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Chapter 219 - 119. The brutal final stage of the schedule_3

Chapter 219: 119. The brutal final stage of the schedule_3

At 7 p.m., the game began.

Both sides put away their pre-game friendliness and launched into fierce combat from the start.

This evening, Bickerstaff fielded Okafor and Perkins, a twin tower strategy, to counter O’Neal.

The perimeter was defended by Felton, Keith Bogans, and Gerald Wallace, the three players with the best physical condition and toughest defense, against Wade’s outside team.

In the first few rounds, O’Neal initiated the attack, proving unstoppable, and the Miami Heat scored an 8-4 start.

Yet, the players from the Bucks held strong, managing a 7-5 run in the subsequent plays and, by the official timeout, they had narrowed the score to 11-13, reducing the deficit to just two points!

Zhang Yang was called by the head coach, took off his warm-up suit, and prepared to enter the game.

Having watched half a quarter, he felt the merciless passage of time and the strategic calculations at play.

The last time they had played against the Miami Heat, the absence of Okafor made their team’s internal disadvantage hardly noticeable.

This time, Zhang Yang clearly felt that O’Neal was no longer at his past level. Although still the best center in the league, averaging just 30 minutes per game could still net him 20 points and 9 rebounds, a career high with a 61% field goal rate.

But it wasn’t that O’Neal wanted to play only 30 minutes, but rather, he could only play 30 minutes now, no longer excelling far beyond other centers like last season, and had become a "normal" top center of the league.

His health was also at its worst since the new millennium, missing 16 games so far, the highest absence rate since the ’98-’99 season, and it was still rising.

Having turned 34 in February, his decline was partly due to his age, but the most core reason was Pat Riley’s utilization of O’Neal.

Under Phil Jackson, if O’Neal felt any discomfort, whether injured or not, as long as he felt unwell, he could rest, and even coast through the regular season, dieting while playing, to go all out in the playoffs.

In contrast, at the Miami Heat, O’Neal had to reduce his weight from the beginning of the season. With the pressure of regular season records, he had to fight hard. Last season, he indeed benefited, with attendance and efficiency significantly improved compared to the ’03-’04 season, but this season the consequences arrived in the form of continuous injuries.

When the Miami Heat team was fully assembled, their strength was actually not as "bad" as 40 wins and 22 losses indicated. In the 46 games that O’Neal played, the Miami Heat’s record was 34 wins and 12 losses, a "65-win level".

It could be said that O’Neal lifted the lower bound of the Miami Heat’s strength. If he were replaced by a healthy but average starting center, the Miami Heat’s strength would probably not be much better than that of the Wizards, Bucks, or Chicago Bulls.

Zhang Yang entered the court, looking at the number 3 player walking from the opposite side, he shook off his melancholy and got excited.

This one is currently the strongest of the ’03 platinum generation!

After the timeout, the Miami Heat was on offense.

The Bucks lineup was Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, Brezec.

The Miami Heat lineup was Payton, Wade, Anthony Walker, Haslem, Mourning.

Wade, receiving the inbound, faced Felton who stepped back, and the iron-wall defense formed by Gerald Wallace on the wing and Okafor on the baseline. Instead of penetrating, he passed it to Payton on the right elbow area, who was leaning on Zhang Yang.

As Payton dribbled against Zhang Yang, finding his offensive rhythm while taunting, "Kid, you’re going to get blown out tonight again. Are you going to hide behind Jordan and cry after you’re beaten?"

Bullying the rookie, he was a pro, first trying to crush his opponent’s confidence with words.

But the response he got was— "You’ve been beaten by Jordan in the finals."

Payton: "..."

Who the hell wasn’t beaten by Jordan in the finals? He thought if you pushed it 50 years prior or 50 years later, any superstar facing Jordan in the finals would get the same treatment.

Payton wasn’t affected by Zhang Yang’s words; what troubled him was this rookie’s solid defense!

The level of force in his face-up defense was just right, his positioning was good, and his hand defensive habits were solid too... Compared to their matchup in January, this rookie’s defensive habits had improved!

But in those November last year and January this year matchups, whenever Payton trash-talked, Zhang Yang didn’t respond and just focused on defending... Was it because he had improved since then that he was talking more now?

This mindset, Payton liked it. Keep quiet without skills, talk more if you’ve got them.

Seeing Walker pull up to the top of the arc, Payton thought to pass, but then Zhang Yang’s words made him cancel that action.

"In my lifetime, I’ll never lose to Jordan in the finals."

Being insulted, being mocked, Payton wouldn’t get angry, even if someone mentioned a Ferrari, he could just laugh it off.

But Zhang Yang’s words just hit that sore spot.

It had been three years since Jordan’s third retirement; of course, you won’t lose to Jordan in the finals!

Payton backed into Zhang Yang with his big backside, making a turn, but stepping forward instead, turning the turn into a step-through, releasing a turnaround jumper... but the move was anticipated! The rookie from across flung himself at him!

Under Zhang Yang’s defense, Payton’s low-post turnaround jumper missed!