141 The Best Showdown

The second quarter begins.

Steve Blake held the ball across half court, Zhang Jun received the ball at the top of the arc, and he was guarded by Chuck Hayes.

As early as the beginning of the season, Zhang Jun played against Chuck Hayes and was deeply impressed by the opponent's aggressive defense.

However, Zhang Jun wants to say that he is no longer the young player who first entered the league. After a season of growth, he has fully adapted to NBA-level defense and confrontation. For this reason, he has also put his weight on Successfully gained weight to 100kg.

Zhang Jun holds the ball.

Chuck Hayes got up and pushed Zhang Jun hard with his left hand.

This push was very hidden. In the eyes of the referee, it looked like Chuck Hayes pushed his body up to confront Zhang Jun. There was no particularly dirty move.

Zhang Jun tilted his upper body and stood on his feet, trying to maintain his center of gravity while quickly taking a step back to find a breakthrough space.

Chuck Hayes immediately caught up with the defense, which wanted to impose high confrontation again, and Zhang Jun suddenly accelerated and advanced instead of retreating.

Whoosh!

"This step is too fast!"

"Zhang Jun, who did not take the initiative to attack throughout the first quarter, launched his own personal offense in the second quarter."

"His desire to attack is very strong, and his first step is astonishingly fast. I believe McGrady on the Rockets bench must have thought of his uninjured self from Zhang Jun's first step."

Zhang Jun passed Chuck Hayes in one step and quickly sprinted towards the basket.

Yao Ming stepped up to help defend, and Zhang Jun took off from the free throw line one step ahead.

boom!

!

"Oh my god, Yao Ming was detained on the Great Wall of China!"

"This is a damn height of 226cm!"

"This moment is so shocking, I even think this dunk ranks among the 50 greatest dunks in NBA history!"

After scoring the ball, Zhang Jun naturally stepped back, his eyes showing the fierceness of facing the enemy.

Yao Ming didn't say much. He looked at Zhang Jun with eyes full of fighting intent and shouted "tomato".

In the next round, Yao Ming demanded the ball forcefully in the paint and nearly knocked over Travis Outlaw.

Travis Outlaw is only 206cm tall and weighs only 98kg, which is not even as heavy as Zhang Junzhong now.

And how much does Yao Ming weigh? 136kg! He is a full 38kg heavier than Travis Outlaw.

Just as the Rockets thought, if the Trail Blazers dare to use Travis Outlaw as a center during this period, they will inevitably suffer from Yao Ming's blow in the paint.

"etc!"

"The Trail Blazers are surrounded by 5 people!"

The moment Yao Ming caught the ball, everyone on the Trail Blazers rushed over. Travis Outlaw, who was almost injured internally by Yao Ming, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Yao Ming was also frightened by the Trail Blazers' posture, surrounded by 5 people! He has been playing in the NBA for so many years, and this is the first time he has seen such exaggerated double-teaming and defense.

"It seems that the Trail Blazers are very cruel. This quarter of the game must not allow Yao Ming to easily complete the offense on the court."

Yao Ming could only pass the ball in this kind of defense, but he realized some problems the moment he passed the ball.

"Who the hell should I pass it to!"

Carl Landry's mid-range shot is very accurate, but when the ball is passed to him, the Trail Blazers' defense must be able to get in place quickly.

What about passing to Chuck Hayes?

Yao Ming quickly shook his head. What's the use of passing it to that guy? His defense was good, but he had almost no offense. Only then did Yao Ming realize that using Chuck Hayes to defend Zhang Jun was a double-edged sword.

On the defensive end, Zhang Jun can be restricted, but on the offensive end, Zhang Jun doesn't like him at all.

Bobby Jackson does have a certain shooting ability. This season, he averaged 35% of his three-pointers per game, which is also a good point. Although Aaron Brooks is only a rookie this year and is still very young, he also made 34% of his three-pointers. Rate.

Yao Ming quickly passed the ball to these two people.

Bobby Jackson made a decisive move after catching the ball.

Duang!

His first three-point shot failed.

Kenny Smith immediately became worried and said: "This is not good news. If the Rockets fail to score three-pointers and cannot punish the Trail Blazers from outside the three-point line, then Yao Ming will inevitably continue to encounter this kind of situation in the paint. A terrifying double-team."

Barkley was already feeling guilty and said: "The Rockets' management has always been famous for being picky and picky. They clearly had a lot of choices at the beginning of the season, but they did not help Yao Ming introduce outside shooters. "

"41-year-old Dikembe Mutombo, Chuck Hayes who can't attack at all, rookie Aaron Brooks..."

"Give Yao Ming a bunch of players who can't attack, and he will inevitably face a terrifying defense on the court, and he will not be able to unleash his power at all."

"Fans and commentators around the world have clearly pointed out the biggest shortcoming of the Rockets last season. They lacked outside shooters, but management across the league is well aware of how scarce and expensive outside shooters are, especially those who can defend. ”

"So the Rockets chose to retreat before the luxury tax."

"Look at O'Neal back then, what kind of shooters the Lakers equipped him with on the outside, and look at Tim Duncan of the Spurs, and what kind of teammates he had on the outside."

"Both teams have pointed the way for the Rockets, but they insist on building such a cheap lineup and only want to get cheap and useful players in the free market."

"There are so many cheap and easy-to-use players!"

Barkley's comment quickly spread around the world, arousing the anger of all fans, especially Chinese fans across the ocean.

This is also the most important reason why the Rockets have such a difficult time in the playoffs every year. It is not that the Yao-Mai combination is not strong, but that injuries and lineup problems have had too much impact on them.

On the court.

Zhang Junmo worked hard and broke through into the penalty area again. On the court, he directly transformed into the most difficult player to guard. No matter what defensive strategies the Rockets and Chuck Hayes used, they could not stop him. Get to the basket.

Then the Rockets will have to double-team and help defend.

"Zhang Jun started passing the ball!"

Channing Fletcher received the ball from the outside and fired directly.

Uh-huh!

Hit!

"This guy is an anti-aircraft battery!"

"Channing Fletcher! This player who averaged 37% of his three-pointers per game this season has even hit a terrifying 48% of his open three-pointers. This is the highest in the Trail Blazers and the highest average in the league. Players who have taken at least 2 three-pointers can rank in the top five in open field goal percentage.”

"Channing Fletcher's open three-pointers are terrifyingly accurate."

Barkley suddenly reacted, looked at his good partner and said: "No, the Trail Blazers are not just guarding Yao Ming, they are trying to compete with the Rockets for three points!"

Kenny Smith took a breath of surprise and reacted as well.

On the defensive end, Yao Ming was double-teamed, allowing Rockets players to complete the offense on the outside. On the offensive end, Zhang Jun led the charge, forcing the Rockets to double-team and then distribute the ball.

"The Trail Blazers are not playing defensive tactics but attacking tactics. They have to fight the Rockets on offense, and they have to fight for three points."

Thinking of the shooting percentage of the Rockets' group of ice shooters on the outside, and thinking of the bunch of accurate shooters on the Trail Blazers' outside, Kenny Smith suddenly sat on the bench.

"I think the Rockets are going to collapse in this quarter, and they will be beaten by the Trail Blazers."

Aaron Brooks also missed a three-point shot in the next round. If such a missed shot was completely acceptable in the regular season, in the playoffs, missing two consecutive offenses would be very dangerous.

Turning around, Zhang Jun suddenly passed to James Jones, who also hit a three-pointer!

"The Rockets have called a timeout! Coach Rick Adelman can't sit still!"

Zhang Jun and his teammates applauded excitedly as they walked off the court. They defended and scored two in a row, and they directly overtook the score.

The Rockets took over Chuck Hayes, who had the worst offensive ability on the field, and replaced Tracy McGrady in advance, hoping to make the Trail Blazers pay the price for double-teaming Yao Ming.

But even so, the Trail Blazers continued the same defensive strategy, they just wanted to compete with the Rockets for three points.

McGrady hit a three-pointer as soon as he came up to help the Rockets stabilize the situation, but then Zhang Jun once again reached the basket and picked McGrady for a layup, which resulted in an extra penalty.

Barkley couldn't help but sigh at the commentary box.

"The new league scoring champion is attacking the former league scoring champion. This is not only a battle between the Rockets and Trail Blazers, but also a battle between Tracy McGrady and Zhang Jun, so who among them is the one who scores? The most terrifying machine.”

Zhang Jun, who was already furious on the court, glanced at McGrady, walked to the free throw line and held the ball tightly.

McGrady has never seen such a arrogant rookie in his career, whether it is his temper or his skills. Is this really a rookie?

McGrady recalled the incident in the opening game when Kobe was almost knocked down by Zhang Jun. At that time, he was still mocking Kobe for being knocked down by a young boy. Kobe even rarely responded.

"Now it seems that Kobe has recognized the strength of this rookie."

Zhang Jun and Tracy McGrady became the dominant players in the subsequent game. Tracy McGrady did not play a big role in restricting Zhang Jun on the defensive end, so Rick Adelman had to replace Battier in advance after two rounds.

In the playoffs, every game has a reason not to lose.

The second quarter is over.

Yao Ming only made 1 of 2 shots in the entire second quarter. He played for 9 minutes in this quarter and also sent 3 assists.

McGrady went berserk again, hitting 3 of 6 three-pointers in a single quarter, helping the Rockets stabilize the situation.

However, the Trail Blazers made 7 of 16 three-pointers in a single quarter, achieving extremely terrifying efficiency. Yao Ming's bulky body and unpreventable shortcomings were also infinitely amplified by the Trail Blazers.

68:63, the Trail Blazers have overtaken the score.

Second half of the game.

The Trail Blazers starting lineup is back on track.

Luo Yin held the ball and used the pick-and-roll to break through, attracting Yao Ming's defensive attention and immediately distributed the ball to the weak side. Zhang Jun rushed into the middle to receive the ball and made another one-handed tomahawk slam.

Then Zhang Jun stole McGrady and made a high throw pass to help Luo Yin launch into the air to start a counterattack.

Zhang Luo is online!

The Trail Blazers suddenly launched an 8:2 offensive spurt, directly extending their lead to 10 points.

"In the playoffs, the battle changes rapidly, and if you are not careful, you will be hit head-on by your opponent."

"The Rockets hit a brick wall tonight. The Trail Blazers' three young cores and the terrifying group of shooters from the outside are all in great shape."

"It's already very difficult for them to come back."

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets have not given up yet, and Rick Adelman has no intention of giving up.

He readjusted the tactics. Since it was difficult for Yao Ming to get the ball in the paint, he reverted to their favorite offensive tactics in regular games.

McGrady holds the ball and Yao Ming sets up a pick-and-roll to disrupt the opponent's defensive formation.

McGrady used a pick-and-roll to break through Joel Przybilla, and after a one-handed dunk, he pumped his fist domineeringly and shouted excitedly.

This goal also allowed the Rockets to reduce the score to single digits. All the Trail Blazers players on the field were shocked into a cold sweat and could not even play.

"That's the weakness of players who lack playoff experience."

"Don't tell me, the Rockets might actually be able to make a comeback."

Uh-huh!

Zhang Jun suddenly reached the mid-range and hit McGrady's defense with a fadeaway shot.

This ball calms the morale of the army!

"This tilt back! It's really freehand."

"I haven't seen such a comfortable mid-range shot in the league in a long time."

"Of course, there are still many masters of mid-range shooting in the league, but Kobe's mid-range shooting is very hard, and he obviously feels like he is using too much force on the court. Dirk Nowitzki has that kind of relaxed and freehand attitude. It feels like that, but he’s a big man and his fadeaway shot doesn’t look that good.”

"There is also Anthony. His mid-range shooting is pretty good, but his shooting percentage is a bit worse."

Barkley took a deep breath. When had he not seen such a free fadeaway shot? He thought hard and finally determined that he had never seen that braised egg since he retired.

"Don't underestimate Zhang Jun's fadeaway shot. Although it is much smaller than his breakthrough threat, he is sure to make such a shot."

Kenny Smith echoed.

McGrady, who was hit by Zhang Jun on a fadeaway, felt fighting spirit in his chest. He immediately asked for the ball at the waist and was also ready to show off his fadeaway shot.

Dribble in front of the body and then dribble after the body.

This is McGrady's trick.

The dribbling speed behind the body is very fast, flying directly in front of the defender's eyes. McGrady pulls the ball with his left hand, takes a step across to the left, turns and leans back.

"The radius of this long stride is a bit too exaggerated. Tracy McGrady's post-up play is different from most stars who are good at such skills."

"Because of his excellent wingspan, he has a lot of lateral dribbles behind his back and step-overs when posting up, which makes it difficult for opponents to guard against him."

It's just that McGrady forgot that Zhang Jun is also a player with an excellent and even exaggerated wingspan. He also took a step across and directly faced him.

"The ball interfered."

"But it's in!"

"Good shot Tracy McGrady!"

In the next round, Zhang Jun responded with another mid-range step-back jumper.

The smell of gunpowder on the field is already strong.

McGrady broke through and reached the inside, causing Zhang Jun to foul.

Zhang Jun immediately responded with a breakthrough and directly buckled on him.

"Team Rockets, you can't attack just by relying on McGrady. You have to defend! After all, you are lagging behind now."

"Regardless of whether we win or lose the game, the personal battle between Tracy McGrady and Zhang Jun for the scoring title almost made my heart skip a beat. This is definitely the most exciting matchup in the first round series this year!"