In the second quarter, Yao Mai rested and Zhang Zhiyuan came on to lead the bench.

He became the core of the field and was strictly guarded by the Jazz.

However, this also creates many good shooting opportunities for teammates.

It is a pity that Lutherhead and others did not seize this vacancy.

First, Rutherhead hit a three-pointer, and then Juwan Howard hit the ball. Hayes made a mistake after catching the ball.

After several rounds, the Rockets failed to score.

In desperation, Zhang Zhiyuan chose to take action himself.

In two consecutive rounds, Zhang Zhiyuan made 1 of 2 shots, and his efficiency was pretty good.

It's a pity that the number of shots was too few to save the team.

Zhang Zhiyuan also wanted to take a few more shots, but the Jazz immediately strengthened their defense against him.

He originally wanted to be like Kobe, throwing wildly and betting on the touch. Either the throw would kill his opponent, or he would kill his teammates.

But Kirilenko's shot blocking was too intimidating, and Zhang Zhiyuan had no chance to mess around.

In desperation, Zhang Zhiyuan and his teammates frequently used tactics, trying to hit mismatches.

But Kirilenko was like Zhang Zhiyuan's shadow, inseparable, and from time to time another Jazz player would come up to double-team him.

With two big men one behind the other, Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't dribble the ball, and his passing was dangerous. His shooting was looking for blocks.

Under this situation, Zhang Zhiyuan really had no choice.

Not to mention him, even if McGrady comes, he can only pass the ball.

"Zhang is still far from a superstar. He can't break out of double teams."

Buckley said.

"Come on, there are not many people in the entire league who can continue to perform under such strict defense."

Smith complained.

In the past, O'Neal could break double teams by crushing with strength. Now Kobe can occasionally ignore double teams by relying on his convulsive shooting. Duncan can prevent opponents from double teams by relying on the system.

Except for a few of them, everyone else has to rely on their teammates.

"So, he is just an ordinary star."

Buckley said.

"No one regarded him as a superstar."

What Smith said is not quite accurate. There are really some people who lie with open eyes and brag on the Internet that Zhang Zhiyuan is a superstar, or at least a pre-star.

Such words that are almost idiotic are trying to bring Zhang Zhiyuan into trouble, which makes many neutral fans inexplicably hate Zhang Zhiyuan and feel that his reputation is overblown.

But the problem is, Zhang Zhiyuan has never admitted that he is a superstar.

But the fans didn’t care, they simply assumed that those ‘Zhang Chui’ and Zhang Zhiyuan were in the same group.

On the court, Zhang Zhiyuan shouted to retreat.

If it is difficult to attack, then defend well and try to lose as few points as possible.

They did a pretty good job in this regard. Because the Jazz are also a semi-main lineup, their firepower is not strong.

Facing the Rockets' iron barrel formation, they also struck iron frequently.

After four minutes of fighting, both sides began to take on the main force.

During this period, the two teams played 6 to 6.

Zhang Zhiyuan made 2 of 5 shots and scored 4 points, which can be regarded as completing Van Gundy's task and surviving the bench time.

Yao Mai comes on the court, Boozer, Okur, and Deron come on the court, and the two sides begin the main showdown.

This was supposed to be the Rockets' pursuit of points, and their lineup was dominant.

However, Yao Mai's condition today is relatively average, while other role players are in even worse condition.

After Alston missed three shots, he didn't even dare to take another shot.

He is afraid of becoming the team's sinner.

Role players didn't dare to take action, so the Jazz became more bold and focused more on the Rockets' Big Three.

As a result, it becomes even more difficult for Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Zhang Zhiyuan to perform.

It's like a vicious cycle.

Unless a certain player suddenly breaks out and breaks this cycle, the Rockets will only become more and more difficult.

"Who can step forward?"

Zhang Lili asked.

A person's name popped up in Rockets fans' minds.

Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Zhang Zhiyuan...

Unfortunately, reality always has so many dissatisfactions.

None of them could stand up.

In the second quarter, the Rockets lost another 6 points.

At the end of the first half, the Rockets lost 38 to 52 by 14 points.

The 38 points in the half were also the lowest in a half in the playoffs this season.

When the Rockets players returned to the locker room, they were wildly ridiculed by Jazz fans. Everyone in the locker room was dejected.

Although Battier said some words of encouragement, the effect was average.

In the second half, Yao Ming's condition improved somewhat, but Tracy McGrady stepped up again and made 1 of 8 shots, which devastated the entire team.

In the third quarter, the Rockets scored 15-20 and lost by another 5 points.

In the last quarter, the Big Three of the Rockets only played 4 minutes before they were all replaced, and Van Gundy gave up.

If you want to chase 20 points in 8 minutes at home against the Jazz, unless a miracle happens.

The game entered garbage time, and Luther Head, Bunch Wells and others were on hand to train.

Perhaps there are still naive Rockets fans who imagine that one of them will suddenly stand up and complete the reversal.

But most fans have already seen the results, and a few fans have even turned off the TV in advance.

In the end, the miracle did not happen, the game ended, and the Jazz defended their first home court.

73 to 92, the Rockets lost by 19 points.

Yao Ming made 6 of 14 shots and 10 of 12 free throws, scoring 22 points.

McGrady made 6 of 20 shots and scored 16 points including free throws.

Zhang Zhiyuan made 7 of 15 shots, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 18 points.

The Rockets lost, but Zhang Zhiyuan did not lose.

Under such strict precautions, he actually maintained good efficiency.

But this doesn't make any sense. Kapono is still shooting 50% from three-point range in the playoffs, but no one thinks he has helped the Heat.

To put it bluntly, their high shooting percentage relies on reducing unreasonable shots. But the problem is, in the playoffs where defense is extremely tight, there are not so many good opportunities.

To put it nicely, it means that the fight was reasonable, but to put it badly, it means that they dare not take responsibility. It all depends on how the fans understand it.

Although the performance of the Big Three was poor, the performance of the role players was even worse.

Alston made 1 of 5 shots, Luther Head made 0 of 4 shots, Juwan Howard made 0 of 3 shots, and Hayes made 0 of 2 shots.

"It's a pity that the Rockets lost. But this is an away game after all, so losing is normal. The Rockets still have a higher probability of advancing than the Jazz."

Zhang Lili said it more euphemistically.

Fans don't need to be so reserved. Before the game is over, they begin to show off their vocabulary, with all kinds of national curses emerging one after another.

"You're the one who trampled the horse, this knight was really dirty."

"What kind of dog* referee is this? He's blind."

"The league is manipulating the game. It wants to play more games and earn more ticket money."

.......

After the game, the media's tone immediately changed.

[The Jazz's defense made the Rockets collectively miss the mark, and we are optimistic about the tiebreaker between the two teams.]

[The Rockets' problems are exposed, and the Jazz have a high probability of advancing.]

[The Big Three of the Rockets are overrated, and their ability to fight tough battles is not good.]

Jazz fans may believe such nonsense.

Any fan with eyes can see that the Rockets are leading 2-1 at this time.

Although he is in the lead, Zhang Zhiyuan does not dare to be careless. He does not want to play a tiebreaker because there is no room for error. If possible, he wants to advance as soon as possible.

Ever since, he had to think a little bit differently.

After the game, Zhang Zhiyuan asked his teammates about Boozer's gossip, wanting to see if this guy had any untouchable abilities and stimulate his opponent.
To be continued...