The Rockets Won 10 Consecutive Victories, Speeding Up and Changing Defenses Stirred a Storm of Youth

Today, the Rockets defeated the Thunder, who are third in the West, 132-126 in overtime, and won ten consecutive victories!

It's not that happiness came too suddenly, but the state and performance of the rocket since March are obvious to all, steady and steady, and it comes naturally.

Since March 1, Beijing time, the Rockets have achieved a proud record of 12 wins and 2 losses: two games against the Suns, one win and one loss; since the 116-122 loss to the Clippers, they have won ten consecutive victories all the way; during the ten consecutive wins, the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Wizards, Jazz, these teams that are not aiming at the playoffs have basically crushed, and even the Kings, Cavaliers, Bulls, and Thunder, and the performance since March is extraordinary.

From 25-33 to 37-35, in less than a month, the Warriors who missed the playoffs in the West have all the way to the threshold of the play-offs, and are now only one win away from the Warriors who are 10th in the West. Everything is getting better, and there's no doubt that the current Rockets team is in the best form of the season so far!

Shen Jing's injury unexpectedly became a turning point for the Rockets in March, and the Rockets realized the transformation of the tactical core play from slow-paced positional battles to fast-paced play styles that converted blitzkrieg.

When Shen Jing is on the court, the Rockets' offensive and defensive mode is similar to that of the Nuggets and the Kings, and Shen Jing's role in the Rockets system is like a poor man's version of Mr. Yoo and Sabonis Jr., Shen Jing and VanVleet are the regular starting hands of the Rockets, and the two are then dealt cards to the other three attackers, Jalen Green's tactical position is the highest in the third, and the ball is basically concentrated in the hands of the Shen Fan duo.

When the big center Shen Jing is on the field to defend and block and dismantle, he basically squats and retreats, and when the Rockets have Shen Jing on the field, both ends of the offense and defense need to be in position to attack and defend, which is also a common problem of the big center, and the rhythm and speed can't get up.

When there is Shen Jing, the Rocket's offense and defense are like stews, which need to be prepared on a plate and slowly boiled over a small fire; when there is no Shen Jing, the Rocket's No. 1-5 positions are infinitely replaced, and the offense is fully accelerated, and the lightning is rushing, and the stir-fry is eaten directly.

Since Shen Jing was absent, the Rockets' No. 5 position is Jabari Smith Jr. at 2.11 meters, and the lineup has been directly lightened. Smith, Thompson, Dillon, Jalen Green, Jeff Green, Tate, Holiday and Bullock can all participate in the change of defense, the Rockets starting 1-5 positions are infinitely changing defenses, man-marking encourages heads-up, and successful defense pushes counterattacks, lightweight, speedy, and positionless basketball are the defensive labels during the Rockets' winning streak.

The age structure of the Rockets' personnel is also very suitable for playing fast-paced offense, Dillon and VanVleet, the two instant combat forces that were heavily recruited last summer, are both post-90s, this age group is already a big brother in the team, Thompson, Jalen Green, and Smith are all post-00s, and the fast-paced style of play is in line with the characteristics of this group of young people.

In the past, the Rockets were three onlookers at the No. 1 and No. 5 positions, but now they have a wide space for the five-outside lineup, running and playing completely unleashing the Rockets' youth storm led by Jalen Green.

Although the rocket has less Shen Jing, more people have stepped forward, performing their duties, step by step, and the whole team has shown unparalleled cohesion.

Jalen Green is on the rise, and he played the best performance of the month in March: in the last seven games, Green averaged 33.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and averaged 5.4 three-pointers per game with a 49% three-point shooting rate.

As his draft report put it: Jalen Green's first start is impressive, with the ability to shoot three-pointers, the speed and explosiveness, and the power to do so on the transition offense!

Shen Jing was not on the court, the Rockets' starting lineup directly set up a small ball formation, and all five people on the court except Amen Thompson had a three-point threat, and the space was relatively open, allowing capable ball handlers to gallop freely. Compared with the past when Shen Fan blocked and started the ball, and Shen Jing also ate the offensive space, Green's ball possession and breakthrough space were very limited, but now Green's ball possession and offensive freedom have changed dramatically, lifting the seal and taking off.

Green was the Rockets' No. 1 offensive knife during the winning streak, and everyone else played their roles methodically: Dillon was the 3-and-D big man on the wing, VanVleet was the altruistic cake cook, Smith was the swingman for the space switch, Thompson didn't have a three-point shot (14.5 percent from three-point range this season) but worked hard at the blue-collar No. 4 position, Jeff Green and Bullock provided significant veteran experience, and so on.

Each performs its own duties, the three armies are killed, the offense and defense are dead, and the people's hearts are cohesive, and Udoka has to be praised for his good coaching and internal stability and unity, which is the premise for ten consecutive victories in all technical and tactical levels.

Udoka is clearly underrated, and he was undoubtedly the first behind-the-scenes hero during the Rockets' winning streak.

Originally from the Spurs department, Udoka began working as an assistant coach with the Spurs in 2012, as the 76ers' head assistant coach in 2019, and as an assistant coach to the Nets in 2020 before becoming the head coach of the Green Army in the 2021-22 season.

During Udoka's tenure at the helm of the Green Army, the team's defensive efficiency of 110.6 ranked second in the league, leading the team to the Finals. He transplanted the Green Army's rotation system with the Rockets, a simple and effective defensive method that is best suited to young teams with physical talent, and the Rockets' resource allocation is exactly what Udoka's rotation system does.

The Rockets have a large number of multi-position swing people, Dillon, Thompson, Smith, Jalen Green, Jeff Green, Tate, and Bullock all have the ability to switch defenses, especially Smith and Dillon, these two points are actually the internal and external defensive axis of the Rockets' defense system, and Smith's body size and Dillon's hardness constitute the backbone of the Rockets' defense.

Before Udoka took charge of the Rockets, the Rockets ranked second to last in the league in defensive efficiency at 118.6, and so far this season, the Rockets have ranked eighth in the league in defensive efficiency at 112.1 — and the Rockets have been reborn on the defensive end from a bad team to an elite defensive team.

Defense is the premise for the Rockets' current performance so far this season: a wave of six consecutive wins in November, beating the Kings, Lakers, Pelicans, and Nuggets, five consecutive wins in December, defeating the Thunder and Nuggets, and a wave of 10 consecutive wins in March, winning against the Kings, Cavaliers, Bulls, and Thunder. There's no denying that the Rockets have been a bit of a strong team so far this season, and the league's eighth-best defensive efficiency does make them eligible to wrestle with any team.

The Rockets are a team with a strong defense and a weak offense, ranking 20th in the league in offensive efficiency, which is also a common problem of young teams that are just rising: the offense is unstable, young players are prone to make mistakes and pay tuition, and the overall vitality is immature, and the ups and downs of the record are inevitable.

The significance of the Rockets' 10-game winning streak is not only infinitely close to the play-offs, but also the thinking and discussion around the two different styles of technical and tactical play of Shin Jing and Green in the future, and this youth storm gives Houston fans reason to believe that it is only a matter of time before "Rocket Man" resounding throughout the arena again!