Tonight, Zhang Hao and O'Neal put on a show for three quarters, Barkley was lazy for three quarters, and indeed couldn't find his rhythm in isolations, but when it came to rebounding, he never slacked off once he got on the court. He was lazy in terms of not wanting to exert energy on offense for isolations, but he hustled to compete for put-backs, receive passes and shoot, and on defense, he was relentless in boxing out and grabbing boards. He didn't want to be a burden on the court, but at most, he couldn't make any contributions.
The New York Knicks' offense after the timeout was indeed undermined, but their defensive adjustments were exceedingly effective!
