Chapter 374 373. Kabal: Another night of improved tactical tolerance

This year's regular season champion is in the Eastern Conference, and the Western Conference first place will start the playoffs first. There will be a two-day break after the regular season and the playoffs will start on April 4nd.

The Bobcats are second in the Eastern Conference and start the playoffs at the same time as the Western Conference's first team.

However, the Bobcats' regular season ended on the 18th, so they had three days of rest, one day more than the Lakers, but the final game was played away, so the difference was not much.

The most comfortable team is the Bulls. The playoffs will begin on the 23rd, with a total of 4 days of rest. The final game will be played at home.

Zhang Yang took a day off on the 19th. After returning to Charlotte, he watched the game and read the news. On the 20th, he started to be busy again. In the morning, he held a fan appreciation meeting for the team and in the afternoon, he held a sneaker promotion event.

Despite being busy, Zhang Yang had a lot of fun in the team and sneaker activities, immersed in them and enjoying the process.

Many fans may have watched football for many years and this is just one chance to see him in person. He can't just look so droopy-faced.

After playing for a day and relieving the pressure of the upcoming playoffs, Zhang Yang returned to the team on the 21st and began intensive preparations with his teammates.

In this first round, the pressure on the three core players is greater than when they first played in the playoffs two years ago.

After the morning training, the three core players sat together and chatted.

"Is our preparation this time too simple? It feels like there is not much specificity and most of it is routine training. Didn't the coaching staff start preparing for the playoffs when we played against the Lakers?" Felton's tone was a little puzzled.

Zhang Yang thought for a moment and replied, “Perhaps this way of preparing for the match is the decision the coaches made after discussing it for several days.

We have too little experience playing against the brand new Eagles team, and they are constantly changing and improving. Yesterday, Randy gave me two DVDs, which are the video clips of the Eagles last month and this month. Just watching the video clips of the Eagles' first two games and the last two games of this month, you can see that the tactics have changed. "

Okafor added: "The Hawks players have a high degree of tactical freedom, just like us two years ago, they have no concerns, dare to try any tactics, and may make changes at any time.

Their core players on the outside are experienced and can think of more solutions than us.

The coaching staff probably saw that the Pistons, Bulls, and Hornets made overly idealistic adjustments when they played against us, which led to their own unfavorable start. In order to avoid us falling into the same dilemma, the coaches chose not to try to predict how the Hawks would play, but to try with conventional play. Anyway, we have the overall strength advantage. "

Felton nodded to show that he understood.

Okafor's words reminded him of two years ago, when they were able to make a comeback in April with 4 wins and ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference. This was already a miraculous performance. Even if they were swept in the first round, they would still be praised to the sky after the season.

This time is different, they are the defending champions, second in the Eastern Conference with 61 wins and third in the league.

The day of preparation passed quickly, and on April 4, the first game day of the playoffs arrived.

In the morning, the league announced several awards.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak defeated Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace to win the Best Executive Award.

Zhang Yang was checking the news during lunch break and saw that this year's award votes were concentrated on these two general managers.

I also saw a piece of 'peripheral news' that the Clippers fired Elgin Baylor, and Baylor ended his 22-year tenure as the Clippers' general manager.

Zhang Yang felt that the runner-up was really unlucky. He had just won the best manager award in 06, and his operations were flawless in the next two years. He accumulated a lot of talent and did a good job in training talented rookies such as Kaman and Livingston. He also did a very good job in signing, trading, and salary control.

Look at the Clippers' roster at the end of the season:
Veteran point guard Cassell, who has great leadership skills and is cheap;
Livingston, the backup point guard whose ability and statistics are the poor version of Rondo, but whose potential is luxurious, and whose physique makes people envious;

The forward and guard combination of Al Thornton and Maggette is first-rate;
The inside combination of Kaman and Brand can go head-to-head with the next door;

The sixth man is the old but strong old cat Mobley who took the initiative to play as a substitute, and there are Tim Thomas, Josh Powell, Dan Dickau, Quinton Ross, Reuben Patterson...

The salary for this lineup is only 6400 million, and that's when Kaman has already executed his second contract!

Even if the logo man is replaced by the Clippers as general manager, the best that can be done is this, it can't be better.

But the Clippers were full of injuries. Every main player has been injured in the past two years. Mobley, who played 73 games, had the highest attendance rate among the main players. The second highest was Maggette, who played 70 games. The third was Livingston, who played 68 games... Brand was directly written off.

It just so happens that it’s the wildest year in the history of the Western Conference...it’s impossible not to collapse.

Hornets head coach Byron Scott defeated Bobcats head coach Rick Carlisle, Bulls head coach Scott Skiles, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy to win the Best Coach Award.

Bynum of the Timberwolves defeated Aldridge of the Trail Blazers, Turkoglu of the Magic, and Gay of the Spurs to win the Most Improved Player Award.

Ginobili of the Spurs defeated Terry of the Mavericks, Barbosa of the Suns, and Nocioni of the Bulls to win the Best Sixth Man Award.

The winners of the four "peripheral awards" were all what Zhang Yang expected. In the past two days, the media and fans predicted that these people would win the awards.

The Hornets went from never making the playoffs to being ranked first in the Western Conference, and finally achieving 54 wins and finishing third in the Western Conference. Paul became one of the two top candidates for MVP, and Scott deserved the award.

Ginobili once averaged 20+5+5 per game, and at the end of the season he averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He was called "the strongest substitute in history" without even a "one of". If all the best sixth men in NBA history were put together, Ginobili would surely win this award.

This time Ginobili received 110 of the 109 first-place votes, with only Terry taking away 1 first-place vote.

Bynum played 70 games this season, averaging 16.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, with a 57% shooting percentage and a 73% free throw percentage. There is really nothing to argue with others.

Without his knee being accidentally injured by his teammates, Bynum grew smoothly in the early stages of his career and seemed to have a bright future. However, Zhang Yang was still worried about the future of this player, with whom he had a relationship.

In the season when Bynum was traded to the Timberwolves, most of the news Zhang Yang saw about him were about his bad deeds.

Now I have won the Most Improved Award...

...

At 4: p.m., the entrance ceremony began at the Turkish Airlines Arena.

The first game of the series between the Bobcats and the Hawks is the opening game of this year's entire playoffs, so it starts very early. Zhang Yang heard that this game would be broadcast live in China, which would be hard for the fans who had to get up in the early morning to watch the live broadcast.

After the entrance ceremony, Jordan entered the stadium to receive the Southeastern Conference regular season championship banner.

Last year, when the team won the first place in the division for the first time, Jordan raised the flag. This year, he took the flag directly back to the bench and handed it to Cuban honey.

When the fans at the scene saw Jordan's performance, they applauded loudly. Commentators from all major TV stations were saying that Boss Jordan was free and easy... Barkley still made a few sarcastic remarks to Jordan, in short, he just couldn't stand it.

After the small award ceremony, Pierce, Joe Johnson and Bibby came to the Bobcats bench and exchanged pleasantries with the Bobcats players, saying that they had been looking forward to playing against each other in the playoffs for a long time. Zhang Yang seriously suspected that he was just bragging to get some exposure. Zhang Yang has been in the NBA for three years and has played against Pierce many times, which refreshed his understanding of this "number one player in the universe".

In the first two and a half years, when he played for the Celtics, every time he saw Pierce, he felt that this top small forward was full of resentment, as if others owed him $2.58 million.

Felton also privately said that Pierce is a big talker, meaning he loves to brag. He always makes big statements in every pre-match interview, but usually loses the games. In Zhang Yang's rookie year, Pierce led the team to 31 wins, and last season Pierce led the team to 24 wins...

However, despite being slapped in the face many times, he still maintains that kind of character. Zhang Yang feels that Pierce's psychological quality is extremely strong.

Now, he has joined a team capable of winning. Pierce's expression as if others owe him money immediately disappeared. He stood in the C position among the three superstars, chatting and laughing with Jordan, Felton and Hill... Zhang Yang thought of a word - a villain succeeds.

Zhang Yang shook his head. No, you can’t look at people with such tinted glasses. This is an opponent that no one on the court can underestimate.

The data posted on the big screen proved Pierce's strength.

After joining the Hawks, Pierce played 50 games, averaging 20.9 points per game, the lowest since his sophomore year and lower than the 04 points per game in the 05-21.6 season, but his shooting percentage was 49.6%, a career high, and his three-point shooting percentage was 40.9%, the second highest in his career, second only to 41.2% in his rookie year, plus 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals.

He can play both offense and defense, with or without the ball, and can help Bibby share the task of organizing offense, freeing up Joe Johnson so that the modern Jordan can focus on scoring.

The Hawks' trio is so well-matched, and they can play with or without the ball.

Joe Johnson averaged 23.2 points per game this season, and 56 points per game in 22 games after the big trade. Except for his poor scoring at the basket, his shooting percentages in the three mid-range shots of near, mid-range and long range were all above 43%, and his three-point shooting percentage was 39%, averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game.

After Bibby came to the Hawks, he played 48 games, averaging 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. It can be said that his joining made the Hawks a truly qualified team.

Zhang Yang knew that he must not underestimate this opponent, and he did not underestimate him at all.

It's just that without the filter brought by FMVP, Pierce looks like he has a lot of flaws except for his strong basketball skills...

The pre-match preparation time ended and at 4:58, the starting players of both teams came onto the court.

Bobcats: Felton, Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, Okafor, Brad Miller.

Hawks: Bibby, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Horford, Pachulia.

With Fatty and Little Duncan on the court together, Zhang Yang felt very safe.

Speaking of which, the two games against the Lakers and the Bulls were the first time he played without Fatso and Tim Duncan Jr., both of whom were considered iron men. After Okafor lost weight, he was hardly ever injured, and Felton was unlucky enough to sprain his foot that time, but he was hardly ever injured at other times.

Soon, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. Okafor defeated Horford to win the jump ball and the game began.

The Bobcats attacked first, Felton initiated the attack, changed direction and rushed into the inside against Bibby.

Bibby had a headache defending him, as he was also a top-level strong point guard, 188 cm tall and 88 kg in weight, but the opponent was 3 cm shorter than him, 8 kg heavier, and faster than him.

Felton broke into the right elbow area and passed the ball to the left baseline. Brad Miller received the ball and passed it to the high position.

After Zhang Yang and Okafor set a fake pick-and-roll, they came to the left side of the free throw line to receive the ball, turned around and shot a mid-range shot before Pierce and Horford could double-team them...it didn't go in, but!

Okafor came down the middle and pushed the ball that bounced off the rim into the basket, making a tip-in!

Carlisle clapped his hands on the sidelines, but his expression was strange.

Vincent noticed his friend's strange look and said with a smile, "If it goes in, it's a good goal."

Carlisle complained: "I arranged to end the off-ball pick-and-roll early, and the power forward followed up, but Jack received the ball and shot it directly."

Vincent: "The tactics were already implemented. He controlled the rhythm of slowing down and then accelerating around the pole well, and created a shooting opportunity before being double-teamed. It was normal for him to choose to shoot, but the ball was too difficult and he didn't make it.

Moreover, Emeka had an excellent opportunity to rush down and steal the ball. The opposing center was outside the three-second zone and had slow feet. It was difficult for the opponent to block him when he played like this. He also guessed that Jack would shoot. This was their tacit understanding. In Jack's words, 2 points + 1 rebound, a huge profit. We can call this a double insurance tactic.

Besides, didn’t you just set up a tactical framework and let Jack play freely? "

Carlisle: “…I feel like my tactical tolerance has improved.”

Despite the complaints, Carlisle actually felt that the team played well. The slow pace of the opposing 211 cm tall and 125 kg center Pachulia and Brad Miller's mid-range containment were points worth exploiting.

This so-called "double insurance" tactic makes better use of the space under the basket.

Scoring champion, a resounding golden signboard, as long as Zhang Yang shoots from a high position, regardless of whether it goes in or not, he can concentrate the opponent's defense to the high position and create better opportunities to rush into the interior.

On the court, the Eagles have already launched their offense.

Pierce carried out the Hawks' first attack, breaking into the inside with a single-handed attack against Mike Miller. When he was double-teamed, he passed the ball to Pachulia, who had a good timing in cutting in. After receiving the ball, he carried Okafor who was switching defense and made a steady hook shot!

On the defensive end, Pachulia, with his large weight of 125 kilograms, is only good at one-on-one defense in the low post and carrying players who are breaking through to the basket. His help defense is terrible, and he was played around by Felton and Brad Miller at the baseline.

But on the offensive end, Pachulia has an incredibly good sense of position, very high tactical literacy, and can even complete complex tactical coordination.

His large size also plays a good role in confrontations. After he stands in the right position and successfully receives the ball, he can rely on his size advantage to steadily catch the ball even if the defender is in place.

However, the Bobcats don't care about Pachulia's strength. He is just a blue-collar player who plays 20 minutes per game and scores 7 points and 6 rebounds.

The Eagles' attack allowed the Bobcats players to personally experience the huge changes in their opponent over the past two months.

In the matchup before the All-Star Weekend, the Hawks wanted to let their three superstars shoot every ball, and it was obvious that at that time the Hawks' three superstars only trusted Horford and Childress, two teammates with good talent and strong abilities.

This time it was different, the Eagles started with tactical coordination, and it was obvious that the goal was to pass the ball to the receiving players in the interior or on the wing. There has been great progress in trust, tacit understanding, and tactics!
But the Eagles' defense...

It was the Bobcats' turn to attack and they continued with the tactics from the previous round. Okafor ended the pick-and-roll early when he was about to block Pierce and moved down along the right sideline of the three-second zone. Pierce did not hesitate this time and decisively switched defense to block Okafor. Horford also moved in advance to block Zhang Yang's shot, and Pachulia also moved to the basket first.

Zhang Yang received the ball on the left side of the free throw line, turned around and started directly, dribbled the ball around Horford who was blocking him, and went straight into the inside!

Pachulia had just received the ball under the basket and had not yet moved to the right side of the basket to block Okafor's attack, when he saw Zhang Yang rushing out of the legal collision zone!
Zha Zha's first reaction was to run away, but he didn't even have the burst speed to stop Zhang Yang from jumping...

With the whimpering of the basket, Zhang Yang rode on Pachulia's chest and slammed the ball into the basket!

(End of this chapter)