In the last game of the preseason, the Rockets fought the Hornets again.

The 2003-2004 Hornets were still at their peak, with Byron Davis at the peak of their main control, Jamal Mashburn at the peak of their wings, plus small guard David Wesley, blue-collar power forward P.J. Brown, and Darryl Armstrong, who was signed for free last offseason, and David West, who was a rookie off the bench.

The Hornets' lineup is still quite competitive in the East, but it is slightly worse than the teams in the West.

The Rockets also have a stronger roster on paper than the Hornets, having won by 16 points in the last game.

And in this game, the Rockets are no longer practicing tactics.

At the beginning, the Rockets have been playing the conventional tactics of a single Yao Ming receiving the ball in a high position, and a small player cutting in the air or breaking through with the ball.

At the beginning, Yao Ming hit consecutive singles in a high position and scored 7 points in a row, and the Hornets, who lacked a high point on the inside, were completely unable to limit Yao Ming, and they had to sacrifice a bag and clamp tactic.

But after the pack, Dwyane Wade opened up this point, and he broke through with the ball in succession, and smashed into the penalty area, causing damage.

In just half a quarter, the Hornets' defense was beaten into a sieve by the Rockets.

The score of the half-quarter game was 14-7, and the Rockets directly led by 7 points.

In the second half of the first quarter, Qiao Hai rotated some players, but the offensive firepower on the court was maintained, and after the first quarter, the Rockets entered the second quarter with a 29-20 lead over the Hornets by 9 points.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the lineup on the Rockets court was Dwayne Wade with the bench, but the tactics on the court were Boris Dio's high-post strategy, as well as his blocking and pick-and-roll cooperation with Wade.

Relying on Wade's outburst, the Rockets took half a quarter to stretch the difference to 15 points.

After halftime, the Rockets led the Hornets by 14 points, 57-43.

With a 14-point difference in the half, this game naturally goes without saying, and in the second half, the Rockets firmly controlled the score.

In the end, the Rockets won 118-97, another wild victory.

……

This is the end of the preseason, 8 preseason games, the Rockets won one game, then lost four games in a row, and after four consecutive losses, it was another wave of three consecutive wins.

With 4 wins and 4 losses in 8 preseason games, the Rockets' preseason record looks pretty good, after all, the first four games were against two of the top four opponents in the West last season, which is the top team in the league.

And against the Jazz and Hornets, the Rockets' victories are game after game, and to a certain extent, the Rockets have proved that they can continue to make the playoffs in the new season, but they can't prove that they can go further in the new season.

In 8 preseason games, Yao Ming, the best performance of the Rockets, averaged 25.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.7 blocks per game in 8 games, as if he was already a super center.

Public opinion also believes that the biggest reliance of the Rockets in the new season is Yao Ming, with Yao Ming, the Rockets are like the Timberwolves in previous seasons, and they can make the playoffs no matter what.

In 8 games, Dwayne Wade, who averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, also proved that he is not a parallel commodity to a certain extent, at least in the new season, Wade's personal performance is worth looking forward to.

Gary Payton, who averaged 18.5 points, 8.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, also proved that he is still a giant star.

Therefore, after the preseason, the evaluation of the Rockets by major media in North America has also changed.

……

ESPN's Stephen Smith, Chadford and other experts slapped themselves in the face.

In an ESPN preseason preview show, Stephen Smith directly reversed his previous evaluation of Wade, and he gave his latest evaluation of Wade: "Averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, less than 6 assists and 1.3 steals per game in the preseason, Dwyane Wade showed his energy. ”

"He's got off to a fast start, he's changed his direction a lot faster, and in eight preseason games, we've often seen Wade take a step from the outside and get past the defender."

"In the first game against the Spurs, even Bruce Bowen couldn't prevent Wade, which shows how strong his single-point personal ability is."

"Defensively, the young Dwayne Wade is also full of energy, always moving around in a wide range on the defensive end, contributing three big hats in eight preseason games, and for a defender, his defense has exceeded expectations."

"Looking at the eight preseason games, Dwyane Wade may have the potential to surpass Steve Francis, and this deal for the Rockets, if combined with the signing of Gary Payton later, should not be a loss."

As for the Rockets in the new season, Chadford's evaluation is: "Steve Francis was replaced by Dwyane Wade, and at present, it seems that this is an equivalent substitution, and the Rockets have nothing to lose." ”

"Then, they signed Gary Payton, an All-Star on the outside, plus a Yao Ming who continues to evolve, and in the new season, the strength of the Rockets has been greatly enhanced, just like Qiao Hai said, they do have the strength to compete for the O'Brien Cup."

……

Before the start of the new season, ESPN and Hoop Sports each made a season preview, predicting the standings for the new season.

Hoop Sports continued their habit of overestimating owner Joe's team and placed the Rockets in second place in the West, behind the Grizzlies who have All-Star starters.

As for ESPN, they rank the Rockets as sixth in the West as it looks objective.

It does seem very objective, the reason is that the five teams ranked before the Rockets, ESPN's evaluation and description are-

"The No. 1 Grizzlies, with All-Star starters, have not lost any of their main roster this season, so they will obviously be the strongest contenders for the first place in the West."

"In second place, last season's defending champions, Spurs, continue to improve this season, and they should be stronger than last season."

"The third place, the Lakers who formed the super triumvirate after signing Karl Malone, the Lakers who originally had the OK combination are already a strong contender for the first place in the West, plus a Karl Malone, they already have the momentum to catch up with the Grizzlies."

"Fourth, crazy reinforcements, the Mavericks who form the five small giants, the Mavericks' lineup is gorgeous, although it still seems that there is still a bit of a problem with cooperation and running-in, but with such a luxurious lineup, they are still worth looking forward to in the new season."

"No. 5, the Sacramento Kings, who stabilized the top four in the West in the first two seasons, and in the new season, the Kings' main lineup last season will all stay in the team, and with the addition of Princeton's offense, they will once again get a top few rankings in the West, which should not be a problem."

Sixth place is the rocket.

There is no need to say much about the evaluation of the Rockets, which is similar to what Chadford said, in summary, the Rockets have one more outside All-Star than last season, and Yao Ming's further growth, giving the Rockets a chance to move up one place compared to last season's Western rankings.

After the rockets are the timberwolves, which make up the three-headed monster.

And the last playoff spot in the West, ESPN was given to the Trail Blazers.

……

On October 30th, the regular season kicks off, and the Toyota Center is ready to unveil its new brand!