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Chapter 689 - 290. The aspiring little emperor_2

Chapter 689: 290. The aspiring little emperor_2

Another day passed, and on December 7th, Zhang Yang and his team arrived at the EnergySolutions Arena to challenge the Jazz Team.

At 7:40 PM, Zhang Yang and his teammates entered the stadium amidst boos and jeers from the home crowd.

After both teams’ players entered the court, Felton went to line up against Deron again.

Both of them, seemingly stocky but not really slender either, had disliked each other ever since their first confrontation during their college days.

Zhang Yang looked at the big screen, which displayed some data on both teams.

The Jazz Team had made it to the Western Conference Finals last season and, although luck was a major factor... many quality role players considered them while seeking new teams during the offseason. This was unimaginable in previous years; in Salt Lake City, that godforsaken place, not only black athletes but even white athletes with options would rather not play there.

Having matured by another year, the young talents of the Jazz Team had progressed further this season, showing better performance than the early stages of the last season.

Up to now, Boozer averaged 22.6 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, with a field goal percentage reaching 55%.

In the first three weeks, Deron’s average points per game were also above 20, but it began to drop from late November. Currently, he averaged 19 points and 10 assists per game, but his shooting percentage was as high as 51%. His three-point shooting percentage was also at 40%.

Compared to last season, the new formidable duo had improved by a whole tier, and the Jazz Team’s record was much better than the early season of last year. They had played 19 games to date, with 13 wins and 6 losses, nearly a 70% win rate, aiming for 55 wins. This season, the overall strength of the Western Conference and the intensity of competition reached a historical peak. In previous years, with the strength shown by the Jazz Team at the start of this season, their record could potentially be even better, challenging for 60 wins is not impossible.

Just how strong is the overall strength and competitive intensity of the West this season? With Deron and Boozer’s performances at the start, when the predictions for Western Conference All-Stars were made at the end of the first month, both were not ranked by major media among the first reserve list but were only placed on the shortlist for the two wildcard spots.

As the pre-game preparation time ended, both teams’ starting lineups came onto the court.

Zhang Yang, along with Felton, Mike Miller, Millsap, and Okafor, started the game.

He looked towards the opposition—Deron, Ronnie Brewer, Kirilenko, Boozer, and Okur.

Ronnie Brewer, not the NCAA Final Four MOP rookie, but the 2006 draftee, was now a sophomore in the league.

However, he too was a player who entered the NBA after completing college. When he joined the NBA in 2006, he was already quite mature, but last season the Jazz had Fisher as the starting shooting guard, and in terms of newcomers, Sloan was still focusing on the development of CJ Miles from the 2005 high school class, leaving Ronnie Brewer without much opportunity to showcase himself.

During the offseason, Fisher ran back to Los Angeles, and after CJ Miles completed his second year and performed poorly in the summer league, Sloan tried letting Ronnie Brewer start, and he seized the opportunity. So far this season, he had put out an impressive performance, averaging 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, capable of scoring, passing, and defending.

He was on the list of candidates for the Most Improved Player at the end of the first month.

Okur averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game, maintaining a performance level on the edge of All-Star status.

During the preparation phase, Zhang Yang noticed one particularly bright spot in Okur’s scouting report—a field goal percentage of 46%, with a finishing rate around the rim at 51.5%...

For a center, such a low finishing rate was unheard of, it’s difficult even for point guards to find someone with a lower percentage than Okur around the rim.

Nevertheless, Okur’s three-point shooting percentage had hit a career-high, reaching 45.1%. He averaged 1.4 made baskets in the paint per game but averaged 1.8 made threes.

This season, Kirilenko’s defense matured further; his blocking stats were the lowest since he entered the NBA, averaging 1.6 blocks per game, but according to the scouting reports Zhang Yang saw, his efficiency in help and recovery defense was the highest yet in his NBA career.

However, when Zhang Yang caught up with the news, he noticed that media reviews of Kirilenko’s defense had become less favorable...

At 8 PM, the game between the Knight Team and the Jazz Team started.

Okafor beat Okur to win the tip-off, and the Bobcats took the first offense.

Felton received the ball and advanced to the frontcourt to pass to Zhang Yang, who initiated the first attack, going one-on-one with Ronnie Brewer.

Ronnie Brewer was sticking closely to Zhang Yang, who turned and backed him down from the high post, using a series of spin fake moves to find an opening. With a right spin move into the lane, he pulled up for a jump shot inside the free throw line... and it went in!

The one-on-one play seemed relatively easy for him. The opponent had watched the scouting report and video analysis which suggested aggressive defense, harsh physical confrontations, and a good ability to guard players who rely on their physicality to break through, just like Zhang Yang. Brewer had performed well when facing Wade and Baron Davis, and even did an acceptable job on James. In the season’s first game against the Jazz Team, James scored 35 points, but with only 11 out of 28 shots going in, the Knights lost to the Jazz Team 83 to 91.

With Ronnie Brewer stepping up as a starting guard, it greatly relieved Deron’s defensive pressure, as the Jazz Team no longer needed Deron to take on those strong penetrating players themselves.

However, Brewer struggled against opponents who were skilled technicians.

Coming from college to the NBA, he had a mature defensive approach, but this also meant that his college defensive habits were hard to change. In the NCAA, he could guard most players through intense physical confrontations, but in the NBA, against technically skilled players, his defense fell short.

When it was the Jazz Team’s turn to attack, Deron, facing tight defense from Felton, no longer insisted on out-dueling but instead initiated the offense with a pick-and-roll with Boozer.

Boozer rolled out to the low block, receiving the pass from Deron with his back to the baseline, turned right to avoid Felton’s overplay, and took a mid-range shot... and it was good!

Having been with the Jazz Team for a few years, Boozer finally mastered the essence of Malone’s move.

In the transition between offense and defense, after showing his one-on-one capability on the first offense, Zhang Yang didn’t continue to play solo. Instead, he collaborated with his teammates on tactical plays.

On the first team offense, the Bobcats immediately encountered trouble. Mike Miller, receiving the ball on the right sideline, couldn’t pass it off the first time!

Ronnie Brewer, who had switched onto him, stuck close to Mike Miller, with Kirilenko moving to the right side of the free throw line, cutting off Mike Miller’s direct pass to the other side of the paint, and Okur standing at the top of the restricted area arc.

When Zhang Yang came around on the left side of the free throw line, both Deron and Boozer stepped out. Mike Miller couldn’t pass it over, couldn’t shoot, and couldn’t penetrate... fortunately, Okafor pulled out at that moment, allowing Mike Miller to successfully get the ball out.

As Okafor just received the ball, Kirilenko immediately stepped up in front of him.

Okafor, protecting the ball, glanced at his teammates’ positions, and decided to go for it himself: he shouldered Kirilenko, turned around and jumped for a mid-range shot... Kirilenko, though pushed back, quickly closed in to effectively contest the shot.

Okafor’s mid-range shot missed!

Okur blocked Millsap and secured the defensive rebound. The Jazz Team successfully defended against the Bobcats’ team offense!

And this was just the beginning!

In the next 3 minutes or so, the Bobcats’ several rounds of team offense resulted in only one basket, a three-pointer from Felton on the left sideline. All other attempts to pass the ball around smoothly in offense failed to result in points!

The Jazz Team, relying on Deron and Boozer’s pick-and-roll, scored continuously, giving the Bobcats a tough display of their offensive firepower.

With 4 minutes and 04 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bobcats called a time-out, trailing 5 to 11. In the opening 4 minutes, they had only scored 5 points and were already behind by 6 points!

Carlisle wasn’t flustered. The team hadn’t started well on offense, but the players weren’t disorganized. They were actively and proactively making adjustments, which was why he waited until they were down by more than 5 points before calling a time-out. He substituted Felton and Millsap out and brought in Rondo and Hill, partnering with Zhang Yang, Mike Miller, and Okafor to try a different offensive approach.

However, even after Carlisle’s adjustments, the team offense was still not performing well. The Jazz Team’s defense cut the sides of the paint, effectively countering the Bobcats’ team offense!

By the time the first quarter passed the 8-minute mark, the point differential had reached double digits. The Bobcats were trailing the Jazz Team by 12 points, 10 to 22... Zhang Yang didn’t care anymore, he simply demanded the ball to go one-on-one, and unleashed himself!