center.

Without Jeremy Lin, the Rockets' offense is even more of a mess. Although Beverley was a second-round pick in 2009, he didn't start his rookie year in the NBA until this year because he had been wandering around Europe.

He is more than ferocious, but his experience is limited. Especially in the playoffs, Beverley is not ready to play as a master at all.

On the Grizzly Bears' side, they are still invincible. Link played very hard, scoring 18 points in the first half, and the Rockets' defense was useless in front of him.

Reggie commentating the game. Miller yelled more than once, "The Toyota Center is being destroyed by Link, the Rockets have to do something at least!" ”

At halftime, the Rockets trailed by 14 points. Judging from this situation, it is unlikely that the Rockets will want to hold their home court.

Just as the cheerleaders girls appeared, Alexander, who had been silent, spoke.

"Link is such a terrible player, he also happens to be yellow-skinned, which reminds me of Yao."

"Hmm......" Morey didn't know what Alexander meant, so he could only nod his head in agreement.

"And this horrible player, who used to wear a Rockets jersey. But it's a pity that he only played in Houston for 10 days. If he had stayed, we wouldn't be in this situation now. After Alexander's words, he looked at Morey, "I don't think the reason for Link's departure is probably because there is no subway in Houston." ”

"Rileys, I ...... at the time"

"Look at those two championship pennants on the dome, look at them, that's the last glory of the Rockets and Olajuwon. When Yao was drafted, we all thought the Rockets were going to have a second Olajuwon. As a result, until now, 20 years later, we still only have those two pennants. We had good players and we had the opportunity to do it again, but we missed it. Not only did we miss it, but we actually went back to provoke him. Alexander didn't wait for Morey to finish speaking, and he grabbed the right to speak strongly.

He was undoubtedly very disappointed that Morey had let Link go in the first place. Although three years have passed, in this context, Alexander has begun to settle accounts.

Morey didn't speak again, he knew very well why Link was so unsparing every time he hit the Rockets. He knew, and so did Alexander.

"Darrell, when this season is over, submit your resignation yourself. Thank you for your contribution to the Rockets, but it's time for us to make a change. ”

After Alexander finished speaking, the second half of the game officially began.

But for Morey, he doesn't have a second half anymore.