The Godfather of Basketball

Nicknamed "Stone Buddha", Duncan was calm, but Gasol, a rookie with both offensive and defensive advantages, would respond without speaking.

Gasol is working hard, and he is not Duncan's opponent.

The Spurs began to regain momentum little by little.

But the Rockets played very actively, and it was difficult for the Spurs to turn over all at once.

When the two sides changed their main players in the second half of the second quarter, the Rockets widened the point difference to more than 15 points again.

In the preseason, Popovich didn't intend to fight against the Rockets. After half a quarter of the third quarter, he replaced role players in advance to exercise.

Tang Tian also saved some face for the old man, and then replaced him as a marginal substitute.

In the end, the Rockets beat the Spurs 101 to 88 in the first game of the preseason and won their first victory.

Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady only played about 20 minutes and scored 15 and 16 points respectively. Millsap and Billups also scored in double digits.

Among the team's rookies, Marc Gasol played the best, scoring 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 21 minutes.

Landry also appeared in the fourth quarter. He was capable of grabbing points and scored 9 points and 3 rebounds on 4 of 4 shots.

Sun Yue also got playing time and appeared with Landry, but he didn't play well, making 0 of 3 shots and only contributed 1 block.

Although it was a preseason game, and the Spurs didn't have all their members playing, a big victory still boosted the team's morale.

With this momentum, the Rockets will be in full swing in the next preseason.

They defeated the Hornets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Kings successively, ushering in a wave of 5-game winning streak in the preseason.

In these four games, the Rockets had more than 6 players score in double figures in almost every game. The depth of the bench has actually become Tang Tian's happiness.

With this kind of trouble, after the end of the game with the Grizzlies, the Rockets got on the plane to Shanghai, China.

There, the team will usher in the sixth game of their preseason, which is also the China game.

NBA President David Stern has been committed to expanding the influence of the NBA in the world. China, which has the most fans in the world, has always been a vital part of the NBA's strategy.

As early as 2004, the Rockets and the Kings played two Chinese games in China. At that time, the impact was far-reaching and it greatly stimulated the NBA's Chinese market.

In the following three years, due to various reasons, the China game could not be continued. This time it made a comeback. The NBA once again sent the Rockets, the Chinese home team, obviously hoping to further develop the Chinese market.

In fact, this arrangement has ignited the enthusiasm of Chinese fans infinitely before the start of the China game.

The Rockets won the championship last year, which completely exploded the already popular Chinese fans.

This time in China, the tickets for the two competition venues, Shanghai Qizhong Forest Sports City and the Venetian Macao Complex have already been sold out, and it is hard to find a ticket.

Another reason why these two China games are so hot is because the Rockets' opponent is the Los Angeles Lakers.

In today's league, Kobe is rarely popular enough to compete with Yao Mai.

The duel between these two teams is already a game of sparks hitting the earth in terms of popularity.

When the two teams got off the plane, they were overwhelmed by the crowds of people outside the airport.

This is Tang Tian's second return to China, and seeing the enthusiasm of the fans, he is filled with emotion.

China has never been short of fans, be it basketball or football, the fans are always the most enthusiastic.

The Lakers were afraid of causing unnecessary trouble, so they got on the bus early and left under the escort of security guards.

Tang Tian asked the players to stay and take pictures with the fans to interact with them for a while.

He has been a fan and knows that these fans must have been waiting here for hours, which is the benefit they deserve.

Tang Tian arranged it like this, but what he didn't expect was that besides looking for players to sign and take photos with these fans, he, the head coach, would not let them go. It's true of Yao Ming and McGrady, but there are more female fans.

I don't know how many waves he has experienced, how many beauties he has been raped, and even almost been kissed by force. When he came out of the airport, Tang Tian found that the team members looked at him strangely.

"Coach, I want to be a coach like you after I retire." Pietrus said in the car.

"Michael, that's going to be difficult. The coach's handsomeness is really not comparable to that of ordinary people." McGrady said solemnly.

There was a burst of laughter in the car.

Tang Tian also smiled at this time.

The atmosphere of this team is very good.

After a day of training, the first game between the Rockets and the Lakers kicked off in Shanghai Qizhong Forest Sports City. This arena, which can accommodate more than 13,000 people, is already full of seats and fans. They held up various signs to cheer for their favorite fans.

However, the current popularity of the Rockets in China is really not covered, even Kobe can only stand aside.

In the entire arena, apart from sporadic fans wearing Kobe jerseys, the stadium is basically a sea of ​​red.

On such a rare day, the China Games will be repeated three years later, and the fans are all wearing their jerseys.

"Oh, this is the undisputed home of the Rockets." ESPN commentator Mark Jackson couldn't help expressing emotion after watching this scene.

This, in fact, is really not the home court of the Rockets.

The NBA China game is divided into home and away games. This game is the home game of the Lakers, and the floor on the court belongs to the Lakers.

It's just that the fans around here are a bit out of place, and this is probably the most conspicuous comparison in the NBA's overseas games.

The Chinese game spreads NBA culture, so from the opening ceremony to the entrance introduction, it is exactly the same as the regular season.

With exciting music and brilliant lights, fans who come to this arena experience this culture at close range.

One by one, the Lakers' starters were introduced.

After O'Neal left the Lakers, the Lakers experienced several seasons of sinking, but there have been signs of recovery since last season.

The team's young insider Andrew Bynum is getting better and better, and he has the potential of a top insider in the league.

Coupled with the return of veteran Derek Fisher this season, the team's new season is also high-spirited.

When Kobe was finally introduced, there was still a roar of cheers.

As an active superstar, Kobe's explosive scoring ability has won him unparalleled popularity around the world.

Lakers Odom absent due to injury, but in the other four positions, they have sent the main lineup.

The outside line is a combination of Fisher and Kobe, the front line is Radmanovich and Luke Walton, and the center is Andrew Bynum.

For the Rockets, Tang Tian also rested Billups, Barea replaced him in the starting game, and the other positions were the same as before.