CHAPTER 1194: CHAPTER 488: THIS YEAR’S FIRST ROUND IS LIVELY

On the afternoon of the 3rd, the Bobcats left Miami and flew back to Charlotte.

During the journey, Zhang Yang sat by the window, reflecting on the series and making mental adjustments.

The first round was won very easily, with only a close call in Game 1, but it’s precisely because Wade exploded in the first game, scoring 39 points plus a triple-double, that the Bobcats played even more easily than initially expected in the subsequent games.

If Wade’s explosion had happened in Game 3 or Game 4, he might have been able to steal a victory from them, much like Kobe scored 45 points with 26 shots and 15 hits to shockingly defeat the Suns in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.

If they had won the first two or three games easily, there could have been uncontrolled complacency later, which would give the Heat an opportunity.

But Wade’s mind-blowing performance in the first game heightened their vigilance, and the Big Three started to play steadily right from the first quarter of Game 2... The Heat had no chance at all.

In Zhang Yang’s view, the Heat, with only Wade, should be the weakest among the 16 playoff teams this year. The coach has ideas but is inexperienced, there is top-level combat power but few can play in the entire team. The second weakest, the 76ers, although lacking top-tier combat power, have one or two capable players from positions 1 through 5, not to mention Brand who is in street clothes.

So Zhang Yang seriously reminded himself that there are many things in this series that should not be taken seriously.

For example, his exaggerated shooting percentages of 50.7% + 48.5% + 92%.

Wade’s defense on him was actually effective, but it collapsed very quickly. He had a scoring opportunity at every mid and end of the first half, and had opportunities throughout the second half.

At his peak, Wade’s stamina seemed to be at Zhang San’s level in the early stages of last season, and Wade’s playing style was much more exhausting than his.

Once Wade’s stamina began to decline, he would relax his defense to ensure offense, and even with such adjustments, Wade only performed well in the final quarter of Game 1. He fizzled out in the final quarters of Game 3 and Game 4.

Moreover, there was also the issue of Wade’s perimeter partner’s poor defense, which contributed to his exaggerated shooting percentages. Apart from Wade, the Heat’s only other perimeter player who could cause him some trouble was backup shooter James Jones.

The other two starters, Chalmers lacked size and athleticism, Beasley had the size and athleticism but lacked defensive enthusiasm and ability. In the second half, when battling starters, Okafor continuously got to low-post to initiate attack. Zhang San, at this time, utilized Felton and Pietrus’s off-ball screens to easily score, until later he didn’t even have the chance for three-point shooting off-ball. Once screens were set, the opponents’ two defenders would double-team him, which then led to his teammates having surges of three-point and cutting opportunities...

After sorting through these, Zhang Yang’s inflated emotions, caused by his nearly 90% shooting accuracy, cooled down.

Playing so well, surely he should be happy, but it should not affect his judgment of his own ability.

Upon reaching Charlotte International Airport, Zhang Yang did not go straight home. He, Felton, Okafor, Hill, Millsap... and others went with the team to Tuhang Stadium to attend the 3 PM press conference set for Carlisle by the Bobcats.

This morning, the league announced this season’s Coach of the Year award. Winning Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December, January, and April, leading the team to 70 wins, being in the top ten for both offensive and defensive efficiencies... Carlisle won 49 out of 115 votes, defeating Popovich with 36 votes, Stan Van Gundy with 16 votes, and Mike Brown with 14 votes, to win Coach of the Year for the second time in his career!

Carlisle’s last time winning Coach of the Year was in his rookie coaching year, the 01-02 season.

A few other awards were also announced in the past few days.

Executive of the Year went to Celtics’ GM Danny Ainge.

From the bottom of the East to 44 wins and fourth in the East, last summer he was severely criticized, alongside the Suns’ GM, but over the course of a season, Ainge’s evaluation soared.

After winning the award, Ainge said at the press conference: "Anytime we want, we can return to the playoff ranks, but I want more than that..."

His statement was interpreted as dissatisfaction with the boss’s impatience, Pierce’s distrust, and Rivers’ lack of support... And that evening, Pierce exploded with 24 out of 14, hitting 6 of 11 from three, and added 8 out of 9 free throws, reaching the second-highest 42 points in his playoff career.

The Most Improved Player award was given to Pacers’ leader Danny Granger, who leaped this season to become a top scorer averaging 25.8 points, made the All-Star, and as a skilled player, he’s very highly regarded for the future.

Sixth Man of the Year, the competition for this was fierce to the extreme. This season, there were 61 bench players averaging double figures, averaging at least two per team plus one, creating an NBA historical record, a higher average even compared to the scoring explosion in the ’80s.

Jason Terry, with an average of 19.6 points, took 36 out of the 115 first-place ballots, beating Ginobili with an average of 15.5 points, Nate Robinson with 16.2 points, Corey Maggette with 17.1 points, JR Smith with 15.2 points, Leandro Barbosa with 15 points, and Westbrook with 13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists... clinching the most fiercely contested Sixth Man of the Year in history.

The top four games of the first-round playoff series have all completed, and the voting for the last three individual regular season awards in the NBA has also ended and will be announced soon.

...

After the press conference, Carlisle distributed the scouting report and game video clips of the next round’s hypothetical opponents to the players that the team had prepared.