James came with determination and confidence, which can be seen in what he said in his pre-match interview.

But he probably didn't expect an Artest to bring such a big change to the Rockets.

Scola and Morrow, two players who were originally defensive holes, are also like doping on the court, fighting hard in defense, and the offensive end of the Rockets is also a national soldier, not afraid of confrontation, and the Cavaliers are very uncomfortable.

At halftime, the Cavaliers trailed the Rockets by 10 points, 46-56.

The fans at home were excited.

Basketball has always been a bloody sport, and the boiling blood that Artest injected into the Rockets made them love this team more and more.

Coming back in the second half, the Cavaliers' outside feel dropped badly, and the Rockets' advantage was even more obvious.

The Cavaliers scored just 12 points in the third quarter, and by the end of the third quarter, the Rockets' lead had reached 20 points.

In the final quarter, the Cavaliers played three minutes and announced their waiver, and the Rockets bench group continued to work hard to further widen the difference.

In the end, the Rockets defeated their opponents 101-74 and ushered in a big victory after the All-Star break.

Yao Ming had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, Maddy had 21 points and 7 boards, and Billups and Yi Jianlian both scored 14 points.

Artest contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 steal in his Rockets debut.

Although he didn't score many points because he wasn't familiar with the team's system, the toughness he brought to the team was far more important than scoring a few more points.

And the 27-point Cavaliers, who beat the league's No. 1 blood, also made other teams realize that the trade made by the Rockets at the past trade deadline was a "robbery" comparable to the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol.

Of course, this is not a big voice, after all, it is just a game.

On Feb. 22, after a two-day break, the Rockets faced their archrivals Jazz again.

The Jazz have been far worse this season than the previous two seasons and are currently battling the Suns, Hornets and Mavericks for a playoff spot.

With just 30 games to go until the end of the regular season, any one game will be crucial for them.

Despite their poor record, iron and blood are still the style of this team, and it is also where they have an advantage against the Rockets for the past two years or so.

However, the third meeting between the two sides this season was a big surprise.

After the Rockets started this game, they were tough with the Jazz team, you make small moves for me, I have a chance to do you, if I catch the opportunity, I will slap you hard.

Halfway through the game, the Rockets held a lead of more than 10 points, but it was the Jazz who were annoyed in the end, as Boozer and Oku made several dangerous moves to bring Artest and Scola down, only to be ejected by the referee one after another.

In the end, the Rockets were also bloodless, defeating the Jazz 98-71 at home, ushering in a three-game winning streak.

Yao Ming and Maddie are still both 20+, and Billups, Yi Jianlian, Scola and Sun Yue all scored doubles.

Artest also continued to play steadily, playing 30 minutes and shooting 6 of 10, contributing 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

The momentum shown by the whole Rockets team, not only the Jazz team who just lost, but also the rest of the league felt a palpitation.

After all, Team Rocket is the public enemy of the league!

And now they find that this public enemy is not only strong, but also looks invincible.

On Feb. 23, the Rockets faced the Warriors back-to-back.

The Warriors broke up at the start of the season, winning just 20 games so far this season, and have long since lost their interest in fighting.

In the face of such an opponent, the Rockets also won 112-91 and extended their winning streak to 4 games.

Artest also ushered in his first outburst after joining the Rockets, contributing 25 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks on 9-of-15 shooting.

On Feb. 25, the Rockets traveled to Philadelphia to challenge the 76ers.

The 76ers are also fighting for a playoff spot, and they are also sparing no effort against the Rockets.

But as soon as the game started, they found that their efforts were completely useless.

Spell star ability, Iguodala, Andre Miller, Thaddeus Young, how to compare with Yao Ming, Maddie, Billups?

Spelling role players is even more inconsistent.

Of course, the most important thing is that Artest came off the bench, and after a wave of shock, the Rockets' lead was amazing.

After three quarters, the 76ers were already trailing by almost 30 points.

In the end, the Rockets also won 109-81 and extended their winning streak to five games.

Yao Ming easily recorded a triple-double of 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

"It's not fair." After the game, the 76ers' main forward Thaddeus Young said helplessly to reporters.

After the rise of Yi Jianlian, the starting lineup of the Rockets is already the strongest in the league, and now there is another Artest on the bench, which is really unfair.

But that's the way it is, and unfairness has to be fought again.

The Rockets won the 76ers and extended their winning streak to seven games by knocking out the Bulls and Hawks for the rest of the game in February.

In these 7 games, the Rockets outscored their opponents by an average of 25.7 points per game, invincible.

The time came to February 28, and the day the alliance was once again in turmoil.

The previous trade deadline marked the settlement of the trade dust for each team, but it does not mean that the roster of each team cannot be changed.

March 1 is also a pivotal date for NBA teams, especially those in the playoffs, or those in the midst of the playoffs, as it is the buyout deadline.

Only players who are bought out before this date will be able to sign with a playoff team and qualify for the playoffs.

And at this time, the teams that make the playoffs or hit the playoffs, and the teams that have quotas, are the places they want to go the most.

For example, Team Rocket.

The Rockets had a basically stable roster before the trade deadline in the first two years, so they didn't pay much attention to this piece, but this year is different, in the previous trade to get Artest, the team paid 3 players, and finally got 2 players, after Ewing Jr. was cut, there are now only 13 players on the team list.

This means that the Rockets now have two signings.

This even includes a mid-class exception that the Rockets haven't used before.

A team that has won 7 consecutive wins in the past half a month, with an average net win of 20+ over opponents per game, still has 2 places, and can also open a contract with an annual salary of 5 million!

For those players looking for a buyout, it's like a firefly in the night, bright and bright.