Chapter 367 366. Demon-slaying Sword!

On the Bobcats side, Carlisle patted Zhang Yang on the shoulder and said, "Jack, go ahead and beat Ginobili!"

Zhang Yang was also very excited. He handed the training suit to Alan Anderson and said, "I have waited for two and a half quarters and finally waited for this moment."

Seeing Zhang Yang excitedly going to the technical table to apply magnesium powder, Vincent said to Carlisle, "Rick, you and Jack are getting more and more in sync! He just adjusts his playing style, and you can understand his intentions for responding on the spot."

Carlisle: “It hasn’t reached that level yet. We just communicate frequently and exchange ideas with each other. Maybe after some time, we can reach that level.

After training this morning, I talked to Jack and mentioned that the Spurs are good at positional defense. "

Vincent analyzed in hindsight: "The Spurs' rotation around Duncan is very fast, and they do a very good job of covering for three-pointers and cutting in from the wing. Combined with Duncan's ability to protect the rim, they have always been one of the best defensive teams.

Now they have replaced Parker with Conley, and added a swingman named Gay who is fast, tall and has excellent wingspan. The backcourt defense has been greatly improved. If the Bulls did not have the combination of Yao + Wallace + Hinrich, the Spurs' positional defense would be the best in the league.

The main reason is that they have too much experience playing against us, and they know the characteristics of our main scorers very well. They start by defending our players and targeting us. We can execute our tactics well, but it is difficult to create open shooting opportunities. "

Carlisle nodded and agreed, "Yes, the Spurs' offensive style is centered around star players. Our current defensive style is very restraining to them, but we are also restrained by them when we focus on positional warfare.

Those three offensive teams can use their speed to circumvent the Spurs' positional defense when playing against the Spurs, forcing the Spurs to compete with them on offense, but we can't.

So when Jack and I analyzed the situation tonight, we had already anticipated it."

Vincent was puzzled and asked, "Why don't you prepare for the contingency in advance instead of adjusting it on the spot?"

Carlisle: "Jack asked this question, but I think we have to give it a try when we play against the Spurs for the first time after adjusting our offensive system."

Vincent: "That's right... So you and Jack have agreed that if the team offense can't create good opportunities, just fight the Spurs?"

Carlisle: "This is one of the planned changes, and there is another change that can be executed. Refer to the Lakers' play against the Spurs when Bryant and Garnett played the same way, let Jack, Grant, and Brad take more shots from mid-range and long distances.

Jack's choice to play at a disadvantage must be based on his actual feeling of the game. As you said, the starting lineup of the backcourt of Parker and Finley was changed to Conley and Gay, and the Spurs' wing defense has been qualitatively improved. He may have chosen this response method for this reason.

The Spurs have become more and more stable since Christmas, rising from sixth in the Western Conference and now have 53 wins and 24 losses, surpassing the Hornets to move into second place in the Western Conference, so I can understand Jack's choice to use the team's strength to fight the Spurs.

If he lets go of his singles, once his shooting is not stable enough, our team's offensive rhythm will be disrupted, and we will fall behind by more points, and it will be difficult to catch up. "

Vincent understood everything and responded, "Yes, it is difficult for the Spurs to respond effectively when their opponents explode, but there are very few players who can do this. Even Bryant, who has always performed well against the Spurs, I remember Bryant and Duncan played against each other 65 times, and Bryant only won 35 times, including the five rounds of playoffs in which the Lakers won three rounds..."

When Vincent asked Carlisle why he carried out the response, he was actually helping Carlisle sort out his thoughts.

Zhang Yang, after applying magnesium powder, came onto the court. Joining him were Felton, Pietrus, Hill and Perkins.

The opposing team replaced the lineup with Conley, Ginobili, Gay, Udoka and Duncan.

Zhang Yang stood with Ginobili and said, "You are performing so well, but you are still playing as a substitute and your salary is so low. I feel it's not worth it for you."

Ginobili chuckled and responded, "You want to sow discord between me and the team like you did with Tony?"

Zhang Yang: "Wow, you found me."

Ginobili: "It's useless. I am very satisfied with my current position. As for the salary, it is enough."

Zhang Yang: "As expected of Argentines, they have a carefree attitude towards finances. I am not that open-minded."

Ginobili: "Haha, I can see that. Otherwise, given your family conditions, you wouldn't have started working at the age of 17."

"I always feel that you have too many misunderstandings about me..."

Zhang Yang was just about to defend himself against those strange legends when the referee blew the whistle to continue the game. He had no choice but to give up and concentrate on preparing for the game.

Pietrus went to the free throw line and made the extra free throw, 43 to 41, and the Bobcats led by two points.

The Spurs attacked and Conley advanced across half court and passed the ball to Ginobili.

Zhang Yang, who was guarding between Ginobili and the basket, seemed to see the former Lakers' backcourt - Fisher's enhanced version + Kobe's limited version.

The Demon Sword faced off against the Bad Boy, and the fans at the scene cheered. The Bobcats fans didn't like the Spurs, but had a good impression of Ginobili.

Even after the Spurs lost the championship in the finals last season, Ginobili was full of praise for Zhang Yang.

Of course I have this preference because it was the Bobcats who won the finals last season, otherwise it would be hard to say.

In addition to the preference for Yao Dao, the matchup between the two is itself exciting for fans.

After Ginobili became the Spurs' leading scorer as a substitute this season, in addition to being given the title of "the strongest sixth man in history", he also had a very burning regret - if he only played 20 minutes in a game, Ginobili would be ranked T1 among shooting guards along with Kobe, Wade and Zhang Yang, and he might even be stronger than these three.

Ginobili played for 12 minutes in the first half and scored 9 points. He rested for half a quarter in the second half before returning to the game. Currently, he feels the best in terms of his physical condition and the game.

Zhang Yang played for 19 minutes in the first half and scored 12 points. He also rested for half a quarter before returning to the game. According to past experience, this is when he is in best condition.

This season, the second strongest player in the third quarter in the Western Conference and the strongest player in the third quarter in the Eastern Conference will face off in the third quarter. How can fans not be looking forward to it?

When Ginobili came off the bench in the second half of the first quarter, he was surprised by the cheers from the away fans, but he also felt more excited because of it.

After his teammates got into position, Ginobili started to play one-on-one against Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang defended very hard and very well, blocking Ginobili's shots from one step inside or outside the three-point line.

Ginobili felt like he was suffocating and had no chance of making a long shot, but he still used his footwork for a one-on-one long shot, and his realistic fake moves successfully tricked Zhang Yang into moving his center of gravity.

Ginobili seized the opportunity and broke into the inside!
Zhang Yang turned around and chased after the opponent, completely ignoring the quick stop jump shot, and Ginobili did not make a quick stop jump shot, but went straight to the basket.

Facing Perkins' fierce backup defense and Zhang Yang's close pursuit behind him, Ginobili used his devilish pace, shook off the two men, strode to the left side of the basket, jumped, turned 90 degrees in the air, turned his back to the baseline, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand through Hill who had received the ball under the basket!
The fans at the scene let out an "Oh!" sound, and the commentators from major TV stations in the United States also expressed their amazement. The commentator from the Royal TV station, Su Qun, even shouted "The world's number one European step."

Su Qun's statement is recognized by even the domestic fans who are extremely fond of Zhang Yang.

The Euro step has also become popular in the NBA, but most players have only learned the form. Kobe, Pierce and others can only use it but have not mastered the essence. The ones who really use it well are Ginobili, Wade and Zhang Yang.

Wade used it the most because the scoring area was smaller.

Zhang Yang is the most stable. He is tall among the guards, has a good wingspan, and is a big threat when attacking the basket. Opponents prefer to block him under the basket. He uses his ability to attack the basket mainly to create opportunities for quick stop jump shots from mid-range and short distances. He will only use this trick when the conditions for attacking the basket are very good, or when he has to, or when he is competing. His success rate is the best among the three.

Ginobili is recognized as the best European player, whether he is playing in Europe, international competitions, or in the NBA.

Take the Eurostep dunk for example, all three can use it. Wade's physique is fierce, so it's normal for him to play like that; Zhang Yang's continuous jumping ability is exaggerated, especially his continuous stride speed is amazing. When he uses the Eurostep, he can create good opportunities most of the time, so it's normal for him to play like that;

Ginobili's explosive speed and explosive power are slightly better than Zhang Yang's, but much worse than Wade's. His speed is also the "slowest" among the three. However, his European step followed by a dunk is the most common. His choice of stride route and control of stride rhythm are far better than the other two.

43 to 43, the Spurs tied the score again!

In the offense-defense transition, Zhang Yang received the ball in the frontcourt and was blocked by Ginobili. He glanced at the positions of Duncan and Gay, as well as Udoka who was ready to sink to the left elbow at any time. It was obvious that he wanted to use team cooperation defense to force him to single out on the wing and provide backup defense.

After reading the opponent's defensive intention, Zhang Yang passed the ball to Hill on the left side of the free throw line, and cut to the baseline with Ginobili. After reaching the left sideline of the three-second zone, he slipped to the baseline with the help of Perkins' screen.

Duncan did a very good job of delaying the ball, and Zhang Yang and Perkins' off-ball screens were in vain.

But at this moment, Felton broke in from a high position!

Just when Zhang Yang passed the ball to Hill, Felton pulled up from the left corner. When Zhang Yang and Perkins were setting an off-ball screen under the basket, Felton just happened to bypass Hill and receive the ball.

After Zhang Yang slipped out from the left side of the three-second zone, he turned and ran straight to the free throw line. Duncan had just turned around at this time, and Ginobili quickly made up for Felton who was rushing in.

Felton passed the ball behind his head and threw it to the free throw line. Zhang Yang received the ball and turned around, jumping towards Conley who let go of Felton and Udoka who came over from Hill, and shot from the free throw line... and made it!
Hill excitedly high-fived Zhang Yang and Felton as he retreated. He thought Zhang Yang played the ball beautifully and Felton's cooperation was also very tacit.

Vincent on the sidelines was also amazed: "Jack played very well. The Spurs did a great job switching and helping out. Jack didn't get rid of the defensive intensity of being double-teamed when he got the ball from the free throw line, but he successfully used tactics to change the two double-team defenders from Ginobili + Gay to Conley + Udoka, and the intensity of the shooting interference he encountered was completely different."

Carlisle: "Raymond's timing of passing and passing is also very good, and Grant's positioning is also very good. If Grant passes the ball to Raymond and then chooses to cut in from the wing to receive the ball, Ginobili can follow up with Jack, and the passing line between Jack and Raymond will be blocked. It is indeed right to keep Grant on the court. The opponent can only use Udoka, who is of the same height as Jack, as the power forward to keep up with Grant's speed. Jack can easily throw the ball over Udoka's head... In fact, during the All-Star break, I was very hesitant about how to implement the tactical system adjustment." Vincent: "Why?"

Carlisle: "In fact, it was Jack who took the initiative to propose that his ideal team is one where all the players have tactical roles. Of course, I also like his idea, just like college basketball, but I don't know if he simply has such an ideal or is really willing to do so. The tactical role of all the players on the team will inevitably lead to a reduction in the star player's rights."

Vincent: "From what I've known about Jack over the past year, he doesn't really care about the ball. He just likes to shoot."

Carlisle: “I made the decision to make this adjustment because of my understanding of him, but I’m still worried.

Although Jack devoted himself to helping his teammates adjust during the tactical details, there was still a difference between that and actually starting to execute the tactical offense with him as the spearhead.

When we were making arrangements for the game at that time, we didn't specify who had to be the main attacking point. It was because of his strong ability and the many opportunities he had through tactical running that he shot more than his teammates. After the adjustment period ended and he began to truly execute the tactics and it became clear that he was the first scoring point, his mentality for the game would definitely be different.

I have been in the NBA for more than 20 years and have seen countless superstars, but even a player like Bird has necessary requirements for ball possession. When competing with his opponents, even if tactics can create shooting opportunities for him, he will prioritize singles.

In that case, it would be meaningless to spend time and energy on "all-player role tacticalization". It would be better to just adjust according to the traditional tactics. The effect would be the same, but the difficulty would be much lower."

Vincent: "That's true. We discussed several times whether the details of our system adjustment were too idealistic. It added a lot of work and has not been fully adjusted yet. When we build a defensive system in the future, we will also have to arrange the offensive system lineup, which will make it more difficult. But at that time I thought it was just your 'perfect personality' that was at work. I didn't expect it was Jack who took the initiative to bring it up."

Carlisle: "But now I'm not worried at all. Jack's performance in the past few games after we started to officially implement the tactics, especially the offensive choices when Jack and Ginobili are facing each other, he actively prioritizes tactics and enjoys playing..."

While the two friends were discussing Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang was leading his team in a fierce positional battle of offense and defense against the Spurs led by Ginobili on the court.

When Ginobili gave his all and Zhang Yang entered arrow mode and used tactics to create shooting opportunities, the offensive performance of both teams suddenly improved significantly!

However, the two have completely different ways of leading the team.

As a substitute, Ginobili averaged 19.5 points and 4 assists per game. It can be seen that although his skills and playing style are different from those of Djokovic, their playing philosophy is very similar - to lead the team to victory on his own.

This was also the Spurs' offensive philosophy during the Duncan 1.0 to 3.0 period, with the entire team involved in defense and superstars in offense.

Ginobili's playing style tonight was no different from the past. He scored through singles, attracted double-teams and passed the ball to his teammates, and when they failed to shoot the ball, he took the blame and digested the ball. His playing style was like a superstar guard and his performance was also at the superstar level.

Zhang Yang...shoot! Shoot! Shoot again!
He has been looking for shooting opportunities and organizing offense in tactics. That is the job of Hill and Felton. His first choice is to shoot.

His teammates thought he had a good chance, so he tried to throw the ball after receiving it.

If his teammates can provide assists to other teammates due to his containment, he will start over in the next round.

Of course, if he receives the ball and is tightly double-teamed, and his teammates happen to have a large open space and he can pass the ball to the right spot, he will still pass it, but his entire playing style looks as unique as it can be!

It was okay to watch the game from a bird's eye view during the live broadcast, and teammates who had long been accustomed to Zhang Yang's role in the tactics didn't think it was a big deal, but the Spurs players who were competing on the same court felt that it was too exaggerated, and they felt that Zhang Yang was always shooting.

In fact, Zhang Yang's shots accounted for just over half of the shots in the second half of the third quarter. Basically, his teammates shot one and he shot one. Although this percentage was also high, it was not to the point of "shooting all the time". It was just that his eyes were only on the basket, which made the Spurs players feel that Zhang Yang was picking on their entire team.

Ginobili and Duncan, who have been competing with Kobe for many years, once thought that the old blacksmith was the most selfish player in the world. Now they have changed their minds. No one is more selfish than the bad boy Jack!
Fortunately, the style of the Spurs team is stability and tenacity. Duncan's strong strength allows his teammates to always maintain confidence. His psychological quality also affects his teammates. In addition, most of the team members are veterans. Facing Zhang Yang's highly sensory style of play, they still maintain stability. Ginobili swings, Duncan swings, and the two take turns, and continue to stalemate with the Bobcats led by Zhang Yang.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Bobcats scored 6 points in less than 16 minutes, not counting the free throw after Pietrus came back from the timeout. Their offensive firepower was much higher than that in the first two and a half quarters. The Spurs also improved greatly with the full output of Duncan and Ginobili, scoring 17 points.

After three quarters, the Bobcats led the Spurs by 69 point, 68 to 1.

The Bobcats threw 11 shots in the second half of the third quarter, and the others made 5 of 2 shots, including 3 of 1 three-pointers. In addition, Okafor, who was rotated in at the end of the third quarter, made a tip-in and was fouled and made both free throws, scoring 7 points.

Zhang Yang made 6 of 3 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 9 points. The title of "King of the Third Quarter" this season is not exaggerated.

His average points in the third quarter this season, although it dropped a bit after the All-Star Weekend, is still 10.2 points, which is much higher than Kobe's 8.6 points per game, who is second in the Eastern Conference, James' 7.8 points per game, who is second in the Western Conference, Ginobili's 7.6 points per game, who is second in the Western Conference, and Nowitzki's 7.5 points per game, who is third in the Western Conference.

Tonight was below the season average, but he only played less than 6 minutes!

Ginobili made 5 of 3 shots and 3 of 2 free throws, scoring 8 points in the first half, which was not much behind, but he did not take any three-pointers in this half.

Zhang Yang can defend one-on-one at a long distance. As long as he has no disadvantage in height and wingspan, his ability to interfere with shots is too strong. Except for those who are like Kobe, who just want to make the shot when you shoot, and interfere with his shot regardless of the consequences, opponents will choose to break through under normal circumstances. If they want to shoot, they will choose to use screens like Nash and Hinrich.

After the intermission, both teams continued to attack with full firepower in the fourth quarter.

Popovich fell into the opponent's strategic trap from the beginning. With their current style of play, as long as the opponent can maintain the stalemate, he will not be able to break free. Now he dare not make any response. Whoever stops and changes his style of play at this time will be swept away in one wave.

Carlisle, who had achieved his strategy, was actually under great pressure at this time. The pressure of winning was now completely on the players on the field. The players' independent response in the game became the key. He could only emphasize the areas that needed attention and could be utilized during breaks and timeouts between quarters.

Of course, while attacking fiercely, both teams are also defending with all their might, hoping that the opponent's individual or team offense will fail, so that their defensive restraint on the opponent will be re-exposed.

But the expectations of both teams were dashed.

The playoffs are coming soon. The two teams have been treating the game as the playoffs since the beginning of the month. Now with only a few games left in the regular season, both teams have got into the game. Tactical coordination, detail adjustments, tacit understanding... and so on have all reached their best before the playoffs. They also know their opponents well enough, and both sides have not let down!
In the first half of the final quarter, the score was 15 to 14, and the Bobcats won by 1 point, leading the Spurs by two points, 84 to 82, into the official timeout.

After the official timeout, Conley hit a three-pointer with the help of Duncan's screen, and the Spurs overtook by 85 point with 84 to 1.

Looking back, Zhang Yang received the ball in a high position and seemed to be about to pass it in midfield, but suddenly he turned around and jumped, hitting Ginobili unexpectedly with a long two-point sneak attack, and also caused Ginobili to foul.

After Zhang Yang made the free throw, the Bobcats regained a two-point lead, leading 87 to 85.

In the next half quarter, the two teams continued to play in a tense manner, with both teams scoring less and less. The wing shooters were basically out of luck, and Mike Miller and Bowen theoretically still had their touch, but neither of them could catch the ball.

Gay's shooting was sluggish again tonight, but Brad Miller also sluggishly hit the rim late in the game, so it was a tie.

There were only three players on both teams who scored in the second half of the final quarter: Conley, Ginobili, and Duncan from the Spurs, and Felton, Zhang Yang, and Okafor from the Bobcats.

Until the final moment, the score was still tense.

Currently, the lineup on the field is: Bobcats - Felton, Zhang Yang, Hill, Okafor, Brad Miller; Spurs - Conley, Ginobili, Gay, Oberto, Duncan.

The Spurs attacked, and Duncan, who was left open, received the ball and shot from close range at a 45-degree angle. The Spurs overtook the Bobcats by 94 point, 93 to 1!
This ball made Carlisle on the sidelines scratch his head madly, but there was nothing he could do and he couldn't blame the players.

Duncan's mid-range shooting percentage is 43.6%, long two-point shooting percentage is 42.1%, and shooting percentage at the basket is 69.6%. His shooting percentage at the elbow is 38%, which is the lowest. In the situation just now, Okafor didn't let go of Duncan, Ginobili rushed in and made a layup, and Brad Miller couldn't keep up.

If Duncan moves to a farther and more accurate mid- to long-range position, Hill or Felton can make up for it and go around the front defense to receive the ball, forcing Ginobili to take a difficult shot under the double-team of Zhang Yang and Okafor.

But Duncan was willing to take responsibility at the critical moment. He went to the elbow area, which was the least accurate, at a 45-degree angle to receive the ball and shoot, and he made the shot!

When the Bobcats attacked, Zhang Yang received the ball and was trapped by Gay who moved in advance. He passed the ball to Hill, who passed it again. Felton went to the sideline of the three-second zone to receive the ball against Conley, faced Duncan's defense, took a step closer to Conley, stepped back to make a jump shot from close range... and it hit the target!
95 to 94, the Bobcats took the lead!

At the critical moment, Ginobili has Duncan to help him, and Zhang Yang also has people!

When the Spurs attacked, Ginobili received the ball and asked Duncan for screen.

He and Zhang Yang played against each other for a quarter and a half, but they could no longer make fast breaks, otherwise they would not have relied on Duncan to receive the ball and shoot from close range in the last round. When he had enough energy, he broke through and Okafor was unable to get into position.

But at the critical moment, he still chose to do it himself.

Duncan's pick-and-roll was solid, blocking Zhang Yang tightly. Ginobili was just about to get past Okafor after using the screen... but Hill came over!
Ginobili was distracted for a moment and didn't make a mistake, but he lost the opportunity to pass the ball to Gay on the wing in the first place. Okafor waved his arms to make a try, but the pass failed.

Seeing Duncan bring Zhang Yang to the 45-degree two-point area on the left, Ginobili calmed down and continued to play one-on-one!

Facing Hill's defense, Ginobili broke through, stopped suddenly, stepped back and took a long two-point shot... The moment Ginobili grabbed the ball and jumped, Hill suddenly accelerated, burst out and rushed forward, interfering!
Hill made a great contribution in the key defense! Ginobili took a step back and missed the two-pointer!
Okafor blocked the rushing Oberto, and Brad Miller passed the ball to Zhang Yang immediately after getting the rebound. Zhang Yang received the ball in the middle and launched a counterattack!

The Spurs' defense was very good. Oberto's rush prevented Okafor from following up immediately. Duncan and Conley retreated to the middle, and Ginobili and Gay retreated to the wings, so they could double-team and fill in the gaps at any time.

Zhang Yang ran straight to the opposite side from the middle, and suddenly slowed down when approaching the three-point line. Duncan, who had just retreated to the free throw line, saw this and hurried to catch up.

When Duncan and Conley were about to get close to each other, Zhang Yang suddenly accelerated, dribbled the ball behind his back, took a step sideways, avoided Duncan, knocked Conley away, and broke into the inside!
The threat of the chase three-pointer that had no effect before, worked at the critical moment!
Conley turned around and couldn't defend in time. Duncan wanted to reach out and pull the player for a tactical foul, but was blocked by Conley and failed.

Watching Zhang Yang rushing to the basket, Popovich on the sidelines squatted down in pain, but an even more painful scene was coming!
Ginobili flew over from the wing and slapped Zhang Yang's arm, but the ball had already left Zhang Yang's hand...

The whistle and the sound of the ball falling into the basket sounded almost simultaneously.

Zhang Yang made a crucial counterattack and caused Ginobili to commit a foul!
(End of this chapter)