No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 565 - 244. Unprecedented game experience_3

Chapter 565: 244. Unprecedented game experience_3

He shoots better than Harden; although his success rate at driving to the basket is slightly lower, the gap is not big, and he has a greater variety of moves, is faster, and has a stronger impact when attacking the rim.

The fact that the Lakers were willing to trade Howard, who was touted as ’the one to swap for James,’ for him is the best proof of his ability; he is unstoppable one-on-one.

Moreover, his one-on-one plays tonight are significantly different from what the Thunder Team expected!

No matter how good or bad the opportunity is, as long as there’s a chance for an isolation play, he’d shoot without hesitation, and he’s wildly accurate too!

When he initiates the offense, the Thunder Team can only move early to double-team, and whoever between Nash and Gasol is in a better position will provide support; in the following possessions, the Lakers continue to press the Thunder Team, at one point leading by a score of 14 to 9, stretching the lead to as much as 5 points.

But when Zhang Yang needed to catch his breath and stopped being the initiating point of offense, with Nash and Earl Clark running pick-and-rolls or Gasol posting up to start the plays, the Lakers’ offensive efficiency plummeted!

With the Lakers’ offense losing steam, Harden, Durant, Sefolosha, and Ibaka were able to counter with a multi-pronged attack.

In just over two minutes, the Thunder Team answered the Lakers with an 8 to 4 run, bringing the score to 17 to 18 at the official timeout with 6:22 left in the first quarter, reducing the deficit to 1 point.

After the official timeout, Zhang Yang took back control of the ball and initiated the offense; the Lakers scored 10 to 8 in the next 3 minutes, but in the following two-plus minutes, the Thunder Team countered with a 6 to 3 run. The Lakers’ defense was adequate during these possessions, with Jordan Hill replacing Metta World Peace and offering solid protection inside, but offensively they only managed a three-pointer from Blake...

to 31, the Thunder Team tied the score!

With 11:42 left in the first quarter, the Lakers on offense, Zhang Yang received the ball at the top, isolated against Sefolosha—turned, dribbled behind his back, and took a lateral step to the free throw line, jumped, and, facing the contesting Ibaka, hit the mid-range shot, bringing his total points for the quarter to 14!

With 6 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Lakers led the Thunder Team 33 to 31 by two points!

The Thunder Team quickly inbounded the ball; Harden, pushing hard on the fast break, charged forward. Blake couldn’t keep up; Zhang Yang and Earl Clark fell back and blocked Harden at the free throw line, forcing Harden to pass back to the top of the arc, where Durant received the ball and took a three-point shot...

As soon as the ball left Durant’s hand, the buzzer sounded, and the ball, as if guided by a homing device, flew straight into the net...34 to 33, Durant hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, helping the Thunder Team to a 1-point lead going into the break!

Howard, known as ’the one to swap for James,’ allowing the Lakers to part with Howard as a trade piece, demonstrates that Zhang Yang must have put on an extremely strong performance in the first half of the season, perhaps even one of the top performances for his age in NBA history.

points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal for the quarter, and an effective field goal percentage on final isolation plays. To still be behind despite this is inconceivable!

Zhang Yang has played for so long, yet this is the first time he’s encountering such a situation.

On the other side, Durant, who scored 10 points in the first quarter, and Harden, who had 6 points and 3 assists, were also astonished.

shots, 5 makes, 1 of 1 from three, plus perfect from the free throw line, 3 of 3—14 points for the quarter...

Not only is he performing well offensively, but Zhang Yang’s defense is also exceptionally strong, standing out amongst the perimeter players of both teams.

Durant has just enough stamina, Harden did not play hero ball, continuing the two-way style of play from his first three years—committed on individual defense and active in collapsing and helping out when defending the wings.

Neither of them could afford to throw up around 10 shots in a quarter while balancing offense and defense like Zhang Yang can.

Durant: A second-round draft pick, huh! Didn’t play during his rookie year, huh! After the rookie season ended, the Suns were unwilling to offer a $3 million annual salary, so he ended up playing ball back in the Bay Area, a Chinese community... And four years later, he turns out to be even better than me!

Harden wasn’t shocked by Zhang Yang’s performance, but he was very unwilling to accept it.

They had played together in college, and when they left, there wasn’t much difference in their skill levels. It was just that Sun Yue, known as the ’Chinese Magician’ at the time, performed too badly during Zhang Yang’s draft year, resulting in Zhang Yang going undrafted. No team was willing to give him a chance until the Suns, based in the city of the University of Arizona, took him in.

In the playoffs, when the Suns faced the Spurs, Zhang Yang’s performance was actually slightly better than his against the Lakers.

Harden knew about Zhang Yang’s talent; he first met the 15-year-old Zhang Yang when he was 14, back when Zhang Yang had just started playing basketball. In just a year or two, Zhang Yang had caught up to him. Since then, Harden had made it his goal—to suppress Zhang Yang.

But after four years in the NBA, not only had he not suppressed Zhang Yang, he was actually being dominated by him...

However, Zhang San once said that to make good use of your teammates’ strengths is also a part of your ability. So Harden adjusted his attitude and got back on the court to challenge Zhang San!

Having stronger teammates like Durant and Ibaka, Harden has the advantage and the upper hand. If he can’t beat Zhang San individually, then let’s gang up on Zhang San as a team while old iron-smith Nash is out!

Harden, after resting for a few dozen seconds to catch his breath, called his teammates over to instruct them on the details of their cooperation.

Their head coach Scott Brooks is adept at player development, almost every young talent drafted by the Thunder Team has been nurtured successfully by him; a disciple of George Karl, his defensive, and fast break coaching abilities are also strong. But as for offensive plays in half-court sets, he practically has none—it’s basically just letting the two young stars take turns shooting.

Although they ended the first quarter with a slim 1-point lead over the Lakers thanks to their individual talents, it was too risky. Harden hoped his teammates could better cooperate to support him and Durant’s isolation plays.