No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 317 - 154. The team bound to ’be reversed

Chapter 317: 154. The team bound to ’be reversed

Ginobili was at a loss for words.

If Zhang Yang was provoking him or teasing him, he could have responded with harsh words or just walked away.

But the 18-year-old kid’s eyes were clear and bright, like a college student...

Ginobili replied, "Coming off the bench, I get more shots. With Tony and Tim as starters, there’s less opportunity to shoot when I’m on the floor with them."

Zhang Luyu said, "Really? I don’t believe it."

Ginobili said, "Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m heading back."

Zhang Yang watched Ginobili’s retreating figure with some regret; his challenge hadn’t provoked the maestro.

Ginobili’s sprint away was purely because at 29 and at the peak of his career, he felt embarrassed to come off the bench.

Zhang Yang had heard about the reasons Ginobili played as a substitute, and certainly it wasn’t the nonsense reason that he had more shooting opportunities off the bench.

During Ginobili’s sophomore year at age 26, he took 10 shots per game off the bench. When he started at 27 and 28, he averaged the same amount of shots. With the physical demands of scoring, defending, and passing, there was only so much shooting responsibility he could handle; even if he was given more, he wouldn’t be able to take advantage. If he was starting, Popovich wouldn’t object to him taking a few more shots per game.

It wasn’t that Ginobili was truly that selfless and voluntarily sacrificed by coming off the bench either. Last season, his refusal to be a substitute caused quite a stir. Mid-season, Popovich forcefully relegated Ginobili to the bench, and Ginobili didn’t communicate with Popovich for two weeks. In a contract year, that frightened Popovich enough to quickly put him back in the starting lineup.

There are two rumored reasons why Ginobili was willing to accept a bench role this season.

One was in last season’s second round of playoffs, where the Spurs’ second unit got thrashed by Maverick’s second unit. Over seven games, while the starters accumulated an average lead of 9 points, the Spurs ended up losing the series with an overall deficit of 4 points per game to the Mavericks, 99.9 to 103.9. It was their rotations that dug their graves. After their failed title defense, Ginobili started to seriously contemplate playing as a substitute.

The other reason was his salary.

Last season, Ginobili averaged 15 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals. Just looking at these stats, he’s a mid-level player. For instance, Matt Haplin of the Jazz averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists during the 03-04 season and got a mid-level four-year extension. However, Ginobili has the clutch gene and All-Star recognition bonuses. The highest offer for the 29-year-old maestro in the free market came from the Grizzlies, at 3 years for 24 million US dollars. Popovich retained him with 3 years for 27 million US dollars.

As for the specific reason why he was willing to come off the bench, Ginobili wouldn’t say, and Zhang Yang couldn’t guess; but from Ginobili’s re-signing saga, Zhang Yang could feel Popovich’s favoritism towards him. Duncan and Parker had to take pay cuts to re-sign, but only Ginobili got a raise.

At 8 p.m., the game began.

The Bobcats’ starting lineup remained unchanged, while the Spurs started with Parker, Brent Barry, Bowen, Duncan, and Francisco Elson.

The first half ended 20-23 and then 20-21, with the Bobcats trailing by 4 points at halftime, managing to compete head-to-head against the Spurs.

But in the third quarter, the Bobcats were worn down to just 15 points.

The Spurs went on to score 19 to 15 in the third quarter, leading by 8 points, 63-55, over the Bobcats by the end of it.

Entering the final quarter with an 8-point lead, for the Spurs, victory was almost within grasp.

Zhang Yang had played 20 minutes by the end of the third quarter, going 7 for 15 from the field, including 4 for 9 from mid-range, 1 for 1 on fast breaks, 0 for 1 from three-point range, and 2 for 4 on layups, plus making 2 free throws, racking up 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.

He deeply felt the terror of the back-to-back Texas road games. Media predictions before the season began had them likely facing three straight losses, and it wasn’t just a wild guess.

Against the Rockets, until Rondo disrupted their defense, Zhang Yang felt the terror posed by an elite rim protector combined with a suitable and outstanding defensive system; against the Mavericks, he experienced the formidable defensive sustainability assembled by a lavish spender.

The Spurs combined the defensive strengths of the other Texas teams!

Bowen plus Duncan had a defensive impact that was even stronger than Battier and Yao Ming, and the Spurs’ defensive sustainability was no less than the Mavericks’.

Zhang Yang’s 16 points, half of which came from mid-range.

Without his mid-range one-on-one scoring and the space his mid-range shots created, the Bobcats would have been down by more than 8 points by the end of the third quarter.

Looking at Rondo sitting on the bench and questioning his life choices, Zhang Yang thought the rookie coach was pretty unlucky. Debuting with a Texas triple-header, he had a breakout first game, but then was targeted in the following two.

Against other opponents, they probably wouldn’t set up a defense specifically for a rookie, and even if they did, it might not be effective.

But the Mavericks and Spurs were different; they had the awareness, they noticed Rondo’s talent, and they had the ability to target him.

Zhang Yang had no remedy for that and could only wish Coach Rondo strength.

After the break, Bickerstaff fielded a lineup of Zhang Yang, Felton, Matt Carroll, Millsap, and Okafor.

The Spurs responded with Udrih, Ginobili, Bowen, Horry, and Duncan.

Despite facing a formidable opponent and trailing by a significant margin, the Bobcats were not giving up.

They had their strengths that evening—defense and Zhang Yang.

As the fourth quarter began, the Spurs had the first possession.

Ginobili, facing Matt Carroll, faked a drive then stepped back for a three-pointer... and missed badly!

Bickerstaff dared to start Matt Carroll in the final quarter precisely because Ginobili had only scored 6 points on 2 out of 9 shooting in the first three quarters.

When Ginobili gets hot, he’s unstoppable, but when he’s not, it’s truly disastrous.

Tonight, it seemed Ginobili was unlucky, probably because he hadn’t helped an 18-year-old kid clear up his confusion.