48: 47.

Contemporary Jordan 48: 47.

Contemporary Jordan Duncan and Ginobili “out due to injuries” caused quite a stir.

Many fans who had paid in advance to watch the “Western Conference Finals Preview” and “Legendary Trio Showdown” online ran to the NBA official website and TV stations’ official websites to protest…

Popovich’s injury reasons were too far-fetched.

Popovich successfully drew everyone’s attention to himself.

He could have announced the “injuries” sooner; he had neither Duncan nor Ginobili participate in the team practice yesterday morning in San Antonio or in today’s game preparation practice.

He chose to announce it just before the game to increase their chances of winning.

Now, after the pre-game ceremony, Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson kept glancing toward the Spurs’ bench from time to time.

Old Fox Popovich’s maneuver disrupted Phil’s game preparation.

Phil Jackson’s tactics designed for Duncan and Ginobili were definitely unusable now, but just like that, the Spurs were without their two strongest players, greatly increasing the Lakers’ chances of victory.

Kobe was looking at Duncan and Ginobili, dressed in suits, with eyes full of rage.

The Lakers had lost both of their earlier matches against the Spurs this season, and with their recent form being red-hot, Kobe had been eagerly anticipating this game, intent on taking revenge.

But suddenly those two old rivals said they weren’t playing!

Can’t handle it, huh!

On Zhang Yang’s side, he was shocked when he saw Duncan and Ginobili not participating in the tactical training yesterday morning.

He guessed that Popovich would likely accept this suggestion, but he didn’t expect the old man to act so quickly, immediately starting to rest players, even when the upcoming opponent was the Lakers.

This was in line with Zhang Yang’s impression of Popovich, a villainous coach who either didn’t act at all or, when he did, he went all out, no matter the backlash.

But now, Zhang Yang’s focus wasn’t on Popovich’s sly maneuvering, but on Kobe.

Playing against this guy, he was thrilled to the extreme!

Kobe noticed someone watching him and turned his head to look…

That Chinese guard, huh!

Last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Suns, this season’s game against the Warriors; this Chinese guard named Jack didn’t hesitate to shoot when facing his defense, leaving some impression on him.

The young players nowadays, each and every one of them wants to take him on.

He felt a bit smug about this, thinking back to when he first entered the NBA, the younger players of that era all wanted to take on Michael Jordan.

So, rounding up, he’s the 21st century’s Jordan!

…

About fifteen minutes later, both teams’ starting lineups took the court.

Lakers’ starters: Fisher, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, Bynum.

Spurs’ starters: Parker, Danny Green, Richard Jefferson, Blair, McDyess.

Zhang Yang, sitting on the bench, looked at Zhang Tielin going on with the starters and felt a bit envious.

Danny Green, a defensive shooter produced by North Carolina, played alongside LeBron James for two years in high school during his freshman and sophomore years, focusing on off-ball movement and shooting early on.

He entered the NBA Draft after graduating college in 2009 and was picked in the second round, 16th overall, by the Cavaliers, his former teammate advocating for him.

But the Cavs’ roster was already filled with shooters, and he was cut after a reshuffle to free up roster space.

Last summer he was signed by the Spurs and then assigned to the Reno Bighorns in the NBDL, where in 16 games in the Development League he averaged 20 points, showcasing his outstanding shooting and defensive skills.

In January, Popovich recalled him to the team.

He hadn’t been given the opportunity to play before but had always participated in tactical training with the team.

Finally, with Duncan and Ginobili resting, he made it to the active roster and was even put in the starting lineup.

Hoping to catch the Lakers off guard by exploiting their unfamiliarity with Danny Green?

After envying for a moment, Zhang Yang focused his attention on awaiting the game’s start, observing the other side’s offense and defense.

At 8 PM, the game between the Spurs and the Lakers commenced.

With Duncan and Ginobili ‘out due to injuries,’ Stern was furious, public opinion was in an uproar, and casual fans watching the live broadcast felt aggrieved…

But most fans at the venue were very happy, as they saw it, tonight’s game had no suspense!

Their strongest opponents weren’t playing; wouldn’t they easily secure the win?

The Lakers players thought the same, their tense preparations relaxing all at once, and then…

the Spurs started the game with an 8-0 run!

Danny Green, playing his first game for the Spurs, started with two consecutive three-pointers.

Together with Parker’s steal and fast-break layup against Fisher, the Spurs opened up a lead as soon as the game began.

But Kobe quickly regained his senses, scoring two mid-range jumpers and drawing fouls from Richard Jefferson in two successive one-on-one plays, scoring 8 points and halting the Spurs’ momentum to widen the gap, reducing the deficit to a safe four-point margin.

Popovich called a timeout and replaced Richard Jefferson with Zhang Yang.

The veteran was giving Popovich a headache.

After Bowen left in ’08, the Spurs’ frontline defense was weak during the 08-09 season; hence, he traded for Richard Jefferson in the summer of ’09.

Although Jefferson’s defense was not as good as Bowen’s, it was still top-notch.

He also had stronger transition defense and ability to drive to the basket.

He performed very well last season, and last summer, Popovich re-signed him with a four-year, $40 million dollar contract…

Who would have thought that right after turning 30, Jefferson’s defense would collapse, and his athleticism would seriously deteriorate.

Fortunately, Jefferson’s shooting skills and passing awareness peaked with age, and this season his long two-pointers and three-point shooting percentages, as well as his total makes, were the best of his career.

His assist-to-turnover ratio was also at a career-high, which was very beneficial for the team.

But having such a talented player with a ten-million dollar annual salary was too much of a burden for the Spurs.

Putting the troubles aside, Popovich was in a good mood now.

He was originally worried that Duncan and Ginobili not playing would affect the team’s tactical operations, but such a scenario did not happen.

Even when Kobe scored 8 points in a row, the Spurs’ tactical operations were not affected, scoring 4 points.

The influence of Duncan on the Spurs transcends the game itself.

As long as he hasn’t retired, even if he just sits on the sidelines in a suit, his teammates can draw great confidence.

On the court, the game continued, and it was the Spurs’ turn to attack.

Parker continued to initiate the offense with a pick-and-roll play with McDyess, and Zhang Yang’s presence on the court did not disrupt the Spurs’ team offensive operations.

Zhang Yang indeed had good tactical awareness.

Bynum, Artest, and Kobe’s defensive combination successfully blocked the pick-and-roll between Parker and McDyess, cutting off Parker’s passing routes back to the high post and the wings.

Predicting the opponents’ defensive intentions, Zhang Yang moved down from the right 45-degree angle ahead of time to the right baseline of the three-second area, ready to receive a pass from Parker and prevent Parker from being double-teamed and making a mistake.

But Gasol defended superbly well, getting into position immediately, covering Zhang Yang’s close-range shooting space.

Artest also left Parker to press towards the baseline, blocking Zhang Yang’s path to drive past Gasol under the basket.

Just when everyone thought Zhang Yang would dribble the ball out and pass it back to Parker, Zhang Yang suddenly extended the ball out of the baseline…

Pass!

The ball flew behind Bynum, who was under the basket!

Blair, on the left side of the three-second area, caught the ball behind Bynum’s right side and scored a layup!

Popovich was so frightened that he stood up – that was a bold pass!

But this was one of the reasons why Popovich valued Zhang Yang – his daring creativity and execution, very reminiscent of Ginobili.

However, he had some concerns: a player with such audacity might become reckless once his abilities strengthened…

The offense-defense transition ensued, and it was the Lakers’ turn to attack.

The point guard, Fisher, brought the ball up the court and then gave it to Kobe, who had just scored 8 points.

As soon as Kobe received the ball, he was closely guarded by Zhang Yang.

Kobe managed to get past Zhang Yang, but it took slightly longer than when he got past Jefferson.

Danny Green successfully got into position to help defend.

While Zhang Yang’s defensive skills and experience did not match Jefferson’s, his athleticism was better than that of the deteriorated 30-year-old Jefferson, and his defensive attitude was relentless, helping Green to get into position for help defense.

After being bypassed, Zhang Yang immediately turned and rushed to catch up, joining Green in double-teaming Kobe.

Kobe, facing the disturbance from both defenders, forcefully shot…

With Zhang Yang, standing 196 cm tall with a 210 cm wingspan, and Danny Green, 198 cm tall with a 208 cm wingspan, both leapt and stretched their arms out at just the right moment to interfere with the shot, forcing Kobe to increase the arc of his fadeaway…

“Clang”…

It was a miss!

McDyess secured the defensive rebound and quickly passed to Parker.

Parker launched the counterattack, passing the ball to Zhang Yang, who was sprinting down the court.

Kobe desperately chased back, getting under the basket before Zhang Yang, who just received the ball, could make a move.

Instinctively reacting, Zhang Yang took a step forward with his right leg, dodging Kobe.

As Kobe turned and pressed up again, Zhang Yang stepped left, arriving right under the basket, and jumped for a layup…

It went in!

The Euro step!

Kobe was surprised; it had only been about two months since their last encounter, hadn’t it?

Back then, this guy named Jack didn’t know this move!

…

…

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