Nets, Tang Tian is not unfamiliar, this is the home team that Chinese player Yi Jianlian played for in the previous life, although it was not very satisfactory, but Yi Jianlian also reached the peak of his career here.

Before the game was about to start, Tang Tian came to the locker room, walked up to Millsap, and said directly to him: "Paul, you will start in this game. ”

Millsap's face was excited after hearing this, although he had vaguely guessed it during training, but when it really came out of Tang Tian's mouth, the feeling was completely different.

Seeing Millsap's reaction, Tang Tian nodded.

That's what he wants, a surprise, to get the players up in a short period of time.

As interim head coach, he didn't say anything at this point, just patted Millsap on the shoulder and left the dressing room.

Millsap knew that this was the opportunity Tang Tian gave him, and looked at Tang Tian's back and clenched his fists.

He will definitely not disappoint Tang Tian!

The other members of the Rocket team all got up and came over to congratulate, including the veteran Huo Ershu.

Because of Tang Tian's previous training and foreshadowing, the players were not surprised by this result, but gave them a chance to show goodwill with Millsap.

The Continental Airlines Arena, which can accommodate more than 18,000 people, has already been full, with "Flyer" Carter in charge, the team's attendance is only high, you must know that Carter saved the entire NBA ratings.

There were also a lot of Chinese people in the stadium, and they all came for Yao Ming.

Not only the stadium, but also on the other side of the ocean, the fans once again gathered in front of the TV.

Yao Ming, Carter, these two names alone are enough to make them crazy.

The biggest difference from the previous Rockets playing the Heat is that this day is a working day in China, and many people skip work or class to watch the game.

After completing the pre-race warm-up and entrance introduction, the race starts immediately.

Tang Tian was the interim head coach at this time, and his identity was different from before, before the game began, he and Nets head coach Lawrence Frank shook hands in front of the technical table, which was regarded as a face-to-face with each other.

Van Gundy's matter has not yet been reported in the news, and Frank seemed very surprised that it was Tang Tian who shook hands with him, but after shaking hands, his face became obviously a lot more relaxed.

With a young assistant coach, it looks like it's going to be a relaxing and wonderful night tonight.

"Ding! Post a system mission to defeat the New Jersey Nets, reward: 1 honor point. ”

After completing the handshake, Tang Tian's mind reverberated with the system's prompt sound.

New quests are released.

It seems that this game has to be won.

The game started immediately, and the starters of both teams came on one after another.

Tang Tian sat firmly on the bench, but what he didn't notice was that Dawson, the general manager of the Rockets, also came to the scene, but he was sitting in the middle of the audience.

On the Rockets' side, except for Millsap, who started in place of Juwan Howard, the other positions are still the same as before.

On the Nets' side, Kidd and Carter are in the guard line, Richard Jefferson is the starting small forward, and Jason Collins and Nenad Kostic are two double-height combinations of more than 2.10 meters tall on the inside.

"Toot!"

With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.

Yao Ming pulled the ball back into the half court from Collins, and the Rockets had the opportunity to attack first.

The same tactic was still Yao Ming holding the ball at the free throw line, and Millsap gave Maddy cover and then retreated to the high post.

The Nets' defense was pinned down by Maddy, and Yao Ming threw the ball directly to Millsap in the high post.

Millsap catches the ball and shoots straight away.

"Bang!"

The ball was a bit too strong, the basketball smashed out of the frame, and the rebound was grabbed by Kostic.

The Nets' offense, Tang Tian's contraction defense didn't give Carter and Jefferson too many chances, and after Kidd signaled to open up space, he then put the ball in Kostic's hands and let him sit on his back in the low post to play Millsap.

Millsap was hit twice before making a steal, and Kostic took advantage of the opportunity to turn to the basket and hit the board to score.

"The Rockets are really bad with this rookie, they can't attack and defend, and they can't seem to adapt to this kind of game intensity at all." In the commentary seat, Matt Scott, a commentator from ESPN, opened his mouth and laughed.

"yes, I don't know if Howard of the Rockets has suffered any injuries, and it looks like their power forward is going to be a big problem tonight." Scott's partner, Vane Keith, chimed in.

The Rockets' offense, the same tactics, Millsap got the same shot, but the ball was still too strong, and it hit the basket with a "bang" and bounced high.

"Hey, man, you wasted two shots." Scott laughed in the commentary box.

The audience also burst into laughter after hearing Scott's explanation.

Dawson, who was sitting in the middle, also sighed helplessly, it seemed that he still had to find a way to persuade Van Gundy to come back.

Millsap missed consecutive shots, but fortunately, this time Yao Ming grabbed the rebound from the top of Collins' head, and the shot directly caused the latter's beating foul.

There were boos at the scene, and Yao Ming shook his hand and walked to the free throw line.

Tang Tian beckoned to Millsap on the field at this time and shouted him to his side.

Millsap was in a somewhat depressed mood and was clearly unhappy with his performance.

"Take it easy, play the way you're familiar with it, don't think too much, I won't replace you in advance." Tang Tian patted Millsap's shoulder and said.

After listening to what Tang Tian said, Millsap breathed a sigh of relief, on the one hand, he wanted to play well, and on the other hand, he was also afraid that he would not be able to play well and be replaced.

"Hey, Vane, I just noticed that Jeff Van Gundy, the coach of the Rockets, didn't seem to be here, and it was their assistant coach who was directing over there, and it was him, Tang Tian, who was the focus of recent discussions." When Scott saw this, he said as if he had discovered a new world.

"Yes, I noticed it a long time ago, and I also learned from the technical desk just now that Howard is not injured, it seems that the rookie's starter is Tang Tian's decision, which is really a bad decision." Keith kept shaking his head as he spoke.

"It's like this rookie named Millsap won a championship trophy for Don in the summer league, maybe it's a kind of 'gratitude'?" Scott said teasingly.

"Haha, summer league, man, looks like this might be what you think." Keith said with a laugh.

Yao Ming's two free throws were steady, and the Rockets finally scored points.

Both teams drew 2-2.

After the Nets advanced to the frontcourt, Kidd immediately motioned for his teammates to pull away, and then put the ball in Kostic's hands again.

As a historic point guard, he immediately recognized that this set of matchups was the strong point of the Nets.