Why can the Rockets win 22 consecutive victories but not enter the second round of the playoffs?

After the Rockets suffered a two-game losing streak, summing up the previous 22-game winning streak will be another taste. During the 22-game winning streak, the Rockets not only set many league records, but also won a 10 winning streak without Yao Ming. The former embodies the rocket's domineering, while the latter embodies the rocket's morale. After the Rockets lost two games in a row, we suddenly found that morale is the biggest weapon for the Rockets to win 22 consecutive victories. In summing up the reasons for winning the 22-game winning streak, we might as well look at what changes have taken place in the Rockets from the perspective of morale.

The morale of the starting players-representative: Alston.

1 At first, in the absence of McGrady, Adelman gave Hyde more trust. However, Hyde's height and offensive stability limited his play, which gave another backcourt player Alston more performance opportunities. It was in the early and middle period of 5438+ 10 that Alston began to find confidence and feeling on the court. 1 End, the Rockets beat the Warriors and became the starting point of 22 consecutive victories. In this game, Alston scored 17 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals!

Subsequently, under the leadership of Alston, the Rockets' perimeter players broke out in an all-round way. Even after McGrady came back from injury, he actively changed his style of play to avoid destroying the existing balance of the team.

During the 22-game winning streak, Alston played a first-class point guard performance in scoring and assists-only three games did not score in double figures, only one game made more than three mistakes, and the games with more than seven assists reached 1 1. Seeing the disciples' magical performance, even the former Bishop of Rocket and Van Gundy were full of praise. During the 22-game winning streak, Alston played Terry and Paul. When he started to play the "big loop" excitedly on the court, Alston was so crazy that it was irresistible.

The morale of the bench players-Representative: Landry.

Without Yao Ming, the Rockets can still win the game. Because Scola and Landry are both averaging 26 points and 12 rebounds, the power of the "Slam" combination is not worse than that of Yao Ming. However, when Landry missed due to injury, the Rockets' victory also became stumbling. Landry's outbreak is an important reason for the Rockets' 22-game winning streak, even before Yao Ming's absence.

On February 2, Beijing time, the Rockets, who just defeated the Warriors, challenged the Pacers away, which was the second game of the Rockets' 22-game winning streak. In this game, Yao Ming and McGrady were in bad shape, and Yao Ming felt even worse: 12 shot only 4. However, Landry stood up in time and 1 1 9 threw 22 points and 7 rebounds. Compared with beating the Warriors a few days ago, the morale of the Rockets really improved because of this narrow victory away from home. Subsequently, the Rockets were on a roll, creating a miracle of 10 winning away.

Landry's play is not stable, but he is an effective supplement to the inside of the rocket. In particular, his moving speed and efforts make up for the congenital deficiency of Yao Ming and Mutombo. More importantly, his awareness of cutting holes also helped McGrady find a position on the court quickly after returning from injury.

In the game against Celtic and Hornets, personal attacks and assists on troubled McGrady were also limited. On the offensive end, the Rockets obviously lack a player who has the ability to cut the air like Wells and Landry. This reflects Landry's role from another side.

The morale of the coaching staff-representative: teaching assistant Turner.

When people stressed that the Rockets should thank Van Gundy's defense system, Rockets assistant coach Turner said: "Van Gundy is no longer with the Rockets. We have our own defense style." This sentence is meaningful.

In 22 games, the Rockets scored more than 90 points in only 9 games and 100 points in only 3 games. This means that the Rockets' defense during this period is better than Celtic, Spurs and Pistons, because the top three teams in the whole season did not produce such data at the same time. In the first game after Yao Ming's absence, the Rockets only let their opponents score 69 points against one of the most offensive teams in the league: the Washington Wizards! This is the Wizards' lowest score this season. Even against the Spurs, they were not so embarrassed.

The Rockets' defense is really different from that of Van Gundy. Not as strict and disciplined as the Spurs or Celtics, but their defensive efficiency is higher than that of the previous Rockets.

In each game, the Rockets will make different arrangements according to the characteristics of their opponents to resolve their position attacks. Adelman praised his assistant coach more than once: "Our defense is excellent. I want to thank my assistant coaches. They are very responsible and can prepare the game carefully and make the battle plan."

During the 22-game winning streak, the assistant coach of the Rockets was even more tired than the players. They should not only fully understand their opponents, but also figure out ways to crack their attacks. It is precisely because of doing enough homework before the game that the Rockets can easily play an efficient defense. The more rockets guards, the more confident they are, and the more confident the assistant coaches are. McGrady was deeply touched by this: "We have a group of excellent players and coaches. More importantly, I think there is a cohesion between us, and each of us wants to do our best. "

The morale of the opponent-on behalf of the team: Mavericks.

Regarding the 20-game winning streak, an article noted that during the 22-game winning streak, the Rockets became the top team in the third quarter. Although this rule has been broken now, during the 22-game winning streak, the Rockets opponents suffered every time they met the third quarter. In many games, by the end of the third quarter, the opponent had given up the game. There are many examples of dealing with the weak and the strong.

Rockets vs Mavericks away. Facing the opponent without Nowitzki, the Rockets reached a climax at 35: 20 in the third quarter. When the game entered the fourth quarter, the fans who were used to the Mavericks' counterattack were surprised to find that the opponent did not habitually resist, but gave up the game early.

When the Rockets are used to leading the score all the time, they set off an offensive frenzy in the third quarter, turning the fourth quarter into garbage time, and opponents are also used to giving up the game early. When two strong players win, the rocket's morale is high, and the opponent's morale is bound to be limited. Mavericks are so depressed, so are other opponents!

During the 22-game winning streak, almost no opponent stepped forward to end the Rockets' winning streak. Pierce or Ray, who talks big? 6? 1 Allen. As a result, they not only did it, but also beat the Rockets by 20 points. Such "planting" opponents may be one-sided. But it is undeniable that the morale of the Rockets is too high during their 22-game winning streak. No matter who the opponent is, before challenging the rockets, they are all short of breath before fighting.

The morale of the fans-a typical sign: record attendance.

Remember last season when Van Gundy bought tickets for fans? Do you still remember that whenever the Rockets play at home, the fans are always late? Remember when the Rockets complained that fans were always too quiet? When the 22-game winning streak gradually deepens, fans' attention to the Rockets is also heating up, and the "help" to the team is also overweight.

On February 8, Beijing time, the Rockets played against the Cavaliers at home, and the Toyota Center poured in 18402 fans, which was a new record-surpassing the team history record set by the Rockets against the Lakers in February 2006. On March 17, Beijing time, the Rockets played against the Lakers at home, and the tickets of Toyota Center were sold out early ... With the crazy support of fans, the morale of the Rockets was continued.

The last game of the 22-game winning streak, the home game of the Rockets against the Lakers, is a typical battle reflecting the above factors. In this game, Alston set a career-high scoring record, the Rockets' substitute players broke out again, the Rockets restricted the overall play of the Lakers with targeted defense, the Lakers fell into a bitter battle with Kobe Bryant and collapsed in the fourth quarter, and the Rockets' home court was full of fans' high fighting spirit ... defensive advantage, smooth attack, rebounding advantage and assists advantage-these technical and tactical factors that helped the Rockets win 22 consecutive victories can be explained from the perspective of morale.

About not entering the second round, it is mainly because of Yao Ming's absence, McGrady's injury, single-core VS Jazz's dual-core, and Alston's injury. I hope the Rockets can take off next season!