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Chapter 254 - 131. Fifth in the East! (Additional Chapter for monthly votes) _2

Chapter 254: 131. Fifth in the East! (Additional Chapter for monthly votes) _2

It’s not that Jack didn’t understand the importance of defense, he was well aware that in any era, even the era of small ball, there was a qualitative difference between a team with defense and one without. He often provided defensive suggestions for Felton, took defense seriously himself, and it was even Jack who came up with the idea to choke off King James... but in previous games, he rarely took on significant defensive roles, as what the team needed him to do was primarily shooting.

The team hadn’t performed badly on defense in the first and second quarters, so he naturally started looking into how to solve problems from the offensive end.

And at halftime, Bickerstaff even agreed with his approach... It felt like being enlightened.

During the timeout in the second quarter, his teammates understood Bickerstaff’s intention after the tactics were explained, as most of them had experienced the HC era. Even those like Okafor and Felton, who entered the NBA after 2004, grew up watching basketball from the HC era. In their basketball consciousness, falling back on defense when in doubt was fundamental.

After grumbling internally, Zhang Yang refocused on the match. The timeout was over, and the players on the opposite side were already on the court.

Seeing Peja walk onto the court with a look of irritation, Zhang Yang suddenly understood why Bickerstaff had chosen this strategy.

The choice of contingency strategies had to consider not just each other’s strengths and weaknesses, player conditions, and referee calls, but also who the target was.

If the person on the Pacers capable of scoring a difficult basket in a fierce battle was Reggie Miller, Bickerstaff certainly wouldn’t have chosen this strategy, but with Peja...

The game continued, Bobcats inbounding the ball on their frontcourt.

Pacers lineup: Jamal Tinsley, Stephen Jackson, Peja, Austin Croshere, O’Neal.

Bobcats lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Jumaine Jones, Okafor.

Felton received the inbound from Zhang Yang, approached the top of the arc, and started the offense with a pick and roll with Okafor as Zhang Yang ran toward the baseline.

Watching the opposing lineup, Bickerstaff saw that although the strategy was progressing smoothly, being 12 points behind was a harsh reality.

Moreover, the young coach on the opposite side, named Carlisle, seemed to have seen through his intentions, and also sent out his best offensive lineup.

Watching Zhang Yang circle around to the free-throw line, use the screen to cut in for the pass, and charge against O’Neal... Bickerstaff’s heart tightened.

Jack had been sitting on the bench for nearly a quarter, including a halftime break, and it was uncertain how his shooting touch was, and even though Jack was more mature than many players who only entered the NBA after college graduation, he was still a rookie. Putting pressure on Jack...

It went in!

Zhang Yang cut in, shot past O’Neal, and scored! He even drew a foul on O’Neal for hitting the hand!

Zhang Yang stepped up to the free-throw line and made the shot amidst the cheers of the home crowd.

to 45, they closed the gap to 9 points!

Pressure? Non-existent!

Although he didn’t grasp Bickerstaff’s tactical intent from the start, his role in the strategy was still to shoot! That meant no pressure at all.

Once the offense started, Zhang Yang focused on reading the opponent’s defense, noticing that their positioning was clearly targeting his outside shooting. So he intentionally moved up high, but his real goal was to attack the basket!

Felton and Okafor didn’t disappoint him. After Felton penetrated and saw Zhang Yang’s motion cutting around the screen, he decisively passed to Okafor. Okafor made a high-low pass to him, catching O’Neal off guard!

On the defensive transition, O’Neal moved to the center position and Croshere, the burly white power forward, came on, making the Pacers’ pass and cut moves swifter. Gerald Wallace couldn’t provide enough resistance to Peja and collapsed inward.

O’Neal received the ball in the low post and passed it to Peja, who had circulated to the 45-degree angle on the right. Peja was wide open, but he hesitated for that split second upon catching the ball, and Zhang Yang had already hustled over for the block!

Peja had a big temper but not as much courage on the court.

Startled, he quickly raised the ball, jumped, and shot... The shot was rushed from takeoff to release, both short and off-target!

"Swish"

The ball grazed the rim and bounced off, Okafor secured the rebound, passed to Felton, who dribbled twice and passed the ball out...

Zhang Yang quickly took the pass and slammed the ball for two points!

Carlisle felt his hair beginning to fall out again. Peja... what a sight! The opponent is just a guard under two meters tall, a 17-year-old rookie, what’s there to be afraid of!

Is this what a 28-year-old at the peak, the league’s number one three-pointer, looks like? Even 39-year-old Reggie Miller can’t compare!

He was baffled. At the start of the season, the Supersonics had also expressed interest in Artest, offering Ray Allen as a bargaining chip. There were rumors that Allen was dissatisfied with the Supersonics for firing Nate McMillan. The Supersonics must have been serious about the trade... Has Bird lost his mind? How could he think Peja was the best shooter and actually refuse the Supersonics’ offer in favor of a one-on-one trade with the Kings?

Carlisle had already seen the danger in the second quarter because Peja scored 8 points in the first half with 3 out of 5 shots, including making 2 of 3 three-pointers, but in the second half, he only scored 2 points with 1 out of 3 shots.

He clung to a sliver of hope, but Peja ended up predictably pulling up again.

The Pacers were on track for fourth in the Eastern Conference at the end of the first half of the season. If they could maintain that momentum, they might have surpassed the Knights by the beginning of the month. But after the All-Star weekend, their winning percentage plummeted to around 50%, and their momentum completely fizzled out, all because of Peja.

By the crucial month of March, Peja had completely collapsed, with his average points per game plummeting from 23 to 17.

Other top shooters adjust with patience after missing shots, slowly finding their touch. But Peja was different, becoming anxious after missing two or three shots in a row, eventually becoming too scared to shoot at all.

Carlisle: Why not go for Ray Allen?

Compared to Carlisle, who was almost exploding with frustration, Bickerstaff feel like dancing disco now.

Jack did not disappoint his trust!

to 45, the point difference was reduced to 7 points, and the sides switched offense and defense!

...

Driving in, shooting from afar around a screen, sideline wings... Zhang Yang’s plays were simple and clear in a positional game. It was a few set moves. If it worked, it worked; if not, so be it.

Trying to catch up by grinding it out in positional play was too inefficient.

The focus was on defensive counterattacks!

Peja lived up to expectations, going 0 for 4 in the third quarter!

Fans watching TV saw this scene and memories of that year’s Western Conference Finals emerged, with Peja going 0 for 6 on threes in game seven, and only making two three-pointers across seven games, with a total of 22 three-point attempts and a hit rate of 9%...

However, Peja’s misses weren’t the primary source of Zhang Yang’s counterattack opportunities. Later on, Peja became so afraid to shoot that he wouldn’t even dare to take the ball, and his teammates stopped passing to him. This allowed the Bobcats to play 5-on-4 defense and create major counterattack chances!

In the third quarter, the Pacers scored only 15 points, while the Bobcats racked up 26 points!

By the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats had closed the gap to 59-60, reducing the difference to just 1 point!

In the final quarter, after Peja went back in and missed two shots, Carlisle decided to bench him and forgo his participation.

The Pacers could finally play a normal 5-on-5. Their offensive performance improved but only slightly.

Their tactical system lacked a threatening top-level shooter to receive the ball. Their offense just couldn’t get going... Indeed, their tactical system was still the same one from the 03-04 season that saw them win 61 games in the regular season and reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carlisle had no chance to adjust the system. After starting off the 04-05 season with a 6-1 record, they went to Auburn Hills, and when they returned, they were left with 4 fewer starters. Their frontline offensive core was suspended for a year. This season, with continuous internal strife, and not completing their trades until mid-December, they could only pick up the pieces from the 03-04 season system. Luckily, the veteran players were still familiar with the tactics. Considering Peja’s strong tactical adaptability and smooth integration into the team’s play, producing results without expecting to play tough...

In the final quarter, the Pacers’ desperate offense managed only 19 points, while the Bobcats continued their third-quarter offensive performance to bring in 25 points!

Playing 21 minutes in the second half, Zhang Yang made 6 of 9 shots, including 1 three-pointer out of 1 attempt, plus 3 of 3 free throws, earning 16 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and helped the Bobcats achieve a second-half score of 51 to 34!

to 79, the Bobcats completed a stunning comeback from 12 points behind, improving their record to 45 wins and 37 losses and catching up to the Pacers.

With a 3-1 victory against the Pacers in the regular season, the Bobcats advanced to the playoffs ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference!