The Eastern Conference Finals also saw Game 4 on the same day, with the Cavaliers leading LeBron James winning 96-87 at home over the Pistons to tie the score 2-2. James scored 35 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, which was one reason for the victory, and more importantly, their interior advantage.

James has played well in all four games. He didn't have it so easy against the Pistons last season, and without Ben Wallace, the Pistons' interior defense was much worse than before.

The center Mohammed, who replaced "Big Ben", played disappointing in the playoffs, playing nearly 26 minutes and only contributing 4.6 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Another problem is the Pistons' interior offense, and the above two are not capable of attacking. The only strong point, Rasheed Wallace, is also aging, and he can only contribute 10 points per game in the playoffs.

Although the Cavaliers' interior three generals are not All-Stars, they are much better than the Pistons.

"Big Z" Ilgoskas is known as the poor version of Yao Ming, who moves slower than Yao Ming and has weaker strength than Yao Ming, but has height and a hand to shoot; Gooden is a good blue-collar with few offensive means and an average of 8 rebounds per game that is better than Rasheed Wallace; and Vallejo, the performance of the Brazilian actor is commendable. He was off the bench for most of the regular season, but in the playoffs, he played better than the top two, playing well on both ends of the floor, averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Especially with his fake falls, the angry Rasheed Wallace twice received technical fouls.

A day later, the two teams will play the most crucial fifth match.

The Cavaliers vs Pistons are evenly matched, and the Rockets vs Spurs are already one-sided. The Rockets beat the Spurs twice on the road, thus taking a 3-1 lead and getting the match point.

Fans around the world are almost assuming that the Rockets will win this season's championship. They're too strong. The traditional powerhouse Spurs are equally vulnerable in front of them.

Ahead of Game 5, Houston fans were already in the revelry. According to historical records, the Rockets have entered the Finals with one foot, and there are only 8 teams in history who can turn the tables around after falling behind 3-1.

The current strength of the Rockets, the Spurs want to win 3 games in a row, it is difficult to compare. If it weren't for Maddy's inaccuracy and Hayes' injury in the first game, maybe the Spurs would have been swept out of the tournament by now. Now the fans feel better, and although the Rockets lost one game, they got the opportunity to watch the Rockets advance on their home turf.

The Rockets haven't made it to the Finals for too long, and fans have waited too long for this day.

On May 31, there was still an hour and a half before the start of the game, and the Toyota Center Square was already full of people, and fanatical fans wanted to enter the stadium early to witness the birth of the new overlord of the west.

The Rockets players were happy, the locker room was laughing, and everyone was starting to imagine what it would be like to win a championship.

The atmosphere in the dressing room was a bit like it was in the first game against the Spurs. This time, Van Gundy frowned and reminded, "I guess no one wants to play the sixth game, right?" Today we have to do our best and don't give Spurs any chance. Our goal is not to fight until the last minute, but to try to end the battle at half-time like the previous three. That's what the fans want to see, and every single one of you will be a hero today. The defensive tactics are still the same as in the past, with 122 joint defenses, and Parker and Ginobili are always in the box when they get the ball. If they're playing on the outside, keep an eye on their own people. First with Chuck as the core attack, David blocked, as for how to distribute the ball, Chuck decided. Pass the ball, don't stand up for it, we're going to play team basketball! Again, don't let it up! ”

"Victory!" The Rockets shouted.

It was an important game, but Van Gundy was at ease, he had never been so confident in his team. He doesn't even have to talk about tactics with a tactical board, because what the players need to do is use the same methods used in the previous games to deal with the Spurs in order to adapt to all changes.

The Spurs know what the Rockets will do, but they just can't defend it, so they can only figure out how to do it offensively.

Vicky is ready to give it a go. Change the tactical strategy that the team is familiar with. "Today we have to speed up the whole team, Yao Ming's speed is slow, you have to take advantage of his weakness. Tim (Duncan) and Francisco (Elson) grabbed backcourt rebounds and quickly countered, while Tony (Parker) and Manu (Ginobili) went on a fast break. Don't wait for their joint defensive formation to fall into place. If they fall into the ground and attack, Tim (Duncan) blocks and dismantles, don't break through the outside line, go along the sideline, and try to pull their interior players out, especially Yao Ming. Now the outside world is not optimistic that we can come back and get to the final, which is really difficult, but don't give up, as long as the game is not over, we have a chance. The Rockets played a lot of fast breaks in the first few games, and I don't want to see them dunk today, you have to be ready to defend their quick counterattacks at any time, even if you lose, you have to play tough, play with momentum, understand? ”

The Spurs players understand it, but it's not easy to do it. When the strength was at a disadvantage and the hope of winning was slim, the heart of the Spurs championship was also shaken. Especially the veterans are already very tired, they have experience, but experience cannot make up for the disadvantage of physical fitness and lack of physical strength. In fact, there are only 10 people who can play for the Spurs, and the level of other substitutes is too poor, and sending them on the field is equivalent to admitting defeat.

Standing on the court, Hayes was emotional. Van Gundy has already agreed with him, and no matter what Alexander says, he will be the heart of the attack for the rest of the game. Van Gundy believes that Hayes can do well, and as long as Hayes can prove that he is better suited to be the core than Maddy, he can add a favorable leverage to get a high salary.

If Hayes can lead the team to a championship in his second season, this is something Jordan can't do. Since his rebirth, Hayes has been too smooth, starting and becoming an All-Star, and the Rockets have reached the Western Conference Finals, and in addition to his own efforts, he has excellent teammates. Although there is also pressure, the rocket can overcome the difficulties every time.

If the Cavaliers knock out the Pistons. Hayes will be able to confront James. His physique is very good for defending James, and after the Finals, people will definitely rate him higher. The opportunity to create a legend is in front of him, and he will make history.

When Hayes thought of this, he only felt that there was an inexhaustible strength in his body.

The Rockets adjusted their lineup again for this game. Maddy played well in assists on the court, and Van Gundy wanted David Lee to control the rebound and defend Duncan, so Maddy was placed at point guard in this game, with Battier playing point guard and Hayes small forward. The Spurs started the same as the first two games.

Yao Ming jumped the ball to beat Duncan. As soon as Hayes saw the ball fly towards Maddy, he immediately rushed towards the Spurs halfcourt. Maddie understood, and a direct pass passed through Finley and Elson, and was accurately handed to Hayes. The fastest step back for the Spurs was Parker, but Parker's physique simply couldn't stop Hayes from rushing up. Hayes picked up the basketball, squeezed Parker into the inside, and dunked with one hand! 2 to 0.

Hayes set the mood up in the first round.

Duncan immediately returned the color with a jumper on the board, the Rockets attacked, Hayes received the ball and transferred the ball to Yao Ming, Yao Ming squeezed Elson to turn and hit a jumper. 4 to 2.

Parker hit a three-pointer from the outside, 4-5.

Unlike the previous games, the Spurs and Rockets played against each other, and both sides maintained a high shooting percentage at the beginning.

Duncan didn't play much on the offensive end today, fully doing blue-collar work and focusing on grabbing rebounds. Parker, Ginobili and Finley took on the offensive load.

This arrangement did have some effect, disrupting the Rockets' defensive deployment in the opening minutes.

Van Gundy wanted to call a timeout, but Hayes waved his hand at him, signaling that there was no need to take a timeout, and then shouted at his teammates: "Sean, Tracy, give the frontcourt rebounds to David and Yao Ming, look at my running position after shooting, if I return to defense, you follow, man marking!" ”

"Good!" The two answered.

In the next round, Hayes missed a jumper and immediately ran to the backcourt, and Maddie and Battier also wrapped up Parker and Ginobili respectively. Duncan really won the rebound, but fell into an awkward situation, the outside player ran forward, there were people around him, and he didn't dare to make a long pass. Duncan had to dribble the ball to the front court by himself, David Lee defended, and the two made a cameo appearance at point guard, and the Spurs fell into position...... And so for the next few rounds. The Spurs' fast break was contained.

Once the Spurs control the rebound, Hayes is always the first to return to defense, and Ginobili and Parker start half a beat slowly, and it is still difficult to get open shots. Maddie and Battier are targeting Parker and Ginobili, Hayes is targeting veteran Finley, and the Spurs are not left behind, so they have to frequently use the individual ability of the star to play singles.

Without a pick-and-roll, Parker thought that Maddie wasn't easy. Maddie has a height advantage, although she is slightly slower. Ginobili singled Battier, Battier broke through the main defense, forced Ginobili to shoot, the farther away from the basket, the lower the shooting rate, is the same law. Although the Spurs shot faster than before, the scoring efficiency was not higher than in the previous games.

On the contrary, the Rockets played positional warfare unhurriedly, and as long as Hayes attracted the defense after receiving the ball, he hung it to Yao Ming, and Yao Ming turned around and hit a jump shot in a row.

Hayes moved on the same side as Yao Ming and Maddy, and the Spurs sandwiched Yao Ming twice, the first time Yao Ming split the ball, and Hayes ran out of the open position to shoot a three-point shot. The second time Hayes drew the ball to the defense and passed the ball to Maddy, who then shifted the ball to the other side and Battier hit a three-point jumper. Two three-pointers in a row made the Spurs dare not take the liberty of wrapping Yao Ming again.

Elson could only defend in frustration. As the saying goes, behind every successful Ultraman there is a little monster who is silently beaten.

The first quarter ended at 29-22 with the Rockets leading by seven points.

Vicky was so anxious that he didn't know where to put his hands, and he suddenly felt that Hayes was a monster. Hayes has the ability to predict the future, he can judge the ownership of the rebound every time, and then choose whether to attack or defend, the Rockets have such a person, it is difficult to mess up the defensive formation, as long as you follow Hayes's actions.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Rockets replaced Yao Ming and Maddy, replaced Millsap and Weaver, and Hayes continued to stay on the court. Everyone at the Spurs knows that the Rockets are about to start picking up again.

David Lee blocked Hayes, who bypassed Finley and burst into the box on the right side to hit a pull-up jump shot. 31 to 22.

On offense, Finley almost gave up his run and stayed with Hayes. This is a tactic arranged by Vicky, defending Hayes quickly, there must be someone by his side. Hayes was taken care of, and the Rockets had Weaver. Weaver's fast-break talent was on full display in this series. If it's time to launch a fast attack, Hayes will raise a single punch to give his teammates a code.

Parker misses the shot, the Rockets give the ball to Hayes, and Hayes hands it to Weaver, who singles Ginobili and hits a pull-up jump shot after the breakaway. 33 to 22.

After winning the rebound, the Rockets can also find other players, and the first choice is Weaver. Weaver ran too fast, and after being targeted, he also had good singles ability, and in one-on-one situations, it was not easy for the Spurs to defend without passing the ball alone. As long as he runs in a fast break, Weaver can be used as Wade, and that's exactly what the Rockets do.

The Spurs' Finals hopes are about to be dashed!

(To be continued)