Chapter 400 399. Beat Shuang Si!

Compared with Zhang Yang, Chuck Daly felt that Jordan's shooting choices seemed so reasonable.

Jordan also shot against two or three defenders, but he relied on his unparalleled explosive speed and jumping height to create shooting space.

Zhang Yang's shot was already very close to the opponent's face, and even his jumping ability was restricted, but he still shot.

The Knicks rank second in the league in offensive rebounds this season, averaging 16.1 offensive rebounds per game, second only to the 16.5 offensive rebounds per game of the Supersonics, who have a group of rebounding thugs. Zhang Yang has made a significant contribution, and Zhang Yang himself is also an offensive rebounder with a 1:2 offensive to defensive rebounding ratio.

When the Pistons attacked, their positioning was very special - three frontcourt players were crowded in the low post on both sides, and there were only Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars on the outside.

The Pistons' starting lineup was very special, with two small guards, Thomas, who was over 210 meters tall, and Dumars, who was meters tall, plus three forwards. Laimbeer and Edwards were both over cm tall, and Rodman, who was registered as a power forward, was just over meters tall.

However, due to the 'no early double-teaming rule', this strange lineup will not affect the Pistons' offense. Their offense is very simple, which is a double-gun backcourt attack.

Thomas passed the ball to Dumars, who will turn 27 in a few days and has become the strongest player on the Pistons.

Dumas played one-on-one against Zhang Yang, broke through, and got to a position one step outside the elbow area, and made a quick stop jump shot before Zhang Yang and Oakley, who was helping out, could interfere!

Zhang Yang defended this ball very hard, but still failed to block it.

Dumas's breakthrough and quick stop jump shot seem very formal, but his movements are very fast and his basic skills are extremely solid. He can stop suddenly during the breakthrough without any sluggishness. Relying on his super core strength, he jumps up immediately after the sudden stop and shoots the ball, which is hard to defend!

He is worthy of being a player who can average 50 points per game with a 20% shooting rate when defended by the best defensive player Jordan!

When Zhang Yang watched the live broadcasts of the Pistons and the Bulls and the videos of the Pistons, he knew that Dumars was difficult to defend. After defending him once himself, he understood what Jordan said, "Joe's pull-up jump shot is the best in the world." It was not a courtesy or thanks to Dumars for not committing a flagrant foul, nor was it jealousy. He was really strong.

It was the Knicks' turn to attack. The elevator door position continued. This time Edwards did not move to the basket in advance. Zhang Yang received the ball at Dumas' elbow, took a step, turned around and shot a jump shot...

Zhang Yang and Dumars are both big names in one-on-one defense, and their one-on-one abilities are beyond the limits of one-on-one defense. To Dumars, Zhang Yang is more difficult to defend than Jordan. Zhang Yang developed his back-to-the-basket singles early on, and his technique is more comprehensive. Dumars defended very hard on this ball, but Zhang Yang still seized the opportunity to turn around and create shooting space.

But just when Zhang Yang was about to throw the ball, Laimbeer hugged him from behind and slapped his arm to destroy the ball.

Zhang Yang lost his balance in mid-air, but after a moment of confusion, he forced his body, which was subconsciously curled up to protect himself, to straighten up, and his head hit Lambiel's head...

Both of them fell to the ground. Zhang Yang covered his head with one hand and his butt with the other. Lambier fell to the floor, covering his face with both hands, and blood was already visible.

The moment Zhang Yang's head hit Lambier's face, the latter's nose was bleeding.

Players from both teams quickly surrounded them and took a look at the condition of their teammates. It seemed that nothing serious happened, except that Lambier's nose was broken. Zhang Yang was pressing on Lambier, and most parts of his body were padded, but he still fell on his butt.

That's good, the players on both sides started pushing and shoving and cursing at each other.

The fans at the scene were getting excited, with cheers and curses ringing out.

Here it comes! It’s here at the beginning!
The referees quickly squeezed into the crowd. When they received the job of enforcing the game between the New York Mafia and the Bad Boys, they were desperate. How could they manage these living ancestors?

However, both sides pushed and cursed, but did not fight. After all, the other side did not gain the upper hand this time. After a conflict of "what are you looking at", they were separated by the referee.

The referee confirmed the penalty, Lambier fouled Zhang Yang's shot, and Zhang Yang got two free throws.

First, we had to ask the staff to deal with the blood on the floor, and let the two people check to see if there were any injuries.

The Knicks team doctor checked Zhang Yang and found no wounds.

Stu Jackson asked, "Jack, are you okay?"

Zhang Yang shook his head: "It's okay, I'm stubborn."

My head is as hard as steel? The reporter accompanying the team quickly wrote down this sentence.

The team doctor shook his fingers and asked Zhang Yang, "What's this?" After confirming that Zhang Yang was fine, he agreed to let him continue to play.

Oakley patted Zhang Yang on the back and said, "Jack, you reacted too quickly. I saw it. It was you who bumped into Lambier's face, not him accidentally knocking himself down when he pulled you down. I couldn't have done it in that situation."

Zhang Yang: "When someone attacks you from behind and you can't see what's behind you, the best way to fight back is to bump into them."

Oakley: "Where did you learn that?"

Zhang Yang: "Bruce Lee movies."

Oakley: "Oh, yes, you practice Jeet Kune Do..."

After chatting for a while, the two walked to the frontcourt. Oakley went to the three-second zone to grab a rebound, and Zhang Yang went to the free throw line.

After stopping the nosebleed, Lambiel wiped it clean, put on his mask and continued playing, staring at Zhang Yang fiercely.

He didn't notice Zhang Yang's little move. He just thought it was an accident when he committed a violent foul and hurt himself. He felt a little embarrassed, so he made a ferocious gesture to try to scare Zhang Yang and affect his free throws.

Zhang Yang was not affected at all. During the suspension of the game, he had recovered and made both free throws!
When the Pistons attacked, Thomas played against Mark Jackson alone. After a fancy dribble, he changed direction and jumped from close range... but was knocked over by Oakley!
Oakley's help defense was very rough this time, but Thomas was mentally prepared. When playing against the New York gang, if they committed violent fouls, the opponent would definitely retaliate immediately, so he did not give the ball to Dumars, who was the most stable in singles, but did it himself.

When he was knocked over, he managed to throw the ball out and it fell into the basket!

2+1!

After Thomas was pulled up by his teammates, he started cursing. Oakley immediately responded. The referee stood by carefully. Fortunately, both of them were just talking nonsense and no one took any physical action.

This season, the Pistons and Knicks are the teams that have had the most conflicts with their opponents, but when they really fight, they are often not the first to fight. After all, whoever fights first will be suspended more...

Seeing Thomas walk to the free throw line, the referees breathed a sigh of relief. They planned to ask for leave and rest for a while after the end of this series. They believed that the referee committee would definitely approve their leave.

The flagrant foul was not introduced until 91, and the technical foul was not introduced until 93. Now, referees have no other way of enforcing the law except for ordinary fouls. They can expel players from the court, but they have to wait until a real fight breaks out.

Thomas also made the free throw, 5 to 4, the Pistons led by 1 point!
It was the Knicks' turn to attack and they continued to execute the elevator door tactic. This time, when Gerald Wilkins made the move to pass the ball to the top of the arc, Laimbeer went straight to the top of the arc and covered Zhang Yang who received the ball.

Rodman did not come out to defend, but worked with Edwards to block Oakley and Ewing from cutting in.

Zhang Yang received the ball and turned around to pass Laimbeer, then broke through to the right side of the three-second zone. Thomas made up for it and Zhang Yang passed the ball to Mark Jackson, who made a mid-range shot from the baseline!
It has been more than half a month since Zhang Yang came up with the elevator door tactic. Although there has been no change in the execution of the tactic, the subsequent coordination has become more diverse. When Zhang Yang was the main attacking point, the Knicks' offense played smoothly as a whole.

The Pistons had no choice but to fight back with offense and try to interrupt the Knicks' offensive rhythm with rough fouls.

Laimbeer has already committed a foul, so it's their turn. Rodman and Edwards switched defense with Laimbeer one after another... but the effect is still not good. Zhang Yang's shooting area is too wide. He is not only the main attacking point, but also can open up space and create opportunities for the inside players and mid-range shooters on both wings.

During Zhang Yang's main attack, Thomas and Dumars, the duo, launched a fierce attack, and the Knicks still firmly controlled the initiative.

But the Pistons still achieved one of their goals - using rough confrontation to consume Zhang Yang's physical strength and reduce the number of Zhang Yang's offensive rounds.

After Zhang Yang attacked fiercely for several rounds and needed to slow down, the Pistons gained the advantage.

Chuck Daly put three inside players, Laimbeer, Rodman and Edwards, in the starting lineup. One of the purposes was to have an absolute height advantage at the top of the arc to limit Zhang Yang's long shots, but this was a secondary purpose. The main purpose was to encircle Ewing, the second center in the league!
Facing the siege of this trio, Ewing's nostrils flared and he looked more like a gorilla. His performance was very poor. He made only 5 of 2 shots in the first quarter, with a hit rate of only 40%.

Fortunately, although Ewing's performance was poor, he did not back down. When it was his turn to attack, he firmly held the ball and attacked, creating buffer time for Zhang Yang. In addition, Mark Jackson stuck out his big butt and back-attacked Thomas to initiate the attack and feed the ball. The two worked together and did not dig too big a hole.

The two teams started a seesaw battle. Every player on the field was making small moves, throwing elbows and hitting each other, and the hand-to-hand combat reached its extreme.

When Zhang Yang was the main attacker, the Knicks always had an advantage, but Dumars and Thomas always managed to seize the opportunity to lead the team to catch up.

Compared with Jordan, Zhang Yang's singles have their own advantages and disadvantages. Zhang Yang has a wider shooting range, more comprehensive skills, and can shoot facing the basket or behind the basket, but his mid-range shooting accuracy is slightly inferior to Jordan, and he is far behind in attacking the basket. Although he has excellent physical strength, there is still a gap compared with Jordan.

This can be seen from the difference in the defensive strategies of the Pistons against the Bulls and the Knicks. The Pistons never thought of using a war of attrition against Jordan. However, Jordan could not open up the space as much as Zhang Yang did, and could not attract double-teaming at such a long distance.

首节比分26比24、第二节比分23比25、第三节比分28比23，三节打完时，尼克斯队以77比72领先活塞队5分。

At the beginning of the final quarter, the Pistons started with a 7-3 run, chasing the score to 79-80 and narrowing the gap to 1 point. Just when Stu Jackson was anxiously preparing to replace Zhang Yang early, Ewing finally stood up!
Ewing received the ball in the low post, turned around and made a layup under the double-team of Rodman and Laimbeer, scoring 2+1 and helping the Knicks stop their decline.

末节前半段，尤因半节时间5投3中加上2中2的罚球拿到8分，虽然没带队打出优势，但率队在官方暂停前守住了4分优势，90比86领先活塞队。

At the same time, it also helped Zhang Yang create half a quarter of rest time, playing a supporting role!

After the official timeout, Zhang Yang took the court with Mark Jackson, who had the best performance in mid-range shots tonight, Kiki Vandeweghe, who had the best performance in three-point shots, Oakley who had rested for half a quarter, and Ewing who had just exploded for half a quarter.

On the Pistons side, Dumars, who had rested for half a quarter, came on the court again. Thomas, Rodman, and Laimbeer continued to play after fighting with Ewing for half a quarter. Veteran center Edwards, who had rested for half a quarter, came on the court.

The Pistons attacked, Dumas scored the ball in a singles play, and Thomas hit a three-pointer from the wing with the help of a screen, and the Pistons launched a counterattack!
Thomas is very special in three-point shooting. He rarely shoots in the regular season, averaging only 1.4 shots per game in his regular season career so far, but he can double that in the playoffs, especially this year's playoffs, where his three-point performance exploded. In the series against the Bulls, he averaged 3.8 of 1.8 shots per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 47.3%, which is higher than Zhang Yang's shooting percentage in the second round.

Looking back, Zhang Yang asked for the ball directly from the outside, played against Dumars, and hit a Hamblen-style step-back three-pointer in return for Thomas!
When the Pistons attacked, Dumas continued to cooperate with Thomas. After Thomas received the ball with the help of a screen and was surrounded by two people, he passed the ball to the baseline. Laimbeer moved to the right side of the three-second zone, facing Ewing's defense, received the ball, turned around, stood on tiptoes, raised the ball straight, and made a straight-arm jump shot!

Zhang Yang was very familiar with this move. Tianzun, who was in his 30s, often played like this when he cut into the basket and there was a defender. He had a weird rhythm and good hands, making him hard to defend against.

He guessed that Tianzun learned from Lanbir.

After the offense and defense switched, Zhang Yang came to the frontcourt and continued to ask for the ball.

It was the last half of the game, the crucial moment after the official timeout. Whether the Knicks could withstand the Pistons' counterattack and whether the Pistons could turn the tables, these few rounds were crucial.

At this time, Zhang Yang discovered that the players on both sides had become less active and weren't swearing as much... Did they become hoarse from swearing?
The confrontation was not so rough, in fact, it was because the number of fouls had already reached the limit in the first half of the quarter. Fouling was equivalent to sending the opponent to the free throw line, and the game was already in the final quarter, and giving the opponent free throws was equivalent to sending oneself to the guillotine.

If both teams' receiving players do not perform well, they can try to double-team the player with the ball in advance, but the depth of both teams ranks first in the league. The playing time of the Pistons' starting five is controlled at around 35 minutes, and their physical strength is online. The Knicks have many players who can play, and they can always pick out players who can receive shots.

Coupled with the rule of 'no early double teaming', both sides can only compete with each other based on the individual abilities of their stars.

As for not continuing to curse... maybe my voice is really hoarse.

Zhang Yang received the pass from Mark Jackson and Dumas followed closely.

Dumas didn't dare to give Zhang Yang the opportunity to step back and shoot a three-pointer, and chose to put pressure on defense.

Defending Zhang Yang's one-on-one shots from the outside is a headache for opponents, as no other player can perform step-back shots from such a long distance like Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang took the initiative to press forward, using his weight advantage to hold Dumas back, turning around and rushing forward, heading straight for close range.

Edwards was actively defending. Zhang Yang was attacked from both sides. He did not pass the ball behind Edwards, but faced Edwards to defend. He stopped and shot quickly...

When Zhang Yang jumped up, Rodman moved into the inside and stuck to Ewing under the basket. Laimbeer also rushed into the inside... and watched the ball fall into the frame together!

Ewing, Rodman, and Laimbeer all swore at the same time - how fucking unique!

But after swearing, Rodman and Laimbeer were still upset, but Ewing was different. He excitedly went up to Zhang Yang and high-fived to celebrate.

After the series with the Celtics, the veteran players on the team were already impressed by Zhang Yang, and Ewing no longer suppressed his excitement about partnering with Zhang Yang.

Last summer, when Zhang Yang decided to join the Knicks, Ewing was more excited than their boss.

In the first round last year, he was defeated by Zhang Yang. He dreamed of having such an outside teammate.

Although they were beaten by Zhang Yang, he was not the one who was beaten. He played well against the inside combination of McHale and Buck Williams. It was the outside players who were beaten by Zhang Yang alone.

But after he learned that the veterans in the team who earned three or five hundred thousand US dollars in salary were very dissatisfied with Zhang Yang getting an annual salary of 4 million after only playing for 500 years, he could only control his joy, stand on the opposite side and mediate... Now, he can finally stop hiding his happiness about having a super giant outside player!

When the Pistons attacked, Thomas held the ball and played one-on-one. When he was one step away from close range, he suddenly grabbed the ball, took a big step forward, and made a layup along the left sideline of the three-second zone, catching Oakley, who was defending, off guard.

93 to 95, the Pistons narrowed the gap to two points, and the Bad Boys' backcourt duo's counterattack continued!
When the Knicks started attacking, as soon as Zhang Yang received the ball, the fans at the scene started cheering.

Their Jack is fighting one against two!

Amid the cheers of the fans, Zhang Yang rushed to the right side of the free throw line and made a quick stop jump shot before Rodman could get to his position!

97 to 93, the score difference is 4 points again!
Dumas: I am a defensive giant, why is it so difficult to defend in this year's playoffs!
Dumars had a really hard time in the playoffs this year. In the first round, he defended Reggie Miller, who shot 50% from the field and 42% from three-point range. He averaged 1.6 three-pointers per game and scored 20 points per game.

In the second round, Jordan averaged 47.9 points per game with a shooting percentage of 33%.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, they met Zhang Yang, who is a combination of Reggie Miller and Jordan in terms of playing style, and can also post up and shoot three-pointers...

In the transition from offense to defense, Dumas was not discouraged. If he couldn't defend, he would respond with offense!
But when he got to the frontcourt, Thomas didn't give him the ball and prepared to do it himself.

Dumas had no complaints, he moved around and created space.

In the finals two years ago, Thomas scored 25 points in a single quarter, and Dumars was impressed by his teammate's ability to play key shots.

But the 29-year-old Thomas is no longer the 27-year-old him. After several rounds of attacks, his breakthrough shot was short this time!

Ewing and Oakley blocked for position, and Zhang Yang grabbed the defensive rebound and launched a counterattack!
Edwards is relatively slow, but the other four Pistons can still retreat quickly. Rodman blocks the left wing, Thomas and Laimbeer block the right wing, Dumas leads the defense in the middle, retreats to the three-point line first, guards the free throw line, prevents Zhang Yang from breaking through, and is ready to double-team the inside players on the wing.

Suddenly, Dumas suddenly remembered something and rushed to the top arc...too late!
Zhang Yang stopped half a step outside the arc and made a three-pointer!
Chuck Daly calls a timeout!
The Pistons were prepared for Zhang Yang's chase three-pointer and they defended well in the front - Rodman rushed to grab the ball, Edwards blocked it, and the other three actively retreated to defense.

This kind of defense did not allow Zhang Yang to create any chances for a three-pointer in the first three and a half quarters, but this time Oakley and Ewing seized the opportunity to block the position, and Edwards had no conditions to delay, so he was still rushed by Zhang Yang!

张杨连进4球，其中三分球2中2，独自打了活塞队一个10比7。

100 to 93, the Knicks' lead reaches 7 points!
Dumas covered his head in frustration. He should have blocked the shot and left it to Rodman. Buck Williams could limit Zhang Yang's attack on the basket by himself, and Rodman should also have that ability. Even if he couldn't defend him, it would only be two points.

It was mainly a problem of defensive habits. No one had ever played like this before. In the tense retreat, he completely forgot about this.

Zhang Yang's three-point ability is the best in the league and the strongest in NBA history!
Zhang Yang fought alone against the duo of Thomas and Dumars and gained the upper hand, winning 3 points in the back attack, which dealt a heavy blow to the Pistons' morale for the counterattack.

The Pistons are such a tenacious team that they would never give up just like that. They launched a counterattack after returning from the timeout.

But the Knicks are also very tough, and they are in high spirits under the leadership of Zhang Yang!
最后3分多钟时间，活塞队拿到了9分，杜马斯4分、托马斯3分、兰比尔2分，尼克斯队也拿到了8分，张杨2分、尤因2分、范德维奇两次中距离接应投篮命中拿到4分。

At 10:23 pm, the final whistle sounded.

张杨首节8分、第二节5分、第三节9分、末节半节12分，全场21投12中，其中三分球6中4，加上7中6的罚球，拿到34分7板5助攻1抢断1盖帽，率领尼克斯队以108比102险胜活塞队，大比分1比0领先！

After the final whistle sounded, the audience cheered loudly!
But the game wasn’t over yet… after the game the players from both teams got together and started cursing at each other.

Neither team took the initiative to attack, and both wanted their opponents to attack...

Zhang Yang felt relieved. He listened to the voices of the people who cursed the most on his side and the other side. He thought that New York hospitals could increase their income again. NBA players' medical insurance was expensive, so the price would have to go up. He cursed until his voice was hoarse. He was a cancer doctor. Don't ask, the answer is to be responsible to the patients and use the best medical equipment and the best medicine...

However, as the scolding went on, the players on both sides became angry and started pushing and shoving. Fortunately, the coaching staffs of both teams were prepared and pushed their players back to the player tunnel, preventing the conflict from escalating unnecessarily.

Back in the locker room, Zhang Yang sat on a chair, listening to his teammates cheering and celebrating with hoarse voices, feeling so tired! Even more tired than the night when he played for 65 minutes and threw more than 43 times for the 30 points!

(End of this chapter)