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Chapter 641 - 275. Son of the Wind: I’ve been treated as a practice ball tool as well!_3

Chapter 641: 275. Son of the Wind: I’ve been treated as a practice ball tool as well!_3

More work on my plate, no wonder I’m going bald... Randy Brown grumbled inwardly, but outwardly he showed agreement, providing enough emotional value.

Carlisle explained to the coaching staff’s "emotional supply machine" the direction of adjustments for his system. On the court, the players were fiercely competing with the Suns, but as the game went on, the gap in offensive abilities between the teams became apparent.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Bobcats called a timeout, entering the official break four points behind the Suns!

The four-point gap was partly because the Suns were the first to attack and also because they had better three-point shooting. The Suns made three three-pointers in the half, one each from Nash, Raja Bell, and Marion, while the Bobcats only had Felton with a step-back three-pointer.

The Bobcats aren’t without top-tier wing shooters; Mike Miller was still on the bench.

But Carlisle couldn’t bring Mike Miller in early. The frontcourt duo was Hill and Okafor, with Hill not fitting the role of penetrating and drawing fouls, and Okafor being the main scorer in one-on-one situations that night. Alan Anderson was responsible for penetration and drawing fouls, and facing Stoudemire guarding the rim, Anderson’s ability was more than up to the task, and he was indeed performing well.

Bringing in Mike Miller early would interrupt the flow of the offense, making the team play less effectively.

However, it wasn’t the lack of three-pointers that was troubling Carlisle, it was the opponent’s strong scoring ability.

They, the Bobcats, scored 18 points in just 6 minutes and 21 seconds, a fierce offensive effort, but the Suns had scored 22 points...

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The Bobcats sent out Rondo, Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, Millsap, and Okafor.

The Suns countered with Nash, Barbosa, Raja Bell, Diaw, and Stoudemire.

Entering the rotation phase, Carlisle felt that the opposing players were really durable!

Carlisle was not averse to modern coaching styles, but he still couldn’t appreciate an eight-man rotation.

After the timeout, the Bobcats went on the offense.

Rondo took the inbound pass at half-court and advanced beyond the three-point line. Okafor didn’t go down to the low post; in this rotational lineup, he played a Hill-like role, catching the ball at mid-range and setting screens; Mike Miller drew attention outside the three-point line; Millsap crashed the boards... and the main attacker was Rondo!

Yes, even Rondo had his day as the main offensive option, and there he was, waiting for his teammates to get into position before suddenly driving straight to the basket, catching Barbosa completely off guard.

However, Rondo’s drive didn’t lead to a scoring opportunity as Stoudemire saw Rondo flash by and quickly hedged, effectively blocking Rondo’s path to the basket!

Stoudemire’s defense as a center may be at the bottom, but it was just enough to fend off Rondo.

The surprise attack foiled, Rondo, who had kept an eye on the movement of other players during his drive, immediately passed the ball.

Zhang Yang caught the ball on the left at mid-range. Raja Bell clung to him tightly. As Zhang Yang received the ball, he dribbled behind his back and sidestepped, launching into the air. Bell was right on him, having anticipated Zhang Yang’s next move and going up almost in sync with him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Yang leaped, his shooting motion already made, and despite Bell’s interference, he released a long two-pointer... and it went in!

to 22, Zhang Yang helped his team close the gap to two points, refusing to let the difference stretch beyond five!

Nash remarked, "That kid Jack can really hold his own!"

Whenever the Bobcats desperately needed a score, Zhang Yang always stepped up.

Raja Bell was frustrated; he had played excellent defense without the ball.

But this guy is even more reckless than the old iron smith, the civilian FMVP, as long as he’s not stuck to him and there’s a chance to jump and make a shooting motion, he’ll definitely shoot!

However, while he can ensure tight defense against ball-handlers, how is it possible with off-ball defense? Even Hamilton couldn’t do it!

Felton, Okafor, and Hill passing the ball might still miss the perfect timing to catch Zhang Yang, but when Rondo comes up to orchestrate the offense, Zhang Yang’s off-ball scoring ability is completely activated.

But that’s not why Raja Bell is going crazy. Even back in the early to mid-last season when Zhang Yang’s shooting wasn’t as accurate, he couldn’t stop Zhang Yang from running to catch and shoot either. The real issue is that his so-called ’deterrence’ didn’t show at all.

Different people have different views on the same thing.

D’Antoni and Raja Bell both thought that the choking incident could intimidate Raja Bell and affect Zhang Yang’s focus on offense.

But what Zhang Yang thought was—getting beaten up like that and still being so aggressive and brutal in defense, truly the mark of a defensive boss.

However, both parties shared one consensus: Zhang Yang was certain Raja Bell wouldn’t dare to do anything dirty again, at least not to them, and indeed, Raja Bell didn’t dare...

It was the Suns’ turn to attack, and Nash, after using a screen, shot a three-pointer directly!

He wanted to be aggressive, to increase the lead to 5 points and boost the morale. For a purely offensive team like them, high spirits would enhance their play.

Defending the pick-and-roll, Millsap extended his defense way out, giving a lot of importance to Nash’s long-range shots. This time, Nash’s quick release tossed aside rhythm, purely betting on his shooting touch... and lost the bet!

The ball hit the rim with a "clang," a miss!

Okafor secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Zhang Yang, who started a fast break... but it didn’t develop as the Suns were very quick to get back on defense, effectively stopping the fast break no matter how poor their choice of defensive assignments was; the point was they retreated.

As for how bad it was... standing in front of Zhang San was a gritted-teeth Nash.

Seeing a sudden smile creep across the face of his student, Nash’s teeth grinded even louder, the ’malice’ of the unfortunate student visibly written on his face!

Just as Nash was wondering how to position himself for a defensive stance that wouldn’t look too embarrassing if he got beaten, he saw Zhang Yang lower his center of gravity and start a large movement dribble... his eyes immediately widened!

A wide dribble looks elegant and full of grace, but it comes with a huge impracticality—the ball is out of hand control for much longer than regular dribbling.

Nash suppressed his shock, focusing intently on Zhang Yang’s dribbling motion. As Zhang Yang’s right hand was dribbling the ball down and his left hand was raised, Nash suddenly sprang into action, reaching for the ball.

At that moment, Zhang Yang’s left hand that was rising rapidly pressed down, pushing the ball back to the floor just as it bounced up and before its momentum was fully released. The ball rebounded to the right side even faster, Zhang Yang made a lateral step, caught the ball with his right hand, and drove in!

Nash, who had lunged forward out of the arc, was cleanly left behind!

Nash nearly stumbled and fell but managed to stabilize himself. Turning his head, he saw Zhang Yang come to a quick stop at the free-throw line, take a lateral step to the left to reach the line, evade Raja Bell’s defensive block, jump, and score with a mid-range jumper from the free-throw line!

Nash: Did he really develop it? He actually did develop it! The ’rhythm flow’ butterfly step! But when I watched the Bobcats’ previous game footage, he clearly didn’t use this move... wait, this damn unlucky student is practicing with me!

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I’ve been busy under the big sun all day today, came back and quickly started writing, here’s a Chapter first, immediately continuing to write~ Asking for monthly tickets! Seeking recommendations!