In the second quarter, Battier rested, and Zhang Zhiyuan returned to the small forward position he is more familiar with.
However, this does not mean that he can play better because of it.
Opposing him was Mason, the Hornets' main small forward, a man with great speed and brute strength.
Although this guy's offensive skills are rough and often criticized, they are exactly suitable for defending players like Zhang Zhiyuan.
Facing Mason, Zhang Zhiyuan tried to play singles once, but after finding that he had no advantage, he gave up the singles and prepared to play some cooperative tactics with his teammates.
However, he has just joined the team.
Although I had done cooperative exercises in training and knew what to do, I couldn't show it in actual combat and lacked tacit understanding.
With two strikes and one mistake, Zhang Zhiyuan brought a good rhythm, causing the team to be chased by the Hornets by 4 points in a row.
Subsequently, Zhang Zhiyuan gave up the initiative to attack and no longer wasted opportunities.
He needs efficiency more than scoring.
The Rockets attacked and Zhang Zhiyuan stood in the bottom corner.
The Hornets did not ignore him, because Zhang Zhiyuan was the main attacker before. In addition to Mason's focus on guarding, Mark Jackson on the inside was also watching him, ready to make up defense at any time.
Rutherhead got a chance and drove to the basket for a layup.
"His adjustment is still so quick."
Phil Jackson said with emotion that this is what he admires most about Zhang Zhiyuan.
He took the time to watch the live broadcast of this game.
He wanted to know what Zhang Zhiyuan could do with the Rockets and whether he had done anything wrong. In fact, as long as he put pressure on him, there was a high probability that Kupchak would agree to Smail's offer.
However, Jackson did not do this.
"That's it for his level."
Kobe turned off the TV and walked to the training ground.
Zhang Zhiyuan's 30-point performance really surprised him at first, but now he is sure that Zhang Zhiyuan just hit a lot of three-pointers in that game.
After a few more rounds, Van Gundy began to switch to the main force.
He hesitated and finally left Zhang Zhiyuan on the field.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan didn't score any more just now, Mason's defense didn't score either, so overall it was okay.
As a result, Zhang Zhiyuan played as a power forward again.
The configuration of the Rockets field has changed to Alston, Tracy McGrady, Battier, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Yao Ming.
Juwan Howard's playing time has been reduced again, and the veteran's defense is no longer very good.
"It seems that Van Gundy is practicing the lineup and looking for Xiao Zhang's position."
Zhang Lili said.
Zhang Zhiyuan played three positions in one game, and obviously Van Gundy was not sure how to use Zhang Zhiyuan.
"Is this good news or bad news for Xiao Zhang?"
Sun Zhengping asked.
"It should be good news. At least it means that Van Gundy appreciates him and wants to use him, so he would put such thought into it."
Zhang Lili said.
Now that the Rockets are certain to enter the playoffs, winning or losing the game is not particularly important. They can practice their playstyle and find the best lineup for the playoffs.
On the court, Zhang Zhiyuan's opponent became West.
This is a very comprehensive technical person who is not easy to defend.
Zhang Zhiyuan could only bite the bullet.
Fortunately, Van Gundy doesn't expect Zhang Zhiyuan to defend the opponent to death, as long as it can reduce West's efficiency.
The Hornets attack, Paul controls the ball on the outside, and Zhang Zhiyuan follows West on the inside.
Paul passed the ball, West took a mid-range shot, and Zhang Zhiyuan took off to interfere.
The ball missed, but the rebound was grabbed by Chandler.
In comparison, Zhang Zhiyuan's frame protection ability is worse than Hayes.
Chandler took off, Zhang Zhiyuan fouled, Chandler went to the free throw line and made one of two free throws.
During the transition between offense and defense, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were heavily defended, while Zhang Zhiyuan was suddenly ignored.
That's the cool thing about role players.
Alston was still hesitating whether to pass the ball to Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady. Then he saw Zhang Zhiyuan reaching out for the ball. He saw that Zhang Zhiyuan was in a good position and passed the ball.
Zhang Zhiyuan took the ball and shot without hesitation at all.
One step inside the three-point line is a position he is good at, and his shooting rate is at least 80% when unguarded.
If you don't shoot when you get this opportunity, then don't play basketball.
The ball goes in.
"Invest more."
When Yao Ming retreated, he high-fived him and encouraged him.
The more Zhang Zhiyuan shoots, the less pressure he will have and even save some energy.
Although he is very efficient at the basket, he has to support one or two people every time he attacks, and he has to go all out every time. This kind of consumption is very high.
Outside players may shoot more than 20 or even 30 times in a game, but inside players cannot do this.
Yao Ming averaged 17 attempts and 8 free throws per game this season, which is already a career high.
The Hornets attacked, and Paul suddenly showed his strength and took a shot from outside the three-point line, and he also hit it.
Facing Alstom, Paul almost crushed him in all aspects.
The Rockets attacked, and this time Zhang Zhiyuan was marked. Battier got another chance and hit the mid-range shot.
Now all five players on the Rockets court can shoot. The Hornets can't grasp the key points and don't know how to defend.
In the next round, Zhang Zhiyuan also threw a three-pointer and hit it.
After playing for a few minutes, Zhang Zhiyuan was replaced by Juwan Howard.
It's not because he didn't play well, but because he played well. Van Gundy wanted to save his energy for the second half.
Howard was a little out of shape after he came on the field. I wonder if he was worried.
The Hornets seized on this flaw and scored one after another.
Fortunately, the Rockets' firepower was also very strong, and the two sides were evenly matched during this period.
At the end of the first half, 58 to 48, the Rockets still led by 10 points.
Zhang Zhiyuan made 5 of 9 shots in the half, without making two or three free throws, and scored 12 points, one point more than Yao Ming.
"Don't panic, I'm here to compete with the Rockets for the boss position."
During the intermission, Zhang Zhiyuan joked in Chinese.
Yao Ming smiled and made an emoticon.
"The Rockets' halftime score was very high today."
During the halftime break, the guest commentators commented on the performance of the two teams in the first half.
"It seems that when they were on the bench, the rhythm became faster. Zhang's shot was very decisive and took a very short time."
Another guest said.
"When you say this, it seems that you have this feeling, and you don't know whether this change is good or bad."
.......
In the second half, the Rockets started with the starting lineup.
However, the lineup that played well in the first half made mistakes one after another at this time.
One time, Alston passed the ball poorly, causing Yao Ming to catch the ball and be cut off.
Another time was McGrady's offensive foul.
The Hornets took advantage of the Rockets' mistakes and went on a 7-0 run. The advantage the Rockets had accumulated before was reduced to only 3 points in an instant. The Rockets fans were speechless.
They originally thought that the game was stable, but they never expected that the situation would change so quickly.
Fortunately, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady hit one after another, stabilizing the situation.
However, McGrady then threw two three-pointers like a convulsion, but the ball missed.
McGrady is not completely messy, it's just that the inside is too crowded and he can't break through, so he can only force shots from the outside.
When the hand feels good, the shot will kill the opponent, and when the hand feels bad, the shot will kill the teammate.
Subsequently, Van Gundy replaced Hayes and Zhang Zhiyuan came on.
Hayes' offensive method is too simple, just a low mid-range shot, and cannot help McGrady open up space to break through.
The effect of this substitution was immediate. As soon as Zhang Zhiyuan stood outside the three-point line, the Hornets had to send someone to follow him out, otherwise Zhang Zhiyuan would really dare to throw it, and he would really dare to score.
After West followed him out, McGrady was less in danger of being double-teamed when he broke through.
Then McGrady scored.
In the next round, McGrady was fouled on a layup and made two free throws.
Ordinary fans don't have any feelings about this yet, but they feel that McGrady has recovered.
However, in the eyes of some very professional people, Zhang Zhiyuan's role was discovered.
"It's a pity that he and Kobe are also very compatible. Why doesn't he like Kobe?"
Phil Jackson shook his head. He now even doubted whether Zhang Zhiyuan was unwilling to stay with the Lakers because of Kobe.
The game continued, and because of Zhang Zhiyuan's containment effect, the Rockets' offense suddenly became smooth again.
The score also gradually opened up, and by the end of the third quarter, the score difference was back to 10 points.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't take many shots in the third quarter, scoring two points on 1-for-1 shooting, but his effect was not small.
"Huh, Xiao Zhang has the highest win-loss value in the game."
During the break, Zhang Lili mentioned a basketball term.
Sun Zhengping knew this term, but he still asked cooperatively: "What is the win-loss value?"
"When a certain player is on the court, the team's score minus the opponent's score. A high positive number indicates that the player has a greater role, and a large negative number indicates that a certain player is a cancer to a certain extent..."
Zhang Lili introduced these high-level analyzes to the fans. He did not do this before. Today, it was mainly because Zhang Zhiyuan's win-loss value was high, so he mentioned it.
"Oh, I understand. In other words, a player not only scores high points, but also needs to be able to defend his opponents."
Sun Zhengping ‘suddenly realized’.
The two briefly chatted about the outcome, and the game started in the fourth quarter.
Zhang Zhiyuan came on the scene in the fifth minute for the final decisive battle.
When he came on the court, the Rockets only led by 5 points. Paul's two three-pointers caused the Rockets to suffer a big loss.
There is really nothing that can be done about a person who doesn't shoot three-pointers very often and suddenly takes a lot of three-pointers and makes them.
Paul was actually betting because the team was too far behind and couldn't catch up with two points at a slow pace.
Instead of slowly losing, it's better to take a gamble.
You may lose more, but you also have a chance to reverse it.
Second-year Paul is already quite skilled at mastering rhythm.
Now, he made the right bet, and the team still retains hope of winning.
When the Rockets attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly started to accelerate and cut to the basket.
He played for a much shorter time than West and had more energy. West, who had already played for 36 minutes, was a little slack and found that after Zhang Zhiyuan started, he could not keep up.
Zhang Zhiyuan caught the ball from the basket and made a layup, but Chandler could only draw a foul.
Two free throws were made, and Chandler paid the foul and lost points.
"I advise you not to think about winning. The more you want to win, the more painful the result will be for you."
After Zhang Zhiyuan scored a penalty, he also talked trash about the reservation.
"Get out of here, don't fucking talk to me, you don't deserve it."
Retention couldn't help but curse, this undrafted guy is so annoying.
"He's angry, he's anxious, hahaha..."
Zhang Zhiyuan laughed at his teammates, not hiding his intention at all.
This behavior only made Paul even more angry.
He was angry because his mentality was affected by a small role, which was very inappropriate.
Seeing Paul's dark face, other members of the Rockets couldn't help laughing.
The Hornets attacked and Paul continued to gamble on three points.
Unfortunately, the good luck did not last, and this time he struck gold.
It's hard to say that this ball has something to do with Zhang Zhiyuan, but for those fans who like Zhang Zhiyuan, they can interpret it as Zhang Zhiyuan influenced Paul's mentality, causing Paul to shoot the iron.
The Rockets attack and the Hornets are on alert.
Because of Zhang Zhiyuan's taunt, the Hornets wanted to win the game even more.
Zhang Zhiyuan was heavily guarded, McGrady was heavily guarded, and Yao Ming got a one-on-one opportunity under the basket, and there was no one in front of him, so he was very good at catching the ball.
Alston passed the ball over, Yao Ming made a small hook and the ball went in.
There's nothing Chandler can do about it, short of a foul.
But with Yao Ming's free throw shooting percentage, this kind of foul is not worth it.
The score difference came to 9 points. The Hornets attacked. Paul shook Alston from outside the three-point line. He faked a shot and passed Alston and made a mid-range shot, which he hit.
True or false, Alston is very tired.
But the problem is not big. It is difficult for the Rockets to deal with Paul, and it is difficult for the Hornets to deal with Yao Ming.
Chandler called for help, Mason went to help, and Battier made a free shot.
During the transition between offense and defense, West played with Zhang Zhiyuan, turning a fake turn into a breakthrough, and then made a two-step layup.
"damn it."
Zhang Zhiyuan also knows that it is impossible to defend his opponent every time, but the feeling of being played like this is still quite unpleasant.
"It's okay. You'll gain experience by playing a few more games. The guy opposite is a seasoned player."
Yao Ming consoled him.
During the transition between offense and defense, Zhang Zhiyuan found a good opportunity to make an air cut. Alston passed the ball. Zhang Zhiyuan received the ball and began to take steps, preparing to take off and dunk.
West had no choice but to jump to stop it.
The two collided in the air, but this was a legitimate collision zone. There were no offensive fouls or blocking fouls, so it was more difficult to compare who was stronger.
Because Zhang Zhiyuan had a run-up to accelerate, the impact was much stronger. He directly knocked West away and then dunked the ball into the basket, while West fell to the ground.
"cool."
Although most of the people at the scene were Hornets fans, they couldn't help but praise the goal.
Battier also rushed over and bumped his chest to celebrate, and the team's momentum suddenly increased.
On the other hand, the Hornets' fighting spirit has dropped a bit.
"Xiao Zhang's physical fitness is really good, not worse than those black people."
Zhang Lili praised.
Although there is still a gap compared to the genetic monster like James, compared to ordinary black players, Zhang Zhiyuan is not inferior in terms of strength, jumping or explosiveness.
That is to say, my physical strength is a little weak, but my physical strength can be exercised, so it is not a big problem.
After Zhang Zhiyuan completed the dunk, the Rockets struck while the iron was hot and launched a wave of offensive climax.
In the last two minutes, the score difference reached 15 points. The Hornets replaced their main players, and the Rockets also replaced their main players.
After a few rounds, the game ends.
114 to 102, the Rockets defeated the Hornets in an away game.
For the Hornets, Paul scored 30 points, 8 assists and 2 steals. The statistics were impeccable, but it was a pity that it was difficult to win.
West's 24 points and Chandler's 14 points and 14 rebounds were considered helpful helpers, but the others were of little use.
For the Rockets, McGrady scored the highest score on the team, making 10 of 21 shots, 2 of 7 three-pointers, and 7 of 9 free throws, scoring 29 points.
Yao Ming made 7 of 15 shots, and his performance was average, with only 20 points and 9 rebounds.
Zhang Zhiyuan was actually the team's third scoring point, making 7 of 11 shots, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 18 points.
3 rebounds and 1 assist are a little less, but what does it matter?
With these 18 points, what rebounds are needed?
Battier scored 14 points, Alston scored 12 points, and five Rockets scored in double figures.
Five people scored 93 points, and the Rockets' previous average points per game was only 97.
"Today's Rockets are a little different."
The commentator murmured to himself, obviously not believing what he had discovered.
An undrafted player can change a team. Are you kidding me? It's impossible. It's absolutely impossible.
