Chapter 126 125. The Eastern Conference's top three have all won!
Zhang Yang and Carter are fighting!

Carter breaks through and plays one-on-one, attacking the basket whenever he can, and making a quick stop jump shot when there is no chance to get to the basket.

Zhang Yang mainly relies on catching the ball, shooting and counterattacking.

There is a qualitative gap between the two players’ individual abilities, but the difference in their playing styles has greatly narrowed the performance gap between them.

Carter had to do everything by himself from breaking through to shooting, and he also had to face double-teaming and backup defense.

Zhang Yang is different. Okafor is threatening, Felton's close-range jump shot after pick-and-roll breakthrough is already very threatening, and Gerald Wallace's threat in attacking the basket is no less than Richard Jefferson. He just shoots. Of course, he needs to overcome the influence of the melee before getting rid of Carter.

The offensive conditions of both sides are extremely unequal, but that's the game.

Kidd was a little anxious when he saw Zhang Yang getting more and more excited with his shooting, but he could only bear it and patiently look for opportunities to see if he could help Carter.

This was the worst-case scenario he had planned after seeing through the opponent's offensive and defensive strategies.

They were unable to impose any more restrictions on Zhang Yang's high-post catch and shoot.

The defense against top arc three-pointers can be expanded, as the defensive distance there is far, but the distance that players who run to receive the ball and shoot need to move is also far, which actually makes it easier to limit the defense.

In the high-post mid-range, the shooter can get to the target immediately with the help of a screen and a back-run. The passing distance is still short, so he must expand out faster.

But the Nets do not have the conditions to expand outward. They do not have a center like Okafor. If they expand outward, the inside will immediately be torn into pieces by Felton, Gerald Wallace and Okafor. That is the real purpose of the Bobcats' tactics.

Zhang Yang's high-post shooting is just a process for the Bobcats' tactics! He is just a piece of the tactical puzzle!
What Kidd wanted was to prevent the Bobcats from achieving their goal and to kill the opponent's tactics in the process stage.

With their current lineup, their team offense is restricted by the Bobcats, and Carter's singles are their only stable way to score.

Carter was out shooting five players at once, and his shooting percentage was better than when he and Clifford Robinson were left open.

The opponent will definitely not let go of Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins is too easy to be covered, and a starting center who averages 4 points and 4 rebounds per game cannot be relied upon at all.

Switch to a lineup with better shooting to break the opponent's team defense? Kidd thinks that's exactly what the Bobcats want. At present, their lineup is still very restrained in the Bobcats' offense, only the high-post mid-range is exposed; they can't defend Okafor's singles, but they actually hope that Okafor will keep playing singles. Okafor's threat is their headache.

If they replace them with players who are better at long-range shooting, their defense will be ruined!
Things are different now. In the summer of 02 and 03, although the Nets failed to attract superstars to join, high-quality role players who wanted to win the championship joined in droves, including Lucios Harris, Anthony Johnson, Todd MacRoch, Rodney Rogers, Aaron Williams... At that time, their role player lineup was comparable to that of the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers.

Now, after failing to make the finals for two consecutive years, the role players they attracted... let's not talk about it. In the summer of 04, they enthusiastically invited Alonso to join, but after playing for two months last season, Alonso asked for a buyout and wanted to return to the Heat.

The 39-year-old Clifford Robinson is the substitute with the strongest overall ability.

Of course, the Bobcats' offensive and defensive strategies were not flawless, but this was the first time they had encountered it. Even if he was a genius, he couldn't think of a better way to deal with it on the spot.

Therefore, in the current situation, we can only hope that Carter can hold on.

But the situation did not develop in the direction Kidd wanted.

In order to avoid the help defense of Gerald Wallace, Carter chose to attack the basket from the left side, which he was not good at. He played well at the beginning, but after playing two more rounds, facing Melvin Eli's mid-range interception, Okafor's close-range defense, and Zhang Yang's pursuit defense and shooting interference, Carter missed more shots than he made!

After the official timeout, the Bobcats replaced Melvin Eli with Perkins and Okafor returned to the power forward position. Carter missed three consecutive singles!
Zhang Yang found his rhythm! He made two consecutive mid-range shots from the high post!

After Carter missed his third shot, the Nets players could no longer sit still. Clifford Robinson, who was defending the pick-and-roll, stayed in the mid-range to help defend Zhang Yang, leaving Felton to poor Jason Collins.

Felton lobbed the ball, Okafor squeezed out Kidd, and dunked over Jason Collins to get two points!
暂停回来山猫队打出一波6比0，将篮网队咬了半节的5分分差一举拉开到11分，24比13领先篮网队！
It was the Nets' turn to attack again. Carter didn't shoot again, but passed the ball to Clifford Robinson in the weak side elbow area.

This position, neither far nor near, happened to be Clifford Robinson's blind spot for shooting. He could only head inside... and shoot... but was slapped out of bounds by the assisting Gerald Wallace!
The Nets have the ball in the frontcourt and Kidd calls a timeout!

Just two minutes have passed since the official timeout!
There was a hint of disappointment and more of regret in Kidd's eyes when he looked at Carter.

Before he was injured and injured for two consecutive seasons, Carter was a superstar comparable to Iko. Although he was not selected to the first team like those two, he was selected to the third team as a sophomore in the 99-00 season at the age of 23, and to the second team in the 00-01 season at the age of 24. His talent was explosive, and his prospects at the time were better than that of McGrady, who was also selected to the second team.

But in the 01-02 season, Carter was tripped twice in two games against the Spurs. The first time was okay and he only missed a few games, but the second time he was directly written off and his upward momentum came to an abrupt halt. In the 02-03 season, he was tripped again. This time, even Carter's jumping speed and explosive power were destroyed... Of course, his jumping speed and explosive power are still better than most players, but compared with the original "demigod", it is far behind.

Carter is now 29 years old and in his prime, but he is no longer able to be selected into the best team. It is hard for Kidd not to feel regretful. He was so looking forward to Carter joining the team, but the actual situation inevitably disappointed him.

In addition to his strength, Carter's courage and confidence are far less than what they used to be.

In the early days of the Raptors, Carter was also a well-known iron king. He had several times in a single game. Now, he dare not even shoot more than a few irons. One of the most important indicators of a superstar - the ability to digest the shooting rights, Carter no longer has it.

...

After the timeout, both sides rotated their lineups.

The Bobcats sent out a combination of Felton, Zhang Yang, Matt Carroll, Gerald Wallace and Brezek.

The Nets sent out a combination of Kidd, Raymond Murray, Richard Jefferson, Scott Padgett and Nenad Kostic.

The game enters a new stage - a fierce offensive battle!
For the Nets, Raymond Murray has strong ability to follow up and respond to long shots, Scott Padgett has excellent athleticism and is suitable for playing fast breaks with Kidd, and Nenad Kostic has strong scoring ability in positional battles.

The Bobcats have one big player and four small players, and their counterattacks are sharp. Felton and Gerald Wallace's pick-and-roll offense is also excellent, which is their strongest positional offense before Okafor's return. Brezek gets excited when he sees the Eastern European center. He was at a disadvantage in the previous matches with Kostic, but he is more motivated tonight.

The two teams competed in offense, and the Nets with Kidd had a slight advantage, repeatedly hitting climaxes and narrowing the score.

When it comes to launching fast breaks, the only player in the league who can compete with Kidd is Nash, while James and Brevin Knight have to stand aside.

Kidd also admires Zhang Yang's passing habits when launching fast breaks. Kidd believes that he has the potential to become a counterattack master, but the gap between him and Kidd is still very obvious.

But at this time, the threat posed by Zhang Yang's high-post shooting and the Bobcats' lead over the past half quarter came into play.

Zhang Yang always forces the Nets to move up their defense in positional battles, creating more opportunities for teammates cutting in from the wing. The 11-point difference provides enough buffer space, and they are always able to widen the gap again during the Nets' sluggish period after a climax!

Kidd led the team to chase points and played very hard.

One step at a time, all steps are lost, this is exactly what he is doing now.

But if he were asked to make a decision again during the stalemate, he would still choose to trust Carter.

If they had won that stalemate period, they would be in an advantageous position now. The Bobcats' lineup and the age of their core players are there, and they will not be able to have more or stronger responses.

And he must trust Carter, because breaking down the opponent and disrupting the opponent's tactical intentions in the stalemate phase is what a scoring superstar must do.

Even though Carter is no longer the same person he used to be, and his offensive ability is not as good as it was in his sophomore and junior years, Kidd still has to keep his attitude, otherwise it is likely to cause conflicts within the team... Kidd believes that the other team has also taken this into consideration, which is why they formulated such a tactical strategy.

Now, Kidd can only grit his teeth and persevere!
In the first quarter, the score was 33 to 25, and the Bobcats led by 8 points. In the second quarter, the score was 26 to 28, and the Bobcats' lead was reduced to 6 points. In the third quarter, the score was 31 to 28, and the Bobcats were almost able to extend their lead to double digits again... In the first half of the fourth quarter, Kidd led the team to a 16 to 12 half-quarter score, 97 to 102, and the Nets narrowed the gap to 5 points before the official timeout!
After the official timeout, both teams sent out their best offensive lineups of the night.

Bobcats: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, Brezek.

Nets: Kidd, Carter, Richard Jefferson, Clifford Robinson, Kostic,
Although they still maintained a 5-point lead, the Bobcats players were under tremendous pressure.

In terms of role players, the Bobcats are actually a little better than the Nets... Mainly because the Nets are in decline and no high-quality role players and veterans are willing to go there, but in terms of stars, Carter, Richard Jefferson... and mainly Kidd, they are too strong!

The Bobcats had such a big advantage at the start and always took the initiative, but Kidd and his team still narrowed the gap to a dangerous level.

基德前42分钟比赛时间出场39分钟，只在第三节开局休息了3分钟，12投5中，其中三分球6中2，加上2中1的罚球，拿到13分12板15助攻2抢断！

It's not just the Bobcats players who feel Kidd is tough.

Although the game was not broadcast live nationwide, it was broadcast live in many cities in New Jersey, some cities in New York, and many cities in the Carolina area. Even the commentators in the Carolina area were wondering why Kidd didn't make the All-Star team? Was it because he offended the coaching class by interfering with the coaching staff and driving away Byron Scott?

However, the pressure did not defeat the Bobcats players. After coming on the court, they continued to fight hard with the Nets!

两队在接下来的4分多钟时间里打出了10比10的比分，时间来到末节10分58秒，比分112比107，山猫队顽强地将领先优势守住！

It was the Nets' turn to attack again. Carter stood up at the critical moment, broke through Zhang Yang with a single play, took a step sideways on the left side of the free throw line to the center of the free throw line, avoided Okafor's defense, and made a mid-range shot!

109 to 112, the Nets narrowed the gap to 3 points!
Carter called on his teammates to retreat, and then he could tie the score by making a three-pointer if he could hold on to the defense.

At this moment, Carter found some of his former charm and looked very trustworthy.

Felton advanced to the frontcourt, and Zhang Yang went to the high post to lean on Carter.

Carter stood behind Zhang Yang, interfering with the ball and preparing to put pressure on defense as soon as possible.

Unlike Payton, he had personally seen Zhang Yang post up in the All-Star Game. Judging from his technique alone, it was difficult to defend against him, and his rhythm changes were weird.

But he is not Kobe, and this is not the All-Star Game. He will not rely solely on defensive skills. He must use his physical advantage when necessary!

When Felton lobbed the ball, Carter exerted force suddenly... and suddenly realized something was wrong, the ball was not flying in front of them! Feeling Zhang Yang's left half of his body exerting force, Carter quickly stepped back and turned around... but was blocked by Okafor!

Zhang Yang went around the pick-and-roll, and the ball fell right behind Okafor. Zhang Yang received the ball and rushed into the inside!

Kostic came up to defend, Kidd went straight to the basket to intercept Okafor's ball, but Zhang Yang did not pass it. He took two steps and shot against Kostic's defense... and it hit!
Kidd slapped his forehead hard. This rookie, who looked gentle and polite, was really fearless when shooting! He dared to throw any ball!
He seriously doubted that as long as he had enough energy and was given the opportunity, this rookie would dare to throw the ball more than 8 times in a game like No. 40!

In the transition between offense and defense, Carter was under tremendous pressure when he received the ball at the top of the arc.

He is not afraid of taking the key ball. After missing several shots in a row during regular time, he was indeed a little lacking in confidence, but he dared to take the key ball and he had the ability to take it.

But the difference of 30 points in 5 seconds and the 3 points difference I had just thought of is a huge difference!
After adjusting the rhythm, Carter retrieved the ball with a shake of his hand, suddenly jumped up, raised his hand to shoot... "Snap"... Zhang Yang cut the ball that Carter raised with his palm!
Carter's intention to shoot was too obvious. Zhang Yang's defensive purpose was clear, which was to defend the opponent's three-pointer. He stared at the movement of Carter's lower limbs, shot decisively, and seized the opportunity!

Carter lost the ball, and by the time he controlled his center of gravity and stood firm, the ball had already been controlled by Zhang Yang.

Carter wanted to counterattack, but Zhang Yang pulled the ball with one hand and turned around to avoid it, bypassing Carter and launching a counterattack!

Carter followed closely, and it was no problem for him to catch up, but he felt desperate.

He chased after him, but couldn't stop him! In the previous two times of this game, he defended Zhang Yang one-on-one when defending against counterattacks, but he failed to stop him!

Carter's spirit just now was cut off by Zhang Yang's palm!

Without confidence, defense will naturally be poor.

Zhang Yang rushed to close range and took a step forward to the left. Carter immediately pounced on him. Before Zhang Yang could take the second step, Carter pounced to the other side by himself. Zhang Yang then took the second step, approached the basket, jumped, and made a layup!

The Bobcats extended their lead to 7 points!
With 18 seconds left, Zhang Yang made a steal and counterattacked to end the game!
Kidd ran back to receive the serve, did not call a timeout, and did not play after crossing half court.

The final whistle sounded soon, 116 to 109, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Nets by 7 points, improving their record to 37 wins and 35 losses!
The Bobcats players gathered together and celebrated wildly!
Before the game, they had already prepared themselves mentally for their winning rate to drop back to 5%, but in the end they won, so how could they not be excited?
Zhang Yang and Okafor were surrounded by their teammates!

张杨首节12分、第二节4分、第三节6分、第四节关键时刻连得4分将单节得分提升到11分，23投13中，其中三分球3中1，加上6中6的罚球，拿到生涯第二次30+！

奥卡福15投10中，加上10中7的罚球，拿到27分15板2助攻2盖帽。

Okafor showed threat and initiative, and Zhang Yang converted it into a substantial score advantage. The two were the key to the Bobcats' victory!
当然费尔顿的9分11助攻、杰拉德-华莱士的12分7板5助攻2抢断4盖帽、马特-卡罗尔的9分、布雷泽克的11分……也都很重要。

The teammates who contributed tonight are indispensable! This is a team victory!

Kidd looked at the energetic Bobcats players on the opposite side, threw the ball to the referee, and prepared to leave.

He felt the cruelty of time and felt that he had lost his youthfulness.

Looking back to 03, he led a bottom-ranked team to the finals for two consecutive years. He was in high spirits, rejected the Spurs' maximum salary invitation and refused to defect to the enemy. He believed that he had the ability to win the championship alone.

In just three years, his edges and corners have been gradually smoothed out...

He is now thinking: Even a rising team like the Bobcats can find a way to restrain and defeat them, do they still have hope?
This thought did not only appear on this night. Every time he lost, Kidd would think a lot. After all, he was a veteran in his 12th year of his career and had never won a championship...

...

The Bobcats defeated the Nets, once again attracting the attention of the media and fans.

The Cavaliers, Heat, and Nets, the three strongest teams in the Eastern Conference, have all been defeated by the Bobcats after the All-Star Weekend!
The Pacers, Wizards, Bulls, and Bucks, four teams that have occupied the playoff positions for a long time, have not been able to do this!
Even the Pacers, who are considered the only team in the lower half of the Eastern Conference that can beat the stronger teams, can’t do anything. The three teams all regard the Pacers as the opponent they least want to face in the playoffs. When they meet the Pacers, they will fight them to death as if they are playing in the knockout rounds...

Among the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, the Bobcats have only failed to beat the super team Pistons.

However, the Pistons were indeed too strong in the regular season, comparable to the Lakers in the 99-00 season. Only the Bulls in the 96 and 97 regular seasons could suppress this season's Pistons. It was normal that they couldn't beat them. Even two of the top three teams were swept by the Pistons. Kidd had a huge advantage against Billups, but he couldn't overcome the huge gap in overall strength. Only the Heat when O'Neal was not injured could tie with the Pistons, with the two games tied 1-1.

The media are all hyping that there is one more team that the Eastern Conference's top three teams don't want to face in the first round.

However, this hype really touched the hearts of the three team coaches...

There was another wave of attention, but Zhang Yang and others could not stop to enjoy the happiness of "over 5% winning rate". After playing against the Nets, they left Jersey City early the next morning and flew to Atlanta. There was only one game left in the four-game road trip. Fortunately, this time it was not a back-to-back game.

On the plane, Zhang Yang looked at the white clouds outside the window and reviewed last night's game.

The strong teams are starting to take them seriously!

He felt stressed, but in a good mood!

In the past, even if opponents at this level did not take them seriously, they could be easily defeated by using the most conventional playing style during the game without having to adapt on the spot.

During that period, Zhang Yang actually played more easily. He didn't need to bear any pressure and just had to look for opportunities to score.

But I didn’t feel good about the fight at that time.

Now, his team finally has the strength to fight!

Although his scoring still depends on tactics and teammates' restraint, being able to make use of it is his ability, and he is still very good at promoting counterattacks. Kidd came to the locker room last night to exchange contact information with him and praised his talent for promoting counterattacks.

After arriving at the hotel in Atlanta, Zhang Yang spent the whole afternoon leisurely reading books and playing games. The security situation in Atlanta has been bad in the past two years, so Felton did not go out to play, but came to Zhang Yang's place to play with the PS2.

When Felton first saw his younger brother bringing a video game console to an away game, he said in a condescending manner, "What a little kid!" However, it turned out that he was the one who used the video game console for a longer period of time during the away game.

Nothing happened overnight, and April 4st, a new month arrived.

In the morning, Zhang Yang followed Felton, Gerald Wallace, and the two bosses' minions to play a prank on Okafor... The prank was successful, but Okafor's expression of "you are so boring" made them retreat in disappointment, and all the atmosphere was gone.

At 10 o'clock, the Bobcats arrived at the Phillips Arena to prepare for the evening game against the Hawks.

At noon, the league announced the latest monthly best awards.

Player of the Month... this time the Bobcats didn't win.

10胜6负的战绩，很出色了，但没有2月份7胜3负那么好。

James went on a crazy rampage in March, trying to wash away the shame, and he did play well, averaging 3 points, 32 rebounds, 6 assists and 8 steals per game, leading the team to a record of 2 wins and 12 losses.

The only thing is that the hit rate is much lower than before, only 44%. Although not every team can copy the "reference answer" of the Bobcats, there will always be a team that can use it, and at least it can affect James' mentality.

However, the Cavaliers' schedule at the end of the season is really good. Not only the end of the season, but the schedule in November is also very easy, and most of the difficult games are concentrated from December to February.

A No. 8 player of the Bobcats, who just finished a brutal 3-game schedule, did not want to make any comment on this.

In the West, Anthony has been on a roll this month, averaging 29.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, leading the team to an 11-5 record and raising its winning percentage to... over 5%.

Although the Nuggets are ranked third in the Western Conference, the fourth to eighth teams have better records than them. After returning from the All-Star Weekend, they suffered a five-game losing streak and their winning rate dropped below 5%. It was only because the Jazz, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and SuperSonics in the same division had worse records that they were able to rank third in the Western Conference as the top team in their division.

But because of this, the Nuggets were badly criticized by the media and fans in early March. Even James couldn't save Anthony when he was defeated by the Bobcats twice in a row.

Under the circumstances at the time, the Nuggets really looked like they would become the third team in the Western Conference with a winning percentage of less than 5%.

The criticism from the media and fans finally woke Anthony up, and he started to soar in March. His average of 3 points per game may not be as high as his old rival, but his shooting percentage is nearly 29.9 percentage points higher, 10%!

Anthony earned back his face with his performance...but the Nuggets' winning rate is still very bad, still not as high as the Kings, who are ranked eighth in the Western Conference.

Moreover, after Boozer returned from injury, the Jazz's record has been on the rise. They have surpassed the Hornets and Rockets to reach ninth in the Western Conference. They currently have 34 wins and 38 losses, posing a certain threat to the Nuggets, who have 38 wins and 34 losses.

In the Western Conference, Paul won the Rookie of the Month award for the fifth time in a row, averaging 5 points, 15 rebounds, 15.2 assists and 4.8 steals in 8.2 games, with a shooting percentage of 2% and a three-point shooting percentage of 44%...excellent to the extreme! In terms of actual performance on the court, he is almost as good as Anthony in 25.

However, this month, many people do not think that Paul is the best rookie in a single month.

Zhang Yang played 16 games and scored 6+ in 20 games, including 30+ in two games. He scored 33 points in the game against the Nets, and his average points per game increased to 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals, winning the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month!

张杨成为了05届第一个单月场均20+的球员，年龄17岁零9个月24天，23号球员的最年轻纪录又-1……

……

……

I will finish at least 12 words today. I will update one chapter before : in the evening to make up for yesterday's chapter. I will write as much as I can. Don't mind, my friends~
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(End of this chapter)