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Chapter 359 - 167. Unlimited Firepower_4

Chapter 359: 167. Unlimited Firepower_4

Even without the Knicks’ recent record of 5 wins and 3 losses, just this point alone was enough to tell Zhang Yang that tonight’s game was not to be taken lightly.

The game started late, and it was broadcast live in China, being the NBA’s first featured game of the 2007 season in the Chinese market.

At 9 p.m., Eddie Curry beat Okafor to win the jump ball and the game began!

Bobcats’ starting lineup: Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, Perkins.

Knicks’ starting lineup: Marbury, Big Q, Malik Rose, Frye, Eddie Curry.

Zhang Yang quickly retreated to the wing, catching up with the fast-breaking Malik Rose.

Watching the 213 cm and 136 kg Eddie Curry with a quicker jump than Okafor, Perkins began retreating from the three-point line towards the basket. After winning the jump ball, Eddie Curry almost beat him to the basket first; his physical talent was simply amazing!

Marbury advanced to the frontcourt, and with starting teammates like Francis and Crawford no longer on the court, he didn’t hold onto the ball for long, lobbing it over to Eddie Curry as soon as he pinned Perkins.

Eddie Curry received the ball and initiated a post-up, turning around for a hook shot which hit its mark!

In the last 8 games, Eddie Curry averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds, with a shooting percentage as high as 60%. His threat to Okafor’s title of "New Generation’s top center" was increasing, and the nickname "babyshark" had emerged over the past half month.

Although Eddie Curry entered the NBA a year before Yao Ming, Yao Ming was already viewed as a mid-generation superstar. However, Eddie Curry, Kwame Brown, Chandler, and others of Okafor’s age, as high-school talents selling on potential, Eddie Curry was still counted among the "new generation."

The Little Shark played very fiercely, and Zhang Yang felt sympathy for Black Perkins; the Big Shark had shrunk this season, so Perkins had to take on the Little Shark.

On the offensive-defensive switch, Zhang Yang ran back, easily shaking off Big Q’s pursuit, and Frye’s clumsy defense allowed for a close-range catch and a layup with one step - score.

Eddie Curry’s defense had become more active than before. He moved two steps towards the cutting Zhang Yang, not giving him the chance for a direct dunk, but it was limited; when Zhang Yang took the shot, Eddie didn’t even try to press up for a block, just stretched out his hand and then turned to watch the ball, ready to grab a rebound.

This was consistent with what Coach Bickerstaff analyzed in the Bobcats’ pre-game meeting: playing against this Knicks team, if you actively move and choose your routes well, you can get easy shooting opportunities.

The Knicks’ players were already accustomed to this; before the brawl, even basic defense coverage was rare.

If you can’t defend, then attack! Marbury received the ball and pushed forward quickly, trying to speed up and drive the tempo.

The Bobcats, who had sent out their strongest defensive lineup to start, obviously wouldn’t easily allow the opponents to start a fast break, pressing the Knicks into a settled half-court game.

Seeing his teammates failing to break through the defense and reaching close to the three-point line, Marbury slowed down.

After Eddie Curry moved into the post, he saw Marbury’s tactical gesture and leaned against Perkins, asking for the ball.

As Okafor who was in the corner moved closer to the post, Marbury didn’t pass but instead changed direction and broke past Gerald Wallace, surging into the lane!

Simultaneously, Channing Frye ran quickly around the three-point line up to the high post. Malik Rose cut in from the left, drawing Zhang Yang away. By the time Okafor got to the foul line, Channing Frye had already received the ball from Marbury outside the top of the arc, and he took the three-point shot... and made it!

Zhang Yang fell back to receive the inbound pass and pushed forward; the opposite offensive play was a bit tricky, playing a triangle offense!

For imposing post players like O’Neal, Yao Ming, and Eddie Curry, the greatest offensive asset isn’t the 20+ points they score but the threat they pose. Without preemptively moving up to surround them, you can’t even manage a double-team, and against any opponent other than themselves, they only need to catch the ball and back down twice to get a great shooting position.

That last play, with Shark posting down low pulling the opponent’s frontline early towards the post, a guard from the 96 draft breaks through, a forward runs up to the top of the arc to receive the ball, either to run a play or shoot... wasn’t that the same set O’Neal + Kobe + Fox used at the turn of the century?

The triangle offense, already analyzed to death by media, experts and teams, since the first Bulls dynasty, has been borrowed and learned by many teams. Learning a complete triangle offense is difficult, and this season even the Lakers hadn’t run the triangle. The Wizards were the only real team to adopt the triangle offense as their main system, but some fixed modes of cooperation from the triangle offense are still used by many teams—it truly is a top-notch tactical system under current rules, worth referencing.

Ignoring strength and only considering player positions, the Knicks’ triangle combination seems tougher to defend than the O.K. combo, because Frye is a shooting forward who could play center, tall enough for the role. As soon as Okafor moves inside, it’s certain he can’t catch up. If wing players come up to help, the opportunity for a wing three-pointer or cut emerges.

After advancing past midcourt, Zhang Yang set aside thoughts of defense; he just needed to stick with a good defensive target, leaving the how-to-defend problem to the coaching staff—his main task was to shoot!

Once in the frontcourt, he passed the ball to Felton and continued moving without the ball.

After clinching a record of 5 wins and 3 losses, the Knicks really changed; during retreat, the more defensively experienced Malik Rose directed his teammates on the wing, blocking Zhang Yang’s cutting lanes.

However, although the Knicks’ defensive attitude had improved, and they had a plan, they might be too weak or too predictably set in their ways.

Zhang Yang could see through the opponent’s defensive strategy. He moved actively to the left 45-degree mid-range cutting position, luring the Knicks to move into defensive positions. Then, instead of going towards the middle, he cut back along the three-point line to the baseline.

Big Q energetically stepped up to cover, but was blocked by Okafor on the wing. Zhang Yang received the ball at the baseline and shot the three-pointer... and made another!