54: 53.

‘History’ changes, locking in first place 54: 53.

‘History’ changes, locking in first place On the 27th, the Spurs team flew back to San Antonio, finally ending their brutal four-game road trip.

The intensity of each game was higher than the last, especially the game against the Grizzlies, which left Zhang Yang frightened.

If there hadn’t been any rotation, Duncan and Hill would still be fatigued; if there hadn’t been any targeted tactical preparations, like when playing against the Nuggets Team, Rockets, and Trail Blazers using a conventional approach… this game might have been dominated by the Grizzlies.

With Randolph entering his peak season, he was truly fierce.

Even being targeted like that, he still managed to score 28 points in a single game, holding down the fort and creating a comeback opportunity for Conley.

Conley made his shots under pressure, had the ability and the heart, making him a very lethal but easily overlooked opponent.

Of course, the most important factor was the Grizzlies’ defense.

The starters included Conley, Tony Allen, Gasol, and Sam Young’s defense was also on point; with substitutes like Battier, Leon Powe, Darrell Arthur, Vasquez… their defense was very good, and Coach Hollins was a top-tier defensive coach even before the era of small ball arrived.

If it hadn’t been for the Grizzlies’ disorganized defense in the third quarter, the Spurs’ team offense really wouldn’t have broken through.

After personally facing the Grizzlies, Zhang Yang finally understood why originally, in this timeline, the Spurs fell behind 1-3 straight after entering the playoffs and eventually suffered a crushing defeat.

Back in San Antonio, Zhang Yang took the team’s bus back to the AT&T Stadium to continue practicing his pick-and-pop mid-range shots and attacking the basket.

The Grizzlies’ defensive strengths were under the basket and beyond the three-point line; mid-range defense was average.

If he could speed up and stabilize his mid-range shots after pick-and-pop, he could grasp more scoring opportunities.

Attacking the basket with the ball was their weak point this season.

Parker’s shooting percentage was very high, but stationery battles couldn’t shake off the defense of the “Twin Bears” + Conley.

Once the Grizzlies got going, Parker would virtually disappear.

Duncan’s offensive capabilities were gone, leaving only Ginobili as an attacking point inside, and Jack Zhang counted as half…

With roughly three weeks left before the playoffs, he continued to strive hard!

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With only the last eight games of the regular season remaining, the Spurs’ opponents were tough one after another, but the schedule became more relaxed.

From March 27th to April 17th, they had 22 days to play eight games.

This wasn’t Stern being ‘merciful’ to the Spurs, but rather the onset of the NHC (high-post defense, no hands allowed) in the 04-05 season led to a widespread of injuries towards the end of the regular season.

The league moved the start of the regular season forward a bit and increased the rest periods at the end of regular season, reducing the risk of widespread injuries as teams jockeyed for playoff positions and rankings, which could affect the playoffs’ appeal.

From the 27th to the 29th, the Spurs had three days of rest.

On the 30th, they faced the challenge of the Kings at home.

Today, Popovich let Duncan and Richard Jefferson rest, deploying a starting lineup of Parker, Zhang Yang, Danny Green, McDyess, and Splitter.

Ginobili continued to play as the sixth man, which was also an adjustment by Popovich to let Ginobili rest more and play lighter, not solely to increase the intensity of cultivating Zhang Yang.

The opponent’s strongest player was definitely in their starting lineup, allowing Zhang Yang to wear down the opponents first, making it easier for Ginobili to play.

From a developmental perspective, Zhang Yang was undoubtedly the most valued player by the Spurs at the moment, but from a game perspective, Popovich undoubtedly valued Ginobili’s performance more.

The game went smoothly, also making Popovich more heartbroken about the ten-million annual salary given to Richard Jefferson last summer.

Earning a 460,000 US dollar salary, Danny Green, although less experienced than Richard Jefferson and not a passer, and less effective in shrinking the defense due to being lighter than Richard Jefferson, that difference was not worth over nine million dollars!

Danny Green’s one-on-one defense was better than the current Richard Jefferson, his shooting was superior, and his shooting range was broader, covering all three-pointers…

The game went smoothly, with Parker being the superstar, scoring 26 points and 12 assists, leading the Spurs to an easy 111-92 victory over the Kings.

Ginobili came off the bench to score 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, Danny Green 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, Zhang Yang 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, McDyess 18 points, and George Hill 12 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, all delivering outstanding performances on the offensive end.

Two days later, on April 2nd, the Spurs faced one of the championship favorites, the Celtics.

The Celtics were only ranked third in the East, but no one dared to underestimate them.

Last season, they achieved 50 wins and 32 losses, hammered Rose in the playoffs first, then toppled James, the league’s top player in a 4-2 series, beat Howard in the Eastern Finals 4-2, and battled the Lakers to a Game 7 in the Finals.

Many people felt that this year’s Finals would be another showdown between the yellow and green.

The Spurs, with their full starting lineup and having rested for three days, including Duncan and Richard Jefferson as per Popovich’s orders, were ready to face the Celtics.

But they did not win…

Even though Duncan, facing Garnett, burst into action with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Zhang Yang’s 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, Parker’s 13 points, 5 assists, and Ginobili’s 14 points, 4 assists were all decent,

they were still no match for Rondo with 12 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, Garnett with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, Pierce with 18 points, Ray Allen with 16 points, 3 assists, and Jeff Green with 18 points.

91 to 97, the Spurs lost at home, ending their six-game winning streak.

In the game, Zhang Yang fought hard to win, daring to fight and compete, but after the game, he had to admit that although his team was ranked first in the league, they truly weren’t as strong as those real championship-contending teams.

Their strength lay in their unique stability in the league, a characteristic that had not changed in the decades since Duncan joined, rarely losing to weaker opponents.

However, this stability also lacked the capacity to upset higher-ranked teams.

Regarding how to solve this problem, knowing the villain Popovich as Zhang Yang did, the answer should be— as long as we are stronger than every other team in the league, there’s no need to worry about upsetting others…

Don’t let problems arise if you can’t solve them.

On April 5, the Spurs lost at home against the Trail Blazers 102 to 110.

Ginobili, Duncan, and Richard Jefferson didn’t play.

After losing to the Celtics, the Spurs could no longer surpass the Mavericks’ record in Texas, and Popovich completely let loose.

On April 7, the Spurs defeated the Hawks team 107 to 95 away.

Although they won, Zhang Yang, guarded by the real modern-day Jordan, Joe Johnson, got a lesson.

The coach is inhuman!

He let him single defend Joe Johnson at the high post!

He knew it was “training,” but it was a bit too much; he experienced what it meant to be a first-class mid-range individual scorer.

Joe Johnson shot more from the mid-range area, beyond the free-throw line and within the three-point line, than from outside the three-point line and inside the free throw line combined.

However, Joe Johnson’s height of 201cm and weight of 107 kg didn’t translate to much power in the paint, which was the chasm separating him from a true mid-range superstar.

But… despite the drawbacks in Joe Johnson’s playing style, Zhang Yang still really wanted to learn; this guy had so many mid-range scoring moves!

By April 10, the Spurs were back home to face a challenge from the Jazz team.

In this game, the Spurs played hard; 11 players participated, and 8 scored in double digits: Zhang Yang with 19 points, Danny Green with 12 points, Richard Jefferson with 10 points, Parker with 13 points, 7 assists, Duncan with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, Ginobili with 12 points, 6 assists, Blair with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and Bonner with 17 points…

111 to 90, the Spurs’ team-play was fully fired up as they slaughtered the Jazz team, pushing their record to 63 wins and 16 losses!

The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, stood at 58 wins and 20 losses; the Spurs secured the regular season championship three games early!

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