Chapter 309 308. Advantages of a Single-Core Team

Paul and Zhang Yang would definitely be the first to attack for both teams at the start. The fans were expecting them to make a big shot, but they ended up making a big one and both missed shots at the start.

But Paul pulled it a little bit bigger...

Paul was very excited when he saw Zhang Yang miss the shot under the defense of James Posey.

When he learned that the team had picked up James Posey for free in the summer, he was looking forward to playing against the Bobcats. Zhang Yang would attack without the ball, and it would be difficult for James Posey to defend him. But in a one-on-one situation, James Posey, who has an extremely superior physique, would definitely be able to greatly limit Zhang Yang.

But when Paul received the ball and pushed forward, he found the problem. He seemed to be the one with the worst performance in the first round.

James Posey defended Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang defended him... Both of them showed good defense at the beginning, but he was the only one who was beaten unilaterally!
Paul's mood suddenly turned bad, but after he advanced to the frontcourt, he did not have the impulse to continue playing one-on-one.

The Bobcats' defense is average, but their one-on-one and double-team defense is strong. His mid-range and long-range shots were blocked by Zhang Yang. He could only break into the inside when playing one-on-one, and then was surrounded by Zhang Yang, Okafor, and Perkins. In that situation, he couldn't even pass the ball.

He is a space-type point guard. Due to his height limitation, he cannot go deep into double-teams whether he is scoring or passing, and has high requirements for court space.

However, single defense and double-teaming are strong, which is easy for Paul to deal with, and he waved towards Chandler.

Chandler thought to himself, "You still have to rely on me," and quickly stepped forward to help Paul block Zhang Yang.

Paul broke through with the help of a screen. At this time, his starting speed was extremely fast, otherwise he would not have been so confident to make a quick stop and jump shot on the right side of the free throw line after passing Zhang Yang.

Perkins, who stepped out to defend the pick-and-roll, couldn't even delay the confrontation, and Paul easily broke into the inside.

Okafor covered Paul, and Zhang Yang followed closely behind Chandler who cut in and tried his best to get around him. Paul broke into the right elbow area and passed the ball back to the high position.

David West went around from the right baseline to the high post, received the ball and made a jump shot...hit!
Chandler is the one who executes the pick-and-roll, so Perkins has to go out to defend it. Okafor has to guard David West in the low post, or Paul can just pass the ball to David West to play one-on-one against Perkins. It's like a piece of cake for David West to play against a slow, meaty inside player like Perkins.

In the offense-defense transition, Zhang Yang went straight to the baseline after reaching the frontcourt. If he had to play one-on-one, he could have faced James Posey. Didn’t he just create a shooting opportunity, but he just didn’t make it... This is not giving in, but putting the team first.

Facing Paul's defense, Felton came on his own, changed direction with a cross step, moved one step to the right, and faced Paul who was moving sideways, and rushed forward directly!

Paul fought hard... and was crushed.

Zhang Yang slipped from the baseline to the left side of the three-second zone, then suddenly stopped and turned back to cut to the basket.

Felton crushed Paul to the right side of the three-second zone, attracted Chandler to make up for the defense, and passed to the left. Zhang Yang took two steps into the three-second zone after receiving the ball, and flew to David West who was making up for him and made a jump shot...hit!
There is no way to deal with James Posey. He is a level slower than Zhang Yang and is only at the first-rate level among forwards and guards. Zhang Yang is definitely at the top level in terms of speed.

When defending one-on-one, he can rely on prediction and seize opportunities to fight and not fall behind, but when defending without the ball, he must run with all his strength to keep up. When Zhang Yang controls his speed and runs back with a bad rhythm, he has no way out and can only hope for his teammates' backup defense.

But the Bobcats' team defense is not good, but their team offense is very fierce. In this round alone, the Bobcats' ability to mobilize the opponent's defense is so good that few teams in the league can compare with them, in James Posey's opinion.

In singles, the top scorers of both teams were not in good form tonight. Both teams launched team offense, and the other side could not defend. Paul and Felton, as the core players with the ball, led the team in a team offense at the same time.

In the starting lineup stage, the two teams were evenly matched. At 4 minutes and 12 seconds in the first quarter, Felton hit a three-pointer against Paul with a step-back, making the score 12 to 11, and the Bobcats overtook the Hornets by 1 point!
Hornets head coach Byron Scott called a timeout to rotate the lineup.

Carlisle also made a lineup rotation. Felton and Zhang Yang continued to stay on the court, Mike Miller and Millsap replaced Hill and Perkins, and Okafor moved to the center position.

After the timeout, the two teams entered the first round of lineup rotation.

The advantage of single-core play is reflected in the Hornets - stability.

The Hornets' offense revolves around Paul, so when rotating the lineup, they don't need to think too much. If a certain position's shooting or cutting is not good, just replace it with a player with a similar style.

As long as Paul is capable enough and in good shape, the offensive rhythm will hardly be affected after the substitution, and there is no need to adapt or adjust, and the offensive continuity is surprisingly good.

The Bobcats' team offensive style requires an adaptation period in terms of playing rhythm, even if it is very short, after lineup rotations, especially after the replacement of the core supporters.

黄蜂队抓住机会，在接下来的几个回合打出一波8比4，以19比16反超山猫队3分进入官方暂停。

After the official timeout, Zhang Yang took advantage of James Posey being substituted out for rest and attacked for several consecutive rounds, scoring 1 goal, causing a foul and making one of two free throws, and also passed a three-point assist to Mike Miller on the wing.

Paul also stood up at this time and made two consecutive mid-range jump shots after using screens, helping the Hornets maintain a 1-point lead and lead the Bobcats by 23 point 22 to 1.

After enduring the Bobcats' brief counterattack, Paul, who was a personal scoring threat, led the Hornets to a more fierce attack.

In the next 3 and a half minutes, the Hornets scored 13 to 8, extending their lead to more than 5 points.

After the first quarter, the Hornets led the Bobcats by 36 points, 30 to 6, and entered the intermission!
(End of this chapter)