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Chapter 488 - 214. Carlisle: I want to coach the Bad Boys... Legion!_2

Chapter 488: 214. Carlisle: I want to coach the Bad Boys... Legion!_2

What is a genius? This is!

Some people can only display 85 out of the 90 points of their abilities during the game, and under the pressure of important matches, they may even perform worse, perhaps showing only 80 points or less. Such players are not uncommon in the NBA.

But there are others who are unafraid of pressure, with great awareness, high basketball IQ, and daring. In crucial games, they can somehow turn 85 points of ability into a performance of 90 points, making the opponent feel the pressure of 95 points. Even in the NBA, such players are rare.

Bad boy Jack is one of the latter!

Watching Zhang Yang also make his free throw, Sanders struggled to regulate his emotions. The quarter break was approaching, and he couldn’t let his players sense his pressure. He had to maintain a cool, calm, and wise image.

As Billups rushed to the frontcourt and missed a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the quarter, the first quarter ended with the Bobcats leading 32 to 25, continuing to hold a seven-point advantage!

On the other side, Sanders’s emotions fluctuated dramatically because of Zhang Yang’s last-second 2+1 play. In the stands, Carlisle was also emotionally stirred.

He had the idea of joining the Bobcats, mainly for Jordan’s sake and the attractive roster, although he was not very keen on it personally.

But seeing Zhang Yang score a 2+1 against Prince’s defense... That genius, he wanted to coach!

...

Felton shot 3 for 5, including 2 for 2 from three-pointers scoring 8 points; Zhang Yang, 3 for 6, plus 3 for 3 from free throws scoring 9 points; Rondo 2 points, Okafor 6 points, Gerald Wallace 5 points, Jarrett Jack 2 points.

Tonight, the Bobcats’ scoring was even more concentrated than in Game 1!

However, the defensive intensity was gradually increasing. In the latter half of the first quarter, the Bobcats only scored 9 points in over four minutes, relying on Felton and Zhang Yang’s one-on-ones to raise their half-quarter score to 15 points, matching the enhanced offensive firepower of the Pistons. Bickerstaff concluded that it would be difficult to have multiple stars open up the game like in the first quarter in the coming play.

His adjustment was very simple...

After the halftime break, the Bobcats fielded a lineup of Rondo, Zhang Yang, Alan Anderson, Millsap, and Muhammad.

Rondo was the main playmaker, penetrating to score when possible, and if not, he would pass to Zhang Yang for a one-on-one on the perimeter, Alan Anderson was ready to help with three-pointers and cuts, running the fast breaks, while Millsap and Muhammad were tasked with rebounding and catching lobs.

Defend with full force!

That’s why they say Bickerstaff’s coaching style gets tougher as the game progresses. He predicted the changes, and simply followed the logic of taking the most extreme measures possible.

But knowing how the Bobcats would play gave Saunders no viable solutions, the only option was to stick it out with them.

Having lost Ben Wallace, the Pistons were lacking in mid-range sweeping defense and their ability to block from the wings had significantly decreased. They couldn’t strangle Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace as they did in the playoffs last season!

Zhang Yang scored 8 points in the first half of the quarter, leading his team to 12 points.

In the latter half, Bickerstaff deployed Felton, Alan Anderson, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, and Perkins. Gerald scored 8 points in that half, leading the team to 11 points.

On the Pistons’ side, Hamilton played the entire quarter scoring 9 points, Billups 4 points, Rasheed Wallace 4 points, while Webber, Prince, and McDyess each scored 2 points. Under the Bobcats’ defense, they only managed to score 23 points.

At halftime, the Bobcats held a seven-point lead with a score of 55 to 48!

After the mid-game break, the third quarter saw the Bobcats continue with the same playing philosophy as the second quarter but with different details. Instead of taking turns chipping away half a quarter, they chipped away together.

Zhang Yang played 10 minutes in the third quarter, shooting 2 for 5, adding 4 out of 5 free throws for 8 points.

Okafor played the entire quarter, shooting 3 for 6, plus 4 for 6 from the free-throw line for a total of 10 points.

Together with Felton and Perkins who each scored 2 points, the Bobcats scored 22 points in the third quarter alone, stabilizing their scoring while also continuing to limit the Pistons’.

Hamilton shot 7 for 3 and added 3 out of 4 free throws to score 9 points, Billups added 7 points, Rasheed Wallace scored a three-pointer, McDyess completed a layup for a 2+1, yet they only managed to tally 23 points.

At the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats led the Pistons with a score of 77 to 71, having allowed the opponents to narrow the gap by only one point in the second and third quarters!

Heading into the quarter break, Sanders looked at the big screen comparing the statistics of both teams.

For the Bobcats, Okafor had 16 points over three quarters, Gerald Wallace 13 points over three, Felton 11 points in three quarters, Zhang Yang 25 points in three quarters, totaling 65 out of the team’s 77 points, meaning there was an even heavier scoring concentration than in the previous game with an 84% share.

But the Pistons were in the same boat!

Hamilton scored 8 points in the first quarter, 9 points in the second, and 9 points in the third for a total of 26 points—more than the bad boy Jack himself.

Billups had 18 points, Rasheed Wallace had 12 points; of their 71 points, 56 were scored by these three. If you include Prince’s 5 points, that’s 61 out of 71, even more significant than the opposing team, holding an 86% share!

Sanders had this premonition since the first quarter but was powerless to stop it.

Starting at a disadvantage, falling behind by 7 points in half a quarter, and without Ben Wallace, their defense could only reach a top level, unlike the unique league-leading defense of last season’s playoffs. To withstand their star players’ aggressive attacks, they had to ensure a high success rate on offense. The best method was to get the ball to those big three to shoot.

With the game having progressed to this point, Sanders had no regrets. Who could expect the old man to play such a move? He could only continue to arrange for defense and to grind it out with the stars, battling the opposition in the final quarter!