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Chapter 335 - 160. Shoot the ball to Zhang San!_2

Chapter 335: 160. Shoot the ball to Zhang San!_2

He didn’t feel that he was in the wrong; he believed he was telling the truth...

Deron gathered his emotions and went to the court to shoot and warm up—he really wanted to win tonight!

Felton wasn’t as easy to play against as Paul; he was even more robust physically, and he had three excellent frontcourt teammates, but the opposing side also had two, plus Zhang Yang, the highest-scoring player of his class.

The pre-game preparation time quickly passed, and the starters from both teams took the court.

Tonight, Bickerstaff started Millsap in place of Perkins, with Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor remaining unchanged.

The Jazz Team sent out Deron, Fisher, Kirilenko, Boozer, and Okur as their starting lineup.

At 7 p.m., the referee blew the whistle to start the game; Okafor beat Okur to win the tip-off—the Bobcats took the offensive!

Felton took the ball and pushed forward quickly, trying to play fast, but was blocked by Fisher at midcourt.

Looking to pass, he saw his teammates being followed closely just as they reached the three-point line; Felton protected the ball and reached the top of the arc, trying to make a move... but couldn’t break through!

Fisher was too strong!

Felton stepped back and took a long two-pointer... It missed!

Deron collected the defensive rebound, chuckling at Felton’s offense; even he, "Little Fatty," had to rely on pick-and-rolls to play against Fisher, let alone "Little Porker" Felton overestimating his abilities!

With the switch to offense, Deron pushed up to the frontcourt, facing Felton’s defense, he didn’t force it... he actually wanted to try, but he would have been yelled at by the head coach.

Deron ran a pick-and-roll with Boozer, shaking off Felton’s close defense, but didn’t get a direct shooting opportunity, as Millsap pressed up to the three-point line to disrupt the shot.

Deron sped up towards the three-point line, with Zhang Yang closing in from the wing to help defend.

Deron continued to drive in, intending to pass to the wing.

As soon as Zhang Yang disrupted Deron’s mid-range pull-up jump shot, he immediately pulled back to cut off the passing lane between Deron and Fisher; Felton, recklessly confident, grappled with Boozer without fear, desperately trying to get in front.

Okafor didn’t follow Okur away from the three-point line but instead cut off the passing space to Deron on the left sideline; Gerald Wallace left Kirilenko open and moved to the middle... spotting Millsap catching up, Deron charged under the basket, facing Okafor coming up to meet him, Deron went up for a strong layup...

As the ball rose to the height of the backboard, it was pinned against it by a leaping Gerald Wallace!

Sloan’s pupils dilated on the sideline as dark memories resurfaced in his mind—Jordan grappling with Malone to defend the pick-and-roll, Rodman playing tough against Stockton’s long shots, Pippen cutting off high post and disturbing Stockton’s attempts to the basket... He turned his head to look at Michael Jordan on the opposing bench.

It was definitely that guy who arranged the defense!

Sloan controlled the violent emotions stirring within him. They really had the capability to execute such defense with that starting lineup, but he wasn’t afraid of a defensive contest! That Chicago Bulls team managed to hold their opponents to just over 80 points, let alone these little wildcats before him.

On the court, Gerald Wallace snatched the ball pinned against the backboard, raised his hand to avoid Deron’s steal, but also lost the chance to pass the ball immediately; Kirilenko led his team in a fast retreat on defense.

Felton received the ball and pushed forward quickly; the fast-break opportunity was gone, but he wanted to try playing off the transition.

Unfortunately, the Jazz Team had changed significantly from last season; with a complete roster, they had already shaped their defensive system well during the preseason and the first month, maintaining a disciplined formation even during rapid defensive retreats.

As Felton reached the frontcourt, he didn’t continue to go one-on-one against Fisher, who was even stronger, but initiated a pick-and-roll with Millsap to attack.

Sloan was a professional at pick-and-rolls, and just as professional at defending them!

Felton’s long shot had no chance, and his drive didn’t get him to a suitable position either. He handed the ball off to Zhang Yang, who was cutting to the paint using Okafor’s screen from the high post. Zhang Yang caught the ball, took a step, and went up for the layup... but was disrupted by Kirilenko!

The sound of wind, rain, and the clanging of missed shots echoed in the ears. At Tuhang Stadium, a battle of bricks began to unfold. With 3:28 left on the clock, Kirilenko grabbed an offensive rebound and threw it out. Boozer caught the ball, took a mid-range shot, and scored, marking the first field goal for either side.

Combined with Deron drawing a shooting foul on Millsap from a high pick-and-roll earlier and sinking both free throws, the Jazz Team took a 4 to 2 lead over the Bobcats!

The Bobcats’ only points came from Gerald Wallace driving and drawing a foul, sinking both free throws.

It was the Bobcats’ turn to attack, with Zhang Yang taking on Deron one-on-one at the top of the key.

All the regular offensive tactics from the starting phase had been tried, and the opposing defense was really good. The Bobcats either couldn’t penetrate or had poor opportunities when they did, and found it hard to pass the ball out; so no more teamwork—it was time to go solo!

Facing Deron’s physical defense, Zhang Yang protected the ball with his body and made a sudden spin move to push forward!

Reaching the free-throw line, Zhang Yang faced the help defense from Kirilenko and pulled up for a jump shot... It went in!

Tied 4-4!

In the following plays, Zhang Yang aggressively scored a few rounds. He made another basket, and with one drive to the paint he drew a foul from Okur, sinking both free throws. Combined with Okafor’s putback, they launched a 6-2 run, helping the Bobcats to a 10-6 lead over the Jazz Team, four points up entering the official timeout.

But during this period, the Jazz Team’s defense wasn’t affected by his onslaught; they defended as they intended to.

After the timeout, the Jazz Team continued with the same defensive intensity and strategy. The Bobcats tried to exploit Zhang Yang’s offensive threat with team plays but hit a wall. Fortunately, the Bobcats also defended well, and both teams resumed with their "clang, clang, clang."

Zhang Yang was subbed out at the 9:11 mark, and by the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats were only ahead by three points, 16 to 13, having scored just 6 to 7 in the latter half of the quarter.

The score was so close it barely passed 15 points in the first quarter, making the Bobcats’ players’ scalps tingle.

Bickerstaff, too, was on the verge of madness, complaining to Jordan, "It’s all your fault for training their defense system to be so mature, what do we do now?"

Is this really supposed to be my fault? Jordan’s fist clenched again, but the Jazz Team’s defensive system was so strong, partly due to those two finals... I am the owner, I can’t get into a huff with a stubborn old man.

Jordan replied, "Their defensive system is very mature, both the pick-and-roll and the defense. Sloan is also experienced. I’ve observed them this season and, just like in the first quarter, they rarely make mistakes because they have successful examples to follow, which also limits their growth, preventing them from exploring more possibilities."

Bickerstaff said, "Indeed, they have a successful path they can follow, but without a scorer like Malone, they can never reach the ceiling they hit in the nineties. The future may look promising and full of potential, but in reality, their continuation of Malone’s era style has already locked down their future... Wait a second, why am I discussing this with you? Whether or not the Jazz Team has a future with us, just tell me how to break their defense!"

Jordan’s fist became firmer!

Change the head coach! Right after this season is over, replace that damned old man!

Jordan pointed to Zhang Yang, who was dribbling and warming up again, "Let him shoot!"

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The Chapter at noon is brief and potent; here’s one update, and I’ll continue writing~ Vote for it!