First in scoring

Chapter 48 48. He Refused at First
When people are pushed to the limit, their potential explodes and they can do anything... except math problems.

Ginobili did not specifically teach Zhang Yang to jump back and forth in the "Euro step", but instead placed a lot of chairs and asked Zhang Yang to practice using strides and jumps to avoid the chairs and get to the basket.

Facing Kobe's defense, Zhang Yang subconsciously used the 'basic skills of going around the chair' that he had practiced these days, and it went even smoother than during training!

Therefore, combining competition and practice is the best way to hone your skills. It requires long-term training to strengthen basic skills, as well as a flash of inspiration during competition.

Zhang Yang now has a vague idea of ​​the European Step.

Popovich was very satisfied with Zhang Yang's performance in this round, but he was even more surprised by Danny Green's defensive coordination ability.

The scout report shows that Zhang Yang has been very active in defense since high school, like a mad dog, and his basic skills and defensive awareness are also good. He just lacks defensive details and experience. Even when he was on the Warriors, he did not fall behind in his defensive attitude. It is normal for him to be able to do such defense.

Danny Green is different. He has not shown his defense in NBA games. Although he played good defense in the Development League, the level there is between that of the NCAA and the Summer League and cannot be counted.

At the beginning, Richard Jefferson couldn't keep up with Kobe's pace, and Danny Green had difficulty blocking him with his help defense. Now Zhang Yang, who can keep up with Kobe's pace, has replaced him. Danny Green's performance immediately caught Popovich's attention.

But... now he has to bear that guy's anger, Popovich looked at Kobe.

In the 08 Western Conference Finals, Kobe faced defensive giant Bowen and averaged 53.3 points per game with a hit rate of 29.2%. He only made 1.6 three-pointers and 2 free throws per game, and made about 10 mid-range shots per game, which left a psychological shadow on Popovich.

Kobe was frustrated on both offense and defense in one round, and his teeth were bared as if he wanted to bite someone.

But even though he was angry, he was calm. After a few minutes, he realized that even if Duncan and Ginobili were absent, this shocking team this season would still be difficult to deal with... He started to curse! He cursed at his teammates!
As Popovich expected, under Kobe's leadership, the Lakers played seriously on both offense and defense in the following time, and the intensity immediately increased significantly.

In the last 7 minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers scored 24 points and scored 32 points in a single quarter.

But the Spurs were not defeated and scored 16 points during this period.

30 to 32, the Spurs entered the intermission trailing the Lakers by two points.

As long as the role players can successfully execute the tactics without being affected by the absence of Ginobili and Duncan, Parker will be able to lead the team and beat the Lakers who are giving their all in regular time.

In the second quarter, under Parker's leadership, the Spurs' team offense was still excellent, scoring 29 points in a single quarter. On the Lakers side, after Kobe went down to rest, the others began to slack off, scoring 25 points in a single quarter. The Spurs overtook the Lakers by two points with a score of 59 to 57 and entered the second half.

But the evenly matched situation was broken in the third quarter. Kobe, Artest, Gasol and Bynum played dominant defense and Parker quickly went down.

Seeing that Parker became like a headless fly, Zhang Yang took the initiative to ask for the ball for a singles game, and shot from the free throw line after continuous screens. In the Spurs' previous pick-and-rolls, whether it was Parker, Ginobili, or George Hill, they all broke through the basket and shot mid-range shots after screens. This was the first time that this happened, and it caught the Lakers off guard.

However, he had just learned how to break through with the help of screens from Ginobili not long ago, and there were too few changes. The Lakers replaced Bynum with Odom, and after Artest moved to the power forward position and performed double-gate defense with Kobe at the top of the arc, Zhang Yang also fell down.

Although the Lakers only scored 21 points in this quarter, they reduced the Spurs' score to 19 points and tied the score at 78-78.

In the final quarter, Kobe opened fire, scoring 12 points in a single quarter and leading the team to 24 points in a single quarter. The Lakers' defense continued to maintain the level of the third quarter, preventing the Spurs from scoring only 15 points.

最终，科比单场40分、加索尔17分17板6助攻、奥多姆17分6板5助攻、拜纳姆10分7板2盖帽……湖人队以102比93力克马刺队，送给马刺队4连败。

张杨今晚20投8中，加上2中2的罚球，拿到18分7板1助攻2抢断。

Although his shooting percentage was dismal, there was a highlight moment in the third quarter and Popovich was quite satisfied. Facing the two-time defending champion and basketball king Kobe Bryant, Jack was no match for him but he did not back down.

Popovich feels that Zhang Yang is not good enough to take on the leading role, but as the sixth man and the substitute for key balls when Ginobili is in a slump, he is becoming more and more capable.

Parker had the best stats on the team, making 19 of 9 shots, 6 of 5 free throws, and scoring 23 points and 6 assists. However, he made 4 of 1 shots in the second half and became like an invisible man when the situation became unfavorable. He was not as capable as the third-year player George Hill, so Popovich didn't like him very much.

Danny Green was a big surprise, making 7 of 4 shots, including 5 of 3 three-pointers, and scoring 11 points. Popovich originally just used this guy as a sparring partner, but he didn't expect that he would create a treasure during the rest period, who can shoot and defend. It was a real win.

Although they lost the game, Popovich was generally satisfied. This lineup was definitely not good enough to play against the Lakers in their heyday, but against an ordinary playoff team, they still have a chance of winning with this lineup, and it can also give the courageous Jack some strength.

When playing against a weak team, under the system, Parker can lead the team alone to defeat the opponent.

The experiment has already begun, and Popovich is waiting for the next game to test the results.

...

The Spurs lost to the Lakers, suffered a four-game losing streak, and their record dropped to 4 wins and 54 losses. The sad things are not over yet. After the game, the league announced that the Spurs would be fined 14 US dollars and Popovich would be fined 15 US dollars for basketball reasons.

This amount of money is far less than the economic loss caused by Popovich's sudden announcement before the game that Duncan and Ginobili would not play, but it is already the highest level of punishment the league can impose. Facing the league's punishment, Popovich sneered and immediately sent a complaint email to the league.

This appeal is most likely useless, and he will still have to be fined in the end, but Popovich wants to delay it. The team fine can be paid from the team's account, but as for his personal fine, he is sure that his boss will not help him pay, so he can delay it.

On March 3, the Spurs came to Dallas and defeated the Mavericks 15-107 away from home.

After a few days of rest, Duncan and Ginobili's playing efficiency is completely different!

吉诺比利13投8中，其中三分球5中3，加上4中3的罚球，高效拿下22分3板3助攻。

邓肯出战29分钟，8投5中拿到12分12板3助攻3盖帽，防守、策应、接应中投表现非常出色。

With the support of a big man, Zhang Yang's efficiency improved significantly. He made 9 of 5 shots, including 2 of 1 three-pointers, plus 4 of 3 free throws, and scored 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

He has been learning from Parker and Ginobili how to use Duncan's screen, containment, and assist abilities, and has become more and more proficient.

As for Popovich, he refused to rest at the beginning.

But a bold No. 3 player insisted that he implement a rest strategy, and he was forced to accept it, but he was unwilling to do so in his heart.

Now seeing how resting has helped Duncan, who is about to turn 35, and Ginobili, who is about to turn 34... he doesn't think it's unacceptable.

After the game, Nowitzki, who lost to Duncan, was criticized again.

Zhang Yang saw the news and felt that Nowitzki was wronged. Nowitzki played very well in this game, making 17 of 9 shots, including 4 of 2 three-pointers, and 7 of 6 free throws, scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists.

This time it was Terry who was in trouble, scoring 17 points on 5 of 16 shots.

Defending Terry were Zhang Yang, Ginobili, and Danny Green, who took turns defending him... Zhang Yang felt that they didn't defend very well, as Terry could sometimes miss even in wide open spaces.

What made Zhang Yang most regretful was Marion.

In 08, Marion, who was at his peak, was traded by the Suns for the 36-year-old O'Neal, which completely destroyed the ambition of this super power forward.

Whether in the Heat or the Raptors, he has been living in a daze. The former top-paid player can only get an annual salary of 700 million in the Mavericks, and has degenerated into a corner shooter and wing defender, serving as a substitute for DeShawn Stevenson.

However, Marion was very stubborn. Some media reported that in the summer of 09, Steve Kerr asked him to meet and wanted to re-sign him for 3 million US dollars for three years. He went, and after hearing the offer, he did not answer. Instead, he raised his middle finger to Steve Kerr, left without looking back, and turned around to accept the invitation from the Mavericks, who offered a lower price.

On the 16th, the Spurs returned to their home court and faced the Warriors in a back-to-back away and home game.

Ginobili and Duncan were absent again. This time, Popovich contacted the media early in the morning and officially announced the two's "limited injuries."

There was no need to fool the Warriors, and he was sure that even without a live broadcast, the old Jewish thief would find a way to fine him his small fortune.

As for why Parker didn’t take a rest...he is not even 29 years old, why should he take a rest?

In the original time and space, Parker did not take a rest during the shortened 11-12 season. It was not until the 12-13 season when his physical strength showed a significant decline that he entered the rest mode.

It was Zhang Yang's first time playing against his old club after being traded. He chose to strike hard and together with Danny Green turned into two mad dogs on the forward and guard line. Danny Green chased Curry and Zhang Yang confronted Ellis. With the help of George Hill, McDyess, Blair, Split and others, the defense was very good!
库里8投3中，其中三分球1中1，加上2中2的罚球，拿到9分4板3助攻；埃利斯虽然拿到23分，但21投8中的表现也说不上好，虽然埃利斯场均得分排在分卫第三，但和前两位的差距巨大。

The two guns failed to perform well, David Lee was just a stat-gapper, and the Warriors were beaten badly by the Spurs.

帕克狂轰28分11助攻、张杨17分6板2助攻1抢断2盖帽、麦克戴斯13分14板、布莱尔12分、乔治-希尔10分2板5助攻……马刺队以111比96大胜勇士队，将战绩提升至56胜14负。

There are 12 games left in the regular season. It is the critical point of this season in Zhang Yang’s memory. He is nervous and expectant!

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(End of this chapter)