"I know a great Western restaurant here, guys, it's on me tonight."

Maddy took the initiative to speak as they boarded the bus.

Ginobili and Dior whistled immediately after hearing this.

Maddy had played in Houston for six years and was very familiar with the place.

Tang Tian also smiled. His coaching career in his previous life had started here, so he wasn't unfamiliar with it either.

……

Down 0-2, if the Rockets wanted to turn the series around, they had to win Game 3.

The game wouldn't start until the next day, but Rockets fans couldn't help but discuss it on social media.

It's just that the style seemed a little off.

"If that trade deadline deal had gone through, no one would be able to stop Harden without Tang!"

"Yeah, and Tang brings more than just defense, he also brings offense. He really is the Pippen we need!"

"Morey, are you listening? It doesn't matter that you didn't get Tang this season, but you have to get him in the offseason!"

"Aren't you guys afraid Parsons will be heartbroken when he hears this?"

"Parsons is playing really well, but he's definitely not as good as Tang. Would you compare an average player to an All-Star?"

"This is the only time the high-rich-handsome has been completely crushed."

"No, he still has 'high,' he's 2.08 meters tall."

"fBi.warning!"

……

On the morning of the game, the Rockets held their daily training session at the Toyota Center's auxiliary arena.

The training session also attracted many media reporters to watch.

Harden was chatting and laughing, and the Rockets' training atmosphere seemed relaxed.

Although the 0-2 deficit wasn't ideal, it was clear that the players had adjusted their mentality well.

However, in the midst of the harmonious atmosphere, Parsons seemed a bit out of place, and his expression looked a little down.

His emotions were related to the recent comments on social media.

NBA players have several different attitudes towards social media.

James, who shuts down social media directly when entering the playoffs, is an extreme case.

Tang Tian, who still looks at it as normal, belongs to the majority.

Then there's a category like Durant and Parsons.

After entering the playoffs, they pay more attention to social media than usual, or rather, they care more about what others think of them.

Durant is sensitive by nature, and Parsons is because he likes people's praise.

After playing a good game, basking in a shower of praise from fans is Parsons' favorite thing to do.

In layman's terms, he's vain.

Although the Rockets lost both of the first two games, he averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in the two games.

In terms of data alone, his performance was even more stable than Harden's.

But these past two days, when he looked at social media, the praise he received from fans was minimal, and most of the discussions were about Tang Tian!

That Tang Tian, the Tang Tian the Rockets once wanted to trade for!

Although General Manager Daryl Morey chatted with him after the trade deadline, saying the rumors were false.

But Woj's news is generally reliable, and he knew that Morey's words were just to appease him after the trade failed.

That was already enough to hurt him.

Now he's not playing any worse than Tang Tian, but he's still being used as a backdrop by fans, which makes him feel very depressed.

He was obviously so handsome and played so well, a standard high-rich-handsome.

He even knew that even if he didn't play basketball, he would still be a surefire female harvester.

But now he was being overshadowed by Tang Tian.

And to be honest, at last year's All-Star Game, he was in the limelight in the Shooting Stars competition, but he was immediately overshadowed by Tang Tian's Rookie Game MVP.

Are handsome people inherently incompatible with each other?

When a person is completely crushed in every aspect except height, it can be really depressing.

After the training session, Harden was surrounded by swarming fans.

As the team's new cornerstone, he always received the most attention from the team.

"Did the team make any special tactical arrangements for tonight's game?"

"The team's score in these two games hasn't exceeded 90. Is it because the Spurs are putting too much defensive pressure on them?"

……

Facing the reporters' continuous questions, Harden rubbed his forehead and answered them one by one, looking a little impatient.

These reporters always liked to ask him these messy questions.

He answered for a while, and when he saw Parsons walking towards him, he directly pulled him in front of the reporters and then ran away laughing.

Dealing with the media was a very boring thing for him. He still had to conserve his energy to prepare for the game, as well as the nightlife after the game.

Parsons was pulled in front of the reporters by Harden, and he was very patient in the face of one question after another.

He loved this kind of life in the spotlight.

"Harden's state recovered in the last game. Do you think he will get more points tonight?"

"Tang became the Spurs' highest scorer in the last game. Has the team found a way to limit him?"

……

However, none of the questions the reporters asked were related to him, which made him even more depressed.

No, he had to get his presence back!

"Yes, Harden's state is recovering, and I feel great tonight too. I will score more points tonight to help the team."

"Tang can't defend me. He's a swingman with speed. He can't match up with me. I scored 42 points in the past two games, which is the most points on the team. I will use offense to help the team more."

……

As soon as Parsons finished answering, the reporters couldn't help but be stunned.

After they came back to their senses, they realized that Parsons... was asking for attention!

However, what Parsons said was also true. Harden had only scored 39 points in these two games, which was 3 points less than him.

Moreover, being down 0-2, this kind of momentum was indeed needed.

After being strongly "reminded," the content of the reporters' questions began to change.

"Your touch looks very good today. I noticed that you made 10 three-pointers in a row during training."

"Many fans compare you with Tang, and there were even rumors about it. What do you think about this?"

……

Hearing these questions from the reporters, a beautiful expression appeared on Parsons' face.

This was what he wanted to hear!

"Tang and I are two different styles of players. We are both the kind of people who bring energy to the team, and we each have our own strengths. His defense is his characteristic, and the advantage I have over him is that I am more well-rounded..."

He began to talk eloquently.

"Achoo! Achoo!"

In another auxiliary arena, Tang Tian and the Spurs players were also doing their daily training for the evening game, and Tang Tian sneezed twice at this time.

"What's wrong?" Green asked with concern.

"It's nothing, maybe I caught a little cold last night." Tang Tian rubbed his nose and said.