After switching to the starting line-up, Bosh quickly made two mistakes, one of which was a mid-field cut that hit Battier and was judged to have hit a man with the ball. A mid-dribble breakaway was stabbed out by Paul from behind. After two goals, the Clippers leveled the score.

After that, the score was deadlocked. Griffin didn't play it, he was interfered with by Leonard on the perimeter, he didn't have a good jump shot, burst inside and Jefferson struggled with muscles, and was pushed outside the box. Griffin is good at turning around and hitting the board after breaking through, not turning around and hooking hands on both sides. His reach is a major flaw, and his hook efficiency is mediocre.

When defending, Griffin also did a good job against Jefferson, Jefferson couldn't get deep to the basket, and Jordan Jr. was ready to make up for it.

The Knicks trailed by four points at halftime 40-44. Zhou Xuan scored 4 points and 5 assists, which was equivalent to being prevented for him, and Paul only scored 7 points and 4 assists in the half.

Yu Jia midfielder commented: "Some netizens asked why Zhou Xuan didn't defend Paul, wasn't he selected for the best defensive team this year?" It was the coach's arrangement, not to defend Paul, but to misplace the guard Griffin. If Zhou Xuan is in the middle, he has to change the defense Griffin after the dislocation, the pressure is very high, and Leonard's physical disadvantage is smaller. When dealing with the Clippers, they usually have a big man in the middle. If the defense is average, Paul can attack directly, and Leonard is good inside and outside today, and he was selected to the All-Defensive Team second team this year. ”

"Coach Popovich said last season that if the Spurs had a player like Leonard who could defend and attack well, they might not lose to the Knicks in the Finals. He was lucky to be drafted with the 15th pick, having been a draft pick from the Pacers at the time. D'Antoni said Leonard is in the top three of the Knicks' most important players, even if he just scored in double figures. ”

Yu Jia said: "Considering the Knicks' salary, if Leonard is re-signed with a high salary, Parsons may have to leave when his contract expires, and the two can only keep one, otherwise they will have to pay a super high luxury tax in the future." ”

Zhang said with a smile: "Maybe they all stay, the New York boss has money, I don't think he cares about paying the luxury tax, as long as the existing lineup is retained, the Knicks will be the most favorable contender for the championship in the next few years." ”

At half-time, D'Antoni and his assistant coach worked on tactics, and the two wanted to play fast, but Woodson objected.

Woodson said: "The Clippers have Jordan Jr. as a weakness in the positional offense, they can only shoot and dunk under the basket, and if they want to be efficient, they prefer to play the fast break." They're quicker to defend faster, and if we play faster, Al won't be able to play his role, and even if he's not involved in the fast break, the opponent can misplace him, which is not a good idea. ”

D'Antoni frowned and said: "In the fast break, Zhou Tandem is better than Paul, and we can play better offensively, right?" ”

The first home court is very crucial, and if the Knicks lose, morale will take a serious hit. D'Antoni is a bit anxious and wants to be efficient on the offensive end, and running and shooting is his most confident tactic.

Woodson shook his head: "I think that just weakens the gap between the two." Paul's assist ability in positional offense is not as good as Zhou's, and I would suggest not playing double guards and grinding them to death with defense. The offense was directly left to Zhou to solve. After blocking and dismantling, an inside line in the high post will attract the defense and open up space for him to play alone, which is the easiest. If he can beat Griffin down, we're going to win. ”

Originally, there were two people who wanted to play fast break, but after chatting, they were both persuaded by Woodson that there is no room for loss in the finals, and defense must be guaranteed.

In the audience, the fans were also chatting about the ball, and they were one step away from the dynasty, and they didn't want the home team to fall here.

When he played, Zhou Xuan said to Bosh: "Your body is too stiff in the first half, relax, as long as Paul chases the defense, or is far away from you, I will pass the ball to you, you have to throw it." ”

"I'll try." Bosh took a deep breath.

"It's not about working hard, it's about relaxing, relaxing, understand? You are the famous little jump shot prince in the league, the new jump shot king on the inside, even if you are a guard, you are not as accurate. You've worked hard, we've all seen it, and you've proven yourself in the regular season. As long as you relax and play like training, I'm sure you'll be able to score. Beat yourself, even if you miss 10 goals, as long as you are in a good position, I will pass you the eleventh! ”

"Thank you."

Zhou Xuan's words made Bosh feel unprecedented respect, and the pressure was reduced.

In the second half, the Knicks fielded the opening starters. The Clippers got Paul, Crawford, Barnes, Griffin, Jordan Jr.

Jefferson drew the defense on the inside, Bosh blocked high and then stayed in the middle waiting for a shot. Zhou Xuan broke through on the right side, singled Griffin to open the distance, and Paul chased the bag.

Zhou Xuan passed the ball to the middle, Bosh took the ball in the empty position, jumped up slightly, and the ball was deflected again. 0-of-5 shots, Bosh was terrible.

Bosh can't shoot, Paul will be more resolute, and it will be more difficult for Zhou Xuan to score. He made up his mind to keep passing, and if he wanted to get the most out of his team's attack, his team-mates had to throw away, and he knew it was the right way to go.

Someone can continue to shoot 11th in the face of 10 consecutive missed shots in the bag, isn't it worth trying to find the feel of Bosh's vacancy?

When he returned to the defense, Zhou Xuan shouted at Bosh: "Chris, relax, when this is a practice match!" If you can't prevent it, you will foul. ”

Bosh nodded. He was too urbane on the defensive end today, and he has only committed one foul so far. If you can't score on offense and have too many defensive fouls, you can rest and make a contribution. It is convenient for the Knicks to play "shark slashing tactics". As long as the foul reaches a certain number of times, Rivers will replace Jordan Jr. and play small ball tactics to not give the opponent a chance to foul. When Jordan Jr. is off the court, it will be easier to break through from the outside.

The Clippers attacked, and Zhou Xuan defended Barnes. Barnes was an absolute blue-collar today, scoring 1 point on 0-of-3 shooting in the first half.

Paul dribbled the ball on the perimeter, waited for his teammates to cover on the side, passed to Crawford, Bosh changed defenses, Crawford dribbled under the crotch and dribbled behind the back to break through from the right side, past Bosh, Bosh turned and pulled people to foul, because there was no shooting action, no free throws.

The throw-in was issued, Paul took the ball and hung it to Griffin, Griffin quickly turned around on the left side of the ball, and it must have been a violent dunk when he pulled it up, and Jefferson also hurriedly fouled him and pulled him.

Griffin made one of two free throws to make it 40-45.

Rivers frowned, the Clippers had two fouls in the opening game, and it looked like they wanted to use foul tactics, Jordan Jr. was not cut many times in the regular season, and unlike Howard, he had limited offensive power. But he can still play on the defensive end, so the coach wants him to be on the court.

The Knicks attacked, Zhou Xuan and Jefferson cooperated with the high post, and Bosh went to the side to help Matthews block. Zhou Xuan held the ball on the right side to avoid Paul, not in a hurry to break through, dribbled under the crotch to protect it, and Matthews got rid of Crawford after blocking and dismantling on the side.

Little Jordan didn't change his defense, Zhou Xuan split the ball at close range, Matthews picked up the ball and threw it, and Bosh cut inside at this time to grab the rebound, attracting Little Jordan.

Matthews was in okay form, and the ball bounced into the frame. 43 to 45.

The Clippers attacked, Crawford blocked and picked up the ball, Bosh changed positions in time, and formed a package on the perimeter with Matthews, Crawford moved to the middle to find Griffin, Zhou Xuan suddenly came out and broke the fast break under the basketball.

He expected Barnes to generally miss the pass, and acted immediately when Crawford's view was blocked. This season, he has the best steals in the league, and many of them are such judgments and giving up his defenders' help.

Griffin turned and couldn't catch up. Paul let go of Leonard's defense from the side, Zhou Xuan ran to the left side, and Leonard received the ball and scored a layup. 45 to 45.

Zhou Xuan had the 7th assist, and the two sides were tied.

The Clippers attacked, Barnes ran to the line to receive the ball, Griffin and Crawford cut to the baseline after covering without the ball, Jefferson made up the defense, and Griffin handed the ball to Jordan Jr. from close range.

Jordan Jr. took a step to dunk the ball, but Leonard retracted in time, hugged Jordan Jr., and sent him to the free throw line. Jordan Jr. made one of two free throws. 45 to 46.

The Knicks attacked, Zhou Xuan and Bosh blocked and dismantled the right side, quickly brought to the 45-degree face frame, and dribbled under the crotch continuously, Paul let go of Bosh and chased the defense to form a bag. Zhou Xuan took advantage of the situation and passed it to the middle lane.

It's a trust, and Bosh is one of the most accurate guys in the league for high jumpers.

Bosh practiced shooting and three-pointers in practice yesterday, but he just had some problems with his mentality. After receiving the pass again, his heart suddenly relaxed, and he knew that as long as he had the opportunity, Zhou Xuan would pass it over. With no one to defend, he took the ball and made adjustments, jumped up slightly, shot the shot, and the ball drew a beautiful arc and hollowed into the net! 47 to 46.

Zhou Xuan got the 8th assist, and shouted at Bosh when he returned to the defense: "Good ball!" That's it, keep it that feeling! ”

Bosh suddenly felt his whole body filled with strength.

In the Heat, if Bosh always can't shoot, James and Wade will reduce the pass to him and attack by themselves, but Zhou Xuan is helping him find confidence. Is Zhou Xuan lazier than James and Wade? No, it's his willingness to help his teammates get stronger. On the pitch, he's like a psychiatrist.

Even if Bosh can't shoot and loses the game, as long as he finds confidence and plays to his strength, the Knicks will definitely be able to beat the Clippers in the next game in a simpler and more effective way.

The Clippers attacked, Paul and Griffin broke through with the ball after blocking and dismantling. Bosh, who changed the defense, was in a good mood because of the ball just now, and his movements became faster, and he followed very closely. Paul took a 45-degree pass to the middle, where Crawford and Griffin covered the middle and got rid of Matthews for the ball.

Matthews can also fight Griffin after the misalignment, interfere with the shot, and he is not afraid to fight. Crawford took the ball into the pile and was forced to pass. Seeing that the 24-second time was about to expire, Barnes pulled out three points from the perimeter, and under Zhou Xuan's interference, Jefferson grabbed the rebound.

The Knicks attacked, Zhou Xuan took the right side after blocking and dismantling, dribbling the ball under the crotch to open the distance, holding the ball in his right hand at 45 degrees, and his left hand was close, Griffin didn't dare to step forward, Paul didn't chase the defense, Zhou Xuan suddenly stepped back and jumped and shot, one step inside the three-point line, the distance was a little far, but he was extremely accurate in finding the board, Griffin jumped up and blocked slowly, and the ball bounced into the frame after hitting the board. 49 to 46.

The Knicks offense finds its feel and morale is high!