"Don't play fast breaks with them. We need to lower the tempo, improve our success rate, don't give our opponents a chance to counterattack, and pay attention to the fight for rebounds. Stay steady and we can win."
There was a pause between sections, and Van Gundy talked about tactics and strategies earnestly.
Finally, he specifically named Tracy McGrady to ask him to play smarter.
Following the referee's urging, the final quarter of the game began.
On the Rockets side, Yao Ming and Battier are still resting and preparing for the final battle.
Tracy McGrady and Zhang Zhiyuan lead the team.
McGrady listened to Van Gundy's words. After all, he also wanted to win.
However, when he passed the ball to Alston, Hayes, and Mutombo, they did not dare to shoot.
The ball finally ended up in the hands of Zhang Zhiyuan and Tracy McGrady, who took turns relying on their individual abilities.
The efficiency is so-so, but fortunately the opponent is not doing well either, and the iron is struck continuously.
After three minutes, Yao Ming and Battier came on the court to begin the final battle.
The Warriors also used all their main players.
The Rockets attacked, Yao Ming caught the ball to attract the defense, and then made an inside pass and threw the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan who sneaked into the paint. Zhang Zhiyuan took advantage of the situation and scored a layup.
89 to 92, the Rockets lead by 3 points.
The Warriors attack and Zhang Zhiyuan defends Barnes. The task is very light.
The Warriors mainly attacked Alston and Tracy McGrady. Davis broke through and Battier made up the defense.
Then Richardson slipped to the basket, Davis passed the ball, and Richardson made a layup.
"It was McGrady who didn't guard this ball well."
Zhang Lili said.
The Rockets counterattacked. Yao Ming caught the ball from the basket and missed the ball.
Zhang Zhiyuan tried to grab an offensive rebound, and Barnes also took off.
The two men's arms touched each other in the air and became entangled after landing.
Anyone with thin arms would probably dislocate if they were pulled like this.
Fortunately, both of them are strong men, so they were fine even after pulling each other.
The rebound was picked up by Jackson, and the Warriors went on a fast break and scored again.
93 to 92, the Warriors took the lead.
Although they were only one point behind, many Rockets fans were still worried.
Neutral fans may prefer to watch anxious games, but for Rockets and Warriors fans, they both hope that the team can take a big lead and win the game steadily.
The Rockets attacked, and Alstom continued to advance unhurriedly.
The advantage of playing this way is that there are fewer mistakes. Alston brought the ball steadily across the half court and then handed it to Yao Ming under the basket.
Yao Ming turned around and made a small hook, and the ball went in.
93 to 94.
After scoring, the Warriors needed to serve the baseline ball, and the Rockets players were able to return to their half-court positions.
The Warriors are forced to fight positional warfare, which is their weakness.
Davis broke through and missed the ball from the outside. Jackson shot a three-pointer from the outside, but the ball missed.
Zhang Zhiyuan grabbed the rebound, but he did not start a fast break.
There is no way, no one else can keep up with his speed.
He handed the ball to Alston honestly, and Zhang Zhiyuan ran to the bottom corner to wait for the opportunity.
Yao Ming continued to gain position under the basket, and Biedrins was squeezed back continuously. Barnes estimated that Alston was about to pass the ball, so he got closer and tried to cause Yao Ming to make a mistake.
However, Alston changed his mind before taking action and passed the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan.
Zhang Zhiyuan took the ball and hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner.
93 to 97, the Rockets led by 2 goals, a huge advantage.
"This three-pointer is too fatal for the Warriors."
Smith praised.
"Don't give Zhang a chance at any time. This guy's ability to seize opportunities is too strong. Every time he takes a shot, I feel like he's going to score."
Buckley said.
The significance of Zhang Zhiyuan's goal is not only to score 3 points, it also severely damaged the morale of the Warriors and made the Warriors impatient.
Richardson was eager to catch up with the score and also shot three-pointers from the outside.
However, he didn't take McGrady seriously enough. He had to get rid of McGrady before taking action. There was no reason to take action in front of McGrady.
McGrady is not as fast as before, but his height and wingspan are still there.
McGrady took off and interfered, and his fingertips almost touched the basketball.
In order to prevent Richardson from being blocked, the arc of the shot is also very high. But this is not his accustomed shot, and he lacks the feel of this shot.
The ball didn't go in, and it almost didn't happen.
Zhang Zhiyuan was lucky enough to pick up a key rebound again.
Barnes became anxious and attacked Zhang Zhiyuan directly, bumping Zhang Zhiyuan violently, causing Zhang Zhiyuan to lose the basketball.
Then, the referee's whistle sounded. Because the Warriors had already committed 4 fouls in this quarter, Zhang Zhiyuan stepped to the free throw line.
Two free throws were made, and the Warriors paid the foul and lost points.
93 to 99.
This ball became a turning point, and then the Warriors' performance became worse and worse, with consecutive mistakes.
On the Rockets' side, after the role players were no longer under pressure, they became much more confident in their shots.
Both Shane Battier and Alston hit.
The Warriors completely collapsed.
From the moment Zhang Zhiyuan hit the three-pointer, the Rockets went on a 12-4 run.
Finally, the game is over.
99 to 109, the Rockets defeated the Warriors by 10 points at home and won the game.
"Once the Rockets get serious, the Warriors will have no chance."
Buckley said.
In the first three quarters, the Warriors seemed to be able to compete with the Rockets, but in the fourth quarter they were directly defended by 14 points.
"The Rockets have too much advantage inside. Unless the Warriors have a collective burst of hand and kill the Rockets with three-pointers, they have no chance."
Smith followed the analysis.
Compared to Yao Ming and Zhang Zhiyuan, the inside combination of Biedrins-Barnes is two levels behind in terms of reputation and strength.
Even Zhang Zhiyuan, who is not good at grabbing rebounds, grabbed 6 rebounds from Barnes today.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't take many shots today, only 16, but he hit 10. He made 3 of 6 three-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
In comparison, McGrady's performance was much worse.
McGrady made 9 of 28 free throws and 6 of 8 free throws, scoring 24 points.
This is thanks to the fact that he pitched less in the second half, otherwise the number of hits in this game would have been in the top ten of his personal hit list.
Yao Ming made 10 of 20 shots and scored 26 points and 9 rebounds including free throws.
The Big Three of the Rockets scored 75 points, and their output was quite stable.
The Warriors' trident score is actually quite high, with Davis 22, Richardson 20, and Jackson 19.
However, the Trident is still a Trident after all, and it is just a step behind the Big Three in terms of quality.
In post-match interviews, Davis, Jackson and others said that losing a game on the road is normal and they still have a chance to gain home field advantage.
Although the outside world generally says that they are not as strong as the Rockets, they are still tough-talking.
After completing Black Eight, their confidence has increased a lot.
After the Warriors' interview ended, Davis and others did not leave the locker room immediately, but watched the Rockets' live interview.
The Rockets attended the press conference with Van Gundy and the Big Three.
"Jeff, the two teams were very anxious in the first three quarters. Why did you suddenly break out in the fourth quarter?"
the reporter asked.
"Because we strengthened our defense in the fourth quarter and executed our tactics perfectly."
Of course Van Gundy couldn't say it was McGrady, he could only make up a reason.
"Yao, what do you think is the key to winning the game?"
the reporter asked.
"It's a team effort..."
Whether it is Van Gundy or Yao Ming McGrady, their answers are relatively official.
In the end, the reporter pointed the microphone at Zhang Zhiyuan.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan has not been interviewed many times, he often has amazing words and is a good news material.
"Zhang, what do you think is the key to winning the game?"
The reporter repeated the question.
"Of course the opponent is too weak."
Zhang Zhiyuan said.
Although it is a bit rude to say this, Zhang Zhiyuan does not intend to have a close relationship with those people in the Warriors. If he offends him, he will be offended.
The more they hate themselves, the happier Zhang Zhiyuan is.
As soon as this was said, the reporters immediately beamed.
"I don't agree with your statement. Although you performed very well today, your opponents are also very good. Davis and Jackson are all excellent players..."
"No no no."
Zhang Zhiyuan interrupted the guy's tirade and said: "I didn't perform well today. I scored more points just because no one guarded me. Did anyone guard me today? I didn't feel it."
Yao Ming and Van Gundy both looked at Zhang Zhiyuan with confused expressions, not understanding why he said this.
In the Warriors' locker room, Barnes had already kicked the closet.
"Son of a bitch."
"Asshole, I'm going to blow him up."
"It's so rude, this guy is so rude."
The Warriors players were all very angry. They had lost many games, but they had never been so blatantly ridiculed by their opponents.
"Wouldn't it be disrespectful for your opponent to say this?"
The reporter is still asking.
"I hope they can show some strength and win my respect instead of begging for respect in front of me."
Zhang Zhiyuan said.
Warriors players were shot while lying down, but they didn't pray for respect, so reporters can't represent them.
But fans don't care so much, they subconsciously default to the Warriors.
Zhang Zhiyuan's answer completely offended the Warriors players. The media rushed to report on it. They liked this kind of gunpowder.
Many reporters also caught up with some Warriors players and asked them what they thought of this provocation.
"It's just a game, let him stop being arrogant."
Jackson snorted coldly.
"We're going to win in the end, just like we beat the Mavericks."
Davis said.
"I will use fierce defense in the next game to make him remember my name, Barnes, Matt Barnes."
Barnes said.
...
Zhang Zhiyuan's words are a bit incomprehensible, but the problem is not big. Everyone just thinks that he is a bit arrogant.
This is not a big drawback.
After this game, some team managers took action again.
"Tell Zhang to come to the Pacers next season, we have prepared a maximum salary for him."
Larry Bird dialed Smyer's number and got straight to the point.
He had approached Smail before, but he hadn't made an offer at that time, and Smail also said he would wait until the playoffs were over.
After watching this game, Larry Bird no longer dares to wait for the playoffs to end, because Zhang Zhiyuan performed so well. There will definitely be more and more interested teams, and he must strike first.
Maximum salary?
Smail couldn't help but his heart beat faster when he heard this.
Zhang Zhiyuan is not a second-round pick, is not a restricted player, and is not subject to the Arenas clause. He can directly sign a maximum salary with a starting salary of 14 million and an annual increase of 5%.
Smail had never thought that Zhang Zhiyuan could get the maximum salary so quickly. This is not only a matter of money, but also a symbol of status.
My heart was moved, but Smail had no control over this matter.
He said: "Larry, your vision is too vicious. I believe Zhang will be very moved. But Zhang said that he must finish the playoffs before thinking about it, so I can't disturb him now."
"Okay, we'll start talking in detail as soon as the playoffs are over. Alas, I don't even know now whether I should expect the Rockets to continue to win."
Larry Bird had a little humor.
The Rockets continue to win, which shows that Zhang Zhiyuan is playing well, but Larry Bird needs to wait longer.
If you want to talk in detail quickly, the Rockets need to be eliminated as soon as possible, which means that Zhang Zhiyuan's role may be overestimated.
It's really hard to choose.
Smile laughed at this.
Not long after he hung up the phone with Larry Bird, managers from the Raptors, Hawks, and SuperSonics also came to harass him.
These teams have salary space and can sign Zhang Zhiyuan without pressure.
Averaged 20 per game in the playoffs, young potential is huge, and commercial value is huge, which is enough for those teams to make bets.
Unfortunately, no matter how sincere their sincerity was, Smail did not agree immediately.
Later, Smail informed Zhang Zhiyuan about the incident.
"They are all bad teams."
Zhang Zhiyuan complained.
The Pacers, Raptors, Hawks, SuperSonics, these teams have no hope of winning the championship next season.
"Isn't this nonsense? The winning team will not have the salary space to give you the maximum salary, unless it is a trade. Even if there is salary space, the other party cannot be as generous as the bottom team."
Smile complained.
Among the eight teams currently in the playoffs, only the Bulls and Pistons do not pay the luxury tax.
"Let's talk about it then."
Zhang Zhiyuan actually doesn't have many choices next season, because the Celtics will form a Big Three next season.
Returning to the Lakers is the best choice. Together with Kobe and Gasol, it's easy to beat the Celtics.
The problem is how to get along with Kobe.
"Unless Kobe comes and begs me."
Zhang Zhiyuan thought arrogantly that if Kobe was willing to bend down and beg him to go to the Lakers, it would not be impossible.
On May 5, the Cavaliers played against the Nets.
The two teams had an iron fight. Carter made 7 of 23, Kidd made 2 of 11, James made 8 of 21, and Larry Hughes made 7 of 20.
Relying on a poor performance, the Cavaliers narrowly defeated 81 to 77.
Kidd scored 7 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He was able to miss a triple-double due to insufficient scoring.
The Spurs played against the Suns on the court and won 111 to 106.
Duncan scored 33 points, 16 rebounds, and shot 60% from the field. The commentators were speechless for a while and didn't know how to describe Duncan's performance.
The statistics of most players in the regular season are better than those in the playoffs, but Duncan is the opposite. He often plays dead in the regular season and is a strong group in the playoffs.
On May 6, the second game between the Pistons and Bulls began.
Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, who performed well in the first round, continued to pull away. The two of them only scored 29 points together.
In the end, the team also lost to the Pistons 87-108, falling behind 0-2.
There seems to be no suspense in this series, and the gap between the two teams is quite big.
The Bulls took a total of 52 free throws in this game, making the game last more than three hours.
Both the Rockets and Warriors games had to be delayed for half an hour.
