CHAPTER 1251: CHAPTER 507: NOT ALLOWED TO SHOOT? I’LL SHOOT ANYWAY! (PART 5)

Zhang Yang made 11 out of 20 shots, including 2 out of 5 three-pointers, plus 4 out of 4 free throws. Although it’s the first time in the finals that his scoring isn’t the highest, ’only’ 28 points, he matched the highest in the game with 8 assists, along with 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He cooperated fully with his teammates and held his own against Kobe.

But the Lakers performed better, with Kidd and Fisher, the two point guards, scoring 30 points.

As role players in the tactics, both were spot-up shooters, the ’tail’ of the strategy, which the Lakers have done better than the Bobcats in recent games, especially tonight.

With Kidd, when the Lakers go all out in the playoffs, their capability in this aspect leads the league. Even with Zhang Yang, Hill, and Brad Miller, the Bobcats find it hard to compete against Kidd. It’s a unique ability of Kidd, unmatched in the NBA history.

While such a loss left the Bobcats’ players, led by the Three Giants, feeling unwilling, it also excited them to face and try to defeat the strong opponents.

True to the saying "close to vermilion, be red," after four years, Felton and Okafor have long been influenced by Zhang Yang. While they enjoy easy victories, they also yearn for opponents which they might not defeat even if they gave it their all.

In the post-game locker room interview, when asked if ending the finals in Los Angeles was still their goal, the three answered in unison, "Of course."

Then Zhang Yang faced the camera, praising both the opponents and his teammates for their excellent performances, and expressed great anticipation for the Lakers’ upcoming showings.

Despite the loss, the Three Giants continued to show a strong competitive spirit and successfully led their teammates out of the unwilling mood, focusing on the next game.

On the other side, Kobe was furious when he saw the interview video of Zhang Yang in the news—what did Zhang San mean by the tone of ’I gladly accept the challenge’?

Wait a minute, they were last year’s champions, and this year’s 70-win team, which really qualifies them to speak like that.

Thinking of this, the old Ironsmith got even madder...

...

After one day of rest, on June 13th, Zhang Yang and his teammates once again stepped onto the court at the Staples Center to face the Lakers in the fourth game of the finals.

Guarding Game 3 with suspense, the Lakers’ morale surged, winning tonight would let them play Game 5 at home! Winning two consecutive games, they would definitely have the upper hand in Game 5, and it would increase their chances in the next two away games!

At 8 PM, Game 4 starts. In the first quarter, the Lakers, with soaring momentum, outperformed the Bobcats with a score of 29-23.

In this quarter, under Kidd’s organization, the Lakers only had 1 turnover. On defense, led by Garnett, though the Bobcats shot 9 out of 16 with a high accuracy, effective double teams and defensive rotations, and disturbing passes led to 5 turnovers for the Bobcats in the quarter, greatly lowering their attempts. The best was three-point defense—Bobcats shot only 3 three-pointers and made one, also creating turnovers to allow Kidd 3 fast-break opportunities and scoring on two!

After the break, the Bobcats launched a counterattack, immediately exploiting the gaps in the Lakers’ zone defense, with Felton and Hill continuously cutting in and attacking the basket. Little Gasol committed 3 fouls within a minute and a half, and the three players capitalized on it with 6 successful free throws!

During this time, Lakers also made both of their shots, only reducing the Bobcats’ deficit by two points, still leading 33-29 by 4 points. Yet the Zen Master called a timeout right at the start!

During the break, Carlisle didn’t make major adjustments on defense, only emphasizing details.

If not for multiple turnovers in the first quarter giving Kidd some perfect fast-break opportunities, the Lakers should have scored around 25 points.

But on offense... he faced two choices; one was a conservative strategy, emphasizing the stability of passing and supplementing tactical details. Their first-quarter offensive efficiency wasn’t poor, making it a safe choice, but it would completely fall into the opponent’s rhythm, which made him uncomfortable.

He didn’t seek to drag the opponent into their pace, like against the Bulls in the finals Game 1, but at least maintain their own rhythm, like against the Hawks in the finals Games 2 and 3.

Bikstaff’s gambler trait showed itself on Coach at a crucial moment.

He chose to overturn the previous tactics; as the opponent didn’t want them to shoot threes, they insisted on executing the three-point tactic!

Three-point receivers were Brad Miller and Zhang Yang, using Brad Miller’s height advantage, Zhang Yang’s daring passing, pulling the opponent’s defense to the high post before executing backdoor cuts to attack the basket!

This move paid off, Zhang San and the Big White Bear executed it very well!

But the Lakers had trouble with the rotation at the center position!

This situation was too much for the Zen Master to handle, Little Gasol’s first foul didn’t matter to him, the second one he thought to endure, but 3 consecutive fouls?! Plus the first-quarter foul, Little Gasol had 4 fouls!

Not only that, the opponent’s offensive adjustments exceeded his expectations!

The Zen Master felt like Popovich in the 07 finals, disgusted by the gambler’s tricks!

Though angry, the Zen Master had to continue a calm demeanor, substituting Kwame Brown for Little Gasol, and as for tactical adjustments, he didn’t emphasize anything, instead hinting to the Three Giants to ’act according to circumstances.’