The Knicks led 63-60 as they entered halftime.
Wu Huang was undoubtedly the best player in this half, scoring 18 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, making 8 assists, and getting into triple-fouls.
Both Crawford and Stoudemire also had three fouls each.In the locker room, Kenny Smith commented: "Penalties are key data to evaluate a star's performance;if you don’t often go to the free-throw line, it’s hard to harm your opponents effectively."Charles Barkley added: "Hugo's penetration has always been threatening.
But he rarely goes to the free-throw line, sometimes avoiding contact for fear of physical damage.
I dislike that but understand his age and need to protect himself.
In this playoff game, I'm glad he took more hits;Hawks' overpenalties will cause trouble in the fourth quarter."The Hawks knew they couldn’t let Wu Huang get too many free throws, but he was too tricky.
He often used his body and elbows for intentional fouls.Bibby, experienced as he is, admitted: "He always finds a way to make me uncomfortable and uses his body.
I thought he had more experience than me.
He’s so cunning that he even laced up my shoes with black." The Hawks' players were skeptical of this first-year player's prowess.Midway through the game, the Hawks discussed their experiences, and Larry Drew was shocked by the number of fouls Wu Huang dished out: four intentional fouls in half a game, but only two personal fouls.
Everyone was deceived by his seemingly weak appearance.
He was indeed a typical playground thug!"Never judge someone by their looks," was the common sentiment among the Hawks' players.
They needed to devise strategies against this harmless-looking devil.Wu Huang yawned in the visiting locker room, aware that some might be saying his bad words behind his back.
However, he was pleased with his performance and recognized the crisis on the interior defense.David Lee was icing an injury but didn’t show any emotion.
He hadn’t been injured;most players got ice after halftime as part of post-game care.
Interior players faced constant physical contact, making each hit a battle for survival.
A street game might reveal just how painful those hits could be.Thinking about the Hawks' players who had taken multiple elbows from Wu Huang, they were fortunate to avoid fights.
The Hawks seemed more disciplined than other teams;the Celtics would probably have been exchanging elbowing with the referees themselves.
David Lee's first game was underwhelming despite his usual consistency against Howard.The discrepancy between Howard and Lee’s performances mystified the Hawks.
Sometimes, mutual respect and restraint couldn’t explain away such a difference in abilities on the court.
Howard remained confident against Lee, allowing him to perform at his best while Lee became hesitant.
This psychological barrier suggested that David Lee might have developed a fear of Howard.(Continues...)