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Chapter 308 - 150. Let’s just wear each other out!_2

Chapter 308: 150. Let’s just wear each other out!_2

Zhang Yang stopped his retreating step-back shot mid-motion, secured the ball, and landed before jumping again.

Zhang Yang had already stopped dribbling and couldn’t continue, it was only then that Battier jumped to interfere.

Zhang Yang wasn’t afraid and decisively shot the ball as his vision was blocked... and hit!

It was a tie at 4 to 4!

Even though the score was tied, the pressure was greater on the Bobcats!

After several rounds, they had managed to score only thanks to Zhang Yang’s follow-up dunk and another catch-and-shoot basket against the defense.

When it was the Rockets’ turn to attack, McGrady received the ball high up, faced Gerald Wallace, and assumed a triple-threat stance before suddenly jumping up!

The motion was swift, the jump incredibly quick, Gerald Wallace hadn’t even left the ground and McGrady had already lifted the ball above his head... pulling up for a long two-pointer and scoring!

As McGrady released the shot, the rest of the Rockets immediately fell back on defense.

Felton called for the ball back from Zhang Yang, facing most players who had already retreated to the half-court line.

During the four seasons following the Rockets’ choice of Yao Ming, the team averaged a net gain of 3.3 rebounds over their opponents per game, but this was mainly due to good defensive rebounding. Their offensive rebounding was always among the worst, albeit their second-chance points were low, which thus made their transition defense excellent, rivaling the abilities of the Spurs and the then Pistons.

Bickerstaff wanted to call a timeout to make adjustments.

He was considering substituting Jumaine Jones for Perkins to enhance offense. Although that would leave the interior defense extremely weak, their opponent was Yao Ming, the strongest center in the league. However, an inside combination of Okafor and Jumaine Jones could possibly pressure Yao Ming, much like Boozer and Okur had done.

At the end of the previous season, rookie Deron, along with Boozer and Okur, gave Yao Ming quite a hard time.

But as he saw Felton directing his teammates to move positions on the way up the court, he suppressed the urge to call a timeout, wanting to see what their on-court leader had in mind.

Then he witnessed the others spread out as Felton charged inside, launching a quick shot against Yao Ming’s interference...

Bickerstaff’s forehead creased with frustration; young Felton was being incredibly thoughtless this time... huh?

On the court, after Yao Ming contested Felton’s shot, he turned to box out the charging Gerald Wallace on the wing, while keeping an eye on player number 3’s movements.

Meanwhile, Okafor beat Juwan Howard to the rebound spot in the paint.

Yao Ming quickly moved into position, using his height advantage to grab the rebound before Okafor.

During the offensive-defensive switch, McGrady continued to isolate and initiate the attack.

Bickerstaff’s gaze hadn’t followed Gerald Wallace and McGrady, but instead focused on Yao Ming and Perkins... Yao Ming pulled away, and Perkins proactively approached to tangle him up front.

After McGrady scored one basket, he pulled up again from the same position.

He was too arrogant, not taking any opponent seriously, but Gerald Wallace was not an adversary to be underestimated.

This time, Gerald Wallace timed his jump perfectly to interfere. McGrady had to fade back to release the shot...

Executing a pull-up jumper was already off-rhythm, purely reliant on feeling, and McGrady’s shot missed!

Zhang Yang contracted from the corner to grab the defensive rebound and launched a fast break!

The Rockets struggled to fall back on defense, blocking the fast break initiated by Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang didn’t force the shot; if he couldn’t attack, and passing to a teammate wasn’t a good opportunity, he stopped after entering the three-point line and pulled back out.

After waiting for his teammates to get into position, Zhang Yang executed a pick-and-roll with Perkins. Juwan Howard smothered the mid-long range, Zhang Yang drove straight into the paint, facing Yao Ming and performed a Euro step...

Yao Ming didn’t bite the fake! Standing on the charge circle, he was able to cover the area around the basket, not needing to move erratically like those leapers.

Yao Ming only moved once Zhang Yang’s second step landed. Although he didn’t complete the block, he greatly interfered with Zhang Yang’s rushed shot.

After contesting the shot, Yao Ming retreated two steps to block the charging Gerald Wallace and secured the rebound.

A war of attrition tactic?

Bickerstaff caught on to young Felton’s strategy, nodding in approval. The tactic was solid and it was bound to have an effect.

Compared to this strategy, Bickerstaff’s own plan felt too risky.

He had seen the most critical assessment of himself — the gap between Bickerstaff and a top-tier coach was his inclination to gamble. He could lead an average strong team to perform beyond expectations in the playoffs, but with a truly strong team, you’d witness just how many ways there were to creatively self-destruct.

The most successful seasons of his career were the 86-87 season when he led the 39-win, 43-loss, seventh-seeded Supersonics to the Western Conference Finals, and the 93-94 season when, as the general manager and coaching advisor, he led the eighth-seeded Nuggets to a stunning upset over the 63-win Supersonics.

In his youth, Bickerstaff wouldn’t have admitted he was wrong, but now in his early sixties, seeing Felton, a sophomore player, calmly directing his teammates to a more prudent course of action...

On the court, Zhang Yang also considered whether they could imitate the Jazz Team, but as soon as the thought emerged, he dismissed it.

His and Felton’s pick-and-roll talents and abilities were above average, but they were definitely no match for Deron’s.

Okafor was inferior to Boozer, whether in pick-and-roll or mid-range shooting.

There was no comparing to Okur, a borderline All-Star with a salary in the tens of millions, while Jumaine Jones was just a spot-up shooter.

Executing the war of attrition tactic was bound to have an effect, forcing Yao Ming to do without proper rest.

But that wasn’t enough for victory; on the other side was another superstar!

As long as Yao Ming and McGrady stayed healthy, the Rockets were more than a 50-win team, especially in the Western Conference, which was filled with strong teams.