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Chapter 338 - 161. When you can make every shot, you just can’t stop shooting!_3

Chapter 338: 161. When you can make every shot, you just can’t stop shooting!_3

Jazz Team attacked, Deron was blocked and scolded, feeling angry, but scolding was effective—realizing continuous solo attempts might lead him to the bench, he chose to endure and honestly initiated a pick and roll with Boozer.

Taking cover, Deron rushed forward and passed to Boozer, who then distributed the ball, letting Okur take a three-pointer from a 45-degree angle on the left... and he scored!

Okur’s action promptly stopped the bleeding for the Jazz Team.

With a change in offense and defense, Rondo pushed the ball to the frontcourt.

Kirilenko had already prepared a coordinated defense to limit the connection between Rondo and Zhang Yang.

However, the Bobcats didn’t use their tactics this time, Rondo lobbed the ball to Zhang Yang, who was demanding it at the high right side against Deron!

After Rondo passed, he moved down the middle. Fisher followed tightly, not allowing any chance for a mid-lane sneak attack, but the Jazz Team’s planned defense was rendered useless!

By the time Rondo reached the left baseline, Zhang Yang, from a high position, backed down Deron, turned, and shot a pull-up jumper... which missed!

Although the shot was missed, coach Sloan sensed great unease, seeing the sophomore play like this rendered his team defensive setup useless.

Life is unpredictable, it’s often the bad that works out rather than the good.

On Jazz Team’s offense, Okur once again ran out to catch and throw a three-pointer but missed. Turning around, Zhang Yang continued to post up, turned, and shot a pull-up jumper... this time it went in!

Purely relying on touch—it was flamboyant!

to 20, the Bobcats led by 8 points!

In less than half a quarter, Zhang Yang made 7 of 6 shots, scoring 12 points!

In the following four rounds, Zhang Yang scored another mid-range shot, and Gerald Wallace forced his way inside for a basket.

Although Boozer fiercely made a 2+1 under the basket and Fisher tightly guarded Zhang Yang causing him two missed shots, their other 3 attempts all missed, with Kirilenko missing two open three-pointers, leaving him unmarked, and both Okur and Muhammad missing close-range shots after tussling in the paint.

At 6:11 into the second quarter, Sloan called for a timeout, entering the official break with a score of 23 to 32, the gap once again reaching 9 points!

The fans in the venue went wild with cheers, and the Bobcats players surrounded Zhang Yang, taking turns high-fiving in celebration.

Sloan was completely numb.

In just half a quarter, there were 11 shots in total from the other side, 10 were taken by Zhang Yang, hitting 7 out of 10, 5 out of 7 in mid-range, and not a single free throw attempt, incredibly scoring 14 points in half a quarter!

Had he not switched the starters early, with Okur’s three-pointer and Boozer’s 2+1 facilitated by Okur’s spacing, the gap would have already reached double digits!

After the official break, Bickerstaff subbed out Zhang Yang, who had frantically taken 10 shots in half a quarter, replacing him with a lineup of Felton, Rondo, Alan Anderson, Okafor, and Perkins.

Sloan let the starting lineup continue playing.

He judged that Zhang Yang was tired and wanted to seize the time to close the gap.

Previously Fisher went to guard Zhang Yang, limiting him to 1 out of 3 shots, but Sloan didn’t believe it was Fisher’s merit—he saw it clearly, Fisher defended diligently, it appeared that each time Zhang Yang shot, Fisher was right there, but in reality, the ball was already thrown by Zhang Yang by the time Fisher jumped in front of him to reach out.

Sloan couldn’t blame Fisher; he was already 32 years old, no longer the player once described by O’Neal as ’flexible like a fish’, from the 90 kg ’little fish’ when he left the Lakers, he had turned into a 95 kg ’old fish.’ The defensive instinct was there, but the steps could no longer keep up.

Sloan pinned his hopes on Zhang Yang being out, hoping they could close the gap and that Zhang Yang’s shooting hand would cool down after the halftime break.

In the latter half of the second quarter, under Sloan’s command, the Jazz Team launched a fierce attack, scoring nicely with 12 points in half a quarter.

However, Felton and Okafor, who had rested from the 9th minute of the first quarter to the official break of the second, together scored 8 points, plus Rondo’s support in distributing and threading direct passes under the basket to Perkins, contributed a cake feed—the Bobcats also scored 10 points in half a quarter!

At 26 to 22 for the quarter, the Bobcats led the Jazz Team by 7 points, 42 to 35, going into halftime!

After halftime, Zhang Yang re-entered the game, partnering with point guards Felton and Rondo resting on the sidelines; Gerald Wallace, Millsap, and Muhammad re-entered the game.

The third quarter began, and Deron wanted to reduce the gap to within 5 points by directly shooting a three-pointer after a screen... he shot quickly, successfully releasing before Millsap could effectively block, but he rushed too much, misjudging the angle!

Muhammad protected the defensive rebound well.

The Bobcats’ offense, Felton advanced past midcourt then passed to Zhang Yang at the high post, then ran towards the right baseline dragging Fisher with him.

With Rondo out, they abandoned coordination, and Bickerstaff let Zhang Yang go all out!

Zhang Yang received the ball, faced Deron, assumed a triple-threat stance, and raised his hand.

On the sidelines, Sloan’s mind was screaming not to jump... already intimidated by Zhang Yang’s shooting, Deron still jumped.

Zhang Yang leaned forward from the right front, drove into the paint, grabbed the ball and stepped around Kirilenko, who was helping on defense, and confronted by the helping defender Okur, he made a toss shot—knocked over, but the ball had already been thrown!

The ’Underdog’ effect triggered, Zhang Yang felt excellent about this shot, accompanied by the referee’s whistle, the ball fell into the net!

Coolness washed over Sloan at the sidelines.

Wanting to take advantage of Zhang Yang’s substitution when there wasn’t a high-post shooter to constrain, and to quickly close the gap, but Felton’s step-back three-pointer and Okafor’s mid-range and subsequent basket plus one stifled their efforts.

Expecting Zhang Yang’s touch to cool down after a long rest, yet he came back with a 2+1...

Zhang Yang, amidst the wild cheers of the fans in the venue, made his additional free throw.

to 35, the Bobcats extended the gap to double digits for the first time!