The TNT TV commentary for this game is still Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.
The game received a lot of attention.
Brooks did not let Zhao Chen start the game because of his recent performance, and Zhao Chen still sat firmly on the bench.
Whether Zhao Chen plays as a substitute or not is not determined by strength, but Brooks simply does not want to change the lineup and rhythm.
Zhao Chen is good as a substitute, but what if he doesn't cooperate well with his teammates in the starting lineup.
In the first three minutes of today's game, the Thunder's starting lineup was not as stretched as in the previous game, and the two sides played fiercely.
Lamb made consecutive successes on the offensive end, and Sefolosha also did a good job defending Anthony.
The first three minutes made people think that the Thunder's starting lineup would be tough for a while today, but after the fourth minute started, the situation was quickly controlled by the Knicks.
It's difficult for Anthony to fight Sefolosha, but he can easily fight the mismatch between Lamb and Fisher.
Although Lamb and Fisher worked hard to prevent Anthony's mismatch, Anthony's tonnage and skills were very solid.
The most powerful thing about Anthony is his triple threat when holding the ball in the high post.
The three-threat posture is an offensive ball-holding posture that a player quickly makes after receiving the ball. It is a three-threat posture that can shoot, pass, and dribble.
Anthony is a master in this area. Anthony especially likes to dribble left and right to test, deceiving the defender's center of gravity and then making pull-up jumpers.
Anthony's shooting is a top killer. Fisher and Lamb were shot many times by Anthony in a row.
When they were very close, Anthony dribbled through again. As the league's top scorer, Anthony has many tricks.
Sometimes, Anthony's offensive method can be judged correctly, but Anthony is very good at using his body to cause fouls. Even if Fisher and Lamb work hard, they just can't stop Anthony.
Anthony led the Knicks to a 10-0 run and stopped the Thunder.
After half a quarter, the score became 18-10, and the Knicks' lead reached 8 points.
Brooks called an emergency stop to the game.
At this time, Brooks stopped inking and sent Zhao Chen again.
"Zhao, you go up and score."
"OK, coach, let Robertson come in too, he can guard Cameron."
"Well, let him try."
Brooks nodded in agreement with Zhao Chen's suggestion.
Zhao Chen has recently become accustomed to games where he has to fill in holes every time he plays. To be honest, he misses Westbrook and Durant a little bit.
With these two big guys here, Lei Lei really won't be in such a miserable state, and he doesn't need to help wipe his butt every day.
Zhao Chen's appearance gave the Thunder the first climax of the night at home.
Thunder fans are becoming more and more fond of Zhao Chen. Zhao Chen has scored high-scoring triple-doubles for two consecutive nights. These are extremely shocking performances.
They were very impressed with Zhao Chen's first two games. The Thunder reversed their momentum after Zhao Chen came on the stage.
After Zhao Chen came on the stage, the Thunder's offense quickly improved.
Robertson, who partnered with Zhao Chen, also successfully defended Anthony.
Anthony really wanted to beat Robertson, an unknown young player, but failed twice in a row.
Robertson's physical talent is actually great. He has explosive jumping ability and excellent fighting spirit. Not only is he a strong rebounder, he also has outstanding wing defensive abilities!
Of course, Anthony still knows nothing about Robertson's defensive ability. Robertson is not that famous yet, so Zhao Chen will continue to encourage the head coach to let Robertson defend Anthony alone...
Zhao Chen's offense was not as hot as the first two games. The Knicks were more targeted at him, and he was flanked many times.
Facing a flanking attack, Zhao Chen did not force himself, but instead passed the ball to his teammates to create opportunities.
Zhao Chen's presence helped other players relieve a lot of defensive pressure, and the Thunder gradually caught up with the score.
The Thunder even achieved a lead at the end of the first quarter.
After the first quarter, the score was 27 to 30. The Thunder led by 3 points in the first quarter through hard work.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhao Chen came on the court, the Thunder's situation immediately improved, and Brooks was very happy off the court.
"Zhao Chen encountered a lot of double attacks from the Knicks in this game, and he didn't force the attack. He did a great job, and he was able to send the ball to open teammates." Kenny Smith said.
"Yes, after Zhao came on the stage, other Thunder players obviously played more easily. His presence made up for the lack of Thunder leader." Charles Barkley said.
"Zhao is getting better and better. No one can deny that he is becoming the Thunder's third superstar." Kenny Smith said.
"It's better not to draw conclusions easily. Zhao needs more games to determine his status. What he needs to show now is stability. During the period when Westbrook and Durant were away, he did well, but this is still Not enough," Buckley said.
Barkley was very optimistic about Zhao Chen's first few games, but after watching Zhao Chen's impulsiveness in the first few games, he was still more rational.
Rest between sessions.
Knicks bench.
Coach Woodson was yelling at all the Knicks players: "Don't let everyone double-team that rookie, defend alone, don't let him drive the team."
Zhao Chen's constant double-attacking and splitting the ball made the Knicks uncomfortable.
The Knicks' defense itself is not good, and the players' willingness to defend is not high.
Zhao Chen's style of play requires the Knicks players to keep running. How can they stand this?
Woodson felt that although Zhao Chen was fierce, there was no need to treat him like this.
JR Smith stood up at this time and said: "Leave that guy to me, I will deal with him."
It was rare for JR to speak so actively, and Woodson nodded: "I'll leave it to you, stick to him."
.........
In the second quarter of the game, the Thunder were led by Zhao Chen and Ibaka.
The Knicks are led by JR, Shumpert, and Stoudemire.
Fisher brought the ball across half court. Zhao Chen came on the field a little early and was flanked too many times. Brooks moved Zhao Chen to the point position again.
Fisher's tactical command at the top of the arc.
Fisher didn't even consider throwing the ball to Ibaka inside.
Ibaka's offensive skills are very rough. He can rebound, block shots, play alley-oops, and occasionally shoot open mid-range shots. It is unrealistic to expect him to post up and start the offense.
Zhao Chen directly faced JR Smith on the right side.
Adams proposed an off-ball pick-and-roll for Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen used Adams' body to come out and successfully catch the ball.
JR, who is usually very lazy on defense, was not easily thrown away by Zhao Chen. Instead, he bypassed Adams' screen and pursued Zhao Chen, leaving Zhao Chen without a chance to catch and shoot the ball immediately.
JR's physical talent is indeed great, and his speed and reaction are also very fast. As long as he wants to defend, he can still do it well.
Seeing that there was no chance, Zhao Chen immediately leaned over to threaten him three times.
"come on!!"
"Hit him!!"
"After him, you are the best substitute."
Most of the Thunder fans knew about the grievances between Zhao Chen and JR, and they cheered and cheered.
Seeing that the cheers were getting louder and louder, Zhao Chen didn't plan to pass it on.
He passed the ball a lot in the first quarter.
Next, he will attack on his own.
