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Chapter 511 - 221. The Terrifying Stability

Chapter 511: 221. The Terrifying Stability

Only the Spurs would start a tough, iron-blooded battle after securing a two to three-point lead; they are known for this kind of thing.

After gaining a 12-8 advantage in the first three minutes, the Spurs played the next seven minutes against the Bobcats with a score of 7-8, causing the TV commentators to continuously describe their play as ’ugly’.

With 10 minutes and 21 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bobcats called a timeout with the score at 16-19, trailing by 3 points.

Bickerstaff substituted in the lineup of Rondo, Zhang Yang, Alan Anderson, Millsap, and Perkins.

Zhang Yang, who had played for just over 4 minutes, was subbed out and then sent in at the end of the quarter for a final push.

Popovich, on the other hand, had Parker and Duncan as the main attackers for the first 10 minutes then rested both at the end of the quarter, bringing in Ginobili—who hadn’t played yet—and pairing him with Beno Udrih, Brent Barry, Matt Bonner, and Francisco Elson.

Following the timeout, the Bobcats were on the offense with Zhang Yang receiving the ball at the top of the key and going one-on-one against Ginobili.

Excitement was written all over Zhang Yang’s face, and Ginobili was also thrilled; after nearly sitting out the entire quarter, he was eager to take on the young player he admired most, Zhang Yang!

As Rondo moved to the left side of the paint, Zhang Yang took a step to the right before rapidly pulling the ball back to the left from under his legs.

Ginobili immediately pressed close on Zhang Yang in an effort to hinder his jump.

But Zhang Yang kept dribbling without gathering the ball; as if to grab it, his hands swiftly pushed the ball behind the pressing Ginobili. At the same time, moving aggressively towards the oncoming Ginobili, he quickly sidestepped, brushing past Ginobili’s face and inside the three-point line to catch the bounce pass and break through the middle!

Ginobili spun around and chased with all his might. He managed to cover the long two-point area, but as the distance increased, he couldn’t keep up!

Zhang Yang reached a step inside the free-throw line, stopped abruptly, picked up the ball, and jumped...

Bonner moved to a position one step above the charge circle, and Elson also came out a bit, but neither pressed up. If they had continued to move out, Perkins could have been fed an easy basket, and Millsap, slicing in, could have attacked the rim at will.

With Udrih lagging a bit too slow to cover the middle as he left Rondo open, Zhang Yang scored with a pull-up jumper!

Zhang Yang scoring from that position? Ginobili was used to it.

If the speedy Parker had been there, that shot might have been blocked. If Duncan, who could defend the rim on his own, had been crouched under the basket, the power forward might have dared to extend that far to help defend. But with neither present, they had no way to stop Zhang Yang’s shot, yet...

Watching Zhang Yang turn around to get back on defense, Ginobili thought to himself: Playing with a machete my whole life, I’ve actually been nicked by a small knife!

The move that bad boy Jack had just broken out with was the very trick he used to play when faced with close defense—the sly maneuver he often employed to toy with his opponents!

Another trick stolen!

Failing to defend one-on-one would certainly irritate Ginobili, but the other side had a prodigy who made second team All-NBA at 18, and reached the Finals at 19, now stealing his moves...

As Zhang Yang backed into the backcourt, his heart pounded; he’d successfully pulled off the move!

He had initially planned to use Nash’s rhythm play to break through, but Ginobili’s footwork was so good it didn’t leave space for him to turn. Instinctively, he used the Ginobili Euro step, which he’d practiced occasionally but seldom used in actual games, and it worked like a charm!

As the saying goes, ’master one, master all.’ Ever since the ’Son of the Wind ball control rhythm’ reached the intermediate level, Zhang Yang learned the rhythm play very quickly.

The Ginobili move is also rhythm play, but it requires a taller player who can cover ground in one step and create space, giving it a better sense of rhythm. Nash couldn’t use it with his size, but Zhang Yang could!

Seeing Udrih methodically advancing the ball, Zhang Yang suppressed the joy in his heart and devoted himself to defense.

Once Udrih passed left to Ginobili at the top of the key, then moved to the left side of the paint, it was of course... Zhang Yang keeping up with Brent Barry, while Alan Anderson took on Ginobili.

Lil’ bro Alan was brought in to do the dirty, tiring work.

Alan Anderson’s defense was standard and disciplined, but his execution and determination to block shots stood out.

Ginobili changed directions and got past Alan Anderson to drive into the paint!

Rondo and Zhang Yang left their wings to collapse to close range, joining Perkins to trap Ginobili. Alan Anderson, who had been beaten, also spun around and sprinted towards the basket; mid-range shots didn’t worry them at all—Ginobili’s career mid-range and long-range jumper scoring averaged only 1.2 points per game.

But still, everyone knew once Ginobili drove, he’d go for the basket, and despite the Bobcats’ four-man coverage, they couldn’t stop him!

Ginobili pulled out the Euro step, taking two strides to end up on the right side of Perkins, using Perkins to block the taller and long-armed Zhang Yang and Alan Anderson. Under Rondo’s close defense, he forced up a shot... and scored!

The referee whistled, Ginobili’s basket was good, and he even drew a foul on Rondo!

Zhang Yang, Rondo, Alan Anderson, and Perkins all stood with their hands on their hips; as a go-to player, Ginobili was truly tough!

Ginobili made the additional free throw, 22-18, giving the Spurs a 4-point lead!

On the Bobcats’ offense, Zhang Yang continued to handle the ball, attacking from deep when pressed, he kept driving!

Ginobili once again couldn’t stop the drive, but he managed to keep position on Zhang Yang, pressuring him down the baseline.

Zhang Yang passed to the left, where Rondo, with his speed, got some distance from Udrih, received the ball and drove into the paint!

Anticipating Rondo’s ’sneak’ move, the Spurs had a defensive strategy in place; Elson moved to the charge circle line, and Ginobili stepped just outside the top of the charge circle, blocking Rondo’s route to the basket. Rondo charged headlong toward the charge circle, looking like a greenhorn rushing into a trap, but just as he was about to be pinned between Elson and Ginobili, he passed the ball!

He lobbed it to the right side of the hoop!

Zhang Yang cut in, jumped, and nailed a slam dunk on the alley-oop pass!

Ginobili: When did this bad boy get below the basket?

He’d let go of Zhang Yang to converge on Rondo’s drive, because after passing the ball, Zhang Yang had withdrawn toward the top of the key. With Udrih beaten and staying at free-throw line distance like Parker might, Udrih could have defended Zhang Yang at the high post.

Zhang Yang feigned a withdrawal, only to follow up in support!

Ginobili was impressed by the move; it practically amounted to a near-distance two-on-three play! Both Rondo and Zhang Yang had to possess high basketball IQ, great rapport, and solid control over the pace of driving and passing, as well as timing their cuts to the basket.

He couldn’t prevent it, but Ginobili was even more thrilled!

This time, he took the inbound pass and pushed forward, with only 10 seconds left, charging into the frontcourt before swinging into action!

Everyone knew that the "Demon Blade" was definitely going to drive and shoot; the Bobcats left the Spurs’ wings open, contracting to double-team, yet the "Demon Blade" still used his devilish footwork, shuffling on the floor... creating an open shot, pulling up for a close-range jumper...

The ball had just left Ginobili’s hand when the red light came on.

Accompanied by the long whistle indicating the end of the first period, the ball fell into the hoop!

The baseline referee decisively confirmed that the red light lit up after the ball left Ginobili’s hand, validating the basket!

Zhang Yang, Rondo, Alan Anderson, Millsap, and Perkins—all five huddled together with hands on hips, one more than the last round.

From the sidelines, Bickerstaff, Carlisle, and Joe cursed in unison.

With the last 1 and a half minutes left, after subbing in Zhang Yang, their "bad boy" didn’t disappoint them, breaking the embarrassing scoreless situation as soon as he came on, bagging 4 points straight.

But on the other side, the "Demon Blade" came up and instantly scored 5 points in return!

At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs led the Bobcats by 4 points with 24 to 20, entering the halftime break!

Popovich breathed a sigh of relief, then looked smugly at that old man on the opposing bench: So what if you have the historically strongest under-20 prodigy and "bad boy" Jack? I have the "Demon Blade" in his prime!

From 2001 to 2004, four consecutive playoff encounters with the Lakers ended in one win and three losses; the one wearing number 8 had left Popovich with a psychological shadow.

Therefore, Zhang Yang’s scoring put much more psychological pressure on Popovich than the actual effect of the points scored.

Seeing the "Demon Blade" outscore Zhang Yang thrilled Popovich beyond words.

The "Demon Blade" had taken the upper hand over Zhang Yang in their duel, not only exhilarating Popovich but also aiding the Spurs in creating a more favorable situation.

Bickerstaff had originally planned on these two rounds to spur a rally, only to be firmly suppressed by the "Demon Blade"!

Into the second quarter, the Spurs, with a two-point lead, continued their tenacious defense. The Bobcats constantly tried to strike back, but to no avail.

With 11 minutes and 23 seconds left in the second quarter, the Spurs had only scored 17 points, but they held the Bobcats to just 15 points!

to 35, the Spurs increased their lead to 6 points!

In the final moments of the half, Felton asserted himself, taking Parker one-on-one, powering through for a step-back three-pointer... and it was good!

Zhang Yang then snatched a steal from Parker’s pick-and-roll drive and finished with a fast-break layup; the Bobcats’ backcourt duo powered up, closing the gap to 41 to 40!

Just as the Bobcats’ momentum was picking up, Duncan executed his last attack of the half with a low-post one-on-one turnaround hook shot over Perkins, which scored and drew the foul, with an additional free throw also made!

As Zhang Yang’s full-court, ultra-long three-point attempt hit the backboard, the halftime whistle blew.

to 40, the Spurs tied with the Bobcats in the second quarter!

Just when the point difference had been narrowed down to 1, Duncan, expressionless, converted a 2+1, pulling the gap wider again... Zhang Yang personally experienced the agony and torment shared by those who had faced Duncan as an opponent.

After the halftime break, Zhang Yang and his team set off once more on a chase to close the gap, finding themselves stuck in the mire...

Tonight the "Demon Blade" was unsheathed, its edge turned against the opponent; in critical moments, it was either him stepping up or Duncan to counter the outbursts from Zhang Yang, Felton, and Okafor, holding onto that slim lead with tenacity!

So steady! Not only did the opposing Bobcats feel the Spurs’ infuriating steadiness, but even the viewers in front of their TVs could feel the Spurs’ frustrating stability!

In the third quarter, the score was 21 to 18, with the Spurs winning by 3 points; in the final quarter, 22 to 19, with the Bobcats narrowing the gap by 3 points...

At 11:23 pm, as Zhang Yang’s forceful three-point attempt leaning on Bowen missed and the referees stayed silent, the final buzzer sounded.

Duncan with 27 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks, Ginobili with 24 points and 5 assists, Parker with 12 points and 4 assists...

On the Bobcats’ side, Zhang Yang scored 10 in the first quarter, 6 in the second, 5 in the third, and 7 in the last, playing 37 minutes in total, making 11 out of 25 shots, missing all four three-point attempts, plus 6 out of 7 free throws, scoring a game-high of 28 points.

Okafor with 14 points and 13 rebounds, Felton with 18 points and 5 assists, both also played decently, collectively scoring 60 points.

But the rest of the teammates together only managed 20 points...

The big three led the Spurs to an 84 to 80 victory over the Bobcats, leading the series 1 to 0, securely holding their home court!

As the final whistle blew, Felton saw the spectating fans’ wild celebration, and then the calm triumph of the Spurs players...

Big man Felton found his little brother, asking uncertainly, "Jack, can we win against such an opponent? We played so well in the critical moments, and you started so strong on the offense, but we still lost. I feel like no matter what I do, it’s useless..."

Zhang Yang: "We have a chance! We played everything we needed to tonight, it’s just that they played better. What we need to do next is to keep up our performance and wait for their mistakes!"

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Going to bed early tonight, no staying up late, I’m setting a goal, updating early tomorrow!