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Chapter 619 - 267. Dominate Reed, first explosion of the season!_3

Chapter 619: 267. Dominate Reed, first explosion of the season!_3

The referee signaled the two-pointer was good, Zhang Yang was granted an extra free throw!

The fans in the stands, who had suppressed their emotions for two rounds, were instantly ignited, cheering wildly!

Forty points in a single game!

In just the second game of the new season, Zhang Yang scored 40 points!

Millsap and Rondo quickly ran over to pull Zhang Yang up, and after celebrating with his teammates for a moment, he walked to the free-throw line.

He received the ball, took a deep breath. This shot, once again, made him appreciate how outstanding the ’Legendary Trainer’ Tim Grove was. The ’back to basics’ training program Grove tailored for him was based on his current playstyle, crafted specifically for his skills. His speed of action and the stability of his force application had improved.

He adjusted his breathing, Zhang Yang took the extra free throw... and it went in!

His personal score rose to 41 points, and he also helped the Hornets to tie the game at 83 to 83, bringing both teams back to the same starting line!

Reed was frustrated. He ran to the frontcourt... positioned on the wing, after several rounds of offensive and defensive play, he was a bit winded and needed to slow down a bit.

Having Bobby Simmons as a teammate, Reed’s playstyle gradually became more McGrady-like, strong on offense but weak on defense. Another reason was his stamina; without reducing his defensive efforts, he could only play 35-36 minutes per game, scoring just over 20 points; focusing on scoring, he could play 40 minutes per game, averaging more than 25 points, even erupting for 40 or even 50+ in a single game.

Mo Williams went for a solo play at the top of the arc against Rondo, faked a drive and pulled up for a three-pointer... but he couldn’t fool Rondo, seriously contested, the ball flew straight into the left side of the basket!

Carlisle anticipated that the Bucks would alternate their two main shooters in the final quarter, based on his analysis of the Bucks’ lineup, which was the only way to survive during the tense moments of the game.

Last season, in the two games between the Bucks and the Hornets, Williams’s shooting performance significantly dropped when faced with Rondo’s defense. Felton had aggressive defense and was good at one-on-one confrontations but was easily tricked, unlike Rondo, who was as chill as a cucumber on defense, with a bad-boy demeanor.

Mo’s one-on-one abilities weren’t outstanding; as long as the Hornets could continuously disturb his shooting, he was effectively neutralized.

That’s why Rondo was sent in as a starter for the final quarter, instead of Felton, who had stronger personal scoring abilities.

Millsap secured the defensive rebound well, landed, and immediately turned to pass to Rondo who was a step inside the arc. Rondo dribbled behind his back, bypassing Mo Williams who was pressing for a steal, and led the fast break!

Zhang Yang followed up, not thinking of scoring; it was Rondo against none in the frontcourt.

But as Rondo charged to the frontcourt, he bounced the ball off the backboard and it came back. Zhang Yang was no longer reserved, quickened his steps, leaped with full force, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

to 83, this was the first time the Hornets had taken the lead since they started the game 4 to 2—a lead that had been three quarters in the making!

Even though they had been ahead by so much earlier... Reed couldn’t accept it!

He gave up defending Zhang Yang and put all his energy into offense, playing aggressively. Under his leadership, the Bucks players fought fiercely on the offensive end.

Perhaps it was the stimulation of losing a 14-point lead to be overtaken in the last quarter, but in the next few minutes, the Bucks were particularly ferocious in offense.

However, the Hornets didn’t panic like in the first half. Faced with the intensified Bucks, they were cool and collected.

With a net win of 13 points in the third quarter and now leading the score, they had the advantage. Their bad boy Jack had already scored 40+ points, absolutely fearless!

The score remained tense. When the Bucks called a timeout at the 10-minute and 32-second mark of the final quarter, the teams were tied at 109 to 106. Over the past 8 minutes, the Hornets and Bucks had scored 24 to 23—a ferocious exchange.

During that period, Zhang Yang only scored 5 points, making one three-pointer and a direct drive inside for a floater. Other times, his fast breaks were blocked, his one-on-ones double-teamed, his drives stopped... However, his teammates took advantage of his threat to score 19 points in 8 minutes. Felton, who had rotated in, benefited the most, making two three-pointers and a close-range floater for 8 points during the 4 minutes of official timeout.

Okafor distracted Bogut inside, while Zhang Yang and Mike Miller took away a defender on the high post and the wing; with Hill’s passing, Felton was shooting brilliantly.

The other side called for a timeout, Carlisle made personnel adjustments, subbing out the fiercely attacking Felton from the past few minutes, and sending in Rondo to join Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, Hill, and Okafor on the floor.

Felton didn’t show any dissatisfaction at that moment; instead, he encouraged Rondo to defend well... He already had 22 points and 5 assists. Why be dissatisfied? He scored the points, and for the dirty and tiring job of single coverage on Mo, there was a talented younger brother to help. Was there any boss who had it more comfortable than him?

On the other side, the Bucks returned from the timeout with the same players: Mo Williams, Reed, Bobby Simmons, Villanueva, and Bogut.

It wasn’t that Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak didn’t want to make substitutions; he simply had no one else to use!

Besides those five, the only one who could play was Desmond Mason.

Yes, the Bucks had signed the Painter back in the off-season for a two-year mid-level exception. The Hornets were unwilling to match the offer, and no other teams competed for him.

As for the state of the Painter... a black athlete and artist with a powerful politically correct buff, Desmond Mason was highly celebrated in the art world.

During this summer’s off-season, the amount he donated to charity from his painting sales alone exceeded his salary for this season.

He hardly had any passion for basketball anymore. At the prime age of 30, with no noticeable decline in his athletic ability, but his performance was even weaker than during his rookie contract—it seemed like he considered the NBA a part-time job, or entertainment?