Since the start of the new season, the Rockets' Southwest Division has become the recognized group of death. The Hornets have won three in a row to occupy the top spot in the Western Conference, while the Rockets have dropped to tie with the Spurs for second place in the Western Conference. Although the Mavericks have lost three games in a row, no one doubts their quality. The only underdog in the Southwest is the Grizzlies.

The Rockets challenged the Grizzlies.

Of course, it's more appropriate to say "tidy up" than a challenge. Because Pau Gasol can't play yet.

Due to the soft style of play, Gasol was swept in the playoffs continuously, and Gasol was nicknamed "sister-in-law" by Chinese fans. There is a "sister-in-law" in the Grizzlies who can still enter the playoffs, and without him, the Grizzlies are bullied. From this point alone, Gasol's strength is underestimated.

Actually, Gasol is really strong, very strong! The most intuitive performance is that Gasol is stronger than Yao Ming and is one of the few Yao Ming nemesis in the league.

Perhaps someone will be skeptical of this claim and will say that Gasol's stats for the Grizzlies are not pretty. Putting aside the Spanish team's record on the international stage, let's take a look at the comparison of Gasol and Yao Ming's individual abilities.

Ball control, Yao Ming's ball control has always been a weakness, due to the high altitude, the ball control ability is relatively low, needless to say; Gasol is also 213cm tall, but it is not uncommon to see shots of scoring after passing with the ball in the game.

In response to the attack, the low ability to control the ball directly weakened Yao Ming's ability to respond. Yao Ming's assist awareness and passing ability are lacking, and at times, his assists are as small as Jeff Van Gundy's hair; Gasol has been able to control the rhythm of both Spain and the Grizzlies, and his passing awareness is outstanding among the seven-foot man.

Defensive ability, height is a double-edged sword, Yao Ming stands out from the crowd on the inside, very intimidating, but moves slowly. Yao Ming's defensive range is small, he doesn't have enough speed to defend out, and he always has a headache with an interior line with stable projection ability, such as Gasol; Gasol has a much larger defensive range, which is the benefit of moving faster.

The attack ability, the two are almost the same, they are both able to be inside and out. The hit rate is also comparable. However, Yao Ming is more confined to the sides of the three-second zone, relying on teammates to pass the ball. Another point is that Yao Ming made a lot more mistakes than Gasol.

There is also athleticism, which is Yao Ming's biggest weakness, and he also admits that his athleticism is average. Slow movement, not jumping high, not running fast, lack of physical strength; Gasol's flexibility, running and jumping ability, reaction speed, and starting speed are all excellent, and Yao Ming cannot be compared with Gasol in terms of athleticism alone.

To sum up, it is not difficult to conclude that Gasol's ability is very comprehensive, and in terms of personal ability, he does overwhelm Yao Ming. (I hope Yao Mi won't be angry, there are few who can be stronger than Yao Ming.) ）

Now, the Grizzlies' little advantage over the Rockets is gone. Who else can the Grizzlies rely on but Gasol?

Rudy Gay will be a good star in the future, but for now, he's a rookie who is impulsive and the devil and shoots with an easy shot.

It was quiet in the away dressing room. In a little while, the game between the Rockets and the Grizzlies is about to begin, and the last game was a defeat to the Hornets, and the Rockets cannot afford to lose this game.

"Usually before the start of the game, isn't it noisy? The soundproofing of the Grizzlies' home stadium is really good. Azubuuk said, changing his clothes.

Alstom smiled beside him: "Hehe, what kind of sound insulation effect." They lost 4 in a row, and the losing fans lost confidence and shouted lazily. ”

Azubuk immediately had a sudden sense of realization.

Jeff Van Gundy snorted when he heard Alstom's words and said, "Raff (Alstom), you don't take the other party seriously, do you?" Playing is also the most confident for you, the result? What data did you ask Paul to take? ”

"I'm sorry, I'll do my best." Alston hastened to reassure that he was indeed a light opponent again, as this time his opponent was veteran Damon Stadamyre.

Jeff Van Gundy continued to pace in the locker room. Playing the Grizzlies, he is also very confident. He just can't get used to Alston's way of speaking, and sometimes a player's unintentional words in the dressing room may cause the whole team to relax and not be conducive to the game. Alston used to be the king of street ball, his playing path was a bit wild, and his surname was not right.

"Now set up the tactics. The starting is the same as going on the court, and the defensive half is man-to-man. In the attack, I guess the opponent may come up to set up a strict defensive tactic against Yao Ming and Tracy (Maddy), so in the opening stage, Chuck is the core attack. Jeff Van Gundy said, observing Maddie with his peripheral vision. He noticed that Maddie's expression was relaxed.

"It's time, get ready to go out and warm up." Said the assistant coach.

The Rockets players walked onto the court one after another, and Maddie and Hayes were okay side by side, smiling: "You've been playing well lately, and you're going to continue to be like this today." ”

"I'll do my best. You have to come back too. Hayes laughed too.

"Come on!" Maddie raised her right hand and flicked a fist with Hayes. It's a way that black players like to motivate each other.

Jeff Van Gundy felt relieved to see that the two were getting along. Is it really that I'm thinking too much, and Tracy and Chuck won't put on the kind of drama of fighting for the boss at all...... If that's the case, I'll talk to Tracy again and do the work. ’

Everything is ready to go, and the man who is in opposition to Grizzlies and Hayes is Varik.

Hayes clenched his fists and moved his shoulders and arms as he came on. After a few months of fitness, the muscles in his body have become stronger, like iron casting.

Varik was next to Hayes, his eyes revealing mixed emotions, he had watched the Rockets' game video before the game, and he also received special instructions from the coach to guard against Hayes, if the third point of the Rockets was opened, the Grizzlies would almost impossible to win this game.

'This guy is so strong, if I use my body to fight, can I resist it?' 'The race hadn't started yet, and Varik's confidence was already a little shaken.

Hayes looked at Varik, who had a cold face, and smiled, "Are you ready?" It's about to start. ”

Varik glared at Hayes and said, "Don't be arrogant! What do I prepare? ”

"Prepare to endure the pain!" Hayes smiled.

Varik's expression was still calm, and his heart began to beat a drum.

At the beginning of the game, Yao Ming jumped the ball to win, and Alston received the ball steadily and fell into a positional battle. The Grizzlies' tactic is to defend Yao Ming around the front and stalk Maddie. Alston redirected the ball to Hayes, who asked for the ball on the three-second line.

Hayes took the ball with his back to the inside arch.

In just four strokes, Hayes crumbled Varik's confidence. The first two blows Varik was still able to hold on, and the last two times he was not breathing smoothly after being arched by Hayes's ass. He is also a player who eats on physical fitness, but he belongs to the category of explosive power and relatively thin body.

Hayes squeezed in and turned, and Varik, who hit him, lost his balance and hit the board.

The Grizzlies attacked, passed several times, and the ball got to Varik.

Varick had seen Hayes' defence in preseason. He also tried back-to-back play, and at the time he almost had the illusion that he was hitting a wall with the ball. He knew very well that it was impossible to squeeze into the three-second zone with his body.

Varick decisively dodged the ball and couldn't shake Hayes away, and finally had to pass the ball out, and Eddie Jones missed.

The Rockets handed Hayes a single again, and he received the ball in the same position, and Varik, who hit him with the same movement, almost broke his breath, and this time, Varik blocked Hayes from scoring with a foul.

Hayes stepped to the free-throw line and made both free throws.

Commentator Hughby Brown reluctantly said: "Hayes's power advantage is too obvious. At the beginning, Varik had already suffered two losses, and I thought that the Grizzlies would have to change their defense, and it would be bad for them to continue playing like this. ”

As expected, the Rockets opened the game by beating the Grizzlies with a huge interior advantage.

Hayes's Barkley-style back play became more and more sophisticated, scoring six straight points and crushing Varik with his muscles. After only two minutes of play, Varik was off the court with two fouls. The Grizzlies can only swap for Stromeyer Swift, who was still in the Rockets last year.

Last time, Grizzlies commentator Huby Brown also mocked Hayes' height, arguing that he was not suitable for playing inside. Even if the Rockets won, he didn't say anything good about Hayes, describing him as a blue-collar who only does dirty work and gets tired, a role player with no offensive ability. Now, less than a month later, he doesn't know what words to use to describe Hayes.

Hayes was very short, but he could hit the 203cm Varrick and was powerless.

Not to mention Swift, who came off the bench. His physicality is inversely proportional to his IQ, he plays randomly on offense, he doesn't know where to stand when he defends, and when he is with the Rockets, he can only play on the bench for veteran Juwan Howard.

In 2009, this guy went to the Chinese CBA even more incomparably, from N to C, how much distance is it?

You know, Howard is now Hayes's substitute, and the two are opposed, how much can Swift do?

"Don't think that having the same surname as Taylor (Swift) will let you go, it's your father's surname Xuan, and I'll beat you up today." Hayes muttered Chinese in his mouth, asked for the ball to make a "sea step", and after shaking Swift up, the jump shot also caused Swift to foul. Penalties are also in the middle.

The second time, Hayes repeated the trick and drew Miller to help defend and hit a three-pointer for Battier.

The Grizzlies, who were able to make the playoffs last year, have degenerated to the point where they can only be the enemy of the Rockets. Hayes scored 16 points in a single quarter, and after the first quarter, the Rockets had a 34-18 lead. If it weren't for Yao Ming's bad hand today and he missed a few balls, this number would have to increase.

What's more, the Grizzlies had two fouls each on their backs, and their morale was completely lost.

Morale is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it is something that determines the success or failure of a game to a large extent. The morale of the team is high, and the psychological effect of the game tends to be on the positive side; Conversely, the psychological effects of the game are often negative and hinder the players' game movements.

Whoever cannot master himself will always be a slave.

In the second quarter, Yao Ming and Maddy went off the court, and Hayes's hands were hot and he stayed on the court to attack. In the first three games, he had already built up confidence on the offensive end, and when he faced Varik and Swift, he used his strength to eat hard and squeeze into the low post to attack. Chacaridis, who is 218cm tall, came up and pulled out......

"Pass!" Hayes ran back, shouting.

Alstom's ball passed, Hayes received the ball, no need to block and pick, just a disguised dribble shook off Chacaridis, a three-point jumper.

Basketball hollow into the net.

The Grizzlies' home court was quieter than the previous games, and the sound of the basketball brushing the net was soft, but the fans seemed to hear it, and the sound reached everyone's hearts through the sight. Some are excited, some are depressed.

Hayes was not perfect, and his shortcomings were well seen.

However, the Grizzlies couldn't stop him.

As long as it's one-on-one, no one can get on it.

The fast ones are not as strong as him, and the strong ones are not as fast as him.

In today's game, he is invincible!

The Grizzlies are going to be tortured crazy by Hayes. They can wrap it up, but in that way, Hayes will give up the hard play, pass the ball out, lead a few hits, and the other four will shoot in an open position.

Jeff Van Gundy watched the Rockets' dominance continue to expand, and his body trembled with excitement. He felt that the Rockets no longer had obvious shortcomings.

Van Gundy looked at Maddy, who was sitting next to him, with the same excited face, and suddenly remembered the incident and asked, "Tracy, I put you off the court with Chuck as the offensive core, what do you think in your heart?" You won't blame me for not using you, will you? ”

Maddie looked at Jeff Van Gundy, blew on it, and said lazily, "Coach, what do you say?" You're going to send me on when you need me, aren't you? ”

"I'm relieved that you think so. This year is our best chance, and to be honest, I'm really scared that the Rockets will have the same conflict as the Lakers used to have. Jeff Van Gundy said earnestly and simply had a showdown with Maddie.

Maddie smiled, knowing that Jeff Van Gundy was talking about Kobe Bryant and "Big Shark" O'Neal. O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have always been like two high school girls who don't give in to each other, arguing and arguing throughout their careers. The most classic is that in the movie "Screaming 4", O'Neal made a cameo appearance, playing the role of being kidnapped, and after waking up, he immediately suspected that Kobe was a kidnapper and called Kobe's name.

When Kobe Bryant just graduated from high school in '96, they got along relatively harmoniously, O'Neal played the role of big brother, and everyone staged a good show of brotherhood. But when Kobe Bryant transformed into a superstar, the old adage that one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers was once again verified. In the end, Kobe Bryant took the position, and the "shark" traveled eastward. Bryant's status has improved, but the Lakers have collapsed and withdrawn from the championship race.

In the event of a battle for the "boss", the Rockets may be more serious than the Lakers, who combine the two inside and outside, but Hayes can play multiple positions and sometimes overlap with Maddie on the offensive end.

Maddie was still sleepy-eyed and smiled: "Hehe, this is Houston, what am I fighting for?" It doesn't matter who is the core, the important thing is to win. ”

Maddie has reduced his chances in a few consecutive games, and he clearly feels that his status in the team is changing, from being the star to sharing power with Yao Ming, and now the newcomer Chuck Hayes is about to climb on top of him. This change did make him feel a little uncomfortable in his heart, but Maddie wouldn't say these thoughts and couldn't say them. What can he say? The Rockets are playing well in the new season. Is it possible to change back to the old way when the team's momentum is like a rainbow and the opponent of the new tactics is crying and shouting his mother, so that the players can watch him play alone?

Maddie would love to prove herself, but wouldn't be stupid enough to ask the manager for it.

"It's all about the team!" Maddie said to herself. If the Rockets can win easily, he's the beneficiary. This kind of victory is much more comfortable than letting him play hard for 40 minutes, scoring 30 or 40 points with 20 or 30 shots to lead the team to a narrow victory. Now this kind of offense is the way to hit the championship.

Two-time scoring champion, Maddie already has individual accolades, and he doesn't need to prove anything more in this regard. Maddie knows very well in his heart that the highest honor a player can play is a championship ring, not a scoring champion.

A good teammate like Hayes is hard to come by, and Maddie wants to open up for that, so there will be no more complaints. If Hayes can play better than him, as well as Jordan, he will be happier and willing to be Pippen for the rest of his life.

Listening to Maddie's statement, Jeff-Gandhi was completely relieved.

The Grizzlies called a timeout, and the Rockets took a 21-point lead at 46-25. With seven minutes left in the second quarter, Hayes had scored 22 points.

Hayes was substituted for the rest, Novak was substituted, and Bunch Wells, who had just been released from the ban, was on the field. After a long talk, Jeff Van Gundy never wanted to refrigerate Wells again. Not only did he not refrigerate, Van Gundy also instructed Wells to use his personal ability to attack more so that he could brush up on his stats.

"You're too fierce today, aren't you?" Yao Ming sat next to Hayes and said in Chinese. The two spoke in Chinese, and Jeff Van Gundy couldn't understand whether they were chatting or talking about basketball tactics, and he wouldn't blame them for being distracted.

"Hehe, it's over. If we continue to fight like this, our brothers will definitely rest in advance, keep the firepower, and continue to fight the bucks tomorrow. Hayes also said in standard Mandarin.

Now Yao Ming's best buddy in the United States is Hayes. He speaks Chinese, plays game consoles, and has a cheerful surname, which makes Yao Ming feel very kind.

After a few minutes, Jeff Van Gundy interrupted the conversation between the two and said, "Don't talk about it yet, I'll stop it later, and go up and deal with them in one go." Tracy is on it too. ”

By the end of the second quarter, the Grizzlies had relied on shots from Mike Miller and Rudy Gay to narrow the score to 16 points, and Swift also dunked on Novak's head.

The main force of the Rockets appeared again, Yao Ming's jump shot, Maddie's breakthrough, and Hayes's power triple impact, and the Grizzlies, who had just begun to chase the momentum, were beaten again and lost hope.

102-71, the Rockets broke 100 in the third quarter, leading by more than 30 points.

The atmosphere at the Grizzlies' home stadium is as depressing as a funeral home.

The fourth quarter becomes garbage time. Both sides sent full bench lineups, and coach Ivan Rooney and the main players hugged in a circle and cried in the corner.

Equally painful are Grizzlies fans, who miss Gasol, miss Battier, wonder why Hayes isn't from the Grizzlies, and they're willing to trade Rudy Gay for ......

In the fourth quarter, Bunch Wells, Kirk Snyder, Azubuuk, Spanouerys, and Novak staged a big drama on the Grizzlies' home court - "Rocket Run". They didn't save face for the home team at all, and they kept hitting the fragile defense formed by the Grizzlies bench with speed, and the scoring efficiency was actually higher than the main team in the first three quarters, and they made 7 of 12 three-point shots, which was one more than the total three-point shot of the Rockets in the first three quarters. Especially Bunch Wells, who played for the Rockets for the first time, held back his strength and scored 11 points and 5 rebounds in a single quarter, with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the game.

The Grizzlies' home court has a basket as wide as the sea. 140-91, the Rockets slaughtered the Grizzlies by an incredible score on the road.

Maddy played just 17 minutes, 5-of-8, 1-of-2 three-pointers, 1-of-2 free throws, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.

Yao Ming played 21 minutes, 5-of-12, 6-of-6 free throws, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks.

Hayes finished 28 minutes with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal on 12-of-17 shooting, 2-of-4 three-pointers and 5-of-7 free throws.

Eight Rockets scored in double figures. The American media exclaimed after the game - the Houston Rockets have lifted off!

Hayes was named Player of the Match again and attended a press conference after the game with Maddy, Yao Ming and Jeff Van Gundy. This was the largest number of participants in the press conference for the Rocket.

A few families in the venue were happy and a few were sad. After all, this is the Grizzlies' home court, and the Grizzlies are the only one on the court, head coach Ivan Roney. His face turned pale, and after a few words of conclusion, he hurriedly gave up the place to Team Rocket.

"May I ask Mr. Chuck Hayes, how do you feel about starring in such an amazing game?" With a big win, Jeff Van Gundy was already smiling from ear to ear, and before the reporter could speak, he picked up a Mike-style and entertained himself at Hayes.

The reporter laughed: "Mr. Hayes, please answer the question that Coach Van Gundy said just now." ”

"It feels terrible. I wanted to brush the data, but he forced me to replace me. With a serious expression, Hayes pointed at Jeff Van Gundy and said seriously, and after a second, he and Jeff Van Gundy burst out laughing.

It's the first time Jeff Van Gundy, the notoriously old-fashioned coach, has laughed wildly in front of the camera. The whole field flashed continuously, and the camera shot wildly.

The reporter asked again: "Coach Van Gundy, who is the boss among the Rockets players now?" ”

"Of course it's Dicambe Mutombo, you have to listen to him." Jeff Van Gundy laughed.

The reporter smiled and said, "I mean, who is the core of the Rockets players on the court right now?" Yao Ming, Maddie, or Hayes? ”

Jeff Van Gundy touched his bald head and said blankly: "I don't know, they all happened to be here today." Ask them. ”

The reporter gave the camera to Yao Ming first. Yao Ming had an inspiration and said with a smile: "Now the core of the Rockets is Chuck Hayes. I'm lucky to have a teammate like that and I'm very proud of him today. ”

The audience caused a big uproar, and the reporters gave the camera to Maddie again.

Yao Ming coughed, Maddie looked at Yao Ming, and the two looked at each other with a smile. Maddie pointed at Hayes with a thumbs up and said, "I agree with Yao Ming. He is the core. ”

The two of them were deliberately trying to get Hayes in the headlines.

At this moment, the reporters in the venue were all stunned, and they were all excited after being stunned. The camera's camera and camera were all aimed at Hayes!

People think the same thing.

Could it be that Hayes has become so strong?

He's been able to convince two All-Stars in team practice?

A base-salary ace player who only played 4 games in the new season?

This can definitely make the sports news headlines last year.

"Mr. Hayes, both of them said you were the new core of Team Rockets, do you have anything to say about that?"

After being spoofed by Yao Ming and Maddie, Hayes rubbed his face with both hands, and he also had a spoof mentality.

At this time, there was a classic ad for Adidas that didn't seem to be launched yet...... Hayes thought about the words, faced the camera, posed, and smiled, "You guys were tricked." Whenever I shoot a basketball and score 30 points, do you really think I did it alone? Seriously, the game is for five people, believe it or not. ”

The reporters were stunned.

Hayes cleared his throat and continued, "What the two of them mean is that I'm the core of today. And the Rockets don't have a fixed core. I'm in good shape today, I'm the core, the next game is Yao Ming, and the next game may be Maddie. And Alstom, Battier, Bunch-Wells...... And all the Rockets players, we're a whole guy, we're friends, we're brothers. Whoever is in good form can be the core of a game. No brothers, no basketball! Everything we do, it's for the sake of winning the game! ”

Hayes finished speaking, and the empty-handed people all applauded vigorously. Everyone can feel the unprecedented unity within the Rockets, and they have a good chance of being a strong contender for the championship.

And after the video of this press conference was broadcast, only two days later, Adidas contacted the leadership of the Rockets and sincerely expressed their desire to ask the Rockets to shoot a new Adidas commercial, which was called "The game is five people".

That's for later.

―――――――――― Split ――――――――――――

Hayes is really getting hotter with the Rockets, and this season's All-Star voting is about to begin. Let's vote for Hayes together. Support him to become an All-Star!

The way to vote for this all-star is -

Log in to the starting point Chinese network, find "Rebirth of Hayes Whirlwind", highly recommended! Collect it with all your might!

Thank you for your support!

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