First in scoring

Chapter 450 449. Zhang San versus the old blacksmith!
The Zen Master had no intention of letting Kwame Brown play power forward, nor did he plan to reduce Kwame Brown's playing time. Instead, he planned to let Kwame Brown stay under the basket longer and increase his playing time by a few minutes.

Who would have thought that Gasol, with such a bulky body, could actually average 20 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 block in 1 minutes per game? He hardly needed any adaptation and was able to contribute directly in the game. He also had a very high basketball IQ, and even Garnett, who always loved to bully rookies, praised him highly.

If he had known this, he would never have let Kwame Brown gain weight. Instead, he would have let Kwame Brown lose weight from 120 kg to around 115 kg, and serve as a substitute for Garnett and Gasol Jr., and serve as the third inside player.

Watching Zhang Yang make the free throw, helping the Bobcats narrow the gap to 3 points, with the score at 20 to 23... Zen Master: Both fat guys in the interior must lose weight in the summer!

As for Kwame Brown's muscular body...never mind, he has to lose weight anyway!
When the Lakers attacked, their rhythm suddenly slowed down. Kidd's strong control over the team and ability to command the court were revealed. The transition was very natural without any sense of sluggishness.

Under Kidd's offensive arrangement, Luke Walton passed the ball to Marc Gasol in the low post on the left side. Gasol made a lob and Shannon Brown made an alley-oop dunk to score two points!

Shannon Brown, once the third-ranked high school student in the United States, became famous throughout the country early on for his explosive physical fitness. He made headlines in his senior year of high school with a slam dunk with his body stretched straight while jumping from a standing position. It was estimated that he was 110 centimeters off the ground during that dunk.

He did well in college and was selected by the Cavaliers in the second half of the first round in 06... Last summer, he was sent away by the Cavaliers as a bonus in the trade for Marvin Williams, and then was sent away by the Celtics as a bonus, and then was cut.

He has no shooting ability, has ball-handling ability but his one-on-one ability is totally insufficient in the NBA and he can't pass the ball. The few things worth mentioning about him in the first two years of his career were fast break dunks.

Last summer, Shannon Brown went through various tryouts and was eventually spotted by Kidd, who was working for Kupchak and Zen Master, and joined the Lakers with a one-year base salary of $1...Then he was led by Kidd this season, averaging 76 points per game and a shooting percentage of 8.7%.

Shannon Brown made a wonderful alley-oop slam dunk, helping the Lakers to extend their lead to 5 points again.

But immediately afterwards, Felton received a sudden pass from Zhang Yang at the two-point position on the left baseline, took a step back, and shot a three-pointer from the bottom corner... and it hit!
23 to 25, the difference narrowed to two points!

The pressure hit Kidd like a tidal wave - these two people are too unreasonable!

The scores started to soar directly without any transition period!
The Zen Master on the sidelines did not have much psychological fluctuations at this time, as he had expected this situation to happen.

He has continued to follow the Bobcats' games this season and discovered something that most people have not yet realized: there is a universal basketball concept that has been applicable for many years, but it no longer works for Zhang Yang - the 5-point difference no longer exists in front of Zhang Yang.

The best example is the game in which the Bobcats reversed the Nuggets. The Nuggets led by 12 points at halftime. At the beginning of the third quarter, Zhang Yang made three three-pointers in a row over Ray Allen and Iverson, making the three-point king Ray Allen question his life.

After analysis, the Zen Master came to a conclusion - when Zhang Yang was developing his skills, he based his training plan on the worst possible shooting environment.

This is not the first time he has seen this kind of player. He has coached two of them, Jordan and Kobe, and he is also aware of this - using the intensity of playoff defense as the standard when developing skills.

Of course there are some differences, for example Zhang Yang has a longer range...

Because of his coaching experience, the Zen Master knew very well that there was no way to stop what Zhang Yang wanted to do. He could only strengthen the defense and increase the difficulty of his shooting, which would inevitably affect the Lakers' own offense. But if the defensive intensity was not improved, this guy would be able to kill them with his shooting. Jordan and Kobe both defeated their opponents in this way.

In the following time, Kidd led the team very hard.

The players who played with him had a higher defensive ceiling. The twin towers of Kwame Brown and Gasol Jr. were standing under the basket. Except for Zhang Yang who had a certain chance to score under the basket, the shooting space within the elbow area for other Bobcats players was blocked and they could only shoot from the outside. Shannon Brown had no other advantages in offensive talent except his running and jumping ability, but he had high defensive talent and enthusiasm, and combined with his athletic ability, he did a pretty good job in helping out shooters.

But the offensive ceiling is obvious. Gasol currently has no mobility, Kidd's offense comes with a debuff of one person standing still, and Gasol doesn't like to go to the basket on the offensive end, he likes to stay outside the close range. No matter how strong Kidd's ability to organize the offense is, the opponent saw through their passing intentions after two more rounds of offense, and the offense became worse and worse. The Bobcats were also very actively defending.

And the Lakers faced Felton + Zhang Yang on defense...

At 5 minutes and 37 seconds in the second quarter, Zhang Yang received a pass from Hill. Facing Kidd's backup defense, he took a regular step back to create shooting space and made a long two-point shot!

30 to 30, the Bobcats tied the score!

In 5 and a half minutes, the Bobcats scored 13 to 7!
The Zen Master called a timeout early and replaced Kidd for rest. Kwame Brown and Luke Walton were also replaced. Fisher, Kobe and Garnett came on the court. Gasol Jr. continued to play and Kobe played as small forward.

Kobe was mainly defending Zhang Yang, with Garnett on the front line and Gasol Jr. protecting the rim, the Lakers' defense improved greatly compared to the first half and was very close to the full state of the starting lineup.

The Zen Master's coaching was terrible tonight, and Kawhi Leonard wasn't much better.

Carlisle knew that the Lakers' real defense was much better than the 13th in the league ranking, but after the actual match, it still exceeded his expectations!

It is true that the Zen Master made a wrong decision on Kwame Brown's weight arrangement, but the continuity of the rim protection brought by the addition of Gasol is real. Kwame Brown and Gasol take turns to protect the rim, and Garnett has a big center behind him whenever he is on the court! In the playoffs, if Kidd and Garnett's playing time is increased, their defensive performance in the playoffs will definitely be more than half a level higher than last season.

Tonight he used almost the same playoff rotation method, which directly disrupted the Bobcats' war of attrition plan - you defend hard, I defend even harder!
The Zen Master didn't play tricks anymore and went straight to the point of hard strength. This was clearly reflected in the first half of the quarter. Carlisle didn't back down from this situation and just went head-on. During the timeout, he replaced the inside combination of Okafor and Perkins to maximize the rim protection and sent out the combination of Felton, Zhang Yang and Hill on the outside. He tried it in the first quarter, with Hill defending Kobe, and the effect was better than Zhang Yang's.

After the timeout, the two teams played a 3-3 game for 3 minutes. During this period, both teams scored only one goal in the running game. Fisher made a free throw line shot in a large open space. Kobe made one of two free throws, and the rest of his shots were missed. The Bobcats did not score a single goal in the running game. Zhang Yang sneakily grabbed two offensive rebounds and caused fouls on both of them. He made 1 of 1 free throws.

At the end of the first half, Kobe made a strong fadeaway jump shot under the double-team of Hill and Okafor, finally breaking the scoring drought for both sides.

Zhang Yang was not to be outdone. He backed up Kobe in the high post, faked a move and turned around to take a Hamblen-style step-back mid-range shot. He made the shot despite Kobe's interference!
Kobe scored two more goals in the last two minutes and he scored 3 points in the last three minutes, helping the Lakers increase their single-quarter score to 6 points.

Zhang Yang also scored two goals in the last two minutes, but as the saying goes, an inch longer is an inch stronger, one of his goals was a three-pointer... He made 10 of 4 shots, including 3 of 1 three-pointers, plus 5 of 4 free throws. Zhang Yang scored 13 points in a single quarter and led the Bobcats to a single-quarter score of 23 to 16.

At the end of the first half, the Bobcats overtook the Lakers by 40 point with a score of 39 to 1 and entered the intermission!
Before returning to the locker room, Kobe glanced at the big screen. As wild as he is, he couldn't hold back.

He threw the ball 14 times in the first half, and including the offensive rounds occupied by free throws, he threw the ball 16 times and scored 17 points, which is a very high number of shots.

But Zhang San on the opposite side threw the ball 17 times in the first half, not counting the 7 offensive rounds consumed by the 5 out of 3 free throws!
17投7中，其中三分球6中2，加上7中5的罚球，拿到21分！
It is true that both of them are inefficient, but the efficiency of others is even lower. The outcome of the game depends on these two who consume the most shooting opportunities.

Kobe thought he had taken enough shots, but this guy took even more!
Isn't the desire to win here...

After the halftime break, the third quarter began and Kobe started firing continuously as soon as he came on the court!
The Zen Master saw this and thought, well, all the adjustments made during the halftime break were in vain. Fortunately, he and his players had psychological expectations, and his teammates were used to Kobe's attack whenever they had a disagreement. They launched their offense around Kobe's singles, and the overall offense was significantly improved compared to the first half, and even better than the first quarter. As for tonight's defense, it was considered a surge.

As for hidden dangers, of course there are - it's out of control, and the Zen Master cannot predict what will happen next.

Speaking of this, Katu and the Zen Master have a sense of mutual respect - his Zhang San is sometimes as out of control as the old blacksmith opposite!

Kobe started the wave, and Zhang Yang naturally did not want to fall behind. He continued to attack and led his teammates to compete with the Lakers.

In fact, the difference between the two is quite obvious. Kobe wants both. While he is firing on all cylinders on offense, he is also focusing on defense and keeping a close eye on Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang only focuses on offense and plays a supporting role on defense, moving between the elbow area and the sideline to reduce consumption, but no one cares about this.

三节打完，比分来到66比66平，湖人队这一节以27比26小胜山猫队1分！
Kobe scored 15 points in a single quarter, overwhelming Zhang Yang who scored 11 points in a single quarter. Counting the 17 points and 21 points of the two in the first half, the two were tied at the end of the three quarters, both with 32 points!
Regardless of how difficult and stressful it was for the coaches of the two teams to coach at this time, the fans at the scene and in front of the TV were having a blast watching the game. As the game went on, it actually turned into a showdown between the stars, and both of them had such high individual scores!
The two teammates also played very well.

Zhang San’s teammate: Brother San and Kobe tied, so awesome!
Blacksmith’s teammate: The bad boys were playing so hard that the boss caught up with him in score. He deserves to be the boss!

This has to do with the mentality of Kidd and Garnett. They have long been determined that they do not have the ability to defeat their opponents on their own. At their age, they don't care about statistics anymore. They just want a teammate like Kobe, so they are very tolerant. When they meet other stars with super scoring abilities, they are happy to see Kobe stand up and fight against his opponents.

As for the Bobcats, the basis of their rise is that Zhang Yang's scoring ability has greatly improved in his sophomore year. He averaged 24 points per game in the regular season and averaged 30+ points per game in the playoffs. Since then, the basis of their team building has been Zhang Yang's scoring ability.

After the intermission, Kobe and Zhang Yang both rested off the court for a while. After one-third of the final quarter, the head coaches of both teams tacitly replaced their top scorers together. After easing up for nearly 4 minutes, the two teams continued their confrontation!

Both teams defended very well, but the personal abilities of Kobe and Zhang Yang were beyond the scope of being locked down by defensive tactics. If they could not be defended, the only option was to strengthen the offensive coordination around their respective top scorers.

In the last minute of the final quarter, Kobe broke out first, making a turnaround jump shot against Hill and causing Hill to foul. After the free throw, the score came to 1 to 90, and the Lakers' lead expanded to 86 points. From the final quarter to now, the Lakers have scored 4 to 26!
When the Bobcats attacked, Zhang Yang received the ball after crossing half court. Just as he reached the three-point line, he was double-teamed by Kidd and Kobe. Facing the best defensive point guard and shooting guard in the first decade of the 21st century, Zhang Yang excitedly... pushed the ball to the left.

Felton received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the left side, adjusted himself, ignored Kobe who was rushing towards him, and took a three-point shot...and it hit!
89 to 90, the difference narrowed to 1 point!
When the Lakers attacked, Kobe continued to play one-on-one.

This time Zhang Yang stood in front of Kobe, but he failed to stop him. He interfered very well, but Kobe faced the defense and leaned back to make another two-point shot!

92 to 89, with 17 seconds left, the Lakers once again took a 3-point lead!
The Bobcats called a timeout, and Carlisle replaced Hill and Millsap with Mike Miller and Brad Miller, and paired them with Felton, Zhang Yang, and Okafor.

Four players who can shoot three-pointers, plus Okafor, who has the best rushing ability in the team.

The Zen Master also made personnel adjustments, with Kidd, Kobe, Ariza, Garnett and Kwame Brown returning to the starting lineup.

After the timeout, the Bobcats served the ball from the frontcourt, Zhang Yang received the ball, and wasted time facing Kobe's defense.

This time, neither Kidd nor Ariza double-teamed the ball. Felton had just made a three-pointer and Mike Miller averaged 43.3 three-pointers per game with a 1.8% three-point shooting percentage. Neither of them dared to let go.

Kobe, guarding the three-point line, felt a little strange when watching Zhang Yang dribbling the ball. The feeling was so subtle that he couldn't put his finger on it.

With 8 seconds left in the offensive time, Zhang Yang moved and pulled to the right. Kobe did not move sideways, but pressed outwards!

Okafor, who suddenly ran up from the elbow to provide screen two seconds ago, failed to stop Kobe. Kobe, who had suffered several losses, noticed Okafor's movements this time.

Kwame Brown also expanded out from behind Okafor, trying to work with Kobe to trap Zhang Yang outside the three-point line.

However, Zhang Yang only took a step to the right without using any screen. After taking a step to the right, he hit the ball hard to the left, then took a step to the left to the top arc, grabbed the ball, and jumped!

Kobe reacted very quickly, he immediately stopped his action and turned to rush over, but after playing for more than 43 minutes on both offense and defense, he was still a beat slow...

Zhang Yang's three-pointer went straight into the basket!
92 to 92, the Bobcats tied the score again!

At this moment, Kobe finally understood what that subtle feeling just now was. It seemed that he didn't know what tiredness was in this three-point shot!
(End of this chapter)