The Godfather of Basketball

Thibodeau was really drunk. In fact, he didn't drink much, but some people who drink for the first time always get drunk very quickly.

In the end, Tang Tian helped him back to the hotel to rest.

Looking at the big fat man on the bed, Tang Tian was a little thankful that tomorrow's match was in the afternoon, otherwise this guy would probably go crazy when he woke up.

After a day's rest, the Rockets ushered in the summer league knockout process. Because they are the No. 1 team, their opponents in the single elimination match are relatively the weakest.

The result was calm. They defeated the Suns, Lakers, and Spurs all the way, and successfully advanced to the summer league championship.

But compared to the result of the game, what made Tang Tian more excited was Millsap's progress.

Originally, in such a short period of time, he only had a try-and-see attitude towards Novak and Millsap. As a result, Novak's defense did not improve much, but Millsap's back-up was already in shape.

It seems that talent really does exist, as long as you give it a little guidance, it will bring you surprises.

The Rockets' opponent in the final is the Trail Blazers, the old opponent they have encountered in the round robin.

Because it was a championship game, the Mark Center was full of people in this game, and the low tickets made the arena almost full of seats.

And in the audience in the front row, there were many familiar figures.

The Rockets' Tracy McGrady and new aid Shane Battier came to the scene to cheer for the Rockets. In addition, many second- and third-rate stars also came.

Although it is the summer league, this championship battle is not losing to the regular season at all.

During the round robin, the Blazers were beaten by the Rockets without a temper. Coach Panagio was very depressed in the interview after the game, and even refused the media interview.

But this time before the game, Panagio regained his confidence and said in an interview before the game that he had found the "key" to defeat the Rockets.

Such a statement rekindled the confidence of the media, who likened this game to a battle of revenge.

Losing the round robin but winning the final championship, this script deserves to be covered by the media.

Moreover, the opponent of the Blazers is the Rockets. If the Rockets fail to win the championship, Tang Tian will definitely become the target of their criticism.

The game is about to start, the Rockets' starting lineup is still the same as before, while the Trail Blazers have made some adjustments.

The original starting center Schinchel was replaced by a short insider named Temple.

Tang Tian didn't remember this person. He wasn't on the Blazers' roster when the two teams played against each other last time.

The summer league is not as regular as the regular season. Players come in and out. It can be seen that Panagio recruited it specially for the Rockets.

The game between the two sides started quickly. This time Millsap won the jump ball opportunity for the Rockets, and the Rockets took the lead in attacking.

Soon, fans saw the changes brought about by the adjustment of the Trail Blazers. Temple clung to Millsap the whole time, almost inseparable.

The Rockets finally made a mid-range shot by Bynum's pick-and-roll, the basketball went out of the basket, and the rebound was caught by Aldridge.

When the Trail Blazers played offense, Temple made an off-ball pick-and-roll for Aldridge. After Aldridge broke the ball, he received a pass from Rodriguez and directly shot a large two-pointer within the three-point line.

"Shua!"

The ball went into the frame precisely, and the Trail Blazers took the lead in scoring.

And this is just the beginning. Temple has been clinging to Millsap, not giving him a chance to catch the ball. Without this scoring point, the Rockets' offense is far less smooth than before.

Looking back, the Trail Blazers took advantage of the Rockets' weakness in the height of the two insiders to allow Aldridge to shoot from the mid-range position.

This adjustment was very effective. After half the game, the Trail Blazers led the Rockets 11 to 6.

Tang Tian turned his head to look at the Trail Blazers bench at this time, and found that Panagio was also turning to look at him with a slightly smug expression.

This coach is quite interesting.

Pick and roll, and then find someone to stalk the opponent's main scorer. This is what he did to the Trail Blazers, and it is used to deal with the Rockets according to the law.

Tang Tian stretched out his hand to call a timeout, and then picked up the tactical board.

"Paul, wait for the lower back." Tang Tian said directly.

"Huh?" Millsap was stunned for a moment. His backhand strike was only practiced by Tang Tian in private, and he hadn't used it in the competition yet.

"Is there a problem?" Tang Tian said directly.

"No problem!" Seeing that Tang Tian was serious, he immediately nodded and said.

"Others take the defender away. If the Trail Blazers use double-teams, it must be Aldridge inside. Paul, once the double-teams pass the ball as soon as possible, Chuck, you have to be ready to catch the ball and layup. Get ready." Tang Tian spoke quickly, Hayes and Millsap nodded again and again.

"There is no need to change the defensive end. After the defense is changed, the pressure is enough. The shooting rate at that position cannot always be high."

In two simple sentences, everything that needs to be adjusted has been explained.

Immediately afterwards, a magical scene appeared on the scene. Just halfway through the timeout, the Rockets players were waiting to play on the sidelines.

There was a burst of whistles from the fans at the scene, and this was probably going to be a spectacle in the finals.

Panagio noticed the audience's reaction, and after seeing the state of the Rockets, he unconsciously pressed his hand on the tactical board.

For belittling his opponent like this, he will make Tang Tian pay the price.

After a timeout, the Rockets' offense was different from all the previous rounds. This time Millsap fell directly to the low post on the right side, leaning against Temple with his back.

There was a burst of whistles at the scene, and this scene was the first time it appeared in the summer league.

Despite his high score, Millsap felt more like a high-level blue-collar player in the previous games. He has never shown his ability as a scorer.

Panagio was also stunned for a moment, but soon he laughed out loud.

Tang Tian's countermeasure seems to be very useful, but the key is that Millsap doesn't know how to hit back at all!

Let alone this summer league, judging from the information he has, there are not a few serious back-ups in college.

There is only one result of driving ducks to the shelves, asking for trouble!