While Porzingis' stellar performance in the Summer League reassured New York Knicks fans, the game against the Houston Rockets gave him his first taste of being a hero, a sense of superiority admired by all the stars. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

From the moment he chose Porzingis, Wang Zhuo had high expectations for him, but during the beginning of the regular season, Wang Zhuo did not have very strict requirements for him, after all, he was just a rookie who had just set foot in the NBA, and it was inevitable that there would be some discomfort, give him some time and space, and let him slowly adapt to the rhythm and intensity of the NBA.

Therefore, for most of the first few games, Wang Zhuo still let the veteran players control the rhythm on the court, and at the same time give Porzingis enough playing time, there is no doubt that Porzingis is quick to adapt and can play well before he has played 10 games in the regular season.

Wang Zhuo is really happy for Porzingis, the most important thing is that Porzingis is still a humble big man, he is not proud of such a result, or even complacent, but attributes the credit to the trust of the head coach and teammates, Wang Zhuo feels that this is very valuable.

However, a player's career is a long process, and it is not all smooth sailing, on the contrary, it is rough and bumpy, full of thorns, and a momentary victory is only a flash in the pan in the long process, and only those who have experienced setbacks and hardships can truly appreciate the ups and downs when they achieve success.

Wang Zhuo believes that a life without setbacks is definitely an incomplete life. Porzingis is excellent, but only by experiencing setbacks can he grow, become stronger, and take on more significant responsibilities in the future, so Wang Zhuo will hone Porzingis in future competitions, intentionally or unintentionally, so that he can learn to succeed in adversity.

The first game back at Madison Square Garden was against the New Orleans Pelicans, the current Pelicans team was renamed after the former New Orleans Hornets changed owners, and the strength is medium in the strong West, and they made the playoffs in the past season, but it was also the first playoff trip after changing their name to the Pelicans.

Wang Zhuo doesn't think the Pelicans are a very dangerous opponent, but the Pelicans' star Anthony Davis is definitely a tough guy, and this big man who has become a superstar in just three years in the league has unparalleled talent and a shocking growth rate.

It is also a blessing for the Pelicans to choose Anthony Davis, if he can, Wang Zhuo will definitely do whatever it takes to snatch Davis to the Knicks, of course, it's just pure thinking, as long as Davis doesn't jump out of the contract, the Pelicans will never let go, unless the owner of the Pelicans is suddenly blown out of the head by a typhoon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Facing such a good player is definitely the best opportunity to hone Porzingis, so in the game against the Pelicans, Wang Zhuo decided to let Porzingis defend Davis, so that he can recognize how far he is from the superstar, and what kind of effort is needed to make up for this gap.

In the pre-match training, when Wang Zhuo told Porzingis about this decision, Porzingis looked very nervous, obviously a lack of self-confidence, Wang Zhuo did not change his original intention because of his performance, let alone say any encouraging words, he just wanted Porzingis to face it alone, even if he ended up scarred.

At this time, Fisher has almost acquiesced to Wang Zhuo's tactical system, perhaps McHale's dismissal made him see his future, or he felt that as long as the Knicks kept winning, his head coach position could be kept, more likely because Mills and Rambis began to support Wang Zhuo's decision, and he had no need to fight alone, anyway, no matter which way he thought, one thing is certain, Wang Zhuo's on-the-spot command has been affirmed by all players

The moment the game began, Porzingis saw the horror of Davis, his super reach advantage made his brilliant mid-range shot in front of Porzingis tried many times, although he was at a height disadvantage, and more importantly, he was comfortable in Elvin Gentry's run-and-gun system, with mid-range shots, three-pointers, rebounds, and blocks, just like Kevin Garnett when he was young.

In the face of such a strong opponent, Porzingis's immaturity as a rookie was exposed at a glance, in addition to being completely unable to limit Davis on the defensive end, the offensive end was completely lost, although his teammates gave him a chance to perform under the instruction of Wang Zhuo, but the frequent outside iron made him pale in the duel with this super power forward.

Although Davis has a super performance, Wang Zhuo is still firmly in control of the situation on the court, the Pelicans are almost Davis alone, and the Knicks in addition to Porzingis, also have Anthony this strong support, Anthony who has been well rested in the game with the Rockets, has an extremely strong desire to perform in this game, which also makes the Knicks maintain a 5-point lead at the end of the first half.

At halftime, Porzingis sat in the locker room looking dejected, Wang Zhuo not only did not comfort him, but also privately told the players to leave him alone and let him deal with it himself.

In the second half, Wang Zhuo still let Porzingis defend against Davis, no longer exploding in sinking, but perishing in sinking, Wang Zhuo must let Porzingis personally understand this truth in the game.

The pace of the court was the same as in the first half, Davis was like a constant stream of perpetual motion machines, scoring and rebounding all the way, and seemed to completely ignore Porzingis' defense as air, and the way he asked for scoring was desperate.

It is precisely because of Davis's crazy performance that the Pelicans' tactics have completely become such a simple and crude way as handing the ball to Davis, so the other players' hands have also been cold for a whole game, so the Knicks still maintain the lead all the way, but the difference has never been widened.

Finally, in the last minute before the end of the game, Anthony Davis' three-pointer left the difference at 2 points, as long as they blocked this round of attacks from the Knicks, the Pelicans still had every chance to drag the game into overtime, or even a kill, so the pressure suddenly shifted to the Knicks' side.

"Kristaps, you'll handle this ball!"

After Fisher called a timeout, the Knicks players gathered around the bench, and Wang Zhuo did not set up any tactics, not even basic cover and blocking, but only emphasized passing the ball to Porzingis, and then did not care about anything.

At the end of the timeout, Afflaro sent the ball to the sideline and passed it directly into the hands of Porzingis, and then everyone pulled away to let Porzingis deal with the crucial goal head-on.

In the face of Davis's defense, Porzingis was a little timid, but when he turned around and saw Wang Zhuo's firm eyes on the bench, his emotions instantly stabilized, only to see him hold the ball steadily, suddenly start, and run inside with his not fast pace.

Davis was stunned for a moment, but his reaction was quite quick, and he followed Porzingis directly at the moment when he wanted to shake him off, and did not completely lose his defensive position.

"Bang ......"

In the face of the Pelicans' players' defense and Davis's follow-up defense, Porzingis's offensive intention was very resolute, raising one arm high and smashing the ball directly into the basket through the defender.

"Beep!"

The referee's whistle blew, and Davis, who was chasing after him, fouled, and 2 points were counted as a chance to add a penalty.

Porzingis stood at the free throw line and steadily hit the ball, the difference returned to 6 points, the offense aroused Porzingis' confidence, the ball was converted, Porzingis raised his arms high, stuck to Davis, and finally successfully blocked his last attack, completely killing the Pelicans' hope of a comeback.

The Knicks defeated the Pelicans 95-89 at home, Anthony Davis scored 36 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks on 14-of-26 shooting, while Porzingis only made 4-of-15 from the field, with a measly 10 points and 4 rebounds, but the Knicks won, and in the most critical final minute, Porzingis played a vital role on both offensive and defensive ends, allowing him to hit the invisible wall in front of him and not hurt too deeply.