After Zhang Zhiyuan came on the court, he faced Boozer. This stubborn boy was relatively strong among power forwards. Zhang Zhiyuan, a swingman, could not compete with him in terms of strength.
Ever since, Zhang Zhiyuan chose to tie the attribute chain to Boozer.
On the one hand, it is to weaken the opponent's strength and prevent the defensive end from being exposed. On the other hand, it is to weaken the opponent's speed to give oneself more advantages on the offensive end.
Although 5% is not much, the gap between the two is not that big.
After this addition and subtraction, Zhang Zhiyuan can actually take advantage of some slight advantages in terms of attributes.
The Rockets attacked, Boozer left the penalty area and followed Zhang Zhiyuan.
Obviously, the Jazz knew that Zhang Zhiyuan was good at three-pointers and did not give Zhang Zhiyuan a chance.
The idea is fine, but the execution is not that easy.
Zhang Zhiyuan ran faster, but Boozer couldn't keep up at the first time.
Then Alston passed the ball and Zhang Zhiyuan got a good breakthrough route after receiving the ball.
Kirilenko saw that he couldn't let it go. As long as Zhang Zhiyuan rushed up, it would be a huge challenge to their inside line. If not, they could cause damage and force Okur to foul.
You must know that after Boozer left the penalty area, the Jazz only had one Okur left in the paint.
Kirilenko quickly made up the defense and blocked Zhang Zhiyuan.
According to the Jazz's defensive strategy, Boozer must change his defensive target at this time and go to Battier to plug the loopholes.
But due to Zhang Zhiyuan's running route, Boozer was still several steps away from Battier at this time.
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately passed the ball to Battier. Boozer failed to defend in time. Battier made an open three-pointer and scored.
"The effect is immediate."
Zhang Lili laughed and said.
"You look so good when you're bumping around like a headless fly."
Back on the defensive end, Zhang Zhiyuan mocked Boozer.
Boozer was furious when he heard this, but when he remembered the coach's teachings, he immediately regained his composure.
The coach's information manual states that Zhang is 202cm tall, weighs 104kg, is a swingman, fast and powerful, has average singles ability with the ball, is accurate in three-pointers, and has a mid-range shot...
He is good at irritating his opponents with trash talk and other behaviors, and his opponents generally perform poorly after being irritated.
Therefore, you must not quarrel with Zhang Zhiyuan.
The Jazz put a lot of effort into studying Zhang Zhiyuan and watched the game videos more than a dozen times.
Boozer waited for an opportunity to cut inside, and Zhang Zhiyuan easily followed up.
In the past, when the Rockets played the Jazz, they were afraid of Boozer's air cuts. Because the Rockets were slow in the paint, Boozer would float outside and shoot long-distance two-pointers from time to time. From time to time, he would make air cuts, and Yao Ming couldn't keep up.
But this is not a problem for Zhang Zhiyuan, and he is even able to do it with ease.
What Zhang Zhiyuan is afraid of is that the power forward will play hard in the paint. If he is asked to defend Duncan, he will definitely be beaten to tears. And playing hard in the paint is exactly Boozer's weakness.
For a moment, Boozer couldn't find any chance to take action.
Fortunately, Boozer is not alone in the Jazz.
Deron scored Alston alone, turned around and hit a two-point jump shot.
Alston is the Rockets' weakness. Not only their opponents know this, but the Rockets themselves also know it, but there is nothing they can do about it.
It’s not bad to be able to sign a point guard of Alston’s level with an annual salary of 4 million. A high-performance player with a basic salary like Zhang Zhiyuan is only a slap in the face in the entire league.
The Rockets have been envied and hated by many teams for being able to get one, and some coaches even suspected that there was an inside story involved in this deal, involving Yao Ming.
Otherwise, it cannot be explained why Zhang Zhiyuan gave up the high salary offered by the Lakers and chose to sign a low-paying short-term contract with the Rockets.
The Rockets attacked and Zhang Zhiyuan continued to move.
This is the case in the playoffs. As long as the opponent has a weakness, then exploit this weakness until the opponent can't stand it and make changes.
Boozer tried very hard to catch up, but he really couldn't catch up.
Alston passed the ball, but Kirilenko hesitated for a moment and did not cover the ball.
Naturally, Zhang Zhiyuan was not polite and started to break through directly, heading towards the basket.
Although shooting a three-pointer is also an option, a three-pointer is always not as reliable as a layup.
When he got to the basket, Okur couldn't bear it and dropped Yao Ming to cover.
At this time, Zhang Zhiyuan can actually make a layup by himself, and the success rate will not be too low.
But in order to avoid the risk of being blocked, he still chose to pass the ball inside to Yao Ming.
Yao Ming jumped slightly and put the ball into the basket.
His layups always give people the feeling that he just needs to tiptoe to dunk.
Two points arrived, 7 to 13.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan did not score, he did provide two assists, which surprised many people.
Naturally, Zhang Lili would not miss the opportunity to put gold on his face at this time, and said with a smile: "Let me just say, Xiao Zhang had few assists before just because he was still in the running-in period, so his passing cannot be bad.
You must know that passing the ball depends on the football IQ, and Xiao Zhang looks like a smart person at first glance."
On the edge of the court, Jerry Sloan was pacing from side to side, restless.
Before the game, I had thought about a lot of strategies against Zhang Zhiyuan, but I never expected that Zhang Zhiyuan would start playing with the team as soon as he came up.
You don't play like this.
The Jazz attacked, Deron broke through, and Alston reluctantly blocked it with a foul.
Fortunately, the number of fouls has not reached 4, so no free throws are required.
The Jazz served again, and Fisher sneaked to a place where no one was paying attention, made a sneak attack, and hit the mid-range shot.
"Hold."
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't help but curse.
Fortunately, our team worked hard to get two points, but this guy caught up with two points so easily, which is very unpleasant.
"Stay focused."
Yao Ming loudly reminded his teammates not to sleepwalk in the playoffs.
The Rockets attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan continued to run, Boozer chased him with tears in his eyes, but still couldn't catch up.
Zhang Zhiyuan received the ball and broke through. Kirilenko made up the defense. Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball to Battier. Kirilenko left Zhang Zhiyuan to chase Battier. Battier then passed the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan.
The two played with Kirilenko like a dog, but Kirilenko's embarrassment actually helped the team a lot.
At least he stalled for time, and his teammates have reacted and are about to complete a new defense change.
Zhang Zhiyuan saw that he could no longer delay, otherwise the chance would be gone.
So, he chose to take a three-point shot, and Kirilenko jumped madly to block the shot.
In daily training, Zhang Zhiyuan's three-point shooting percentage has reached as high as 80%.
But in the game, his current three-point shooting percentage is only 42%.
42% is not low, but it is still less than half. The probability of missing the shot is extremely high.
Fortunately, God gave him face and he made his first shot in the playoffs.
"You played for 9 minutes, did you get any points?"
Zhang Zhiyuan smiled at Kirilenko.
This is a bit heartbreaking. As a role player who focuses on defense, Kirilenko sometimes doesn't score in the entire game, let alone only played 9 minutes now.
Subsequently, Jerry Sloan chose to make a substitution.
If I don't change, Boozer will almost be beaten.
Paul Millsap is on, Boozer is off. Gilisek is on, Fisher is off.
"Charles, tell me I was blinded. All-Star Boozer was blown away."
Smith exclaimed exaggeratedly.
It's still too early to say it's going to break out, but in the past few rounds, Boozer was really in a mess.
"Yes, you really should see a doctor."
Although he said this, Barkley's tone actually agreed with Smith's point of view. Boozer was beaten up by Zhang Zhiyuan.
I'm afraid no one would have thought before the game that the All-Star player who gave Yao Ming such a headache was actually restrained by Zhang Zhiyuan.
"Paul may be able to restrain Zhang, he is young, energetic and has plenty of physical strength."
Smith continued his analysis.
And his analysis was quite accurate. Millsap did a better job on the defensive end and did not let Zhang Zhiyuan easily get the opportunity.
However, the Rockets don’t just have Zhang Zhiyuan.
Yao Ming made a strong attack from the basket and scored.
Without Boozer's help, it would be difficult for Okur to guard Yao Ming.
However, after Yao Ming hit the ball, he was quickly replaced.
Van Gundy needs to save his energy for the crucial decisive moment.
Also replaced were Tracy McGrady and Alston.
The Rockets' main force is down, but the Jazz's are not.
This Jazz team is very young, with Okur in the 01 class, Deron in the 05 class, Millsap in the 06 class...
The oldest Kirilenko was only a draft player in 1999.
These guys have no problem playing an entire quarter.
The Jazz attacked and they seized this opportunity. Deron took advantage of Luther Head, turned around and broke through and scored with a small throw.
Back on the defensive end, they were much more relaxed and only needed to focus on defending Zhang Zhiyuan.
All the pressure of the Rockets' offense falls on Zhang Zhiyuan, and he is now the Rockets' main offensive point.
Others don't have a good chance and don't dare to make random bets.
In the end, Lutherhead passed the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan, but Zhang Zhiyuan didn't have a good chance. He was pushed to the 3rd position at this time and had to face Kirilenko, a defensive monster.
You have to take action even if you don't have a chance. This is the responsibility that the core has to bear.
Zhang Zhiyuan pretended to make a real move, but Kirilenko saw through it and gave him a big hat.
Fortunately, the ball was touched by Kirilenko, and the Rockets still had the ball.
After receiving the ball, Zhang Zhiyuan called for a screen, dodged Kirilenko, came to Jilishek, and then relied on brute force to force his way to the basket.
He put the elbow of one hand on Jilishek's chest and quietly exerted force to make Jilishek uncomfortable.
This is a small action suspected of being a foul. Whether it is a foul or not depends on whether the referee calls it or not.
If the referee blows it, it means that the penalty is strict and it can no longer be used. If the referee does not blow it, you can continue to use it and take advantage of it.
In home games, the referee will usually be a little biased and call the away team more than the home team. This will make the away team play more constrained, while the home team players can play more wildly.
This is called home field advantage.
The home court advantage in NBA games is the largest among the four major sports leagues. Almost thirty teams have a higher home winning percentage than away games, and they are much higher.
Zhang Zhiyuan's move this time was to test the referee. As a result, his bet was right and the referee did not call the call.
Jilicek couldn't resist and took a small step back. Zhang Zhiyuan squeezed in and got closer to the basket, and then shot a jumper.
The ball goes in.
"The Jazz had nothing to do with Zhang. Didn't they study Zhang before the game? This is not the attitude of playing in the playoffs."
Barkley complained.
Zhang Zhiyuan only played a few minutes on the field, but his presence was so strong, whether he was assisting or scoring, he was even more dazzling than Yao Mai.
What's even more outrageous is that the Jazz seem to have no solution yet.
"Maybe. After all, Zhang is just an undrafted player who has never played in the playoffs. The contempt is understandable."
Smith laughed.
This statement can be regarded as an injustice to Jerry Sloan. He really studied it carefully.
Sure enough, Zhang Zhiyuan's scoring was not so easy next.
The Jazz no longer switched defenses, but adopted man-to-man tactics, always letting Kirilenko defend Zhang Zhiyuan.
Kirilenko is not the best defensive player and his defense is much worse than Duncan, Garnett and others, but Zhang Zhiyuan is willing to deal with Duncan and Garnett.
Because Kirilenko just restrained Zhang Zhiyuan.
Just like Zhang Zhiyuan restrained Boozer, Boozer restrained Yao Ming, and Yao Ming restrained Howard.
There is indeed some restraint in the NBA.
Facing Kirilenko, Zhang Zhiyuan was blocked again and another shot was too hasty.
Fortunately, he also assisted Mutombo to score two points, so that the team would not suffer a loss.
Not long after, the first quarter of the game was over.
19 to 24, the Rockets lead by five points.
The original score in the air was 19 to 20. Zhang Zhiyuan's appearance allowed the Rockets to win by 4 points.
Zhang Zhiyuan played 5 minutes and made 4 of 8 shots, including a three-pointer, for a total of 9 points and 3 assists. He is currently the highest scorer in the game, an absolute star.
"The thigh is actually my own."
Zhang Zhiyuan got the answer.
Yao Ming had 6 points and 4 rebounds, Tracy McGrady had 2 points and 2 assists. Put them together to compare, Zhang Zhiyuan really looks like a thigh.
"Nice job."
Teammates praised him one after another.
Some of them have a good relationship with Zhang Zhiyuan, some have a normal relationship, and some are even unhappy with him.
But at this moment, everyone is still very united, and everyone wants to go further in the playoffs.
The further you go, the greater your exposure.
Even role players need exposure. If you can't endorse Nike and Adidas, it's only a small amount of money to endorse a pizza shop in your hometown.
Facing the praise from everyone, Zhang Zhiyuan was very calm and did not get carried away.
After watching football for more than ten years, he has seen many role players perform brilliantly in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean anything. To measure a player's strength, look at the average data per game, not the single game data.
The outstanding performance just now was more because the Jazz focused their defense on Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.
Zhang Zhiyuan knew in his heart that it would not be that easy for him to score next.
As he expected, Jerry Sloan was arranging new defensive tactics during the first quarter break.
His arrangement was quite simple, that is, let Kirilenko keep an eye on him the entire time.
In this game, Jerry Sloan no longer needs Kirilenko to do anything else. He only needs to keep an eye on Zhang Zhiyuan and achieve the goal.
Without Kirilenko's help in defense, what will Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady do?
Jerry Sloan can only hope that Yao Mai is not in good condition, or one of his own players breaks out. He only has so many cards in his hand, and there is really nothing he can do.
"Madefak, why don't those losers sign Zhang?"
At the start of the second quarter, Jerry Sloan mentally cursed the management of the Jazz and Lakers. If the management had used some snacks and intercepted the ball before the Rockets, he wouldn't have had such a headache now.
If the Lakers management was more generous and directly agreed to Zhang Zhiyuan's offer to retain him, he wouldn't have the headache he has now.
