On April 2, after watching the Rockets' home loss to the Kings, we can indeed see the "good intentions" of Rockets coach Silas. In fact, in the first quarter, with the strength of the Rockets, if they can play normally, the third quarter can play the game, but Silas did not do it. In the first quarter, the Rockets exploded a 14-2 attack wave inside and out, after which Matthews' three-pointer continued to stretch the score for the Rockets, and after the end of the first quarter, the Rockets won 41-26 by 15 points!
But did this game go into trash time? Not at all. In the second quarter, Silas did not take advantage of the chase, but sent a lot of bench players and marginal players, Christopher, Martin Jr. and Fernando became the main fighting force of the Rockets, until the middle of the second quarter, the Rockets slowly changed the main players to the court, when the Rockets' lead was almost all eroded by the Kings. The Rockets lost 10 points 21-31 in the second quarter, but after halftime, the Rockets still led by five points.
In the second half, the Rockets and the Kings played back and forth, Porter Jr. and Jaylen Green scored consecutive points for the Rockets, but the Kings' attack, the Rockets could not defend, and it could even be said that they were not particularly serious. The score in this quarter was a 29-29 draw. In the fourth quarter, the Rockets came up to be the Kings to a 0-8, the score was reversed, although Jaylen Green has been brushing points, but the teammates did not give support on the offensive end, and the Rockets defense was absent-minded, halfway through the quarter, the Kings played a 12-0 attack wave, and finally the Rockets were powerless to return to the sky.
So, can the Rockets really not beat the Kings? Not at all. We can see some clues from the "big mystery" 4-quarter score. The first quarter of the Rockets is really serious, this section of the Rockets won by 15 points, which is also a section of the Rockets to show their strength. But because the first quarter led too much, and the Rockets' goal is to lose and continue to compete for the title, so in the second quarter, the Rockets suddenly became "not able to play", actively reduced the intensity of defense, and let a number of marginal players play, the Rockets lost 10 points in the second quarter.
The third quarter was still a show of strength for the Rockets, and the two sides drew in this quarter. But in the fourth quarter, the Rockets began to take the initiative to swing, in addition to repeated misses on the offensive end, they also took the initiative to weaken the intensity on the defensive end, and then they were overtaken by the Kings' two attack waves. After the game, some netizens summed it up particularly well: "The rocket team showed strength in the first quarter, the determination (of the bad) showed in the second quarter, the attitude of the 3rd quarter, and the original intention of the (rotten) in the 4th quarter." ”
In just a few words, the "psychological changes" of the Rockets' 4-quarter game were summarized. Indeed, as an NBA professional player, he took the initiative to lose the game when he came up, and his face was not too good, so the Rockets began to lose after showing their strength, which is in the interests of the Rockets and also allows the players to have face. In particular, Jaylen Green brushed out 33+8 data, which made the Rockets' loss seem insignificant.
This is the Rockets' "two birds with one stone" strategy, showing that they have the strength to win, but in order to "afford", in order to get the high pick, they can only continue to chase the loss, and finally the Rockets played a wonderful game, and the two goals came together. Houston seems to be getting a little closer to this summer's draft draw.