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Chapter 708 - 296. You’re telling me their defense is only fifth in the league?_3

Chapter 708: 296. You’re telling me their defense is only fifth in the league?_3

Hill initially wanted to take a step back jump shot himself, but when he saw Zhang Yang cutting inside, he immediately passed the ball.

Zhang Yang’s cut didn’t shake off the defense, and as Hinrich went to help on Hill, Luol Deng immediately switched onto Zhang Yang. When Zhang Yang received the ball on the left low block of the three-second zone, Luol Deng was firmly in front of him.

After receiving the ball, Zhang Yang stepped forward to the right, initiating a Euro step. Luol Deng quickly stepped back. Yao Ming came out from under the basket to just outside the charge circle... but Zhang Yang stepped out with his right foot, his left foot didn’t move!

Dribble, step back, short-range jump shot... it’s good!

The cheers from the home crowd were deafening! Zhang Yang scored two in a row, and the Bobcats led 4-2!

Different from the excited fans, Coach Carlisle on the Bobcats’ bench was eyeing Ben Wallace.

Vincent: "Wallace’s defense was too good this time, defending the pick and roll, cutting off the pass, disturbing the middle... Rick, you’ve cultivated a good player."

Carlisle: "..."

Take it as a compliment, I suppose.

Carlisle was feeling frustrated at the moment. Zhang San once said that the players in the league capable of limiting their team’s offense could be counted on one hand.

The Jazz Team’s Kirilenko, Lakers’ Garnett, Grizzlies’ Gerald Wallace, and the Suns’ Marion... Gerald Wallace and Marion could be disregarded, the Grizzlies’ big three had excellent individual skills, but the overall lineup was weak; the Suns simply didn’t play defense. The best use of Marion’s defensive abilities was during last season’s playoffs against the Spurs. With Kurt Thomas traded away by Steve Kerr, the Suns had completely abandoned defense.

The fifth player who could limit their team offense was Ben Wallace.

Zhang Yang made that shot, but it was purely on individual skill, using the reputation of the Euro step to deceive Luol Deng, Yao Ming, and Ben Wallace into forming a half-circle around him. Using his excellent core strength, he caught the ball and found the gap to complete the step-back jump shot.

Of course, Hill’s timing with the pass was also very good.

But such scoring could hardly be sustained...

Carlisle’s assessment was correct. In the following possessions, the Bobcats’ team offense struggled. He actually had a plan, getting Felton and Okafor to run pick-and-rolls to create mismatches, hoping to foster better team offense conditions, but the opposition defended too well!

This season, Ben Wallace ’regressed in age.’ With a dominant shot-blocker under the rim, he no longer had to battle with the centers. Shedding weight to 107 kilograms, his defensive performance improved over the previous season, nearly reaching the peak of the 05-06 season. Averaging 33 minutes a game, he put up 6.2 points, 11 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.2 blocks!

With 4 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter, the score was 9-8, and the Bobcats called a timeout!

Taking a timeout while leading by a point puzzled some of the fans in the stands and watching on TV who didn’t understand Carlisle’s decision.

Meanwhile, the Bobcats players on the court thought: Finally, a timeout is called.

Yes, they were leading by one point, but that didn’t mean they had the advantage!

Scoring only 9 points in nearly 5 minutes was unacceptable for the offensively-oriented Bobcats. That would equate to just over 90 points in 48 minutes, not even breaking 100, let alone comparing to their average of 110 points per game.

Moreover, of those 9 points, 6 were scored by Zhang Yang, making 2 of 4 shots, and hitting 2 of 2 free throws.

After Zhang Yang started with two consecutive baskets, his subsequent three field-goal attempts resulted in two misses and one foul drawn.

Most importantly, all of Zhang Yang’s shots were forced individual plays after the tactics were thwarted; not a single easy shot.

Zhang Yang’s plan to save energy through team offense was disrupted by the Chicago Bulls!

Zhang Yang walked back to the bench, took a sip of water, spat it onto a towel, and then complained, "Aren’t the Bulls ranked fifth in defense? Why does it feel like they’re even tougher than the second-ranked Rockets and fourth-ranked Lakers?"