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Chapter 713 - 300. Early stage first! _2

Chapter 713: 300. Early stage first! _2

After Yao Ming got on the court, he didn’t push himself too hard. He opened up the offense to catch passes or make transfers, and he was quite effective.

But with him playing this way, it was enough to use Millsap or Hill to defend him. His cuts were slow, and even if he powered through to drive to the basket, the Bobcats’ interior defense could cover in time. His presence was felt, but definitely not as much as in the first quarter.

Seeing Zhang Yang become lively again after resting for half a quarter, Yao Ming still felt fatigued... Skiles regretted deeply. If only he hadn’t thought about using the "little giant" to force "the bad boy" to continue his one-on-one during the first quarter’s official timeout.

However, Skiles’s frustration was only because the situation in the latter part of the first quarter wasn’t as expected, as well as because the team couldn’t maintain their dominance after the second quarter’s official timeout.

The Chicago Bulls didn’t play badly in the time after Zhang Yang made a 5-0 run, and playing against the Bobcats wasn’t easy either.

Skiles’s expectation for tonight’s game was to overwhelmingly defeat the league leader... The psychological issues the Bobcats had faced during their 13-game winning streak, the Bulls were now encountering them too, and it was even more serious, primarily due to the head coach.

Carlisle, in his first six years of coaching, had experienced two cycles of starting strong and finishing weak. Coming to a third team, he was highly tense at the beginning, never becoming complacent during the winning streak, and he even worried about how to play against the tougher teams after the relaxed schedule was over.

As soon as Skiles’s Bulls had a winning streak that overtook the Pistons to reach the second spot in the East, his confidence began to swell. Regardless of the opponent, the strategy was to take them down in one go, and they managed to do so in the previous games. The close final scores were a result of resting his key players for extended periods... The discrepancy between the game’s situation tonight and his expectations affected his mindset significantly.

After Zhang Yang led a 5-0 run against the Bulls, the Bulls scored 12-9 for the rest of the second quarter, reducing the gap to 4 points at the half. But Skiles still wasn’t satisfied.

The Bobcats and the Bulls began a lengthy tug-of-war, continually jostling around a 5-point differential.

In the first half of the third quarter, the Bobcats slightly outdid the Bulls with a 15-11 score, widening the gap to 8 points. In the latter half, the Bulls returned the favor with a 14-9 segment, bringing the gap back down to 3 points...

Midway through the last quarter, Felton, receiving a pass from a double-teamed Zhang Yang, hit a long two from the baseline. The score was now 84-78, and the Bobcats’ lead was up to 6 points!

In the past 5-plus minutes, the Bobcats had put up a 13-10 run!

It was the Bulls’ turn to attack, and it was a critical moment. Hinrich stepped up again, sinking a long two after using a screen to bring the deficit back within 5 points.

Next, as the Bobcats attacked, Hinrich anticipated Millsap’s high-post pass intention, made a decisive move, slapped the ball away, and while struggling with Millsap on the ground, showed no signs of backing down, controlled the ball first, and called a timeout in time.

The referee blew the whistle for a stop in play, 6 minutes 13 seconds to go, and the game went into the last official timeout with the Bulls trailing by just 4 points, at 84-88, and they had the possession!

TV commentators heaped praise on Hinrich’s performance for those two possessions.

But after the timeout, Hinrich opted for a three-pointer using a screen... and it hit nothing but air! Out of bounds!

Facing a pick-and-roll switch with Okafor, Hinrich tried to take a quick shot. After quickly maneuvering around the screen, his legs gave out! He lacked power!

Hinrich’s stamina was average. After resting for over four minutes in the first quarter, he played the whole second and had less than two minutes of rest at the beginning of the third, then stayed on the court continuously. He had a total of just two minutes of rest during the first three and a half quarters, playing 37 minutes, far exceeding the season average – His average time on the court for the season was only 32 minutes.

Furthermore, since Luol Deng was heavily guarded by the opposition tonight, and Yao Ming was aggressive in the first quarter but weakened in the offense in the following three, Hinrich was shouldering the offensive burden. He had already racked up 23 points and 5 assists, mostly from on-ball plays, and was already exhausted.

In the offense and defense before the official timeout, he was mostly relying on his body’s instincts and muscle memory of solid fundamental skills.

If he hadn’t called for the timeout, Hinrich’s taut string might have held out a while longer, but once they went into the break, he relaxed thinking he could finally rest. When the game resumed, his mind was able to tighten up easily, as he was mentally strong, but his body wouldn’t respond...

In the offensive switch, the Bobcats attacked, and Zhang Yang took the ball beyond the three-point line to play one-on-one against Hinrich.

Hinrich couldn’t maintain tension, but Zhang Yang was in the zone!

Hinrich had a heavier offensive role than his capacity allowed due to various factors, while Zhang Yang, after playing the entire first quarter, rested for half of the second and had a 4-minute break in the middle of the third. Up to that point, he had only played 32 minutes!

Waiting for his teammates to get into position, Zhang Yang began his drive, playing it simple: cross-step, change direction, taking the right lane!

Hinrich anticipated Zhang Yang’s direction and moved in time, with Yao Ming below the basket and Ben Wallace in the opposite elbow area coordinating their steps.

But Zhang Yang didn’t continue his drive, instead, after entering the three-point line by a step, he slammed on the brakes, gathered the ball, stepped back...

Hinrich, with ordinary physical features yet an All-Defensive selection, had one of the league’s most elite anticipatory skills among guards. He predicted Zhang Yang’s move once again, desperately tried to stop his momentum, and lunged forward... and immediately regreted it!

Zhang Yang executed the ’Hamblen Step-back Shot,’ snatching up the ball and shooting while stepping back!

Hinrich lunged at him, and ended up embracing Zhang Yang, who was a fraction of a second from landing, but by that time, Zhang Yang had already thrown the ball.

The referee’s whistle sounded, and almost simultaneously, the ball plunged through the hoop!

The assistant referee confirmed that Zhang Yang’s take-off point was inside the three-point line, validating the long two-pointer, with an additional free throw to come!

Zhang Yang, after being bumped by Hinrich, landed on his feet immediately, withstanding the impact without falling. He even stabilized Hinrich before turning to high-five and celebrate with his teammates.

Hinrich watched Zhang Yang’s back... You might as well have let me fall flat on my face! Would it have killed you to let me lie there for a moment?

Spectacular display of offense and defense before the official timeout, only to have it completely unravel after the timeout resumed!

As for Zhang Yang’s decision to step back for a long two instead of a three, Hinrich was convinced.

If Zhang Yang had stepped back behind the three-point line before jumping for the shot, Hinrich would likely have been able to reach him and somewhat limit Zhang Yang’s power as he jumped to shoot. Zhang Yang had even anticipated this possibility.

However, while contemplating this, Hinrich felt a shameful sense of pride—the defensive prowess he possessed was recognized by the most talented player in history, yet he had just been bested with a 2+1...

...

Zhang Yang made the additional free throw too, converting the 2+1 and bringing the score to 87-80, expanding the lead to seven points.

This match, the round following the official timeout, proved to be the most critical one.

Hinrich couldn’t hold up, Zhang Yang withstood the pressure to make a 2+1, laying the foundation for the Bobcats’ victory!

After another round, Hinrich was subbed out, replaced by Duhon.

Yao Ming, bearing his fatigue, swung into action again... His playing time tonight was actually not bad: 12 minutes in the first quarter, 3 in the second, 9 in the third, and he played 7 and a half minutes until Hinrich was subbed out, just over 30 minutes in total. Even playing the remaining four and a half minutes would make it just 36 minutes, within his capacity to maintain performance.

His extraordinary fatigue tonight was purely due to the last over four minutes of the first quarter.

Yao Ming, sustaining his weary body, led the attack. The Chicago Bulls’ performance was still acceptable, but when their regular offense was thwarted and they needed someone to score on individual effort, the Bulls were left wanting... While each time the Bobcats’ lead was narrowed to three points, someone stepped up: Zhang Yang with a driving layup, Mike Miller with a three-pointer...

At 10:24 pm, the final whistle blew.

First quarter 14 points, second quarter 8, third quarter 10, last quarter 9... Zhang Yang played 38 minutes, shot 14 out of 28, including 3 of 5 three-pointers, and with 10 of 12 free throws made, he scored 41 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, snagged 2 steals, and blocked a shot.

Tonight, Yao Ming made 12 of 22 shots, scoring 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.

Looking at their statistics, it’s hard to tell who’s the inside player and who’s the perimeter player.

Of Zhang Yang’s 12 rebounds, 7 were grabbed in the first quarter, his tenacity shocking the two point guards of the Bulls.

Zhang Yang with 41 points, Okafor with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, Rondo with 2 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, Felton with 14 points, Mike Miller with 15 points... 97-92, the Bobcats narrowly triumphed by 5 points, ending the Bulls’ 11-game winning streak!

The Bobcats, with a record of 22 wins and 4 losses, overtook the Bulls with 20 wins and 6 losses, dominating the early season!