Chapter 208 207. Why is the style of the second round so biased?
"Jack, you're on the headlines again. Why didn't I think of saying this? We were talking about the teams that almost missed the knockout round yesterday, and we mentioned this sentence..."

During lunch break, the fat boss went online and saw a video clip of his younger brother being interviewed by Detroit media and it became popular. He was extremely envious.

As Zhang Yang expected, what he said in the interview that morning became a hit.

For the Bobcats, this kind of confident talk will definitely have a positive effect.

Zhang Yang felt that what Felton said before the start of the playoffs made a lot of sense - for their Bobcats team, charging forward with strong confidence was more appropriate than being calm and low-key.

They are still far from being able to deal with strong enemies calmly and with ease, and they need momentum.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Next time, I'll let you do it, Boss."

Felton: "Well... No! I have to figure it out myself!"

Zhang Yang: "Well, that's fine, but you have to be careful not to say anything you shouldn't say and don't be too arrogant, otherwise you'll get scolded."

Felton: "Can you be more arrogant than me? T-Mac only said that when we were leading 3-1. You said that before the series even started. Look how harshly James' fans scolded you."

Zhang Yang: "It's okay. They scolded you even more harshly."

Felton: "That's what I'm saying! I'm not saying I should consider my next opponent, why are they scolding me?"

Zhang Yang: "Don't worry about these details... Two generations of Bad Boys fans will help us curse back anyway."

Felton: "Haha, you said this to the Detroit Free Press, the Pistons fans must be happy, they think this is you challenging them to the Eastern Conference Finals, which means you think the Pistons can definitely beat the Bulls.

The fans of the old Bad Boys seem to look down on James and ask him to be a race walker.

Hey, Jack, the guy who scolded me doesn't look like a Cavaliers fan. He doesn't even know the year James entered the NBA, but he said James is the best rookie of our class."

Zhang Yang: "Here, Boss, copy his online name, open the search engine, and paste it... Got it!"

Felton: "Eh? They are all other posts and replies from the person who cursed you! I didn't know it was possible to do this... T-Mac fans? I knew they were too petty!"

Zhang Yang: "This is just a small part of T-Mac's fans. Most people just watch it for fun. Of course, we can't rule out some normal people being influenced by these people and scolding them. It doesn't matter. We're in the second round... But boss, we can be confident, but we must not be careless. Look at the news."

Felton leaned over to take a look at the webpage that the younger brother had switched back to the homepage, and asked, "What's wrong with these news?"

Zhang Yang: "Some of these news reports say we are too arrogant, some criticize us, and some help the Cavaliers analyze how to win...but no one says we are likely to lose. The same goes for the comments of those fans. Even the Cavaliers fans don't want to beat us or slap us in the face. They are just scolding you."

Felton: "That's true. If we were Cavaliers players and no one was optimistic about us, we would definitely fight to the death to prove ourselves. We can't be careless... Wait, Jack, what do you mean you're just scolding me? You're also scolding me!"

Zhang Yang: "There are more people scolding you."

Felton wanted to refute, but the little brother was telling the truth! So angry!
But he is the boss, so he has to take responsibility... What is this?
Felton saw a post that had just been pinned to the top of the page. Within a few minutes of posting, there were thousands of replies.

He clicked it and took a look, speechless, and called his younger brother to watch it with him... Zhang Yang was also speechless.

This is an activity post initiated by a Cavaliers fan. The content of the activity is to organize fans to write a joint letter to the North Carolina State Assembly and the White House, asking the Bobcats to change their mascot.

Reason: James hates cats. The Bobcats mascot is too ugly and will affect James' mood and performance.

Zhang Yang: "Happy education... it really opened my eyes."

Felton nodded. He was glad that he had received a good education and opened his eyes to see the world...

...

Here it comes, here it comes again!

James stood in the player tunnel, feeling annoyed as he watched the Bobcats mascot Rufus riding a bicycle and holding a gift cannon, circling the court to hand out gifts.

He originally liked cats very much. After receiving sponsorship in high school, he raised more than ten cats. Later, he bought a big house and moved in with his family... In the past year, he gave all the cats in his home to his neighbors and friends.

In fact, he usually doesn't mind seeing cats. Before the game, he just thought Rufus was a little ugly. Only after the game with the Bobcats did he find Rufus's face hideous, couldn't sleep at night, and had nightmares when he fell asleep...

But he felt very uncomfortable when he saw Rufus before the game today.

Can anyone tell him what the Cavaliers fans are thinking? They actually asked the Bobcats to change their mascot? They also asked the Bobcats to ban Reufus from entering the stadium?

He is now too embarrassed to go in and play basketball!

The post that Zhang Yang and Felton saw went viral online within an afternoon and was reposted on major forums. Even the mainstream media followed suit and reported on the Cavaliers fans' actions, overshadowing Zhang Yang's statement in the morning, "We are already considering our next opponents"!
This made James embarrassed and angry.

The hottest topic regarding their series with the Bobcats is actually about the mascot... Not as good as the opponent that 'the Bobcats are already thinking about the next round'!

The Cavaliers players are afraid to talk now. They want to talk about the hottest topic of the afternoon, but talking about this would be to confront their boss in a close manner. However, this is the only topic they can think of at the moment. The Bobcats mascot is spinning in circles outside... The air pressure in the visiting team's player channel is very low.

On the other side, the atmosphere in the player tunnel was very lively. Some were talking about the hot post, and some were talking about which mascot to change...

Zhang Yang heard his teammates even talking about whether they should change the team name if they changed the mascot... He despised this age where entertainment is everything, and how this topic could become so popular.

The most outrageous thing was that when he was browsing the Internet before warming up before the game, he saw that many IP addresses that agreed with the "petition campaign" were from North Carolina or South Carolina!

Looking at Rufus riding a bicycle outside, Zhang Yang felt that his mascot was too pitiful and he had to think of a way to protect it.

Their boss is not that reliable. What if he really takes the local fans' joke seriously and replaces Rufus? Then there will be no mascot to scare away opponents after the game!
The Bobcats' pre-game activities ended and players from both teams entered the court at 8:40 p.m.

When the Cavaliers players entered the stadium, there weren't that many boos. There were even cheers when James entered the stadium.

But James was not happy when he heard the cheers. He only felt unwilling and angry.

Behind the technical table, there were fans holding a long banner with large letters saying - Thank you LeBron, every time you come you bring us victory.

James was roaring in his heart: Why are you targeting me?
All he saw was the Bobcats fans picking on him.

What the Bobcats fans saw was that James ranked fifth in the MVP rankings with 47 wins, while Okafor ranked sixth in the MVP rankings with 56 wins; ESPN said that James was better than anyone on the Bobcats, but the Bobcats had four All-Stars; James, who had no honors, was hyped as the successor to their Bobcats boss...

After the players of both teams entered the stadium, Zhang Yang looked at the big screen, which showed the performances of the main players of both teams in the regular season and the first round.

詹姆斯常规赛场均26+6+6、首轮场均25+7+5，休斯常规赛场均17+4+6，第二轮场均19+3+7。

Okafor came to Zhang Yang and said, "This forward duo is very powerful, but don't worry, you go out there and shoot the ball, and we'll leave it to them."

Zhang Yang: "I know, I'm just surprised that James has further released the ball in the playoffs, which is different from what I know." Okafor: "People change. His previous playing style was at most a taller version of Francis and Davis. It's not as easy for them to play against the Raptors as we thought before. He must play more efficiently and as a team, otherwise he may not be able to beat the Raptors."

"That's right, things are starting to get interesting." Zhang Yang said, rubbing his chin.

Okafor felt the tone was strange and said, "Jack, you don't have a beard."

Zhang Yang: “…”

It seems that little Duncan has never read Aotian Literature. When will I find a book for him to read?

Little Duncan may not read it, so give him a copy first. Duncan will definitely read it, and then tell little Duncan that it is Duncan’s favorite book... The plan works!
After chatting with Okafor for a few words, Zhang Yang saw Iverson, Bird and others who came to the sidelines to watch the game, so he pulled Okafor, Felton, Rondo, Millsap and other members of the Big Gang over to say hello.

Iverson cheered for Zhang Yang enthusiastically. They both wore the No. 3 jersey, and his eyes were only on the basket. Who else could he be if not his fan? Could it be the No. 24 jersey?

It is not surprising that Iverson is so enthusiastic. This veteran No. 3 can be called the leader of the group. Last year, James won the All-Star MVP and Iverson praised James to the sky.

But the big bird is also very enthusiastic...

After returning to the bench, Zhang Yang asked his boss, "Michael, did you collect the ticket money from Bird?"

Jordan was surprised and said, "Of course it's a free ticket. How could I charge for it? I'm very confused. Do you think I'm such a stingy person? Why do you always think I'm stingy?"

Zhang Yang: "Emm... that's not important. Not collecting ticket money is a huge loss. I feel like he wants to recruit me to his team... How many acres of land would it take to earn back the money from a first-row ticket for a playoff game?"

Jordan: "..."

Jordan didn't know how to complain for a moment because there were too many things to complain about.

But Jack, their bad boy who plays basketball like Big Bird, doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving, at least not now, and that's enough.

But when Jordan thought of farming, he remembered Big Bird's other nickname - country bumpkin.

He knew that Big Bird must have some feelings for Zhang Yang. He estimated that if Zhang Yang called Big Bird a country bumpkin, Big Bird would definitely buy a few acres of land in Indianapolis and plant some crops to show that "you are right."

Soon, it was 9 o'clock in the evening, Okafor defeated Big Z in the jump ball, and the game began.

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

The Cavaliers starting lineup: Snow, Hughes, James, Gooden, and Big Z.

Zhang Yang ran to the frontcourt to receive the ball, broke through James in a singles game, and when he reached the free throw line, he failed to shake off his opponent. He took the initiative to move towards James and used the confrontation to stop his feet.

James also braked in time, and immediately moved to the right when Zhang Yang moved to the left after an abrupt stop.

But Zhang Yang just leaned his upper body to the left, pulled the ball behind his back with his left hand, pushed off the ground with his left foot and took a step to the right, passed the ball to his right hand behind his back with his left hand, jumped, and made a mid-range shot... and it hit!
The fans at the scene burst into crazy cheers and screams!
The one-on-one play made James rush in the completely opposite direction, creating a wide-open shooting opportunity... The director was very interesting. He first cut the camera on the big screen to Iverson, and then to Jordan.

In terms of the viewing experience, this ball is comparable to Iverson's mid-range shot when he shook off Jordan in his rookie year!
The fans at the scene were happy to watch, but Iverson and Jordan were not happy.

Iverson: Compare that No. 23 with the No. 23 that I shook off?
Jordan: The damn director compared that guy to me? I want to change the head coach!
Bickerstaff: Why did I suddenly feel cold behind my back?

On the court, Zhang Yang quickly retreated after scoring a goal.

This trick is only effective against James. I dare not use it when facing Richard Jefferson or Kidd, as there is a high probability that they will not get a chance to shake off the opponent.

However, compared to the playoffs a year ago, James has made great progress on the defensive end!

His judgment on the direction of breakthrough, the speed of retreat, and the judgment on sudden stops are like a different person compared to a year ago. No wonder he was able to defend Ford like that.

However, there has not been much improvement in the fact that James' body reacts faster than his brain and he still relies on instinct in the final moments of defense.

Of course, it is very good to have made such great progress in just one year when he has to take on most of the team's on-field work.

After two years, Zhang San is still just an ordinary scorer.

So, on the defensive end, Zhang San could only defend Snow.

After receiving the serve and advancing to the frontcourt, Snow passed the ball to Larry Hughes, who launched an attack facing Gerald Wallace's defense.

James used Gooden's wing screen to get rid of Felton's pursuit, cut to the elbow area, received the ball and rushed into the inside... Zhang Yang retreated to the position!
James grabbed the ball, took a step past Zhang Yang and entered the three-second zone. Zhang Yang couldn't stop him, but he successfully helped Perkins create time to move into position. Perkins stood between James and the basket!
James stopped and tried to find his teammates... Felton caught up and reached out to grab the ball, but Zhang Yang failed to block him and immediately moved to a high position to prevent Gooden from receiving the ball.

James had no choice but to lift the ball and jump to throw it high...but missed!
Zhang Yang rushed in to grab the defensive rebound and launched a counterattack!

Zhang Yang advanced all the way from the front of the basket to the right side of the free throw line. Hughes and Snow stepped back to block Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang passed the ball to the left side. Gerald Wallace received the ball and went into the basket with James for a layup!

James picked up the ball and slammed it hard.

The best cooperation in the last match was targeted by the Bobcats again!

Hughes breaks through, James and Gooden cooperate with off-ball screens, then James cuts into the basket or passes the ball, and Gooden moves to the free throw line as the second receiving and supporting point... This tactic worked very well in the game against the Bobcats last month, but less than a month later, it has no effect again.

It's always like this. No matter how hard they try to adjust or think of more ways to cooperate, the other side will soon find a countermeasure.

So unwilling!

The Bobcats took advantage of both offense and defense at the start, leading 4-0 and taking the clear initiative from the start.

As the game progressed, the Bobcats' advantage became more and more obvious, and the score difference quickly widened to more than 5 points.

James and Hughes tried their best to lead the team to attack, but they were unable to narrow the gap to within 5 points.

The Bobcats had two and a half days of preparation training from the 5th to the morning of the 7th. They put their past experience of defeating the Cavaliers and the materials gained from the first round series between the Raptors and the Cavaliers into practice, and the effect of their preparation was reflected in the first game!
By the end of the first quarter, the high-post pressure defense of the James-Hugh duo worked. After Donyell Marshall made a mid-range shot, the James-Hugh duo pressed and stole the ball for two consecutive rounds and counterattacked successfully, making a 6-0 run and narrowing the score from 17-26 to 23-26.

James was very excited, he finally caught up!
Retreating to the backcourt, James actively engaged in defense.

With 11 seconds left, it was the last attack of the first quarter. Rondo, who came on as a substitute for Felton, advanced to the frontcourt and broke through to launch an attack.

Okafor moved to the strong side, Gerald Wallace cut in from the weak side...the Cavaliers' defense was compressed to the bottom line by three people.

Zhang Yang ran from the baseline in the direction of Rondo's advance to the top arc with the help of Okafor's screen, received Rondo's pass from inside to outside, and took a three-point shot... With the long whistle at the end of the first quarter, the ball fell into the frame!

29 to 23, the score difference has widened to more than 5 points again!
James, who was extremely excited just a dozen seconds ago, felt like being poured with a bucket of cold water, feeling cold from the top of his head to his vest!

(End of this chapter)