Basketball's most talented forward is on the left

Maybe the Celtics didn't expect Zuo Li to be so fierce, scoring 8 points in a row at the beginning, and seemed to have read their defensive tactics.

This even made Rivers feel for a moment that the Celtics' defense was not good enough.

After the timeout, they still failed to completely restrain Zuo Li. Instead, Zuo Li seized the opportunity to score another 4 points and also sent an assist, giving the Knicks a 14-7 lead.

In fact, they still have other tricks, such as directly attacking the body, making the movements rough and fierce, and pulling Zuo Li into the meat grinder.

However, the referee's standards were very tight tonight. As soon as Perkins got an elbow on the defensive end, he was caught by the sharp-eyed referee and directly whistled for a foul.

Perkins was helpless. He had no choice. Although he was black and hard, Zuo Li was flexible and tough, such as the next ball.

Zuo Li leaned against Perkins with his back, hit him continuously, and advanced to the vicinity of the penalty area. Then he suddenly turned around and hooked. His movements were as smooth as water. You could tell he was an expert at a glance.

When Perkins reacted and jumped to block the shot, the ball had already flown towards the basket.

Perkins didn't even get a chance to block shots. In fact, blocking shots was very difficult for Perkins. With Zuo Li's height and wingspan, you can't even hook him in front of you.

Except for fouls and strong physical contact, defending against Perkins alone cannot solve Zuo Li.

As for the double-team... Zuo Li read the defense several times and either did it in advance, or turned around to avoid the double-team. In short, either you double-teamed in advance so that Zuo Li couldn't catch the ball, or it was over.

Stern obviously didn't want to fall directly into a defensive meat grinder in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, so he specifically told the referee to tighten the standards. In addition, this was New York's home court, and Zuo Li had the supreme whistle, so the Celtics

This idea also came to nothing.

For a time, the Celtics had no special solution.

Coupled with Zuo Li's incredible touch tonight, he scored 16 points in 8 shots in a single quarter, leading the Knicks to a 26-18 lead by 8 points in a single quarter.

8 points may not seem like much, but under such strong defense, it is already very scary.

And 16 points in a single quarter brought the media commentators to a collective climax. This was against the Celtics. They could score 16 points in a single quarter. Kobe, who was so fierce at the time, couldn't do it. Lao James in the semifinals was even beaten.

You don't have to be on guard. I didn't expect Zuo Li to be so awesome.

In fact, it's okay. Zuo Li's personal offensive strength is certainly very good, but it has not reached the ceiling. In addition to his explosive touch tonight, the biggest reason is his familiarity with the Green Army's defense and his improvement in vision before the All-Star Game.

This allowed Zuo Li to have a better insight into the Green Army's defense.

Moreover, Zuo Li's play like this is not without hidden dangers, that is, no one else has opened it. Once Zuo Li fails to score points, the Knicks will be in danger.

But D'Antoni is not too worried. He is not Popovich. He is not the type who feels uncomfortable when the team's first star keeps scoring. As long as he can score, he can keep Zuo Li playing.

And he felt that as long as the Green Army maintained this kind of defense, Zuo Li could handle it.

However, he also responded by replacing Danny Green, who is better at three-pointers, to strengthen the threat from the outside. Once Zuo Li can't attack by himself, he can take decisive shots when receiving the ball from the outside.

But no one expected that the Green Army would make amazing changes.

In the second quarter, Madison fans were preparing to appreciate Zuo Li's next performance. As a result, the Green Army made a direct substitution, and the Roaring God Rasheed Wallace came on the scene. And it was not a counter substitution. He replaced two players in the first quarter.

Perkins, who committed a foul, was replaced.

"Double front liners, this is really rare. How can these insiders resist?"

At the same time, they also replaced Tony Allen and played a double backcourt with Rondo, while Pierce continued to play at the third position!

This substitution has never appeared before, so it also left many people scratching their heads.

Director Zhang said: "Do we need to strengthen our defense..."

Tony Allen is strengthening the defense, but if the height of the inside line is reduced, how can we defend the left winger? Moreover, Ray Allen is down, what about the outside threat?

I don't understand. I don't understand.

However, it was this incomprehensible substitution that allowed the Celtics to reverse their passive situation.

Previously, on defense, Zuo Li followed the two strong men of Garnett, Randolph, and Perkins to fight passionately in the paint. This is why the Knicks were not afraid of the Celtics in both seasons.

Zuo Li can keep up with Garnett, but Garnett can't keep up with him. Randolph is not weak to Perkins at all, and can force him to the point where he can't help defend.

The Celtics, who cannot stand inside, are really not a big threat. They lost here in 2009.

But this change of formation is directly aimed at Randolph. Both Garnett and Rasheed Wallace have a larger attack range, and Randolph can't keep up!

Whoosh!

Rasheed Wallace hit a corner three-pointer when he came up. After the goal, the roaring Tianzun was about to roar, but Rivers slapped him and stopped him. Good guy, don't dare to yell, big brother!

However, Rasheed Wallace found the feeling, pulled out in the next round, and assisted Rondo from the wing. The latter rushed in and showed a back pass in front of the left winger, and Garnett caught the ball and dunked under the basket.

This ball also shows that Garnett is indeed old and his knees are not as good as before.

But it’s enough. Can I still put it under the basket?

Then Zuo Li changed defense and gave Rasheed Wallace a big block, but when the sideline ball came out, Garnett made a huge jumper and caused Randolph to foul.

After a wave of 8-0, the Celtics evened the score in 3 minutes in the second quarter!

The situation changed faster than anyone imagined. Unexpectedly, the Celtics found opportunities from the offensive end.

Most people will pay attention to the Celtics' defense, but they will also subconsciously ignore their offense. After all, their scoring average is last in the league and they basically rely on their personal strength.

But this is scary. As long as they find a way, the Celtics can perform very good attacks. The two games they defeated the Cavaliers in the semifinals are proof.

However, the Knicks quickly stabilized the situation. The inside left wing assisted Randolph to score two points, and then Curry broke through with a pick-and-roll, causing Rondo to foul.

Although Rasheed Wallace's defense is also good, he is old, has impaired movement, and lacks height, so the Knicks can still score.

The two teams fought like this. After a 45-45 tie at halftime, the score was tied at 78-78 in the third quarter.

However, in the third quarter, the Celtics once again strengthened their defensive intensity. Danny Green was blocked by Tony Allen and made two consecutive mistakes. Curry was also prevented from making three shots by Rondo. This is the biggest challenge that a rookie encounters.

The problem is, they can't stand it anymore in such a situation.

Although Zuo Li can still score points in the paint, Roaring Tianzun was really unexpectedly fierce tonight!

In the fourth quarter, there were three more mid-range shots and one three-pointer. The Celtics took a 7-point advantage with 5 minutes left.

The situation started to get tense.

The camera was focused on Zuo Li. Everyone knew that the time to test Zuo Li was coming again.