Chapter 121 120. Compete with Wade!

Haslem's attempt to steal the ball was unsuccessful, and Brezek secured the defensive rebound.

Payton led his teammates to retreat and prevent the opponent from starting a fast break.

In the transition between offense and defense, Felton and Okafor launched an attack with pick-and-roll.

Wade is exactly the kind of defender that Felton is afraid of, who is taller, faster and stronger than him.

Wade is also very good at defense. In the mid-season summary, his defense was ranked sixth or seventh among guards by the media. Only Kidd, Kobe, Billups, Raja Bell, Hinrich and other five people were ahead of him.

However, this time it was not Haslem who stepped out to defend the pick-and-roll, but Anthony Walker!

Haslem and Antoine Walker switch defense!

Felton broke through but failed to shake off the defender, and his shooting space was blocked.

Zhang Yang was followed closely by Payton. Payton's speed was not fast now, but he intercepted Zhang Yang's passing route through predictive movements, circled the post in advance, and was always between Zhang Yang and Felton.

Felton stole the ball and passed it to Gerald Wallace who was followed closely by Haslem. Gerald Wallace broke into the paint and shot against the defense, but was blocked by Mourning.

After the Heat changed the frontcourt combination from James Posey, Haslem and O'Neal to Antoine Walker, Haslem and Mourning, the defense became stronger...mainly more suitable for defending the Bobcats!
The PUA ability of the fortune teller is really strong. I don’t know how he fooled Anthony Walker, who is 29 years old and in his prime, into being willing to take a pay cut to join the team and be willing to defend well.

Last season, the Hawks sent Anthony Walker, who averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists per game, back to the Celtics because he was unwilling to accept a four-year, $4 million contract extension in his contract year and wanted more. As a result, after the fortune teller met with Anthony Walker last summer, Anthony Walker agreed to a sign-and-trade deal for four years and $4000 million to join the Heat as the sixth man.

Anthony Walker has the physique of a power forward and the mobility of a small forward, and he is really good at defending pick-and-rolls. With him, the Heat's two centers' inability to defend against pick-and-rolls is solved.

Of course, another point is that except for the first two rounds in back-to-back games, O'Neal's defense started to slack off, which is why Mourning's rim protection performance seemed better than O'Neal's.

When the Heat attacked, Payton continued to ask for the ball to play against Zhang Yang. Wade felt that Payton might not be able to do it, but when the veteran asked for the ball, he still gave it to him.

As Wade expected, Payton's back-to-the-basket jump shot was once again blocked by Zhang Yang!

Payton was shocked by the rookie's defensive improvement! Two months ago, in the early January matchup, he was still able to fool his opponent in the low post, but this time he was completely seen through!

In fact, the situation is not quite what he thought. His post-up play, if only technical skills are considered, is unmatched in the league today.

Zhang Yang's defensive ability, experience, and physical fitness have all improved compared to two months ago, but they have not improved to the level where he can defend Payton's back-to-the-basket one-on-one. Anyway, he failed to judge Payton's fake moves on both occasions. He just decided to block the shot and ignore everything else.

Before, Zhang Yang didn't dare to defend like this because he was worried about the back. At that time, there was only the slow-footed Perkins or the soft-defensive Brezek under the basket. Now that Okafor is back, he can rest assured and leave the back to his teammates.

When the Bobcats attacked, Zhang Yang took the initiative to go to the high position and lean on Payton to ask for the ball.

Felton signaled his teammates to adjust their positions and passed the ball to Zhang Yang.

He thought this was a good idea. If he couldn't play facing the basket from the outside, Zhang Yang naturally couldn't do it either; if Gerald Wallace couldn't even play when attacking, Zhang Yang certainly couldn't do it either; and Zhang Yang couldn't get rid of Payton's experienced off-ball defense, and couldn't make a fast break... then the only thing left was the high-post back-to-the-basket play, otherwise there would be no point for Zhang Yang to play.

But Payton felt humiliated. He had just failed to post up the rookie twice in a row, and the rookie came over and tried to post him up. What did this mean?
Restraining his anger, Payton tried hard to recall his memory of defending against Jordan's back-to-the-basket shots and focused on defense. He stopped talking trash because he wanted to defend this rookie to death!

Payton defended very hard, but Zhang Yang's back-to-the-basket attack was different from what he expected!
Zhang Yang's rhythm went from slow to fast. His one-handed swing of the ball tricked Payton into taking a step back. He turned around and took a step back to shoot a jump shot... and it went in!
13 to 13, the Bobcats tied the score!

Payton looked at Zhang Yang who was retreating, with a puzzled look in his mind. How could the talented shooting guard under Jordan actually use his back to the floor when playing?

It's okay to play floor-style, Jordan also played floor-style when he was on the Wizards, but Zhang Yang's post-up play wasn't even the Wizards version of Joe. Payton remembered that it was like...Bird's style? Oh my! Didn't Jordan always complain about not being able to play against Bird in the playoffs?
Obviously, he did not watch this year's All-Star Game and did not see the video of Zhang Yang showing off his technical talent against Kobe.

During the transition between offense and defense, Payton, feeling humiliated, wanted to return the favor, but Wade gestured to him to do it himself.

Payton then remembered that it was no longer three years ago. Although he was still selected as an All-Star reserve in the 3-02 season, he had become a role player after he chose to sign the mid-level exception and join the Lakers in the summer of 03. When Wade gave him another chance after he failed in his first singles, he could only focus on defense.

Wade took over the Heat's offensive banner, and the fans at the scene became agitated, shouting "defense".

The fans' reaction was influenced by the media hype about the 'three generations of No. 3 players'.

They are well aware of the gap between Zhang Yang and Wade and Iverson, but that doesn't stop them from being excited.

As soon as Zhang Yang scored a goal, Wade wanted to play one-on-one. They interpreted this as Wade wanting to return the favor.

Felton didn't expect that. Hearing the fans' cheers, he felt encouraged and defended hard... He took a big step back, but was still passed by Wade.

Too fast! Wade's first step is the best in the league!
Felton reacted quickly enough and retreated directly instead of chasing and defending. He tried his best to stay between Wade and the basket to increase the obstacles for Wade to attack the basket.

Those two games defending James were not in vain!

The 218-centimeter-tall Brezec, Okafor who has shrunk to the left side of the three-second zone, Felton who is as thick as a pillar, and Gerald Wallace who is moving closer to the baseline... Even Wade felt his scalp tingling when he saw these four people surrounding the basket.

But he is not the top scholar in his class...

Wade stopped suddenly at the right elbow and took a mid-range shot...and it went in!
In the Eastern Conference Finals last season, Wade faced the double Wallace combination. He couldn't enter the three-second zone and couldn't make a shot after leaving the three-second zone, which held O'Neal back. During the offseason, Wade practiced pull-up jump shots frantically and actually developed the top-notch close-range pull-up jump shot. So far this season, his shooting percentage from this distance is 48.1%, second only to Kobe's 49.4% at the shooting guard position!

After scoring the goal, Wade raised his chin towards Zhang Yang!
This time, the Bobcats fans guessed it right. Wade just wanted to respond to Zhang Yang's goal. Of course, his purpose was not for the so-called "top player battle" or "No. 3 player battle", but just to make Zhang Yang compete with him.

As long as Zhang Yang challenges him one-on-one, he thinks that the Heat team's advantage time is up.

The fans at the scene, who had just been silenced by Wade's quick stop and jump shot, became agitated again, shouting "Jack" loudly.

They don't know what Wade is thinking, and even if they did it wouldn't matter, because their North Carolina genius has finally been targeted by a superstar guard!
Zhang Yang was also very excited. No matter what, he would just play first. After reaching the frontcourt, he continued to go to the high position on the right side and leaned on Payton to ask for the ball.

The fans cheered again!
As soon as Zhang Yang received the ground pass from Felton, Payton stuck to him.

Zhang Yang couldn't move freely, so he took a step toward the far end and turned around, and Payton pressed forward immediately.

Zhang Yang felt that he couldn't lift the ball to shoot, because if he did, it would be cut off! Is this the 'glove'?

He did not continue to retreat, but dribbled the ball with his left hand towards Payton who was pressing forward... When they were about to collide, he pulled the ball with his left hand and turned left!

Payton quickly turned around and chased after him, but he was already out of reach.

Mourning has retreated to the reasonable collision zone, with his arms open. His solid body is like a mountain, full of deterrence.

Zhang Yang, who was already having a great time, didn't care about anything else. He rushed one step outside the legal collision zone, grabbed the ball and shot... The ball jumped over Mourning's blocking hand, drew a beautiful parabola, and fell into the frame!
The whole stadium exploded! The fans cheered wildly! Their North Carolina genius responded to Wade's response!

Seeing the ball go in, Zhang Yang turned around and raised his chin towards Wade in response.

Wade clapped his hands. He really didn't expect this ball.

Payton's defense was very good just now. If Zhang Yang hadn't seized the defensive flaw when Payton pressed forward, he would definitely not have been able to break through.

Mourning's interference was fast and accurate. If Zhang Yang was a moment slower in his shot, he would be blocked by Mourning.

All I can say is that a genius is a genius and he did not miss that fleeting opportunity.

Wade also lamented the ruthlessness of time. Payton revealed a defensive flaw when he pressed forward to cover Zhang Yang and raised his hand to shoot. He is getting old and his physical fitness has declined. He can't burst out and move sideways like when he was young.

It was the Heat's turn to attack, and Wade continued to break through!

Gerald Wallace retreated early, Brezek squatted under the basket, Okafor received the ball in the middle of the left sideline of the three-second zone, and Felton retreated to the basket... The Bobcats' four-man siege was formed early!

At this time, Wade's best choice is to pass the ball to the right sideline. The second best choice is to jump and pass the ball to Haslem on the left side of the three-second zone.

But he didn't pass it! He shot a quick stop jump shot at Gerald Wallace... and then he added a fadeaway... and missed!
The force was not strong enough and hit the outside of the basket!
Seeing the ball bounce to Gerald Wallace, Wade immediately turned around to defend after landing. As he expected, Zhang Yang was about to go down!
The Bobcats' fast break team cooperated well. As soon as Gerald Wallace grabbed the ball, Felton came around to receive it. After Gerald Wallace passed the ball, he immediately ran down the court and followed up to attract the defense. Felton dribbled the ball out of the three-point line and passed it...

When Zhang Yang received the ball, Wade had already caught up with him at an astonishing speed!

Zhang Yangyun takes one step into the free throw line and starts the European step!

Wade quickly blocked the predicted position.

Performing the European step in front of him is like showing off one's skills in front of an expert!
His prediction was correct. As soon as Zhang Yang landed in his first step, he was just blocking between Zhang Yang and the basket.

After blocking, Wade immediately moved to the next position, not daring to pause for a moment. He had seen how fast Zhang Yang's continuous strides were... Eh? Where's the person?
Wade looked sideways and saw Zhang Yang had already jumped up and made a layup...and it went in!
After Zhang Yang landed on his first step, he did not continue to change direction quickly, as if he had pressed the pause button. After Wade quickly moved sideways, he took a step towards the basket and made a layup directly!

Zhang Yang was very excited. He turned and ran to the backcourt, then jumped up and bumped chests with Gerald Wallace who followed him to celebrate.

Add the rhythm change from Bird’s post-up technique to the Eurostep! It works!
In fact, he did not take the full-speed step when he started the Eurostep just now. He had the "Devil's Step of the Demon Sword". He could take the full-speed step when he took the first step in the sprint. Even Wade, after chasing him from a distance, might not be able to catch up. But after all, Wade had the strongest first-step explosiveness in the league, and Wade was very good at the Eurostep. So he tried to change the rhythm, and it really worked! He fooled Wade!
However, he only tried this move occasionally during training, and was not very proficient in it. He almost failed to brake when he landed on his first step and changed direction directly. He decided to practice more in the future and add more variations of the European step.

17 to 15, the Bobcats took the lead!

When the Heat attacked, Wade's eyes changed. A rookie used the Euro step in front of him and fooled him. He himself could think of how stupid he looked when he jumped to the side just now. This was broadcast live across the United States!

He saw that the opposing defensive player was standing further inside and had a clear tendency to shrink, but he still rushed into the inside.

Faced with Gerald Wallace's blocking, Wade did not make a quick stop and jump shot despite the 10 cm height difference and 3 cm wingspan difference. Instead, he grabbed the ball, raised his hand to shake off Gerald Wallace, and took a step to avoid the opponent and entered the three-second zone.

Felton retreated to his position and pressed forward as soon as Wade entered the three-second zone. Wade changed direction again, came to the right side of the basket, and jumped for a layup!

At this position, Wade successfully avoided Felton's interference and Okafor's double-teaming, but his whole body was covered by Brezek's huge body of 218 cm height and 221 cm wingspan. He leaned back, pulled the lever and threw the ball towards the basket... and fell to the ground.

But the ball went in!

One-on-four European step goal! Strong response!

Wade saw the ball fall into the basket, and he jumped up with his hands on the ground, yelling at Zhang Yang: "Rookie! This is the Eurostep!"

As he said this, he put his hand on his neck...

The fans at the scene were stunned for a moment, and then booed Wade!

Zhang Yang was also stunned, and walked towards Wade...but was stopped by Felton.

He was afraid that his younger brother would hurt Wade and be suspended. As for not being able to beat him... that didn't exist. Half a year ago, when he and Zhang Yang went to report to the school, he saw Zhang Yang single-handedly defeat the entire Jeet Kune Do Club. He pinned the opponent's leader to the ground, punched him, and asked him "Do you accept it?" He also shouted "I want to beat ten of them."

As soon as he steps onto the 'race field', the little brother becomes a different person.

At that time, Felton had prepared himself mentally, trying his best to prevent his younger brother from clashing with opponents on the court... He didn't expect that one day he would become the "calm person" in conflicts. Perhaps this is the responsibility of being the boss.

Two assistant referees stopped Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace who was also walking towards Wade and asked them to calm down.

Wade's teammates quickly surrounded Wade and offered support.

Fortunately, both sides were relatively restrained and the referees successfully stopped the conflict. The referee blew the whistle and gave Wade a technical foul.

Felton took the technical free throw on behalf of the Bobcats and made it steadily, bringing the score to 19-18.

Losing 1 point, and being fined is certain, but Wade has no regrets, he is going to kill the rookie on the opposite side tonight! (Felton:???)

Pat Riley was standing on the sidelines. He wanted to call a timeout, but the ball was not dead and the opponent had possession of the ball, so he couldn't call.

What surprised him was that the opposing player, Bickerstaff, didn't call a timeout... Wasn't he afraid that the rookie would be scared by Wade?

The game continued and the Bobcats attacked.

Zhang Yang did not continue to post up and shoot, not because he was afraid to do so, but because the person defending him had changed.

As soon as Felton received the serve, Wade stuck to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang first came to the middle distance on the right side, stopped suddenly and ran back towards the top arc.

Felton saw that Payton was defending him and wanted to make a breakthrough. He didn't hesitate and gave the ball to the younger brother so that he could vent his anger.

Zhang Yang received the ball on the three-point line, turned around, and was stuck by Wade.

He retreated from the three-point line and protected the ball under Wade's aggressive pressure defense.

Zhang Yang and Wade were directly facing each other, and the fans at the scene cheered for Zhang Yang loudly.

There was a significant change in the shouts of the fans. Wade's provocative action caused the atmosphere of the game to change abruptly. Originally, the fans just wanted to see the "three generations of No. 3 players" compete against each other, but now it has changed from an ordinary "duel" to a battle of dignity!

However, fans are still very worried. Wade was selected as the second defensive player last season. He is known for his rough defense and is very good at bullying thin guards.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang, who studied under Nash, is very good at protecting the ball when he is at a disadvantage in the confrontation. Wade wants to be ruthless, but he can't do anything to Zhang Yang.

After Zhang Yang stabilized, he pulled sideways to break through!

Wade determined Zhang Yang's starting direction and moved sideways... but was blocked!
There was no need for Zhang Yang to make any special gestures. After seeing that Zhang Yang was being blocked, Okafor could only retreat further away instead of turning around and breaking through directly. He immediately ran out from the inside.

When Zhang Yang secured the ball, Okafor was already blocking behind Wade on the left. Although they had not played together for a long time, the two had a very good understanding of each other.

However, Anthony Walker also followed out and stood in front of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang accelerated directly towards Anthony Walker. Anthony Walker thought of Zhang Yang's breakthrough when he was playing one-on-one against Payton before, and quickly retreated to avoid being turned around by Zhang Yang. Payton couldn't keep up, and he couldn't keep up even more.

But Zhang Yang just leaned forward, took two steps into the three-point line, stopped suddenly, jumped, and shot a long two-point shot before Wade, who was running around the pick-and-roll, could get close again...

After the ball was thrown, Zhang Yang shouted in his heart "Go, go, go". For this ball, his muscles were tense when he was fighting Wade just now, and he was a little hasty when he used a fake move to trick Anthony Walker away and took off because he saw Wade's action around the pick-and-roll. The direction of the shot was very straight, but the power was not reliable...

After the ball drew a parabola, it hit the inside of the basket, bounced, hit the basket on the other side, and slid into the basket!
The cheers of the fans at the scene rose an octave again, cheering wildly!

Zhang Yang was surprised by the "lucky ball". He tilted his head, clenched his arms, and spread his hands towards Wade...

Zhang Yang scored 4 goals in a row, 20 to 17, the Bobcats led by 3 points!
When the Heat started to attack, the Bobcats' defensive formation was obviously more inside. Payton wanted to remind Wade to calm down, but looking at the other party's expression, he decided to give up.

Wade continued to break through, but encountered Gerald Wallace's defense and avoided him with the European step.

But this time Gerald Wallace just pretended to jump, stood on tiptoe, and immediately turned around to chase Wade. When Wade changed direction to avoid Felton and Okafor, he blocked him in the first place!
Wade took a strong shot...As soon as the ball reached the height of the backboard, it was pressed on the backboard by a hand.

Okafor and Gerald Wallace simply gave up defending Haslem and Anthony Walker, and focused on encircling them with Felton and Brezek. Even Wade could only get blocked in the face of such defense!
Gerald Wallace grabbed the ball and was about to pass it to Zhang Yang... but was hugged by Mourning. Wade was still lying on the floor. In the opponent's fast break, only Payton retreated first. The opponent might be in a two-on-one situation. The experienced Mourning chose to commit a tactical foul.

Riley took the opportunity to make a substitution. He originally wanted to call a timeout, but when he saw Wade get up and immediately run to the backcourt, he stopped calling a timeout and replaced Mourning with O'Neal.

He wanted to use O'Neal to remind Wade to calm down, but he didn't hold out much hope.

As Riley expected, in the next Bobcats attack, Zhang Yang did not continue to play one-on-one, but instead moved with Wade.

But when the Heat attacked, Wade was still attacking!
Riley saw it from the beginning. Wade seemed to want to use the "reply ball" to lead Zhang Yang into a one-on-one duel with him, but he ended up getting trapped in it himself!
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(End of this chapter)