Chapter 150 149. Fight with Yao Ming again!

In the first 6 preseason games, the Bobcats had 3 wins and 3 losses. They won both games against the Hawks and the Heat, but lost the other 3 games. This was because they didn't care about winning or losing. They just rotated when it was time to do so and switched their playing style when it was time to do so.

When playing against the Heat, Wade and O'Neal both wore suits. After winning the championship, O'Neal completely ignored the fortune teller. He had had enough and refused the fortune teller's call for the devilish training camp. He ate and drank as he pleased, and his weight soared to more than 160 kilograms. After returning to the team, he even showed off his fat body in front of the fortune teller.

But because he was overweight, O'Neal sprained his knee at the beginning of training camp.

Wade has been feeling discomfort in his knee since returning from the World Championships and is currently receiving conservative treatment in an attempt to catch up with the opening game.

The trend of collapse after winning the championship has already appeared before the new season officially started.

Tonight's game against the Pacers, Bickerstaff coached normally and made targeted arrangements based on the opponent's lineup and the playing characteristics he learned from past encounters. He prepared the lineup and tactical choices carefully.

But after the game started, the Bobcats didn't gain any advantage!
Unlike the chaos at the beginning of last season, the Pacers were certain to lose Peja in the offseason. After trading back Al Harrington and signing Marquis Daniels from the Mavericks for $3 million over three years, Rick Carlisle began to adjust the system, and by the last preseason game, the system had been almost adjusted.

Jermaine O'Neal, whose offensive performance declined significantly last season, began to transform into a defensive center. He no longer plays as a scoring power forward and no longer moves over a large range to reduce damage to his knees.

Carlisle puts the focus of offense on the front line, with Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, and sophomore Danny Granger rotating in the front line as the main attacking point.

Jamal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels, who was brought back from the Mavericks for $3 million over three years, form a strong defensive back line.

To be more precise, the Pacers did not adjust their system this season. It was as if they became a new team and directly changed their system.

The Bobcats' thorough preparation actually became a hindrance.

Fortunately, although the Bobcats did not do well in defense, they played well on offense and fought with the Pacers to the end.

With more than 50 seconds left in the game, Al Harrington, who was unable to call on his teammates to target Zhang Yang tonight and chose to let the game speak, stepped back and hit a three-pointer to help the Pacers tie the score to 94.

When it was the Bobcats' turn to attack, Zhang Yang backed up Marquis Daniels in the high post, turned around and made a fake move, then stepped back and made a two-point shot. The Bobcats once again took a 2-point lead.

When it was the Pacers' turn to attack, Harrington played a one-on-one game in the long two-point zone. He used the threat of a step-back three-pointer to get past Millsap and break into the inside, but was blocked by Okafor who moved in time. Harrington made a strong jump shot, and Gerald Wallace who rushed in from the baseline slapped the ball high.

Zhang Yang grabbed the ball, rushed to the opponent's basket and made a layup, ending the game.

98 to 94, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Pacers and refused to be dragged into overtime!
After the game, teammates tried to accept Zhang Yang's character setting after Gerard Wallace's explanation.

Zhang Yang was whispering in the ears of the head coach and the boss.

He said to Bickerstaff and Jordan who were standing together: "Bernie, the coach on the other side is pretty good. The lineup was so broken, but they almost beat us."

Bickerstaff nodded and said, "Yeah, it's a pity that he was fired by the Pistons because he was too young and lacked experience. When he came to the Pacers and just improved his performance, he encountered the most severe fight in history, and it was a fight with his old club..."

The Pacers lost Peja during the offseason, but Carlisle was still able to train the Pacers to a playoff level before the start of the regular season. His coaching ability, ability to train young talents, ability to discover role players... Bickerstaff also thinks that this young coach's abilities are simply amazing.

Zhang Yang: "Bernie, what do you think about letting him be your successor?"

Bickerstaff wanted to remove himself from his position as head coach. Although this matter was not made public and most people on the team did not know about it, Zhang Yang kept his mouth shut when he needed to, and Bickerstaff told him about it. Regarding the selection of a new head coach, he did not need to care what other players thought, but Bickerstaff felt that he needed to talk to Zhang Yang, who was young but precocious.

No matter how precocious he is, he is still just an 18-year-old kid. Players of this age can be scary when they get upset and they can quit at any time.

Bickerstaff rolled his eyes at Zhang Yang and said, "I do think so. I think he is even better than me, but he still has a contract. I remember that he signed a 03-year, $6 million contract with the Pacers in 2400, which expired in 09. The Pacers will not let him go."

Jordan on the side heard this and interrupted, "Not necessarily. I think there is hope. Carlisle publicly complained about Bird's treatment of Artest during the offseason. From what I know about Bird, he is likely to fire Carlisle if his handling of the team's top star is questioned... If you all think Carlisle is good, I will pay attention to him and contact him as soon as he is fired to see if he is suitable for us."

Bickerstaff: "If it's really like what you said, you can try to talk to him. It happens that you know each other. I remember you played against him twice in the playoffs."

Jordan: "..."

Hard! His fist is hard again!

Zhang Yang added: "Michael, do you know this much about Big Bird?"

Jordan glared at Zhang Yang, then turned and left.

This kid was so bored during the offseason that he actually watched Bird's video and learned how to organize the offense with his back to the basket.

Isn't Boss Joe's post-up play gorgeous? Although he was very excited when he saw Zhang Yang's post-up step-back shot that made Marquis Daniels retreat continuously... but he just felt unhappy!

...

The first time he blew into someone's ear, the effect was quite good, but Zhang Yang felt that it was not enough.

Everyone is aware of Carlisle's abilities. It is normal for him to attract the attention of Bickerstaff and Jordan, but it does not necessarily mean they will be able to poach him.

If you don’t get the target you like, maybe the senior students will come in the end.

In terms of ability, Zhang Yang feels that the old seniors are still very strong. Building a defensive system around Gerald Wallace, Okafor, and Perkins, plus Millsap, Rondo, as well as him and Felton, may be very powerful.

But he is an 18-year-old player...he really doesn't want to work with old seniors.

We need to find another coach. Van Gundy is good. He is good at defense...

If it really doesn't work, Van Gundy Jr. is not far from being fired, so you can give it a try.

There are also Grizzlies assistant coach Lionel Hollins and Suns assistant coach Alvin Gentry, who are both good choices at the moment.

However, this matter is not urgent. They are currently on a good upward trend. Jordan and Bickerstaff are unlikely to change coaches midway. The earliest will be next summer, and the summer after is not impossible. They can take their time to whisper in someone's ear.

After the preseason, the Bobcats rested for a day. On the 28th and 29th, Bickerstaff conducted targeted adjustment training based on the tactical performance during the preseason.

On October 10, the Bobcats flew to Houston. Tomorrow, their new season will officially kick off, and their opponent will naturally be the Rockets.

Zhang Yang felt a little emotional when he once again saw the familiar but "old" gimmick of "China Derby".

He heard that Guangdong Hongyuan had agreed to let Yi Jianlian participate in the NBA draft, and after the new season, Yi Jianlian would go to the United States to pursue a bigger stage... He learned from Tellem that Tellem had already gone to Guangdong to compete with other agents.

However, Zhang Yang felt from Tellem's tone that his agent did not hold out much hope of getting Yi Jianlian, but the player was there and it would be unreasonable not to fight for him.

Unlike him, players like Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, when they decided to go to the NBA, were already targeted by a group of vampires in China. That group of people would force a "Team Lian" on Yi Jianlian to be responsible for domestic business affairs, and would interfere to a great extent with the choice of Yi Jianlian's American agent.

To put it simply, you need to find someone who is willing to suck blood with you or who is honest.

Yao Ming is smarter than Yi Jianlian, so the American agent chose an honest guy, Yi Jianlian... Zhang Yang remembers choosing a vampire.

After arriving in Houston, Zhang Yang came to Yao Restaurant and Yao Ming invited him to lunch.

When ordering, Zhang Yang saw that a serving of 5.9 small wontons cost US$6... This price was almost as high as that of his farm. It was so easy to make money from rich people.

Hearing that the portions at Yao Restaurant are small, Zhang Yang ordered a few more dishes... and it turned out to be a good idea to order more, as the portions were really small.

However, the Sichuan and Huaiyang cuisines tasted very authentic! Zhang Yang thought it was American Chinese food, and was mentally prepared to eat "dark cuisine".

Hearing Zhang Yang's surprise at the authentic taste, Yao Ming said, "The chefs are all invited from China. When Americans come to order food, they will use American cooking methods. If you come, I will specially ask the chef to cook according to our taste."

After lunch, Yao Ming took Zhang Yang to the rooftop teahouse to drink tea and chat. From the failure of the World Championships, to the prospect of the Olympics at home, to the recruitment of players by each team during the off-season.

What Yao Ming was most happy to talk about was Chandler being abandoned by the Bulls.

The Pistons and Ben Wallace failed to reach an agreement on salary.

The Bulls offered Ben Wallace a four-year, $4 million maximum salary, but the Bulls did not have enough space and could not offer such a high salary without the Bird Rights, so they gave Chandler to the Hornets for almost nothing and only got J.R. Smith and P.J. Brown in return. The Bulls did not keep J.R. Smith and sent him to the Nuggets to further free up space.

After having enough basic space, the Bulls proposed a sign-and-trade to the Pistons, using their first-round pick and forward Darius Songaila, who averaged 9 points per game, to exchange Ben Wallace's sign for a maximum salary.

Seeing Yao Ming so happy when he mentioned the players he had bullied, Zhang Yang felt that this was the real Yao Ming, much more real than what the media portrayed.

During the conversation, Zhang Yang mentioned the impact of Yao Ming's weight on his health.

Last year, Zhang Yang asked Yao Ming why he gained weight. Yao Ming said frankly that he wanted to defeat O'Neal head-on. Zhang Yang euphemistically said, "O'Neal is getting old soon, and you are still so young. It is not worth it to gain weight and give up your previous playing style just to deal with him." But Yao Ming said that they had to hurry up and defeat O'Neal, otherwise there would be no chance in the future.

When Zhang Yang heard this, he stopped trying to persuade her because she had her own obsession.

But this year O'Neal is seriously overweight, breaking his highest weight during the Lakers period. His health value has also been drained by the fortune teller in the past two years. A decline in strength is inevitable. Zhang Yang feels that he still needs to give him a reminder.

Since Zhang Yang was talking about this in a casual tone, Yao Ming did not feel any resistance and said, "Actually, I have also thought about the impact of weight on my health, but experts say that I will be more dominant after gaining weight. Fans, the media, and Team Yao also say so... I will consider this aspect."

Zhang Yang speculated from Yao Ming's words that perhaps no one had ever talked to Yao Ming about the impact of weight on health. The Rockets needed him to be more dominant and make money, Yao's team also needed him, and Yao Ming was indeed very strong after he gained weight. The media was crazy about him, and the fans were influenced by the media...

However, Zhang Yang did not continue to give suggestions and changed the topic to something else. That was enough for this topic. It was just right to mention it once. If he talked about it any more, it would become annoying.

...

On October 10st, the first game day of the NBA regular season arrived.

The league only scheduled two games today, the Miami Heat played against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home, and the Houston Rockets played against the Charlotte Bobcats at home.

Both games were very eye-catching, the 'Son of America' versus the 'first FMVP of the 03 generation' and the Chinese derby, the media were hotly discussing these two topics.

But contrary to the media's expectations, the hottest topic discussed by fans today was not the two games themselves, but rather - why didn't the league arrange a match between Yao Ming and Shaq, and why didn't it arrange a match between James and the new Bad Boys?

Are they afraid that the defending champion will be beaten? Or are they afraid that the "Son of America" ​​will be beaten?
Obviously, in the United States, these two matchups are more exciting for the fans.

Of course, in the domestic basketball world, the China Derby is the hottest topic today.

At 7:40 p.m., at the Toyota Center, the Bobcats entered first.

Domestic tourists, overseas Chinese and Chinese descendants who came to watch the game cheered Zhang Yang enthusiastically. The boos from just two or three thousand people were louder than the boos from more than fifteen thousand others.

The atmosphere at this away game is absolutely amazing.

Zhang Yang shook his head, shook off the discomfort, and looked towards the opposite player tunnel.

Yao Ming, Diandiandian, and McGrady.

Finally competing with the Yao-McGrady duo!
Seeing Yao Ming on the court, as an opponent, the feeling of oppression is overwhelming!

If Zhang Yang remembers correctly, Yao Ming played less than 50 games this season, but was selected for the second team. You can imagine how strong he is!
However, the stick among the 'Big Three' looks a bit different from what we saw last year when we played against the Kings.

This is more than 3000 million gone, only 500 million left, and he drank himself into a Wen-Baker? His chin was fused to his shoulders!

When preparing for the game in the morning, Zhang Yang and his teammates from the "Big Boss Gang" talked about Bonzi Wells. He felt that Matt Carroll's guess made sense - the Korean was 30 years old and thought that this summer would be his last contract, so he wanted to get more, but he didn't expect that no one would pay attention to him.

Before the game, Zhang Yang and Yao Ming took a friendly photo in front of the camera. After the starting players of both teams came on the court, both of them wanted to beat the other tonight.

Zhang Yang: Suppress the Rockets and snatch their sponsors!
Yao Ming: The shame of being swept last season must be avenged this season!
Personal relationships are good, but that has nothing to do with the playing field.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the game started. Okafor defeated Yao Ming to win the jump ball and the Bobcats attacked first.

Bobcats starting lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, Perkins.

Rockets starting lineup: Alston, McGrady, Shane Battier, Juwan Howard, Yao Ming.

Zhang Yang received the ball passed back by Okafor and advanced to the frontcourt...very disappointed.

He even begged the fat guy to give him the first attack opportunity. He wanted to challenge McGrady one-on-one, but McGrady went to defend Gerald Wallace!
Zhang Yang passed the ball to Felton and cut back to the established tactics. Felton played against Alston, which was an absolute advantage.

Alston had a good defensive attitude and defended very hard...but he was forced to take two steps back by Felton's fake move.

Felton received the ball, stepped back, jumped, and took a three-point shot... The opportunity came, but unfortunately it didn't go in.

Yao Ming judged where the ball would land, took a step across to the right side of the basket, opened his left hand to block Okafor and Gerald Wallace who were rushing to grab the ball, and Juwan Howard took the defensive rebound.

Zhang Yang, Perkins and Felton quickly retreated to their positions. Although the Rockets had a slow pace, they had to defend against Alston's fast break.

When Yao Ming blocked the position just now, Zhang Yang could see that this giant center had become more experienced in using his body.

In the opening game of last season, Yao Ming would jump up to grab the ball after getting into position. Even if he was blocking for his teammates, he would subconsciously do that.

But this time he didn't do that. After blocking his opponent, Yao Ming gave the rebound to his teammate, reducing consumption and lowering the pressure on his knees and feet.

When Alstom received the ball, he saw that the opponent had retreated to the center line, so he slowed down the pace and pushed forward. After reaching the frontcourt, he ignored McGrady who wanted the ball and passed the ball to Yao Ming.

Unlike Bob Sura, Alston knew who was making him so much endorsement money.

Yao Ming received the ball and played one-on-one. Perkins fought back with a bitter face...but he couldn't even create time for Okafor to be double-teamed.

Yao Ming knocked Perkins back twice to the bottom of the basket, then turned around and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
So cruel!
Zhang Yang looked at Yao Ming who was running towards the backcourt with his fists clenched. It was really hard to miss Yao Ming before he gained weight just by looking at him playing now. No wonder even though Yao Ming himself knew the impact of growth on health and had experienced it last season, he was not very interested in losing weight.

It's really strong!

After the offense and defense switched, Felton continued to single out Alston, but his shot missed. However, it did not affect his confidence at all.

My little brother said that if you miss the next shot you have to shoot more decisively to prevent your opponent from leaving you open.

But when he was retreating just now, Alstom received a reminder from Battier to defend against the sudden attack.

Only then did Alstom realize that the little giant was under the basket and there was nothing to be afraid of.

Felton's fake breakthrough was blocked, and it turned into a real breakthrough. He crushed Alston and broke into the inside, and came to the sideline of the reasonable collision zone... He chose to pass the ball.

The little giant looks even scarier than O'Neal!

Okafor received the ball from Juwan Howard, turned around and shot...but it didn't go in!

Yao Ming turned and stood in front of the basket with his arms open, blocking Felton on the left and Gerald Wallace on the right. After the ball bounced out, Yao Ming was about to jump to grab the rebound...there was a collision from behind!
Yao Ming looked up and saw a hand reaching out from above his head and pushing the ball back into the basket!
The skin color of this arm... Damn Zhang San!

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(End of this chapter)