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Chapter 260 - 134. It’s all Hughes’s fault for holding us back!

Chapter 260: 134. It’s all Hughes’s fault for holding us back!

Actually, Perkins also made a move to step out for the pick and roll the last round, but before he could take a step, he saw James flying up and Zhang Yang bursting through the middle.

This time James didn’t fly, so of course, he had to step out.

James was still easily bypassed by Zhang Yang, but by preventing Zhang Yang from cutting straight through the middle, it was enough for Gooden and Hughes!

Hughes came up from the wing to defend, while Gooden moved to the right side of the three-second zone to block Gerald Wallace from cutting in... Zhang Yang stopped abruptly two steps inside the three-point line!

Hughes rushed over, and Zhang Yang, facing the defense, quickly released the shot... "Clang"... Varejao secured the defensive rebound.

Hughes got a scare!

Zhang Yang shook his head as he fell back amidst the jeering from the home crowd.

The distance was too far, the shot too hurried, the power not well controlled.

The Knights offense continued, with James and Hughes perpetuating their split and baseline circling cooperation.

This time Okafor’s cutting defense was positioned lower, Hughes’s baseline drive was blocked by Gooden, facing the returning Gerald Wallace and Perkins in the paint, Hughes passed the ball to Varejao at the left high post... "Slap"... Zhang Yang charged from the top arc to tap the ball away!

Zhang Yang got a step ahead to tap the ball, and the Brazilian Center reacted swiftly, immediately clung to Zhang Yang, committing a tactical foul to prevent a fast break.

Although Varejao was only in his sophomore year, the 24-year-old had been playing for 10 years, starting professionally in Brazil at 14, his experience was rich.

Zhang Yang felt a bit of regret, this was playoffs for you, the defensive intensity that you’d expect in the first half, and yet the number of fouls hadn’t accumulated enough in the first quarter.

The fast break didn’t happen, no free throws either, the Bobcats continued into a set offense.

Zhang Yang continued pick and roll plays with Perkins, this time James was prepared for the pick and roll defense... but still got solidly screened.

Defensive footwork and the timing to navigate around screens, all required practice, none of which he had done, those dirty and tiring tasks, and besides, whatever else Perkins was good at, his pick and rolls were rock-solid.

The helping defender Hughes continued to defend with calm and composure... rushed over immediately, the rookie just threw another long two-pointer after the pick and roll!

Hughes turned his head and saw the ball sink into the basket, wondering if it was appropriate to curse or not.

He thought his help defense forced Zhang Yang to speed up the shot, but could it be that this rookie’s slightly faster shooting was actually his normal release speed?

And, this method of throwing long two-pointers right after a pick and roll... Hughes, who was a first-timer against Zhang Yang, now understood why this rookie, who wasn’t yet 18, would explode against them every time they played.

Defending the three-pointer against pick and rolls was easy, the screened defender circles around, and the wing or interior players can simply block the drive.

But defending the long two-pointer after a pick and roll puts defenders in an awkward position; if the screen is executed well, the player navigating the screen essentially contributes nothing, and when that defender is James, it’s even more of nothing.

For players helping on defense, it’s tough, they either get beaten if they move up or the opponent just shoots if they don’t.

Hughes’ mind flashed with three opponents—Stockton, Nash, Hinrich.

To this, Hughes made his defensive adaptation... no change!

In the Bobcats’ next offensive play, Zhang Yang, using the screen, pulled up for a long two that didn’t go in.

But the following possession, after Zhang Yang’s long two dropped in, James was out of patience.

When it was the Bobcats’ turn to attack again, just as Zhang Yang advanced beyond the three-point line, James pressed up for close physical defense!

James’ defense seemed ferocious, but the timing of the physical play and the use of it showed his lack of basic defensive skills.

Zhang Yang switched to dribbling with his left hand, seized the moment to pull off a spin move and smoothly glided past James, breaking through the middle again.

This time Hughes didn’t even bother moving toward the middle, how could he be in time?

Gooden did press out directly beyond the restricted area, but was faked out of his shoes by Zhang Yang’s Euro step, and with Perkins ’harmoniously’ clearing out the paint, Zhang Yang completed the Euro step and scored the layup!

Zhang Yang scored 8 points with 4 out of 6 shots after entering the game!

Meanwhile, the Knights’ offense was still sluggish, only scoring 4 points.

to 10, the Bobcats extended their lead to 7 points!

After several aggressive rounds, Zhang Yang slowed down the one-on-one, going to the corner to rest with his arms akimbo.

Zhang Yang now understood why James was assigned to defend Bowen in the ’07 Finals; in the few times they met previously, with Hughes absent, there was no comparison to notice how weak James’s defense really was at this point, but tonight, with a reference, it became clear.

Poor defensive positioning habits, lack of fundamental skills, impulsive, stubborn, and without execution in defense... even letting Joe, who had already corrected his playing habits and made better offensive choices, could explode against James.

Only Joe’s main task in this series was defense, and the Knights, knowing that Felton had a stronger driving game, did not put James who was likely unable to defend the drive, on him, thus the scoring opportunities fell to Zhang San.

While Zhang Yang stood with his arms akimbo in the corner, the offensive burden fell on Okafor and Gerald Wallace, who chipped away with their plays, causing the offensive efficiency to drop again.

Mike Brown’s defensive adaptions were actually very effective; by substituting the slow-footed Big Z with the quicker Varejao and Gooden, they managed to restrict Okafor well.

Hughes’ defensive ability, guarding Felton, Zhang Yang, or Gerald Wallace, was quite stellar.

In response, Bickerstaff used a dead ball to substitute Zhang Yang out!

As the game progressed, the effectiveness of physical play increased, and the close-range accuracy of Okafor and Gerald Wallace wasn’t as sharp as in the first half anymore; since Hughes’ return, the Knights’ defense had indeed improved significantly, which was beneficial for their playoff campaign.