Now it’s the Zen Master’s turn to call a tiout. With over 3 seconds left, he doesn’t want to go into overti against the young Bobcats team.
Kobe shook his head with a grimace as he headed to the bench.
He is a person who loves to study details; noticing details has beco his instinct during, before, and after gas.
Before Zhang Yang’s final offensive play, Kobe sensed a subtle disharmony due to the opponent’s body movents.
It wasn’t until Zhang Yang moved sideways that Kobe lunged forward, slightly slower than him, and realized the subtle disharmony was because Zhang Yang didn’t look like soone who had played for 44 minutes.
He wasn’t particularly shocked by this; in the world of sports, there’s no strongest, only stronger, always so special individuals.
Old Ironsmith’s speculation — at critical monts, Zhang San’s adrenaline spikes, making him seem tireless.
Sure enough, Kobe glanced over; after Zhang Yang made the critical shot, he started gasping heavily again.
Getting a three-pointer in your face and having the score tied is frustrating, but it also elevated his evaluation of Zhang Yang.
Being able to make the critical shot shows ability; daring to take responsibility for the critical shot shows courage; and to get so excited when taking the shot...
After the tiout, Carlisle switched in Afflalo, Zhang Yang, Hill, Okafor, and Perkins.
The Zen Master put in Kidd, Fisher, Kobe, Garnett, and Gasol Jr.
The Lakers inbounded the ball from the frontcourt. Gasol Jr. made a beautiful lob pass to Kobe, who used Kidd’s screen, but Kobe was imdiately trapped by Afflalo and Zhang Yang on the left side of the free-throw line as he caught the ball.
Kobe turned and took a mid-range shot facing the double-team... It missed. Perkins swiped the rebounded ball before Garnett did, the red light ca on, and the long whistle sounded.
Regulation ti ended, with both teams tied at 92-92, going into overti!
The big screen displayed the top scorers’ stats, astonishing both live and TV audiences alike.
Kobe played 39 minutes, shooting 16-for-30, including 3-for-8 from the three-point line, and 8-for-10 from free throws, scoring 43 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Zhang Yang played 44 minutes, shooting 15-for-33, including 4-for-11 from the three-point line, and 8-for-10 from free throws, scoring 42 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
There are people with a better throw than Old Ironsmith!
When the shooting percentage isn’t enough, crazy attempts make up for it. It’s usually opponents tortured by Ironsmith, but unexpectedly, we see Ironsmith tortured by soone else!
Sotis people’s likes and dislikes are unreasonable. Kobe’s fans saw these stats and thought of Zhang Yang’s crazy attempts tonight, even though he just hit a ga-tying three-pointer, forcing overti; still, instead of disliking Zhang Yang, they felt a bit more fond of him...
...
Returning to the bench, Zhang Yang felt he was nearing his limit.
During a longer break, he relaxed, feeling much more exhausted than during the 20-second short tiout, but instead of gasping for air to replenish oxygen like he did during the tiout, he acted composed, listening to Carlisle’s pre-overti strategy.
He was the ntal pillar for his teammates. During the tight 20-second tiout, no one noticed him; now, with a few minutes of rest, he had to keep it together.
Face to face with Kobe was truly taxing. Zhang San had already abandoned defending the opposing star one-on-one, but facing Kobe’s isolation defense plus Garnett or Kidd’s help defense was exhausting.
Luckily, Kobe’s situation didn’t seem great either. On his last shot, with a quick move after catching the ball behind a screen and facing a double-team, his jump height wasn’t quite there... Of course, if it were a one-on-one without rushing, it wouldn’t be this way, but unlike years before.
Old Ironsmith, after all, is over 30 years old, facing a rotation defense of Hill, Pietrus, and Afflalo, along with Zhang San, Millsap, Okafor, and Ibaka’s rotating double-teams, still played like he did in his pri on both ends... This overly strong character can be exploited.
Apart from this, Zhang Yang felt that even with the sa tactics in the next match-up, he could manage his stamina better.
This was the first face-off with the Lakers this season. Most of the preparation was wasted except for effective execution of defensive tactics because the Zen Master is too cunning, not falling for tricks.
Many tis, he was forced to take tough shots because team opportunities were indeed poor; he couldn’t push high-pressure offense onto teammates... except when Jack was on the court.
Jack didn’t play his best tonight, but regardless of facing Kidd’s defense or Kobe’s switch, he dared to take shots. This was crucial for maintaining offensive rhythm without interruption.
Having understood the Lakers’ strongest defensive setup, next ti they’ll be better prepared, though the Lakers will likely also be more prepared. Still, Zhang San himself can at least have a better stamina managent plan.
The few minutes passed quickly, and overti began.
The Zen Master sent out a lineup of Kidd, Kobe, Luke Walton, Garnett, and Gasol Jr.
This lineup focuses on spacing, led by Kobe, with Kidd assisting, and Luke Walton creating plays.
Carlisle sent in Felton, Zhang Yang, Afflalo, Okafor, and Brad Miller, choosing Afflalo over Hill and Pietrus due to stamina concerns, as Afflalo played the least during regulation.
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