Olajuwon, who appears on the Rockets' home court every playoff game, said of the Rockets' next round of problems: "Yao Ming's main problem is that it is difficult to break around the front defense, he is too big, and there are advantages and disadvantages. ∝, Olajuwon mentioned the problem of Yao Ming being defended in front of him in response to questions from fans, and gave three countermeasures to break the front defense.

1. The Rockets pass the ball to the corner, attract the attention of the opposing player, and then quickly pass the ball to Yao Ming inside.

2. When the Clippers wrap Yao Ming, the Rockets player on the weak side can help Yao Ming to cover, in this case, the players on both sides can pass the ball to Yao Ming who gets rid of it.

3. Outside players should also strengthen the accuracy of outside shooting, so that the Clippers will not dare to wrap Yao Ming lightly, and they can also open up some offensive space for Yao Ming.

Well, Yao Ming himself knows these tricks, but sometimes it is not that you know what to do and you can do it well in the game. Everyone knows that they can beat them by limiting the Clippers' interior line, but after playing all season, it seems that only the Spurs have done well, but when it comes to the playoffs, it's still uncertain. Therefore, Olajuwon estimated that he thought that Yao Ming might not be able to escape the poisonous hands of the animal brothers. Not to mention Yao Ming, Olajuwon himself felt that if he had met two such opponents alone on the inside, he might not be much better than Duncan last year, and the two twins were in the same team, which was a joke in itself.

On May 1, the Rockets conducted a targeted team-wide training. However, the core player Yao Ming did not participate in this training. He sued the reporter. My ankle is a little sore. In order to avoid the aggravation of his injuries before the big battle, he made the decision not to participate in training after consulting with the team doctor. However, Yao Ming said he would not miss the first game of the Western Conference semifinals at the Stamp Center.

Yao Ming said: "My problem is not very big, it is just a little sore ankle. To be on the safe side, people thought it would be better for me to not participate in training and give my ankles some rest. I came here today and watched my teammates train. This ankle injury had no effect on my participation in the semi-finals. ”

This may be the "smoke bomb" released by the Rockets at the time of the Great War, and coincidentally, the Clippers also released "smoke bombs". Los Angeles media reported that the Clippers' two leading stars, the animal brothers of the inner duo, were absent from team training like Yao Ming due to flu symptoms. Although the official news given by the Clippers is that the two brothers are on the "daily watch list", it is 100% certain that when the semifinals begin, Yao Ming and both animals will be in good spirits on the court.

May 2, on the eastern side. The Cleveland Cavaliers 3:3 Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics 3:3 New York Knicks. Orlando Magic 4:2 Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks 3:3 Miami Heat. Well, both the Cavaliers and the Celtics actually played Game 7, the former because of Brand's injury, the latter is not a strange thing, and the Green Shirts did the same last year, and they had to play seven games in each round to determine the winner.

The four semifinalist teams in the West have all been well-rested thanks to the East, which is more beneficial for the Spurs and Rockets. As long as the four Spurs are fine, the Lakers will have to worry about their usual casual attitude, will they be killed by the Spurs like an army, and they will be killed with a direct sprint?

The Rockets also got a break, and Yao Ming needed this very much, but the outside world was still optimistic about the Clippers. Bendan wrote an article reminding the Clippers not to be underestimated, not only because the Rockets have a Stephen who doesn't admit defeat. Marbury, also because of the history of this team, "never underestimate the heart of a championship" comes from the 95 Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, when the defending champion of the Rockets was not very good in that season and was not favored by most people, but in the end successfully defended the title.

Reach. Bundan reminded the Clippers not to forget Yao's rhetoric after beating the Trail Blazers in Game 5, "It's just past the first round of the playoffs, and I'm not happy. It's not the goal of the Clippers, it's not the goal of the Lakers, it's not the goal of the Celtics, it's not the goal of the Cavaliers, it's not our goal. ”

For the Rockets, it was a long wait for the first round to get through, but it also meant a fresh start.

The Rockets won two championships in 1994 and 1995, and if you look back at their winning process, you will find that these are two almost impossible tasks. In 1994, the Rockets lost two home games in a series against the Suns, but they still struggled to win. In 1995, the Houstonians entered the playoffs with the sixth overall pick and reached the top without home-court advantage throughout the series.

In the two years of playoff journey, the Rockets won all five of the life-and-death battles in which they were eliminated after losing, and the words of coach Tomjanovic are still fresh in our minds - 'Never underestimate the heart of a champion!' ’

While the team is at its most brilliant, the dramatic changes in the Rockets' management are also interesting. Alexander had been hoping to gain recognition from the Houston people after taking over the team, but the first thing he did when he took office was to screw up, firing Kevin, an announcer who was loved by local fans. Murphy, so much so that at the 1994 championship ceremony, Alexander heard a lot of boos. Alexander brought Murphy back, and because of his wife's influence, he printed the slogan of an animal protection organization on the cheerleader's uniform, but this did not earn Alexander the reputation he expected.

Alexander has been making changes to the Rockets, and he has brought Townshot out of the team and replaced Carroll with the young Morey. Dawson's position and traded Francis for Maddie in 2004.

But only now has Alexander's efforts to make his mark on the Rockets bear fruit. The team has won more than 50 wins four times in the past five seasons, and this year it still won more than 50 wins despite trading Maddie, and finally broke the first-round curse.

Jeff, who was fired for setting the record for most wins in the NBA. Van Gundy has injected defensive qualities into the team, and this has been carried on under Adelman today. In fact, Van Gundy and Adelman have been four serious contenders for the league's best manager over the past five years.

On May 4th, the Western Conference team is now impatient to wait, and a proper rest can get the Spurs and Rockets back to 100 percent shape, but with too much rest, they are more likely to lose game form than the younger players. When players get older, they are not only tired easily, but also more likely to relax. For example, the Spurs four now feel that if they rest for a few more days, they may forget the rhythm of the playoffs.

The Rockets and Clippers were even more embarrassed, and the smoke bombs put off by the two teams before the game seemed to be a little early, but the result was naturally useless at all, and they both slapped themselves, making the Lakers and Spurs watch the joke on the sidelines.

The East finally decided today, the Cleveland Cavaliers 4:3 Chicago Bulls, they finally eliminated the young Bulls at home, Derrick. Rose is undoubtedly a lot better than Durant in the playoffs, and it's hard to imagine that this is a first-year player.

Derek. Rose led the team to seven games against the Cavaliers, averaging 22 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals per game, which made the Bulls still proud of defeat, and Chicago fans seemed to have seen their team's second superstar rising.

Boston Celtics 4:3 New York Knicks, this result has long been expected, as long as the Big Three are not injured, their home court generally can't be lost, the ghost knows what the reason is, anyway, the Celtics are all away from home this year, and last season's urine. It's just a pity that Maddie, Tripy's sister fell in the first round again, but the Rockets entered the second round, which made many Maddie blacks completely **.

The Orlando Magic defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2, and they are the first team in the East to qualify, having already qualified in the previous game. The Magic's defense this year is more solid than last year's, and they have retained all of last season's main players and added role players, which has made them a bit more improved from last season, and the Magic are still reasonable contenders for a championship this year.

Atlanta Hawks 4:3 Miami Heat, Beasley is completely sorry for his identity in the playoffs, he let Wade fight alone, and O'Neal Jr. was injured again in the playoffs after the trade, and the Heat can play four games with the Hawks, relying on Wade's god-like appearance. But a god of war can't lead a group of CBA teammates to victory, Kobe Bryant and James already have examples in the past, and the Heat team's exit is a smooth one, but it's a pity that in the past few seasons of Dian Wei's peak, there has been no qualified helper to help him build a dynasty.

After the first round of the East, the league can't wait, and on May 5, the second round of the playoffs will begin, the first game is the Los Angeles Clippers vs Houston Rockets; Orlando Magic vs Boston Celtics, both sides are strong conversations.

The schedule for the second round of the Clippers was released on the same day.

May 5, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Staples Arena, PM, 22:00.

May 7, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Staples Arena, PM, 22:30.

May 9, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Toyota Center, PM, 22:00.

May 11, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Toyota Center, PM, 22:00.

May 14, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Staples Arena, PM, 22:30.

May 16, Los Angeles-class Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Toyota Center, PM, 22:30.

May 18, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets - Staples Arena, PM, 22:00. (To be continued......) uR1071