Capítulo 1222: Chapter 497: East Final Begins with a Rampage! (Part 3)
Zhang Yang grabbed the bouncing ball, turned, and put Hinrich behind him, the opportunity ca! He started, fast break!
He rushed out from the free throw line, no one was following, there was no one in front, wide open!
This ti he was closer to the three-point line, stopped a foot away outside the top of the arc, jumped, three-point shot…
The chasing Hinrich swept past Zhang Yang, rushed into the inside… and saw the ball sink into the hoop.
22 to 14, the Bobcats’ lead expanded to 8 points, the Bulls called a tiout, entering the official pause phase!
Hinrich, with hands on hips, listened to the violent cheers of the fans on-site, watching the basketball bouncing on the court, at this mont his heart was not filled with pressure, but an indescribable feeling of frustration.
Zhang Yang hit the trailing three-pointer, it wasn’t the first ti he had seen it, but every ti he experienced it in person, his mindset would be affected.
Who fast breaks one on zero and throws a three-pointer?
After holding his waist for a few seconds, Hinrich shook his head and returned to the bench. After gathering with his teammates, the pressure returned to his mind.
Not just him, the entire Bulls team was under imnse pressure, as if a mountain was pressing on their back.
Opening 6-for-5 shooting, hitting two threes, plus an extra free throw, Zhang Yang scored 13 points in six and a half minutes… Their team only scored 1 more point than this guy!
The so-called ‘strongest in the league’ periter defense trio, in these six and a half minutes, seed like a joke!
…
The pressure on the Bulls’ bench was so low that after handing over a towel, the staff quickly moved away, afraid this bunch of muscle or testosterone-brained guys might vent on them.
The Bobcats’ bench was different, the whole team was imnsely happy.
Solo duel, Third Brother took off, team offense, playing around Third Brother’s threat was vivid and powerful, the start of the first match went far more smoothly than they anticipated!
Many of them felt the Bulls didn’t seem as strong as the Hawks… At least, Luol Deng and Sefolosha’s defense on their Third Brother wasn’t as strong as Pierce and Joe Johnson’s.
Their feeling was indeed correct, but to say Pierce and Joe Johnson defended better than Sefolosha and Luol Deng? Certainly not, before Zhang Yang made such significant progress, he went wild with 40 in G1 of the second round.
Ultimately, the defense from those two on Zhang Yang was quite good, suppressing his field goal percentage in the series lower than the first round or even the regular season, which began by G4, G5, as the two had beco quite familiar with Zhang Yang’s offense back then, their defensive experience was rich enough.
And, the defensive conditions those two from the Hawks had over the Bulls’ was better!
Yao Ming had the top rim protection capability in the league, but he wasn’t able to be selected for the All-Defensive Team like O’Neal in his pri, because in the minds of all the head coaches, there was an unignorable flaw with him — he couldn’t extend out.
When Luol Deng and Sefolosha single-defended Zhang Yang, they still had to consider how to execute a double-team with Tyrus Thomas if he got past, if it was the Zhang Yang before this postseason, they could barely cope, but facing a Zhang Yang who experienced a seven-ga battle with the Hawks, they couldn’t manage it sincerely, Luol Deng was not good at single defense, Sefolosha predominantly single-defended in harmony with Luol Deng, but a player like Zhang Yang who was strong and skilled, was exactly the type he wasn’t good at defending…
Pierce and Joe Johnson were different, backing them was Horford, who was among the best at help defense and defensive coordination among the new generation of inside players.
Zhang Yang, who was drinking water, heard his teammates either tease or ridicule Luol Deng and Sefolosha, he didn’t make a sound, as the person involved, he had a general feeling, but at this ti it was impossible to speak for the opponents, he gave it his all, blasting out 13 points in half a quarter, exactly for this effect! Didn’t you see it was Hill leading the teasing…
A periter starting lineup composed of three players with second-team All-Defense capabilities, the deterrent power was too strong, it could reduce the intimidation those three have in the minds of the role-player teammates, nothing could be better.
The official tiout ended, both teams made personnel adjustnts.
Carlisle sent Felton, Zhang Yang, Hill, Okafor, and Perkins as a combination.
Skiles sent Hinrich, Nocioni, Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, and Yao Ming as a combination.
The Bulls attacked, seeing Yao Ming going directly to the low post, Skiles on the sidelines frowned tightly, the face that already looked unfriendly seed even more gloomy.
Just as Okafor analyzed more than a month ago, Skiles really had planned that if they t the Bobcats in the playoffs, he definitely wouldn’t try to change, just steadily fight defensively, no matter the score, fight to the end, whether win or lose, he accepted it.
But persisted for only half a quarter, he couldn’t sit still, this start was too hellish!
He could only let Yao Ming go for aggressive attacks, hoping the point difference would narrow a bit.
However, upon entering the rotation lineup, Yao Ming’s single offense environnt was not slightly worse than the first half, defending him from Pietrus, Millsap, Okafor, beca Hill, Okafor, Perkins!
In the few possessions after the official tiout, Yao Ming on offense exerted all his effort on single attacks to score, on defense fully guarded the basket to create help defensive conditions for Luol Deng and Ben Wallace… only narrowed the point difference by 3, playing to a 9 to 6 with the Bobcats, the score ca to 23 to 28, still trailing by 5 points.
Moreover, during this ti, the Bobcats mainly executed team offense revolving around Zhang Yang’s control! During this period, Zhang San, who was coasting, only shot twice, once missed after catching the ball, once cutting in off a screen for a close-range contested shot that went in.
It was the Bulls’ turn to attack again, Yao Ming caught the ball in the low post, suddenly stood upright and toe-tipped for a floater… interrupted by an attentive Perkins!
Fortunately, Nocioni, Luol Deng, and Ben Wallace’s transition defense was well done, not giving the charging Zhang Yang a chance to catch and shoot.
Falling into a half-court set, after coming to the frontcourt, Felton passed the ball to Zhang Yang, leaning on Nocioni.
Two minutes left in the first quarter, the Little Giant seed drilled out, Zhang San initiated the closing mode!
From the right side of the free-throw line, posting up Nocioni, turned with a ‘Hambledon-style’ step back mid-range shot and scored!
On the return, Nocioni, under Felton’s pressure, forcibly took a three-pointer… missed!
Transitioning again, the Bulls were noticeably rushing and disordered! Nocioni directly fronted at the high post to deny Zhang Yang the ball!
Zhang Yang took the opportunity to turn and cut, Felton seized the timing, a direct pass through the middle reached Zhang Yang cutting into the right elbow.
Off-ball cutting is much faster than a dribble attack, Ben Wallace and Yao Ming were late in moving in advance, and could only shout, waving their hands to rush at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang, amid three-man double-team, caught the ball and pulled up to shoot… missed it, Perkins, backed by Yao Ming, tip-slamd and scored two points!
In transition, Hinrich ca by himself, no screen needed, a solo play on Felton, broke through and stopped for a long two-pointer… landed it!
Hinrich’s resilience under pressure indeed was remarkable, tough as a beat.
Bobcats’ attack again, Nocioni was still fronting at the high post, unlike the coldly calm Hinrich and Sefolosha, as a South Arican, Nocioni was hot-headed.
Fortunately, Ben Wallace was prepared this ti, moving in advance… Zhang Yang, halfway on a cut, suddenly turned around, running along the free-throw line to the left.
Okafor, at the left of the free-throw line, blocked the chasing Nocioni for Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang sprinted to the left 45-degree angle, received Felton’s pass, turned, and fired a three-pointer…
Hinrich and Ben Wallace rushed in for help defense, but Ben Wallace moved to the right early, turning around and chasing couldn’t catch up, Hinrich was chasing with the ball, when Zhang Yang jumped, they were still far apart.
After Zhang Yang released the ball, he shut his eyes, clenched his raised shooting hand into a fist.
Tonight, at the start, after a series of solo scoring, he ward up his hands, and this shot, he knew it would go in as soon as he took it!
The broadcaster then aptly cut to a shot, and the fans just caught this scene, followed by the ball falling into the basket!
The fans went wild, shouting all sorts of nicknas for Zhang Yang.
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