The Rockets went on an 11-0 offensive run**, and the Clippers quickly made changes to the lineup, with Tim Thomas coming on and replacing Mobley in an effort to increase the height of the court, and Margeti moving to the shooting guard position.

The Rockets immediately switched defenses, with Battier eyeing Margetty and Hayes facing Thomas.

Margeti did not become relaxed due to the change of position, after receiving the ball, Battier kept shaking his hands in front of him, interfering with his passing route, Margeti had a hard time transferring the ball to Brand on the inside, so he had to pass to the perimeter.

Thomas, who is new to the court, makes a shot from the outside, and the basketball pops out of the frame again.

This time, Hayes was not in a hurry to go down, the arc of the ball was very flat, and the distance that popped up was relatively far, Brand won the rebound in the front court, raised his hand and shook it, David Lee raised his arms high and lost the defensive position, Brand immediately held the ball and cut into the inside, Hayes let go of Thomas, chased up from the side to block, took a step slow, Brand used the way of throwing, put the ball in, 11-2, the Clippers finally scored.

But Brand didn't have the slightest joy, their attack was too difficult. If he hadn't chosen to throw and take one more step, he would have fallen into the encirclement of Hayes and Yao Ming.

When defending, the Clippers changed to 122 defense.

Livingston tangled Maddie on the outside, and the remaining four took a rectangular position.

This kind of joint defense is to limit the Rockets' breakthrough after blocking, they can use 2 people to defend the breakthrough players in the adjacent area, even if they don't block, Carman and Brand in the back can still play the role of a double defense, the biggest feature of this formation is that it can flank the enemy.

The Rockets immediately proved with their actions that the Clippers' joint defense was useless. Maddie stretched out one hand and raised it, stretched out four fingers to make a gesture, and David Lee did not come up to block the dismantling, but asked for the ball with Yao Ming on both sides. Hayes and Battier both pulled to the top of the arc. Maddie passed to Hayes in the middle, who drew the ball to Margeti on the weak side and then handed the ball to Battier at a 60-degree angle on the left. Battier was empty and hit a three-pointer steadily. 14 to 2.

Against a team with multiple pitchers, shrinking the defense is tantamount to cocooning.

The Clippers didn't have a good way to defend the Rockets. The Rockets' outside trio is not bad defensively, and Livingston has no advantage over Maddy. All the Clippers can do is pull away and flank Carman and Brand for a one-on-one. This is also what the rocket would like to see.

Brand passes inside to Kaman, who misses a jumper. David Lee won the rebound, the Rockets launched a quick counterattack, three to three in the frontcourt, Maddie received a pass from Hayes, broke through Livingston in disguise, and scored in the middle of the shot. 16 to 2.

The gap is too big. The Rockets' individual ability is higher than that of the Clippers, as long as they counterattack quickly and the joint defensive formation is not formed, the Rockets can ensure a high offensive efficiency.

The audience shouted excitedly, the previous Rockets were impotently in the playoffs, but this time it was different, their offense was sharper than in the regular season. The only person who hasn't scored for the Rockets at the moment is actually Yao Ming, and Yao Ming hasn't even made a shot so far. On several occasions, he didn't get past half court, just grabbed a rebound and made a long pass, and his teammates ended the fight.

This kind of quick counterattack is a new tactic that Van Gundy has asked his players to practice after watching the star game. Yao Ming and David Lee, who protect the backcourt rebounds, and Hayes, who is good at judging where the rebounds will land early, are the key to the strategy.

If Yao Ming doesn't participate in the fast break, there will be no problem in retreating, and another benefit is that it will be difficult for the Clippers to play the fast break. Yao Ming has top-notch back-to-back offensive ability and is a reliable interior defensive barrier.

Brand singled David Lee and hit a hook shot. 16 to 4. No one blames David Lee for his poor defense, as his opponents are the strongest.

When the Rockets attacked again, the Clippers had changed the formation to the same three-two defense as the Rockets, otherwise the Rockets' three pitchers would gather at the top of the arc, and it would be easy to play more and play less. As soon as the Clippers changed their formation, the Rockets also changed their offensive methods.

David Lee pulls out and Hayes runs to Maddie. Maddie didn't pass the ball and broke through from the left side by Hayes, who suddenly stood up to block the pick-and-roll. Brand hurried to make up for the defense, but was blocked by David Lee again, and Maddy took advantage of a double block to dribble to the edge of the left three-second zone and hit a jumper. 18 to 4.

After the goal, Maddie smiled smugly. He felt more relaxed than he usually trained. Because it was either Hayes or Battier who defended him in training, and now Livingston and Margeti are defending, he is not under pressure at all.

The Clippers lineup adjustment, Margeti down, Quentin Rose, who is good at defense, Rose has no offensive ability, and the weapon he relies on to survive is defense. Head coach Dunleavy wants him to pester Maddie.

Livingston hit an outside shot to make it 18-7. Rose strengthened his defense against Maddie, and this time the Rockets had an easier offensive option, with Maddie handing it to Hayes, who was transferred to Yao Ming. Yao Ming received the ball and turned around for a jumper, and the ball went in again. 20 to 7.

The Rockets' offense can be described as insane, and their shooting percentage is 100% so far.

Seeing that the Rockets were in complete control of the situation, Drexler laughed and said, "The gap between the Clippers and the Rockets is too big to attack, and they can't defend against it." The rocket used Yao Ming as a blue-collar worker, and it worked wonders. If the regular season had been played like this, it might have beaten the Bulls' record. ”

Matt Bullard said: "Yao Ming protects the backcourt rebounds and launches a quick counterattack, Hayes and Maddy's singles ability is very strong, as long as the Clippers defense is not in place, it is difficult to prevent their assault, the Clippers definitely didn't think before the game that the Rockets would play a fast break in the presence of Yao Ming, which is not the same as the Suns' running bomb, the Suns are all 5 people running, the Rockets are now three people attacking, Yao Ming and David Lee watched." ”

The Clippers' defensive strategy was changed to man-to-man again, and Dunleavy was eager to send Thomas to follow Hayes when he was unrestrained on offense, and finally prevented the Rockets' rapid counterattack. However, in the battle of the position, the rocket still has the upper hand. Fisher replaced David Lee, and the Rockets used their usual regular-season play, Yao Ming and Maddy singled, and Hayes controlled the rebounds. The score continued to widen.

At halftime, the Rockets led by 28 points 69-41, and the Clippers were gone.

Maddy scored 24 points in the half, but Drexler, commenting on the game, thought Hayes played better, with Maddy having five goals coming from direct assists from Hayes. "Hayes is fantastic, and championships require that kind of team player. It's a shame he couldn't have been born a few years earlier, and if he had formed the Big Three with me and Olajuwon, I'm willing to bet there wouldn't have been a Bulls dynasty then. ”

Matt Bullard, who has been a player for the Rockets for many years, also said: "If he was in that era, I might not be able to mix the ring, the Rockets have him, and I suspect that the backup power forward will not have my place, and I may be cut." ”

Drexler said seriously: "This season's regular season MVP will be revealed after the first round of the game, and now Maddie's call is very high, but as far as today's game is concerned, I feel that Hayes is the real core of the Rockets." He has a strong ability to read the game and can play his part no matter what position he plays. I can watch the game here and feel that he is reliable. ”

Matt Bullard smiled: "There are too many people who are optimistic about Hayes, a few days ago, Magic Johnson also came to Houston to find him, and there was a transfer scandal, if it wasn't for Hayes saying at the press conference that he would stay, the fans would be anxious." During the All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant intended to send MVP to curry favor with Hayes, and the Lakers had a poor record for three consecutive seasons and were eager for him to join. ”

"Hayes is becoming more and more like a leader." Drexler sighed.

What is a leader on the court?

A qualified leader doesn't say it, but does it.

A qualified leader is not the one who scores 40 or 50 points, grabs a few rebounds, or gets an assist against an underdog, but the one who stands up and scores at the most critical moment when his teammates have nothing to do and the team is in adversity; It's the one who can lead the team to victory against a strong opponent, even if the statistics are bad; Even if he loses the game, he can play the most reasonable team basketball and bring confidence and hope to his teammates. When such a person appears in a team, the team has a soul.

The leader may not be the best scorer on a team, but he will be at the forefront, leading the team forward, and when difficulties come, he will say "no problem" and "leave it to me"; When he loses, he puts the blame on himself, even if he plays the best in the game.

There are two kinds of players like this.

One is a person who is very capable, self-proclaimed, and the people around him also say that he is a leader. He may have the team's free fire, and when he is ahead, he desperately brushes up points, and in the final moments, he can't see his teammates and likes to make shots reluctantly. Luckily, he won the game, and it was his own credit. If he loses the game, he blames his teammates for not supporting him enough. Can we call such a person a leader?

Another kind of player, he may not be the strongest, but he can play with momentum and cheer everyone up at a critical time in the game. No one said he was a leader, not even himself. But when the first type of person mentioned above passes the ball to him, he can seize the opportunity in the most appropriate way and turn the tide for the team. Then, he will walk out of the court silently, resigned to being bland. In his heart, the team always comes first.

Now, Hayes is starting to get close to the second type of player.

The Rockets continued to be firmly in control in the second half, and the Clippers tried all kinds of things but were never able to chase the score. Maddie and Yao Ming are both players who need to be packed, and as long as they choose to pack, other players will get a chance. In the second half of the third quarter, the Rockets fielded all bench players, and the game went into garbage time.

The final score was 115-87, and the Rockets got off to a good start to the playoffs at home.

(To be continued)