The Warriors beat the Mavericks by 18 points at home 109-91, taking a 2-1 lead.
Once it can be said to be an accident, but twice it makes people suspicious.
However, this is the Warriors' home court after all, and the Mavericks' loss doesn't seem so incomprehensible.
The majority are still optimistic about the Mavericks, and most fans and experts believe that as long as the Mavericks adjust their form, victory will still belong to them.
There is no way, the Mavericks have a very good record in the regular season, and fans and experts have blind trust in them.
Compared with the ups and downs of the calf, the bull is much more stable.
104 to 96, the Bulls defeated the Heat again, with a big score of 3 to 0, and there was almost no suspense about advancing.
In this game, O'Neal had a rare performance, making 10 of 17 shots and scoring 23 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, other role players were not strong, and Mourning, Payton and others lost their fighting spirit.
The Nets defeated the Raptors 102-89, with Carter scoring 37 points.
This is the last swan song of Carter's career. By next season, he will be reduced to an ordinary star player and continue to sink.
On April 28, the fourth game between the Rockets and Jazz began.
This game is very important to both sides. A victory by the Jazz means that both sides are back on the starting line, and the Jazz can also gain a psychological advantage.
If the Rockets win, they will lead 3-1, gain match point, and have a very high chance of advancing.
"The boos from Jazz fans are still so loud..."
Before Zhang Lili could finish his words, something unexpected happened in the player tunnel.
An angry fan threw the drink bottle in his hand at Zhang Zhiyuan. Fortunately, Zhang Zhiyuan got excited and dodged the blow.
The fan was quickly dragged away by the security. John who was dragged away was still cursing some words that others could not understand. All they knew was that he was targeting Zhang Zhiyuan.
The Jazz fans on the side could not help but give this "strong man" a thumbs up. Although they also hated Zhang Zhiyuan, they did not dare to take action against Zhang Zhiyuan. The price was too high.
After the farce ended, Van Gundy did not give up. He protested to the league leader like a shrew, saying that if the Jazz could not guarantee the safety of Rockets players, then the Rockets would refuse to play...
The on-site person in charge sent by the league comforted Van Gundy while communicating with the person in charge of the Jazz.
This is no small matter. If the Auburn Palace incident happens again, they will all be criticized.
After receiving the assurance from the person in charge of the Jazz, the person in charge of the league also communicated with the referees and hinted that they should pay attention to the scale, try to be fair as much as possible, and avoid causing conflicts.
What Zhang Zhiyuan didn't know was that his pick-up with a girl actually helped the team unintentionally.
At the beginning of the game, Alston hit a three-pointer. Okur grabbed the rebound, but Hayes took the ball from behind.
Hayes passed the ball, Yao Ming took off after receiving the ball, and Okur directly pressed on Yao Ming.
The whistle sounded and Yao Ming stepped to the free throw line.
Two free throws were made, the Jazz counterattacked, and Boozer made a hit shot.
Yao Ming grabbed the rebound and ran to the Jazz half court. Yao Ming took action.
But he still attacked resolutely. In the next two rounds, he took action and hit.
The Rockets started 6-2 and seemed to have recovered.
It's a pity that this is all an illusion. This is just Yao Ming's recovery.
Subsequently, the Jazz increased their assistance and double-teaming against Yao Ming, and the Rockets were forced to switch to their main attack from the outside.
McGrady takes action and strikes.
Alstom took action and also struck iron.
6 to 2, 6 to 6, 6 to 9.
After a period of scoring drought, the Jazz had taken the lead.
Yao Ming was very anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't attack two people under the basket.
"Oh, hold on, why are you making a wild shot from outside?"
Zhang Lili complained.
"What does Director Zhang think the Rockets should do now?"
Sun Zhengping asked.
This question is not that easy to answer. Zhang Lili thought for a while and said: "Maybe we can replace Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang is more accurate from the outside than Tracy McGrady and Alston. As long as Xiao Zhang scores one or two from the outside, the Jazz will not dare to do it again."
This is how you double-team Dayao."
Your solution is to replace someone?
Many fans were a little disdainful of this, and instantly felt that they could also do commentary.
On the court, after McGrady fouled and Fisher made two free throws, the Rockets were already 5 points behind.
Van Gundy couldn't sit still and asked Zhang Zhiyuan to replace Hayes in advance. He wanted to strengthen his offense.
Zhang Lili actually guessed it right, and the fans were slightly convinced.
Zhang Zhiyuan was facing off against Boozer, and without too much hesitation, he used the fetter chain directly on Boozer.
[Boozer’s current hatred value is 165, absorbing 6% of the opponent’s attributes.]
Boozer is not a bad-tempered person. Even if Zhang Zhiyuan once embarrassed him in the first game, he only generated more than 300 points of hatred in total.
Moreover, this hatred value changes. After Boozer's anger dissipates, the hatred value will decrease.
Of course, if you continue to irritate him, you can rise.
However, it was not easy to anger Boozer, so Zhang Zhiyuan patiently waited for the opportunity.
The Rockets attacked, and Zhang Zhiyuan kept running, trying to get rid of Boozer.
Although it was unsuccessful, the Rockets' tactical intention was achieved.
After Boozer left the penalty area, the Jazz were empty inside, and Yao Ming took the ball.
The ball goes in.
When the Jazz attacked, Zhang Zhiyuan followed Boozer and talked trash from time to time.
Boozer ignored it.
Deron missed the shot and the Rockets counterattacked.
Zhang Zhiyuan ran to the right, and Battier crossed in front of Boozer.
When Battier blocked someone, he was too close to Boozer, which was suspected of a covering foul.
The referee didn't see it clearly and didn't call it.
Zhang Zhiyuan received the pass and then shot a three-pointer.
The ball goes in.
"Referee, he committed a foul."
Boozer complained to the referee.
"Shut up. Only children who can't afford to lose complain. Men use actions to win."
Zhang Zhiyuan said mockingly.
Boozer was furious when he heard this, as if he was not a man.
Perhaps to prove that he is a man, or perhaps the Jazz's tactics were originally like this, Boozer caught the ball and shot a mid-range jumper.
This play was too simple, and the intention was undoubtedly exposed. Zhang Zhiyuan pounced on it and blocked the shot.
"How about I teach you a few words in Chinese? With your strength, you can only play in the CBA."
Zhang Zhiyuan said mockingly.
Hatred value 20.
Unknowingly, Boozer's hatred value had risen to 200, and the attributes that had been sucked away were as high as 7%.
Seven percent is not much, but his speed was already slower than Zhang Zhiyuan, and now it is even worse.
Just like a replica of the first duel, Zhang Zhiyuan began to gain an advantage in the matchup.
He didn't rely on his teammates to get rid of Boozer and break through. Upon seeing this, Kirilenko quickly covered up the defense. Zhang Zhiyuan scored the ball. Battier made an open three-pointer and scored.
In the next round, Zhang Zhiyuan faked a shot and actually passed Boozer, went inside and caused a defensive foul on Okur.
Made both free throws.
The score was evened.
"Boozer's condition has declined today. It is normal for a player's condition to fluctuate, but Boozer's poor condition at this time is too fatal."
Buckley said.
"Zhang is very good at seizing opportunities. After he discovered that Boozer was in poor condition, he frequently attacked Boozer."
Smith said.
Jerry Sloan also noticed what the two said, but he couldn't help it.
Boozer is the team's top scorer and the team's first scoring point. He must use it.
"Switch defense, Andre goes to guard him."
Sloan called a timeout, adjusted his defensive strategy, and asked Kirilenko to guard Zhang Zhiyuan.
He had used this trick before, and it had both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that it can restrict Zhang Zhiyuan, but the disadvantage is that it will affect the team's defensive system and benefit the rest of the Rockets.
The timeout ends and both sides return to the court.
When the Jazz attacked, Boozer caught the ball and was blocked by Zhang Zhiyuan, giving him no room to make adjustments.
In desperation, Boozer could only pass the ball to his teammates.
Deron reorganized the attack, but Halprin finally missed the shot.
The Jazz had difficulties on both ends of the floor.
While you are sick, I will kill you.
The Rockets launched a fierce counterattack.
Role players have a very common characteristic, that is, they are awesome when the wind is blowing and they are ghost when the wind is blowing.
When the team is going against the wind, role players without pressure often perform like superstars. But when the team is going against the wind, they often don't even dare to take action.
At this time, the Rockets had a tailwind, and Alston easily got the chance to shoot, and then he threw it decisively.
The ball goes in.
In the next round, Shane also scored.
As soon as the role players started playing, the Jazz were in complete chaos and had no idea who to guard.
Ever since, the Jazz collapsed inexplicably.
After the first quarter, the score between the two teams was 29 to 19, with the Rockets leading by 10 points.
"Look, this is the role of Xiao Zhang. Although he didn't score many points, only 6 points, the momentum of the Rockets was completely driven by him."
Zhang Lili was very excited because his analysis was accurate and replacing Zhang Zhiyuan was really effective.
Chinese fans love to hear this.
"Persevere, keep this advantage, win this game 3-1, and the Rockets will be able to break through the first round."
Sun Zhengping said.
Of course the Rockets want to maintain this 10-point advantage, but the Jazz will definitely not give up just yet.
During the timeout, Jerry Sloan talked a lot with the players.
To sum it up, we need to play tougher, go inside to make Yao Ming foul, speed up the pace to consume the Rockets' physical strength, and finally defeat the opponent with willpower.
The timeout ends and the next quarter begins.
On the Jazz's side, except for Halprin, who replaced Fisher, everyone else was a starter.
Obviously, they are going to fight hard.
If the Rockets are not on the main force, they will take the opportunity to chase the wind. If the Rockets are on the main force, they will exhaust their energy.
They are younger and they have no way out.
The Rockets have Luther Head, Zhang Zhiyuan, Battier, Juwan Howard, and Hayes, which is barely a semi-main lineup.
The Jazz attacked first, Deron broke through, squeezed Lutherhead away, and got inside, causing Hayes to foul.
Deron made two free throws.
When it was the rocket's turn to attack, Zhang Zhiyuan was naturally heavily guarded.
Juwan Howard got a chance, shot from mid-range, and scored.
At the critical moment, the veteran did not fail.
The Jazz counterattacked, and it was Deron again.
This guy took advantage of his matchup advantage and kept bullying Rutherhead while staring at him.
Zhang Zhiyuan went to help defend, Deron passed the ball, Halprin took two steps to catch the ball, rushed to the penalty area and took off to complete a dunk.
Hayes is too reluctant to play center.
During the transition between offense and defense, Zhang Zhiyuan bypassed Halprin and cooperated with Juwan Howard. Finally, he fell in front of Boozer, continued to break through Boozer, and scored the ball.
"Flaw, this is the nickname I gave you, you are Jazz's flaw."
Zhang Zhiyuan said mockingly.
"..."
Boozer was so angry that he regretted not taking advantage of the good performance in the previous game to mock Zhang Zhiyuan.
Fortunately, Deron worked hard and broke through to the inside again to score a layup.
When Van Gundy saw that this was not working, he immediately replaced him with Alston.
Although Alston is also a colander, at least he is not as leaky as Lutherhead.
Alston's appearance on the court did not stop the Jazz's offense.
Players' status has its ups and downs, and Deron is currently in an explosive state.
35 to 29.
Fortunately, the Rockets' offense did not stretch the ball and the Jazz did not pursue too aggressively.
After only three minutes of play, Van Gundy reluctantly replaced Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, letting Battier and Hayes rest.
Yao Ming gave Halprin a big hat as soon as he came on the court.
"With Yao Ming guarding the opposite side of the penalty area and rushing inside, the Jazz got a little carried away."
Zhang Lili commented.
Yao Ming is afraid of Okur and Boozer throwing from the outside, but he is not afraid of others attacking the inside, and he even has a little expectation.
The Rockets offense is still launched by Zhang Zhiyuan.
Boozer was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.
As an All-Star and the boss of a team, it is really not a glorious thing to be defeated by an undrafted player like this.
Boozer was concentrating on Zhang Zhiyuan's movements, while Zhang Zhiyuan gave up all the bells and whistles and just relied on speed to break through.
Boozer hurriedly took a step back, but his center of gravity became unstable and he sat down on the floor.
This kind of scene is quite common in the NBA, but it's also quite embarrassing.
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately braked and jumped from the spot to take action.
The ball goes in.
It looks like Zhang Zhiyuan played a trick on Boozer.
After the ball was scored, Zhang Zhiyuan stretched out his hand towards Boozer, trying to pull him away.
Doing this among friends is considered friendly, but doing so among enemies is not necessarily the case.
In Boozer's view, Zhang Zhiyuan's actions were humiliating himself.
He slapped Zhang Zhiyuan's hand away and stood up.
This scene was also broadcast live around the world by cameras.
"Oh, this Boozer is very ungraceful..."
Zhang Lili complained.
"It was so ugly to be exposed. It's understandable that I feel depressed."
Sun Zhengping smiled.
Zhang Zhiyuan's move not only angered Boozer with humiliation, but also severely damaged the morale of the Jazz.
The team boss was teased, and their confidence in winning was shaken.
The Jazz attacked, they made timely adjustments, and Okur started shooting three-pointers.
It's a pity that I didn't get in.
The Rockets counterattacked, McGrady made an air cut, Zhang Zhiyuan passed the ball, and McGrady scored 21.
The rocket is on the rise.
Soon, a wave of 10 to 3 widened the point difference between the two teams again.
Jerry Sloan was pacing anxiously off the court, but he was helpless.
At the end of the first half, 58 to 43, the Rockets were already leading by 15 points.
For a slow-paced team that mainly scores 2 points, this is already a very big gap.
Unless the Jazz can explode in the second half, it will be difficult to chase these 15 points.
"Jazz was defeated by Zhang again."
Smith commented.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan only scored 12 points on 5 of 9 shots, he also got 5 assists, which completely disrupted the Jazz's defense.
"This guy looks ordinary. Why can't the Jazz do anything about him?"
Buckley couldn't help but complain.
Speaking of Zhang Zhiyuan's strength, it may not seem very strong at first glance, but he can always make the Jazz uncomfortable at critical moments, and his presence is even stronger than Tracy McGrady.
