Chapter 297 296. You tell me their defense is only fifth in the league?

Fans watching TV at home were excited that Yao Ming was the last one to enter the stadium and officially became the star player of his team like Zhang Yang.

At the Turkish Airlines Arena, reporters also mentioned this when Zhang Yang and Yao Ming were interviewed before the game after the entrance ceremony.

After the interview, Yao Ming said with emotion: "It has been more than five years. Although I don't care if I am the last one to enter the stadium, I am still very excited at this moment. I will remember this moment for the rest of my life."

Zhang Yang just heard from a reporter that Yao Ming was the last one to enter the stadium for the first time, and he was very surprised.

But when he recalled it, it was true.

When Yao Ming was in his first and second years, he was only the third in command. Not only was he not the last to appear, he was not even the first to appear. Francis and Mobley were the first and second in command.

In 04, after the collapse of the OK combination, the Jewish guy saw a business opportunity and went all in to bring in McGrady.

Before McGrady even went to Houston, he said in an interview in Orlando that he would go to the Rockets to be the boss.

At that time, Zhang Yang had just finished his sophomore year in high school and was in summer training. When he saw the news about McGrady being interviewed, he felt confused - is McGrady's emotional intelligence so inspiring?
But seeing the chips offered by the Rockets...

Francis, a three-time All-Star, had been selected as an All-Star before Yao Ming entered the NBA. He was 27 years old and at his peak when he was traded.

Mobley, a top three-man player, averaged 01 points per game in the 02-21 season when the Rockets used the two-gun tactics.

Add Cato, three starters as bargaining chips, and also take on Juwan Howard's garbage contract.

Juwan Howard's stats in the 03-04 season looked okay, but when he was on the court, the Magic lost by 100 points for every 12 possessions. The Magic were able to get him as the No. 04 pick in 4 as a top pick. At the time, he had four years and $2400 million left on his contract. His salary was higher than that of high-quality blue-collar centers like Kurt Thomas, Zaza Pachulia, Joe Smith, who signed new contracts that summer, and he was rated as an "untradeable player" by the media.

With this kind of transaction, anyone would be proud.

McGrady had just won the scoring title for two consecutive years and was already full of confidence. After being traded, his confidence turned into conceit and even arrogance. It was only natural.

Not to mention McGrady, even a gentle player like Gasol would probably get carried away if he encountered a similar situation.

If the bargaining chips used by the Lakers to trade for Gasol were Odom and Bynum, the first words Gasol would say to Kobe when he arrived at the Lakers might be - Kobe, your sister-in-law is here.

In that case, Popovich would not care whether the Lakers get Gasol. He was upset because the only price the Lakers paid to get Gasol was backup center Kwame Brown. Gasol Jr. was only a second-round pick signing right at that time and had not yet entered the NBA. Giving away this signing right would not have any impact on the Lakers' strength.

If the Rockets had traded for McGrady and only gave up backup forward Maurice Taylor, Popovich would have been cursing.

Before McGrady even reported for the game, he loudly called himself the boss, and Yao Ming... tacitly accepted the role of the new second-in-command of the team.

In his previous life, they were separated by the Pacific Ocean, and Zhang Yang was still young at that time, so he didn’t feel anything was wrong.

During that period of his life, he was in high school and was staying at the Eagle Sauce's home. When he saw Yao Ming not competing at all, he complained madly.

In the 03-04 season, Yao Ming, who was in his sophomore year, was selected to the third team. His performance at the center position was only worse than O'Neal and Duncan, and was on par with Ben Wallace, with each having their own advantages and disadvantages.

Francis was traded. As one of the four best centers in the league, Yao Ming was fully capable and qualified to be the boss, but he didn't even try to compete with McGrady... It can only be said that it was his personality.

Listening to Yao Ming's sigh, Zhang Yang complained: "If you stay in the Rockets, you probably will never see this day and be the second in command until retirement."

Yao Ming:

Yang Yang on the court is not cute at all.

He understood what Zhang Yang was complaining about.

During his years with the Rockets, not only did he not fight for the boss position or the last appearance, he also did not compete with McGrady for tactical position or shooting rights.

Of course, considering the physical problem, it is not so important whether he fights for these things, but sometimes he needs to show his attitude.

Not only that, when McGrady was injured, he did not act as the "temporary boss" and still chose to be the first to appear. He showed enough respect to McGrady.

But his humility and respect seemed to be regarded as "weakness and gullibility" by others.

When he left the Rockets, McGrady was saddened by what he said to the media - "I am the best player in the world, and I couldn't get past the first round because I never had good teammates."

If this is just because McGrady is unhappy with him wanting to leave after he requested a trade, then Yao Ming wouldn't be unhappy. But McGrady said something similar after the Mavericks were reversed after leading 05-2 in the 0 playoffs...

Everything has to be contrasted.

After joining the Bulls, Yao Ming remained humble, taking a low-key and steady approach. Hinrich was still the boss, and he claimed the second-in-command and was the first to enter.

Facts have proved that it is not humility and low-keyness that are wrong, but a few individuals.

In the eyes of the young talents of the Bulls, Yao Ming is strong, humble, and low-key...he is simply a god teammate.

McGrady's attitude towards Yao Ming: How come you can't even do a pick-and-roll?

Hinrich, Duhon, and Luol Deng's attitude towards Yao Ming: Do you want another one-on-one? Tired? No problem, just stand there and rest, I'll feed you the ball...

Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Terrence Thomas, Aaron Gray: Leave it to me! I'll grab the rebounds, I'll do the help defense, and I'll do the pick-and-roll defense...

The first time Yao Ming played against Zhang Yang, he envied Zhang Yang's treatment in the Bobcats. After he got the same treatment in the Bulls, he was so upset in the first few games of the regular season. What kind of life was he in the Rockets?
With the comparison, Yao Ming's "parent team complex" for the Rockets and "teammate affection" for McGrady declined rapidly.

The Bulls also took today's game very seriously. The players knew how much attention this game received in their hometowns on the other side of the ocean. Hinrich said at the right time, "Little giant, it's time for you to be the boss," and again proposed that Yao Ming be the last to play. This time he chose to accept it.

Tonight is another very important day for Yao Ming. His mentality and career trajectory have once again undergone subtle changes.

...

The two teams were very harmonious in greeting each other before the game and in interviews in front of the camera. They hugged each other and took photos, as if to say "friendship first, competition second".

When the pre-match preparation time was over and the starting players of both teams came onto the court, the atmosphere immediately became tense.

Tonight is the last game of the early season for both teams. Whoever wins will be the top player in the league in the early season. The Bulls players want it but the Bobcats players don't want to give it.

The game starts at 8pm!
Okafor beat Yao Ming to win the jump ball, and the Bobcats attack first!
Bulls starting lineup: Hinrich, Nocioni, Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, Yao Ming.

Bobcats starting lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Hill, Okafor, Perkins. Zhang Yang ran to the front court, and after crossing the center line, he saw that it was Hinrich between him and the basket, and immediately ran to the high position.

Hinrich: What does it mean that you saw that I was several beats faster in defending against running?
Felton advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Zhang Yang who was in the high post with his back to the basket. Hinrich tried hard to push Zhang Yang a little further away, but failed. He could do it at the beginning of last season, but by the end of the regular season last season, he could no longer do it. He just had to try hard.

Zhang Yang carried out the first attack and made two fake moves with his back to the basket.

Hinrich was not easily fooled, and his defense, strength, and footwork were all very good.

Zhang Yang admired Hinrich's defensive skills. He was indeed a skilled second-tier defense master. Rhythm attack was a bit difficult, so he decided not to use rhythm attack...

Zhang Yang turned sideways and rushed towards Hinrich with all his strength. After taking one step, he turned around and made a jump shot... and it went in!
Good skills? Then use your strength to defeat ten skills!

Hinrich's interference was ineffective, a trace of helplessness flashed across his face, and when he ran back to receive the serve, he wanted to complain to Yao Ming.

Just two months had passed since the preseason match, and he once again clearly felt Zhang Yang's improvement - he was even better at using his strength in back-to-the-basket shots.

During the offseason, Zhang Yang's weight and strength have improved significantly. With a height of 196 cm and a weight of 93 kg, he is no longer at a disadvantage when facing most shooting guards, and has an advantage in strength when facing most point guards.

But why say "again"? Because Hinrich had the same feeling when Zhang Yang was a rookie... Zhang Yang is only 19 and a half years old, and this feeling has lasted for two and a half years, and it is estimated that it will continue for at least that long.

From the first defense at the start, Hinrich developed a sense of urgency in the championship - when Zhang Yang is 22 or 23 years old, and Felton, Okafor, Millsap and others are 26 or 27 years old, they will simply not be able to play.

In the offense-defense transition, Hinrich advanced to the frontcourt and the first attack was given to Yao Ming.

Yao Ming went down to the low post to play against Perkins. He used one step to push Perkins away and turned around to make a hook shot!
Even after reducing his weight to 137 kg, Yao Ming's strength is still unmatched!

Even Perkins, who is 208 cm tall and weighs 125 kg, couldn't bear it.

After losing weight, Yao Ming's turning pace and shooting speed have improved a bit. He no longer has to drive into the basket to dunk, but instead turns around quickly to hook the shot, and Okafor's double-teaming didn't have time for him.

When the Bobcats attacked, Zhang Yang did not continue to play alone, but cooperated with the team during regular time to save his energy for critical time nodes.

Felton and Okafor launched a pick-and-roll attack, but neither of them had a chance to shoot after the attack!

Nocioni and Ben Wallace did a great job switching pick-and-roll defense!

Although Nocioni is a white player, he is strong in defense. He is not afraid of the power forward and actively fights against the close defense. His expression is ferocious and he looks like he is ready to die.

Of course, the main reason why Ben Wallace was able to lock down the pick-and-roll between Felton and Okafor was that he followed Felton closely and relied on his arm span and keen defensive prediction to block the best connection time between Felton and Okafor.

Felton broke into the elbow area but failed to shake off Ben Wallace, so he quickly protected the ball and looked for someone.

Hill did not disappoint the fat man. He moved to the receiving position in time, used a back-run to shake off Luol Deng's defense, and successfully received the pass from Felton.

But Hill had no chance to shoot after receiving the ball, and Hinrich made timely defensive moves and blocked Hill's lower body!
After Felton passed the ball, he moved to the right sideline. The space was open, but Hill couldn't pass it. Ben Wallace was guarding the right sideline of the three-second zone, blocking Hill's space to pass to the right.

Perkins pulled out of the three-second zone and no one paid any attention to him. Yao Ming squatted under the basket and Ben Wallace was on the sideline of the three-second zone. Nocioni only needed to go around the front and defend Okafor to receive the ball and shoot from close range, and he didn't have to worry about cutting in.

Hill originally wanted to take a step back shot, but when he saw Zhang Yang cutting into the inside, he immediately passed the ball to him.

Zhang Yang cut in without getting rid of the defense. When Hinrich went to cover Hill, Luol Deng immediately switched defense to Zhang Yang. When Zhang Yang cut to the low post on the left side of the three-second zone and received the ball, Luol Deng stood firmly in front of Zhang Yang.

After receiving the ball, Zhang Yang took a step forward to the right and started with the European step. Luol Deng quickly took a step back. Yao Ming stepped out from under the basket and went outside the arc of the reasonable collision zone... But Zhang Yang stepped out with his right foot and his left foot did not move!

Dribble the ball, step back, and take a close-range jump shot...and it goes in!
The fans cheered loudly! Zhang Yang scored two goals in a row, and the Bobcats led 4-2!

Different from the excitement of the fans, Carlisle was staring at Ben Wallace on the Bobcats bench.

Vincent: "Wallace did a great job on defense this time, defending the pick-and-roll, cutting off the pass, and interfering in the middle... Rick, you have trained a great player."

Carlisle: "..."

Take it as a compliment.

Kabal was very depressed at the moment. Zhang San said that there were only a handful of players in the league who were capable of limiting their team's offense.

Kirilenko of the Jazz, Garnett of the Lakers, Gerald Wallace of the Grizzlies, Marion of the Suns... Gerald Wallace and Marion can be ignored. The Grizzlies have excellent core three but the overall lineup is poor; the Suns don't play defense at all. The best time they used Marion's defensive ability was in the playoffs against the Spurs last season. With Kurt Thomas being sent away by Steve Kerr, the Suns have completely given up on defense.

The remaining fifth player who has the ability to limit their team's offense is Ben Wallace.

Zhang Yang scored the goal just now, but it was purely due to his personal ability. He relied on the threat of his famous Euro-step to trick Luol Deng, Yao Ming and Ben Wallace into forming a semicircle around him. He then used his excellent core strength to collect the ball and seized the opportunity to step back and shoot.

Of course, Hill also has a good grasp of the timing of passing the ball.

But it is difficult for such goals to have any continuity...

Carlisle's judgment was correct. In the next few rounds, the Bobcats' team offense was not very good. He actually made preparations by letting Felton and Okafor play pick-and-roll to create mismatches and create better conditions for team offense, but the opponent defended too well!
Ben Wallace has "growth reversed" this season. With a big rim protector under the basket, he no longer has to compete with the center. He has lost weight to 107 kg and his defensive performance is better than last season, approaching the peak of the 05-06 season. He averaged 33 minutes per game, scoring 6.2 points, 11 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 2.2 blocks!

With 4 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter and the score 9 to 8, the Bobcats called a timeout!
The team called a timeout when leading by one point. Some fans at the scene and in front of the TV did not understand Carlisle's move.

The Bobcats players on the field were thinking: Finally, a timeout was called.

It is true that they are leading by 1 point, but that doesn’t mean they have the advantage!
Only scoring 5 points in nearly 9 minutes is unacceptable for the Bobcats, who mainly rely on offense. Converted into 48 minutes, it is only over 90 points, less than 110 points, not to mention compared with their average performance of points per game.

而且他们这9分里，有6分是张杨拿到的，4投2中，外加2中2的罚球。

After Zhang Yang scored two goals in the opening period, he took three shots in the following running games, but missed two and was fouled once.

The most crucial thing is that Zhang Yang's shots were all one-on-one shots after his tactics were blocked, and none of them were easy shots.

Zhang Yang's idea of ​​saving energy through team offense was destroyed by the Bulls!

Zhang Yang walked back to the bench, drank some water, spit it into the towel, and then complained: "Aren't the Bulls ranked fifth in defense? Why do they feel more defensive than the Rockets, who are ranked second, and the Lakers, who are ranked fourth?"

(End of this chapter)