During the last time the team lost streak, the injury problem scared the Cavaliers into a cold sweat.

Now that there is less than a third of the game left, the Cavaliers certainly have to protect the players, and the rotation schedule has appeared.

Not only James, but Irving and Zhang Xiaotian, who had been injured and suspended before, also arranged back-to-back rests.

Love led the team alone with less and less ball distribution, but the Cavaliers' current tactics are more restrictive to him, and James's younger brothers don't respect him so much, as a result, he shot more in this game, Smith and others also shot more, and the Cavaliers lost to the Pacers in a tangled way.

At this time, the Cavaliers don't care so much about winning or losing, and the key is to adjust the player's condition to prepare for the playoffs.

As for whether to compete for the first place in the East, there is no need to deliberately, ensuring the strength of the team is the key.

February is a relatively small month of time, and after playing the Pacers, it is time for the March game.

The Rockets also won a game against the Cavaliers when Zhang Xiaotian was injured before, and the Rockets this season are indeed strong, and they signed Josh Smith some time ago to make the roster stronger and have almost no weaknesses.

There are inside and outside, there are substitutes, there are offense and defense, and the only situation is that Harden, the core of the team, has not proven himself in the playoffs.

However, in this game, Howard was unable to play due to injury, which made the Rockets' defense a little problematic.

Fortunately, the Rockets' record has not been affected too much, and Motai Yunas and Terrence Jones have also played well on the inside.

The current situation in the West is that the Warriors have a dominant record, and the rankings of the six teams, including the Rockets, Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, and Mavericks, will change at any time, and the Thunder can only compete with the Pelicans for eighth place now.

The East is also divided into three tiers, but it is ten teams vying for a playoff spot.

Of course, the reason for separating the Cavaliers and the Hawks is the strength of the team, and in terms of record, the Hawks are several games ahead, but the Cavaliers are several games ahead of third place.

The Bulls, Raptors and Wizards, who were about the same as the Cavaliers, fell during this time, and the Bucks, Nets, Celtics, Pacers, and Heat five teams were competing for the last three spots in the playoffs.

Although there are still about twenty games left, the remaining teams are only theoretically possible.

Every season is like this, and after the All-Star break, it becomes clear which teams will compete for the playoffs, and others who have ideas will have to wait for the summer to work.

Rocket Howard can't play, and Cavaliers Irving can't play.

Irving's style of play has left him with a lot of pain, and by this time of the season, the team will definitely want him to heal.

He is the same as Wade last season, and James's back is the same, and he needs to be raised, but Zhang Xiaotian's situation has not been repeated for the time being.

The team started Dellavedova and compared to Irving, Dellavedova was much worse on the offensive end.

Because the Cavaliers can be organized, the requirements for backup guards are not so high, and the Cavaliers' offense will definitely be affected to a certain extent.

As soon as the game began, Zhang Xiaotian felt pain.

He only now understands what it means to be slippery, Harden seems to be absolutely not fast, but the rhythm in the offense is very painful, the key is that this thing is still a master of making fouls, Zhang Xiaotian wanted to find a physical confrontation, but he was overshadowed by Harden once.

Thinking about the All-Star James, James couldn't limit Harden well, although he didn't do his best, but he also saw that Harden was difficult on the offensive end.

Zhang Xiaotian has a feeling that it is better to defend against Kobe Bryant if he prevents Harden, Kobe Bryant is working hard anyway.

But just think about it, in the face of any goal, Zhang Xiaotian will go all out.

He just hasn't faced this type before, and to defend against opponents at this level, you have to be familiar with his rhythm.

Concentrate, force yourself to follow first, and then interfere.

This is a very tiring thing, Zhang Xiaotian is not old-fashioned, and he didn't meet in the playoffs, so he followed the advice to change the defense when his energy couldn't keep up.

In Howard's absence, Harden is the only core of the Rockets, and it is necessary to take turns to consume the opposing team's core.

Dellavedova, Smith and Shampert can all contribute.

The Rockets' defense is better than last season, but Howard is not a little less intimidating.

In the first quarter, the two sides couldn't guard each other, whether it was the outside or the inside.

The Rockets mainly scored points with Harden and two interior players, and the Cavaliers were relatively smooth except for Dellavedova.

Compared with the consumption on the defensive end, Zhang Xiaotian is a lot easier when he attacks.

Harden's defense can't be said to be bad, but this guy is inattentive on the defensive end, and Zhang Xiaotian also took the opportunity to shoot a few very easy.

By the second quarter, both sides were more focused defensively, and it became a little harder to score.

Although the Cavaliers are not there, the main lineup still suppresses the opponent, and Terrence Jones's help defense is also good, but it is a little less experience to suppress James.

It's just that the Rockets' bench is better, Josh Smith and Corey Brewer are both playing well, and Smith is playing a lot.

This is also the reason why the Cavaliers have one less strong point, it is not a problem to be led by the Rockets by 3 points in the first half, and the main team will play more in the second half, the key is to limit Harden.

After half-time speculation, Zhang Xiaotian also had some experience, but it was impossible to completely lock up Harden.

In this way, if the Cavaliers want to have an advantage, they still have to find a way from the offensive end.

James didn't get on time on the outside, and James added his individual offense, and it would certainly be the same in the second half.

Zhang Xiaotian also talked to James for a while, and now the outside world is talking about how the west is strong and the east is weak, and neither of them wants the team to be swept by the western powerhouse.

James has a strong impact today, but the feel is not very good, if there is Zhang Xiaotian on the outside to supplement, it will be much easier to win the opponent.

In the third quarter, Zhang Xiaotian's defense against Harden was tighter, but it was not so easy to adapt to the rhythm, and he was accidentally fouled by the opponent.

Because he will basically play the whole in the fourth quarter, and the third quarter will not be played for so long.

When he came down from the break, it was Shampert who came up to keep an eye on Harden.

Unexpectedly, Shampert, who usually doesn't take the plunge in defense, was fouled twice by Harden, and relying on free throws, Harden scored an easy double.

James also made a couple of free throws, but he wasn't quite accurate today.

James is too powerful, which is the envy of many, but it also causes his free throws to be a little stiff.

In this way, the Rockets' lead has expanded to 6 points, and the pressure on the Cavaliers' side has increased a lot.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Zhang Xiaotian led the team alone, and the Rockets sent to defend him was Corey Brewer.

This is also something that Zhang Xiaotian rarely encounters, and the defense of the substitute is better than the main force.

However, it is not very difficult for him to limit Corey Brewer, except for Tristan Thompson, the other substitutes of the Cavaliers at this time are all outside, and Zhang Xiaotian also has an idea in his heart.