Chapter 342 341. Tonight is a scoring night

Someone leaked the news that the four No. 3 players would compete for the AMVP, but this topic quickly became a hot topic among fans.

After finishing his dinner, Zhang Yang borrowed a staff member's computer to check the news for a while. He saw that it was James who helped him and Wade call on the Eastern Conference All-Stars to help them compete for the AMVP...

Zhang San: Is King doing this to enhance his influence among the Eastern Conference stars? No, it seems like he wants to make the fans believe that he has a great influence among the Eastern Conference All-Stars... No, if he has the energy and time to do these things, wouldn't it be better to use them to improve his basketball skills?
Once your skills improve and you’ve won honors, you’ll naturally have influence.

Of course, team operation is a must. His father, Zhang San, has also been working with Tellem to enrich his operation team. Even the mode of cooperation has changed. It is now calculated based on commission. His father spends extra money on operations, and is naturally more willing to invest than Tellem, the agent. The purpose of spending this extra money is to take the initiative of operations into their own hands. However, Zhang San did not participate in these personally and was only responsible for carrying out some promotional activities.

As an athlete, KING is unique in this era for personally taking care of these things.

At 4: p.m., Zhang Yang received a call from James and went to the visiting team's training ground to gather with his Eastern Conference All-Star teammates to begin preparations for the game.

With James as the matchmaker and the support of Yao Ming, Rasheed Wallace and Jamison, the Eastern Conference All-Stars have a unified goal and are discussing how to cooperate around the Zhang-Wei combination.

They don't need complicated tactics to form a team. Just a rough discussion will do. A group of All-Stars are willing to play supporting roles, and the main attacking players can maximize their personal abilities.

Zhang Yang is impressed by King's communication skills. He doesn't have to worry about anything, and it would be a waste of his talent if he didn't become King's agent.

James was very frustrated - two years ago, when I wanted to compete for the MVP, it took me several days to win over the Eastern Conference All-Stars, and they were still reluctant. Why is it that when Zhang Yang, who has such a bad reputation, and Wade, who is far less famous than him, want to compete for the MVP, everyone agrees so readily?
...

At 7 o'clock in the evening, Zhang Yang and his teammates arrived at the stadium, and a series of pre-match activities began.

First up was the pre-game show, with Howard opening with a dance performance.

Watching Suo Suo twisting his stiff body and trying hard to be funny, Zhang Yang controlled his expression and tried not to show his disgust.

Is this imitating a shark?
Good imitation, don’t imitate it next time.

Big Shark, you should quickly heal your injury, lose some weight, adjust your playing style, and return to the All-Star ranks. The All-Star opening show cannot be without you!
However, after Howard performed a Superman dunk yesterday, he became even more popular. Although his dance was a bit awkward, the fans at the scene still gave him face and cheered...

There are far more pre-game activities during the All-Star Weekend than during normal games, especially this year. Stern's speech in support of New Orleans' post-disaster reconstruction alone lasted 15 minutes.

From the opening show to the All-Stars entering the stadium to the end of the pre-game interviews...it took a full 50 minutes.

The performances were fine, and Zhang Yang tried hard not to laugh at Stern's speech. Of course, he also felt that supporting the reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas was the obligation of a professional sports league, but there were some things about the Eagle Sauce that he could not understand - the Jewish guy had a 15-minute speech, and spent 5 minutes talking about rescuing 3 cats from the rubble during post-disaster rescue.

The most ridiculous thing is that when Stern talked about other things, even when he said that the NBA donated so much, the fans booed. But when he heard that three cats were saved and the big screen showed photos of rescuers holding cats, there were cheers and some people were so moved that they cried...

Finally, at 7:50, a series of pre-match activities ended. The referee directed the staff to clean the court and mop the floor, and the players of both teams returned to the bench to make final preparations before the game.

Zhang Yang got into the game instantly and discussed with Wade how to cooperate. His teammates who were helping him win the MVP also provided their opinions and took the time to discuss the playing style.

Bulls head coach Scott Skiles, who served as the head coach of the Eastern Conference team, has become a decoration, but he is also happy to relax. He is responsible for rotating the lineup according to needs and try to reduce the playing time of their team's All-Stars.

On the other side, the Western team was also making intensive preparations for the game.

A few minutes later, the referee notified both teams of their starting lineups.

Zhang Yang played with Wade, James, Okafor and Yao Ming, and looked at Iverson, Kobe, Anthony, Garnett and Duncan.

The players on both sides are full of fighting spirit.

Originally, everyone just wanted to have fun and watch the four No. 3 players compete against each other.

But after the media hype and heated discussions among fans, the nature of the game changed. With so many people paying attention, if they lost, if they didn't help their No. 3 player win the AMVP, where would they put their face?

Duncan always makes the more advantageous choice. He stayed in front of the free throw line. Garnett and Duncan did not communicate a word today, but understood each other's intentions. He came to the center circle and stood on both sides of the center line with Yao Ming.

At 9 o'clock in the evening, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. Garnett defeated Yao Ming to win the jump ball, and the Western team attacked first!

Iverson advanced to the frontcourt, facing Wade's defense, he took a butterfly step, and after feeling in position, he suddenly dribbled the ball quickly and broke through to the right!

Wade tried hard to stop Iverson's breakthrough, but still failed and he passed him. He quickly turned around to defend him, but it was too late. Iverson took a long two-point jump shot... and it went in!
In the offense-defense transition, Wade advanced with the ball. The Western team players all thought he would play one-on-one, but Garnett and Duncan were ready to surround him.

But Wade passed the ball to Yao Ming who was leaning against Duncan in the low post.

Yao Ming forced Duncan into the legal collision zone, turned around and made a layup!
It was the Western team's turn to attack again. Iverson continued to break through. Wade gave up blocking the breakthrough and chose to follow up, and together with James who was shrinking on the wing, he sandwiched Iverson at the free throw line.

Iverson passed the ball...the two guns connected, Anthony received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right and made a long two-pointer!
In the offense-defense transition, Yao Ming continued to ask for the ball in the low post, Garnett sank, and Wade did not continue to lob the ball, but instead burst into acceleration and rushed straight to the inside. Iverson could keep up with him, but was knocked away by Wade.

But the double No. 21 under the basket was difficult to break even for Wade. They were blocked as soon as they got one step outside the reasonable collision zone, and they didn't even have the space to use the European step.

Just when the double 21 were about to form a triple-team with the chasing Iverson, Wade made a high pass and Yao Ming pulled out to the left side of the three-second zone to receive the ball. Garnett predicted correctly and moved in front of Yao Ming in the first time, giving Yao Ming no chance to receive the ball and shoot.

But Yao Ming was prepared. He didn't raise his hand, but grabbed the ball with one hand. After being stuck to by Garnett, he steadied himself and then pushed it towards the top arc.

Zhang Yang used Okafor's screen to get rid of Kobe at a 45-degree angle on the left side, came to the top arc, received the ball, turned around and retreated out of the three-point line, facing Kobe who had bypassed Okafor and caught up with him, and took a three-point shot... and hit it!
5 to 4, the Eastern team leads by 1 point!
For this ball, Kobe felt that something was wrong with the opponent, but he thought it might be a coincidence.

But after a few more rounds, Kobe called me a bastard - the other side had no martial ethics and was actually using tactics!

The Western team also discussed how to attack around the two No. 3 players and how to cooperate, but not from a tactical perspective, but from a support perspective, and the consideration was very simple.

Because Iverson's best way of organizing offense is to pass the ball, and Paul is also a point guard with a high ball possession rate and highly concentrated ball possession, the Western team agreed on a style of play tonight, which is that Iverson and Paul take turns to play and take turns. The game time is only 48 minutes in total, and they each play half, and they can also maintain their strongest condition throughout the game.

But the flaws of this style of play are obvious. Iverson played very comfortably and freely in the first few minutes, but with this style of play, the functions of his teammates were very single-minded. Kobe, Anthony, Garnett, and Duncan all became players who caught the ball and shot, and cut in to grab the rebounds.

With Yao Ming under the basket, the Western team had poor conditions for cutting into the basket after falling into a positional battle, and mostly shot from the outside.

When the Eastern team double-teamed Iverson who broke through, they always let James do the double-team, leaving Anthony open and asking him to shoot directly after receiving the ball. Anthony made his first shot, but his stability was not good afterwards, which did not suit his playing habits. But it was not suitable for him to take a few shots to find the rhythm when catching the ball in an open position. His efficiency was average when he received the ball and shot... After the Western team scored two goals in a row at the beginning, their scoring slowed down and they only scored 4 points in 11 minutes and 11 seconds.

As for the Eastern team, the style of play initially proposed by James was the same as the Western Conference's idea, which was to let the two No. 3 players take turns, while the others would be responsible for defense and supporting cooperation.

But Zhang Yang rejected this play, saying that he was not as good as Wade in singles scoring, and took the initiative to give the main attack right to Wade. Wade was surprised, but did not refuse, because he naturally wanted to get more ball rights.

After voluntarily giving up power, the detailed changes proposed by Zhang Yang were also recognized - let Yao Ming attack in the interior and create a threat, and then Wade will have better conditions for breaking through and passing the ball after compressing the opponent's defense; when Wade breaks through and passes the ball, Yao Ming will choose to move to the elbows on both wings to support the team according to the actual situation; with Yao Ming's speed, he will definitely not be able to get rid of Garnett's expansion defense, so Yao Ming can pass the ball to James who cuts in to play simple balls, or to Zhang San who runs on the outside according to the actual situation.

This style of play, in essence, is still Wade's sudden pass. The coordination is not complicated and you will become familiar with it after practicing it a few times during training.

After the game started, Zhang Yang's offensive plan was executed smoothly. The structure of their starting lineup was great.

Yao Ming is the strongest singles offensive point in the league today, bar none, and he is a shooting threat, able to shoot and pass.

Wade is the best breakthrough nanny in the Eastern Conference, and he always was before the Heat formed the Big Three.

James's ability in simple ball is also among the best in the league.

Okafor sets good screens, has good movement awareness, and is calm and steady.

Zhang Yang himself is also one of the best off-ball players in the league.

The four players who attacked around Wade were all willing to sacrifice some of their playing styles and cooperated very well. They even had their own extensions on Zhang Yang's ideas. When James cut in to eat the cake, he added inside and outside passes and passed the ball back to Yao Ming for a mid-range shot assist.

4分11秒钟时间，韦德2分2助攻、张杨7分、姚明4分1助攻、詹姆斯2分1助攻、奥卡福2分，东部队以17比11的开局比分打停西部队！
Entering the timeout, Kobe said to several teammates: "I didn't expect the other side to use tactics."

Iverson: "Yeah, Jack's charisma is incredible."

Gasol, who was called by the Zen Master and was about to come on as a substitute, whispered, "I heard from Gerald that Jack always comes up with excellent tactical ideas, and his ability to analyze and predict the game is also very strong, which makes it easy for his teammates to convince him."

Iverson: "That's it. He has talent, strength, honor, and a good mind. The Eastern Conference players have a good relationship with him. It's normal to score and attack around him."

Kobe nodded when he heard this, feeling sad.

He has played for more than ten years and will be 30 years old in half a year. He does not have that kind of influence in the team. Kidd and Garnett have more say in tactics than him... Of course, he is convinced by their tactical abilities. After experiencing those three years, he also cherishes these two teammates and chooses reasonable playing styles.

But that doesn't stop him from being critical of Zhang Yang's influence and tactical voice in the team.

No. 23 and No. 24 have the same feeling on this matter.

The Western team players hold this view on the Eastern team's play because, in their opinion, the biggest beneficiary of the Eastern team's cooperation is Zhang Yang, at least not Wade or Yao Ming.

But the Eastern Conference players felt completely different.

Big Cheeks: I'm in control of the game tonight!
In his opinion, it is true that Zhang Yang scored the highest, but if he doesn't pass the ball, Zhang Yang can only run around aimlessly on the outside.

Zhang Yang has such good choices in screen, positioning and receiving positions that he must pass the ball. Regardless of whether he gets an assist or not, he will pass the ball as soon as possible.

He is not a loner, but is happy to lead the team's offense.

As the saying goes, there are only wrong names, but no wrong nicknames. The nanny with the biggest cheeks in history is not called that for nothing.

...

After the timeout, both teams rotated their lineups.

The Western team sent out a combination of Iverson, Roy, Kobe, Stoudemire and Gasol.

The Eastern team sent out a combination of Wade, Zhang Yang, James, Bosh, and Rasheed Wallace.

The Zen Master and Skiles have similar ideas - play less in the interior of their own team, and let the opponent's interior play more.

The Western team attacked, Roy initiated the attack with the ball, Iverson pulled to the baseline, Kobe ran without the ball, Stoudemire seized the opportunity to cut, and Gasol stayed in the mid-range.

Facing Zhang Yang's defense, Roy displayed his extremely strong personal style of rhythm breakthrough. Zhang Yang, who is also a rhythm expert, was unable to defend against him and was broken into by Roy.

James and Bosh's wing retreat came at the right time. Roy did not stick to the ball and passed it to Gasol who was in the high position outside the free throw line.

James immediately got in front of Gasol and did not give Gasol a chance to shoot.

As long as he is willing to do this kind of work, he is no worse than Gerald Wallace and Marion!
Gasol was very aware and raised the ball high, so it was not intercepted, and when the time was right, he passed the ball...

Kobe made an emergency stop after cutting in, then ran back to the right baseline for a long two-point shot, received a pass from Gasol, and made the two-point shot!
Zhang Yang picked up the ball and passed it to Wade. Wade was surprised and said, "Jack, you guessed it right. No, you predicted it right. Roy, Bryant, and Gasol can really play a triangle offense!"

Zhang Yang: "If Kobe is willing to play without the ball, he can play as a small forward, which is perfect for cooperation with Roy and Gasol."

Wade nodded, and after seeing the answer, he worked backwards, and it was indeed a good fit.

Kobe, who was retreating, was also surprised at Gasol's grasp of the timing of the assist. He felt that he was no worse than Garnett!

The Zen Master on the Western team's bench also sighed about this ball. Originally, they also had plans to introduce Gasol, but if they could get Garnett, they would definitely take Garnett, so he just sighed and had no feelings of regret or remorse at all.

Soon, Kobe began to miss Garnett.

The Eastern team attacked, Wade used James' screen, and the two of them attacked the inside, one on the right and one on the left. Wade made a lob pass, and Zhang Yang, who was screened by Rasheed Wallace on the wing, cut into the inside to receive the ball, jumped up, and slammed the ball into the basket across Stoudemire under the basket!

Zhang Yang's timing of cutting in this ball was not very good. Stoudemire received the ball, but he made a good choice. Stoudemire received the ball but did not play much of a defensive role. Gasol predicted Wade's passing line and received it from the elbow area, but his speed was not enough.

In the eyes of others, Zhang Yang's attack this time demonstrated his excellent basketball IQ.

Zhang Yang himself was thinking something completely different… It was so cool to cooperate with this group of people and receive passes from them!

(End of this chapter)