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Chapter 744 - 317. The answer is his opponent!_2

Chapter 744: 317. The answer is his opponent!_2

But when playing against a team like the Nuggets, with such poor defense, these two sophomores could fully showcase their talents!

While excited, Carlisle couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful, it was only against such opponents that the two of them really shone...

Never mind that now, Carlisle gathered the players together to make the most of the time out, adjusting the offense and emphasizing the details of falling back on defense.

...

The timeout ended.

Carlisle didn’t make any substitutions, it had only been a little over a minute.

Zhang Yang looked towards the other side... George Karl made a substitution, Iverson, Anthony, and Kenyon Martin continued to play, while JR Smith and Linas Kleiza were brought on.

A lineup without a center!

Kleiza was a fellow draftee that Zhang Yang remembered this season.

Drafted in 2005 in the first round, 27th overall, a 203cm tall, 111kg forward swingman, with a draft comparison... Charles Barkley; this comparison vividly illustrates his college playing style—strong enough to attack the basket inside, and capable of shooting three-pointers from the outside.

But Zhang Yang didn’t have a strong impression of Kleiza before, as Kleiza wasn’t heavily utilized in his rookie year, and was only the fourth or fifth option forward last season. This season, he finally became the primary backup to either Anthony or Kenyon Martin, the third forward.

At the end of last month, in his third year, Kleiza had an explosive performance, scoring 41 points to lead the Nuggets to a narrow 122-119 victory over the Jazz, hitting a game-winning three-pointer. He made 4 out of 8 open three-pointers, dunked over Okur, and could keep up with the fast breaks, looking a bit like a ’little Barkley’.

Zhang Yang’s gaze lingered on Kleiza for a moment, then returned to Iverson.

Kleiza had made a name for himself this season, but he was just a bench player averaging a mere 10+5. The only reason Zhang Yang remembered him, an opponent he’d face at most twice a year and with whom he had no personal interactions, was because they were from the same draft class.

Iverson, he was the real adversary!

Iverson also looked towards Zhang Yang, their eyes met, and both could see the appreciation... and disdain in each other’s eyes.

The game was closely contested from the start, and both players wanted to win!

The game continued, Nuggets’ frontcourt inbounding the ball for the attack.

Iverson received the ball at the top of the arc and faced Rondo’s defense, but didn’t continue the attack, instead passing the ball to Anthony.

In this lineup, Iverson was responsible for the fast breaks, JR Smith and Anthony for the isolation plays on set offense.

Guarding JR Smith was Zhang Yang; Iverson thought his high schooler wasn’t quite up to par compared to that guy’s high schooler, whose talents were far superior.

Anthony went for an isolation play against Mike Miller at the high post, Mike Miller stepped up to defend, but Anthony quickly dribbled the ball, changed direction, and drove in!

At 203cm and 108kg, he had top-tier initial quickness. Mike Miller actually only lost half a step, but couldn’t stop Anthony at all and was completely displaced by him.

Anthony charged into the paint, shouldering Millsap as he went for the layup... blocked by Okafor, but Anthony grabbed his own rebound, enduring a sandwich between Millsap and Okafor, and forcefully scored the layup!

Zhang Yang received the ball and headed back inwards, thinking to himself—wow, for real, a single offense resulting in 2 points plus 1 board!

Zhang Yang continued to manage the pace well as he advanced, speeding up the attack and passing it to the fastest on the team, Rondo; if the other side scored and fell back quickly on defense, he would initiate the offense.

He handled the pace of the advance well, ready to launch into offense as soon as he reached the frontcourt.

JR Smith’s defense... wasn’t as good as Iverson’s, failing to even close up and disrupt Zhang Yang’s start, much less create a double-team opportunity for his teammates.

Zhang Yang abruptly stopped inside the three-point line and made a long two-pointer!

Anthony and Zhang Yang, the two players responsible for scoring, scored one after the other, kicking off another round in the scoring battle between the two teams.

On the fast break, the Nuggets had the advantage; their track-style run-and-gun was systematic, while on the Bobcats side, the fast plays depended entirely on Rondo and Zhang Yang’s counterattacking awareness and the team’s unspoken coordination.

When it came to the positional war of offense and defense, the Hornets held the advantage.

Although Anthony already had the title of ’Scoring King,’ both Zhang Yang and Okafor had too much of an edge in one-on-one situations.

The Nuggets Team’s trio on the outside couldn’t defend Zhang Yang even if they tried.

Kenyon Martin guarding Okafor one-on-one was also a disaster, Okafor had watched Duncan’s finals video no less than fifty times if not a hundred, and knew how to handle Kenyon Martin, and he was able to do it.

Okafor hadn’t gone for many one-on-ones in the first half because Camby was in the area.

Although Camby was now focused on stats and became a big swiper, his presence under the basket meant that Okafor could only opt for close-range shots or ones on the edge of the three-second area; Camby’s blocking ability was formidable under the basket.

But with Camby out, Okafor dominated Kenyon Martin with ease.

The score of both teams rose quickly, 30+, 35+...

At the end of the first quarter, JR Smith completed a fast break with a soaring dunk, helping the Nuggets Team gain a two-point lead, and his elegant dunk amazed the crowd.

But the Nuggets Team was immediately hit with a counter-counterattack: Zhang Yang pushed the fast break, drew the defense and passed to Rondo, who then passed... Mike Miller followed up on the wing, caught the ball, and hit a trailing three-pointer.

As JR Smith missed a half-court three-pointer, the long whistle blew, indicating the end of the first quarter.

Iverson with 9 points and 3 assists, Anthony with 12 points, Kenyon Martin with 6 points, JR Smith with 4 points, Camby with 2 points, Anthony Carter with 4 points, Kleiza with 4 points... the Nuggets Team scored 39 points in the quarter, a terrifying offensive output.

But the Hornets were even better by one point!

Zhang Yang with 13 points and 2 assists, Rondo with 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists, Okafor with 8 points, Mike Miller with 8 points, Millsap with 3 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists, Jarett Jack with 4 points... 40 to 39, the Hornets lead the Nuggets Team by 1 point heading into the halftime break!

Losing a game could provide valuable experience, and with the precedent set against the Hornets, this time Carlisle considered how to adjust without being fixated on the ’unity of offense and defense.’ If the conditions weren’t right for that, all focus should be on offense!

After the halftime break, both teams continued their offensive onslaught.

As the game progressed and energy levels dropped, the Nuggets Team’s shooting from the wings dipped, but their scoring performance didn’t plummet drastically, and they maintained a remarkably high efficiency.

During the halftime break, George Karl made specific adjustments, and the Nuggets Team’s fast breaks and cooperative play in the positional war improved greatly, significantly mitigating the impact of the dip in shooting touch.

However, the Hornets’ offensive continuity in the second quarter was also very well-maintained, and Carlisle, firmly dedicated to the offense, made the right choice!

He continued to simplify the roles for Zhang Yang and Okafor, assigning the passing duties to Rondo, Mike Miller, Hill, and Millsap, who withstood the Nuggets Team’s offensive firepower.

The Nuggets Team scored 36 points in the second quarter, and the Hornets scored 34 points. At halftime, the score was 75 to 74, with the Nuggets Team leading the Hornets by 1 point.

After returning from the midgame break, the score continued to be tense, and by the end of the third quarter, both teams’ scores had broken the hundred-point barrier, battling to a 106 to 106 tie. The Hornets had a narrow 1-point victory over the Nuggets Team in the third quarter with a score of 32 to 31.

As time moved into the final quarter, Iverson took advantage of Zhang Yang’s rest on the bench to initiate an offense, and in a little over 3 minutes, the Nuggets Team ran up a score of 12 to 8, leading the Hornets by 4 points with 118 to 114!

Just as Carlisle was about to bring Zhang Yang back in early, Okafor made two consecutive drives to the basket, forcefully scoring against Camby’s help defense, one of which was an and-one play, scoring a solo 5 to 0 run, helping the Hornets to a 119 to 118 lead by 1 point!

Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have stabilized the situation without having to call an immediate timeout. Okafor’s two baskets allowed Zhang Yang to rest a little longer.

In the following minute-plus, Anthony made a three-pointer, Iverson scored on a fast break layup, on the Hornets’ side Rondo’s breakthrough layup and Hill’s cut to the basket for a layup both went in as well.

With 6 minutes and 37 seconds left in the final quarter, the teams were tied at 123 to 123! The Nuggets Team called for a timeout to enter the official timeout phase.

Zhang Yang played the entire first quarter, 10 minutes of the second, and the full third, totaling 34 minutes in the first three quarters. Thanks to his teammates’ support, he got 4 minutes of rest in the last quarter and now, standing up, he wouldn’t sit down again until the game was over.

Looking at Iverson, who had played the first 42 minutes and racked up 36 points and 8 assists... Zhang Yang felt his blood boiling, yet he was astounded at the same time.

He’s 32 years old! Still averaging 42 minutes a game! Ready to play every minute of the game if need be!