Listening to the crowd’s shouts of "MVP", Sefolosha looked at the big screen after being hit with a 3 1, where Zhang Yang’s four-point play was being replayed from multiple angles.
The step-back shooting action of Zhang Yang was completely different from Pierce’s; the close-up didn’t reveal too many similarities, but when Sefolosha saw the details of Zhang Yang’s arm as he released the ball, he confird his intuition was correct.
It’s exactly Pierce’s shooting style!
Not pursuing too much space, just getting the ball out is enough. It looks like it’s about to be blocked, but the defender just can’t reach it, as the limits of the defense have been calculated at the release!
Sefolosha looked at Zhang Yang walking to the free throw line and recalled the two possessions Luol Deng failed to defend, forming the sa judgnt as before: Zhang Yang had added more fakes in his solo plays. Now, he rembered Joe Johnson... In those two offensive plays, Zhang Yang’s final release was different from Joe Johnson’s, just by adjusting the rhythm and speeding up the shot. Although the ’fakes’ in the moves were different, the detailed handling was quite similar to Joe Johnson’s way of creating shooting space!
Is this the player with ’the greatest offensive talent since basketball was invented’?
Having gone to a Ga seven with the Hawks, he learned so of these two players’ essences?
Sefolosha, with his defensive talent maxed out, was extrely envious, jealous, and resentful!
As a famous new-generation defensive specialist, Sefolosha was absolutely right in his guess! Zhang Yang’s progress in details ca precisely from a grueling seven-ga battle with the Hawks.
Woodson inherited Larry Brown’s true teachings; when you talk offense, he sends you to ask Bibby, but when it cos to defense, he’s truly remarkable. The defensive system he built is top-tier in the league in terms of double-teaming, blocking defense, and auxiliary defense.
Therefore, when Zhang Yang played against the Hawks, many of his shots were concentrated in areas above the free-throw line. All through the ga, the Hawks used Joe Johnson and Pierce in turn to guard him. Both defenders are over two ters tall, weighing 107 kilograms; they were forcing him to drive towards the paint, entering the team’s defensive zone.
He naturally shouldered the burden of making mid-to-long-range shots. To cope with the physical disadvantage, since the preparation stage before the second round, he’s been thinking of how to better avoid shot interference and reduce the impact of physical contact. During the series, he continuously adjusted his technical usage and shot details, steadily improving.
These improvents, so were learned during defense. As the primary periter defender, he spent most of his ti guarding Joe Johnson or Bibby, occasionally taking on Pierce. All three were playoff veterans capable of making shots under intense defense. To defend better, he repeatedly studied the trio’s footage, striving to analyze their one-on-one details during gas... Unconsciously, he learned many things from these technically skilled, ga-experienced solo masters, integrating them into his offensive adjustnts.
Moreover, due to the pressure from the gas and his solid fundantals, his style, technical details, and drastic progress were indeed evident during the intense half-month battle with the Hawks.
Coincidentally, Luol Deng’s height and wingspan are excellent, aggressive in defense, but his one-on-one defense is relatively insufficient, resembling many aspects of defending Joe Johnson for Zhang Yang; Pierce early on had a solid defensive base with good awareness and footwork prediction skills, but with age, his athletic ability declined, sowhat similar to Sefolosha, who has good static physical conditions but relatively diocre athletic ability... The aspects Zhang Yang improved in during the second round were perfectly applicable by the ti of the East Finals!
He himself didn’t realize this, related partly to the position; the defensive characteristics of those two from the Hawks and these two from the Bulls intersected. The main thing was that, compared to the Bulls’ Sefolosha, the two from the Hawks looked a bit too unkempt to be associated together...
Under the chants of "MVP" from the fans, Zhang Yang made the additional free throw, starting with three consecutive baskets, single-handedly leading the Bulls to an 8-2 spree!
Hinrich glanced at the bench and, seeing no reaction from the coach, received the inbounds pass, calmly advancing to the frontcourt, continuing the pick-and-roll offense with Tyrus Thomas.
Seizing the mont when Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Tyrus Thomas pushed the Bobcats’ 2-4 positions into the paint, Sefolosha ran up from the right sideline, using Yao Ming’s screen to shake off Felton and reach the top of the arc.
Okafor didn’t dare switch; he wouldn’t want Felton to switch onto Yao Ming, as the giant could just stand still and receive the ball for an easy shot.
Luol Deng transferred the ball to Sefolosha, who caught and took a three-pointer... The direction was good, but he didn’t control the force well enough, hitting close to the neck of the basket, circled around, and rimd out.
Zhang Yang and Pietrus boxed out Tyrus Thomas, while Millsap outmuscled Luol Deng to secure the defensive rebound.
The Bulls regretted missing that shot, but at least the play was executed, creating an opportunity.
The other three promptly exploited the double forwards to slow the opponent’s transition defense, forcing the Bobcats into a set play.
Zhang Yang was very patient, seizing the chasing shot opportunity when it arose, not forcing it if it didn’t, avoiding disrupting his own rhythm.
After running to the frontcourt, he didn’t continue soloing, seeing the six-point lead intact. He ran to the left baseline long two-point position to stretch the space.
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