Chapter 154 153. Manu, have you offended Popovich?

After arriving at the Dallas hotel, Zhang Yang rested for a while. With nothing to do, he decided to go to the American Airlines Arena to practice. He was just short of 2000 shooting points, so he could practice more and get the talent sooner.

Dallas is an even more outrageous place than Boston or Salt Lake City. It's the redneck stronghold. He's worried about his safety if he goes out for a walk, so he might as well train.

When I asked the lady at the front desk to call a taxi, I met Engelland and Rondo, who were also going to the American Airlines Arena, so the three of us got in the same car.

After getting in the car, Zhang Yang asked the two what they were doing at the American Airlines Arena.

Rondo turned his head away, and Englander said, "Last night, Rajon missed three shots and made 2 of 0 free throws. The boss just called and scolded both me and him. We discussed it and decided that he won't play too much anyway, and today's training shouldn't affect tomorrow's game. But Rajon, don't take the boss's words to heart. You should know him. He thinks you are talented, so he is strict with you. He noticed you, which is a good thing for you."

张杨想到昨晚隆多的表现，前三节隆多其实只打了14分钟，拿到4分3板4助攻，6分5板10助攻1抢断里，有2分2板6助攻1抢断是垃圾时间拿到的。

During the garbage time positional battle, the Rockets players swarmed under the basket. In one round, Rondo couldn't get in, so he made a quick stop jump shot at the free throw line, and the ball fell from the right side of the basket...

In fact, in September, after England returned from a two-week vacation, he had already started helping Rondo adjust his shooting hand shape, correct his jumping shooting movements, and correct the details of his force.

But Rondo's shooting talent is really not that good.

Not only is his talent average, his basic skills are poor, and his shooting habits are deeply ingrained. He started playing basketball in elementary school and has been shooting blindly for more than ten years...

Zhang Yang said to England, "Chip, thank you for your hard work."

England looked at the roof of the car and he also felt that he had faced the biggest challenge of his career.

Rondo: What do you mean? What do you mean? You all look down on me, right? I have to practice my shooting skills to show you!
...

On November 11, the second game day of the Bobcats' new season arrived.

This game was broadcast live on Chaoting TV. Since January last season, the Bobcats have broadcast most of their away games against Western Conference powerhouses live as long as there is no conflict with the Rockets' live broadcast schedule. On the contrary, home games are rarely broadcast live.

The Mavericks had 60 wins last season. Although their players are not very popular, even Nowitzki has never been selected as an All-Star starter, but this team is still very popular in China.

Mainly because of the 05 playoffs, the Mavericks came back from a 0-2 deficit to defeat the "championship contender" Rockets, letting domestic fans know how strong this team is.

Another thing is that the Mavericks' games are very entertaining to watch, especially their one-on-one style. Who doesn't like that?

Many domestic reporters came to interview Zhang Yang today, but they never mentioned the game between the Bobcats and Rockets the day before, and only asked about topics related to today's game, which he regretted.

At 7:40 p.m., the Bobcats entered the American Airlines Arena in Dallas first.

Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Perkins and Okafor entered the court one after another.

Zhang Yang listened to the boos from the crowd, opened his arms and raised his head to listen, saying, "Finally there are boos, and I finally feel like I'm playing a game!"

The new teammate looked at him sideways.

The old teammates were used to it, and once on the court, their talented scorer would have all kinds of problems.

When the Mavericks entered the stadium, Zhang Yang looked across...the aura of the wealthy was overwhelming.

The starting lineup is Nowitzki, Terry, Josh Howard, Dampier, and Devin Harris; the rotation lineup is Stackhouse, Devin George, Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Greg Bagner, and Diop; and there is Barea, the mountain in Puerto Rico that Cuban took a fancy to after the World Championships.

Just two words – rich!
Zhang Yang heard that the Mavericks still had Finley's maximum salary. Cuban cut Finley in the summer of 05. Finley had renewed his 01-year maximum salary contract in 7, and there were still 3 years left. That means this season and next season, the Mavericks still have to pay Finley's salary, plus luxury tax, an additional expense of more than 3000 million US dollars per year.

But Cuban is also unlucky. Only one year after they cut Finley, the Knicks came up with the Houston clause this summer. By delaying the deal for a year and using the amnesty clause, the Mavericks can pay tens of millions less in luxury taxes.

The Mavericks not only have an expensive lineup but also strong strength. In last night's regular season opener at home between the Mavericks and the Bulls, the Mavericks led the Bulls by 89 points, 69 to 20, after three quarters, turning the final quarter into garbage time. In the final quarter, main players such as Nowitzki, Terry, and Dampier did not play, and finally won the victory easily with 111 to 99.

Zhang Yang's expectation of waiting for the opportunity to win was dashed. It was all because of the Bulls' lack of strength!
The guy who changed his jersey number to 24, go ahead and destroy the Bulls!

Zhang Yang remembered that the Mavericks were very strong in the regular season this season. It was the peak year in the history of the Mavericks. It was ranked in the top ten in the entire NBA history. They had 67 wins or something, and Nowitzki even received the MVP trophy in his office.

It was precisely because the Mavericks were so strong in the regular season that their elimination in the end was such a sensation.

They were all eliminated in the upset. Few people mention Payton and Mourning. When people mention the upset, the first thing that comes to mind is the German wimps.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the Bobcats' second game of three consecutive away games in Texas will begin.

Both teams started the game by attacking... both were unlimited singles!
For the Mavericks, Devin Harris, Terry, Josh Howard and Nowitzki took turns playing one-on-one, and whoever was better at one-on-one played more.

For the Bobcats, Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace and Okafor also took turns playing singles.

Both teams have inside players weighing more than 120 kilograms standing under the basket to protect the rim.

The difference is that the Mavericks focus on singles scoring and long shots from the wing.

When the two guards of the Bobcats played one-on-one on the outside, the forwards rushed to grab the ball and drove to the basket, with Felton receiving the ball on the wing and Zhang Yang receiving the ball in the high position.

Bickerstaff chose this style of play to target the Mavericks' high-speed rotation defense.

The 'high-speed rotation and defense' defensive system left by old Nelson is indeed powerful. Cuban can ensure that the defense is among the top ten in the league by spending money to fill it with players according to the type of players needed.

Bickerstaff made the right tactical choice. The Mavericks' offensive firepower was extremely strong in the first quarter, but the Bobcats did not fall behind and fought back and forth with the Mavericks!

小牛队首发阵容打满整节，诺维斯基单节9分、特里7分、哈里斯5分、约什-霍华德6分、丹皮尔补篮+吃饼拿到4分，单节31分。山猫队首发阵容也打满了整节。

Dampier defended Okafor, Gerald Wallace took over the main attacking power on the front line, went to the basket, and attacked the basket protected by Nowitzki. Nowitzki went to defend Okafor, and Okafor played one-on-one. Okafor scored 6 points in a single quarter, and Gerald Wallace scored 7 points in a single quarter.

Felton played against Terry, scored a single three-pointer, a three-pointer from the bottom corner, a counterattack with Zhang Yang and a layup, and a close-range jump shot caused a foul and made one of two free throws, scoring 9 points in a single quarter.

Zhang Yang made a mid-range shot after receiving the ball in the high position, a three-pointer after stepping back in a single play, and a counterattack layup, scoring 7 points in a single quarter.

With Perkins' tip-in for two points, the Bobcats scored 31 points in a single quarter and tied with the Mavericks!

Entering the intermission, Zhang Yang watched on the big screen that Nowitzki made 5 of 3 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 2 of 2 free throws, and was numb.

Nowitzki is definitely an MVP-level player, and his face-to-face shooting skills have reached the ceiling.

Just after the first quarter, Zhang Yang said to Nowitzki, "We both play like Big Bird, let's be friends." Nowitzki was stunned for a moment and said "OK."

Before playing with the Mavericks, Zhang Yang thought about telling his forward teammates how to limit Nowitzki, but after thinking for a long time, he only knew how to "stick", "push" and "shout", but he couldn't really explain how to do it specifically. He didn't know enough about Nowitzki's playing style at this stage. Perhaps he could come up with a way after playing against him a few more times and studying more of Nowitzki's game videos.

But now, his blind advice is not as effective as Gerald Wallace's defense according to his own ideas.

However, in the first quarter, Gerald Wallace had basically no chance to defend Nowitzki. He switched defense once, and Okafor was broken through by Josh Howard, so he quickly switched back.

In the first quarter, the Bobcats' strongest lineup fought back and forth with the Mavericks, but in the second quarter, the gap in strength began to emerge.

The Mavericks replaced Devin Harris and Dampier with Stackhouse and Diop, and their offensive firepower was basically unaffected, and their high-speed rotation and defense were still excellent.

The Bobcats' defense does not have any problems. The combination of Rondo, Matt Carroll, Gerald Wallace, Okafor and Muhammad is still excellent in defense, but their offense has seriously declined.

What Zhang Yang was worried about happened. Rondo made a big splash in the game against the Rockets the day before yesterday, with 10 assists in a single game. He attracted the attention of opponents in the second game.

Rondo was left open on the outside, and after he broke into the inside, the passes from both wings were cut off, and there were no teammates to receive the ball in the high position, so he could only shoot by himself.

But he is okay at using the "sneak step" to attack the opponent unexpectedly, but his shooting percentage is dismal when facing the inside defense.

In the second game of his career, Rondo was targeted and failed.

After Zhang Yang rested for more than 4 minutes and returned to the court, Rondo finally got an assist. Under the Mavericks' high-speed rotation and defense system, only Zhang Yang, a running shooter, could seize the good opportunity in Rondo's eyes.

Although the Mavericks' score was reduced to 25 points by the Bobcats in the second quarter, they defended the Bobcats' score even lower, allowing the Bobcats to score only 21 points. At the end of the half, the Mavericks led the Bobcats by 57 points, 52 to 5!
In the third quarter, the Mavericks continued to exert their strength. Nowitzki was closely defended by the Bobcats in this quarter. Terry and Stackhouse exerted their strength. Both of them scored 7 points and led the Mavericks to a single-quarter score of 24 to 20, expanding their lead to 9 points!
In the final quarter, the Bobcats' backcourt duo opened fire and led the team to a score of 26 to 21, but in the end they still failed to complete the comeback.

诺维斯基15投8中，其中三分球3中2，加上6中6的罚球，拿到24分7板2助攻1盖帽，特里22分、约什-霍华德18分、斯塔克豪斯15分、哈里斯15分……102比98，小牛队4分险胜山猫队！

On the Bobcats side, Felton scored a game-high 27 points, Zhang Yang also performed well with 23 points, Okafor scored 18 points, and Gerald Wallace scored 17 points. The four of them combined for 85 points, but their teammates only scored 13 points in total.

The Bobcats had a fierce rotation lineup against the Rockets, but when they met the Mavericks' rotation lineup, not only did their individual abilities not have an advantage, but their coordination was also far inferior to that of the opponent, and they all fell flat on their faces...

...

Before playing against the Mavericks, Felton had already talked to his players about the game against the Rockets, and warned them not to think they were very strong just because they had massacred the Rockets. His teammates listened, but most of them didn't take it to heart.

After the game with the Mavericks, they realized that what Fatty was said was right.

Although they won by 5 points in the final quarter, their offense relied on Felton's 8 points and Zhang Yang's 5 points in the final quarter. The Mavericks could not defend Felton, and Zhang Yang's high-post containment created good opportunities for teammates who cut in.

As for wing shooting, except for Felton who made a three-pointer from the corner, the other wing shooters were almost all locked down by the Mavericks' high-speed rotation.

The defense was able to limit the Mavericks to 21 points, largely because the Mavericks players were tired. In the second game of a back-to-back game, the main players played the entire first quarter. In the second and third quarters, the Bobcats' defense also caused a lot of trouble for the Mavericks players.

After slaughtering the Rockets by 31 points, the Bobcats players were indeed a little bit proud.

Now, thanks to Felton's warning and the loss to the Mavericks in the second game of a back-to-back game, the Bobcats players have calmed down.

Zhang Yang felt the change in his teammates' mentality and praised the fat boss for a great job.

The day after playing against the Mavericks, the Bobcats came to San Antonio. After a night's rest, they came to the ATT Arena on the 4th to challenge the Spurs away.

At 7:40 in the evening, when the players of both teams entered the court, Zhang Yang noticed a change on the opposite side - Ginobili was standing outside the player tunnel and was not in the starting lineup!

After the entrance ceremony, Zhang Yang and Ginobili came to the sidelines to chat.

After the All-Star Game last season, the two exchanged contact information. Although they rarely contact each other, they have a good impression of each other.

The two first talked about the changes to the 'division rules'.

Because the Nuggets ranked third in the Western Conference with 44 wins last season, their record was the same as that of the eighth-placed Kings, which was a bit too outrageous. Before the start of the regular season, the NBA Rules Committee announced new division ranking rules. The first in the division must still be ranked in the top four of the division, but no longer has to be in the top three. The top four teams will be composed of the top three division leaders + the teams with the best records. The specific ranking will be based on the record.

Last season, the Spurs and the Mavericks were the two teams with the best records in the Western Conference, and possibly the two strongest teams in the entire league, but they could only be ranked first and fourth. They met in the second round and fought to a seventh game, which was intense and exciting, but they did not even make it to the Western Conference Finals. Therefore, the old division ranking rules were criticized by the media and fans.

This situation will not happen again now. Both teams have continued with the lineups from last season. This season, the two teams are likely to still be the two teams with the best records in the Western Conference. If they meet again in the playoffs, it will definitely be in the Western Conference Finals.

During the conversation, Zhang Yang suddenly asked: "Manu, have you offended Popovich? You are only 29 years old, and you were demoted to the bench."

(End of this chapter)