In the last quarter, both teams started with semi-main lineups.
Odom, Walton and others were fighting, while Zhang Zhiyuan was still resting.
This also means that he will replace Walton in the decisive moment, which is a very good signal.
After the two sides played for 4 minutes, the score was 84 to 83, with the Trail Blazers leading by 1 point.
Then Kobe Bryant, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Bynum were replaced.
For the Trail Blazers, Randolph also came on the court.
The Lakers attacked first, and Kobe came up and hit the ground running.
The Trail Blazers seized the opportunity to counterattack and expand their lead.
During the transition between offense and defense, Kobe still shot resolutely and scored.
No matter how many times he was beaten before, it would not affect his determination to take action. It must be said that this is also a kind of big heart, and most people really can't do it.
Seeing Kobe open, the Trail Blazers immediately stepped up their defense against him.
This is not a fuss made by the Trail Blazers. When facing a player like Kobe who can score explosively, one must be cautious. If you are careless for a few rounds, the opponent can score several goals in a row.
With Kobe being heavily guarded, opportunities came for the rest of the Lakers.
Parker shot a three-pointer from outside and made it.
Zhang Zhiyuan failed to touch the ball for several consecutive rounds and could only wait patiently.
Role players must have this mentality. After all, they only take seven or eight shots in a game. Most of the time, they just follow the turnaround.
The game went on dully until the last two minutes.
During this period, Zhang Zhiyuan only took one shot, and he had not yet made a shot.
During the timeout, Zhang Zhiyuan was a little worried that Jackson would replace him. As a result, he would not be able to score in double figures, and his debut would hardly be considered a success.
Fortunately, Phil Jackson was quite satisfied with his defense during this period.
So, he still came on stage at the last moment.
Most people didn't notice that Wharton's eyes were about to burst into flames. Only Vujacic patted him on the shoulder, not sure whether it was to comfort him or to share the same hatred.
Although Zhang Zhiyuan did not steal his playing time, Vujacic found it difficult to balance when he saw that an undrafted player was being reused, while a "highly drafted" player like himself had to sit on the bench.
For undrafted players, the 27th pick in the first round is indeed considered a high pick.
The decisive battle begins. On the Lakers side are Parker, Kobe, Zhang Zhiyuan, Odom, and Bynum.
The Trail Blazers are Jarrett, Roy, Martell, Aldridge, and Randolph.
Amy Udoka was also off the court, sharing the same fate as Walton and Vujacic.
The Trail Blazers attacked first, and they began to take advantage of Zhang Zhiyuan.
The Trail Blazers coach believes that Zhang Zhiyuan, who has just joined the Lakers, will not be able to cooperate well with others.
He guessed correctly.
When the Trail Blazers used a double-cover tactic, Zhang Zhiyuan lost his man and almost collided with Odom.
By the time he came to his senses, Martell had already caught the ball under the basket.
From this distance, even Martell, who is not a good shot, can score easily.
92 to 91, the Trail Blazers once again took the lead by 1 point, and the game was still tense.
"Phil believed too much in this undrafted player, which he shouldn't have, and he will pay the price for it."
Buckley commented.
This also speaks to the aspirations of many Lakers fans.
Even if Zhang Zhiyuan performed well before, in this decisive moment, they are still more willing to believe in Walton.
Unfortunately, they were unable to direct Jackson and could only pray for the God of Kobe to come.
The Lakers attacked and Kobe got the ball and was double-teamed.
Martell was faced with a choice at this time. Zhang Zhiyuan in front of him was at the three-point line, and there was Odom on the left who was unguarded because Aldridge went to double-team Kobe.
Martell needs to choose the target to defend. He will not shadow the clone, so it is impossible to defend one against two.
He didn't hesitate and instinctively went to guard Odom.
Firstly, Odom is closer to the basket, and secondly, Odom is a star and poses a greater threat.
As for Zhang Zhiyuan, he hasn't scored for a long time.
Kobe couldn't break in, so he threw the ball to Zhang Zhiyuan, and then retreated to the outside.
Whether it is for Zhang Zhiyuan to take action or for Zhang Zhiyuan to make a transition, no one knows.
Zhang Zhiyuan didn't think too much. Once he had the opportunity, he took action decisively. Anyway, this was what the coach asked for.
A standard shooting posture, the ball went in, but it was a long two points.
"Beautiful, two crucial points."
Smith didn't hold back on his praise.
When Barkley belittles Zhang Zhiyuan, he will praise him. This is a tacit understanding between them.
At this point in the game, every goal is extremely crucial.
Phil Jackson also applauded from the audience. This was the cooperation he wanted to see most.
This combination created a problem for the Blazers, making them less decisive when double-teaming Kobe.
And Kobe also immediately showed his superstar side, seizing the opportunity of his opponent's hesitation to take shots one after another and hitting the target.
94 to 97, the Lakers are already three points ahead and have the advantage.
The Trail Blazers counterattacked, and they continued to hit Zhang Zhiyuan's point.
Zhang Zhiyuan continued to miss people, but Kobe Bryant made up the defense in time, stopped Roy who was trying to break through, and cut off Roy's basketball.
Zhang Zhiyuan immediately ran towards the opponent's half. Kobe pushed the ball hard with one hand and threw the ball towards Zhang Zhiyuan.
This pass is a bit difficult to catch and requires some tacit understanding.
Fortunately, there was no one around Zhang Zhiyuan, so he caught the ball smoothly and then rushed to the opponent's basket for a layup.
He didn't take off for a dunk because he was so exhausted at this moment that he couldn't even look cool.
Fortunately, the impact was not big and the ball was scored.
"Beautiful, sure to kill."
Zhang Lili threw a high hat on Zhang Zhiyuan's head, and the Chinese fans were a little embarrassed to hear it. After all, there were still 30 seconds before the end of the game, and using the word "quasi-win" to describe it felt a bit like that.
Of course, even if it wasn't a near-win, Zhang Zhiyuan's shot was beautiful and crucial, and worthy of shouts and applause.
94 to 99, with 30 seconds left on the clock, the Lakers are already sure of victory.
However, the Blazers did not give up yet, and their coach called a timeout.
Phil Jackson is also arranging the defense seriously, and is wary of the tactics the Trail Blazers may use.
As a spectator in the past, Zhang Zhiyuan was relatively dismissive of the desperate struggle of a team that was lagging behind by a big score.
And now, from Phil Jackson's serious look, he felt the desire for victory.
The two teams returned to the court, Martell helped Roy cover, and Roy ran out of the space to catch the ball and grab a three-pointer.
The tactics worked out, but unfortunately the ball didn't go in.
Bynum collected the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Kobe.
The Trail Blazers could only foul Kobe and continue to gamble on three points, but the miracle did not happen.
Then there were fouls, counter-fouls, timeouts...
The game lasted for tens of seconds, but it took several minutes to finish.
At the end of the game, the Lakers won 96 to 103.
Roy looked at Kobe and then at Zhang Zhiyuan, feeling sad in his heart.
As a first-year rookie, his performance in this game was good enough, but it's a pity that he wanted to win.
For the Trail Blazers, Randolph scored the highest score on the team, 23.
Roy had 19 points and 7 assists, and Aldridge had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Except for Amy Uduka, their starting performance was okay. Only Uduka scored 2 points on 1 of 3 shots. People who didn't watch the game thought he was beaten by Walton.
In fact, he only played 16 minutes, well below the average.
For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant has the highest score, no doubt about it.
He made 12 of 28 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 10 of 12 free throws, scoring 35 points. Relying on reliable free throws, Kobe saved his efficiency.
Coaches in this era pay special attention to creating damage, because if free throws are removed, the statistics of most stars will be very ugly.
Odom made 8 of 15 shots and scored 19 points including free throws.
Zhang Zhiyuan turned out to be the third highest scorer on the team. He made 5 of 8 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 12 points.
Smushpark followed closely with 11 points and 4 assists.
"The Third Master."
A Chinese fan's casual remark made everyone laugh.
From a scoring perspective, there's nothing wrong with this.
"Xiao Zhang's debut was perfect. Not only did he score in double figures, but he was also very efficient. What's even more rare and valuable is that several of his scores were scored at critical moments..."
Zhang Lili kept boasting.
There is no way, Chinese players have never had such a beautiful debut.
tnt, Smith did not miss the opportunity to ridicule Barkley: "Charles, what else do you want to say now? Do you still insist that Zhang made up the number?"
"It's just one game, it doesn't mean anything. The main reason is that the Blazers don't understand him. As long as they perform some targeted defense on him, he will be exposed."
Barkley's eyes were very poisonous. He saw that Zhang Zhiyuan's defense was average and there was nothing special about him. He also had no ability to attack independently and could only miss openings and make sneak attacks from time to time.
Of course, this kind of player also has a role, but his role is limited.
Once targeted, it is easy to play a bad game.
"Well, let's wait and see. I have a hunch that Charles will get slapped in the face this time."
Smith laughed.
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
Buckley.
On the court, players are leaving.
Zhang Zhiyuan was retained by reporters from ABC TV station for on-site interviews.
Usually, it is Kobe who is left behind.
Now, Kobe Bryant is not as fresh as Zhang Zhiyuan.
An undrafted player scored 12 points in his debut, which is much rarer than Kobe Bryant scoring 35 points.
"Hey Zhang, before the game did you ever think you could perform like this?"
the reporter asked.
"Can you tell lies?"
Zhang Zhiyuan asked rhetorically.
"Of course not. The fans want to hear your true voice. However, you can tell a lie first and then tell the truth."
The reporter immediately felt good. She knew that many players were talking nonsense when answering interviews and had no interesting points, so she especially hoped that the players could tell the truth, preferably something stupid, nonsense, nonsense, and nonsense that could cause controversy.
.
"There is no lie. I am just an undrafted player. I am very satisfied to be able to play. I am lucky enough to perform like this, mainly thanks to Phil's trust and the support of my teammates..."
A very standard official answer, with no flaws, no opportunity for reporters to attack, no reason for fans to be unhappy.
"What's the truth?"
The reporter asked with great anticipation.
"The truth is of course, Madfak, I have imagined this scenario countless times, let alone 12 points, I have thought about 42 points. It's a pity that I didn't become a blockbuster. I still wanted to surprise the audience with my debut.
Let all the beauties in the audience scream for me."
Zhang Zhiyuan's phrase "Madefak" has a bit of a Native American flavor.
What he said was very true. Even though he knew that the possibility was zero, he had really imagined it.
After all, it's not illegal to think about it.
The reporter couldn't help laughing when he heard this. This answer was quite interesting.
Fans who were still watching the live broadcast were also amused by his answer.
Regardless of whether Zhang Zhiyuan's words are genuine or crazy, this kind of interview is very interesting.
"So, are you satisfied with your performance? Well, let's tell the truth and lie."
The reporter continued with the next question, which made Zhang Zhiyuan feel like he was selling fried rice noodles.
Then Zhang Zhiyuan answered several questions one after another, which was quite satisfactory.
Meanwhile, some reporters who are not accredited to interview players are targeting Taylor Swift.
After all, she had a friendly interaction with Zhang Zhiyuan before the game, and frequently cheered for Zhang Zhiyuan during the game.
Based on this alone, reporters can compile a scandal report.
...
In the locker room, Zhang Zhiyuan checked the results of this game while taking a shower.
[Hate value 1240, friendship value 70.]
The hatred value mainly comes from Udoka and Martell. Because Wharton is a teammate, the hatred value generated is not included in the system.
The friendliness value mainly comes from Odom and Parker.
This made Zhang Zhiyuan a little angry. His performance was considered good, but Kobe didn't feel the slightest bit friendly towards him because of it. It was really outrageous.
In fact, this is normal. Who hasn’t seen a player like Kobe who has been playing for ten years?
A person who only played one game and only scored 12 points is not qualified to be in Kobe's eyes. Unless Zhang Zhiyuan can maintain this state and average 10 points per game, Kobe may look at him squarely.
After counting the harvest, Zhang Zhiyuan took a shower with satisfaction.
The next game is an away game against the Timberwolves, and the hatred value can be exchanged for S-level star cards. He can't wait to surprise the Wolf King.
You used to be indifferent to me, but today I put you beyond your reach. Just thinking about it is exciting.
