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Chapter 617 - 267. Overwhelming Reed, first explosion of the season!

Chapter 617: 267. Overwhelming Reed, first explosion of the season!

Zhang Yang’s one-on-one efficiency in the third quarter wasn’t as good as his off-ball plays in the second quarter, but he still went one-on-one as many as seven times, succeeding in five of those attempts, making 2 out of 5 shots, and with a free throw record of 4 for 4, he managed to score 8 points on one-on-one plays alone, which might seem less clever than his play in the second quarter.

For instance, during this quarter, when he played on fast breaks and off-ball cuts, he scored one basket for each, making 2 out of 2 shots, scoring effortlessly with high efficiency.

However, he wasn’t playing "smart," and the whole Bobcats team scored even higher than in the second quarter!

He wanted personal scores, and given the Bucks’ mindless double-teaming defensive strategy tonight, playing off-ball would definitely have been easier, but that would have put the pressure of creating scoring opportunities on Rondo, Millsap, and Hill, the "elderly and frail."

This is not the way a leading star should play.

He continuously took high-position one-on-one shots and drove in for close-range attempts, compressing the opponent’s defense towards the middle and elbow area, creating better space for cutting teammates and flanking teammates and creating better coordinating conditions for his supporting teammates.

This indeed is the way a leading star should play.

Carlisle watched as Zhang Yang stimulated several teammates who had the capability or talent to assist, saying to his old friend Vincent with emotion, "Sam, I was too anxious before; to unearth players’ talents, one must first understand how they utilize their own talents."

Vincent nodded in agreement, thinking to himself: If you weren’t in a hurry, I’d still be unemployed now...

On the other bench during the intermission, the Bucks players were downhearted, with a lead of ten points evaporating within one quarter.

Reed loudly said to his teammates, "We can’t give up! We led by 9 points in the first quarter, by 5 points in the second, we only need to lead by 1 point in the last quarter, and we’ll win. We still have a 1 point lead!"

Reed’s roaring successfully fired up his teammates’ fighting spirit.

At this moment, what was said didn’t matter; what mattered was someone daring to step up to lead the entire team forward, similar to Felton inspiring his teammates when the Bobcats were in trouble.

Initially, the Bucks were willing to trade a prime Ray Allen for 35-year-old Payton and his expiring contract, not only because of a fallout with Allen but also because Reed, who was then just a substitute sixth man, had already begun to proactively lead his teammates.

At that time, among the Bucks’ trio of gunmen, Big Dog was a "momentum extinguisher," his spirit fading after scoring 20 points and adversely affecting his teammates; Cassell suffered from discrimination due to his looks; and Allen had good aggression, playing style, and public image, but would either complain constantly, from teammates to coaches to management, or keep to himself when not complaining...

Returning from halftime, the Bucks fielded Morer, Reed, Bobby Simmons, Villanueva, and Bogut; the Bobcats fielded Rondo, Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, Millsap, and Okafor.

The Bucks had the first offensive, Reed backing down Zhang Yang at the low post, took a couple of steps, and executed a turnaround jump shot...

Zhang Yang defended aggressively, and before Reed could shoot, his hand was already up in Reed’s face.

But Reed, relying on his strong 100 kg frame and outstanding explosiveness, created the space to complete his shooting motion and, despite his line of sight being obstructed, made a close-range shot with solid shooting skills!

Not only is Reed considered one of the best shooters in the league today, but the half-year he spent with Payton also made him one of the best guards at low-post back plays, combining size, strength, and shooting stability.

As the game transitioned from defense to offense, Zhang Yang moved to the frontcourt, seeing that his defender was no longer Bobby Simmons, but Reed, who had just played him in the post!

Bobby Simmons, a player to be lamented.

In the 04-05 season, he averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals per game, with a very impressive shooting percentage of 46.6% field goals, 43.5% three-pointers, and 84.6% free throws, and his defense was solid. Before the All-Star weekend, he even helped the Clippers break into the top eight in the west. Unfortunately, post All-Star weekend, Maggette, Kaman, Jaric, and others fell prey to injuries, dropping out of the top eight... But in the end, the Clippers still achieved 37 wins, a significant improvement from 28 wins and last place in the Western Conference the previous season.

With his outstanding performance, Simmons beat Wade to win the Most Improved Player award for the 04-05 season. In the summer of 05, he secured a 5-year, 47 million contract from the Bucks.

His first year with the Bucks went quite well, although his scoring dropped to 13.4 points, he was still the second-highest scorer on the team, behind only Reed, with a 42% three-point shooting making him an excellent perimeter anchor, and he was also the best wing defender on the Bucks, considered by the management as a core part of their future lineup... Then in the summer of 06, he suffered an ankle fracture, and in the 06-07 season, he became one of the Bucks’ "injury brigade" members.

Simmons, returning from a year-long injury hiatus, had severely diminished athletic ability due to the ankle injury, lost his ball-handling skills, cutting and fast-break abilities, retaining only his shooting and defensive skills; however, his decreased mobility significantly reduced his effectiveness against superior scorers, and during the first three quarters tonight when he was primarily guarding Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang scored 36 points on him...

Reed couldn’t sit idly by, taking it upon himself to guard Zhang Yang.

Immediately, Zhang Yang positioned himself on the high post at the right side of the free-throw line, leaning against Reed.

The crowd burst into cheers; Reed had just played Zhang Yang in the low post, and now Zhang Yang was taking it to Reed in the high post!

Despite trailing by 3 points, having narrowed the deficit by a full 11 points in the third quarter, the fans were full of confidence in their team and their hometown bad boys!