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Chapter 310 - 151. Accidentally slaughtered!

Chapter 310: 151. Accidentally slaughtered!

Bickerstaff, upon seeing his players initiate a battle of attrition, braced himself for an early score deficit.

He found the Rockets’ defense this season to be stickier and more grinding than he had anticipated.

Especially at the beginning, when Yao Ming’s energy was at its peak, he alone seemed to cover the entire three-second zone. The other four Rockets players executed their roles within Jeff Van Gundy’s defensive system flawlessly. Besides Felton’s step-back three-point shot at the start, the Bobcats hardly got any regular shooting opportunities.

Yet despite that, they were still in the lead!

Zhang Yang’s eye for spotting opportunities and his ability to capitalize on them left Bickerstaff in awe.

However, reviewing Zhang Yang’s four scores—a putback dunk, a step-back jumper over a defender, a fast-break layup, and a quick catch-and-shoot taking advantage of a moment—Bickerstaff realized none were scored with ease!

Even during the fast break, he had to sprint a long distance, first getting past Battier, then guarded by Alston, he had to fend off the interference to protect the ball and drive in.

The most effortless was probably the last catch-and-shoot off the run.

This style of play concerned Bickerstaff; could Zhang Yang sustain his energy level?

Stop Zhang Yang from playing like this? That was out of the question. Why fall behind and have to catch up when they could lead?

They had to think of something else...

On the court, both teams followed up with a missed shot each, then McGrady went one-on-one and passed the ball. Yao Ming timed his cut perfectly, caught the ball high, and made a bucket over Okafor as he recoiled under the basket.

Turning back, Gerald Wallace made a side-wing drive past McGrady for a floater that missed, but a determined Okafor, beating Yao Ming to the spot, slid under the basket and explosively pushed the ball back into the hoop.

The Rockets called a timeout!

Halfway through the first quarter, the score reached 12-10, with the Bobcats leading by two points!

Bickerstaff felt the pressure due to concerns over Zhang Yang’s stamina, but they had control of the game.

Jeff Van Gundy was truly under tremendous pressure!

After such a strong defensive start, they were still down by two points!

Did they want to wear Yao Ming down or let him focus his energy on a scoring run? If he got tired, they could sub him out, block the basket with a group, guard the three-pointers, and let McGrady go solo. No, no, no, that would only worsen Yao Ming’s continuity.

What if Yao Ming just focused on drawing attention and defense? That wouldn’t work either. Not exploiting the advantage in the paint would further diminish McGrady’s one-on-one opportunities on the perimeter.

Compete in offense? They might not win that battle.

Adopt their big brother’s tactic, with Yao Ming in the post, McGrady playing one-on-one outside, flanked by three shooters, only guarding three-pointers and the basket? Their opponent didn’t have any three-point shooters on the floor yet...

Jeff Van Gundy’s mind was flooded with countless ideas, but as the timeout neared its end, he still hadn’t made a decision. Realizing the timeout was almost over, he quickly made substitutions.

After killing what felt like numerous brain cells, Jeff Van Gundy ultimately made no adjustments and, as usual when the score was tight, reinforced defense by substituting Chuck Hayes in for Juwan Howard.

On the other side, Bickerstaff substituted Rondo and Muhammad for Felton and Perkins, while Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor continued to play.

Zhang Yang was somewhat surprised to not be subbed out; he was ready to be replaced after a fierce start and half a quarter of play.

After the preseason, the coaching staff communicated to him that his playing time would be similar to last season: 6-7 minutes per quarter, except in the final period, trying to avoid him playing an entire quarter in the other three.

The coaching staff was clear: his health was more important than any impressive performance he might deliver.

But of course, he was pleased to continue playing; scoring 8 points with 4 out of 6 shots made in half a quarter was exhilarating!

Plus, he didn’t exhaust himself. It was just shooting.

Mainly, he didn’t use much energy on defense. Battier didn’t move much on the offensive end, usually just spreading out on the wings. All he had to do was stick with his man, occasionally collapsing to the basket when his teammates had already cut off the middle. That was the only bit that was a little more taxing on defense.

After Bickerstaff finished making tactical adjustments, Zhang Yang’s expression turned odd...

...

The timeout ended, and the game continued with the Rockets on offense.

Alston caught the inbound at the center line. Initially excited, his face fell the moment he saw Zhang Yang standing at the top of the arc.

After the first official timeout, he was eager to increase his offensive involvement. Spotting a first-round rookie on the opposing team, he wanted to dominate the new guy.

But they assigned Zhang Yang to guard him! He struggled most against defenders who were tall, calm, and defensively sound.

Having faced off twice last season, both times his long two-pointers and three-point shots were tightly contested by his opponent.

Zhang Yang didn’t expect to be assigned to guard Alston at the top of the arc either, which of course, was also easy for him—just guard the shot, something he excelled at.

However... glancing over at Rondo, his positioning wasn’t bad. As long as Battier wasn’t holding the ball, Rondo could handle defending Battier taking catch-and-shoots.

Alston dribbled towards the left side of the top of the arc, feeling immense pressure as he saw Zhang Yang move in sync.

Forget it, just play first!

Biting the bullet, Alston started his elaborate dribbling. As expected, the sophomore paid no mind, placing his left hand on his waist and his right hand at shoulder height, ready to disrupt the shot.

Alston had no choice but to drive... fake move! He pulled back the foot he had stepped out with, switched the ball to behind his back, took a lateral step to the top of the arc, and jumped...

Zhang Yang quickly stepped forward to follow, leaping up with his hand outstretched.

There was a slight difference in speed, preventing him from getting completely in front of Alston, but with his advantage in height and wingspan, even half a step behind was still enough to contest the shot.