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Chapter 486 - 213. The legendary coach’s way is just so wild_3

Chapter 486: 213. The legendary coach’s way is just so wild_3

Billups dashed up from just inside the arc to block the shot, but Zhang Yang didn’t stop; he took off towards the basket!

Billups couldn’t catch up, Hamilton was completely faked out, and Zhang Yang drove unabated into the paint, with McDyess only able to watch as Zhang Yang soared for a layup and scored.

The commentators gasped repeatedly—the rhythm of that play was just perfect!

Time Warner Sports commentator Bill Walton said Zhang Yang’s breakthrough was like an early hybrid of Kobe and Nash, combining Kobe’s stature and physical advantage at guard, with the astounding rhythmic sense of Nash.

The crowd went wild with screams and cheers.

Dribbling behind his back, then between his legs, Zhang Yang shook off his defender with continuous fake moves and aggressively drove towards the basket... his opening play was full of momentum!

Unlike the concerns of online fans discussing this and that, the live audience didn’t care whether the team played offense or defense, as long as the Bobcats scored and won, even if by a score of 60-58, they felt it was good gameplay.

When the Pistons attacked, just as the media and fans analyzed, the Bobcats’ defensive intensity tonight was high; Billups barely reached the top of the arc when he was met with physical, close defense by Gerald Wallace.

Felton defending Hamilton, also provided more physical confrontation.

However, the Pistons were too adept at attacking under high pressure, they had won championships this way before.

Billups, using a screen set by McDyess, drove into the paint and passed the ball to the left side of the key where Rasheed Wallace took a step into the basket, elevated, and went for a high shot over Perkins... it didn’t go in, but he drew a foul and got two free throws.

Rasheed Wallace made both free throws, tying the score at 2-2!

During the Bobcats’ offensive play, Felton pushed the ball past half court, and before reaching the three-point line, was closely guarded by Billups.

The Bobcats stepped up their intensity, and naturally, so did the Pistons players.

In this situation, other teams might have tried to break through offensively first; however, Pistons coach Saunders wasn’t initially inclined to respond with aggressive defense, but given that the Pistons players were from one of the most iconic tough teams of the early 21st century, their natural response when challenged defensively was to react aggressively, so Saunders could only strategize according to his players’ instincts.

Zhang Yang, on the other hand, also encountered fronting defense from Hamilton.

Felton protected the ball and waited until Gerald Wallace moved to the left 45-degree angle before lobbing the ball over.

Simultaneously, Okafor pulled to the left baseline, while Zhang Yang cut to the right baseline; Perkins went out to set a screen for Zhang Yang blocking Hamilton; Gerald Wallace received the ball and drove past Prince into the paint.

Rasheed Wallace stepped out to block the cutting Zhang Yang, then turned to help defend... he was a beat too slow, as Gerald Wallace drove into the lane for a successful layup!

The crowd erupted again with cheers and screams, and the commentators praised Gerald Wallace for playing tough.

On the sidelines, Saunders furrowed his brows, feeling something was amiss.

After several more plays, observing Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace taking alternating shots... he finally spotted the issue.

Who said they were in a dogfight? It was clear they were still pushing the offense!

The first time the Bobcats attacked, Saunders felt something was off, and now he finally realized— from winning the jump ball to Zhang Yang’s layup, it only took 11 seconds!

The Bobcats’ second offensive possession, from backcourt inbound to Gerald Wallace scoring a layup, only took 13 seconds!

Moreover, it was extremely straightforward, reliant solely on individual player capabilities, all-out one-on-one offense!

Over the past two days, the media and fans had been saying that the Bobcats’ Game 1 loss was due to scoring being concentrated on four players, with the fifth-highest scorer, Rondo, only achieving 6 points, arguing the team offense wasn’t good enough and stating the Bobcats needed to involve more players in the offense to stand a chance at winning.

Saunders too thought the Bobcats would make tonight’s adjustments to play more as a team, and he had prepared his defense accordingly.

Unexpectedly, rather than trying to open up team offense, the opposition even more concentrated the shooting opportunities, letting the two players who had positional advantages on the forward and guard line focus on output!

This gameplay by the Bobcats, with the Pistons not defending well from the start and failing to keep up in offense, saw the Bobcats leading by 7 points at 17-10 halfway through the first quarter!

Onlooker Carlisle: It’s long been said that this legendary coach takes a wild approach, but I didn’t expect it to be this wild!

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After work, I’ll have dinner and continue writing, there’s another Chapter tonight!