The Godfather of Basketball

"I think it's more appropriate for Sean to start." Thibodeau, as the first assistant coach, expressed his opinion immediately.

"Sean has always been the starter since he joined the team. He has a good understanding with Yao, T-mac, and even Chauncey, and his fixed-point three-point shooting ability is more stable than Michael, not to mention the experience on the defensive end. So I think it's more appropriate for Sean to continue to start."

Tang Tian nodded after listening, what Xibodu said was not unreasonable.

He then looked at Cole.

"I also agree with Tom's point of view, and Michael's role as a substitute is more helpful to the team. He can swing in the 2/3 position, while Sean can only swing in the 3/4 position. With Yi playing well, It is inappropriate for Sean to play as a substitute." Cole also gave his opinion.

"The team is in excellent condition now, and I don't think there is any need to start the game." Lucas II also expressed his opinion.

"Michael has a stronger impact as a substitute, and a functional player like Sean is obviously more suitable for starting."

"T-mac meets Beasley's swinging small forward at the 3/4 position. Not only will he not be able to release the offense, but he will also encounter some troubles on the defensive end."

...

Other teaching assistants also expressed their opinions one after another.

Although the reasons are different, they all feel that Battier is more suitable as the team's starter.

"Then it's settled, Sean will continue to start." Tang Tian finally made a decision.

At the end of the meeting, Tang Tian called Pietrus to his office.

"The team is in good condition now, and it's not appropriate to adjust the starting lineup, but you don't have to be discouraged, keep a positive attitude, and play well in the next game."

After Tang Tian finished speaking, he saw that Pietrus was a little depressed, and then said comfortingly: "Relax, substituting and starting are not so important, the important thing is playing time."

Tang Tian didn't say it explicitly, after all he was the head coach of the team, but the hint was obvious enough.

Pietrus nodded, still a little depressed, and finally left the office.

After Pietrus left, Tang Tian looked at the team roster and fell into deep thought unconsciously.

If Pietrus insists on starting and doesn't stay in the team next season, then Morrow must step up.

But the recruits who can fight without getting on the battlefield will have to give Morrow some chances to play in the second half of the season.

That night, the game between the Rockets and the Trail Blazers started.

The Rockets still played very well in the starting lineup. Yi Jianlian also played very tough and desperately after being selected as the All-Star starter, and he did not lose the wind in the confrontation with Aldridge.

With more than two minutes left before the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led their opponents 24 to 17, and the two teams replaced their substitutes one after another.

The Rockets are still the four kings of the bench, Gasol Jr., Scola, Pietrus and Sun Yue.

On the Trail Blazers side, Outlaw, Fernandez, Przybilla and Rodriguez appeared one after another.

With the growth of young players, the strength of the Trail Blazers' youth army, whether it is a starter or a substitute, cannot be underestimated.

Coming up to the Blazers' offense, Outlaw received a pass from Fernandez and scored an air cut layup.

As a 2.06-meter small forward, he has full impact.

However, the Rockets' substitute is not a vegetarian. Gasol responded in the frontcourt and sent a second pass to Scola.

In the Blazers' offense, Fernandez went straight in and challenged Pietrus.

Pietrus seemed a little unfocused, and the former found an opportunity to score a layup directly.

"Michael, pay attention to the defensive position." Thibodeau, as the team's defensive coach, walked to the sidelines to remind Pietrus.

The Rockets' offense, McGrady sent a second pass, and Pietrus got an open three-pointer from the bottom corner.

"boom!"

The shot was obviously short, and it hit the front of the basket directly, and the defensive rebound was accepted by Outlaw.

Tang Tian frowned slightly at this time, attacking and defending, it could be seen that Pietrus was still affected.

The two teams failed to score the next few offenses. At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets ended with a 26-19 lead.

During the festival, Cole chatted with Pietrus for a while, probably to enlighten him.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Tang Tian replaced McGrady with Moreau and put Billups back on the court. Although Pietrus did not perform well, he still stayed on the court.

On the Blazers side, apart from Aldridge taking a rest, there was not much change in the lineup.

With Rodriguez's combination, Fernandez went directly to Przybilla for an off-ball pick-and-roll, and Pietrus was blocked firmly.

Rodriguez sent a second pass, Fernandez received the ball and squeezed Scola for a layup.

The Rockets attacked, and Morrow hit a three-pointer with a second pass from Gasol.

It was still Fernandez who came back. After scoring the last goal, he came to the state and also scored a three-pointer after shaking off Pietrus.

The two teams stalemate after the opening of the second quarter.

The Rockets' offense, Gasol Jr. gave the ball to Pietrus, and Pietrus wanted to pass the ball to Billups in the air cut, but hesitated.

"Snapped!"

Fernandez directly steals the ball from his hands.

The Trail Blazers played a fast break, and Outlaw followed up with a direct dunk after receiving the ball.

The Rockets Morrow missed a three-pointer from the outside, and Outlaw came back and scored a three-pointer.

Pietrus missed an open three-pointer, and Fernandez grabbed the long rebound and went straight to the fast break. When he scored with a difficult pull-bar in the frontcourt, the Blazers played a 7-0 offensive, directly tying the score !

Tang Tian called a timeout, and when the timeout came back, he replaced Pietrus with Battier, who was really in a bad state tonight.

The two sides had a stalemate on the bench for a while, and when they returned from the starting lineup, the Rockets were even better in terms of strength and experience, and began to take the initiative on the field again.

In the second half, Tang Tian continued to give Pietrus some chances, but the latter was still in poor condition, making frequent mistakes in blacksmithing, and was replaced after two minutes of playing.

In the end, the Rockets' overall strength was even better, beating the Trail Blazers 112 to 106 and winning their 40th victory of the season.

Pietrus played only 12 minutes in this game, 0 of 4 shots, 2 points, 2 rebounds and 3 turnovers. He played the worst game of joining the Rockets.

After the game, Tang Tian went to the locker room to find Pietrus, but learned that the latter had left the arena and went home.

Tang Tian was somewhat helpless. He originally planned to give Pietrus more playing time, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. Pietrus' condition was so bad that he couldn't give up the game just because of the plan.

Talking again is all Tang Tian can do, and it is also what he did for Pietrus' salary cut to sign with the Rockets.

No matter how much more, he can't do it. After all, the NBA is the most competitive basketball league in the world, and opportunities must be won by himself.