Because of the "hugging and slamming the door" incident, the duel between the Texas two heroes is regarded as a battle of revenge, which is particularly interesting.

Experts generally believe that the overall strength of the Rockets has surpassed that of the Spurs this season, but the victory or defeat is still five or five. Because the Spurs are a team with playoff experience.

Responding to all changes with the same is the team building philosophy that the Vicky and Spurs have always adhered to, and the GDP combination of Ginobili, Duncan, Parker, and has been baptized by the championship.

This season, compared to the big move of the Rockets who almost changed players, the Spurs were not able to strengthen the roster in the summer, but showed signs of regression. Mohammed, the Spurs' main center last season, left the team and was replaced by Nuggets transfer Elson and Argentine Oberto.

The minor fixes on the roster certainly weren't as dazzling as the big trades might seem, and the Spurs didn't go well in the regular season, but they're one of those teams that people will only be surprised when they knock out their opponents. Before they knew it, some of the star-studded teams had fallen at their feet.

So in terms of championship heritage, the Spurs are undoubtedly the strongest of the four teams.

On May 21, the Spurs arrived in Houston for the Rockets' first game of the Western Conference Finals at the Toyota Center.

Judging from the style of play, both teams are a combination of inside and outside, tough in defense, and balanced in attack and defense.

The offense is evenly matched between the two teams, and when it comes to defense, the Spurs have the upper hand, and in the regular season, the Rockets have conceded the fewest points per game, and the Spurs are in fifth place. In the playoffs, the Rockets dropped to 84.4 points, the fewest of any 16 teams, while the Spurs increased to 95.2 points. The reason the Spurs' defense has weakened is that it was Hayes who cost Bowen his season during the regular season.

Coach match, Jeff Van Gundy vs ** vic.

"One soldier bears, one will bear a nest", the NBA arena is a big stage for the coaches of both sides to fight wits and courage. Their line-up at critical moments can often determine the final direction of a game.

Spurs coach Vicky is much more brilliant in terms of record. In 1999, 2003 and 2005, he led the Spurs to the top three times, and ** Vicky established his status as a famous coach. Van Gundy has been named the best coach this season, but he hasn't been too impressive outside of defense, and he needs to beat Vicky to make a name for himself.

In terms of lineup, the Rockets have a slight advantage.

Point guard Fisher vs Tony Parker. Fisher limited Nash to some extent in the last series, but Parker was the speed guard he feared. Parker played 32.5 minutes in the regular season, 18.6 points and 5.5 assists, shooting 52% from the field and 40% from three-point range, which was a big test for the Rockets.

Shooting guard Ginobili vs Maddy. Maddie is the MVP of this season, needless to say, the strength is needless to say, and the hot hand Maddie is almost impossible to prevent. Ginobili is known as the "Demon Knife", he is one of the most powerful players in the league, after Bowen's injury, Ginobili entered the starting line from the sixth man position, and his playing time increased from 27 minutes to 31.4 minutes, averaging 19.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, if you look at the offensive efficiency of 48 minutes, he is not inferior to Maddy.

Small forward Michael Finley vs Battier. Also because of Bowen's injury, veteran Finley played 26 minutes and scored 11 points and 3.4 rebounds. Battier played 36.4 minutes and averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but he was an irreplaceable player for the Rockets' outside defense. Rockets dominate.

Power forward Tim Duncan vs Hayes. "Stone Buddha" vs. "Shrek" is a highlight of this round.

Two-time MVP Duncan is one of the best players in the league, he doesn't have that much dazzling light on his body, and he is rarely seen in games, but he always makes opponents feel the spooks on both ends of the floor. It's all because he's stable enough and efficient enough. In the playoffs, he averaged 22.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3 blocks per game, proving his quality. He was named to the regular season first team this season.

The power forward on the second team is Hayes, and his average statistics in the playoffs are 16.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals, which is not much inferior to Duncan, and he is more versatile than Duncan and can pull to the outside to attack. Experts predict that the matchup between the two will determine who makes it to the finals.

Center Oberto vs Yao Ming. Oberto, who has 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds, can't compare to Yao Ming, who has 23.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in the playoffs. Yao Ming is the No. 1 powerhouse in the Rockets series.

On the bench, the Rockets have a group of bench gangsters such as David Lee, Millsap, Spanouris, Azubuuk, Novak, Weaver, and Kirk Snyder. Although the Spurs bench has key players such as Robert Hawley and Brent Barry, they are not as good as the whole.

Before the game, the atmosphere in the Rockets locker room was relaxed. They had a good result against the Spurs in the regular season, but it is not a good sign to be relaxed in such an important game, and confidence can be there, but now the Rockets seem to have over-confidence and turned into pride.

Hayes wasn't as relaxed as the others, he was in a somewhat nervous mood against Duncan, who was known as the No. 1 forward of all time. He was thinking about how to play the game for a while, and the laughter of his teammates became particularly harsh. He hoped that the boss of the team would stand up and tell his teammates not to let their guard down, but it didn't work, because Maddie was the one who took the lead in the joke.

Not only the players, but even Van Gundy was smiling, and he seemed to have seen the championship trophy in sight.

"Chuck, don't put on a face, it's not the first time you've played spurs. Are you still nervous about Duncan? Van Gundy laughed.

"It's not that I'm nervous, it's the Western Conference Finals, it's against the Spurs, and just because we beat them in the regular season doesn't mean we can win easily. If you look at the stats, you can see that Duncan is going crazy as soon as he enters the playoffs, I have to concentrate, I have to win beautifully, I can't be blown up by him. Hayes said solemnly: "Jeff, I think you should say a few words at this time, don't relax too much, it's not good for the game." ”

"You're right, we're so relaxed. You're like an assistant coach again. Van Gundy laughed, then said a few words of morale, and the team responded.

Hayes knew that the response was only superficial when he looked at the expressions of his teammates, and the successive sweeps of the opponent had completely aroused their confidence, and they didn't think they would lose today, and even felt that they could sweep the Spurs.

"Today's starters Yao Ming, Chuck, Sean (Battier), Tracy (Maddy), Derek (Fisher). The Spurs' offense didn't have a lot of tricks, and we defended the team. The offense is dominated by Tracy, Chuck blocks and disembarks, and if he attracts the bag and hits Yao Ming, Chuck controls the rebound. "Van Gundy laid out the tactics.

Without Bowen, the Spurs are missing the best perimeter defender, and Maddy is a lot less stressed and more sure.

At this time, the atmosphere in the away team's dressing room was cold like a triad negotiation. Vicky didn't set up their tactics, their tactics have been playing for many years, and the players know it by heart.

"In this series, we're going to have to fight hard every game!" ** Vicky said loudly: "The outside world is not optimistic about us, and many experts also say that the Rockets have a better lineup than us. Joke, how strong can a group of guys who have never played in the finals be? The Suns also played a beautiful regular season in 2005, but weren't they easily eliminated by us in the playoffs? The Rockets are just the strong team in the regular season, and in the playoffs, you are the strongest! ”

The players listened attentively, and Vicky added: "Don't be intimidated by their previous two sweeps. The Clippers are a bad team, and we can sweep them when we meet them. The Suns didn't defend at all, and this season is worse than before, so there's nothing to fear. Look at our opponents. The Jazz's home court of Salt Lake City is known as the home of the Devils, and we stepped on it; The Timberwolves, who have two superstars, Garnett and Iverson, also lost to us. As long as you fight with all your strength, we will definitely win! We're missing Bruce [Bowen], but his spirit is with us, and I want each of you to play as hard as he does!" Just as focused! Anti-Death Rocket! ”

If it were any other team, the players might have shouted a slogan, but Duncan just said with a cold face: "We're going to do it." ”

With only this one sentence, ** Vicky is satisfied. Spurs are a team that erupts in silence.

Inside the stadium, the fans shouted wildly, the game had not yet started, they had entered a frenzy. The slogan "Sweep Spurs" can be seen everywhere. After many years, the Rockets finally reached the Western Conference Finals again. Fans are confident that the home team can beat the Spurs and reach the Finals.

Generally, when stars meet, they like to say a few provocative words before the game. But the Rockets vs. the Spurs, except for the two captains shaking hands, everyone was quiet. Duncan and Hayes were both expressionless, and at this time they had the same idea, which was to blow up their opponents.

Duncan knows he's a strong point for the Spurs, and his play will determine the outcome of this series. Hayes thought further, knowing that the Cavaliers would eliminate the Pistons, which were starting to decline, and that the Cavaliers' entry into the Finals would be a piece of cake. Whoever wins this series will win the championship, and this series is the final!

The race is on. Yao Ming jumped the ball and won the ball, Fisher dribbled the ball across the half court to Maddy, and Hayes stepped forward to block it. The Spurs didn't send Duncan out with the defense, and they also defended the team at the start of the game. At this time, as long as Maddie returns the ball to Hayes, Ginobili has only two ways to "fake fall and fake death" after being hit and "see death as home".

Hayes raised his hand to wait for the pass, but Maddie didn't return the pass, opting for a pull-up jumper under Finley's close defense, and the ball was deflected. Duncan grabbed the rebound with ease. Maddie's expression relaxed back to the defense, and Hayes had an ominous premonition. After winning the MVP, Maddie's score is getting stronger and stronger, this guy, don't play like this all the time.

(To be continued)