Chapter 117 T-Mac's Return

Rubbing his nose, Tang Tian couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Why was he catching colds so easily lately?

Fortunately, he didn't feel too bad, so it probably wasn't a big deal.

After training, Popovich gathered the team and gave them a pep talk, preparing them in advance.

The Rockets were at home for this game, and he knew it wouldn't be easy.

That night, the Toyota Center was over 90% full.

Even for the playoffs, this was quite rare.

Besides those supporting the Rockets, a significant number had come for T-Mac.

Although T-Mac's departure hadn't been amicable, his six years with the team had earned him many fans.

And these fans knew full well that, given T-Mac's condition since joining the Spurs, this was likely their last chance to see him in the playoffs.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups were announced.

The Spurs went with their usual lineup: Parker and Tang Tian in the backcourt, Leonard and Duncan in the frontcourt, and Splitter at center.

The Rockets made a change, with Beverley, who played well last game, replacing Lin Shuhao in the starting lineup, partnering with Harden in the backcourt.

The frontcourt remained Garcia and Parsons, with Asik at center.

Amidst the cheers of the fans, Asik outjumped Splitter, giving the Rockets the first offensive opportunity.

With Lin Shuhao not starting, Harden became the team's sole offensive initiator, choosing to drive hard on his first possession.

Tang Tian's defense was excellent, his leaping block near the basket almost getting the ball.

Harden lost all angle evading in the air, but straightened his arm as he fell, leaning into Tang Tian.

The referee blew his whistle, calling a foul on Tang Tian's hand.

Tang Tian looked at the referee speechlessly.

The rule was that there should be no physical contact below the body, and it was clear that Harden had leaned in himself, not a deliberate foul by him.

It was a bad call!

Popovich rushed to the sideline, loudly questioning the referee.

He had somewhat anticipated that the officiating standards would change before the game, but he didn't expect them to call a foul on Tang Tian right away.

The referee didn't change the call, signaling Harden to shoot free throws.

Harden made both free throws, scoring the Rockets' first points.

And that was just the beginning.

In the first quarter, Harden frequently drew fouls on the Spurs players, taking full advantage of his new understanding of the rules, or rather, having learned to exploit them.

Tang Tian picked up two fouls in six minutes and was subbed out, while Green and Leonard also got two fouls and were subbed out in succession.

Popovich was even ejected from the game at the end of the quarter for yelling at the referee.

The numerous fouls led to fatigue from the rotation.

Even the angry old man on the Spurs' bench had disappeared, replaced by the amiable Budenholzer.

At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led the Spurs 30-20, with Harden getting 10 free throw opportunities in the quarter alone.

The good news was that Harden, having played the entire quarter, finally went to the bench to rest, allowing the Spurs to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But before they could relax for long, Leonard, leading the team on the court, swung his elbow in a hurry to shake off his defender, and was called for an offensive foul by the referee.

This was also his third foul of the game.

Budenholzer glanced at the bench. Tang Tian had 2 fouls, Green had 2 fouls, Anderson had been waived before, and with Leonard's 3 fouls, the originally deep wing position was under a lot of rotation pressure tonight.

He rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, then turned and called T-Mac up from the end of the bench.

Although Popovich wasn't there, he had foreseen this situation and put T-Mac on the active list, so the team wasn't completely without options at this moment.

Although T-Mac still didn't meet the team's requirements for playing time, there was nothing else they could do at this point.

As T-Mac walked to the scorer's table, a chorus of whistles rang out.

Some were T-Mac's fans, who didn't expect to actually see him play tonight, and even during the regular rotation.

Others were Rockets fans, who didn't have much affection for T-Mac, and were now waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

After all, T-Mac had been playing in the CBA last season and had been eliminated from the NBA, let alone the intensity of the playoffs.

The Rockets' offense saw Delfino's three-point shot from outside miss.

Under the basket, Diaw and Greg Smith battled for position.

But the ball was a long rebound, and T-Mac used his slightly bulky body to box out Parsons, reaching out and grabbing the defensive rebound.

Scattered cheers rang out as T-Mac grabbed a rebound right away!

Tang Tian couldn't help but smile at this point.

T-Mac was an old player now, and his experience was still very valuable.

The Spurs ran their hammer play in the frontcourt, giving T-Mac a three-point opportunity after he moved into position.

His movements were a bit slow, and Parsons, who was helping on defense, directly interfered with his shooting vision.

But T-Mac didn't seem to want to shoot a three-pointer, and used a fake three-point shot to shake off Parsons and pull up for a mid-range jumper.

The familiar posture, the signature scissor legs, still a captivating figure despite the bulkiness.

Many fans in the arena were about to shout.

"Clang!"

But unfortunately, T-Mac's signature pull-up jumper didn't go in.

The opportunity was good, but it was clear that his shooting touch wasn't great because he hadn't played in a formal game for a long time.

The Rockets' counterattack saw Brooks' layup in the frontcourt interfered with by Ginobili and miss, and Lin Shuhao, who followed up, couldn't put the ball in.

Both sides were having trouble scoring.

The Spurs ran another hammer play in the frontcourt, with Ginobili taking a three-point shot at the arc.

"Clang!"

Still no good, the basket seemed to be covered on both ends.

Fortunately, Diaw used his big butt to push Greg Smith away and grabbed the offensive rebound.

Seeing that T-Mac had an opportunity in the corner, he flicked the ball over.

Team basketball, pass the ball where the opportunity is.

T-Mac caught the ball with a completely open look, and adjusted before shooting a three-pointer.

"Clang!"

The shot was still a bit off.

But it was off to the inside, and the ball bounced off the inside of the backboard and went in.

T-Mac scored!

A chorus of whistles and cheers came from the sidelines.

This was very rare in the NBA, considering that T-Mac was no longer a Rockets player, but an opponent!

As T-Mac ran back, feeling the fans' enthusiasm, he stretched out his hands and made his signature gesture, raising his hands at a forty-five-degree angle!

The cheers in the arena grew even louder.

It was such a familiar scene, even though T-Mac was wearing a Spurs jersey!

"This is T-Mac's return to the NBA playoffs after five years, and his first score after five years."

Mike Breen said with emotion from the commentary booth.

T-Mac was recognized as one of the most talented players in the league, but injuries and other factors prevented him from reaching his full potential, which was a pity.

The word "tragic" was destined to be associated with him, but to see him score again in the NBA after five years was enough to be moving!