Chapter 335 334. Zhang San: I suspect the boss has betrayed me

On February 2, the Bobcats returned to their home court and defeated the Celtics 5-107 in a back-to-back home game.

张杨今晚打了29分钟，16中7，其中三分球3中0，加上8中7的罚球，拿到21分2板7助攻。

He was double-teamed a bit hard tonight. The opposing defense played as it pleased and double-teamed whoever they wanted, and Rivers didn't care.

He got 30 assists in less than 7 minutes. This assist efficiency is the second highest in his more than 40 games this season. The highest was when he got a triple-double against the Nuggets.

The Celtics are one of the most discussed teams among players of all teams this season. After the game, the Bobcats players were also talking about the Celtics.

Zhang Yang: "From 12-14 to 16-33, how badly do they want a high draft pick? That's too ruthless."

Millsap: "Every one of their forwards is better than me, but they played so badly."

Felton: "Paul, don't underestimate yourself. I think you are better than all those forwards. Jack also said that you will definitely achieve better results than those people in the future."

When Millsap heard this, he immediately stood up. He thought the eldest brother's words were a comfort, but when the third brother said this, it meant that he must have advantages that were better than those people that he himself had not discovered.

It’s no wonder that he felt so inferior when facing the Celtics’ talented forward line. Just look at that group of people.

Rookie Jeff Green was known as the next Odom during the draft.

Al Jefferson, known as Little Malone during the draft.

Ryan Gomes was considered a lottery pick in 05, but due to his awkward positioning and age, he fell to the end of the second round. However, after entering the NBA, he averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds per game in his rookie season, and averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game last season.

Josh Smith was said to have the same talent as James during the draft.

Not to mention Marvin Williams and Adam Morrison, the top three picks.

Millsap, who is currently in his second year, was somewhat unconfident when facing these people... and he couldn't suppress his gloating.

With so many forwards gathered together, most of them will definitely be useless.

Speaking of this, Zhang Yang sighed, "It's a pity for the Celtics' forward talents. Ainge is not willing to sell them at too low a price. Some teams want Jeff Green, but they want two first-round picks. When they first selected Jeff Green last summer, they could sell him at this price. Now other teams are lucky to give a mid-to-late first-round pick. No team is willing to give a lottery pick..."

Hill: "The Celtics have a clear idea. They will let Josh Smith and Al Jefferson play first and focus on developing these two forwards with the most potential. As for the others, they don't have that much energy to take care of them. They can only try their best to sell them at the best price. After all, developing new players requires playing time and shooting rights, and it also takes a lot of time and energy from the management and coaching staff.

Jack, there are too few players like you and Emeka who don't need the coach to worry about them. It is precisely because you have this rare quality that our coaching staff has the confidence to train Raymond, Paul, Rajon, Aaron, Alan and others. Otherwise, we would have many talents buried and wasted. "

Felton nodded when he heard this. Zhang Yang and Okafor were indeed the players who gave the coach the least worries he had ever seen...wait!
Xiao Fei: Why am I not among the players with this trait? Okay, Grant, I will remember you and write it down in my little notebook so I don’t forget it.

...

After back-to-back games against the Wizards and Celtics, the Bobcats players were clearly in a much more relaxed state of mind.

The most difficult stage in the mid-season is finally over!
They have played 48 games so far, including 26 away games. The 4 more away games than home games were mainly concentrated in two consecutive away games, first 4 consecutive away games in the Southwest Division, and then 5 consecutive away games in the Pacific Division + Nuggets. From the middle of the season to now, they have played a total of 22 games, and the two long consecutive away games accounted for 9 games.

Although we have a day's rest tomorrow and will play four games in the next six days, they will all be at home, so at least we don't have to travel far.

The next morning, the league announced the previous week's player of the week.

Last week, Zhang Yang had 4 wins and 3 loss in 1 games, averaging 29.75 points and 4.75 assists per game. He had a little expectation... but he didn't get it, losing to Turkoglu.

特科格鲁上周场均拿到20分7.5板6.5助攻，4场比赛一共投进了14个三分球，率领魔术队4战全胜，将战绩提升到了31胜17负。

In the west, Zhang Yang saw a name he hadn't seen for a long time - McGrady.

上周麦迪率领火箭队取得3胜1负的战绩，场均25.5分5板7.3助攻0.5抢断0.5盖帽。

In the first two months of the competition, McGrady was often in the news for his outstanding performance. But after January, Zhang Yang saw McGrady in the news because of injuries. He was about to return, but failed to return and continued to be absent. Finally, he returned and was injured again...

Witnessing the passing of this youth again, Zhang Yang felt quite emotional.

At noon, the league announced the detailed list of participants for the All-Star Weekend.

What Zhang Yang is most concerned about, of course, is the substitute lineup.

Unfortunately, in the Eastern Conference where the backcourt is extremely strong, Felton was not selected without any suspense.

Billups, Hamilton, Hinrich, Jamison, Bosh, Rasheed Wallace, Howard and other seven people, together with Wade, Zhang Yang, James, Okafor and Yao Ming, formed the Eastern Conference All-Star lineup.

Paul, Nash, Roy, Boozer, Nowitzki, Gasol, Stoudemire and other seven people, together with Iverson, Kobe, Anthony, Garnett and Duncan, formed the Western Conference All-Star lineup.

Zhang Yang counted and found that the top three teams in the Eastern Conference occupied 12 of the 7 All-Star seats in the Eastern Conference!
In the Western Conference, the top three teams, the Lakers, Suns, and Hornets, only had five players selected for the All-Star Game.

Moreover, the overall quality of the Western Conference All-Star lineup is significantly higher than that of the Eastern Conference. Even Deron, who averaged 20+10 per game, Baron Davis, who led the Warriors to more than 50 wins, and McGrady, who supported the Rockets... were not selected.

It's the Wild West indeed!
In the Rookie Game, Millsap was selected for the sophomore team, but for the first time since the team was founded, no rookie was selected for the Rookie Game.

Afflalo has shown great potential, but he does lack some combat effectiveness. Alan Anderson, who has mediocre talent, is currently performing better than him.

In the three-way event, Mike Miller and Brad Miller were invited to participate in the three-point contest.

Felton received an invitation from Paul to participate in the skills challenge together. Paul also invited Deron and Zhang Yang. Deron accepted, but Zhang Yang refused.

Playing the Skills Challenge with these three, he suspected that the boss had betrayed him and wanted to unite with outsiders to rebel and abuse him. As for the Slam Dunk Contest, after Gerald Wallace left, this aspect was their shortcoming.

Zhang Yang occasionally contributes to a dunk, and the Bobcats fans are like it's Chinese New Year...

...

After a one-day rest, on February 1, the Bobcats faced the challenge of the Pacers at home.

In the first quarter, the Bobcats led the Pacers by 28 points, 25 to 3, but in the second quarter, their offense was suddenly interrupted and their shooting was cold, scoring only 15 points in the quarter. On the opposite side, Troy Murphy had a great shooting touch from beyond the three-point line, making 5 three-pointers in a single quarter. He scored 17 points alone, leading the Pacers to 29 points in a single quarter.

At the end of the first half, the Pacers led the Bobcats by 54 points, 43 to 11.

In the third quarter, the Bobcats regained their spirits and scored 25 to 21 in a single quarter, narrowing the gap to 7 points. In the final quarter, the Bobcats continued to improve and scored 29 points in a single quarter.

But Granger stood up in the final quarter. He was defended by Zhang Yang in the third quarter and made only 4 of 1 shots. In the final quarter, he scored consecutive goals despite Zhang Yang's interference, scoring 10 points in a single quarter. He fought back and forth with Zhang Yang, who scored 11 points in a single quarter, and led the Pacers to 27 points in a single quarter!
晚上9点21分，比赛结束，格兰杰19分7板3助攻、特洛伊-墨菲27分、马奎斯-丹尼尔斯15分7板8助攻，三人携手率队以102比97险胜山猫队！
张杨首节6分、第二节8分、第三节5分4助攻、末节11分，拿到30分5板6助攻3抢断1盖帽。

这场比赛他打得很卖力，第二节队友们都得不了分的时候，他站出来投得比首节更多、得分也比首节更多，但他8投3中加上2中2的罚球拿到8分，队友们10投3中拿到7分……但主要问题出在首节。

In the first quarter, his teammates attacked fiercely and fought hard. Except for him, everyone else scored 22 points. His score in the first quarter was lower than the season average, while his teammates scored higher than the season average, which led to the overall offensive weakness of his teammates in the second quarter. After the halftime break, they adjusted and recovered. In the second half, they won by 6 points, but lost 14 points in the second quarter alone, which was too much.

After the game, he said at the press conference: "If I had shot more in the first quarter and let my teammates consume less energy, their physical problems in the second quarter might not be so big."

After playing against the Pacers, the Bobcats took a day off and faced the Hawks at home on February 2.

After the trade, the Celtics plummeted from 12 wins and 24 losses, ranking eighth in the Eastern Conference, to fourth from the bottom.

The Hawks rose rapidly after the trade. Led by Bibby, Joe Johnson and Pierce, they went from 8 wins and 18 losses to 22 wins and 28 losses, winning 24 of their last 14 games.

A record of 14 wins and 10 losses is certainly not an outstanding one, but the Hawks have been in a bad state for several years, either actively or passively. It is very rare for them to make such a big improvement immediately after the trade.

The three superstars need to get along with each other, adapt to a new style of play, and help their teammates who have developed bad habits on bad teams to correct their shortcomings... Fortunately, Joe Johnson played with Nash for a year before coming to the Hawks to get a big contract and knew what kind of style of play was able to win games. Otherwise, Bibby and Pierce would have to do the extra work of correcting the playing habits of the top scorer.

With the Hawks' current momentum, they may play better and better in the later stages of the season. They will definitely not make it into the top four. The Magic already have 31 wins, but they will have no problem making the playoffs with a % winning rate in the end.

Media predictions suggest that the Hawks could end up in fifth or sixth place, just like the Bobcats did two years ago.

However, in this matchup, the Bobcats played better than last time.

In the matchup after Christmas, the Hawks had just completed a trade, and the Bobcats coaching staff and players could only guess based on experience what kind of cooperation and performance they could play. The coaching staff was okay, but most of the Bobcats players had just so-so experience. In the end, the game was quite difficult, and they fought for the entire game before they relied on the depth advantage of the lineup to wear out the Hawks.

Now, the new combination of the Hawks has played more than 20 games. The Bobcats are already very clear about the advantages. The Bobcats coaching staff has also studied the shortcomings. After all, they are doing research and preparation against the imaginary enemy in the first round of the playoffs.

首节山猫队25比24小胜1分，第二节山猫队打出优势，单节28比22赢了6分，半场结束时以53比46领先老鹰队7分。

In the third quarter, Zhang Yang, Felton and Mike Miller opened fire and engaged in a fierce battle with Bibby, Joe Johnson and Pierce.

The three players of the Hawks are better than the three players of the Bobcats in terms of individual ability, but in terms of coordination and team offensive tactical ability, the Bobcats are clearly one level better.

皮尔斯7分3板、乔-约翰逊11分、毕比6分3助攻，三人携手率领老鹰队在第三节狂飙33分。

在布拉德-米勒、希尔、米尔萨普三人单节合力拿到8次助攻的辅助下，张杨10分、费尔顿7分、迈克-米勒8分，山猫队单节狂轰34分！
The Eagles performed so aggressively in the third quarter, but the Bobcats still had a 1-point advantage. After three quarters, the Bobcats led the Eagles by 87 points, 79 to 8!
By the end of the quarter, the Bobcats were having trouble scoring and only managed 26 points.

However, the Hawks were not in a bad situation either. Woodson fell behind in the rotation of playing time, which held the players back. The unreasonable playing arrangement led to the weak performance of the three outside players in the final quarter, and he led the team to only 24 points.

张杨全场22投10中，其中三分球6中2，加上6中5的罚球，拿到27分4板2助攻3抢断。

奥卡福14分10板3助攻、布拉德-米勒10分7板5助攻、费尔顿16分5助攻、迈克-米勒16分、皮特鲁斯今晚表现出色拿到12分7板……

Joe Johnson's 25 points, Pierce's 23 points, and Bibby's 17 points and 10 assists were all in vain!
In the end, the Bobcats defeated the Hawks 113-103, improving their record to 38 wins and 12 losses!
Although the victory was easy, Zhang Yang felt the potential threat posed by this team.

He mentioned this when chatting with his teammates during post-match physical therapy.

Okafor agreed with this and said, "Except for the second quarter tonight, they were able to keep up with our rhythm throughout the other three quarters. In the third quarter when you scored in double digits, Jack, they were able to keep the score close. We were able to win because of our better coordination and stronger overall strength, but it is hard to say how much improvement they will make in the future. Our strength has reached a stage where it is difficult to improve, and they still have a lot of room for improvement."

Felton complained: "Emeka, you are becoming more and more like Rick. We are winning now, not losing. You keep saying this. Even if they really make it to the playoffs and play against us, I believe we will be able to suppress them."

Okafor is such a calm person, but he jumped up and down when he heard this: "I didn't say we won't be able to beat them in the playoffs, I'm just being cautious!"

Zhang Yang opened his mouth but didn't say anything. If the coaching staff hadn't been chatting nearby, he would have wanted to serve as Okafor's narrator again: You are like Rick, your whole family is like Rick!

The entire team recognizes Carlisle's coaching ability and ability to train players, but there are also many complaints about him in private, a large part of which is that Carlisle loves to pour cold water on others.

Everyone can understand it, but it doesn’t stop people from complaining.

Hill took over the conversation: "The biggest problem is that we won't play against them again in the regular season. We can't play against them directly to feel their progress. If we meet them in the playoffs, we may have information errors. For example, their progress this time is greater than I expected. Just like Emeka said, they just didn't keep up with us in the second quarter. When we played the best in the third quarter, they were not inferior to us at all."

Felton was just complaining, and responded, "What you said makes sense. It's a pity. Two of the games were before their trade was completed. It would have been better if those two games were at the end of the season. Not only are you worried, I also feel that the teams outside the top four in the Eastern Conference, such as the Cavaliers, Raptors, and Wizards, I am not worried about any of these opponents. Only the Hawks make me feel threatened..."

While chatting with his teammates this time, Zhang Yang felt the changes in them.

Not only do these players influence Carlisle's coaching style, Carlisle's coaching style and way of doing things are also influencing these players!

(End of this chapter)