Vol 3 Chapter 288: situation

To say that this year's Rockets are really strong! After equalizing the big score in the fourth game, they returned to Houston to win the Tianwangshan matchup. This immediately put the defending champion Warriors to a dead end.
The Rockets won this game too hard! So that Chris Paul was injured and fell to the ground at the last moment. But it is worth it.
In the last 32 years, the Rockets have only lost one series after winning the Battle of Tianwang Mountain. Ten years ago, the Rockets faced the Jazz in the first round and won 96:92 in the fifth battle of Tianwangshan. But then the Jazz played two consecutive games and eliminated the Rockets 4:3. Throughout the history of the NBA, teams that win the Battle of Tianwangshan also have a high chance of advancement. In the seven-game four-win series, the first four games were tied 2:2. And among the teams that won the fifth game, 83.5% of the teams successfully advanced.
In this way, after the Rockets won the fifth game, the scale of victory in this series has begun to tilt towards the Rockets. Not only did they get the match point, but in this series, the Rockets have the home court advantage. Even if the Warriors equalized the score in Game 6, the two sides entered the tiebreaker, the Rockets' home court advantage would have a huge impact on the game.
In the history of the NBA, the teams that scored the tiebreak and dominated the home court in the series had a total of 104 wins and 26 losses, and the winning rate of the teams playing at home was as high as 80%. This gives people the illusion that as long as the tiebreaker is played, the home team will generally win. However, if the Warriors can drag the game to Game 7, then this series is hard to say. The last time the team beat the Warriors in the tiebreaker was the Cavaliers led by LeBron James. In the final battle, they defeated the Warriors 93:89 away to win the championship. Whether the Rockets have the ability of the Cavaliers back then depends on Harden's performance in the last two games. Chris Paul's injury cast a shadow over the Rockets.
Harden's performance in this game was actually not good. His 0-for-11 three-pointer really made the Rockets very uncomfortable. If it were not for 6 points at the critical moment of the fourth quarter, his sense of presence would be too low. Compared to Harden, Paul behaves more like a leader. Although he was also sluggish in the first half, he made 0 of 7 offensive shots. But he stood up in the second half, almost a replica of the previous game. In the second half, he scored 18 points and scored 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
In addition to scoring to carry the team, Paul is also the spiritual pillar of the Rockets on the court.
When on the court, Paul has been encouraging Harden, who is in a sluggish state. In the director's footage, Paul was seen interacting with Harden many times. This is what the Rockets need Paul to bring. When the replacement came to rest, he was not idle, and kept encouraging his teammates. Talk one by one and tell them what to pay attention to. Until he was injured in the fourth quarter and limped off the court, there was a huge applause.
But now the problem is, Paul was injured in this game! And it is possible to miss the next game. During the regular season, Paul truce due to sore hamstrings for several games. Now, it's another hamstring injury.
Without Chris Paul, it would be difficult for the Rockets to lead the Warriors with a total score of 3:2. He averaged 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2 steals per game, the Rockets' second scoring point. When Harden is not on the court, he can also shoulder the organization on the court. His existence greatly shared Harden's pressure. And unlike the Warriors, Paul has always been very accurate when he arrives at the Rockets. He is here to assist Harden. In the Warriors, it is always a question whether Curry or Durant are the first to score. Although the team basketball system created by Kerr can make up for this flaw, once the critical moment is reached, whether to hand the ball to Curry or Durant is really a big problem. In these two games, Cole trusted Curry more. But Curry's response was that he missed two consecutive games at critical moments.
Especially this game. At the last moment, Green used a three-pointer to reduce the score to 1 point, and Curry got the chance to overtake the score. But Curry's layup did not score the ball. Curry, who had missed the opportunity, was very upset and kept his head down.
At the press conference after the game, he also looked dead. But his mood has adjusted a lot. In the face of reporters’ questions, Curry looked calm:
That’s why you have to play seven games, and that’s why you have to win four games in the playoffs to advance. We did not lose! We still have a chance. We will win at home. Victory, and then fight them again in the seventh game."
When Cole was talking about Curry’s last layup, UU reading www.uukanshu.com was very positive: "He did what he should do! They are all excellent! The players play according to the established tactics. , It’s impossible to score every time."
Compared to the Rockets, the Warriors' worries are a little trivial. Chris Paul's injury has a considerable impact on the situation in this series. It can be seen from his own emotions. With a melancholy face, even the victory of the game did not make him happy. Chris Paul, who has turned 33 this month, has few opportunities. Over the years, he has experienced many times because of injury and hate the playoffs!
This year is undoubtedly the Rockets' best chance to win the championship, and the situation is also beneficial to them. But now it casts a shadow. After the game, the Rockets staff announced to the media: "Chris Paul suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg and will be examined, not at the press conference."
But judging from the expressions of the rest of the Rockets, the problem does not seem to be a big deal. Harden combed his beard unhurriedly while listening to the song in the locker room. If Paul is seriously injured, he should not be so easy.
Equally easy is D'Antoni. Of course, he never talks about player injuries at press conferences. When the reporter asked this question, he also joked very humorously: "Is he hurt? I didn't see it!" But then he gave everyone an attitude toward this question: "Paul is a tough guy! I believe he will be fine. Of course, everything depends on tomorrow’s inspection results. If he can continue to play, it will be a great thing for him and the team. If he can’t play, we have enough The team of people challenged. Others should have come forward! We have a lot of physically active players available and everything is under control!"