After rubbing his nose, Tang Tian couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Why has he become so susceptible to catching a cold lately?

Fortunately, the body doesn't feel anything, and it seems that the problem should not be big.

At the end of the training, Popovich pulled the players to lecture and took the vaccination in advance.

This game is at the home of the Rockets, and he also knows that this game will definitely not be easy to play.

At the Toyota Center that night, the attendance rate of the fans exceeded 9 percent.

Even in the playoffs, that's pretty rare.

In addition to coming to support the Rockets, there are also a large number of people who are here for Maddie.

Although Maddie's departure and the team were unhappy, the previous 6 years of his career still accumulated a lot of fans for him.

And these fans also know that Maddy hasn't played since joining the Spurs, and this is basically the last time they see Maddie in the playoffs.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were released one after another.

On the Spurs' side is the regular lineup, with Parker and Tang Tian on the outside, Leonard and Duncan on the front, and Split at center.

The Rockets have made roster changes, with Beverley, who played well in the last game, replacing Jeremy Lin in the starting lineup, and he partnered Harden in the backcourt.

Garcia and Parsons are still on the front line, and Asik is the center.

To the cheers of the fans, Asik jumped to beat Split to give the Rockets the first chance to attack.

Jeremy Lin didn't start, and Harden became the team's only offensive initiator, and he chose to make a strong break the first time he held the ball.

Tang Tian's defense was very good, and the block that jumped under the basket almost covered the ball.

Harden's dodge in the air completely lost its angle, but when he fell, he straightened his hand and took the initiative to lean on Tang Tian.

The referee's whistle sounded, signaling Tang Tian's thugs.

Tang Tian looked at the referee speechlessly for a while.

The rule is that there can be no physical contact with the parts below the body, and this is obviously Harden himself leaning into, not his active foul at all.

It was a miscalculation!

Popovich rushed straight to the sidelines and shouted questions to the referee.

He guessed before the game that the penalty scale would change, but he didn't expect to blow Tang Tian's foul as soon as he came up.

The referee did not change the decision and directly signaled Harden to make a free throw.

Harden hit both free throws to open the scoring for the Rockets.

And that's just the beginning.

In the first quarter, Harden put his new understanding of the rules, or rather the beginning of his learning to use them, to create fouls on Spurs players.

Tang Tian played 6 minutes and committed 2 fouls, and Green and Leonard also received two fouls one after another.

Popovich was ejected at the end of the quarter for roaring the referee.

The effect of a large number of fouls is rotation fatigue.

Even the angry old man on the sidelines of the Spurs was gone, replaced by Budenholzer with a mild face.

At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led the Spurs by 10 points at 30-20, and Harden made 10 free throws in the quarter.

The good news is that Harden, who played a full quarter, is finally out of the game, and the Spurs can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, this breath was not relieved for a while, and Leonard, who led the team on the court, was blown an offensive foul by the referee because he was in a hurry to get rid of the defense and swung his elbow.

It was also his third foul of the game.

Budenholzer glanced at the bench, Tang Tian had 2 fouls, Green had 2 fouls, Anderson had been cut before, plus Leonard's 3 fouls, the wing that was originally very deep was under great pressure to rotate tonight.

He folded his cheeks in thought for a moment, then turned and called Maddie up from the end of the bench.

To say that although Popovich is not available, he was also an opener before the game and put Maddie on the activation list, and the team is not completely unavailable at this time.

Maddie's words, although they still can't meet the team's requirements to play, but there is nothing they can do at this time.

Maddie walked over to the tech desk, and there was a whistle on the scene.

There were Maddie fans in there, and they didn't expect to actually see Maddie on the court tonight, and it was still in regular rotation time.

Others are Rockets fans who don't have much affection for Maddie and are waiting to see Maddie make a fool of himself.

You must know that Maddie played in the CBA last season and has been eliminated by the NBA, let alone the intensity of the playoffs.

The Rockets' offense, Delfino's three-point shot from the outside was missed.

Basketball Dior and Greg Smith scramble for card spots.

However, the ball was a long rebound, and Maddy stuck Parsons with his slightly fat body and reached out to take the defensive long rebound.

There were sporadic cheers at the scene, and Maddie came up and took a board!

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile off the field at this time.

Maddie's words are also a veteran now, and he still has a lot of experience.

The Spurs hit the hammer in the frontcourt, and Maddy had a three-point chance after he was in position.

His movements were a bit slow, and Parsons, who was assisting in the defense, directly interfered with his shot.

However, Maddie didn't seem to want to shoot a three-point shot, a feint three-point shot, and shook Parsons to the mid-range dry pull.

Familiar poses, iconic scissor legs, a fat but still ecstatic figure.

Many fans at the scene were about to shout out.

"Bang!"

But it's a pity that Maddie's signature dry pull didn't go in.

The opportunity is good, but it is obvious that because he has not played an official match for a long time, his shot does not feel good.

The Rockets counterattacked, Brooks' frontcourt layup was interfered with by Ginobili, and Jeremy Lin, who followed up, failed to make up for the ball.

The success rate of both sides in this section of the attack is not high.

The Spurs had another hammer play in the frontcourt, with Ginobili's three-point shot at the top of the arc.

"Bang!"

Still not entering, this section of the basket is covered on both sides.

Fortunately, Dio arched Greg Smith with his big ass at this time and grabbed the offensive rebound.

After seeing a chance for Maddie in the bottom corner, he flicked the ball over.

In team basketball, where the opportunity is, where to pass.

Maddy's catch-up was a completely open opportunity, and he adjusted his three-point shot.

"Bang!"

The shot was still a little off.

It just deflected in, and the ball bounced into the inside of the rebound.

Maddie, score!

There was a burst of whistles and cheers from the sidelines.

This is very rare in the NBA, and you must know that Maddy's words are no longer a member of the Rockets, but an opponent!

Maddie felt the enthusiasm of the fans as he ran back, and reached out his hands to make his trademark move, and his hands were raised at a 45-degree angle!

The cheers were even louder.

What a familiar scene, despite the fact that Maddie is now wearing a Spurs jersey!

"This is T-mac's first appearance in the NBA playoffs after five years, and it is also his first score in five years."

On the commentary seat, Mike Brin also sighed.

Maddy's words are recognized as the most talented players in the league, but due to injuries and other factors, he has not been able to play as well as he should, which is embarrassing.

The word pathos is destined to be associated with him, but to see him score in the NBA after five years is enough to be emotional!