Chapter 12: The crash of Panagio

The game continued as the Blazers crossed midcourt, with Roy signaling for the ball from Rodriguez. At this crucial moment, as the team's core player, Roy clearly wanted to step up and take control.

But as soon as he touched the ball, Bynum and Barria executed Andrew's tactics flawlessly, closing in for the double-team. Roy was talented, but in his rookie season, he wasn't ready to handle such aggressive pressure from two speedy guards.

Panaggio, the Blazers' head coach, felt a twinge of frustration. "Double-teaming a rookie?!" he muttered, shaking his head at Andrew's boldness.

Roy attempted to bulldoze his way through, but Bynum and Barria, although smaller, had speed on their side, and his efforts fell flat. The shot clock was ticking down, and with no other options, Roy was forced to pass to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez found himself with a familiar three-point opportunity, but instead of shooting, he drove toward the basket. Instantly, the Rockets' defense collapsed on him. Although Hayes and Millsap formed a shorter frontline, they were quick, closing off Rodriguez's driving lane like a vice.

Trapped and unable to score, Rodriguez spotted Aldridge cutting toward the free-throw line and lobbed the ball over the collapsing defense. Aldridge, the top pick in this year's draft, was known for his explosiveness, and this was his sweet spot—just inside the free-throw line.

With Millsap retreating in defense, Aldridge backed him down, preparing for a signature turnaround jumper. But something was off. No matter how hard Aldridge pushed, Millsap wouldn't budge. He kept getting shoved further away from the basket, his post moves proving ineffective.

The crowd gasped. Aldridge, the prized rookie, couldn't even move Millsap!

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Andrew stood calmly, a subtle smirk on his face. He knew this weakness well—Aldridge's lack of physicality was why the Bulls had immediately traded him. 

Aldridge, flustered by the unrelenting defense, had no choice but to attempt a turnaround fadeaway.

As soon as he spun, *SMACK*! Millsap anticipated the move perfectly, stretching out his long arms and swatting the ball away with ease.

The arena erupted. The Blazers had turned it over, and the momentum swung heavily in the Rockets' favor.

Millsap grabbed the ball and bolted up the court, Bynum and Barria racing alongside him like bullets out of a gun. The crowd buzzed with excitement as the Rockets' fast break sped down the court, leaving the Blazers in the dust.

Millsap dished the ball to Barria, who sliced through the defense and finished with a lightning-quick layup. The crowd roared with approval.

Panaggio, looking increasingly rattled, had no choice but to call for a timeout.

The scoreboard flashed, reflecting the sudden shift in momentum—Andrew's Rockets had put together a blistering 6-0 run, completely stunning the Blazers. The commentators, who had been critical earlier, were now forced to eat their words.

"That's some high-level coaching, even by NBA standards," one announcer remarked, his tone now tinged with respect. The media, who had doubted Andrew's capabilities, suddenly felt the sting of being proven wrong.

Panaggio adjusted his strategy after the timeout, deciding to take the ball out of Roy's hands. Roy would now play off the ball, using screens to get open and avoiding the double-teams. It seemed like a smart counter—if Roy wasn't holding the ball, how could the Rockets double him?

The move had some merit. After all, without the ball in Roy's hands, the Rockets couldn't double-team him so easily, leaving them vulnerable to the rest of the Blazers' offense. Panaggio was sure he'd outsmarted Andrew this time.

But Andrew had already anticipated the adjustment. As soon as Roy moved off-ball, Andrew sent Barria to shadow him relentlessly. While Barria might not have matched Roy's size or skill, he had the speed and tenacity of a terrier, sticking to Roy like glue. No matter how many screens Roy ran through, Barria was right there, fighting through every pick.

Frustrated, Roy eventually posted up Barria to try and use his size advantage, but as soon as he got the ball, Bynum swooped in with a perfectly timed double-team. 

Everything had come full circle. Panaggio's brilliant adjustment had been neutralized, and the Rockets were back in control.

On the sidelines, Panaggio could only shake his head in disbelief. Andrew's tactical acumen was simply too much. The Blazers, who had seemed like an unstoppable force moments ago, were now disjointed and ineffective.

Aldridge, facing Millsap's suffocating defense, struggled to make a single shot. Webster, a decent shooter but not much of a playmaker, was forced to settle for catch-and-shoot opportunities that the Rockets were happy to contest. Rodriguez, whose shaky three-point shooting was known, had been left wide open to miss several more shots.

And Roy, the only real offensive threat, was neutralized by Barria's relentless hustle and the Rockets' strategic double-teams.

To make matters worse for Panaggio, every time he made a new adjustment, Andrew had already foreseen it. The Blazers were playing checkers while Andrew was playing chess.

As the game wound down, Panaggio looked utterly defeated, staring blankly at the hardwood, his spirit crushed by Andrew's masterful game management.

The final whistle blew. The Rockets, behind Millsap's dominant 26-point performance and Novak's deadly accuracy from beyond the arc, had dismantled the championship-favorite Blazers 88-73. It was their second consecutive win in the summer league, and Rockets fans were ecstatic.

Back home, Chinese fans erupted in joy. After enduring a slew of biased media reports criticizing Andrew's appointment as a coach, they could finally celebrate the ultimate face-slap—Andrew had outcoached Panaggio and silenced the doubters.

Stateside, Rockets fans were just as excited. The new coaching tandem of Van Gundy and Andrew had them dreaming of the upcoming season, where their team would surely be a force to reckon with.