Capítulo 1226: Chapter 499: Regional Finals Speedrun (Part 3)
Nocioni returned to the bench and started cursing again. After a round of swearing, he complained to his teammates, “Are these three-point shooters always this unreasonable? We fought for 10 minutes, and he took just 2 minutes to take the advantage!”
Hinrich winced: “Don’t put that guy on the sa level as us!”
He also played explosively in this East Final. Even in his rookie season, he averaged 1.9 three-pointers per ga with a 39% shooting rate. In the last three seasons, his three-point shooting percentage has been over 40%, making him a ‘top-tier three-point shooter’ in the eyes of the dia and fans. Moreover, he’s one of the few top-tier shooters who can play on the ball.
But that guy on the opposite side continually redefines his understanding of the three-point shot!
What frustrates him most is that he can understand, even accept, Zhang Yang’s three-point philosophy, but he doesn’t have the conditions to play like that…
…
At the end of the first quarter, Zhang Yang hit two consecutive three-pointers, agitating the Bulls players’ sensitive nerves.
Just the previous night, this guy beca the youngest ever to score 50 in a playoff ga!
As the second quarter began, the Bulls, like the end of Ga 1, expanded their trapping range outside the free-throw line.
As for Zhang Yang’s adjustnt… he didn’t adjust; he kept shooting when he should and passing when necessary. When his teammates were exhausted from teamwork, he would take the shots, and it didn’t matter if he started missing a lot, as long as he gave it his all with every shot.
The main issue was that the opponent’s offense was even worse…
In the first quarter, Carlisle and Skiles battled for a quarter of defense; Pietrus was substituted after one and a half minutes, and Jarett Jack, Afflalo, Mike Miller, and Brad Miller didn’t even play. Though so players had a poor feel for the ball due to getting on the court too late, they had numbers! Second, third, and fourth-line shooters are still shooters!
In the second quarter, Zhang Yang played for 10 minutes, making 2 out of 6 shots, plus 2 out of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points. His efficiency was low, but his teammates stepped up, with 15 attempts yielding 19 points!
The quarter ended 25-18, and at halfti, the Bobcats led the Bulls 47-36 by 11 points!
In the third quarter, the Bobcats continued their montum. Although teammates’ scoring decreased this quarter, Zhang Yang ca off the bench, scoring 9 points and 2 assists in 8 minutes, alongside his teammates’ 15 points, achieving a 24-16 score!
During this period, Skiles was constantly trying to adjust, but his counterpart Carlisle was also adapting continuously, and he didn’t gain any advantage from on-the-spot adjustnts. The consequences of his ‘reckless’ adjustnts from the start of the starting lineup began to manifest…
After three quarters, the Bobcats led the Bulls 71-52 by 19 points!
In the final quarter, Skiles didn’t start Yao Ming, who had played 27 minutes in the first three quarters, instead sending in Hinrich, Nocioni, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Joe Smith, and made routine tactical arrangents, then let it go.
Let it be destroyed!
Damn Zhang San, getting 6 points in less than two minutes at the end of the first quarter, and before the official tiout in the third quarter, getting 5 points in over two minutes, leading the Bobcats out of offensive doldrums each ti, widening the gap… what could he do? Their best key player with the strongest stress resistance, Hinrich, was also unable to hold up!
After the final quarter began, Hinrich, Nocioni, and Luol Deng started shooting recklessly as well. They had no other choice… and to their credit, they shot quite accurately. Hinrich made 2 out of 3 three-pointers and a long two, scoring 8 points. Nocioni and Luol Deng both scored 5 points, and the trio led the team to a single quarter score of 27 points.
However, the opposing Bobcats also scored 20 points, with Zhang Yang playing half the quarter and scoring 5 points before leaving. Jarett Jack, Millsap, and Ibaka were the main scoring points for the Bobcats in the final quarter.
First quarter, 11 points; second quarter, 5 points; third quarter, 9 points; fourth quarter, 5 points; Zhang Yang made 10 out of 24 shots, including 3 out of 9 three-pointers, plus 7 out of 8 free throws, scoring 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, leading the Bobcats to a 91-79 victory over the Bulls!
Both ho gas secured!
…
In the first round, due to the significant gap in strength, no one paid attention to the Bobcats’ technical performance.
The second round was too dazzling with the Double Guns vs. the three big stars, and people’s attention was on those few players.
In the first ga of the East Final, Zhang San stole all the spotlight.
By Ga 2, Carlisle’s excellent on-the-spot adjustnt ability finally ca into people’s view!
Facing Skiles’s desperate, reckless adjustnts, Carlisle responded steadily and wasn’t short of surprising counter-adjustnts, edging out Skiles!
Adjustnts for defense against Yao Ming and offensive adjustnts around Zhang Yang’s drawing power were also very well executed, capitalizing on the openers of the second quarter and the second half of the third quarter, significantly widening the gap twice, securing the victory.
After Ga 1, many thought there was a clear gap in strength between the East Final sides, but still, many voices claid it was only because Zhang Yang exploded with 7 three-pointers, scoring 51 points.
But in Ga 2, from the Bulls’ starting lineup adjustnts at the beginning, it was clear even the Bulls themselves placed themselves in the ‘inferior’ position, trying to compensate for the strength gap through strategic adjustnts… but still couldn’t win.
Even Bulls fans admitted to the gap, and those hoping the Bulls could take down the Bobcats to prove that it’s not about their stars being inadequate, but the Bulls being too strong, couldn’t argue anymore.
During the two-day break, basketball fans from the two countries, Rabbit and Eagle, focused their discussions on the East Final, specifically, largely on Zhang Yang.
The strength gap in both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals was quite large, but comparatively, the East Final was indeed more captivating.
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