The Basketball Court Swordsman

What was the impression of Dwight Howard during the Magic era? Sunny, handsome, amiable, funny, and of course, there is a style of playing that is so explosive that all basketball fans are infatuated. After playing Superman and winning the slam dunk contest, his popularity exploded.

It is precisely because of these qualities that at that time Howard, who was not the closest to the championship or the most dominant in the league, became the most popular player in the league. He has repeatedly become the All-Star ticket king, which is the best proof of this.

Henson admitted that he once liked Howard in the Magic Age very much. Even if the Pacers and Magic met in the playoffs before, Henson did not dislike this guy very much, but since the transfer to Los Angeles, Howard has changed his temperament.

He is no longer the "happy beast", but a utilitarian who only wants to win quickly, a usurper who wants to occupy Kobe's position, and a gloomy character who is not loved by his teammates and opponents. .

After leaving that warm "little" in Orlando, Howard's emotional intelligence seemed to plummet. When I was in the Lakers, I didn't get along well with the teammates of the Lakers. After I came to the Rockets, there were some comments that hurt the unity of the team.

Now, Howard's emotional intelligence problem seems not only reflected in the team, but also began to "expand outward." For example, he attacked Henson.

Before the start of this back-to-back game in Houston, Howard undoubtedly became the focal point. After all, the last iconic center of Houston was Yao Ming, so this city is loved by Chinese fans, and many Asian fans settle here.

As soon as Howard's remarks came out, countless Asian fans rushed to the streets to protest, and major media criticized Howard's behavior.

But facing the camera, Howard just said lightly, "I'm just kidding, if you ask Asians to ask for a secret misunderstanding, then I'm sorry here."

When Howard said this, he still wore the iconic "Happy Beast" smile. In the past, Howard's smile was indeed very charming. But in this serious matter, Howard's smile is somewhat "joking" in it.

To put it bluntly, Howard's apology was not sincere.

When Henson and his Pacers stepped into the Toyota Center to warm up, the Chinese coach's face was very serious. Seeing this, Jeff Van Gundy, who has coached the Rockets for a long time, issued a warning.

"It seems that Coach Henson is not very happy today. It is not difficult to imagine that this must be related to Howard's inappropriate remarks. I think today, the Rockets must deal with it carefully. After all, Coach Henson's anger is very difficult to calm."

Henson is indeed not very happy, just in the player channel, he also heard reporters say Howard's apology. However, Henson does not think Howard's apology is useful. Some things are useful, but some things can be solved by more than just an apology.

Since Howard wants to start a war at the Toyota Center, give him a war!

During the warm-up of the game, T.NT television gave Henson and Howard split-screen shots many times. Howard was still smiling, and Henson shook his face all the way.

Finally, the referee began to urge the players on both sides to return to the bench to prepare for the upcoming official game.

"Coach! Don't worry, we will make that guy look good!"

"Let's talk, how do we deal with him!?"

"I will let that guy go to hell!"

Before Henson made the final deployment, the Pacers' starting players approached their coach one by one, gearing up one by one.

If you put it in the past, they can't control how Howard insults Asians. But since getting along with Henson, an Asian coach, the Pacers players have become very sensitive to such things.

The players thought that Henson would encourage everyone's anger before the game, but Henson just looked at everyone coldly. You can't see the slightest anger on his face.

"When did I say I want you to clean him up? Your opponent is the Houston Rockets, not Dwight Howard! Don't hate your enemy, because it will cover your eyes!"

Henson quoted a very classic line in the "Godfather" movie to remind his players.

"I will take care of the Howard matter naturally, and what you have to do now is to calm down and defeat the opponent with the most calm performance! If the Rockets win this game, guys, then I will lose too. You have the right to speak! So in order to solve Howard, you must calmly deal with this game, understand!?"

The players looked at each other. Since the three months of hospitalization, Henson has really become calmer than before.

"We know, Boss. Don't worry, at Toyota Center, we are never soft!" Chris Paul stood up and responded to Henson on behalf of the players, while others nodded in agreement.

"Coach Henson, time is running out!" On the court, the referee was already urging Henson. In the other half, the Rockets players were already in place.

Henson's gaze crossed the referee and fell on Howard's still smiling face.

He would not attack Howard directly, because that would not solve any problems. On the basketball court, whoever wins will have the right to speak.

When Yao Ming first entered the NBA, he was also treated racially. O'Neal even made fun of Yao Ming's skin color. But later, such voices became less and less, until disappeared. The reason is that Yao Ming proved himself in the NBA, he convinced everyone.

What Henson has to do now is actually the same as Yao Ming, win the game and then leave the opponent speechless! Yao Ming made O'Neal willing to apologize back then, and Henson believed that a Dwight Howard was not a problem!

"Go, don't let the opponents wait too long. Remember, what I want is calmness and victory. If anyone makes an extraordinary move on the court, I guarantee that he will watch the entire game on the bench."

After Henson finished speaking, the players all walked onto the court obediently, and they all dispelled the idea of ​​plotting Howard. Because everyone is very clear, Henson has always said it. If he says he won't let you play, he really won't let you play.

"In this game at Toyota Center, most reporters are more optimistic that the defending champion Pacers can win. After all, after Coach Henson returned, they have not yet tasted a defeat, and they have won 9 consecutive victories. Some say the Rockets The Heat just defeated the Heat in the previous game. I don’t think this is convincing. After all, the Pacers eliminated the Heat for two consecutive seasons."

As soon as Reggie Miller's voice fell, the referee threw the ball high. Howard got the ball into the hands of Rockets starting point guard Patrick Beverley at a height of half a hand higher than Horford.

It can be seen that Howard is very excited today. In fact, he said that Henson was not looking for trouble because he was okay. "Warcraft" hasn't forgotten that if he hadn't been blocked by the Pacers repeatedly, he might not have thought of leaving the Magic.

After the transfer to the Lakers, the Pacers have repeatedly embarrassed the Lakers. In short, Howard and Henson are also old opponents, but the conflict between the two before is not superficial.

Beverley handed the ball to Harden after halftime. Harden's state is probably not even clear to Rockets coach McHale. The status of this "little prince in the nightclub" is related to how much wine he drank yesterday and how late he played.

Harden's performance this season is the same as before. You can see that he is strong, but his state is fluctuating. It is possible that he will have a super **** expression today, and the next day he will have a hit rate of less than 30%.

Therefore, in this game, Henson did not set up a special arrangement for Harden, but just let George defend the big beard alone.

In the first round of the game, neither McHale nor Henson could see how well Henson was. Because the bearded guard did not attack by himself, but chose to pass.

People found that Howard was very active in the post today. Harden didn't play his temper, but slinged the ball into Howard for singles.

"James Harden handed the ball to Howard, and it seems that the two have begun to form a tacit understanding."

Howard did not hesitate after receiving the ball, and directly crushed it back with his strong body. Horford is indeed at a disadvantage in strength, which has been exposed in the playoffs in previous years.

After two hits, Howard did not continue to use brute force, but suddenly turned around and broke through to the basket!

Al's footsteps were very fast, but helpless Howard used his shoulder to push Al to the basket. Although he experienced a back injury last season, I have to admit that Howard is still one of the most powerful centers in the league. Especially in this era when centers are becoming more and more blue-collar.

After driving Al, Howard dunks with both hands and ignited the Toyota Center with an explosive attack.

After the goal, Howard showed his iconic "Happy Beast" smile. Of course, Howard's smile was not friendly this time. Because he laughed while raising his eyebrows at Henson on the bench.

"This is a serious provocation!" As a former head coach, Jeff Van Gundy knew how inappropriate Howard's behavior was.

The shot was immediately given to Henson, but Henson just smiled and applauded, as if it was his own player who scored the goal.

"Don't be angry with Henson, it's not worth it." Vogel patted Henson's leg for fear that his heartbeat would speed up.

"Angry? Don’t be funny. I don’t care about Howard at all. The Rockets’ real threat is James Harden. As for Howard... don’t worry, that might be the smoothest one he scored in this game just now. The ball. Of course, it's the last one."

Vogel found that Henson wasn't a forceful smile. This guy is really laughing at that self-thinking beastly monster.