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Chapter 634 - 272. Proud Teacher Na in the Spring_2

Chapter 634: 272. Proud Teacher Na in the Spring_2

From the perspective of defensive coordination and ability, the Hawks team was even worse than the Pacers. Danny Granger, Dunleavy, Marquis Daniels, Tinsley... their defensive skills and habits of cooperation were quite good. However, their interior defense was too weak. Little O’Neal had no interest in fighting and only wanted to leave, Troy Murphy’s defense was subpar, and the reserve players were not even worth mentioning. If Big Shark could pull off a miracle move and trade these two players with trade value for pure blue-collar players that O’Brien favored, the Pacers could rise within a year or two.

As for the Hawks team, with one point guard at 183cm tall teamed up with four forwards between two meters and 2.1 meters tall, they lacked both individual and team defense. So, Zhang Yang, if he had the chance to make a move, was actually quite efficient, like in counterattacks and cutting in... but the Hawks even double-teamed Zhang Yang off the ball...

Hate!

Zhang Yang opened his little notebook, wanting to write the name of the Hawks team in it, and damn, he noticed that a bunch of names of the Hawks team were already written there.

Carlisle also had the Hawks team noted down in his grudge book. Unlike the Pacers who would still care a bit about their image, they could still practice individual defense, practice Zhang Yang’s breakthroughs to draw the defense and then pass inside.

The Hawks team essentially wasted their chance to practice during that game!

After playing against the Hawks, the Bobcats had a day off. On November 11, at home, they welcomed the Miami Heat.

Not only the fans but also league officials and major television networks had thought before the season that after a poor last season, O’Neal could bounce back this season.

That was Big Shark after all!

The league promoted the match between the 2005 elite guards and the 2003 class of LeBron James and Wade as a hot match, and the TV networks did the same. Initially, both encounters between the Bobcats and the Miami Heat were scheduled for live broadcasts.

However, after the last encounter between the two teams, the next day the TV networks canceled the live broadcast for the 11th, choosing instead to broadcast the Hornets’ away game against the Magic, as both teams were rising strongly this year.

But the cancellation of the broadcast was actually correct. When the Miami Heat came to Charlotte, neither Wade nor O’Neal had traveled with the team. Both suffered injuries and would miss the game against the Bobcats, leaving even the anticipated 3 vs. 3 highlight gone.

Tonight, Zhang Yang continued to ’struggle’; he scored 15 points from 10 shots and played only 19 minutes in the first half.

The Bobcats scored 27 points in the first quarter, while the Miami Heat only managed 12 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second. When Wade and O’Neal were able to play, the Heat’s strength was already the worst in the league. Without them, the Heat truly looked like a CBA team... no, some players wouldn’t even make a CBA team.

By halftime, the Bobcats led the Heat by 31 points, 55 to 24.

In the second half, the Bobcats rotated their main players to include Jarett Jack, Rondo, Alan Anderson, Afflalo, Millsap, Perkins, Muhammad, seven pure substitutes, playing preseason-like strategies centered around Rondo and Millsap. It wasn’t spectacular, but it satisfied Carlisle’s long-suppressed desire to ’create strategies around Millsap.’

The second half looked a bit better, with the Heat scoring 52 points and the Bobcats scoring 50, making it seem closely matched.

to 76, the Bobcats won a big victory over the Miami Heat!

Tonight, the performance of the players from the Miami Heat was very balanced, with 11 players getting on the court and all 11 scoring, yet only one—Ricky Davis—scored in double digits, hitting 17 points from 16 shots.

The best performer among the Heat’s other players was Haslem, who managed 8 points and 10 rebounds.

No one expected that one day, the face of Wade’s team would become Ricky Davis...

Zhang Yang, seeing Ricky Davis becoming the top scorer for the Miami Heat, recalled the Heat’s schedule he had looked over. In two games, the Heat would play the Cavaliers. If Wade and O’Neal were still out with injuries by then, wouldn’t the highlight of that game be Ricky Davis vs. LeBron James?

Originally, in a different timeline, James returned to the Cavaliers in 2014. At that time, some fans of James used the Golden Chicken’s line for that ’return.’

Zhang Yang planned to open a new account and post on that day: Cleveland, your old emperor is back!

Gathering his scattered attention, Zhang Yang looked at the player opposite him and had a new suspicion—his calculations had begun last season.

Among the class of ’03, except for Anthony who rejected LeBron’s suggestion, many talents followed LeBron’s advice. They all signed 3+1 contracts, so they could opt out after three years of the new contract and, after accumulating seven years of bird rights, they could sign a new contract starting with 30% of the veteran’s salary cap as early as possible.

Chris Kaman, too, turned down the Clippers’ offer of a $72 million six-year contract and instead signed a four-year $40 million contract.

Zhang Yang speculated that the mastermind might have begun planning after the wave of ’03 renewal in late 2006. The Miami Heat began to offload high-quality role players, exchanging solid long-term contract players for garbage short-term contract players. The first wave occurred in January and February this year, and it got even more ruthless in the summer, with trades like LeBron James-Posey for Mark Blount happening.

...

After three games in four days, the Hornets had two days of rest following a seven-game winning streak to start the season.

On the 12th, Carlisle did not arrange any practice and took a day off. In the past three games, Zhang San, who had only shot more than 30 times, went to the stadium to vent his excess energy. He clanged the rim ferociously and incidentally sank a few hundred baskets, accumulating over two thousand, nearly three thousand shooting value.

Around 4 PM, Zhang Yang finished training, went home to take a bath, and headed to the airport to pick someone up.

Around 6 PM, Zhang Yang picked up Nash, who had arrived in Charlotte a night earlier than the team.

The Suns also had two days of rest. When Zhang Yang called Nash in the morning to ask if he was free to practice together, he found out that the Suns had not arranged any practice today and even tomorrow’s practice schedule was very short.

Nash explained several reasons for the Suns’ infrequent training: D’Antoni wasn’t very demanding regarding practice, he only cared about the performance of the players; role players who didn’t perform well would be replaced. This was one reason. The Suns’ star players were veterans and relied on an eight-man rotation, so it wasn’t suitable for extensive training during the season. That was another reason. Lastly, the Phoenix Suns’ system was mature, and the core lineup was stable.

Therefore, after learning that Zhang Yang and Felton wanted to train with him, Nash took the initiative to come to Charlotte earlier today.

Nash had already put aside last season’s playoff failure, looked forward, and was ready to start afresh.

This summer, although the Suns lost Kurt Thomas, they successfully renewed Barbosa’s contract for five years at $30 million, keeping the core scorer of the second unit.

Additionally, they brought in players like Gordon Kirilenko and Brian Skinner to fill the gap in mid-range shooting.

With Diaw returning to the starting lineup, he averaged 12 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists in the first seven games. As a playmaking forward, he still needed to pair up with stronger teammates to fully exhibit his offensive organizing talents.

In the details of strengthening, Steve Kerr did well, meeting D’Antoni’s needs for roster improvement. The Suns also maintained their strength from the past three years, starting with 6 wins and 1 loss, second only to the Hornets with a six-game winning streak in the Western Conference and ahead of the Lakers at 5 wins and 2 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference.

In the first seven games this season, Nash averaged 18.6 points, 12 assists, a shooting accuracy of 51%, a three-point accuracy of 48%, and a free-throw accuracy of 92%.

With good personal performances and team results, Zhang Yang seeing Nash again after two months noted that the post-season’s earlier exit’s melancholy was gone, and he could even see a bit of spring in his step.

Over the past few years, there’s been a hot topic every offseason, sparking controversy among fans and media speculation every summer—Nash is getting old.

This topic has existed since 31-year-old Nash won the MVP in ’05 when he was immediately declared a fleeting wonder, already too old. This summer, unsurprisingly, the narrative resurfaced and once again stirred heated debates among fans.

This season, Nash performed even better than last season, achieving a new career-high. Less than two weeks into the new season, MVP chants began. No wonder he’s feeling triumphant.

Right, Zhang Yang remembered that the Suns’ general manager would soon begin to showcase his management skills...