Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

It's really a crazy three-axe.

Misplaced defense and a three-man inside attack were not enough. Now they even use the tactics of slashing the shark, oh no, slashing to the left!

In just one minute of the second quarter, the Rockets used their two inside substitutes to quickly accumulate 4 fouls. Then Barry, who came on as substitute for Brooks, was even more quick-witted and sent Zuo Li, who had just escaped from defense, to the free throw line.

"Shhhhhhh~!"

The fans in Madison burst into boos in dissatisfaction. This blatant foul ignited their dissatisfaction.

Even Barkley said: "The Rockets don't have to be like this. They played very smoothly before. As long as they continue to play, they have a great chance to expand their advantage."

"Also, I have to say that the shark-killing tactic is really the most rubbish tactic!"

O'Neal silently gave a thumbs up from the sidelines...

"But I have to admit that the Rockets have done the most thorough research on Zuo Li. Their tactics are complex and basically accurately target the weaknesses of the Knicks and Zuo Li. Moreover, Zuo Li's free throws are indeed Zuo Li's.

One of the shortcomings," Smith said.

After hearing this, Barkley shook his head helplessly and did not refute. It is true that any tactic can be used as long as the rules allow it. This is one of the unchanging laws of the basketball court.

Moreover, the rules are actually fair to everyone. If you are dissatisfied, you can also use Shark Slash to send your opponent to the free throw line!

Don't complain that this tactic is unreasonable just because someone else is good at free throws.

Or, you can choose to practice hard at free throws!

Zuo Li has never slackened on his free throw training, and his free throw shooting rate this season has also stabilized at 68%.

In these first two free throws, Zuo Li made them steadily.

The fans are very excited, so you won’t dare to cut it.

However, fans including the Knicks underestimated the Rockets' determination. Instead of giving up, they became even more determined!

In the first 5 minutes of this quarter, Zuo Li was sent to the free throw line 6 times. The Rockets did not hesitate to let important substitute Uncle Mu foul 4 times to prevent Zuo Li from playing smoothly.

I have to say, quite cruel!

It wasn't until people like Dayao returned that the tactics of slashing left came to an end.

But this has prevented the Knicks from launching a counterattack, and at the same time consumed Zuo Li a lot of energy and physical strength.

Although Zuo Li tried to get tougher in the next few minutes, the Rockets' defense remained fierce and tenacious.

At this moment, Zuo Li suddenly understood why they were able to fight the Lakers for 7 games in the playoffs despite losing Yao and McGrady.

The Rockets this season do have their own unique features.

"It's hard to stand up." Zuo Li was replaced with 1 and a half minutes left in this quarter. Zuo Li, who was sitting on the sidelines, scratched his hair and quickly put an ice pack on his shoulder.

This half is the most difficult half he has ever played. He has to admit that Adelman and the Rockets have caused him the greatest difficulty since entering the NBA.

"Huh, we still need to think of a solution." Zuo Li lowered his head and thought.

The Knicks bench was also silent, and no one came to comfort Zuo Li, because they knew what they needed at this time was not comfort.

The Rockets' playoff-level defense and targeted layout throughout the game resulted in Zuo Li's poor performance in the first half.

After scoring only 6 points in the first quarter, he made only 7 of 12 free throws in this quarter, 1 of 2 two-pointers, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and only scored 9 points in a single quarter.

It seems that he still scored 15 points in the half, and also had 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists. This half-time data looks reasonable.

However, a closer comparison shows that the efficiency is not as good as before. In the first half, the left-right field goal percentage was only 33.3% of 4 of 12 shots, just over 50% of free throws, and zero three-pointers.

Zuo Li's data directly affects the overall performance of the Knicks. In the past, Zuo Li opened up the situation and radiated the overall situation, but tonight Zuo Li was unexpectedly targeted, which also directly caused the other Knicks to suddenly become a little incapable of playing.

.

This is not surprising. Many teams with super giants will be like this. Otherwise, you take James away from the Cavaliers or Kobe from the Lakers and see what happens.

So at halftime, the score between the two sides stayed at 35-52, with the Rockets leading by 17 points.

"Hey, hey, boy, you played really badly tonight!"

When walking into the tunnel, Artest, who followed Zuo Li everywhere in the first half and created great difficulties for Zuo Li, did not forget to smile and give Zuo Li a last-ditch shot.

Although he is a New Yorker but Artest from Queens still hopes to see Zuo Li suffer a loss. It would be even better if the loss is caused by himself.

Obviously, Artest is in a very excited state now.

Of course, Rockets fans were even more excited. Online, Zuo Li soon received another round of greetings from Rockets fans.

They were happy to see this popular guy being tortured by the Rockets at his home court.

This proves the strength of their favorite team!

During halftime, D'Antoni specifically called Zuo Li aside.

"Relax, Zuo Li! This is just an ordinary regular season game. Put the victory and defeat aside and continue to believe in yourself."

"It's normal to feel ups and downs. They defended very well. We didn't expect them to use this tactic, but it doesn't matter. I will continue to let you start in the second half and continue to play your way. Go inside more. Go

You have the ability to cause damage! The team needs your strength!"

After D'Antoni finished speaking, he patted Zuo Li on the shoulder.

To be honest, D'Antoni really didn't care about the outcome of this game.

Firstly, their record is very good and they are still on a winning streak. Losing one or two games is not a big deal. Secondly, losing to the Rockets is not surprising. After all, they are not weak. Didn't the Cavaliers lose to the Rockets before?

D'Antoni is worried about Zuo Li's state and mood.

Previously, Zuo Li had been going smoothly. Everyone in the industry, fans, and media had praised Zuo Li to a very high level. But he was suddenly targeted and his performance was not good. D'Antoni was afraid that Zuo Li's mentality would fluctuate.

This is the most difficult thing for a rookie to handle. Some rookies who are not determined can easily be swayed by their performance in one or two games. Coupled with criticism from the outside world, it is common for their mentality to collapse. D'Antoni is so

I’ve seen too many over the years.

In fact, Zuo Li's poor performance tonight is nothing to D'Antoni. Jordan and Kobe would feel cold in one or two games at their peak, let alone their rookie season. This is normal on the court.

But that's it.

What's more, in D'Antoni's mind, Zuo Li handled it well enough. How many people in the league can still hit 158 ​​at halftime under the joint blockade of Artest, Battier and Dayao?

"Don't worry, coach, I'm not a fragile vase." Zuo Li returned to normal. He was just thinking about countermeasures, so he seemed a little silent.

It wasn't that he was knocked down by a rocket or that he began to doubt whether he had anything or not. Such emotions did not appear in Zuo Li's mind at all.

And now, he has found a way to break the situation.

"Coach, in the second half it's our turn to give them some color!"