Chapter 277 276. Chase, chase, chase!
Zhang Yang said he wanted to incorporate new breakthrough techniques. Nash thought that Zhang Yang was forced to change direction because he failed to develop the butterfly step.

It turns out that this unfortunate student has already developed the rhythm flow butterfly step and started tinkering with new techniques!

Are there such huge differences between people?
He lagged behind in attacking the basket in the Western Conference Finals in 03, and began to develop a new attacking technique in the summer of 03, 'grabbing the ball while moving and making a layup'. It took him three years, and his attacking hit rate plummeted by 3 percentage points in the first year of actual use. He finally completed the adjustment of his attacking technique at the end of the 7-05 season, and then he shot 06% in the last season, and then used the threat of breaking through the basket to feed back into mid-range and long-range shots, which led to his 'getting better with age' and 'crazy progress' as described by the media and fans last season and this season.

As for Zhang Yang, he only officially started to tinker with the rhythm flow butterfly step in August, and in less than 8 months, he was able to use it in competitions!
However, in Nash's opinion, Zhang Yang's move is not as practical as Iverson and Hill's butterfly step.

The two men's explosive acceleration was incredibly fast. When they pulled the ball hard, their bodies swung widely. Every time they pulled the ball, they were really looking for a breakthrough opportunity. The opponent had to follow their every pull. If they didn't, they could only see their tail lights.

Zhang Yang's move is mainly used to deal with opponents who are not calm in defense and are easily impulsive. It can be regarded as a supplement to the conventional rhythm flow breakthrough. Moreover, Zhang Yang was heading in this direction from the beginning, not to change his playing style, so he can be so fast... Nash felt much better when he thought about it...

After some A Q, Nash received the serve and advanced to the front court to continue attacking!

Nash did not play team offense this time, but directly passed the ball to Stoudemire at close range.

Stoudemire faced Okafor and broke into the basket, then slammed the ball into the basket over Okafor. The referee blew the whistle, 2+1!

Stoudemire went to the free throw line and made the extra free throw, making it 2+1!

After entering the NBA, Stoudemire's free throw shooting has improved every year, 66% in his rookie year, 71% in his sophomore year, 73% in his junior year... At the start of this season, his free throw shooting percentage has gradually stabilized at 80%!

When Engelland encouraged Okafor, Millsap and Rondo to practice free throws, he used Stoudemire as an example.

When the Bobcats attacked, Zhang Yang ran and received the pass from Okafor. He scored two goals in a row and was sandwiched from the front and back in the elbow area. He hit the ball and sent it out... Mike Miller received the ball and made a three-pointer!

The Bobcats easily wiped out Stoudemire's difficult 2+1 just now!

There is no doubt that dunking in a one-on-one situation is one of the most difficult playing styles.

With a two-goal advantage when the official timeout came, the Suns players thought they could slow down their offense after the official timeout, and drag the Bobcats along for a few minutes, then make a strong effort at the end of the quarter to gain a clear lead. However, the opponent scored 7 points in a row after the timeout... Keep attacking!
In the next few minutes, the Suns started a long tug-of-war with the Bobcats as they wished, but it was a little harder than the Suns players expected, and they had to focus on scoring.

At the end of the quarter, the Suns' team offensive advantage was once again demonstrated. First, Nash suddenly grabbed the ball while running close, took a step forward and made a layup, helping the Suns to overtake the score 37 to 36.

Then Zhang Yang received the ball, turned around and made a European step layup, but missed. Marion, who came on as a substitute, grabbed the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Nash. Nash retreated for a fast break, and Barbosa received the ball and made a layup.

With Rondo's breakthrough and missed jump shot, the Bobcats trailed the Suns by 36 points at the end of the first quarter, 39 to 3!
Although they failed to win in the last few seconds, the Bobcats still won by 5 point more than 1 minutes after the official timeout, with a score of 18 to 17 at halftime.

The Bobcats' offensive firepower can surpass that of the Suns in a short period of time, but in terms of offensive firepower continuity, the Suns with an 8-man rotation are still stronger.

Entering the intermission, the Suns players were in high spirits.

Although they only had a 3-point lead, they still had a 7-point lead in the first quarter even though the opponent exploded and scored 3 points in a row after the official timeout.

The Suns don't really care about how much they're ahead in the score, they just focus on scoring points, and if they have one more point than the opponent when the final whistle blows, they'll win. This is the same idea as the Spurs' idea of ​​'no matter how low our score is, as long as the opponent has one less point than us when the final whistle blows, we'll win.'

But after the intermission, in the Bobcats' first attack, Felton hit a three-pointer against Barbosa, helping the Bobcats tie the score at 39-39!

It was the Suns' turn to attack, and Marion cut in, received the ball and made a layup to score two points. Looking back, Jarrett Jack, one of the Bobcats' double point guard combination, broke into the inside and made a layup in the confrontation with Dio who was at the center position, tying the score again!
During the intermission, Carlisle felt that he had seen this situation before and suddenly remembered the finals of last season...

Carlisle felt that what Zhang Yang said during the official timeout in the first quarter made sense - "I don't care how good the Suns' offense is, just treat them as a bad defensive team."

Based on this idea, he sent Felton and Jarrett Jack to attack as the main players, and sent Alan Anderson, Millsap and Muhammad to rush and protect the rim in the frontcourt.

This attempt was very effective! Against the Suns, Jarrett Jack, who knew a little bit about scoring but was not good at anything, played like a star player, firing at the point guard position with Felton, and the opponent fought back and forth!
At 3 minutes and 19 seconds, Felton broke into close range and made a lob pass, and Millsap slammed the ball in an alley-oop to score two points. The Bobcats overtook the Suns by one point with a score of 48 to 47. D'Antoni couldn't sit still and called a timeout!

Jarrett Jack played one-on-one, Felton played one-on-one + cooperated with Millsap, and in less than 3 and a half minutes, the Suns beat the team 12 to 8!

Zhang Yang and Okafor played the entire first quarter, and D'Antoni guessed that they would be replaced at the beginning of the second quarter. With a 3-point advantage, he also wanted to let Nash and Stoudemire take a break during this period. Zhang Yang and Okafor were both absent, and only the steady Felton led the team. The Bobcats' offensive firepower was bound to decline. In D'Antoni's view, Barbosa and Dio were enough to lead the team.

But I didn't expect that Carlisle on the opposite side would actually use such a trick. Jarrett Jack was in good touch and scored two goals in a row to get 5 points!
D'Antoni replaced Nash, Raja Bell, Dio, Marion and Stoudemire in advance.

Carlisle did not hesitate to replace Jarrett Jack, who had just performed well, with a combination of Felton, Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, Millsap and Muhammad.

After the timeout, the Suns attacked.

Stoudemire received the ball at close range and faced Millsap, seized the opportunity to force his way into the three-second zone, forced his way up in the confrontation, and made a layup!

When Zhang Yang saw this scene, he thought of a word - fierce!
The little overlord is so powerful, and this is even after his athletic ability has been reduced!
In the transition from offense to defense, Zhang Yang ran to the frontcourt... and was blocked by Raja Bell.

Facing Raja Bell's rough and sticky defense, Zhang Yang continued to play without the ball, running with Raja Bell to reduce confrontation.

The commentator who had just questioned Carlisle's decision to replace Jarrett Jack, who had made 2 of 2 shots, shut up before the game was over.

Although Stoudemire is not good at protecting the rim, he is at least a serious big man. When he is on the field, Marion's defense can be expanded a little more, and Raja Bell can concentrate on one-on-one defense. The degree of stickiness and intensity of the confrontation... are not something Jarrett Jack can deal with!

People were reminded of last season's playoffs. From the moment Jarrett Jack met Kidd in the first round, his offense, which looked very good in the regular season, was ruined. In addition, he had great flaws on the defensive end. His guard speed was slow, his shooting guard was not tall enough, and he was impulsive on the defensive end... If Carlisle had not decisively replaced him, you can imagine how disastrous it would have been.

Zhang Yang moved away Raja Bell and attracted Marion's defensive attention. Felton broke through and made a close-range jump shot to score two points.

When watching Zhang Yang play against other teams, Nash always liked Zhang Yang, but when they were competing on the same field, he always felt unhappy with him.

With Zhang Yang's running position to contain the opponent, Millsap's wing screen, Muhammad's threatening cut-in, and Mike Miller creating space... Felton's offensive conditions are better than before the two teams made substitutions.

The most important thing is Zhang Yang. After the first attack, he rarely played singles, but he still took 7 shots in the first quarter! Felton, Okafor and Zhang Yang have a good tacit understanding, Rondo and Hill have a good passing vision, and they can pass the ball to Zhang Yang whenever he has a chance. Zhang Yang will definitely throw the ball.

Nash felt the pressure was getting bigger and bigger, but he did not show the pressure, and could not pass the pressure to his teammates, so he continued to attack!
With this lineup of the two teams, the Suns quickly regained the advantage. At 10 minutes and 20 seconds in the second quarter, the Suns once again took a 68-point lead with 64 to 4. After replacing the starting lineup, the Suns scored 21 to 16.

Just when the Suns players thought they could maintain a lead of about 5 points to end the first half, Okafor, who came on as a substitute, broke out and scored two consecutive singles against Stoudemire in the interior. During this period, Barbosa, who came on as a substitute, missed a three-pointer.

68 to 68, the Bobcats tied the score!

When the Suns attacked, Nash took advantage of the screen and stepped back to hit a three-pointer, and the Suns regained a 3-point lead.

Looking back, Okafor continued to go down to the low post and lean on Stoudemire to receive the ball. Marion chose to shrink and double-team this time. Zhang Yang seized the opportunity and used the cover of Hill who came on the court as a substitute to briefly shake off Raja Bell and come to the top arc.

Okafor passed the ball tacitly, and Zhang Yang received the ball just after he stepped out of the three-point line. He turned around and shot a three-pointer from the top of the arc facing Raja Bell who was rushing towards him after circling the post... and it hit!
71 to 71, the Bobcats tied the score again!

When the Suns attacked, Nash stepped back with the help of a screen, attracting a double-team from Okafor and Felton, and passed the ball to Stoudemire who was on the left side of the free throw line. Stoudemire received the ball and made a mid-range shot...and it went in!
In the transition from offense to defense, Felton continued to pass the ball to Okafor.

Zhang Yang came up from the left baseline, used Hill's screen, and ran towards the top arc.

After passing the ball, Felton also ran to the left baseline. After Hill blocked Raja Bell for Zhang Yang, he made a second consecutive pick-and-roll to help Felton block Nash.

Raja Bell hesitated for a moment and blocked Felton who was running towards the left corner.

Dio's defensive ability against Hill was not good, but his defensive awareness and choices were always good. He rarely held back Marion and Raja Bell. This time he also completed the switch tacitly and chased after Zhang Yang...but Raja Bell made a wrong defensive prediction this time!

Okafor continues to pass the ball to Zhang Yang!
Dio tried very hard to chase and defend, but Zhang Yang suddenly turned and cut inside when he was about to reach the top arc. Dio tried his best to catch up... but couldn't!

Zhang Yang went straight to the basket from the middle, Okafor quickly pulled away, and Stoudemire pressed forward... but was passed by Zhang Yang with a European step. Zhang Yang jumped to the right arc of the reasonable collision zone, took off, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
Okafor was glad that he ran fast. There are three players in the NBA who can dunk after the Eurostep: Flash, Yaodao, and Zhang San. But only Zhang San would not care who is next to him. As long as he jumps to the dunking position with the Eurostep and his jump is not affected by any confrontation, he will just jump up and dunk, and he will not let his teammates go!
The fans at the scene cheered wildly for Zhang Yang's European step and slam dunk. As Nash missed the buzzer-beating three-pointer after a screen, the two teams were tied at 73 at the end of the first half!
They still had the initiative on the court, and the opponent was still in a passive situation of chasing points, but this time the score was tied, and the mentality of the Suns players was obviously affected!

(End of this chapter)