Chapter 24 24. The first training ends
The next day, on the afternoon of May 5, Zhang Yang left Phoenix with the team and flew to San Antonio.

Zhang Yang was looking forward to playing away games, so he could enjoy the scenery of Texas... When LSP Nash took him to the airport, he talked about the exotic customs here and the passionate and unrestrained South American girls living here in a tone that only men can understand. He began to wonder if LSP wanted to take him out to fool around, how should he resist and accept it so as not to look like a SP...

But after arriving in San Antonio, he remembered that he had been in Phoenix for a few days and had not been anywhere except Nash's home, the arena, and the gas station. He came here to play a game, and it was a playoff game. He arrived at the hotel after dark. The coaching staff forbade him to leave the hotel that night. The next morning, the whole team went to the ATT Arena to prepare for the game. He had no chance to go out and appreciate the scenery of Texas.

After a slight disappointment, Zhang Yang continued to devote himself to training.

On the 7th, the Suns played the third game of the series against the Spurs away.

The Spurs, trailing 0-2, had no chance of giving up and played extremely hard. The Suns also faced the toughest game of the series.

首节太阳队以19比25落后马刺队6分，到了第二节，太阳队逆势而上，打出了31比24的比分，半场打完时以60比59反超马刺队1分。

Just when the TV commentator thought the Suns were going to replicate the success of Game 1, under heavy pressure, Ginobili scored 18 points in a single quarter and led the Spurs to a 30-22 quarter score. The Spurs overtook the Suns by 89 points with a score of 82-7 and entered the final quarter.

Leading by 7 points after three quarters, the commentators immediately changed sides and began to praise the Spurs for their comeback, saying that this game was the clarion call for the Spurs' counterattack. With Duncan, the 7-point lead was enough for the Spurs to persevere to the end.

But this time Duncan disappointed people. His performance in the final quarter was no longer as stable as it had been in the past decade or so. His performance on both offense and defense was sluggish, and his old age was fully revealed.

Stoudemire continued to run wild, scoring consecutive singles against Duncan, making 7 of 5 shots in a single quarter, plus 2 of 2 free throws to get 12 points.

纳什8投4中，其中三分球5中2，单节10分5助攻，在外线给予了斯塔德迈尔强有力的支持。

Led by the two, the Suns scored 35 points in the final quarter and completely defeated the Spurs' defense.

On the offensive end of the Spurs, Parker's performance did not wane despite the adverse situation, but he did not stand up either; Duncan was rarely in a slump on both offense and defense; Ginobili continued to shine in desperate situations, with 12 points in a single quarter and 30 points in the first half, setting a new career high in halftime in the playoffs, and 37 points in a single game, also ranking second in his career playoffs...but the Spurs team only scored 24 points in this quarter.

斯塔德迈尔29分8板2助攻2盖帽、纳什31分9助攻、希尔16分……太阳队以107比103逆转马刺队，大比分3比0领先！

张杨今晚4投2中，投篮表现还可以，最‘亮眼’的是他罚球6中6，这6次罚球有4次是末节拿到的。

After the foul count in the final quarter, Popovich used the "Hit the Shark" tactic. The Little Overlord made 10 of 9 free throws tonight and couldn't cut the ball. The other Suns players who played on the court were also good at free throws. Then he set his sights on Zhang Yang, who was still a rookie.

Popovich's creative idea was actually well thought out. First of all, the basic skills of rookies have been getting worse and worse in recent years, and free throws are the worst hit.

Although Zhang Yang is bold, his ability is indeed average, so it is worth taking a gamble.

But what a coincidence, free throws were the first thing Zhang Yang practiced when he was developing his shooting skills...

Zhang Yang also made his contribution. His ten-second free throw not only earned him 4 points and attracted boos and curses from the audience, but also created some rest time for Nash, who played for more than 40 minutes.

...

On May 5th, it was time for Game 9 of the series between the Suns and the Spurs.

At noon, the Suns received good news - Nash and Stoudemire were both selected to the second team.

Duncan was only selected to the third team and second defense. This was also the year with the worst performance and the least honors for Duncan since he entered the NBA.

With both core players winning awards, the Suns' already high morale was boosted even more.

On the Spurs side, morale was low.

The media are deceiving. Before the second round, they were still saying that Duncan was the best player in history, that he was getting stronger with age and that he was an evergreen. After the Spurs fell behind 0-3, the media said that Duncan was a thing of the past, that his peak had passed, and that the Spurs' peak era was over. This exacerbated the loss of confidence among the Spurs players.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, when G4 started, the impact on morale was obvious.

The Spurs are just like the Suns in Game 1. No, they performed even worse than the Suns at that time.

The Suns were the team that always lost, and they were also resentful of being defeated by an outside trick. Even though their morale was low and they had no confidence, they still played very hard.

The Spurs, who had always been the winners, fell into a slump.

The Suns scored 39 points in the first quarter, leading the Spurs by 22 points, who only scored 17 points, and the game lost its suspense.

The score in the second quarter was 27-24, and in the third quarter it was 25-22. The Suns did not give the Spurs any chance to turn the tables, and the Spurs actually failed to make an effective counterattack. The overly stable Spurs often have no way out when faced with such a situation, especially since most of them, except for a few players, have lost confidence. Ginobili scored 17 points with 10 of 27 shots in three quarters, but he was just dancing alone without anyone to accompany him.

After three quarters, the score difference had reached 23 points. Popovich replaced the three main players and announced his surrender.

After being eliminated this time, Popovich did not get angry and curse on the sidelines like he did before. He was rare to be calm and he had made up his mind.

After he lost to Kobe with Gasol in 08, he began to think about making changes, but at least they made it to the Western Conference Finals that time, and the tactical reserves of the new system were not enough.

They were eliminated in the first round last season because Ginobili was out for the season. Before Ginobili was out, they were ranked second in the Western Conference and fourth in the League, so he felt that there was no need to change for the time being.

Now, this must change!

Popovich has set his sights on Ginobili, who has performed explosively in this playoffs. His new system will no longer have conventional stars, but it must have a sharp knife that can pierce the opponent at critical moments.

...

In the garbage time of the final quarter, Zhang Yang was substituted.

He did not get any playing time in the first three quarters. After having the upper hand at the start, Gentry chose to play it safe and used the strongest lineup and the strongest firepower to maintain the advantage. He did not replace the opponent with first and second year players until they completely gave up.

Zhang Yang and Dragic took turns shooting each. It was garbage time and it was time for the young guards in the team's training plan to take charge.

德拉季奇7投4中，加上3中3的罚球，拿到11分3助攻，3次助攻都是扔给张杨后直接就变成了助攻。

The Spurs actually didn't defend much. Zhang Yang could just go around and catch the ball and shoot. He made 9 of 4 shots and scored 8 points. With a tip-in by Robin Lopez, the Suns scored 21 points in a single quarter... and the Spurs scored 31 points.

Losing by 10 points in garbage time had little impact on the Suns.

112 to 99, the Suns defeated the Spurs again, sweeping 4 to 0 to advance!

After the final whistle, the "Gate of Training" appeared in front of Zhang Yang, reminding him that the training mission was completed and he obtained the "Son of Wind Ball Control Rhythm Basic Edition".

At the same time, a feeling of drowsiness that shouldn't have occurred after just playing a quarter of the game surged into his mind. He knew somehow that this meant that this experience was coming to an end.

Principal Tan’s words, 'What I can’t bear to see is you turning your back on me. Please don’t be so nostalgic when you leave' seem to echo in my ears.

He didn't seem to say goodbye... and it seemed like there was no need to say goodbye, Zhang Yang here would still work hard to continue his basketball dream... it's just that he's a little stubborn... I wish him good luck.

He had a very good experience on this training trip.

Although he played a minor role in most of the game, he played a certain role in the second quarter of G1.

The most important thing is to win. As a basketball player, is there anything happier than winning on the court?
He also has a very good feeling about this team.

The team is strong, the veterans have good personalities, and since the core players are not young anymore, they are very friendly to the young players and are willing to help them and help them grow.

The 08 first-round pick Robin Lopez, the 08 second-round pick Goran Dragic, the 06 undrafted player Louis Amundsson, and the 07 first-round pick Dudley all performed well this season.

Even lottery pick Earl Clark, who had not performed well all season, was not abandoned by the team during the playoffs and a special trainer was arranged for him.

If possible, he hopes that when he enters the NBA, he will be in such a team, where he can win with the big guys and have enough opportunities to grow.

His vision gradually blurred, and the last scene Zhang Yang saw was Son of Wind and Little Overlord standing under the spotlight, surrounded by reporters.

He longed for the day when he would no longer stand by in such a grand scene!

……

……

Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation ticket! Thank you!
(End of this chapter)