"The Pelicans can't defend Harden and Paul at the same time, just like they couldn't defend Durant and Curry at the same time in the last game."

Miller looked at it for a while and retracted his gaze, but Tang Tian looked more excited, and he was still more inclined to the Rockets to win.

"I have a gut feeling, and they'll do it."

Maddie did not refute directly, but expressed her opinion in a very tactful way.

Warming up for a dunk before a game is very physically demanding.

And it's not just Tang Tian, the whole Pelicans team looks excited tonight.

It was his instinct.

Miller smiled and didn't say anything more, commenting on the game by intuition, Maddie is not Don blowing second, this is Barkley second!

While they were talking, the players on the field had already completed their warm-up and entered the entrance ceremony on the spot.

The starters of both teams came on one after another.

The Pelicans' Ariza ushered in a comeback, with Holiday and Tang Tian on the outside and Davis and Jokic on the inside.

The Rockets also have a regular lineup, with Paul and Harden on the outside, Tucker and Morris on the front, and Cousins at center.

After both sides started the game, Cousins jumped to beat Davis, and the Pelicans battle kicked off with cheers from the fans.

The Rockets hit Cousins first in the frontcourt, and Cousins forced Jokic to score on the inside.

Under the new penalty scale, Cousins is really invincible on the inside.

Turning around, Tang Tian and Jokic pulled Cousins out after blocking and dismantling, a fake pass inside deceived Cousins, and the pull-out hit of the emergency stop was also colored.

Cousins continued to force the basket and made a defensive foul on Jokic after encountering Davis's bag, making both free throws.

But Tang Tian turned around and passed back to Jokic after blocking and dismantling, assisting the latter to cause Tucker to foul under the basket, and also hit both free throws.

The offense in the opening few rounds became a microcosm of the first half of the game between the two sides.

Cousins was a little puzzled inside, but the Pelicans were in good shape tonight, and the score with the Rockets under the leadership of Tang Tian was deadlocked.

The quarter went on for more than seven minutes, with D'Antoni replacing Cousins for Capela.

Cousins is heavy, and fitness has been a problem on the court.

The Pelicans also used West to replace Jokic, and Jokic was not a small physical drain against Cousins.

With Cousins off the court, the Rockets' offensive focus shifted from the inside to the outside.

Harden held the ball past Ariza and scored two points on a throw-back against Ariza.

This hand was also used before Harden, but he didn't encounter a confrontation to find a whistle like before, but resolutely completed the shot.

He's been as consistent as he was when he played the Jazz.

Davis misses a shot from the basket, and Capela protects the defensive rebound.

Turning back, the Pelicans had defensive adjustments, and Holiday switched to Harden.

Harden didn't return the ball, but just changed direction and took a step-back step, and then made his trademark step-back three-pointer.

"Huh!"

With a crisp sound, the ball goes in again!

The Toyota Center was instantly in a boil.

Harden scored 5 points in a row to help the Rockets build a 5-point lead!

Not only did he become more stable, but he also felt really good tonight!

Tucker and Morris struggled to defend against Tang Tian's shot, and the Pelicans have missed points on three consecutive offenses.

The scales of victory began to tip in favor of the Rockets.

“！ Rockets！ ”

The fans shouted excitedly.

The Pelicans are the defending champions and now have the best record in the league and are the standard public enemies.

The Warriors beat the Pelicans last time out to make a name for themselves, and now they're going to accomplish the same thing.

Especially Cousins boasted about Haikou before the game, if he really won, it would be a big force.

It's a refreshing scene just to think about.

And this is indeed the strongest team of the Rockets since the Olajuwon era!

Harden got to the front court and was ready to continue asking for the ball.

Durant was unguarded in the last game, and now he wants to follow the example of his big brother, and also play a game that no one can solve and then lead the team to win and avenge last season's 4-1 victory.

The script is perfect.

Paul is also ready to give the ball to Harden, Cousins in front, and now Harden, giving the ball to someone who is in good shape, is the instinct of a top point guard.

However, as soon as Harden held the ball, he found that the defender in front of him had changed again, not Ariza or Holiday but Tang Tian.

Like in the last game, Tang Tian was forced to come out again to block the gun's eye.

Harden didn't give the ball back to Paul, he wasn't Durant, and he didn't have such a big psychological shadow on Tang Tian.

And more importantly, he doesn't understand basketball in a different way.

Just like he used to play with the rules and adjust his style of play now, he is a player with a very high ball IQ and knows what the best way to win.

As long as he continues to play Tang Tian, even if the efficiency is not high, it is the best way to win if it consumes Tang Tian's physical energy.

In the last game, Durant didn't go all out to play Tang Tian, but Tang Tian grabbed the offense and defense, and his physical fitness became a problem in the fourth quarter.

If he played with all his strength, he didn't have to go to overtime, and Tang Tian would be beaten by him until he had no physical strength.

At that time, it was the time for the Rockets to harvest the game.

He made up his mind and motioned to his teammates to pull away and prepare to beat Tang Tian strongly.

D'Antoni sat up straight on the far bench, a choice that Harden thought was a bit unwise to him, but he didn't stop it.

Teammates pulled away, and Harden continued to cross steps, but failed to shake Tang Tian.

As a three-time best defensive player, Tang Tian is not so easy to think about him.

But Harden's offense didn't stop, and the continuous acceleration and change of direction did not pass Tang Tian, and then chose the signature retreat mid-range.

It's how he's found his form in the past.

However, he still didn't shake Tang Tian.

Tang Tian is half a head taller than Harden, and his speed is superior, and after a successful prediction, he saves to give enough pressure.

Harden saw that he was about to be covered, and was forced to adjust the arc of his shot.

"Bang dang!"

He dodged the block, but the shot was noticeably shorter, slamming off the front of the basket.

It's a long rebound.

Tang Tian successfully predicted the landing point of the rebound, turned around and took the rebound after landing, and turned around to attack quickly.

Harden didn't take out a handful, so he could only turn around and watch Tang Tian attack quickly with his eyes.

Tang Tian went to the front court against Paul's assistance, and Paul jumped up against small movements in the air.

After the penalty scale was changed, his defensive style became aggressive, and the defensive effect was doubled.

However, Tang Tian completely ignored Paul's small movements, and he was not afraid of aerial confrontation at all with his muscle stick and the turtle bombardment.

Paul's small movements didn't work, and his whole body was pushed backwards by Tang Tian's power.

"Bang!"

In the amazement of the fans at the scene, Tang Tian smashed the ball into the basket through Paul.

The Pelicans' bench boiled instantly, and Forbes jumped up and threw the towel into the air.

This ball is handsome!

The referee was stunned for a moment before reacting before blowing the whistle for Paul's blocking foul.

Paul was a little emotional when he heard the whistle and turned to the referee to theorize.

Under the new penalty scale, his defensive actions just now belong to whether they can be blown or not, but this is the home court of the Rockets!

The referee ignored Paul's protests, even though he was the president of the players' union.

Can be blown or not, it can be blown, Tang Tian is now the first person in the league, and it is not appropriate for this kind of ball not to give superstar whistles.