Chapter 223 222. Shooting, shooting, shooting, it’s still a fucking shooting!
The next morning, Zhang Yang, Felton, Rondo and Okafor gathered in Felton's room to read the news, watch videos and chat.

Zhang Yang: "The Spurs are probably the only team that is considered to be a safe bet when winning by 4 points."

Okafor: "It was really stable. No matter how hard we tried to catch up last night, we couldn't catch up."

Felton: "That's right, but they only won by 4 points in the end. If Jack had better luck and Bowen hadn't reacted so quickly, Jack would have made the -point shot and we would have been able to tie the score at the last moment. This shows that they don't have the ability to play a bigger advantage."

Zhang Yang: The boss has made great progress!
After the game last night, Zhang San originally wanted to seek comfort from the fat little boss who always seemed full of energy. However, he ended up seeing the fat little boss doubting his life and having to be comforted by him, Zhang San. He was so upset at that time.

But Xiao Fei Lao Da is Xiao Fei Lao Da. He will return to normal after a good night's sleep. After finding a starting point, he can think rationally, and from a positive perspective, instead of complaining and dwelling on trivial matters.

Okafor heard this and thought it made sense. He said, "Yes, GDP's offensive ability is not as strong as Lupus + Hamilton + Webber + Wallace when they are in good physical condition. As for Parker, we were able to lock him down in positional battles. He only made 14 of 5 shots in the whole game, and 3 of them were made when we had problems with our position during counterattacks and offense-defense transitions."

Felton: "It's just that their defense is better than ours and the Pistons. If our and the Pistons' defense is 3 points... 3.5 points, the Spurs' defense should be 5 points, even if it's not a full 4.5 points."

Rondo interjected: "Fortunately, we traded back Nazr, otherwise they would be like in 05, with no weaknesses in interior defense. Without Nazr and Nesterovic, Oberto, Elson, and Brezek could not protect the rim on their own. When they partnered with Duncan, they looked pretty good. When Duncan went down, the four of us, plus Gerald, the five of us attacked the rim, and they all had to double-team and help defend.

The Spurs' overall defense is now very strong on the outside, and they can only rely on Duncan inside. We have strong offensive capabilities and hope to open up the situation from the inside, but the pressure of scoring from the outside will have to be on Jack alone."

Felton: "We should take advantage of Duncan's rest to score more points?"

Rondo: "No, we can try to play the team offense well when Duncan is not there, help Jack reduce the pressure of scoring from the outside, and see if we can force Duncan to stay on the court for a long time."

Felton: "Oh! Right! Not allowing Duncan to rest would affect his stability. He scored 2+1 in the last minute of the third quarter last night. I was going crazy at that time."

Okafor: "I can't think of any way to deal with Ginobili. Sometimes when we have five people surrounding him, he can find a gap to score. It feels like meeting Kobe Bryant."

Rondo: "Two years ago in the finals, the Pistons couldn't defend Ginobili, and Ginobili hit almost 50% of his shots. I watched the live broadcast of that finals, and the most impressive thing was the seventh game, Ginobili scored 13 points on 8 of 23 shots, and Duncan only made 27 of 10 shots that night. I thought Ginobili was going to get the FMVP, but I didn't expect it to go to Duncan in the end.

Ginobili is even better this year than he was two years ago. His average points in the regular season and playoffs are higher than that year. Moreover, when Popovich sends him to play as the sixth man, it is often when we enter the rotation and our defense is worse. ”

The two were worried, but Felton was more open-minded: "Just let Jack take care of Ginobili. I can score, too. There is always a way. Besides, Ginobili can be a jerk sometimes."

Rondo agrees: "Last year in the second round, the Spurs and the Mavericks played a seventh game. Ginobili made a near buzzer beater, but he turned around and committed a meaningless foul, sending the Spurs to the guillotine. This is a breakthrough. We must seize the opportunity..."

Felton and Rondo were having a lively discussion, and Okafor, as the calmest one, interrupted and asked questions at the right time.

As for Zhang Yang, while the memory is still fresh, he recalls the good and bad parts of last night's game. His own feelings are much more useful than watching the video.

In fact, I have a deeper impression of last night, but at that time we had just lost the game and I had to act as a psychologist for the fat boss. Now that I have had a good sleep, I have put aside the negative emotions and my mind is calmer.

...

At 1 p.m., the Bobcats left the hotel and came to the ATT Arena to prepare for the rest day.

The coaching staff first found a lounge to review what was going to be discussed in the meeting and the afternoon training content.

As the top candidate for the next head coach and current team consultant, Carlisle was responsible for presiding over the pre-game meeting today.

After the pre-conference meeting, Carlisle was a little excited on the way to the meeting room.

This is not my first time as head coach, but it is inevitable that I will be excited when I take charge of the new team for the first time.

He asked, "I noticed that the players were in low spirits after the loss, Michael, how about you give them a morale boost before the meeting?"

Boss Joe, who accompanied the team throughout the finals, responded: "What Doug (Collins) said is indeed right. You are very good at using available resources. You even used me. But you don't have to worry about this. I don't need to play."

Carlisle used to be an assistant coach for Doug Collins and was highly regarded by the old coach at that time. Now he still calls his old boss when he has problems... As a young coach in his 40s, what's wrong with going to his teacher when he has problems?
But Jordan said there was no need for him to play, which confused Carlisle. Who else in the team could speak more effectively than the God of Basketball?
When Carlisle arrived at the door of the conference room, he knew the reason.

Felton stood in the C position, shouting with his teammates to "kick Duncan's ass". How could there be any frustration or loss on the players' faces?
Felton's leadership ability reminded Carlisle of his former favorite Ben Wallace. Of course, the two are completely different. Ben Wallace is ruthless and taciturn, leading his teammates with actions, while Felton is very talkative and motivates his teammates with very contagious words.

The similarity is that both of them are willing to do the dirty work that many stars are unwilling to do during the game...

Carlisle recalled the two teams he had coached before and then looked at the team in front of him.

In fact, he believes that the Pacers team in the 04-05 season, which had players such as Reggie Miller, Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Tinsley, Fred Jones, Croshere, James Jones... and so on, was the best team he had ever coached in terms of talent, lineup structure, game experience, and cooperation. It was also the team he regretted most in the two and a half years since the battle at Auburn Hills.

But now he feels that that team, even if they don't fight, may not be able to beat the team he is about to coach in the playoffs.

The cohesion of that team is really poor, and it is completely incomparable to the two teams with Ben Wallace and Felton!
...

The day's rest time passed quickly, and at 6 pm on June 13, the second game of the finals between the Bobcats and the Spurs started at the AT&T Arena!
Bobcats starting lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Millsap, Okafor.

Spurs starting lineup: Parker, Finley, Bowen, Oberto, Duncan.

Duncan won the jump ball tonight and the Spurs attacked first!

Parker advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Duncan who was leaning against Okafor in the low post.

Duncan played against Okafor in the low post on the right side, turned right and faced the basket and shot high, but was blocked by Okafor. He took one step and then turned left and walked down the line... Millsap double-teamed him!
Duncan raised his arc and tried to avoid Millsap's block, but his layup was unsuccessful!
Zhang Yang came in from the wing to protect the defensive rebound. Bickerstaff's starting adjustment was effective!
Okafor does a better job of top defense than Muhammad, Millsap's double-teaming speed is faster than Okafor, and his double-teaming on Duncan is more effective!

The reason why G1 didn't use this starter was mainly for offensive considerations...

Zhang Yang protected the ball and avoided Parker's rush, advancing to the frontcourt, but did not pass the ball to Felton. Millsap started, and he did not have the conditions to run without the ball to create a mismatch singles opportunity.

Millsap's talent is definitely far better than Muhammad's, but he is still a rookie, and even his free throw percentage is just around 70%, which is not a drag. He has no mid-range or long-range shots, and all his points come under the basket. Veteran Muhammad has maintained a mid-range and short-range catch-and-shoot performance of around 40% for many years.

When Millsap is on the court, Zhang Yang slips to the baseline without the ball, and Oberto on the opposite side can directly get him to the basket to block him and prevent him from going around the basket.

But there is more than one way to create a mismatch. Zhang Yang turned on the goat mode, looking for Felton to pick and roll, and called on Parker... but failed!

Parker quickly switched defense and blocked Zhang Yang's advancing route. Finley bypassed Felton and double-teamed Zhang Yang. Felton set a screen and then broke away, pulling to the left at a 45-degree angle outside the three-point line. Finley went around the screen and blocked Zhang Yang's pass to Felton.

Zhang Yang acted decisively and broke through from the right side!

Parker couldn't hold on, but he was very fast and followed Zhang Yang closely, ready to stick to Zhang Yang at any time to limit Zhang Yang's quick stop jump shot.

Zhang Yang broke into close range and made a jump shot... but was blocked by Duncan, and Oberto secured the defensive rebound.

Zhang Yang quickly retreated, the calling tactic didn't work!
Although high-post defense is no longer possible, the shooting cylinder rule has not changed. The defender can still directly hold the ball handler like below the free throw line, and another person can double-team to prevent the executor from breaking up the defense and then catch the ball and shoot from a long distance.

Duncan is at the other side's basket, protecting the rim well, so it's useless for Felton to cut in and receive the ball...

No wonder Parker didn't cooperate with Bowen in Game 07 and Game 3 of the 4 Finals to specifically target James. Bowen's cut-in was not threatening, and Parker and Bowen specifically targeted James, which was tantamount to actively asking for a double-team.

Both sides missed a shot, and when the Spurs attacked, Duncan continued to forcefully shoot from the low post.

Duncan's performance has remained the same for ten years, and the Spurs' playing style has also not changed in ten years. They first use superstars to gain an advantage, and then slowly grind it out.

Duncan backed up Okafor, turned around and faked a move, then took a step to a close range 45-degree angle and made a turnaround jump shot...and it went in!
Duncan's one-on-one play is comfortable to watch, with no unnecessary movements, simple and neat.

In the offense-defense transition, Felton advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Zhang Yang who was leaning against Finley on the right side of the free throw line.

Finley was prepared to defend against back-to-the-basket shots. He had a slight height advantage and great strength, which made him suitable for defending against the very young Zhang Yang's back-to-the-basket shots. That's why Popovich put him in the starting lineup to defend Zhang Yang. Barry actually started more times in the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs.

But Zhang Yang did not back up. After receiving the ball, he turned around and faced Finley in a three-threat stance... and just threw it!
Finley was a beat too slow to react, and he failed to interfere... "Bang"...

Finley breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the ball hit the rim and bounce out and be grabbed by Duncan.

This bad boy not only talks in an irritating way, but also plays in an infuriating way! Anthony would at least stretch his feet a few times before shooting, but this bad boy just throws it when he says so.

When the Spurs attacked, Duncan continued to play one-on-one, hoping to take advantage of Zhang Yang's consecutive misses, and then the game would be in hand.

The Bobcats' defense was more aggressive this time. In addition to Okafor's top defense and Millsap's baseline blocking, Gerald Wallace and Finley also retreated after a close fight.

Duncan stepped out of the three-second zone and was double-teamed by Millsap and Gerald Wallace. Okafor stepped back to the basket to block Oberto's cutting in. Duncan passed the ball to Finley at the right baseline. Finley received the ball and made a mid-range shot... missed!
Okafor blocked Oberto, steadily took the rebound and passed it to Felton.

After the offense and defense switched, Zhang Yang continued to the right side of the free throw line, received the ball next to Finley, and turned around to face the basket for a single shot.

Although Zhang Yang missed the shot in the last round, Finley stuck closer this time to prevent Zhang Yang from making the shot directly.

This is a terrifying new generation that can score 40+ in two games in the Eastern Conference Finals!

Zhang Yang did not retreat, but took the initiative to press forward, holding off Finley, and turned around to charge forward!
Finley was a little slow and failed to move sideways in time, so he was passed by Zhang Yang!

Zhang Yang rushed to the right elbow area, faced Duncan's defense, jumped up and shot... and it went in!
After 3 rounds, Zhang Yang and Duncan scored a goal each, and the two teams started with a 2-2 tie!
Whenever Zhang Yang scored a goal, Popovich on the sidelines would feel anxious.

Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot again, this bad boy's pass button is broken, right? Just hold the ball and do it?

Popovich guessed right this time.

Zhang Yang doesn't care about anything else now.

Organizing the offense is the job of Felton, Gerald Wallace and Rondo.

In defense, he, Zhang San, is one step ahead of LeBron James!
In the original time and space, in the 07 Finals, James was beaten by Parker in two games. In Game 3, Mike Brown forced James to defend Bowen in the bottom corner and let Daniel Gibson, a rookie, start to defend Parker. This adjustment was very effective. In Game 2, Parker scored 20 points with 13 of 30 shots. In Game 3, Parker's offensive performance dropped to 17 of 7 shots... Then Bowen got many open three-point opportunities because James often retreated meaninglessly, and he made 5 of 4 three-pointers...

Overall, Mike Brown's defensive adjustment was good. The Cavaliers successfully lowered the Spurs' score to below 80 points. Although they lost by 3 points in the end, changing someone to defend Parker did give the Cavaliers a glimmer of hope of winning.

Here, Zhang San started defending Bowen in G1.

His job is to score first place!

(End of this chapter)