No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 519 - 225. Of course, be high-profile when dealing with outsiders!

Chapter 519: 225. Of course, be high-profile when dealing with outsiders!

For ten years, the Spurs had always relied on sheer strength to overpower opponents. When that was not enough, they increased Duncan’s playtime, pushing him to the limit, and if that still didn’t suffice, they admitted defeat.

With Ginobili on board, the Spurs introduced some variations, such as in the 2005 Finals, starting from Game 5 when Ginobili began showing his magic. First, in Game 5, he soared with a game-high 9 assists and, with 5.8 seconds left, assisted Horry’s three-pointer that almost secured the game; then in Game 6, he scored madly, surpassing Duncan as the team’s top scorer; and finally, in Game 7, he scored 11 points on 4-for-3 shooting in the last quarter, single-handedly defeating the Pistons in a game that had been tied until the first three quarters.

The saying about relying on Ginobili in dire times originated from that championship series, and that’s why so many people felt it was unfair that Ginobili didn’t win the Finals MVP in 2005.

But Ginobili’s explosive performance leading to a win required a solid backup—Duncan covering up the weaknesses, competing back and forth with the opponent, or at least playing only slightly worse than the opponents.

If the gap was too big, Ginobili’s explosion wouldn’t make much of a difference. He could unleash power like Jokic for a short time, but he lacked sustainability, evident from his five years of regular-season plays with 40+ points less than 5 times and less than 5 instances of 30+ points in the playoffs, compared with Yangyang’s four occurrences of 40+ points games in just his second regular season, already matching Ginobili’s tally over five years.

The worst scenario was if Ginobili became part of the backup, where even his breakout performance couldn’t lead the team; the Spurs were in real trouble.

Tonight, the Spurs were facing just that situation!

The Bobcats’ frontcourt severely restricted Parker, Duncan started one on three without gaining an advantage, and Popovich made a substitution by bringing Ginobili on, a move which gave the Spurs the upper hand for most of the subsequent two and a half quarters. At the end of the first quarter, Yangyang’s consecutive 5 points helped the Bobcats take the lead, but the Spurs were essentially still in control; they pressed the Bobcats throughout the second quarter, and for most of the third quarter were not outperformed... until their ’20-minute Jordan experience card expired,’ and they ended the third quarter with a 0-7 run.

In the final quarter, Popovich continued with Ginobili and Duncan starting, hoping the duo could lead a turnaround.

But the opposing old man started to play dirty—deploying a lineup of Rondo, Alan Anderson, Gerald Wallace, Muhammad, and Perkins, sticking to stringent defense!

Halfway through, the Bobcats scored only 5 points, but the Spurs managed just 8 points!

With a score of 60-64 entering the official timeout, the Spurs narrowed the gap to 4 points!

During this half quarter, Ginobili hadn’t scored, and Duncan had only made one mid-shot receiving the ball; the remaining 6 points were from Bowen sinking an open three-pointer, Parker hitting a fastbreak layup, and Elson being fouled on a catch, converting one of two free throws.

After the official timeout, Ginobili unexpectedly made a quick shot, hitting a basket just beyond the free throw line.

Turning back, Felton, using a screen, penetrated and passed the ball to Yangyang, who had circled to left mid-range. He received the ball, turned and pushed up the middle, then passed back to Felton who had pulled back to the arc, and Felton took the three-pointer... and made it!

67-62, the Bobcats again pulled away by 5 points!

It was the Spurs’ turn to attack, and Ginobili tried the same move again, stopping for a jump shot just beyond the free throw line... luck was not on his side; the area where he had only a 34% regular season and 28% playoff career shooting percentage did not yield points this time!

However, the Bobcats didn’t score on their return either, under the defense of the Spurs, as the duo of Yangyang and Felton hadn’t yet managed to extend the lead further.

In the next over 4 minutes, the Bobcats scored 5 points, and the Spurs scored 6 points.

With 11 minutes and 16 seconds left to play, the Spurs had narrowed the score to 68-72, a gap of 4 points again, with the ball in Spurs’ possession.

The current lineup on the court, for the Spurs: Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Horry, Duncan; and for the Bobcats: Felton, Rondo, Yangyang, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor.

Parker controlled the ball, penetrated to the inside but did not shoot, slipped around and out, and passed to Duncan for a solo play.

The Spurs spread out their formation, and at the crucial moment, Duncan didn’t drop the ball; he soloed Okafor, turned near the basket, and his jump shot went in, bringing the score to 70-72, narrowing the gap to two points!

With 26 seconds left, Bickerstaff did not call a timeout.

Calling a timeout at that moment would save time for the opponents and give them a chance to substitute.

The Spurs pressed hard defensively on the inbound, and Rondo successfully passed the ball to the back-running Yangyang.

Yangyang protected the ball like Nash, successfully advancing past the half-court under Ginobili’s full-court intensive defense, before the 8-second violation.

Having failed to steal the ball or cause an 8-second violation, Ginobili crossed back over the midline quickly, retreating without rashly committing a foul.

This play would leave at least two seconds on the clock; defending and rebounding were more crucial.

At the crucial moment, the Spurs players still opted for stability.

Yangyang went to the top of the arc to waste time, adjusting positions with his teammates.

Gerald Wallace and Rondo both moved near the right baseline, with Bowen helping Horry block Gerald Wallace’s potential cut-in or receive the ball for a solo, while Parker followed Felton to the left corner, leaving Ginobili to defend at the top of the arc.

This scene was reminiscent of the last moments of last season’s second round, during the Spurs’ Game 7 battle with the Mavericks.

Yangyang was extremely excited at the moment and didn’t try to suppress it; he wanted to take this shot!

With 6 seconds left on the 24-second shot clock and 8 seconds left in the game, Yangyang initiated his move, breaking through with a change of direction!

Ginobili, at the crucial moment, tried to keep up his lagging legs, keeping pace as Yangyang burst to the right side of the free throw line.

Then, Yangyang executed his signature move, handling the ball behind his back, turning to the right to reach the free throw line, while Ginobili had just moved hard to the left back to bar Yangyang; now out of strength, he couldn’t move laterally fast enough.

In the midst of the fans’ uproarious booing, Yangyang stepped on the free throw line, jumped, and shot... "swish"... the booing abruptly ceased.

Popovich called a timeout!

With 4.6 seconds remaining, the Bobcats gained a 4-point lead!

Following the timeout, Yangyang was subbed out, and the lineup of Rondo, Alan Anderson, Gerald Wallace, Millsap, and Okafor was brought back in by Bickerstaff.

On the Spurs’ side, Barry, Ginobili, Finley, Horry, and Duncan took the court.

After the timeout, the Spurs took the ball in the frontcourt. Horry moved to the top of the arc to receive the inbound pass and, facing Gerald Wallace’s aggressive defense, shot a three-pointer that missed. Okafor, holding his ground against Duncan, grabbed the defensive rebound. The Spurs chose not to foul. If that shot had gone in, they still could have played for a foul... Soon, the final whistle blew.

The Bobcats’ players rushed onto the court, embracing their teammates in celebration—it was as if they had won the whole world!

Only Okafor tried to restrain himself, standing aside without joining in, but from his tight grip on the ball, it was clear he was also thrilled; he just had to stay composed since his idol was nearby.

Duncan had a stable performance with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.

Ginobili scored 22 points and also performed very well. However, he had already scored 20 points by the last 3 minutes of the third quarter, went scoreless for the rest of the third, and managed to score only a mid-range shot, which he isn’t known for, in the entire last quarter.

Zhang Yang scored 11 points in the first quarter, 5 in the second, 11 in the third, and played 5 minutes in the last quarter, making 1 of 4 shots. But it was this one basket that helped the Bobcats secure the victory!

For the entire game, Zhang Yang made 12 of 27 shots, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, plus making all four free throws, scoring a total of 29 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, giving 2 assists, and making 2 steals. Along with Felton’s 16 points and Okafor’s 13 points and 13 rebounds, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Spurs 74-70, evening the series at 1-1!

Zhang Weiping, with his cameraman, squeezed into the celebrating crowd. The former Asia’s number one power forward made good use of his frame; he could shove an NBA player aside with his butt.

The fans at the scene, seeing the Bobcats celebrating jubilantly, started booing again, but the Bobcats’ players jovially gathered around to hog the camera.

Zhang Weiping loudly asked, "Yangyang, congratulations on setting a personal Finals scoring record and defeating the Spurs to even the series, taking back home-court advantage. Now you head back home for the next games. What are your thoughts on this Finals series..."

In front of the camera, Zhang Yang instinctively wanted to play it down modestly, but he immediately discarded that thought. After waiting for Zhang Weiping to finish, he shouted, "The championship! Our goal is only the championship! Once they come to our court, they won’t need to return here!"

Zhang Yang spoke in Mandarin, which his teammates couldn’t understand, but seeing him shouting, they all cheered loudly again!

...

By dawn, the Bobcats players had returned to their hotel.

In San Antonio, having won the game, nobody went out partying; they valued their safety.

Moreover, Jordan had declared a ban on alcohol before the Eastern Conference Finals. Having reached the Finals, the team was guaranteed a minimum of $1.2 million in bonus money, with each player getting tens of thousands of dollars. Winning would bring them $1.7 million, adding another twenty to thirty thousand dollars. Even Gerald Wallace, the highest-paid Bobcats player, earned only $5.53 million, making this a significant sum for the others whose salaries were all below $5 million.

After the noise, all was silent, but members of the Big Brother Group couldn’t sleep; it was after 2 am when they gathered in Felton’s room.

Felton, browsing the internet, saw the translation of Zhang Yang’s post-game interview and said, "Jack, winning against the Spurs 4 times in a row... that’s tough. Should we set a lower target?"

Zhang Yang replied, "Uh, Big Brother, that doesn’t sound like you!"

Felton retorted, "Haven’t you always said? Be pragmatic."

After losing Game 1, Felton was devastated, but he didn’t get carried away with their Game 2 win. This postseason, he had progressed in skills, psychological quality, and leadership.

Hearing this, Zhang Yang responded, "Should I rephrase in tomorrow’s interview? Saying we’re focused on keeping the championship by winning at least one home game?"

Okafor grabbed Zhang Yang by the shoulder and after a silent pause of two seconds, he said, "No, just like this. Regardless of whether we have the capacity to win 4 straight and clinch the championship, our goal is to win every single game."

He felt like blurting out, "Please don’t joke with Raymond; he’ll take it seriously."

Having heard Okafor’s words, Felton also transformed the pressure from Zhang Yang’s statement of ’winning 4 games straight for the championship’ into motivation.

After chatting for a while, none of them felt sleepy yet. Despite their exhaustion from tonight’s game, defeating the Spurs had left them too exhilarated.

They decided to make good use of their fresh memories and analyze tonight’s game.

Rondo, who either kept to himself or dominated the group once he chose to blend in, led the discussion.

Rondo analyzed, "Tonight’s win mainly relied on two points—first, Duncan’s defense, and second, Jack scoring 11 points in both the first and third quarters, outscoring Ginobili.

Both these advantages might be hard to maintain. Tonight, we ganged up on Duncan, and the Spurs were slow to respond. Duncan made only 8 of 21 shots, scoring 20 points, but for the next game, Popovich will surely adjust. He’ll exploit this; and Jack made several tough baskets tonight. To keep making those shots will be challenging.

Even though we defended well and Jack attacked well, we only won by 4 points..."

Rondo tried to phrase it diplomatically, but what came out might still offend some. Okafor heard it as ’you can’t guard Duncan,’ and Zhang Yang, as ’you can’t always make those shots.’

Fortunately, the members of the Big Brother Group were accustomed to Rondo’s way of speaking and didn’t take offense, but instead became more vigilant.

Indeed, they had played so well and yet won only by 4 points, still relying on Zhang Yang’s final decisive shot.

The group discussed this topic for a while, feeling the pressure mount but gradually growing calmer.

It just goes to show, the Spurs and Duncan are just too strong!

...

...

Not staying up late is good, no grogginess during the day. I’ll post one Chapter now and update the next one before dinner; vote for monthly and recommendation tickets!