On January 1, the Clippers ushered in their first game in 2009, challenging the Nets away from home.
For American fans, this is a very ordinary game.
However, for Chinese fans, this is a focus game, the Chinese Derby.
During the summer offseason, Yi Jianlian got his wish and was traded to the Nets and Big City.
However, after coming to the Nets, he discovered that performance is the most important in this league, and place is only secondary.
If you play well, you will be praised by the league even in Cleveland.
If you don't play well, you will be ignored even in New York.
After coming to the Nets, Yi Jianlian did not play well, averaging 8 points per game, the same as last season.
What's even worse is that his shooting percentage has dropped.
It was still 42% last season, but it has dropped to 38.2% this season.
For an inside player, this hit is really eye-catching.
With Zhang Zhiyuan and Yao Ming as comparisons, Yi Jianlian's performance was naturally looked down upon by domestic fans, and all kinds of unpleasant words came out one after another.
Yi Jianlian never thought about asking to be compared with Zhang Zhiyuan and Yao Ming, but domestic fans will compare them with them.
Yi Jianlian was resistant to this derby.
After Zhang Zhiyuan came to New York, he did not receive an invitation from Yi Jianlian, nor did he take the initiative to visit.
He actually wants to be friends with Yi Jianlian, but he also understands that in the current public opinion environment, staying with Yi Jianlian will only put pressure on Yi Jianlian, and everyone will be uncomfortable.
Maybe he can manage this relationship carefully and help Yi Jianlian eliminate the knot in his heart.
But that is not a simple matter. Getting along with others is a university subject, and Zhang Zhiyuan does not have the time and energy to study it.
When the game arrived, the two of them said hello and exchanged pleasantries.
Carter glanced at the two of them and hesitated whether to go over and have sex.
He no longer wants to stay with the Nets. It would be a waste of youth for him to hang out with the Nets. He wants to win a championship while he still has some strength.
The salaries of the Celtics and Lakers are so high that they can't even sign veterans. The only team that can afford his big contract and have championship prospects is the Clippers.
With his strength and status, he could be the second-best player in the Clippers.
Winning the championship as the second in charge is quite valuable.
However, Zhang Zhiyuan publicly stated to the media that he did not want to join forces with the stars, which made Carter's balls hurt.
He feels that he is a star and must be a star. But if he insists on being a star, he will not be able to join forces with Zhang Zhiyuan, and there will be no championship...
In the end, Carter sighed secretly and did not take action.
The game begins.
The Clippers started with Livingston, Zhang Zhiyuan, Maggette, Al Thornton, and Kaman.
The Nets started with Harris, Bobby Simmons, Carter, Yi Jianlian, and Lopez.
Lopez fought for the ball and the Nets attacked first.
Their first attack was given to Yi Jianlian, who was still a teammate after all, so he still had to do some superficial things.
Yi Jianlian's confrontation ability couldn't squeeze into the basket, so he shot a long two-pointer.
The ball goes in.
"Okay, it seems that Arab League is in good condition."
Sun Zhengping said happily that he also wanted to see a wonderful derby, not one-sided.
Zhang Lili didn't answer the call. It was only one ball. He would easily be slapped in the face if he jumped to conclusions now.
The Clippers attacked and saw Zhang Zhiyuan holding the ball, Bobby Simmons' scalp went numb.
He is just a little piece of garbage who can hardly score 10 points even when he comes off the bench. He is forced to start the game because the Nets really have no talent.
As a result, the coach didn't arrange anyone to help double-team, so he was left to defend Zhang Zhiyuan alone. This was like sacrificing him.
Simmons stared at Zhang Zhiyuan's movements, trying to judge Zhang Zhiyuan's next move.
He did it, and he knew that Zhang Zhiyuan was going to break through.
He blocked it, and Zhang Zhiyuan dribbled the ball behind him and passed him.
He did create a little trouble for Zhang Zhiyuan, but that was all.
Zhang Zhiyuan rushed to the basket and dunked successfully.
"Beautiful, I don't know if Carter will kick back a dunk, and I don't know if Carter will participate in the dunk contest this year. He didn't participate before because he had no opponents, but now Zhang Zhiyuan's dunks are not inferior to him at all."
Sun Zhengping said.
"Probably not. Carter's body has begun to decline. It's impossible to beat Zhang Zhiyuan in a dunk. There's no need at all."
Zhang Lili analyzed.
On the court, Carter broke through with the ball and finally chose a layup.
Although there are many highlights of Carter's dunks, his number of dunks in games is actually not that many. It's just the fans' preconceived notion that he is just a dunker.
In the transition between offense and defense, Yi Jianlian follows Thornton. His defensive task in this game is relatively easy. Thornton is not the Clippers' main offensive point.
Simmons was miserable and was ravaged again.
He really wanted to discuss with Carter whether he could switch defenses.
However, if he really said this, the team might abandon him immediately.
When the Nets attacked, Yi Jianlian wanted to attack, but his position was not very good and he was blocked outside the three-second zone by Thornton.
He reached out for the ball, but Harris didn't give it to him. Instead, he chose to rush to the basket and made a layup.
This season, he scored 21.3 points, surpassing Carter and becoming the team's leading scorer.
Some Yi Jianlian's hardcore fans expressed dissatisfaction with this, feeling that Harris, like Mo Williams, did not like to pass the ball to Yi Jianlian.
In fact, Yi Jianlian was in a bad position just now, and his shooting efficiency was low from that position.
Yi Jianlian is also helpless. With his size, it is not easy to get deep into the basket, and his success rate in low-post singles is also very average.
In the CBA, Yi Jianlian doesn't have any top-notch abilities, but he is very comprehensive and seems to know all kinds of tricks.
In the CBA, he relied on these abilities to get along like a duck in water, but when he came to the NBA, once the intensity of confrontation increased, his abilities were completely compressed, and he was not as good as a role player with distinct advantages and disadvantages.
The Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan scored suddenly and assisted Kaman to score two points.
"Actually, the most suitable team for the UAE should be the Clippers. With Zhang Zhiyuan helping to create shooting opportunities, he can take shots without too much physical confrontation. And the Clippers don't pay attention to defense, so it doesn't matter if his defense is close, anyway.
Others are no better."
Zhang Lili commented that he felt Yi Jianlian was the most suitable partner for Zhang Zhiyuan. Yi Jianlian played well in the Olympics.
"It's a good choice to exchange Thornton for Uzbekistan, but whether we decide or not depends on them."
Sun Zhengping said.
On the court, the Nets' offense is handled by Harris and Carter, and Yi Jianlian's presence is quite low.
He only received the second pass after playing 5 minutes in the first quarter.
By now, his touch had already gone cold, and he didn't dare to take a direct shot after catching the ball. He wanted to get closer to the basket, and then hit Thornton with his back.
After a few attempts, Yi Jianlian turned around and shot a jumper.
Even Kobe Bryant's shooting percentage is not high when he plays like this, let alone Yi Jianlian.
The ball didn't go in.
Fortunately, the Clippers' defense is average, making it relatively easy for Yi Jianlian to find opportunities.
Then he found an opportunity to cut, rushed to the basket, received the pass and completed a dunk.
Just looking at this shot, the performance seems to be quite good.
After another two minutes of playing, Yi Jianlian was replaced.
The person who was replaced was Ryan Anderson, who was also a power forward with poor defense, and his ability to play hard in the low post was not as good as Yi Jianlian.
However, this guy has been in the league for more than ten seasons because he has characteristics and his shooting is very good.
At his peak, he averaged 8 three-pointers per game and shot 40% from the field.
Such a space-based inside line has great tactical effect.
After Anderson comes on the court, Thornton needs to defend out.
As soon as he goes out, Harris and Carter take turns to break through. Each takes one side, and one of them can always find a breakthrough space.
Kaman's movement speed was already slow, so he could only stare blankly in the face of this situation.
At the end of the first quarter, 35 to 31.
In the second quarter, Yi Jianlian played again, and the team wanted to train him again.
Against the Clippers' bench, Yi Jianlian performed slightly better.
Against the aging McDyess, Yi Jianlian's physical fitness is superior.
If his body doesn't suffer, his technique will be even better. He can do a lot of things.
After playing for a few minutes, Yi Jianlian made two of three shots.
Domestic fans couldn't help but cheer. This performance has met their expectations.
However, they could only be happy for a while. Dunleavy and Yi Jianlian were not relatives and friends, and they would not think of taking care of him.
Seeing that McDyess was suffering in the matchup, he replaced Hayes.
Hayes' offense was not good, but his defense was very good, and he directly blocked Yi Jianlian outside the penalty area.
Garnett couldn't do anything to him, and Yi Jianlian certainly couldn't do it either.
Moreover, with the reappearance of Carter and Harris, the ball power has been concentrated in their hands.
Role players like Yi Jianlian can only wait patiently for opportunities to pick up opportunities.
Waiting and waiting, when he was replaced again, he didn't get another shot.
This is a role player.
Yi Jianlian is not even among the worst off. After all, he has training value.
The worst thing is that those blue-collar players play for a long time, and their last statistics are often 1-for-2 and 2-for-3.
The game continued, Carter teamed up with Harris and Zhang Zhiyuan to start a scoring battle.
The defense of both teams is very poor, and now they have formed a tacit understanding, and neither team is trying their best to defend each other.
As a result, the defenses of both teams were full of loopholes, and both teams could easily score.
Carter was in high spirits and even performed a windmill dunk, which made the fans at the scene a little excited.
At the end of the first half, the two teams scored a super high score, 72 to 67.
In the second half, Zhang Zhiyuan and Carter's physical strength dropped a lot. Yi Jianlian once again got a chance to shoot a mid-range jumper.
The ball goes in.
"Report, report, the Chinese are match-fixing."
Barkley laughed and joked, Zhang Zhiyuan was not far away from Yi Jianlian just now, and it was completely late to make up for the defense, but Zhang Zhiyuan did not do so.
Ever since, Buckley said that Zhang Zhiyuan was deliberately giving way to his fellow countryman.
Of course, this is a joking statement and not taken seriously.
"You can't say that. Zhang Zhiyuan's defensive look is not only seen today. In games where he is sure to win, his defense is not too active. He is controlling points."
Smith said.
"I know, but this time he must have done it on purpose."
Buckley said coquettishly.
On the court, the Nets attacked, and Yi Jianlian was ignored again. Carter could have attacked by himself, but he passed the ball to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian was not polite and shot again.
Carter and Yi Jianlian high-fived.
The Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan sent a wonderful pass, Jordan flew up, dunked alley-oop, and the visual effect was full.
"A second-round pick next to Zhang Zhiyuan plays like a star."
Sun Zhengping complained.
"This silly big guy's physical fitness is actually very good, but it seems that his golf IQ is not very high. However, the Clippers' tactics are simple, so he can play well."
Zhang Lili commented.
On the court, both sides came and went, playing back and forth.
Until the last three minutes of the game, Zhang Zhiyuan suddenly became serious. He shouted: "Defend and follow your own people."
Carter still wanted to break through. Zhang Zhiyuan dropped Simmons to double-team, and Carter was forced to pass the ball to Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian still wanted to take action, but the Clippers' defensive intensity had already increased, and Thornton resisted him.
Yi Jianlian turned around and made a jump shot, but missed.
The Clippers started a fast break, and Zhang Zhiyuan threw a chasing three-pointer and scored.
123 to 117, the Clippers led by 5 points.
Lawrence of the Nets called a timeout and arranged tactics.
Barkley laughed and said: "He is still trying to win. Doesn't he think that he is only 5 points behind now because of his tactics? No way."
These words were so venomous that they made Lawrence mocked as a human being.
And, as it turns out, he was right.
When the Clippers got serious, the Nets immediately collapsed.
If you can't attack, you can't defend.
After finally hitting a two-pointer to stop the bleeding, the Clippers suddenly hit a three-pointer, causing the home fans to vomit blood.
Soon, the point difference reached double digits.
Lawrence didn't even have to surrender, because there was very little time left in the game, and it didn't matter whether he surrendered or not.
At the end of the game, 135 to 123, the Clippers finally won by 12 points.
Not only won the ball, but also collected data, perfect.
Zhang Zhiyuan made 20 of 33 shots, 5 of 12 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 50 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Although his scoring was high, he was getting further and further away from his average triple-double per game.
Maggette scored 20 points, no more, no less. It was another day of precise point control.
Kaman scored 14 points, Thornton 12 points, Livingston 12 points and DeAndre Jordan 10 points.
While Zhang Zhiyuan scored 50 points, five other players on the team scored in double figures. This situation is extremely rare, and may even be unique.
On the rebound side, Harris scored 31 points and Carter scored 29 points. At first glance, the performance was not bad.
However, fans who have watched the game know that this data is watery.
Yi Jianlian made 8 of 14 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 18 points, which was considered a small explosion.
"It would be great if we could maintain this level."
A fan of Yi Jianlian lamented.
Now they no longer dare to hope to surpass or catch up with Yao Ming. They will be satisfied if they can average 188 points per game.
"Thinking too much, it's obvious that Brother Zhang is letting things go."
