After entering the 21st century, the Rockets have made many changes in order to be able to regain the championship.

But, sadly, the Rockets were not able to return to championship ranks. The most regrettable thing is that the Rockets, who had the Yao Mai combination, were not even able to break through the first round.

In '12, the Rockets got James Harden, the Thunder's sixth man at the time, from the Thunder, and thus began to rise. Subsequently, Howard, who had a very unsatisfactory life in the Lakers, chose to join the Rockets and formed the famous "modern combination" with Harden.

The composition of the modern combination, which is considered a smaller version of the OK combination, makes the Rockets see the hope of hitting the championship. Because in the eyes of many experts and media, the ability of the modern combination is stronger than the original Yao Mai combination. Therefore, winning the championship does not seem to be an impossible task.

And this season, the Rockets really lived up to expectations, and more than two months after the start of the season, the Rockets miraculously played the first record in the West, showing a very strong competitiveness.

This result has greatly increased the self-confidence of Rockets fans, and they begin to feel that the Rockets have the possibility of competing for the championship.

In fact, just looking at the composition of the Rockets' roster, they are indeed quite strong.

This season, the Rockets' starting lineup is made up of Brooks, James Harden, Parsons, Marcus Camby, Dwight Howard.

As the starting point guard of the Rockets this season, Brooks can contribute an average of 14.8 points and 5.0 assists per game, which is not bad and is also trusted by head coach McHale. And in the competition for the No. 1 position, even Jeremy Lin and others are not his opponents.

James Harden is the much-touted "No. 1 point guard" in the league and is considered the successor to Kobe. This season, Harden can contribute 23.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, further establishing his star status. And he is also the most unlikely star player for the Rockets to be replaced, and is the recognized cornerstone of the Rockets. In this regard, Howard could not even threaten his existence.

At the No. 3 position, Parsons, a second-round pick, continued his stellar run this season, averaging 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and he was the most dangerous scorer on the Rockets' wing. In fact, since last season, Parsons has been able to put on an eye-catching performance against the league's top small forwards. As a result, Parsons can also firmly occupy the Rockets' starting No. 3 position.

As for the inside, it has experienced the defeat of the previous season. McHale has made roster changes this season, and he's started working more on Howard's low-post skills, allowing him to play at the power forward position. In the end, although the results were not particularly good, he was still able to coexist with a defensive center like Marcus Camby.

This season, the 39-year-old can contribute 3.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game to the Rockets in less than 30 minutes of playing time, becoming a highly praised veteran. And every time at critical moments, his defense will always bring good changes to the Rockets, and in the end, the Rockets can also play the first place in the West in one fell swoop.

As for Dwight Howard, Warcraft has come to the Rockets and has said more than once that he is happy in Houston. In fact, Howard's individual performance is indeed much better than when he played for the Lakers last season.

This season, Howard averaged 34.7 minutes per game for the Rockets, contributing 21.9 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, becoming one of only three players in the league who can contribute "20+10" per game (the other two are Blake Griffin and LeBron James). ）。

It's worth mentioning that Howard is shooting 62.8 percent from the field this season, a career-high percentage for the season. Obviously, it is precisely because of his powerful performance on the interior that the Rockets have a new look and can finally show unstoppable dominance.

Of course, the Rockets are able to play the best record in the West, and the depth of their bench roster is also a very key factor.

In fact, fundamentally speaking, the record should be said to be the best reflection of the strength of the Rockets. And now, the two teams are playing each other, and the intensity can be expected.

********

Toyota Center Arena.

On the big screen at the scene, the comparison of the starting lineups of the two sides was flashing on it.

On the Rockets' side, the starters are Brooks, Harden, Parsons, Howard, and Camby.

On the Lakers' side, the starters are Nash, Kobe, Green, Gasol, and Noll.

Judging from the comparison of the starting lineups, the two sides can be said to have each other's advantages and are evenly matched.

Under the deafening cheers of the fans, the referee's whistle sounded, and the game officially began.

In the jump ball session, Knoll's newborn calf was not afraid of tigers and defeated the monster Dwight Howard to win the offensive ball for the Lakers.

On the first offense, Nash faced Brooks, and his playmaking skills were easily displayed. In the 11th second of the game, Nash assisted Gasol on an open mid-range shot.

And back on, the Rockets' offense was handed over to Howard to attack.

Although Howard is physically strong, his low-post skills are really not complimentary. And the most surprising thing is that he failed to succeed in single-handedly beating Noll.

After the regrettable miss, Green rushed to grab the offensive rebound, and then made a long pass through the half, assisting Kobe Bryant's fast break to cause Harden's foul, and then Kobe Bryant hit both free throws to continue to establish an advantage for the Lakers.

It can be said that in the first five minutes of the game, the Lakers' advantage was extremely obvious. The Rockets played at home, but they weren't able to perform better than the Lakers, who were playing on the road and back-to-back.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Lakers led the Rockets 19-14. It is worth mentioning that Kobe Bryant scored 10 of the 19 points alone, and the offensive efficiency is extremely amazing.

This situation, in fact, also reflects that the overall state of the Lakers is not very good.

And with the timeout, McHale targeted Kobe Bryant's targeted pressing defense, and the Lakers' offense was in trouble.

Although Chu Xuan hoped that the players could find offensive form under pressure, it was a pity that the Lakers looked very bad in the second half of the first quarter.

In the end, at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers trailed the Rockets by 5 points at 29:34.

********

On the field, the game went into a break.

Chu Xuan's face still looked relaxed, he called everyone together, and then expressed his opinion on the game.

"Guys, you're doing a great job. You know, we're fighting back-to-back, and coming here, both physically and mentally, requires a process of adaptation. And I'm sure you'll be able to adjust quickly and get into shape. So, now we don't have to think about whether the game is behind or ahead, I need you to stay focused and forget about fatigue. ”

"In today's game, the opponent's intention was very obvious. That's the main interior line, and Dwight Howard is their most trusted player. In today's game, Dwight played very tough, which requires us to work a little more to deal with this rough brother, in fact, he is not much of a threat. ”

In addition, the Rockets' offense mainly relies on James Harden's passing. In the next game, I need you to focus their shots on James Harden as much as possible. Don't let him pass the ball and let him attack as much as possible. Also, you have to be careful that he makes fouls. ”

"By the way, Kobe, next, you don't focus on offense for a while. I want to see you defend against James Harden, and this is an opportunity to educate the youngsters. ”

Chu Xuan talked eloquently, and Kobe Bryant also said: "Chu, there is no problem at all. As I said, this guy wants to get 20 points. I know what to do, and if I get him 20 points, I'm not going to be very ugly. ”

"Okay, Kobe, I'm sure you'll be able to handle this guy. His threat is really just in shooting in open positions and making fouls. Chu Xuan said.

Kobe nodded and smiled: "Well, I know, I'll be careful." ”

Seeing this, Chu Xuan smiled, and then after thinking slightly, he arranged the list of players to appear in the second quarter.

After slowly glancing, Chu Xuan spoke: "Hassan, Robert, Janis, Lin and Steve (Novak), next, the five of you will play." ”

"As for the tactics, everything went according to our usual drills, with Janis organising and then Steve mostly waiting for his chance from beyond the three-point line......