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Chapter 724: I regret showing off.

Chapter 724: I regret showing off.

The opposing team’s current offense looks somewhat similar to the team play in the first quarter, but there is a fundamental difference.

Only casual fans might not notice the difference, but those who watch more games and understand tactics will easily spot the difference. Scott, even before the era of small ball, was considered a first-rate NBA coach and could naturally see it as well.

Rondo, Millsap, and Mike Miller, these three pass-capable players, have one primary goal after receiving the ball: get it to Zhang Yang for the shot!

The third shot attempt was indeed taken by Muhammad, but that was because Zhang Yang, after using a screen, was double-teamed off the ball, creating a clear shot opportunity, which is why Millsap passed the ball to Muhammad.

This adjustment doesn’t affect the operation of the tactics; what changes is only the tendency in choosing the shooting point. As long as the person receiving and shooting dares to shoot and can make it, it will work.

Scott also figured out the tactic’s purpose—to avoid a dip in offense during the adaptation phase when changing tactical cores.

Rondo, Hill, Mike Miller, Millsap, and Okafor—who is barely counted as one—are all skilled in different styles of passing. When two or three of them alternately take the court to lead the tactics, even if they execute the same strategy, the focus of the attack varies.

It’s simply not possible to substitute all five players during a change, so the players who teamed up with the previous tactical core must adjust their positioning according to the passing style of the new tactical core. Even though the Bobcats players know each other well and have tacit understanding, that adjustment period won’t be long ... but their opponents are the Hornets, one of the elite teams ranked top four in the league, and with Paul leading a scoring frenzy tonight, those two or three, maybe four backsliding offensive plays are already enough for Paul to capitalize on.

With the Bobcats’ adjustment in choosing shooting points, there might not be this dip in offense. Regardless of who the tactical core is, the goal is clear: pass the ball to Zhang Yang.

In the next few rounds, the Bobcats played exactly as Scott expected.

Zhang Yang finds an opportunity and his teammates pass him the ball to shoot; even if he doesn’t get open, and none of his teammates are either, the player with the ball still passes it to him. If the tactic really can’t open up, they "dump the blame" on him, and he just strikes.

The Bobcats make a lineup change, substituting Hill and Okafor for Mike Miller and Millsap. As Scott analyzed, their primary goal remained passing the ball to Zhang Yang, and this time, the team’s offense did not experience the brief clog seen during the first quarter’s two rotations, transitioning smoothly!

After Zhang Yang swung into action for 5 minutes, Felton took over and became the main attacker, and there was no noticeable transition period in the team’s offense.

In terms of individual offensive superiority, Felton versus Paul holds a greater advantage than Zhang Yang versus Morris Peterson, and much more so than Zhang Yang versus James Posey.

After Zhang Yang took a break, the Bobcats’ offense did not drop but actually rose, a rare occurrence in their games, and that’s considering the opponent was Paul.

Scott saw through the opponent’s tactical intention but did not make adjustments on defense.

This star-driven style is distinct when the star leads the ball through.

Carlisle kept at least three passing options on the court to ensure that either Zhang Yang or Felton could pass the ball to an open teammate when double-teamed.

Therefore, employing off-ball double teaming or cutting off passing lanes is not a viable tactical adjustment, especially with Rondo on the court. As long as the middle or the area under the basket is open, Paul cannot stop Rondo from directly slashing in for the score; if Paul leaves Rondo to join a double team, Rondo is even happier to penetrate: if someone covers him, he passes; if not, he takes a floater.

However, Scott’s reasons for not adjusting the defense isn’t solely due to this, but because Paul was on a rampage tonight!

Facing both Zhang Yang and Felton, Paul played his most frenzied game since the season started, leading the team to its most aggressive offense!

However, this adjustment by the Bobcats isn’t purely advantageous; it also has some quite significant and even potentially fatal flaws—putting the offensive pressure on several less outstanding tactical cores.

Millsap and Rondo, both only in their second year, are not quite mature; Okafor’s tactical talent is mediocre; Hill’s tactical execution is substandard; Mike Miller, on the other hand, is the most tactically mature among them, but he is specialized and only passes from the wing.

These five alternate in groups of three and play hard and focused. Although the continuity of the Bobcats’ team offense is well maintained, there are occasional mistakes in offensive decisions by the five, such as once when Mike Miller made a long pass to Perkins, who was left open at mid-range to help Felton with a screen, and was taken aback so much that a returning Paul snatched the ball for a counterattack...

In the first quarter, Zhang Yang and Felton combined for 15 points and 3 assists, leading the team to 30 points, and their offensive firepower continued and even increased in the second quarter!

Zhang Yang played for 5 minutes early in the quarter, rested for just over 4 minutes, then replaced Rondo at the end of the quarter, pairing with Felton against Paul for 7 minutes and 33 seconds, shooting 4 out of 7, including 2 for 2 from free throws, scoring 10 points and 1 assist.

Felton played for 7 minutes, shooting 4 out of 6, including 3 out of 4 three-pointers, plus 1 for 1 from free throws, scoring 12 points.

Under their leadership, the Bobcats blasted 32 points in the second quarter!