The Thunder attacked and Durant held the ball in singles.
Originally, Westbrook was in possession of the ball, but when he hit the Clippers, Durant became excited.
Durant pretended to break through, but ended up shooting a three-pointer.
The ball goes in.
The Clippers are attacking, Zhang Zhiyuan is patting the basketball on the outside, waiting for his teammates to move.
Seeing that his teammates' tactical movement was successful, he immediately made an attack stance, and Durant immediately rushed over to double-team him.
It will definitely not work if Maggette is left short, Jeff Green will make up for it.
Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball to Thornton. Thornton caught the ball and threw it, and hit again.
What Zhang Zhiyuan added to them was not only strength and speed, but also increased hand feel.
In the next round, Zhang Zhiyuan continued to deal cards on the outside, waiting for his teammates to move.
Under normal circumstances, it is not easy for them to get good shooting opportunities. But because Zhang Zhiyuan attracted the attention of Thunder players, they were able to successfully complete the tactical movement.
Lowry sneaked into the weak side corner, and no one paid attention to him.
After all, Lowry's three-point shooting isn't very good.
But Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball to Lowry.
Zhang Zhiyuan told them to take bold shots before, but Lowry was not polite and took a three-pointer.
The ball didn't go in, but Zhang Zhiyuan said it didn't matter and continued playing like this.
After the transition between offense and defense, the Thunder scored again, 9 to 8, and the Thunder overtook the score.
However, the audience did not take the score seriously. Anyway, the Clippers are used to working hard on the defensive end in the last quarter, and the first three quarters are all time to score points.
Being behind now is not important at all.
When the Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan repeated his old tricks and threw the ball to Lowry in the corner.
Faced with the boss who trusted him so much, Lori took action with tears in his eyes.
The ball goes in.
Lowry excitedly raised three fingers to retreat. For him, half of the scoring task in this game has been completed.
The goal he set for himself was 10 points.
The Thunder attacked, and Westbrook continued to charge hard.
Although Lowry can defend this style of play, it is very difficult. He needs to be very concentrated. If he is a little slow, he will be easily passed.
Westbrook couldn't get through mid-rush and threw the ball to his teammate.
When teammates catch the ball and shoot, it's very simple.
The ball didn't go in.
In the transition between offense and defense, the Clippers' play was equally simple. Zhang Zhiyuan threw the ball to Thornton, and Thornton just jumped up and shot. There was no tactical coordination at all.
The two NBA teams are playing like college basketball, with players playing one-on-one.
Back to the defensive end, the Clippers are also very casual.
Knowing that Maggette couldn't guard Durant, but no one double-teamed him, Maggette was left to carry it alone.
Durant jumped up, shot, and scored.
"Rookies peck each other."
Buckley commented.
"The Clippers are not rookies, they just haven't exerted their strength yet."
Smith reminded.
When the Clippers attack, Zhang Zhiyuan still passes the ball.
Why doesn't he attack?
Thunder coach Scott Brooks was very confused when he discovered that Zhang Zhiyuan hadn't scored a point yet.
I can't figure it out, but that's a good thing.
Brooks hurriedly yelled, "Mark everyone, don't miss anyone."
Zhang Zhiyuan was not happy. The reason why he was willing not to attack was because the Thunder focused on defending himself, so that his teammates could get better chances to take action.
Now that the Thunder aren't targeting him, it's a little more difficult for his teammates to move.
This was not allowed by Zhang Zhiyuan, so he suddenly started and went to the basket to dunk and score two points.
He is telling Brooks that if he doesn't double-team, he will attack.
Brooks had a headache, but the assistant coach was trying to persuade him to return to his previous defense and continue to force Zhang Zhiyuan to pass the ball.
Although the other members of the Clippers have a high shooting percentage due to Zhang Zhiyuan's pass, the Thunder assistant coach believes that this is not a loss and is better than Zhang Zhiyuan's own strong attack.
Zhang Zhiyuan's own attack efficiency is also very high, and the Thunder will be disgraced if he scores high points.
By forcing Zhang Zhiyuan to pass the ball, they can reduce Zhang Zhiyuan's score even if they lose the game.
As long as they can do this, the Thunder will not lose money.
After all, there are not many teams that can limit Zhang Zhiyuan's scoring.
When Brooks heard that it made sense, he called a timeout and asked to focus on defending Zhang Zhiyuan, forcing Zhang Zhiyuan to pass the ball, and preventing Zhang Zhiyuan from scoring high points.
Coincidentally, this tactic suited Durant's wishes.
Durant expressed his praise, and others agreed. Brooks was also very happy. He just took over this season.
Being able to get Durant's approval greatly increases the possibility of him retaining his coaching position.
Both sides return to the game.
When the Thunder attack, Westbrook rushes with the ball.
He is in good condition today and very excited.
Lori tried hard to catch up, but was passed.
Westbrook made a layup and Jordan fouled.
Westbrook went to the free throw line and made both free throws.
"This rookie from the Thunder is really good. This kind of impact is too strong."
Barkley admires players like Westbrook.
"Durant is even better. The Thunder have selected outstanding players for two consecutive years. When they grow up, they will definitely be a strong team in the Western Conference."
Smith agreed.
"However, it is easy to be suppressed by Zhang Zhiyuan in the West. I think some stars should go to the Eastern teams, where the competition will be less fierce."
Buckley said.
Within three sentences, one must exaggerate ambition. This is Buckley's label.
No matter what the topic, he would eventually bring it up to Zhang Zhiyuan.
On the court, the Clippers attack.
Zhang Zhiyuan saw that his opponent was targeting him again, so he quickly switched the mode and switched to the assist channel.
Zhang Zhiyuan threw the ball to Lowry, who made a three-pointer.
The ball didn't go in. Brooks was overjoyed and felt that he had chosen the right strategy.
As long as Zhang Zhiyuan's scoring is limited and the rest of the Clippers feel bad, they will have a chance to win.
Winning against the Clippers is a big honor and will definitely be on the front page.
During the transition between offense and defense, Westbrook broke through again and then struck.
When the Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan broke through with a basketball, attracted a double team and then passed the ball to Maggette. Maggette took a shot and scored.
The two sides fought back and forth for several rounds, and the fight turned out to be evenly matched.
Some fans who are more influenced by Barkley can't help but suspect that the Clippers are letting go of points.
Dunleavy then called a timeout and replaced Francis.
The fans at the scene applauded and cheered one after another, which was a sign of respect for the veteran.
Francis was very moved and then made a mistake.
Westbrook showed no martial ethics and sneakily attacked an old comrade in his thirties, which caused a burst of boos from the audience.
Westbrook scored a fast-break dunk. He was proud of the boos and showed off his biceps.
When the Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan walked to Westbrook's side with the ball, away from Durant.
In this way, the person who can double-team Zhang Zhiyuan becomes a magical turtle.
Westbrook was not polite to Zhang Zhiyuan and pounced directly on him.
Zhang Zhiyuan signaled Francis to go to the basket, then made a no-look pass and threw the ball behind his head.
Francis received the pass and dunked for two points.
Although he was waived by the Grizzlies, it was not because he couldn't play at all. It was more to make room for new players, and because Francis no longer has any training value at his age.
As a rebuilding team, the Grizzlies will give playing opportunities to young players even if they perform worse.
In short, Francis can definitely play a dozen games now, and averaging three or four points per game is not a problem.
Francis' goal made the audience cheer again, and Francis also laughed and returned to defense.
However, with his current body, it was impossible to defend against an unruly beast like Westbrook. Westbrook accelerated and threw him away.
Clippers fans didn't pay much attention to it. Anyway, the team's defense was like this, and it wouldn't be much better if someone else replaced it. The team relied on offense to win.
The Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan started with the ball, but the Thunder's double team was slow.
So Zhang Zhiyuan went to the basket and scored two points.
The Clippers' defense is poor, and the Thunder's is even worse.
In the transition from offense to defense, Durant scored a single goal.
The Clippers reciprocated, Zhang Zhiyuan broke through with the ball and then distributed the ball. Francis made a three-pointer and hit it.
Francis' career three-point shooting percentage is 34%, which is not low, but he doesn't shoot much, averaging less than three shots per game.
This is because he plays the core game most of the time, holding the ball for a long time, and his opponents focus on defense, so it is difficult for him to get easy shooting opportunities.
Now he enjoys the benefit of being ignored. A large open space is left for him, and he can even adjust his posture before taking action.
"Francis scored 5 points? Shet, I feel like giving up after seeing it."
Buckley joked.
"Wake up, if you come back, no insurance company will dare to take your bill."
Smith said sarcastically.
NBA teams will buy insurance for their players, but if it is an old, fat and dangerous player like Barkley, the insurance company may not be willing to accept the bill, which will obviously cost money.
Buckley laughed helplessly.
After the first quarter, 27 to 31, the Clippers led by 4 points, which was not much.
In the second quarter, Zhang Zhiyuan continued to play without rest.
He had broken out three times before and made four shots, and his physical exertion was not even half of what he usually did.
Therefore, he does not need to rest when playing like this and can play the entire game.
After only playing three minutes in the second quarter, Zhang Zhiyuan's assist count reached 10.
Only then did the commentators from major TV stations realize something unusual. Zhang Zhiyuan scored too few points and had too many assists. This was obviously intentional.
"Is there a possibility that he wants to set a new assist record?"
Buckley said.
"It's possible, but can you set the record if you want? The record for assists in a single game is Skiles's 30. Is it possible that this will be broken?"
Smith said.
30 assists in a single game has only happened once in decades. It was the result of chance, and it does not mean that you have the ability.
Stockton and Magic have such strong assist abilities, but they have never set such a record.
"For Zhang Zhiyuan, everything is possible. Besides, even if he can't break the league's record, he can break the Clippers' record or his own record."
Buckley said.
"That seems to be the case. How many do you think he can get today?"
Smith asked.
"Based on this situation, I estimate there must be 25."
Barkley reported the number.
It's not that easy to rank fifth on the overall ranking list with 25.
However, Smith did not dare to question that Zhang Zhiyuan could not do it. After all, Zhang Zhiyuan had already accomplished too many miracles.
On the court, Francis and Jordan appeared again, and Zhang Zhiyuan's attribute chain was also changed to them.
The Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan broke through, the Thunder's double team was a step slower, and Zhang Zhiyuan chose to lay up by himself.
He can't be so obvious. If he passes the ball when there is a 100% chance of scoring, then the Thunder can ignore him.
The ball goes in.
Brooks had a headache and didn't know whether he should stick to his previous strategy.
The Thunder attacked and Jeff Green scored from the basket.
Then it was time to test the Thunder again, and the Thunder chose to double-team.
Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball and Hayes hit the ball from the mid-range.
In the next round, Zhang Zhiyuan continued to pass.
Hayes hit a jumper.
"Another one. With this assist, the other point guards should cry."
Sun Zhengping smiled.
"There is no way, this is crushing by strength. We all know that double-teaming will have such consequences, but the Thunder have no choice. Let Zhang Zhiyuan score high scores and it is not a face-saving thing."
Zhang Lili said.
In the next round, the Thunder players got smarter and started to play some tricks.
Pretending to be embarrassed, when Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball, they immediately rushed over to steal or interfere with the shot.
Not to mention, this move has some effect, at least Zhang Zhiyuan is much more cautious when passing the ball.
In this fleeting competition, caution often means failing to seize opportunities.
Zhang Zhiyuan's assists increase rate began to decline.
This is a very normal situation. When your opponent knows your strategy, he can defend accordingly.
Although it may not be completely preventable, it can certainly reduce the opponent's efficiency.
Zhang Zhiyuan had to play normally, no longer deliberately pursuing assists, but attacking first.
Then the Thunder replaced the main force and the game continued.
Westbrook rushed to the inside and caused Jordan to foul again.
Jordan was replaced and Milicic came on.
The Clippers attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan rushed to the basket, and then handed the ball to Milicic in an almost hand-to-hand manner.
Milicic was even stunned for a moment, he was not used to such unnecessary play.
However, his body's instinct still controlled him to take off and put the basketball into the basket.
"In terms of statistics, I would call him the strongest. In just one round, he scored two points and one assist."
Barkley complained.
"This is also risky. If Milicic misses, all points and assists will be lost."
Smith said.
"There is a risk. Of course he won't play like this when playing against a strong team. Now that he has encountered a bad team, he can brush as much as he wants. Anyway, as long as he strengthens his defense in the last quarter, he can win this game again.
Already."
Barkley continued to complain.
Of course, this kind of complaint is actually a disguised form of praise for Zhang Zhiyuan. After all, only Zhang Zhiyuan dares to control points and play like this. Doesn't this also illustrate his strength?
At least Zhang Zhiyuan's fans were quite happy after hearing this explanation, and didn't think there was anything wrong with brushing up data at all.
Whenever other fans say a few words, they will reject it with one sentence: "If you have the ability, go and try it."
Obviously, there are too few people who are capable of brushing.
