At the end of the first half, the Rockets led the Suns by 14 points, 65-51.

At halftime, a grand retirement ceremony was held at the Toyota Center Arena. The main character is Rockets general manager Carol Dawson. The Rockets entered the playoffs with the best record this season, and Dawson, who has worked for 27 years, can be described as a complete achievement.

The Rockets' Big Three addressed Dawson together as representatives of the players.

Yao Ming was the first to speak: "There is nothing better than being in a good team, which is crucial to every player's career. He [Dawson] gave me that opportunity and he put together a great team and I've had a great time in the last five years. We are all so lucky to have him. ”

Then there's Maddy, who says it very simply: "He's a great GM and we should be thankful for everything he does!" ”

Hayes was the last to walk up to the microphone and smiled, "I don't think anyone here is more grateful to him than I am." If he hadn't given me a tryout, maybe I would have been singing now. ”

The audience erupted in laughter. Hayes went on to say, "Carroll is a man of discernment, and without him, there would be no iron-blooded rocket; Without him, there would be no triumvirate sweeping the alliance; Without him, there would be no championship this season! You heard that right, we're going to win the championship this season! This is our retirement gift to him, and that day is not far off! ”

Hayes delivered a victory declaration at the same time as his speech. Yao Ming was the first to take the lead in applauding, and Maddie showed a look of surprise on her face, which flashed away.

The Rocket Bear stood on the high platform engraved with "70 wins" and greeted the fans with applause and cheers. Signs with the words "Rocket Championship" can be seen everywhere in the hands of fans. Hayes spoke the hearts of the Rockets fans, causing the fans to shout and cheer, and the applause and shouts were non-stop for a long time.

Dawson stood on the stage excitedly, waved to the fans, and slowly expressed his feelings.

Although he experienced the glory days of the Rockets in the 90s of the last century, Dawson felt the happiest after Yao Ming came to the Rockets.

"Yao is a player from a different country, and he has brought unimaginable changes to the Rockets, and although we haven't won another championship ring yet, the benefits that the Rockets have gained in other areas are enough. I was happy when Yao Ming came to Houston, and then Maddie came, and last year, I made the smartest decision of my life to bring in Hayes, an All-Star with a base salary. It's very gratifying, and the three of them coming together was a big turning point in my life. I'm very happy to be able to assemble such a strong team! ”

Dawson received a lot of gifts. In recognition of Dawson's 27 years of dedication to the Rockets, he presented the Dawsons with two round-trip tickets to Hawaii, and said that he would be responsible for all expenses for their week-long vacation in Hawaii.

After the ceremony, the second half of the game began.

After listening to Hayes's victory declaration, the Suns' momentum has greatly decreased, and the players seem to be a little inadequate.

The predicted "war of contradictions" has changed its flavor.

Today, the Rockets are more of an offensive team, the Suns can't play fast, and the defense is passive. Marion, the team's best defensive player, was plagued by fouls and played less than 10 minutes.

The Rockets' method of breaking the joint defense is very simple, that is, Hayes pulls to the perimeter to attack, and the Suns outside players can't defend a forward swingman like Hayes, Marion can't, and Boris Dior on the bench is even worse.

Dior's one-on-one defense is poor, his feet are too slow, and his physical fitness is not excellent. He can't do anything about Shanghai Yes, if Stadameyer pulls out to defend, the inside line will be empty.

Hayes scored just nine points in the half, shooting from the field, but he was on the court, and the Suns felt bad. On the one hand, D'Antoni admires Hayes and hopes that he can play under him, but on the other hand, he silently prays that Hayes will be injured soon in this series, and his feelings are extremely conflicted.

Even if Hayes wanted to go, the current state of the Suns would not be able to bring in Hayes. Unless Marion is traded for a player whose contract is about to expire before the trade deadline, the salary is freed.

D'Antoni would be willing to do so if he could, and while Marion is very capable and has stats close to 20 plus 10, Marion and Hayes are not on the same level when it comes to off-ball awareness and attacking ability with the ball. D'Antoni feels that Hayes is a more formidable player than Maddy, and as long as he's still with the Rockets, it's hard for the Suns to win.

Hayes won the Most Improved Player award this season, so what kind of performance will he play next season? Why didn't Suns scouts spot Hayes, who lost the draft last year? It is also the most progressive, and the gap between Hayes and Dior is too big. D'Antoni is increasingly feeling unworthy of the big contract extension of Dior, the "French magician".

In the 2005-2006 season, Dio averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, winning the Most Improved Player award, and he tied with Jason Kidd and LeBron James as the only three players with 6+ rebounds and assists. He is also known as the best off-ball player in the league, with a relatively comprehensive offensive skills, excellent small hookers and mid-range shots, and his involvement and strategy have made him another offensive hub for the Suns in addition to Nash. But this season Dio fell in love with swimming, with 9.7 points, 4.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds, and went to the NBA "reservoir" with Kwame Brown, Milicic and others.

In the second half, the Rockets adjusted the lineup, David Lee replaced Yao Ming, power forward Millsap, small forward Hayes, scoring guard Azubuike, and point guard Fisher.

The Suns fielded their strongest lineup and wanted to take this opportunity to recover the score. Unexpectedly, Hayes was the only one left in the Big Three, with three substitutes, and still took the initiative on the field.

After Yao Ming went off the court, the Rockets retreated faster, and it was difficult for the Suns to play the rhythm they were used to.

The Suns' offensive system is inseparable from Nash, and Van Gundy knows this, but he has not been able to find a qualified person to defend Nash for the past two years. Now that Fisher is on the Rockets, he finally has a decent No. 1 defender.

Nash spends most of his time with Fisher. His passing is no longer as casual as it used to be, as the Rockets defend the pass and force Nash to shoot himself.

Nash often took the ball around and found that he couldn't pass it, so he had to throw the ball before the end of the 24-second offense.

When D'Antoni replaced Nash, Van Gundy also replaced Fisher to conserve his strength, and when Nash returned to the court, Fisher immediately took the stage.

In the first half, Fisher defended very successfully, not allowing Nash to easily enter the penalty area, and Nash also played mediocre. The Suns haven't had a lead since the first quarter.

When attacking, the Rockets players have a clear division of labor, and David Lee and Millsap barely shoot the basketball, and their task is to grab rebounds. The two rookies impressed in the playoffs, successfully overpowering Stoudeyere and Kurt Thomas in rebounding. Not only that, but if the Suns don't shoot, the Rockets can also play a beautiful quick counterattack.

The Rockets have two people to protect the backcourt rebounds, and three people to break fast, and they can complete an attack in about 5 seconds. Hayes and Azubuuk went down too fast. Azubuuk couldn't accurately judge the direction of the rebound, and Van Gundy's strategy for him was to keep an eye on Hayes' actions when the opponent was shooting, and whenever Hayes was about to go down, he would follow.

As a result, at 6 minutes and 12 seconds in the third quarter, there was a very funny scene on the court, David Lee won the frontcourt rebound and received the ball unsteadily, and was photographed by Thomas. Hayes stopped to participate in the defense after a step, but Azubuuk rushed into the opponent's three-point line with the speed of the 100-meter sprint...... Even in the battle, the Rockets maintained a high shooting percentage, which made D'Antoni feel particularly aggrieved, because the Rockets' point of attack was not Hayes, but Fisher.

Van Gundy deliberately arranged for Fisher to constantly single Nash. Nash is sharp on offense and really porous defensively. His physique was too weak and he wasn't very good at defending breaks, which the experienced Fisher took advantage of. Fisher's breakthrough with the ball is almost like crossing a wooden stake, and he can easily shake off Nash and rush inside, disrupting the Suns' defense. The two point guards of the "96 Generation" met in the Western Conference semifinals, and the result was unexpected.

Yao Ming and Maddy came out with four minutes left in the third quarter, and the Rockets already led by 24 points.

The Suns fell behind by a large margin, and Nash did not play again in the fourth quarter, and both sides sent bench lineups, and the Rockets finally beat the Suns 124-101.

Fisher played 24 minutes today, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range, contributing 13 points and two assists. Nash scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, but dished out just five assists. That's Fisher's success, and his mission on the pitch is to block Nash's passes.

Restricting Nash, the Sun is left to its devices.

Not only did the Rockets score a victory, but they also proved that they are no longer afraid of running and shooting. And the Rockets' bench players are also tough, even if they are the second team, they can fight with the Suns, which greatly hits the confidence of the Suns.

After the game, D'Antoni also began to be suspicious of run-and-gun tactics, and the Rockets used this game to teach him a lesson. Without defense, the Suns can't win against the Rockets. In addition to defense, the Suns also lack positional offensive capabilities.

In 04-05, the Suns have a star lineup like Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson, Stoudamire, Marion, and Nash, and still can't beat the Spurs, many people say that the Suns lost on defense, which is true, but more importantly, the Suns team lacks the ability to fight positionally, when a team lacks defense and will not fight positionally, then once there is no feeling, losing is inevitable. Whether it is Stoudeyer or Marion, they can only exert their power if they are moving. And running and shooting requires playmaking and shooting ability as a super point guard, and when Nash is stuck, the Suns lose in half.

It's just a loss, and theoretically the outcome is unpredictable. But D'Antoni doesn't think so, and after many years of coaching, he first felt that his opponent was invincible.

――――――――――――― split――――――――――――― the Rockets' lineup has been perfect, suppressing the Suns' small-ball tactics. The sun can't stop the rocket.

Ask for recommendations! Collect! Ask for a commuter pass for next month! Until now, there are only two monthly passes, which is too miserable...... Also, recommend two books to a friend.

"I want to write but don't want to say" "Dominating the Midfield": The protagonist is a legendary teenager named Du Yang. It's a slow-burning novel, data flow? And that's just the beginning, the growth stream? And that's just the beginning! "It is rumored that he has at least 30 or more sisters and younger sisters!" And these sisters and sisters are all superstars from all over the world. Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho fought over him, with the Emirati consortium offering him £300 million. He is Du Yang...... "De Blue Mountain" "Fake Star": a nasty football career! Obviously, the style of these two books is different from Hayes's, and it's quite silvery...... If you are interested, you can check it out!

(To be continued)