First in scoring

Chapter 512 510. Tonight is the championship night!
When the players focused their attention on him, the Zen Master had already put away his "shit done" expression.

He is very good at controlling superstars, and he is even better at controlling his own emotions.

If Kobe had made that forced three-pointer just now, the score difference would have been reduced from 7 points to 4 points. The disadvantage in the opponent's offense-defense transition scoring caused by Garnett's missed open mid-range shot would have been compensated a lot, and there would have been no counterattack three-pointer by Zhang Yang... Expecting Kobe to make a goal like that is what the head coach should do, but he just didn't make it.

Okafor took advantage of Kwame Brown's absence and used his footwork to single out Gasol in the low post. The only way to deal with this was to score hard, without double-teaming or allowing the opponent to play inside and outside. There was nothing wrong with Garnett's defensive choice. He would arrange the defense in this way when he called a timeout. Okafor scored consecutively, but there was nothing he could do. He was at his peak, on the edge of an All-Star level, averaging 15+ points per game all year round, and could withstand pressure.

In the first few rounds, Zhang Yang slacked off in regular offense and took advantage of opportunities to score two counterattack three-pointers... This is what Bad Boy Jack is good at.

As for forgetting that Kidd was not on the court and it was the advancing guard Fisher who was on the court, it is indeed a bit outrageous, but as the saying goes, you will get your feet wet if you walk on the road often. In his 20 years of coaching, he has done even more outrageous things.

In the first round of 07, in Game 1, they faced the Suns and were expected to replicate their performance of the previous year. After the first three quarters, they led the Suns 15-77 thanks to Kobe's 74 points in the third quarter. During the intermission, he wanted to defeat the Suns in one fell swoop at the beginning of the final quarter, so he arranged an ingenious tactic. In the end, Odom passed the ball to Vujacic, who was the most accurate in the team's open three-pointers. The tactic was successfully implemented, and Odom successfully passed the ball to Vujacic... but Vujacic was on the bench.

When the players were adjusted during the intermission, the Zen Master did not call Vujacic's name, and Vujacic did not even go to listen, but sat down on the bench. However, the people who were listening to the tactical arrangements did not notice this. When the team was coordinating, no one else noticed where Vujacic was, only Odom saw it, and Odom's thinking logic...

After that ball, the Lakers' offense collapsed in the final quarter. The team made only 21 of 4 shots and scored only 10 points. Although Kobe defended Nash in the final quarter and he couldn't shoot or pass the ball, he made 2 of 0 shots and 2 of 2 free throws in a single quarter, and got 2 points, 2 rebounds and 3 turnovers. But this did not hinder the Suns' comeback. Barbosa caught the death god Parker and made 8 of 6 shots plus one free throw in 4 minutes to get 9 points. He almost matched the entire Lakers team... Such a problem happened in the first game, and the team was defeated all the way afterwards. They only won a game in G3 with Kobe's 45 points in a single game to save face and avoid being swept.

But even that time, the Zen Master remained calm throughout the final quarter, not to mention the current situation where no one would notice as long as he didn't say anything.

At this point, the Zen Master no longer felt bad. He was working at full capacity, adjusting the lineup and arranging tactics. Now he had no chance to play it safe, seize opportunities, or play the key ball. So he went for it! The combination of Kidd, Fisher, Kobe, Garnett, and Kwame Brown was sent out!
Carlisle replaced the strongest offensive lineup of the three young players, Hill and Brad Miller! This combination scored 100 points per 104.2 possessions in this year's playoffs, second in the league. Only the Nuggets' starting lineup, which scored 100 points per 106 possessions, had a stronger firepower than this lineup.

Kabal knew that the opponent was definitely going to fight for his life. He judged that this was the most crucial stage of the game tonight. If it were another coach, with a 10-point advantage and his team's defense being one of the best in the league, he would most likely choose to play steady and defensively, but Kabal didn't!

If he stays calm when the opponent attacks fiercely, it means he is just waiting for the opponent to miss the shot. That is too passive. The opponents have Kobe and Kidd. Just like Zhang Yang took the initiative to attack at the beginning of the third quarter when he saw Kobe was about to reveal a flaw, Carlisle also chose to take the initiative to attack!

After the timeout, the Lakers served the ball in the frontcourt, Kobe made a single shot, Garnett assisted from the high post, Fisher was at the 45-degree angle on the left, with the help of Kidd's screen, he came to the left corner to receive the ball, turned around and shot a three-pointer...hit!
The offense and defense switched, Zhang Yang attacked with the ball, used Okafor to block Kobe, and rushed forward to attract Kidd's blocking and Garnett's switching defense. He passed the ball to Felton at a 45-degree angle on the right. Kobe made the move in time, Felton pulled towards the top of the arc, and Kobe followed... and was blocked by Okafor again!

Garnett tried his best to rush to the outside...but he was still a little slow, and Felton made a three-pointer with the help of the screen!
Garnett explained why it was Okafor who was in the high position and Brad Miller who stayed in close range to contain Kwame Brown. At the elbow, Brad Miller's shooting was not as accurate as Okafor's. It turned out that it was to use Okafor's mobility to provide continuous screens!
The Bobcats' radical adjustments gave even Garnett a headache.

Zhang Yang runs for long shots or plays one-on-one, while Felton holds the ball and starts the offense with pick-and-roll, receives the ball in the bottom corner or top of the arc, and cuts into the basket to receive the ball at close range. This is the most common and stable way for the two guns to score. As a result, these two gave up that style of play and let Felton receive the ball and shoot in a position that is not the most accurate. Zhang Yang even gave up one-on-one singles in the high post... and chose the latter with a more accurate shooting position and a larger open space.

If the situation is still at a stalemate, Garnett will choose to stick to conventional defense, and Zhang Yang will hold the ball and attack in pick-and-roll. The defensive combination of him and Kidd is confident that they can create great interference for Zhang Yang's shooting. Felton's most stable three-pointer is the fixed angle of the top arc and the bottom corners on both sides. Other positions are not so stable. If they have to shoot, they can leave it open to avoid obvious flaws on the defensive end and being overwhelmed by the opponent.

But now the Lakers' goal is to narrow the gap to a relatively safe range of 1-2 goals in the third quarter. If possible, they want to tie or even overtake the score. They have started to fight and definitely want the best result... so the defense can only take a chance!

When the Lakers received the ball, Garnett called his teammates together and gave them some instructions.

Fisher received the serve from Kidd and advanced to the frontcourt, passing it to Garnett in the high position. Garnett passed it again, and Kidd ran to the left baseline to receive the ball, and without stopping his hands, he lobbed the ball... The ball went over the basket and came to the right baseline. Kobe received the ball, turned around and shot a mid-range shot... and it hit!
After the offense and defense switched, Zhang Yang continued to play pick-and-roll with the ball, but this time when he broke through, Garnett waited until Kidd was in position to block and then retreated to a high position, covering the entire 45-degree angle on the right side.

Zhang Yang didn't hesitate and went straight to the inside, where he made a layup with a step-forward under the double-team of Kidd and Kwame Brown!

The delay provided by Garnett this time was not enough, Kidd and Kwame Brown were a little lacking in mobility, and there was some interference, but Zhang Yang's speed and ability to attack the basket were enough to cope with it!
This was a pit that the Lakers dug due to their misjudgment of Gasol. In the second round, the Nuggets took advantage of Garnett's rest time many times and relied on the speed of Iverson and JR Smith to attack the inside line and create a climax...

96黄金一代双后卫连砍5分，05黄金一代的双后卫也连砍5分！75比65，山猫队继续保持着10分优势！
The top players in the 05 class include Zhang Yang, Paul, Deron, Bynum, and Granger. The second tier include Felton, David Lee, Monta Ellis, and Bogut. The third tier include Louis Williams, Marvin Williams, and Blatche also have the potential to play well, but they were originally seen as just a big year for the draft like the 95, 97-99 classes. However, Zhang Yang led the team to 70 wins this year, won the MVP, was selected to the double first team, and led the team to the finals again... Just like Curry in the future elevated the 09 class to the 'golden year of the draft', the media also began to use the term 'golden generation' to describe the 05 class!
Next, a few minutes before and after the official timeout, both teams attacked with all their might.

Fisher has a strong ability to withstand pressure in the crucial stage and is a big threat with three-pointers. Kidd has three-pointers, but he has to have someone guarding the basket when he cuts in. The ball is properly distributed and the passes are accurate. Garnett does a good job in coordination and although his mid-range shot was a bit delayed, he does a good job in screening and cutting in. Kobe is strong in both singles and receiving shots, and Kwame Brown also has a rare lack of butter hands on the offensive end... The Bobcats insisted on doing a good job of basic defense and they really couldn't defend it. The Lakers scored 6 points in almost 16 minutes, but!

The aggressive Bobcats relied on offense to withstand the Lakers' counterattack and scored 13 points during the period!
81 to 88, the Lakers fought for half a quarter and only recovered 1 goal!
It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Kobe, who had scored 9 points in the last 13 minutes of the game, and Afflalo, who was rotated in for a singles game, missed his long two-pointer with a back-to-back turnaround jump shot!
Looking back, Zhang Yang, who scored 9 points in 12 minutes in the third quarter, missed a long two-point shot despite Kobe's close defense. However, Millsap, who came on as a substitute, grabbed the offensive rebound and caused Garnett to foul!
Seeing this scene, the Zen master leaned weakly on the back of his chair and stopped making circles with his thumb.

Trailing by 10 points, facing the Bobcats who were in their prime, the team played hard in the second half when they had the best physical strength, but were held up by the opponent's offense. Now the strongest offensive lineups of both teams are running low on physical strength after the fierce attack, and the game has completely entered the opponent's rhythm. The opponent's lineup depth advantage was reflected at this moment!

All we can hope for at this time is a miracle...

Millsap made both free throws, 90 to 81, and the Bobcats' lead returned to 9 points.

In the next two rounds, Kobe and Garnett each made a mid-range shot, both of which were fadeaway shots without getting rid of the defense, purely relying on solid basic skills.

But Millsap made two consecutive wonderful passes, Felton received the ball and made a quick jump shot from close range against Ariza's defense, and Afflalo received the ball and dunked at the baseline, making the two high school superstars' fadeaway shots in vain!

It was the Lakers' turn to attack. Kidd's three-pointer missed. Looking back, Felton and Okafor started the attack with a pick-and-roll, forming a pick-and-roll coordination with Millsap on the left side of the free throw line and Afflalo who cut in. Zhang Yang took the opportunity to go around to the right side of the top arc, received the pass from Millsap, and took a three-pointer before Ariza could get to his defense... and it went in!
97 to 85, the Bobcats' lead reached 12 points!
By the end of the third quarter, the score was 101 to 87. In the final moments of the quarter, the Bobcats scored two goals. The Lakers players seemed to be fighting harder on defense, but in fact they were already in a state of frustration and lost their composure on the defensive end. Instead, they gave the Bobcats better shooting opportunities, and the Lakers only scored one goal out of three shots during this period.

Zhang Yang's three-pointer after Kidd missed the shot not only increased his personal score in the quarter to 15 points, catching up with Kobe's score in the third quarter, but also extinguished the last bit of confidence of the Lakers players!

Zhang Yang scored 15 points in a single quarter and Okafor scored 12 points in a single quarter. The two worked together to lead the Bobcats to a single-quarter score of 45 to 33. They played the most terrifying and dominant quarter of the playoffs this year and laid the foundation for victory!

In the final quarter, facing the disadvantages of a net loss of 12 points in a single quarter, a total score difference of 14 points, and excessive physical exhaustion of the 9-man main lineup... the Lakers did not give up. To be more precise, Kobe did not give up. He put all his strength into the shot. After 9 shots in the first quarter, 7 shots in the second quarter, and 10 shots in the third quarter, he threw 13 shots in the final quarter!
但效率，远不及前三节26投13中拿到35分，末节13次出手只进了4球，只拿到11分。

Zhang Yang also attacked with all his strength in the last quarter, shooting when he should and double-teaming when he should, making 7 of 3 shots, including 1 of 0 from three-pointers, and 2 of 2 from free throws, for 8 points. Although he scored less than Kobe, his teammates scored 14 points, which was more than the 8 points scored by Kobe's teammates!

Kobe's unwilling struggle in the final quarter was tragic and heroic...

The game ended with the cheers and shouts of six or seven thousand away fans in the front court, and more than ten thousand fans looking helpless, crying with sadness, or angry and irritable...

Kobe made 39 of 17 shots, including 11 of 4 three-pointers, plus 10 of 8 free throws. Although he scored a game-high 46 points, he also missed 22 shots, ranking third in the history of the single-game missed shots in the Finals. First, it was another familiar name, Jordan, who missed 24 shots; second, it was also a name that would not surprise anyone, Iverson, who missed 23 shots.

Tonight Kobe stands shoulder to shoulder with the man he pursued and his lifelong enemy!
张杨29投14中，其中三分球11投5中，外加9中8的罚球，拿到41分5板5助攻3抢断！

123比106，山猫队以17分优势客场击败湖人队，大比分4比1赢得总冠军！
...

After the final whistle, Kobe Bryant rushed into the player tunnel as if escaping, Garnett walked into the player tunnel with his head covered with a towel, Kidd stared at the opposite side for a while and memorized the faces of everyone on the opposite side before turning around and walking towards the player tunnel... The Big Three ignored the reporters who were chasing them and left the court dejectedly. The Lakers' 08-09 season came to an end.

The fans at the scene also quickly left. In just a few minutes, almost half of the seats were empty. However, not all Lakers fans left. They stayed to "guard the home court" and oppose Zhang Yang's fans.

On the other side, the Bobcats' 08-09 season has entered its climax!

Juwan Howard, who replaced Mike Miller on the active list tonight and was substituted in with the last minute, and Hill, who was left on the court at the last moment, burst into tears.

They were originally excited and thrilled, but the moment the whistle sounded, their emotions came up and they couldn't suppress it at all.

Both of them were from the class of 94, Hill was the second pick and Juwan Howard was the fifth pick. Hill was a child of destiny, graduated from the prestigious Duke University, topped the voting list in his rookie year, was selected to the Dream Team after his sophomore year and won an Olympic gold medal; Juwan Howard was also one of the most dazzling young stars of that era as a rookie, also graduated from a prestigious school and was one of the famous Michigan Big Five. He was selected to the All-Star team in his sophomore year and got the first billion-dollar contract in NBA history in the summer of 5, with a salary that exceeded that of the No. 96 and No. picks in the same class, Big Dog and Kidd.

But as the 20th century passed, their era came to an end.

Hill was injured for 6 consecutive years. In early 06, he went to Miami to receive treatment from Thomas Carter and accepted his advice to adjust his playing style. His injury condition improved in the 06-07 season, but he was already reduced to being used as a bargaining chip to exchange for a second-round pick in his contract year. In the end, there were no big free agents in the summer of 07 and no team was able to sign him...

After Jordan became the CEO of the Wizards in 01, Juwan Howard was sent away by the God of Basketball. Since then, he has started his wandering career. In the past eight seasons, he has been traded or not renewed his contract. He has changed 8 teams to play...

Now, I finally got my hands on the championship ring!

After the game, nearly 10,000 fans who stayed at the scene waiting to watch the award ceremony, whether they supported Zhang Yang or were Lakers fans, applauded when they saw the two hugging and crying.

Neither of them is just a figurehead.

Hill's role in the finals is obvious to all. Apart from Zhang Yang, he was the best at defending Kobe, better than Afflalo. Although he didn't defend him, he at least limited Kobe's shooting percentage to 5% in five games, far lower than 46% during the Western Conference playoffs.

He also performed well on the offensive end, receiving long two-pointers, assisting in control, assisting, and cutting into the basket, and he did not lag behind, especially in the long two-pointers, with a hit rate of 44%, which was better than Garnett's long two-point performance in this finals.

Although Juwan Howard only played for more than 50 seconds in the final stage of the entire playoffs, whenever the Bobcats coaches and players mentioned his name, they would praise his performance in training. He brought valuable mid-range running experience to the team and provided great help in the growth of Millsap and Ibaka. During the regular season injury wave, he was able to make some contributions when he played. It's not that he doesn't want to play a greater role, he has tried his best.

Brad Miller also wanted to join the 'crying veterans group', but as a big man from the Rust Belt, he was embarrassed to cry in front of so many people.

Among the three veterans, Big White Bear actually made the biggest sacrifice. He is stronger, but he has to give way to Millsap who needs playing time and training in the regular season. In order to increase the team's hope of winning the championship, he has to teach Millsap everything he knows, including his assists and shooting positioning choices... He knows very well that the team is "bullying the honest people", but there is no way, Millsap is the "real son", and he is just a veteran who still has "utilization value".

In the playoffs, from the second round onwards, Millsap, who was still in his developmental stage, could no longer hold on. When Kawhi Leonard and Kwame Brown called him, he had to immediately step up and take up the team's support, fighting with Gasol and Kwame Brown, and not letting them down... Fortunately, the championship was won in the end! In his opinion, all these sacrifices were worth it!
The only real pure "pendant" is Magloire. He really only has the opportunity to play for a few minutes when his center teammate is injured. However, the Bobcats center has been in good condition due to injuries this year. What he does every day is to drive a used car to and from get off work and get the team's nutritious meals. After one season, not only has his face become a lot rounder, but he also won a championship!
Magloire interprets what "choice is more important than effort" means with practical actions!
He just turned 5 in May this year. Although he only played 31 games last season and averaged only 31 points per game, it was mainly because the Nets and Mavericks did not give him playing time. In the season before that, he played 1.8 games, averaging 81 points and 21 rebounds in 6 minutes per game. Last summer, several teams offered him a minimum salary and promised to give him playing time, but he chose to follow the bad boys, even though the Bobcats had made it clear that he would not be a member of the rotation, but only a substitute player, because he was looking forward to winning a championship as a pendant... and he really got it!
Magloire: What's wrong with not having playing time? I'm hugging the God of Basketball and laughing!
Unlike the veterans, Zhang Yang, Felton, Okafor, Millsap, Jarrett Jack, Perkins, Alan Anderson and other young players who had won the championship in 07, as well as Afflalo, Pietrus, Ibaka and other young players who came later, were all simply happy and simply enjoyed the moment of winning the championship.

They can understand the feelings of the four veterans, but they cannot truly empathize with them, and they will never be able to do that... because at this moment, they are still young and have already become champions!

Ibaka and Afflalo, two talented first- and second-year players, now truly understand what the third brother said: "Do you think that I have won the MVP and the championship, and there is nothing to pursue in my career? When we win the championship again, you will know that the championship will never be an obstacle for you to become stronger. It will only make you feel that you are not strong enough. If you win one, you will want a second one, and you want to keep winning...

20 minutes after the final whistle, the Bobcats players came out of the player tunnel again, and were greeted by the cheers of nearly 7000 fans and the boos of more than fans. Just now, they went back to the locker room to wash off the sweat and change into clean and tidy "championship edition" training clothes.

This is a new league rule, which was implemented starting with the finals last season. It was created by Silver and may seem like a redundant step, but it helped the Bulls generate nearly 70 million US dollars in revenue last summer. In the greater Chicago metropolitan area, nearly 300 sets of 'championship edition' training suits were sold in one summer. The league and contractors will share % of the money, and the Bulls also got nearly million for free. When it comes to making money, Silver really has a lot of ideas.

Stern came to the sidelines and made a "please" gesture to Bill Russell who was sitting in the audience, looking like an old English gentleman.

The first thing was to present the championship trophy. This time, Zhang San was shameless and squeezed directly behind the fat boss. After Carlisle and Felton kissed the trophy, he found an open space and kissed it, then handed it to Hill.

He also wanted to have a scene of kissing the trophy, but he refused the year before last because the ball on the trophy was already stained with saliva and tears. He has always regretted it, but this time he finally completed it.

When the trophy was returned to owner Jordan, the party ended. Nearly 7000 fans at the scene began to shout "MVP", drowning out the boos from more than 3000 Lakers fans.

张杨5场比赛场均37.2分5.2板5.2助攻2抢断0.8盖帽，投篮命中率47.1%，以41.5%的命中率场均投进5.4个三分……

表现第二好的是奥卡福，靠着今晚单场27分，他场均得分从前4场的场均12.25分，拔高到场均15.2分，外加10.8板2助攻0.8抢断1.8盖帽……显然没什么竞争力。

除了张杨外，这次总决赛山猫队其他球员数据都不突出，前4场奥卡福场均12+10、费尔顿场均14+5、布拉德-米勒场均6+4+4……但作用都不小，哪怕是轮换尾巴的伊巴卡，都在需要切入速度的时候做出了贡献。

The scoring champion with a high ceiling, coupled with the excellent rotation of the deep lineup, allowed the Bobcats to play Kawhi Leonard's offensive basketball that even the Lakers could not contain!

Seeing that Zhang Yang has one-third of the supporters in the Staples Center audience, thinking of the cheers Zhang Yang received at Madison Square Garden... The Jew: The City of Angels and the Big Apple are worthy of the strongest high school student in history!

There was no suspense. David Stern pronounced "Zhang Yang" clearly this time and handed the trophy to Russell.

After Zhang Yang shook hands and hugged Russell, he took over the 'Bill Russell Cup' and held the trophy high together with Jordan who was holding the 'O'Brien Cup'. The Bobcats' 2008-2009 season was frozen!
(End of this chapter)