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Chapter 234 - 124. Scared? The little rookie is even more excited!_2

Chapter 234: 124. Scared? The little rookie is even more excited!_2

Okafor abandoned the idea of pulling away for a mid-range shot to restrain the defense and forcefully cut to the basket on the left, with Kidd in tow.

Kidd detested Okafor! He was reminded of the dark times three years ago when he had to defend Duncan and Parker’s pick and roll.

Carter came over from the left side of the paint to help Kidd block Okafor’s path. Kidd had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking if Okafor got through like that, Jason Collins was going to be in trouble again. But then he realized with a start—why was Carter there?

Kidd quickly turned and ran to the top, and indeed!

The unspoken coordination wasn’t only between Felton and Okafor, but Zhang Yang was also in on it!

Zhang Yang came around from the left side and received the ball from Felton.

Kidd leaped to block the shot... but the rookie didn’t even glance at him. He caught the ball, turned, and jumped, releasing a mid-range shot. His movements were smooth and fluid, and his shooting form was impeccable and graceful... It went in!

Okafor first established an inside presence, while Felton’s pick and roll takeover lured away the still outstanding help defender Clifford Robinson, despite his 39 years. They leveraged Okafor’s cutting threat to collapse the defense and created opportunities for high post shooting.

Kidd needed only one possession to see through the opponents’ tactics.

Blocking cuts, intercepting passes, and contesting distant shots were strong points of their Nets’ defense.

With him and Richard Jefferson, they were undaunted by any player isolating at the top of the arc.

But there were still two flaws in their defense.

One was the one-on-one defense in the post, but they had grown accustomed to that. As long as they weren’t facing O’Neal, Yao Ming, or a Duncan whose athletic ability hadn’t been ravaged by plantar fasciitis, superstars who could play around in one-on-one and score over 30 points easily, they could just hold their own on offense. Center players who could score over 30 points purely on solo plays were rare. Just like that, after several possessions, Okafor began to distribute the ball as he couldn’t sustain the solo play.

However, if there was an additional player capable of scoring from the high post...

Kidd thought of Zhang Yang’s catch and turn mid-range shot; it was hard to judge his shooting ability from just one shot, but the technical movements, rhythm, and especially the improvements from their last encounter at the beginning of the month, were evident!

Why ’again’? Because he had felt Zhang Yang’s progress more than once—once in the preseason, once in late November, once in January, once earlier this month... Each encounter revealed progress!

As a veteran who had been battling in the NBA for over a decade, Kidd always kept an eye on young talents. The youngest rookie in history naturally entered his radar.

Looking at the speed of that kid’s shooting improvement, and thinking about himself... Kidd didn’t want to go there; too much thinking led to tears. He would have his wife beat him up tonight to distract from the sadness.

In the Nets’ possession, Kidd advanced the ball to the frontcourt and continued to pass to Carter... and then regretted it a bit.

As expected, he saw Carter getting into a triple-threat stance.

It wasn’t a big deal, though. Half-god Carter playing a 17-year-old rookie; his shooting percentage might be even higher than a role player’s open shot created by executing a play.

But Carter was a bit troubled. He pumped fake several times. The rookie didn’t fall for it!

With the pass fake, the rookie didn’t bother with the triple-threat pass at all and just stuck right in front of him.

Considering a drive, Carter concluded he probably couldn’t eat this one out right, especially with Gerald Wallace and Melvin Ely on the wings... Carter pumped fake again, and just as he gathered the ball after finishing the fake, he suddenly accelerated and raised the ball again, jumping for a three-pointer...

This rookie reacted quickly! He sprang up!

In the blink of an eye, Carter added a bit of a fadeaway to his shot... but it missed!

Okafor secured the defensive rebound. Zhang Yang got the ball at the free throw line, turned, and launched a counterattack, getting held up by Carter beyond the three-point line.

Zhang Yang slowed down to protect the ball, advancing to mid-court before suddenly stopping, going between his legs with the ball, and taking a step to the left. Just when Carter thought he was going to change direction, Zhang Yang abruptly scooped up the ball and passed it!

Zhang Yang’s direct pass flew to Gerald Wallace at the opposite top right of the arc. Gerald Wallace received the ball, drove in, drew the defense’s attention, and then passed to the left where Melvin Ely followed up, catching the ball and dunking it with both hands for two points!

When Kidd saw Zhang Yang’s defensive play, he noticed it resembled his own—no attempts at steals or blocks, first ensuring not to make mistakes; a clear defensive goal...

Seeing the way Zhang Yang led the fast break, the rhythm, it felt more like him.

Could it be that this is my fan? Kidd’s gaze softened significantly when he looked at Zhang Yang... They were in the middle of the game, appreciation could wait for later.

When it was the Nets’ turn to attack, Carter no longer continued using the triple-threat. His teammates lacked the ability to create their own positions like Reggie Miller, Alan Houston, Hamilton, and there was no fierce counter-running inside line. The triple-threat was essentially cut down to a double-threat. The opponents were blatantly just watching his shooting move, predicting with uncanny accuracy. Continuing to use the triple-threat would just be purely taking tough shots against the defense.

Carter chose to drive in directly!

Zhang Yang could keep up with the steps, but not the physical confrontation; Carter bulldozed past Zhang Yang into the paint!

But as Carter expected, the help defense from the wing was timely, and he had to pass the ball out.

Clifford Robinson moved to the high post to receive the ball and then passed it. Richard Jefferson cut in to catch it, passed it again at close range... Jason Collins took the alley-oop and laid it in for two points!

to 11, the Nets kept the score close.

Offense to defense, the Bobcats on the offense.

The Bobcats continued with the same offensive tactic as the previous positional attack. Kidd saw through their strategy but didn’t rashly command his teammates to adjust their defense as that could disrupt their formation meant for guarding the cut-ins and three-pointers.

This time, Zhang Yang’s shot was a miss!

Yet when it came to the Nets’ defense, the Bobcats made an adjustment, prioritizing stopping Carter from attacking the rim, defending against Richard Jefferson’s cut-ins, and Jason Collins’ post-up and screening, leaving Kidd open on the sideline for a three-point shot and Clifford Robinson the chance for a mid-range jumper from the high post.

Clifford Robinson didn’t dare to shoot, so he passed to Kidd. Kidd took the three-pointer from the right sideline... and missed too!

Felton grabbed the defensive rebound, but the counterattack didn’t succeed, with Clifford Robinson leading his teammates back on defense.

They held their ground on the fast break defense, but the pressure was mounting on Kidd!

Having an inside player like Okafor, with suitable size, good athleticism, and sharp defensive instincts, meant a huge advantage on the defensive end, easily making effective defensive adjustments.

Unlike the Nets, even when they saw through the opponent’s offensive tactics, they didn’t dare to adjust readily because their defense relied on the point guard and small forward, with a very low margin for error.

Kidd had to gamble, betting that the rookie wouldn’t make the shot or would be afraid to take it.

But Zhang Yang not only dared to shoot, he dared to score!

After just missing on the last play, Zhang Yang, from the same position at the left elbow, caught the ball, turned and shot a mid-range jumper... and made it!

to 7, the gap widened to 6 points again!

It was the Nets’ turn to attack. Carter went for a one-on-one drive. This time he didn’t pass. Taking the left lane to avoid Gerald Wallace, and before Melvin Ely could get into position, he pulled up for a jump shot... and scored!

Kidd looked at Zhang Yang, you scared, rookie?

His bet was not on their team’s group offense but on having Carter, the superstar scorer!

However, Zhang Yang’s reaction was completely different from what Kidd expected. Far from being intimidated, he became even more excited!

To trade scores with Carter? This was a dream come true for Zhang Yang!

...

...

Last night I was sweating profusely; pillow, sheets, and duvet were all wet. I slept until almost 10 o’clock. But the feeling of heaviness throughout my body and my head floating was gone. I hurriedly wrote a short Chapter to update first and will continue writing~