Chapter 552 551. Are we going to stop here again?
The Knicks' first round ended early, and other series were very tense, giving Zhang Yang more time to understand and adapt to the changes brought about by the new rules.
It was April 4th, the last game day of the first round. The Jazz, who had quickly completed their iron-blooded preparations, faced the Rockets, last season's runner-up, as the third in the Western Conference. Although they still couldn't beat them, they were no longer powerless like last season, dragging the series to a game of five. However, they still lost to the Rockets 29-91 at home and were eliminated in the first round.
Before this game starts, the second round of the series has already started, and the first round will go to Game 5. Generally, the first game of the second round will start on the day of Game 5 of the first round.
Zhang Yang and the team faced off at home against the Bulls, who had been in New York for two days preparing for the game.
The 'Zhang Yang' here is already very extravagant.
But Zhang Yang, who had seen the 'Tsunami Combination' and was certain that he was the unique super three-point shooter of this era, made Jordan, who thought he was mentally prepared, see what it meant - my waves are beyond your imagination!
28投13中，其中三分球19中9，加上8中7的罚球，张杨狂轰42分，率领尼克斯队以98比90击败公牛队，大比分1比0领先！
Chasing three-pointer, dribbling to a place one and a half meters away from the three-point line and then jumping up and shooting, stepping back three-pointer, singles three-pointer with the help of screens, running without the ball, receiving the ball and turning around to shoot three-pointer...
Jordan watched Zhang Yang throw in 9 three-pointers, tying the record for three-pointers made in a single game in the playoffs?
By the way, the previous record holder was also Zhang Yang. In the Eastern Conference Finals three years ago, Zhang Yang made 15 of 9 three-pointers in a single game and scored 65 points. His opponent was also Jordan.
That time, Zhang Yang was in great shape, and he scored 20+ in the final quarter and made 9 three-pointers. Tonight, Jordan could feel that Zhang Yang's condition was just normal, not explosive, and his accuracy was far inferior to that day.
But he shoots a lot, shoots so much, and still maintains accuracy!
In Game 2, the Bulls began to block Zhang Yang's long-range shots. They defended him closely in one-on-one situations, blocked Zhang Yang's long-range passes, and switched defenses when Zhang Yang used a screen...
This prevented Zhang Yang from making only 6 of 2 three-point shots, but the side effects far outweighed the benefits.
The close contact increased the chances of Pippen being passed by Zhang Yang.
To prevent the long-distance pass from the opponent, Zhang Yang pretended to run to the outside, and then seized the opportunity to suddenly run back and cut in;
When defending against an off-ball screen, he will switch defense directly. When the pick-and-roll executor notices this, he will also cut in immediately at the same time. The pick-and-roll executor is usually Oakley. If Kukoc does not even make a delaying move before switching defense, it will be difficult for Pippen, who is chasing him, to hold off Oakley before he has fully moved into position.
The Knicks' score in this game increased instead of decreased. Zhang Yang scored 28 points in a single game and led the Knicks to beat the Bulls 103-95 again, with a big score of 2-0!
In Game 3, the Bulls did not make any corrections on the defensive end and still focused on blocking Zhang Yang. The Zen Master chose to approach from another angle - scoring points.
Jordan shot wildly, making 33 of 15 shots, including 3 of 1 three-pointers, plus 10 of 9 free throws, scoring 40 points and leading the team to 106 points in a single game.
At the same time, through team cooperation, Zhang Yang's scoring was limited to less than 30 points again, scoring only 27 points, and... 6 rebounds and 9 assists!
The Zen master has a response, the big bird is not a stupid bird!
Ewing scored a team-high 28 points, plus 10 rebounds and 2 assists;
第六人约翰-斯塔克斯13投7中，其中三分球2中2，加上5中5的罚球，狂轰21分！
尼克斯队三人20+、6人得分上双，以112比106客场击败公牛队，大比分3比0领先！
到了G4，公牛队靠着38投18中拿到45分的乔丹、拿到24分8板8助攻的皮蓬，以104比94扳回一城，没被横扫。
But it wasn’t a bad game for the Knicks.
The Bulls did not change their playing style, and the Zen Master could not think of any better way when Jordan's skills were disrupted, so he could only fight.
The Knicks still played the same style as in Game 3, but their long-range shots from the wing were inaccurate tonight, and they failed to suppress the opponent, ultimately losing.
On May 5, the Knicks returned to their home court and narrowly defeated the Bulls 8-104.
35投15中，其中三分球1中0，外加12中9的罚球，乔丹今晚又轰出了39分，但也拿到了单场20铁。
In the final moments, Jordan dared to take responsibility. He shot a three-pointer in the bottom corner to tie the score, even though he hadn't shot a three-pointer all night. However, the result was a role model for the players who would be most like him in the future. The shot didn't even touch the rim and flew right past...
The force he used at that time was the same as when shooting a three-pointer in the corner when the three-point line had not yet been shortened.
Except for G1, Zhang Yang did not score in double digits in any other game. He averaged points, rebounds, assists and steals per game, leading the Knicks to a 4-1 victory over the Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals!
After the game, Zhang Yang proved with his actions that he and the 'he' here are of the same character.
"I seemed to see a poor replica. Who was the guy wearing the No. 45 jersey? Was he saying he was twice as good as Jordan? I felt sorry for his math. I mercifully told him that twice 23 is 46, not 45. This number was not worthy of the name Jordan."
...
The next morning, Zhang Yang saw on the news that Jordan had rented a gym that night and called his personal trainer Tim Grove to New York...
His match with Jordan this time was not as exciting as before. He played in a low-level baseball league for a year and may have played basketball, but he definitely had no time for professional training. He also had to practice baseball and adjust his playing style in the first season after his comeback...
He and Christie couldn't defend Jordan to death, but they could still limit him, and they did it very well. Jordan's shooting percentage in 5 games was only 42%.
A few days later, on May 5, the Magic defeated the Pacers in a seven-game series and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals 13-4.
张杨G6和G7直播都看了，G6步行者队在2比3落后的情况下，以123比106大胜魔术队扳平大比分，雷吉-米勒三分球10中6、全场拿到35分，他那时都以为要无缘魔术队了，和魔术队相关奖励要直接没了。
但没想到抢七大战雷吉-米勒三分9中1，全场17投5中仅拿到13分3助攻，步行者队抢七大战以94比115惨败21分。
On the 16th, after a week's rest, the Knicks stepped onto the court of the Orlando Arena and faced the Magic away in the Eastern Conference Finals.
G1, from the beginning of the game, the Knicks have been strengthening the melee confrontation on the outside.
Such a defensive strategy was full of loopholes for the Magic, who scored 27 to 20 in the first quarter and led the Knicks by 7 points entering the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Zhang Yang and John Starks, who came off the bench, stepped up their personal offense, and continued to engage in confrontation and hand-to-hand combat on the defensive end... but still couldn't stop the Knicks, who scored 1 point more than in the first quarter and got 28 points.
During the intermission, Magic head coach Brian Hill made targeted adjustments and made better use of the defensive loopholes in various aspects caused by the Knicks' excessive focus on pressure confrontation.
Fortunately, Zhang Yang and John Starks scored 8 points and 7 points respectively, leading the Knicks to 26 points in a single quarter, preventing the opponent from completely widening the gap.
At the end of the first half, the Magic led the Knicks by 55 points, 46 to 9.
After the halftime break, the Magic made more adequate adjustments, ready to make a concerted effort in the third quarter to widen the gap and lock in the victory.
This has been the routine operation of major offensive teams since the beginning of the offensive basketball era in the 80s.
After the start of the third quarter, the Magic's tactical movements became more targeted, creating more open shooting opportunities than in the first half, but the wing shooters couldn't make the shots!
If you look closely, you will find that the Magic's opportunities all came from players who were good at mid-range and long-range shots but were not stable. The Knicks' defense was all focused on O'Neal, Hardaway, and Dennis Scott!
The continuous misses in outside shots forced Hardaway and O'Neal to play one-on-one, but once they played one-on-one, they would be double-teamed! When the ball was passed out, their teammates couldn't make the shot, and they were double-teamed even more severely!
The Magic's score plummeted to 20 points in the third quarter, while the Knicks' score continued to rise, and this was not achieved by single plays by outside stars, but more by defensive counterattacks.
With a score of 28 to 20 in a single quarter, after three quarters, the Knicks narrowed the score to 74 to 75, narrowing the gap to 1 point!
In the final quarter, the Magic's shooting was completely cold. Apart from O'Neal's 7 points, Hardaway's 5 points, and Nick Anderson's 4 points, no one else scored, and they only got 16 points in a single quarter.
The Knicks scored 23 to 16 in the quarter!
张杨首节7分1助攻、第二节8分1助攻、第三节6分4助攻、末节7分3助攻，拿到28分5板9助攻3抢断；
约翰-斯塔克斯拿到全队第二高的19分，还有15分的尤因、12分的小安东尼-梅森，全队4人得分上双，力压拿到27分的奥尼尔和26分的哈达威。
97 to 91, the Knicks reversed the Magic and took a 1-0 lead away from home!
When the final whistle sounded, Bird pumped his fist in celebration.
The Pacers' collapse in Game 7 gave him a reminder to stick to his own style of play.
The Pacers tied the Magic 4-2 in the first four games, winning both games by relying on iron-blooded defense, keeping the Magic's score below 2 points.
But after losing to the Magic by 5 points with a score of 97 to 116 in Game 19, the Pacers gave up their original style of play in Game 6 and competed with the opponent in shooting. This adaptation was not a problem, after all, they won Game 6.
But in Game 7, the Pacers gave up their original style of play and desperately competed with the Magic, the team with the best scoring ability in the league, for long-range shots... How could they be so lucky?
It's mainly due to "habit". We have just entered a new era and when encountering problems, most coaches still use old thinking.
Of course, even if there was no precedent provided by the Pacers, Bird would not have thought of competing with the Magic in offense and giving up his own advantage of being the best in the league in defense. It was just that after seeing the fate of the Pacers, his belief became stronger.
Entering the Iron Age is actually a good situation for Bird. Ewing is about to turn 33, and Zhang Yang, who is in the same class as Ewing, is a little younger and will be 32 next month. Although Zhang Yang is in surprisingly good physical condition... playing a slow-paced positional battle is undoubtedly more suitable for their age, and more suitable for their style of attacking with star singles.
Big Bird's focus is not just on this season, but also on the plans for the next few years - he wants to completely change the league's game style to a bloody battle!
The boss owns the American Cable TV media channel. As early as the middle of the season, after his defensive efficiency improved to the first in the league, he had already applied to Charles Dolan to promote the concept of "defense first".
If he could defeat the league's top offensive team with his iron-blooded defense, it would definitely be a big help to his plan.
...
Leading 1-0 away from home and grabbing the home-court advantage, the Knicks took the lead from the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.
But the Knicks failed to defeat the Magic in one fell swoop. After taking a 1-0 lead on the road, they failed to win Game 2, and the Magic tied the score at 109-102.
After returning to their home court, the Knicks won both games and took a 3-1 lead, but in Game 5, the Magic returned to their home court and won 112-97, dragging the series into a sixth game.
A day later, the Knicks, playing at home, were suppressed by the Magic's fierce firepower and trailed the Magic by 49 points at halftime with 66 to 17!
The Magic coach did not make the same mistake as the Pacers coach. Brian Hill knew very well where his team's strengths lay. Throughout the series, he focused on how to improve the offensive firepower and break through the Knicks' defense. He never thought about competing with the Knicks on defense because he knew he could not win.
Christie on the second defense, Zhang Yang on the first defense, Ewing on the second defense, and Oakley at the quasi-defensive level, no team can beat the Knicks if they only rely on defense, not even the Bulls with Pippen and Jordan.
In G3 and G4, Brian Hill found that they really could not avoid the problem of their shooting feeling plummeting in the late game due to the opponent's crazy melee. The situation like G2, where they missed shots for a while but then started shooting again, was a special case.
So in G5 he changed his mindset, ignored all that and attacked with all his might while the feel was good!
Widen the score gap to a level that the opponent cannot catch up during the advantageous stage!
They won Game 5. Tonight, his strategy worked again. The score difference was 17 points at halftime. Brian Hill seemed to have seen them return to their home court and complete a 1-3 super reversal...
Then, Zhang Yang made 10 of 7 shots in the third quarter, including 5 of 4 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 21 points!
Led by Zhang Yang, the Knicks beat the Magic 33 to 19 in a single quarter...
82 to 85, the Knicks narrowed the gap to 3 points!
Brian Hill and even O'Neal on the court were dumbfounded, especially in the few rounds after the official timeout in the third quarter, Zhang Yang made 3 three-pointers, 1 mid-range shot, and two free throws after a foul, and scored 13 to 5 alone. They watched the score difference, which was still in the double digits at the time, being quickly reduced to single digits...
In the final quarter, the Magic collapsed and the Knicks scored 25 to 15 in the quarter!
首节9分、第二节5分、第三节21分、末节8分，张杨单场43分5助攻，率领尼克斯队完成17分劣势的大逆转，以107比100击败魔术队，大比分4比2，晋级总决赛！
After the Knicks advanced by holding the Magic to 34 points in the first half and making a strong comeback, with the help of Charles Dolan, public opinion went in the direction that Bird wanted.
The concept of 'defense first' is really starting to become popular.
On May 5, the day after the Knicks eliminated the Magic, the Western Conference Finals also decided the winner.
The Rockets defeated the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive round. David Robinson, like Ewing in last season's finals, was beaten to a pulp by Olajuwon.
The Rockets, who have been "counterattacking" all the way, are now very likely to win the championship, and people all want to see a miracle happen.
In the press conference after eliminating the Spurs, Tomjanovich shouted out the famous words: "Don't underestimate the heart of a champion."
Bird responded in an interview: "Thank you Rudy for helping me motivate my players."
On June 6rd, the Knicks faced the Rockets in the finals for the second consecutive year, but this time it started at the Knicks' home court.
This season's finals are completely different from last season.
In last season's finals, the Rockets had almost no ability to fight back, and Olajuwon didn't even have an outside teammate who could barely match Zhang Yang. This year, he has the 'third point guard in the league', Drexler!
At the beginning, the two teams started a evenly matched positional battle of offense and defense, with each team being evenly matched.
In fact, the Rockets' record should not be so bad. They had a winning rate of 55 in the early stage of the season. However, after trading for the Glider in the middle of the season, it took a long time to get used to the team, and their record plummeted, eventually only getting 47 wins.
如果只看赛季尾声火箭队从39胜33负打到47胜35负的那10场比赛，就不会惊讶火箭队在西部季后赛一路下克上了，他们最后10场的表现比联盟第一马刺队都要好。
首节尼克斯队23比24落后1分，第二节21比19，半场反超火箭队1分，第三节27比25，将领先优势扩大到3分……打到末节11分55秒的时候，德雷克斯勒急停中投命中，将比分追至95比95平！
The score at the end of the quarter was 27 to 24!
Olajuwon was almost in tears. At this time last year, he was able to lead the team to fight back and forth with the opponent in the first half, but in the second half, Zhang Yang relied on his physical strength to exhaust their outside line and started to score points, and he had no way to stop it.
Now, he finally has a teammate who can fight Zhang Yang! 9 points in the third quarter, 8 points in the final quarter, and the glider scored 17 points in the second half!
Just when the Rockets were ready to play overtime, they came back from a timeout, with Ewing and Oakley closing the door at the free throw line. Zhang Yang slipped from the baseline to the basket and rushed straight to the top arc. With the help of Ewing and Oakley, he shook off Cassell's pursuit and defense, and received a pass from Doug Christie who was holding the ball on the wing at the top arc, and turned around and made a three-pointer from the front!
98 to 95, Zhang Yang scored the winning goal against the Rockets and defended their first home court!
Fighting to the end, but being defeated by the buzzer beater... It was a big blow to the losing side, but Dream and Glider are both veterans who have been losers for more than 10 years. The loss in G1 was indeed devastating, but after a day of rest, on June 6, they led the team to another fierce battle with the Knicks.
This time, Olajuwon had 7 blocks in a single game and led his team to a 91-84 victory over the Knicks relying on defense, seizing the home court advantage and tying the score to 1-1!
Tomjanovich, who was mocked by Bird, shouted after the game that the finals would never return to New York.
But two days after the break, on June 6, Bird pulled Zhang Yang's arm and slapped Tomjanovich.
Zhang Yang, who turned 23, made 10 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 three-pointers, and 7 of 32 free throws. He scored 32 points in his first game at the age of 31, defeated the Rockets' defensive restrictions on him, and led the Knicks to a 92-81 victory over the Rockets. He regained the home advantage in the first away game and took a 2-1 lead!
After the game, Bird told reporters: "Rudy is right, the finals will not return to New York, I hope he can prepare a ceremony for us to celebrate the championship."
But this time, Big Bird was also slapped.
In G4, the Rockets' wing shooters exploded. Kenny Smith, Horry and others made 9 three-pointers, giving Olajuwon and Drexler better offensive conditions, and they defeated the Knicks 99-94 to tie the score!
Zhang Yang once again experienced how unfriendly the 2-3-2 finals format is to the side with home advantage.
The score was tied at 2-2, and the decisive battle was still played away from home!
After a day of rest, on June 6, the Knicks and the Rockets launched the most intense battle of this finals. The game was tied 10-80 in regular time. Thanks to Ewing's tip-in, the Knicks dragged the game into overtime.
The two teams tied again in the first overtime with a score of 10-10, and entered the second overtime with a score of 90-90.
This time, the Rockets collapsed, and the Knicks dragged down the Rockets with their far higher salary and deeper lineup!
第二个加时赛12比4，尼克斯队最终以102比94惊险击败火箭队，大比分3比2领先！
张杨今晚打了55分钟，40投18中，其中三分球15中5，加上5中4的罚球，爆砍45分！
On June 6, the Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden to face the Rockets in Game 13 of the Finals.
G5或许是把火箭队的信心伤到了，当然也和核心阵容消耗过大、候补球员又没什么能力有关，火箭队首节23分、第二节19分、第三节17分、末节18分……全场只拿到77分，进攻极度低迷。
With 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, Zhang Yang's performance tonight can only be described as normal, and his teammates can only say that their performance is acceptable, but it is enough for this game. Under his leadership, the Knicks defeated the Rockets 92-77, with a big score of 4-2, defeating the Rockets for two consecutive years and successfully defending the title!
Zhang Yang from the 80th line lifted the championship trophy for the 7th time!
...
Having fought against Jordan, O'Neal and Olajuwon in a row, Zhang Yang was very satisfied with this training journey.
Especially the matchup with the combination of Olajuwon and Dream, they almost lost! The victory in Game 5 was won by Ewing's tip-in with 8 seconds left in the regular time, when Dream only scored points. It was so exciting.
Also, after the finals, he just returned to the locker room and received a call from Barkley... Unfortunately, he didn't know what the other party said, and he fell asleep at that moment.
But after returning from the experience and seeing the Mavericks lift the trophy, he sighed again.
He is on the 80th line and has already begun to attack the second dynasty. Even if he fails to achieve the second dynasty in the end, he will already be a seven-time champion.
He is the 10th line player and was named the 'new god' after the 4-game winning dynasty.
It was difficult for him to defend his title. He finally managed to defend his title once, but his goal was only two consecutive championships.
Some media compared his three championships in four years with the OK Dynasty, and he felt ashamed to see such hype.
Opening the task interface, he looked at the new experience he gained after defeating Jordan, 'The Art of Facing Back (Elementary): Slightly improve core strength when fading back', 1 strength talent point he got after defeating O'Neal, and 'Low Post Rhythm (Elementary): Slightly improve the sense of rhythm when playing low-post singles' after defeating Dream, and he felt much happier.
Through this experience, he has learned more about 'physical fitness'. Now his 'upper limit of strength talent' cannot completely determine his ultimate strength. Physical conditions will change. After a certain age, explosive power will decline, while static strength will increase. This is the natural law of the body... But he doesn't have to worry about this for the time being. He just turned 23, and that day is still early.
'The Art of Facing Back' is of the greatest use to him at the moment. His strength talent cap has been raised to 92, which is also useful for his current strength of 88, and it may increase faster. 'Low Post Rhythm' is not that useful. Except when facing a small number of opponents, he seldom plays in the low post. The technical difference between high and low post back-to-the-basket is also quite large.
But with this "innate advantage", while continuing to strengthen the high-post back-to-the-basket, it's also okay to learn about the low-post back-to-the-basket. It's never a bad thing to learn one more trick.
But this time I will definitely not ask Boss Qiao to teach me.
Zhang Yang continued to devote himself to training, and soon, it was the end of June. The Bobcats used the 6th pick in the draft to select a local university talent, Duke University senior and NCAA MOP Kyle Singler.
Zhang Yang thinks this choice is okay. Jimmy Butler was taken by the Bulls at 25th place. Although the next pick was Bojan, their team does not have Budenholzer, a coach from the Spurs who favors overseas players, so it is normal that he is not seen.
Next up is Chandler Parsons, which is a pity, but if we only look at college, they are all white small forwards. Singler performed better and he is a local, so Jordan must have picked him at the end of the first round.
Before joining the Thunder, Singler served as a backup small forward for the Detroit Pistons for three years and his performance was actually quite good. Otherwise, even if Detonator was crazy, he would not have had such high expectations for him and gave him a five-year, $3 million contract extension in 15.
Singler could do well as a substitute without pressure, but he couldn't stand being used as a starting small forward. His confidence collapsed quickly. With the arrival of the small ball era, this MOP of the Final Four quickly faded out of the NBA.
Zhang Yangbai was looking forward to the 60th pick in the second round. The Kings, who had long been eyeing the little assassin, picked him up with the 49th pick in the second round.
However, it is difficult for them to give Isaiah Thomas too much playing time, as Collison is the main substitute for the point guard.
After the draft, the free market will open, and Zhang Yang is full of expectations for this summer's free market.
However, their journey to strengthen their team has been delayed...the NBA has been shut down!
Jordan took the lead and changed from being the player representative to the owner representative, refusing to compromise.
There are also moderates among the bosses. Dolan of the Knicks, Buss of the Lakers, Allen of the Trail Blazers, Reinsdorf of the Bulls, and Cuban of the Mavericks all hope to end the lockout as soon as possible and are not so concerned about whether to reduce the players' share of the profits.
Some owners are actually wavering. They do not rely on the team to make money, but they are not opposed to paying less salary and getting more profit.
This made Zhang Yang dissatisfied with Jordan. Did he not know the importance of a long free market for them? Did he not earn enough?
At this moment, he truly felt that Jordan had become a real capitalist.
Looking back, in the past two years, it seems that I have rarely felt the same passion for basketball from Jordan that I did in previous years...
The goal of capitalists is always to reduce costs and increase profits. They will never reduce exploitation just because the profits are already large enough. On the contrary, they will feel that there is more room to cut costs because the profits are large.
Raising the players' salaries is just seeing that the benefits will outweigh the returns. Anyway, the money must be spent. The Rockets' previous experience is there. If they don't spend the salary space and clauses, the team's interests will definitely be affected.
However, Jordan is fundamentally different from those capitalists who have become bosses. He gradually transitioned from the labor side to the capital side. He understands the bottom line of the labor side and what the labor side is thinking better than those who have always been on the capital side.
However, Pac-Man, one of the representatives of the players' union, was not a pushover either. He directly challenged Jordan - "You could get 3000 million when you played, but you don't let us get it?"
...
On July 7, when the suspension began, Zhang Yang rented a training hall by himself. He trained, rested, and spent time with his family. He even accidentally had a baby.
Zhang Yang and Xiao Bian Bian discussed and decided to give birth to the child. However, neither he nor Xiao Bian Bian has any idea of getting married. They are both in their early 20s, and even if they have a child, they feel that life is still long and they cannot make a hasty decision. After all, one plays in the NBA and the other is in the entertainment industry, and they have seen a lot.
The suspension also gave Zhang Yang the motivation to build his team of trainers and start a related company.
He poached Jarrett Young, who had gained several years of experience with the Bobcats, and worked with his father to prepare for this matter. He also reached a cooperation agreement with Tim Grove, whom he had known for many years... He, Zhang San, was only responsible for paying the money and did not have to worry about anything else. Professional matters should be left to professionals.
Once the lockout began, it was difficult to stop. Arenas were closed and NBA-related industries were collectively banned from using player-related materials for up to five months.
By early December, labor and management finally reached a consensus, and the players received a share of the highest 12% of the total revenue and signed the contract with satisfaction.
However, there are compromises. The guaranteed period of the contract for first-round rookies has been shortened to two years, and they can have a team option after the second year. The maximum contract period has also been cut to only five years.
There are also some miscellaneous restrictions and clauses, such as the 'Arenas Clause ' launched by the new owner of the Wizards.
The 'Arenas Clause' introduced in 03 was a symbol of Arenas' glory. But this time it was different, as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Alan Houston.
Arenas Clause : Contracts signed before the new labor agreement is reached can be amnestied and only salary will be paid, not counted towards the salary cap.
However, unlike the Houston clause, the players who were pardoned this time are essentially equivalent to "commodities for bidding without chips." During the clarification period, if a team wants to sign the player, the pardoning team can pay less salary than the new team pays, and it is a bidding system.
The amnestied player must go to the team that offers the highest salary. Of course, he can choose not to go, but the portion of the salary given by the bidding team will be lost, and he will not be able to sign with other teams that season and will have to wait for a year.
These players were originally amnestied. If they haven't played in a game for a year or two, it is unlikely that they will get a new contract later. Even if they don't want to play, they will report. After all, no one can resist money.
It is hard to find a situation like Finley who gets the maximum salary from the Mavericks and can also get three or four million a year from the Spurs, receiving double salary.
After the lockout, the Bobcats quickly began to strengthen their team.
But when it came time to recruit rookies, a problem arose. Kyle Singler had already joined Real Madrid, averaging points and rebounds per game. His performance pleased Carlisle. With a little training, he might soon become a starter! But he had already signed a contract with a European team and had already started playing, but they didn't sign him!
Carlisle could only ask Bickerstaff to send Singler a written notice to reserve the right to sign.
If Singler wants to return to the NBA in the future, he can only sign with the Bobcats, or the team he wants to play for can trade his signing rights with the Bobcats.
However, after unexpectedly losing their rookie, the Bobcats also had a surprise.
They signed a one-year minimum salary to the white center Byron Mullens who was cut by the Mavericks after they won the championship.
This center performed particularly poorly in his two seasons with the Mavericks, averaging points and rebounds per game. He only played 60 games in total and did not appear in the playoffs once.
He has average athletic ability, lacks confrontation, has good interior defense but is too soft to hold his own...and the pick before him was Casspi and the pick after him was Gibson, so he has been scolded by Dallas fans for two years.
But during the tryout with the Bobcats, Mullens showed off his strengths from college - awareness of cutting, the ability to catch and shoot after an off-ball screen on the wing, and he is very good at protecting the ball. Once he receives the ball, he will never do anything else unless he has a chance, but will just hold the ball up and wait for his teammates to receive it.
These advantages have never been shown in the Mavericks, mainly because the Mavericks do not need such a center. They only need a big guy who can stand under the basket and contain the center's defense, and a guy with good physical fitness who can cut quickly and catch the ball.
As a pure center who relies on passing the ball, Byron Mullens is tall enough, but he can't stand on his own feet. Once the opponent's center pushes him, he will be pushed out of the three-second zone. He can't play the role he should have, and he is not a physically fit man.
But for Carlisle, this player is available! He is the type of center that they don't have in their team. If he is properly trained, he may be able to enrich the scoring methods in the interior. If he fails, it doesn't matter. He is just a substitute center.
However, apart from this 09 first-round pick center who may bring surprises, the Bobcats have not gained much in the free market in just one week.
In fact, it's not just them. In addition to the Clippers using Westbrook + Kaman + a first-round pick to trade Paul from the Hornets, and a 4-year 5000 million contract to dig Tyson Chandler from the Mavericks, the small broken ship has leapt into an aircraft carrier;
The Kings signed Caron Butler for 2 years and $2000 million to strengthen the front line;
The Suns signed Howard to a 5-year, $9450 million contract...
These are all individual cases.
Most teams would find it difficult to complete effective signings in this amount of time, and as a championship-contending team, these players have nothing to do with the Bobcats.
Among them, the defending champion Mavericks suffered the most... It can't be said to be miserable, it was proactive. Cuban directly dismantled the team after winning the championship and put Billups and Artest on the shelf.
Bickerstaff spent $1 million a year to get Jamario Moon from the Cavaliers. Last season, he averaged 150 points, rebounds and 3 assists per game. The veteran was not selected in the 31 draft and only entered the NBA in 2001. He is a very inspirational player, but his highlight seasons were the 08-08 season with the Heat and the 09-09 season with the Cavaliers, averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Of the three veterans signed last season, the other two did not stay, leaving only Earl Watson, who has performed fairly steadily as a backup point guard.
...
On December 12, the extremely hasty training camp began, and on the 13th, the preseason game started.
The Bobcats started the new season with point guards: Felton, Collison, Earl Watson; shooting guards: Afflalo, Jordan Crawford, Jamario Moon; small forwards: Zhang Yang, Marion; power forwards: Millsap, Ibaka, Hill; centers: Okafor, Perkins, Mullens.
Not to mention, the professionalism of Zhang Yang's old teammates who have played together for many years is really good. The new season has been delayed for so long to start, and no one provides training grounds, but the 10 main rotation players including him are in good competitive shape!
But the good times did not last long. The regular season did not start until Christmas Day, December 12th. The regular season time was shortened by two full months, but the league only cut 25 games, which means only one month of the schedule was cut. In other words, there were less than four months left to play a five-month schedule.
Collison, who is not so resistant to attack, started a pattern of constant injuries after he was injured in three games in three days. His condition was also affected when he was able to play. Earl Watson took the position of the main rotation point guard for a long time, but the actual adjustment was that Felton's playing time increased. Earl Watson only played about 3 minutes per game. Felton came back after resting for more than half a year, and his body did hold up, but his performance fluctuated greatly.
Perkins also suffered from injuries during the busy schedule. In late January, he sprained his knee and was out for 1 weeks.
Mullens replaced Perkins in the main rotation, but his situation was similar to that of Earl Watson. Mullens had some points that Carlisle liked, but whether it was training or learning of skills and tactics, it was only some relatively unimportant time in each game, with about 10 minutes of playing time. The actual adjustment was that Millsap and Ibaka were more pushed to the center position.
Ibaka has done a decent job as a center. Three years, a full three years have passed, and the foundation has finally been laid. This season, his defensive strength has soared, and there are signs of taking off.
Millsap playing center can be disastrous sometimes.
Moreover, due to the intensive schedule and physical combat with the roughest and toughest players at the center position, neither of them suffered any serious injuries, but they suffered more minor injuries.
But the good thing is that Okafor did not experience huge fluctuations in his performance due to the surge in playing time like Felton did.
The biggest impact on the Bobcats was the two injuries before and after the All-Star Weekend.
In early February, veteran Hill suffered a knee injury, which had sidelined him for years. The injury was so serious that team doctor Thomas Carter did not recommend that Hill continue playing, as he would have to use a wheelchair.
Hill, who originally wanted to retire at the age of 40 and appear in the opening game of the next season, chose to listen to advice. With this small regret, he announced his retirement during the All-Star Weekend. At the retirement press conference, he used all the words of praise he had learned in his life to praise Zhang Yang.
This has a great impact on the Bobcats. Hill averaged points, rebounds and 2 assists per game this season. It was he who played the power forward position, allowing Carlisle to move Millsap and Ibaka's playing time to the center position.
Now the team is even more short of manpower. Marion has to play power forward more often, and Zhang Yang has less rest time.
After the All-Star Weekend, at the end of February, Perkins, who had been injured for nearly a month, played very hard. But he was gone in the first game. He fell while fighting for a rebound and twisted his knee, tearing his cruciate ligament and was out for the season.
This injury may not have much impact on Perkins' strength after his comeback. He does not rely on those things, such as low-post defense, rebounding positioning, and standing still to catch the ball. He only does these simple tasks, but the impact on the Bobcats is great.
Millsap and Ibaka finally got the chance to stop playing center, but they were only happy for less than one game.
Finally, in mid-March, the Bobcats received good news. They only spent 3 million of the mid-level exception and had a lot left. They spent 150 million to bid for Lewis, who was amnestied by the Wizards!
In January, the Wizards and the Magic attracted attention by exchanging the two worst contracts in the league today, with Arenas going to the Magic and Lewis going to the Wizards.
Arenas was amnestied during the All-Star Weekend, and no team bid for him, so Lewis held out for a while.
It is reported that the Magic chose this deal for a very unusual reason - they wanted to show the humanity of the team and felt it was inappropriate to directly lay off the talent they had brought in with high salaries, so they made a trade with the Wizards and then granted amnesty.
The Wizards didn't do that because they wanted to pardon Arenas directly to avoid affecting the talented No. 10 pick Wall. It was the Magic who approached them, and they didn't refuse when they saw this good opportunity, thinking that maybe they could still use Lewis, after all he averaged points per game on the Magic.
Later, after playing for two months, Lewis took the initiative to ask for amnesty. Lewis did not play well next to Wall and could not keep up with the speed. The Wizards did not force him to stay. Anyway, they had to play badly to fight for a high draft pick, so it was okay to pay less salary. In the end, the money saved was more than the Wizards management expected. The Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Bulls all made offers. The Bobcats could offer the highest price and won the competition.
Millsap and Ibaka were very happy when they heard that there was a new player in the interior, but when they saw it was Lewis... damn, he has to continue playing center.
Despite the constant twists and turns, the 66 regular season games were finally completed.
In the end, the Bobcats ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 40 wins and 26 losses.
东部第一是年轻无极限的凯尔特人队，48胜18负；步行者队46胜20负第二、尼克斯队42胜24负第三。
老鹰队36胜30负第五、公牛队35胜31负第六、76人队34胜32负第七、篮网队32胜34负第八。
The Bulls only finished sixth because Wade missed half of the season due to a knee injury and his return to the playoffs is pending.
Every team is different, or more accurately, every person is different. When Wade was injured on the Heat, if it was the championship period, management would let him hold on and get through it, as the championship was the most important thing. When he was on the Bulls, he injured his knee, so management sent him to Cleveland and Salt Lake City for long-term treatment.
In fact, the Bulls are very patient with capable players. For example, even though Rose had been out for consecutive years since 12, they waited until 16 before choosing to end it all, sending Rose and Noah away, not renewing Luol Deng's contract, and ending the brilliant but short-lived Rose era in the Bulls.
Compared to the young and strong Rose in the original time and space in recent years, Wade, who is already 30 years old, has received the most thorough examinations and the most comprehensive treatment with the permission of the team, and has even begun to consider accepting the advice of his good friend Paul to adjust his playing style.
In the West, the Spurs had a record of 66 wins and 50 losses with only 16 games, and once again won the regular season championship.
The second-placed Thunder, the third-placed Lakers, and the fourth-placed Rockets all have 47 wins, and the Western Conference is still wild.
快船队40胜26负第五、国王队38胜28胜第六、灰熊队37胜29负第七、开拓者队36胜30负第八。
The Bobcats' team record is average due to various factors, but Zhang Yang's personal performance this season is extraordinary!
He played in all 66 games, averaging 40 minutes per game, a career-high in playing time. He averaged 26 shots per game, making 12 of them, of 4 three-pointers per game, and of free throws per game... The number of shots and the number of hits were both career highs!
、，，！
With a tight schedule, many injuries on the team, and fluctuating performances of teammates, the Bobcats were able to maintain a winning rate of just over 60%. Zhang Yang really tried his best!
But there are also benefits. My physical strength was raised to 95 last summer, but after a season of hard work, I managed to get it down to 96!
It may also be related to age. The age of 23-24 is one of the stages when physical strength improves the fastest.
There is still room for improvement in physical strength. The last random physical talent point I drew got physical strength, and the upper limit has been raised to 97.
Speed and jumping ability have also improved a bit this season. His speed talent has been completely drained and has reached 95.
三分还是只有95，中投去年夏天提升到了95，也没那么快有动静，但这赛季突篮下次数增多、高难度攻框技术也在提升……三围95，他本人也有了！三分95（上限98）、中投95（上限97）、上篮95（上限96）！
The experience and gains have finally reached the maximum level, 'Big Bird's post-up rhythm', and the experience and gains of Zhang Yang's main high-post post-up attack have been upgraded to 'perfect'.
...
This time, the rest time after the regular season was shortened to two days. The regular season ended on April 4th, and on April 27th, the Bobcats faced the Hawks in the first round at home.
Fighting with this opponent, Zhang Yang couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty of time.
Back then, the Hawks were the team that gave them the most trouble in the playoffs. Looking back from today, several years later, that Hawks team had no chance of winning the championship at all. But at that time, the Hawks could win against anyone because their outside group was so strong.
But now, Bibby is completely old, averaging points and 3 assists per game in the regular season, and serving as a substitute for Jeff Teague.
Pierce averaged 19 points per game this season, becoming the team's leading scorer, but his shooting percentage was only 43%, 6 percentage points lower than three years ago.
Mr. Billionaire Joe Johnson, although still averaging points per game, but his shooting percentage is . Atlanta fans are calling for a trade, and the 31-year-old has entered a stage of cliff-like decline.
Jeff Teague is steady, but his performance in his third year is just okay, averaging 12 points and 6 assists per game.
The person carrying the Hawks forward this season is Al Horford, who averages 16 points, 10 rebounds and assists per game.
Although Crawford's playoff performance in the past two years was extremely poor, the Hawks' trade of Crawford to the Trail Blazers during last year's draft was indeed a failure. Crawford at least played well in the regular season. With him as the sixth man, Pierce and Joe Johnson would not be under so much pressure to score, and would not need to shoot so many times, and their efficiency would not look so bad.
After 5 games, the Bobcats defeated the Hawks 4-1 and advanced to the second round.
As soon as the Hawks were eliminated from the playoffs, rumors circulated that the Nets wanted to get Joe Johnson or Pierce...
As for the Bulls, Wade was not there and the outside line lost its backbone. They were defeated 23-6 by Harden, who averaged 6 points, 18 rebounds and 20 assists this season, Curry, who averaged 4 points, and Bosh, who averaged 2 points. Yao Ming was eliminated in the first round again after many years.
During the first round, most of the regular season awards were announced.
The 76ers' new sixth man, Louis Williams, won the Best Sixth Man Award; the Magic's Ryan Anderson won the Most Improved Award. After Howard left, Ryan Anderson directly became the team's top scorer, soaring from single-digit scores in previous years to an average of 16 points per game;
The best rookie award went to the Cavaliers' new No. 1 pick Irving; the best defensive player award went to the Clippers' center Tyson Chandler; and the regular season MVP award went to the Rockets' superstar LeBron James.
James has changed his style in the two years since he went to the West. Perhaps it was his own awareness or the team's advice. He changed from his previous extremely high-profile style to a low-key style off the court and high-profile on the court.
Of course, it could also be a last resort.
After all, apart from a regular season MVP and a few first-team and first-defense selections, he has nothing else. He never made it far in the playoffs. He is almost 30 and is still so high-profile. It is difficult for him to continue to gain followers.
After changing his style, things got better again, averaging points, rebounds, 9 assists, steals and 1 block per game, with a hit rate of . His record was not bad either, ranking third in the league... At the stage when mobile Internet began to flourish, he entered a period of increasing fans again, and the evaluations of the media and players improved rapidly.
In his first season with the Rockets, his performance was actually no worse than that of Rose and Durant, but those two brothers actually made it into the top three in MVP votes, while he fell out of the top three.
This season, James successfully defeated Zhang Yang and Durant and won the regular season MVP.
In the second round, Zhang Yang met another old rival, OJ Mayo, who had aimed to defeat him since entering the NBA.
As the saying goes, you need an enemy that you won't stop until you defeat him.
With the idea of 'One day I will definitely beat Zhang Yang', Mayo struggled for 4 years. This season he averaged points, rebounds and assists per game. Maybe his ceiling is here, but he is already a solid All-Star point guard. This season he was also selected as an All-Star reserve along with Al Jefferson and Josh Smith. After all, the team finished first in the Eastern Conference.
Some people say that when you achieve a goal you have worked hard for for many years, what you get may be endless emptiness, and then you lose your goals and beliefs and gradually become depressed.
However, it seems that Mayo's belief must continue.
Although the Bobcats had a tough game, they eliminated the Celtics 6-4 after 2 big games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals!
Harden, Curry, and Bosh had a miserable second round, encountering peak Granger, Randolph, and DeRozan, who ranked among the top scorers averaging 20 points per game.
4-1, the Pacers easily defeated the Knicks and met the Bobcats in the Eastern Conference Finals!
In the West, James was also unlucky, with 47 wins each, and his record against the Lakers and Thunder was mixed, but the Southwest Division is the most terrifying of the six divisions. The Rockets' record in the division's civil wars is not as good as the Lakers in the Pacific Division and the Thunder in the Northwest Division, so they could only finish fourth, and then they met the Spurs, who were the team that was most effective against them in the West.
James tried his best and created opportunities, but after 6 big battles, he was eliminated 2-4 and stopped in the second round.
The day after No. 23 was eliminated, No. 24 was also eliminated. Such a shortened season would hardly belong to a team dominated by veterans like the Lakers. After persisting for 6 games, the Lakers lost 2-4 to the Thunder and were eliminated in the second round.
The Thunder and the Spurs will meet in the Western Conference Finals.
...
After the second round, the Bobcats rested for only one day before flying to Indianapolis and resting for one night. On May 5, the Eastern Conference Finals began.
When Wade was confirmed to miss the playoffs, the Pacers were considered the strongest team in the Eastern Conference, and they lived up to expectations, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, once again standing in front of the Bobcats.
The young DeRozan, Granger and Randolph who are in their prime, went from the bottom of the league to making the playoffs, and then to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now they have come to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. The Pacers broke out with amazing power from the first game and suppressed the Bobcats!
It was June 6st, and the game venue had been changed to Charlotte Turkish Airlines Arena. After another two and a half hours of competition, the final whistle sounded.
The score was 103 to 95, the Pacers won away from home, and the overall score was... 3 to 0!
The Pacers won 3 games in a row!
The score differences were actually not that big. The biggest one was G1, with an 11-point difference, and the next two games had single-digit score differences.
The Pacers have an obvious advantage in lineup depth, and Randolph is also uniquely strong in the interior.
As for the Bobcats, in this Eastern Conference Finals, there are actually 7 players rotated. Zhang Yang returned to the shooting guard position and sometimes had to play point guard, rotating with Felton and Afflalo in the backcourt. Marion, Ibaka, Millsap and Okafor rotated in the frontcourt.
Only these 7 players did not drag the team down when they were on the court. Carlisle had no more tricks and used the rotation method he used when he was sitting on the bench and watching the Celtics play in the 80s... But he was still at a disadvantage in regular time and always fell behind by a few points.
When it came to the critical moment, when competing for the stars, Granger on the opposite side could also stand up and fight against Zhang Yang. In three games, the Bobcats didn't have a single chance to turn the tables!
Trailing 0-3, the TV commentator had already pronounced the Bobcats' death sentence, and the fans at the scene were also in despair. They were spoiled when they won three championships in four years, but now in the second round and the Eastern Conference Finals, they were at a loss.
TV commentators have begun analyzing the Bobcats' four strongest years, and their analysis is quite correct - from the 4 to 04 class, they reaped the benefits of six consecutive years of high-quality draft picks. Now, the benefits brought by rookies like Collison and Cunningham are no longer enough to support the Bobcats to continue winning the championship.
Zhang Yang, after another defeat, walked towards the player tunnel with a bewildered look on his face. At this time, a fan wearing the No. 22 jersey of the Pacers shouted loudly on the side of the player tunnel -
"Boss Danny, sweep the bad boys! We want 4 to 0!"
Zhang Yang stopped walking, his cloudy eyes were dull for a moment, then gradually became clear...
(End of this chapter)
The Knicks' first round ended early, and other series were very tense, giving Zhang Yang more time to understand and adapt to the changes brought about by the new rules.
It was April 4th, the last game day of the first round. The Jazz, who had quickly completed their iron-blooded preparations, faced the Rockets, last season's runner-up, as the third in the Western Conference. Although they still couldn't beat them, they were no longer powerless like last season, dragging the series to a game of five. However, they still lost to the Rockets 29-91 at home and were eliminated in the first round.
Before this game starts, the second round of the series has already started, and the first round will go to Game 5. Generally, the first game of the second round will start on the day of Game 5 of the first round.
Zhang Yang and the team faced off at home against the Bulls, who had been in New York for two days preparing for the game.
The 'Zhang Yang' here is already very extravagant.
But Zhang Yang, who had seen the 'Tsunami Combination' and was certain that he was the unique super three-point shooter of this era, made Jordan, who thought he was mentally prepared, see what it meant - my waves are beyond your imagination!
28投13中，其中三分球19中9，加上8中7的罚球，张杨狂轰42分，率领尼克斯队以98比90击败公牛队，大比分1比0领先！
Chasing three-pointer, dribbling to a place one and a half meters away from the three-point line and then jumping up and shooting, stepping back three-pointer, singles three-pointer with the help of screens, running without the ball, receiving the ball and turning around to shoot three-pointer...
Jordan watched Zhang Yang throw in 9 three-pointers, tying the record for three-pointers made in a single game in the playoffs?
By the way, the previous record holder was also Zhang Yang. In the Eastern Conference Finals three years ago, Zhang Yang made 15 of 9 three-pointers in a single game and scored 65 points. His opponent was also Jordan.
That time, Zhang Yang was in great shape, and he scored 20+ in the final quarter and made 9 three-pointers. Tonight, Jordan could feel that Zhang Yang's condition was just normal, not explosive, and his accuracy was far inferior to that day.
But he shoots a lot, shoots so much, and still maintains accuracy!
In Game 2, the Bulls began to block Zhang Yang's long-range shots. They defended him closely in one-on-one situations, blocked Zhang Yang's long-range passes, and switched defenses when Zhang Yang used a screen...
This prevented Zhang Yang from making only 6 of 2 three-point shots, but the side effects far outweighed the benefits.
The close contact increased the chances of Pippen being passed by Zhang Yang.
To prevent the long-distance pass from the opponent, Zhang Yang pretended to run to the outside, and then seized the opportunity to suddenly run back and cut in;
When defending against an off-ball screen, he will switch defense directly. When the pick-and-roll executor notices this, he will also cut in immediately at the same time. The pick-and-roll executor is usually Oakley. If Kukoc does not even make a delaying move before switching defense, it will be difficult for Pippen, who is chasing him, to hold off Oakley before he has fully moved into position.
The Knicks' score in this game increased instead of decreased. Zhang Yang scored 28 points in a single game and led the Knicks to beat the Bulls 103-95 again, with a big score of 2-0!
In Game 3, the Bulls did not make any corrections on the defensive end and still focused on blocking Zhang Yang. The Zen Master chose to approach from another angle - scoring points.
Jordan shot wildly, making 33 of 15 shots, including 3 of 1 three-pointers, plus 10 of 9 free throws, scoring 40 points and leading the team to 106 points in a single game.
At the same time, through team cooperation, Zhang Yang's scoring was limited to less than 30 points again, scoring only 27 points, and... 6 rebounds and 9 assists!
The Zen master has a response, the big bird is not a stupid bird!
Ewing scored a team-high 28 points, plus 10 rebounds and 2 assists;
第六人约翰-斯塔克斯13投7中，其中三分球2中2，加上5中5的罚球，狂轰21分！
尼克斯队三人20+、6人得分上双，以112比106客场击败公牛队，大比分3比0领先！
到了G4，公牛队靠着38投18中拿到45分的乔丹、拿到24分8板8助攻的皮蓬，以104比94扳回一城，没被横扫。
But it wasn’t a bad game for the Knicks.
The Bulls did not change their playing style, and the Zen Master could not think of any better way when Jordan's skills were disrupted, so he could only fight.
The Knicks still played the same style as in Game 3, but their long-range shots from the wing were inaccurate tonight, and they failed to suppress the opponent, ultimately losing.
On May 5, the Knicks returned to their home court and narrowly defeated the Bulls 8-104.
35投15中，其中三分球1中0，外加12中9的罚球，乔丹今晚又轰出了39分，但也拿到了单场20铁。
In the final moments, Jordan dared to take responsibility. He shot a three-pointer in the bottom corner to tie the score, even though he hadn't shot a three-pointer all night. However, the result was a role model for the players who would be most like him in the future. The shot didn't even touch the rim and flew right past...
The force he used at that time was the same as when shooting a three-pointer in the corner when the three-point line had not yet been shortened.
Except for G1, Zhang Yang did not score in double digits in any other game. He averaged points, rebounds, assists and steals per game, leading the Knicks to a 4-1 victory over the Bulls and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals!
After the game, Zhang Yang proved with his actions that he and the 'he' here are of the same character.
"I seemed to see a poor replica. Who was the guy wearing the No. 45 jersey? Was he saying he was twice as good as Jordan? I felt sorry for his math. I mercifully told him that twice 23 is 46, not 45. This number was not worthy of the name Jordan."
...
The next morning, Zhang Yang saw on the news that Jordan had rented a gym that night and called his personal trainer Tim Grove to New York...
His match with Jordan this time was not as exciting as before. He played in a low-level baseball league for a year and may have played basketball, but he definitely had no time for professional training. He also had to practice baseball and adjust his playing style in the first season after his comeback...
He and Christie couldn't defend Jordan to death, but they could still limit him, and they did it very well. Jordan's shooting percentage in 5 games was only 42%.
A few days later, on May 5, the Magic defeated the Pacers in a seven-game series and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals 13-4.
张杨G6和G7直播都看了，G6步行者队在2比3落后的情况下，以123比106大胜魔术队扳平大比分，雷吉-米勒三分球10中6、全场拿到35分，他那时都以为要无缘魔术队了，和魔术队相关奖励要直接没了。
但没想到抢七大战雷吉-米勒三分9中1，全场17投5中仅拿到13分3助攻，步行者队抢七大战以94比115惨败21分。
On the 16th, after a week's rest, the Knicks stepped onto the court of the Orlando Arena and faced the Magic away in the Eastern Conference Finals.
G1, from the beginning of the game, the Knicks have been strengthening the melee confrontation on the outside.
Such a defensive strategy was full of loopholes for the Magic, who scored 27 to 20 in the first quarter and led the Knicks by 7 points entering the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Zhang Yang and John Starks, who came off the bench, stepped up their personal offense, and continued to engage in confrontation and hand-to-hand combat on the defensive end... but still couldn't stop the Knicks, who scored 1 point more than in the first quarter and got 28 points.
During the intermission, Magic head coach Brian Hill made targeted adjustments and made better use of the defensive loopholes in various aspects caused by the Knicks' excessive focus on pressure confrontation.
Fortunately, Zhang Yang and John Starks scored 8 points and 7 points respectively, leading the Knicks to 26 points in a single quarter, preventing the opponent from completely widening the gap.
At the end of the first half, the Magic led the Knicks by 55 points, 46 to 9.
After the halftime break, the Magic made more adequate adjustments, ready to make a concerted effort in the third quarter to widen the gap and lock in the victory.
This has been the routine operation of major offensive teams since the beginning of the offensive basketball era in the 80s.
After the start of the third quarter, the Magic's tactical movements became more targeted, creating more open shooting opportunities than in the first half, but the wing shooters couldn't make the shots!
If you look closely, you will find that the Magic's opportunities all came from players who were good at mid-range and long-range shots but were not stable. The Knicks' defense was all focused on O'Neal, Hardaway, and Dennis Scott!
The continuous misses in outside shots forced Hardaway and O'Neal to play one-on-one, but once they played one-on-one, they would be double-teamed! When the ball was passed out, their teammates couldn't make the shot, and they were double-teamed even more severely!
The Magic's score plummeted to 20 points in the third quarter, while the Knicks' score continued to rise, and this was not achieved by single plays by outside stars, but more by defensive counterattacks.
With a score of 28 to 20 in a single quarter, after three quarters, the Knicks narrowed the score to 74 to 75, narrowing the gap to 1 point!
In the final quarter, the Magic's shooting was completely cold. Apart from O'Neal's 7 points, Hardaway's 5 points, and Nick Anderson's 4 points, no one else scored, and they only got 16 points in a single quarter.
The Knicks scored 23 to 16 in the quarter!
张杨首节7分1助攻、第二节8分1助攻、第三节6分4助攻、末节7分3助攻，拿到28分5板9助攻3抢断；
约翰-斯塔克斯拿到全队第二高的19分，还有15分的尤因、12分的小安东尼-梅森，全队4人得分上双，力压拿到27分的奥尼尔和26分的哈达威。
97 to 91, the Knicks reversed the Magic and took a 1-0 lead away from home!
When the final whistle sounded, Bird pumped his fist in celebration.
The Pacers' collapse in Game 7 gave him a reminder to stick to his own style of play.
The Pacers tied the Magic 4-2 in the first four games, winning both games by relying on iron-blooded defense, keeping the Magic's score below 2 points.
But after losing to the Magic by 5 points with a score of 97 to 116 in Game 19, the Pacers gave up their original style of play in Game 6 and competed with the opponent in shooting. This adaptation was not a problem, after all, they won Game 6.
But in Game 7, the Pacers gave up their original style of play and desperately competed with the Magic, the team with the best scoring ability in the league, for long-range shots... How could they be so lucky?
It's mainly due to "habit". We have just entered a new era and when encountering problems, most coaches still use old thinking.
Of course, even if there was no precedent provided by the Pacers, Bird would not have thought of competing with the Magic in offense and giving up his own advantage of being the best in the league in defense. It was just that after seeing the fate of the Pacers, his belief became stronger.
Entering the Iron Age is actually a good situation for Bird. Ewing is about to turn 33, and Zhang Yang, who is in the same class as Ewing, is a little younger and will be 32 next month. Although Zhang Yang is in surprisingly good physical condition... playing a slow-paced positional battle is undoubtedly more suitable for their age, and more suitable for their style of attacking with star singles.
Big Bird's focus is not just on this season, but also on the plans for the next few years - he wants to completely change the league's game style to a bloody battle!
The boss owns the American Cable TV media channel. As early as the middle of the season, after his defensive efficiency improved to the first in the league, he had already applied to Charles Dolan to promote the concept of "defense first".
If he could defeat the league's top offensive team with his iron-blooded defense, it would definitely be a big help to his plan.
...
Leading 1-0 away from home and grabbing the home-court advantage, the Knicks took the lead from the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.
But the Knicks failed to defeat the Magic in one fell swoop. After taking a 1-0 lead on the road, they failed to win Game 2, and the Magic tied the score at 109-102.
After returning to their home court, the Knicks won both games and took a 3-1 lead, but in Game 5, the Magic returned to their home court and won 112-97, dragging the series into a sixth game.
A day later, the Knicks, playing at home, were suppressed by the Magic's fierce firepower and trailed the Magic by 49 points at halftime with 66 to 17!
The Magic coach did not make the same mistake as the Pacers coach. Brian Hill knew very well where his team's strengths lay. Throughout the series, he focused on how to improve the offensive firepower and break through the Knicks' defense. He never thought about competing with the Knicks on defense because he knew he could not win.
Christie on the second defense, Zhang Yang on the first defense, Ewing on the second defense, and Oakley at the quasi-defensive level, no team can beat the Knicks if they only rely on defense, not even the Bulls with Pippen and Jordan.
In G3 and G4, Brian Hill found that they really could not avoid the problem of their shooting feeling plummeting in the late game due to the opponent's crazy melee. The situation like G2, where they missed shots for a while but then started shooting again, was a special case.
So in G5 he changed his mindset, ignored all that and attacked with all his might while the feel was good!
Widen the score gap to a level that the opponent cannot catch up during the advantageous stage!
They won Game 5. Tonight, his strategy worked again. The score difference was 17 points at halftime. Brian Hill seemed to have seen them return to their home court and complete a 1-3 super reversal...
Then, Zhang Yang made 10 of 7 shots in the third quarter, including 5 of 4 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 21 points!
Led by Zhang Yang, the Knicks beat the Magic 33 to 19 in a single quarter...
82 to 85, the Knicks narrowed the gap to 3 points!
Brian Hill and even O'Neal on the court were dumbfounded, especially in the few rounds after the official timeout in the third quarter, Zhang Yang made 3 three-pointers, 1 mid-range shot, and two free throws after a foul, and scored 13 to 5 alone. They watched the score difference, which was still in the double digits at the time, being quickly reduced to single digits...
In the final quarter, the Magic collapsed and the Knicks scored 25 to 15 in the quarter!
首节9分、第二节5分、第三节21分、末节8分，张杨单场43分5助攻，率领尼克斯队完成17分劣势的大逆转，以107比100击败魔术队，大比分4比2，晋级总决赛！
After the Knicks advanced by holding the Magic to 34 points in the first half and making a strong comeback, with the help of Charles Dolan, public opinion went in the direction that Bird wanted.
The concept of 'defense first' is really starting to become popular.
On May 5, the day after the Knicks eliminated the Magic, the Western Conference Finals also decided the winner.
The Rockets defeated the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive round. David Robinson, like Ewing in last season's finals, was beaten to a pulp by Olajuwon.
The Rockets, who have been "counterattacking" all the way, are now very likely to win the championship, and people all want to see a miracle happen.
In the press conference after eliminating the Spurs, Tomjanovich shouted out the famous words: "Don't underestimate the heart of a champion."
Bird responded in an interview: "Thank you Rudy for helping me motivate my players."
On June 6rd, the Knicks faced the Rockets in the finals for the second consecutive year, but this time it started at the Knicks' home court.
This season's finals are completely different from last season.
In last season's finals, the Rockets had almost no ability to fight back, and Olajuwon didn't even have an outside teammate who could barely match Zhang Yang. This year, he has the 'third point guard in the league', Drexler!
At the beginning, the two teams started a evenly matched positional battle of offense and defense, with each team being evenly matched.
In fact, the Rockets' record should not be so bad. They had a winning rate of 55 in the early stage of the season. However, after trading for the Glider in the middle of the season, it took a long time to get used to the team, and their record plummeted, eventually only getting 47 wins.
如果只看赛季尾声火箭队从39胜33负打到47胜35负的那10场比赛，就不会惊讶火箭队在西部季后赛一路下克上了，他们最后10场的表现比联盟第一马刺队都要好。
首节尼克斯队23比24落后1分，第二节21比19，半场反超火箭队1分，第三节27比25，将领先优势扩大到3分……打到末节11分55秒的时候，德雷克斯勒急停中投命中，将比分追至95比95平！
The score at the end of the quarter was 27 to 24!
Olajuwon was almost in tears. At this time last year, he was able to lead the team to fight back and forth with the opponent in the first half, but in the second half, Zhang Yang relied on his physical strength to exhaust their outside line and started to score points, and he had no way to stop it.
Now, he finally has a teammate who can fight Zhang Yang! 9 points in the third quarter, 8 points in the final quarter, and the glider scored 17 points in the second half!
Just when the Rockets were ready to play overtime, they came back from a timeout, with Ewing and Oakley closing the door at the free throw line. Zhang Yang slipped from the baseline to the basket and rushed straight to the top arc. With the help of Ewing and Oakley, he shook off Cassell's pursuit and defense, and received a pass from Doug Christie who was holding the ball on the wing at the top arc, and turned around and made a three-pointer from the front!
98 to 95, Zhang Yang scored the winning goal against the Rockets and defended their first home court!
Fighting to the end, but being defeated by the buzzer beater... It was a big blow to the losing side, but Dream and Glider are both veterans who have been losers for more than 10 years. The loss in G1 was indeed devastating, but after a day of rest, on June 6, they led the team to another fierce battle with the Knicks.
This time, Olajuwon had 7 blocks in a single game and led his team to a 91-84 victory over the Knicks relying on defense, seizing the home court advantage and tying the score to 1-1!
Tomjanovich, who was mocked by Bird, shouted after the game that the finals would never return to New York.
But two days after the break, on June 6, Bird pulled Zhang Yang's arm and slapped Tomjanovich.
Zhang Yang, who turned 23, made 10 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 three-pointers, and 7 of 32 free throws. He scored 32 points in his first game at the age of 31, defeated the Rockets' defensive restrictions on him, and led the Knicks to a 92-81 victory over the Rockets. He regained the home advantage in the first away game and took a 2-1 lead!
After the game, Bird told reporters: "Rudy is right, the finals will not return to New York, I hope he can prepare a ceremony for us to celebrate the championship."
But this time, Big Bird was also slapped.
In G4, the Rockets' wing shooters exploded. Kenny Smith, Horry and others made 9 three-pointers, giving Olajuwon and Drexler better offensive conditions, and they defeated the Knicks 99-94 to tie the score!
Zhang Yang once again experienced how unfriendly the 2-3-2 finals format is to the side with home advantage.
The score was tied at 2-2, and the decisive battle was still played away from home!
After a day of rest, on June 6, the Knicks and the Rockets launched the most intense battle of this finals. The game was tied 10-80 in regular time. Thanks to Ewing's tip-in, the Knicks dragged the game into overtime.
The two teams tied again in the first overtime with a score of 10-10, and entered the second overtime with a score of 90-90.
This time, the Rockets collapsed, and the Knicks dragged down the Rockets with their far higher salary and deeper lineup!
第二个加时赛12比4，尼克斯队最终以102比94惊险击败火箭队，大比分3比2领先！
张杨今晚打了55分钟，40投18中，其中三分球15中5，加上5中4的罚球，爆砍45分！
On June 6, the Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden to face the Rockets in Game 13 of the Finals.
G5或许是把火箭队的信心伤到了，当然也和核心阵容消耗过大、候补球员又没什么能力有关，火箭队首节23分、第二节19分、第三节17分、末节18分……全场只拿到77分，进攻极度低迷。
With 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, Zhang Yang's performance tonight can only be described as normal, and his teammates can only say that their performance is acceptable, but it is enough for this game. Under his leadership, the Knicks defeated the Rockets 92-77, with a big score of 4-2, defeating the Rockets for two consecutive years and successfully defending the title!
Zhang Yang from the 80th line lifted the championship trophy for the 7th time!
...
Having fought against Jordan, O'Neal and Olajuwon in a row, Zhang Yang was very satisfied with this training journey.
Especially the matchup with the combination of Olajuwon and Dream, they almost lost! The victory in Game 5 was won by Ewing's tip-in with 8 seconds left in the regular time, when Dream only scored points. It was so exciting.
Also, after the finals, he just returned to the locker room and received a call from Barkley... Unfortunately, he didn't know what the other party said, and he fell asleep at that moment.
But after returning from the experience and seeing the Mavericks lift the trophy, he sighed again.
He is on the 80th line and has already begun to attack the second dynasty. Even if he fails to achieve the second dynasty in the end, he will already be a seven-time champion.
He is the 10th line player and was named the 'new god' after the 4-game winning dynasty.
It was difficult for him to defend his title. He finally managed to defend his title once, but his goal was only two consecutive championships.
Some media compared his three championships in four years with the OK Dynasty, and he felt ashamed to see such hype.
Opening the task interface, he looked at the new experience he gained after defeating Jordan, 'The Art of Facing Back (Elementary): Slightly improve core strength when fading back', 1 strength talent point he got after defeating O'Neal, and 'Low Post Rhythm (Elementary): Slightly improve the sense of rhythm when playing low-post singles' after defeating Dream, and he felt much happier.
Through this experience, he has learned more about 'physical fitness'. Now his 'upper limit of strength talent' cannot completely determine his ultimate strength. Physical conditions will change. After a certain age, explosive power will decline, while static strength will increase. This is the natural law of the body... But he doesn't have to worry about this for the time being. He just turned 23, and that day is still early.
'The Art of Facing Back' is of the greatest use to him at the moment. His strength talent cap has been raised to 92, which is also useful for his current strength of 88, and it may increase faster. 'Low Post Rhythm' is not that useful. Except when facing a small number of opponents, he seldom plays in the low post. The technical difference between high and low post back-to-the-basket is also quite large.
But with this "innate advantage", while continuing to strengthen the high-post back-to-the-basket, it's also okay to learn about the low-post back-to-the-basket. It's never a bad thing to learn one more trick.
But this time I will definitely not ask Boss Qiao to teach me.
Zhang Yang continued to devote himself to training, and soon, it was the end of June. The Bobcats used the 6th pick in the draft to select a local university talent, Duke University senior and NCAA MOP Kyle Singler.
Zhang Yang thinks this choice is okay. Jimmy Butler was taken by the Bulls at 25th place. Although the next pick was Bojan, their team does not have Budenholzer, a coach from the Spurs who favors overseas players, so it is normal that he is not seen.
Next up is Chandler Parsons, which is a pity, but if we only look at college, they are all white small forwards. Singler performed better and he is a local, so Jordan must have picked him at the end of the first round.
Before joining the Thunder, Singler served as a backup small forward for the Detroit Pistons for three years and his performance was actually quite good. Otherwise, even if Detonator was crazy, he would not have had such high expectations for him and gave him a five-year, $3 million contract extension in 15.
Singler could do well as a substitute without pressure, but he couldn't stand being used as a starting small forward. His confidence collapsed quickly. With the arrival of the small ball era, this MOP of the Final Four quickly faded out of the NBA.
Zhang Yangbai was looking forward to the 60th pick in the second round. The Kings, who had long been eyeing the little assassin, picked him up with the 49th pick in the second round.
However, it is difficult for them to give Isaiah Thomas too much playing time, as Collison is the main substitute for the point guard.
After the draft, the free market will open, and Zhang Yang is full of expectations for this summer's free market.
However, their journey to strengthen their team has been delayed...the NBA has been shut down!
Jordan took the lead and changed from being the player representative to the owner representative, refusing to compromise.
There are also moderates among the bosses. Dolan of the Knicks, Buss of the Lakers, Allen of the Trail Blazers, Reinsdorf of the Bulls, and Cuban of the Mavericks all hope to end the lockout as soon as possible and are not so concerned about whether to reduce the players' share of the profits.
Some owners are actually wavering. They do not rely on the team to make money, but they are not opposed to paying less salary and getting more profit.
This made Zhang Yang dissatisfied with Jordan. Did he not know the importance of a long free market for them? Did he not earn enough?
At this moment, he truly felt that Jordan had become a real capitalist.
Looking back, in the past two years, it seems that I have rarely felt the same passion for basketball from Jordan that I did in previous years...
The goal of capitalists is always to reduce costs and increase profits. They will never reduce exploitation just because the profits are already large enough. On the contrary, they will feel that there is more room to cut costs because the profits are large.
Raising the players' salaries is just seeing that the benefits will outweigh the returns. Anyway, the money must be spent. The Rockets' previous experience is there. If they don't spend the salary space and clauses, the team's interests will definitely be affected.
However, Jordan is fundamentally different from those capitalists who have become bosses. He gradually transitioned from the labor side to the capital side. He understands the bottom line of the labor side and what the labor side is thinking better than those who have always been on the capital side.
However, Pac-Man, one of the representatives of the players' union, was not a pushover either. He directly challenged Jordan - "You could get 3000 million when you played, but you don't let us get it?"
...
On July 7, when the suspension began, Zhang Yang rented a training hall by himself. He trained, rested, and spent time with his family. He even accidentally had a baby.
Zhang Yang and Xiao Bian Bian discussed and decided to give birth to the child. However, neither he nor Xiao Bian Bian has any idea of getting married. They are both in their early 20s, and even if they have a child, they feel that life is still long and they cannot make a hasty decision. After all, one plays in the NBA and the other is in the entertainment industry, and they have seen a lot.
The suspension also gave Zhang Yang the motivation to build his team of trainers and start a related company.
He poached Jarrett Young, who had gained several years of experience with the Bobcats, and worked with his father to prepare for this matter. He also reached a cooperation agreement with Tim Grove, whom he had known for many years... He, Zhang San, was only responsible for paying the money and did not have to worry about anything else. Professional matters should be left to professionals.
Once the lockout began, it was difficult to stop. Arenas were closed and NBA-related industries were collectively banned from using player-related materials for up to five months.
By early December, labor and management finally reached a consensus, and the players received a share of the highest 12% of the total revenue and signed the contract with satisfaction.
However, there are compromises. The guaranteed period of the contract for first-round rookies has been shortened to two years, and they can have a team option after the second year. The maximum contract period has also been cut to only five years.
There are also some miscellaneous restrictions and clauses, such as the 'Arenas Clause ' launched by the new owner of the Wizards.
The 'Arenas Clause' introduced in 03 was a symbol of Arenas' glory. But this time it was different, as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Alan Houston.
Arenas Clause : Contracts signed before the new labor agreement is reached can be amnestied and only salary will be paid, not counted towards the salary cap.
However, unlike the Houston clause, the players who were pardoned this time are essentially equivalent to "commodities for bidding without chips." During the clarification period, if a team wants to sign the player, the pardoning team can pay less salary than the new team pays, and it is a bidding system.
The amnestied player must go to the team that offers the highest salary. Of course, he can choose not to go, but the portion of the salary given by the bidding team will be lost, and he will not be able to sign with other teams that season and will have to wait for a year.
These players were originally amnestied. If they haven't played in a game for a year or two, it is unlikely that they will get a new contract later. Even if they don't want to play, they will report. After all, no one can resist money.
It is hard to find a situation like Finley who gets the maximum salary from the Mavericks and can also get three or four million a year from the Spurs, receiving double salary.
After the lockout, the Bobcats quickly began to strengthen their team.
But when it came time to recruit rookies, a problem arose. Kyle Singler had already joined Real Madrid, averaging points and rebounds per game. His performance pleased Carlisle. With a little training, he might soon become a starter! But he had already signed a contract with a European team and had already started playing, but they didn't sign him!
Carlisle could only ask Bickerstaff to send Singler a written notice to reserve the right to sign.
If Singler wants to return to the NBA in the future, he can only sign with the Bobcats, or the team he wants to play for can trade his signing rights with the Bobcats.
However, after unexpectedly losing their rookie, the Bobcats also had a surprise.
They signed a one-year minimum salary to the white center Byron Mullens who was cut by the Mavericks after they won the championship.
This center performed particularly poorly in his two seasons with the Mavericks, averaging points and rebounds per game. He only played 60 games in total and did not appear in the playoffs once.
He has average athletic ability, lacks confrontation, has good interior defense but is too soft to hold his own...and the pick before him was Casspi and the pick after him was Gibson, so he has been scolded by Dallas fans for two years.
But during the tryout with the Bobcats, Mullens showed off his strengths from college - awareness of cutting, the ability to catch and shoot after an off-ball screen on the wing, and he is very good at protecting the ball. Once he receives the ball, he will never do anything else unless he has a chance, but will just hold the ball up and wait for his teammates to receive it.
These advantages have never been shown in the Mavericks, mainly because the Mavericks do not need such a center. They only need a big guy who can stand under the basket and contain the center's defense, and a guy with good physical fitness who can cut quickly and catch the ball.
As a pure center who relies on passing the ball, Byron Mullens is tall enough, but he can't stand on his own feet. Once the opponent's center pushes him, he will be pushed out of the three-second zone. He can't play the role he should have, and he is not a physically fit man.
But for Carlisle, this player is available! He is the type of center that they don't have in their team. If he is properly trained, he may be able to enrich the scoring methods in the interior. If he fails, it doesn't matter. He is just a substitute center.
However, apart from this 09 first-round pick center who may bring surprises, the Bobcats have not gained much in the free market in just one week.
In fact, it's not just them. In addition to the Clippers using Westbrook + Kaman + a first-round pick to trade Paul from the Hornets, and a 4-year 5000 million contract to dig Tyson Chandler from the Mavericks, the small broken ship has leapt into an aircraft carrier;
The Kings signed Caron Butler for 2 years and $2000 million to strengthen the front line;
The Suns signed Howard to a 5-year, $9450 million contract...
These are all individual cases.
Most teams would find it difficult to complete effective signings in this amount of time, and as a championship-contending team, these players have nothing to do with the Bobcats.
Among them, the defending champion Mavericks suffered the most... It can't be said to be miserable, it was proactive. Cuban directly dismantled the team after winning the championship and put Billups and Artest on the shelf.
Bickerstaff spent $1 million a year to get Jamario Moon from the Cavaliers. Last season, he averaged 150 points, rebounds and 3 assists per game. The veteran was not selected in the 31 draft and only entered the NBA in 2001. He is a very inspirational player, but his highlight seasons were the 08-08 season with the Heat and the 09-09 season with the Cavaliers, averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds per game.
Of the three veterans signed last season, the other two did not stay, leaving only Earl Watson, who has performed fairly steadily as a backup point guard.
...
On December 12, the extremely hasty training camp began, and on the 13th, the preseason game started.
The Bobcats started the new season with point guards: Felton, Collison, Earl Watson; shooting guards: Afflalo, Jordan Crawford, Jamario Moon; small forwards: Zhang Yang, Marion; power forwards: Millsap, Ibaka, Hill; centers: Okafor, Perkins, Mullens.
Not to mention, the professionalism of Zhang Yang's old teammates who have played together for many years is really good. The new season has been delayed for so long to start, and no one provides training grounds, but the 10 main rotation players including him are in good competitive shape!
But the good times did not last long. The regular season did not start until Christmas Day, December 12th. The regular season time was shortened by two full months, but the league only cut 25 games, which means only one month of the schedule was cut. In other words, there were less than four months left to play a five-month schedule.
Collison, who is not so resistant to attack, started a pattern of constant injuries after he was injured in three games in three days. His condition was also affected when he was able to play. Earl Watson took the position of the main rotation point guard for a long time, but the actual adjustment was that Felton's playing time increased. Earl Watson only played about 3 minutes per game. Felton came back after resting for more than half a year, and his body did hold up, but his performance fluctuated greatly.
Perkins also suffered from injuries during the busy schedule. In late January, he sprained his knee and was out for 1 weeks.
Mullens replaced Perkins in the main rotation, but his situation was similar to that of Earl Watson. Mullens had some points that Carlisle liked, but whether it was training or learning of skills and tactics, it was only some relatively unimportant time in each game, with about 10 minutes of playing time. The actual adjustment was that Millsap and Ibaka were more pushed to the center position.
Ibaka has done a decent job as a center. Three years, a full three years have passed, and the foundation has finally been laid. This season, his defensive strength has soared, and there are signs of taking off.
Millsap playing center can be disastrous sometimes.
Moreover, due to the intensive schedule and physical combat with the roughest and toughest players at the center position, neither of them suffered any serious injuries, but they suffered more minor injuries.
But the good thing is that Okafor did not experience huge fluctuations in his performance due to the surge in playing time like Felton did.
The biggest impact on the Bobcats was the two injuries before and after the All-Star Weekend.
In early February, veteran Hill suffered a knee injury, which had sidelined him for years. The injury was so serious that team doctor Thomas Carter did not recommend that Hill continue playing, as he would have to use a wheelchair.
Hill, who originally wanted to retire at the age of 40 and appear in the opening game of the next season, chose to listen to advice. With this small regret, he announced his retirement during the All-Star Weekend. At the retirement press conference, he used all the words of praise he had learned in his life to praise Zhang Yang.
This has a great impact on the Bobcats. Hill averaged points, rebounds and 2 assists per game this season. It was he who played the power forward position, allowing Carlisle to move Millsap and Ibaka's playing time to the center position.
Now the team is even more short of manpower. Marion has to play power forward more often, and Zhang Yang has less rest time.
After the All-Star Weekend, at the end of February, Perkins, who had been injured for nearly a month, played very hard. But he was gone in the first game. He fell while fighting for a rebound and twisted his knee, tearing his cruciate ligament and was out for the season.
This injury may not have much impact on Perkins' strength after his comeback. He does not rely on those things, such as low-post defense, rebounding positioning, and standing still to catch the ball. He only does these simple tasks, but the impact on the Bobcats is great.
Millsap and Ibaka finally got the chance to stop playing center, but they were only happy for less than one game.
Finally, in mid-March, the Bobcats received good news. They only spent 3 million of the mid-level exception and had a lot left. They spent 150 million to bid for Lewis, who was amnestied by the Wizards!
In January, the Wizards and the Magic attracted attention by exchanging the two worst contracts in the league today, with Arenas going to the Magic and Lewis going to the Wizards.
Arenas was amnestied during the All-Star Weekend, and no team bid for him, so Lewis held out for a while.
It is reported that the Magic chose this deal for a very unusual reason - they wanted to show the humanity of the team and felt it was inappropriate to directly lay off the talent they had brought in with high salaries, so they made a trade with the Wizards and then granted amnesty.
The Wizards didn't do that because they wanted to pardon Arenas directly to avoid affecting the talented No. 10 pick Wall. It was the Magic who approached them, and they didn't refuse when they saw this good opportunity, thinking that maybe they could still use Lewis, after all he averaged points per game on the Magic.
Later, after playing for two months, Lewis took the initiative to ask for amnesty. Lewis did not play well next to Wall and could not keep up with the speed. The Wizards did not force him to stay. Anyway, they had to play badly to fight for a high draft pick, so it was okay to pay less salary. In the end, the money saved was more than the Wizards management expected. The Lakers, Clippers, Rockets, and Bulls all made offers. The Bobcats could offer the highest price and won the competition.
Millsap and Ibaka were very happy when they heard that there was a new player in the interior, but when they saw it was Lewis... damn, he has to continue playing center.
Despite the constant twists and turns, the 66 regular season games were finally completed.
In the end, the Bobcats ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 40 wins and 26 losses.
东部第一是年轻无极限的凯尔特人队，48胜18负；步行者队46胜20负第二、尼克斯队42胜24负第三。
老鹰队36胜30负第五、公牛队35胜31负第六、76人队34胜32负第七、篮网队32胜34负第八。
The Bulls only finished sixth because Wade missed half of the season due to a knee injury and his return to the playoffs is pending.
Every team is different, or more accurately, every person is different. When Wade was injured on the Heat, if it was the championship period, management would let him hold on and get through it, as the championship was the most important thing. When he was on the Bulls, he injured his knee, so management sent him to Cleveland and Salt Lake City for long-term treatment.
In fact, the Bulls are very patient with capable players. For example, even though Rose had been out for consecutive years since 12, they waited until 16 before choosing to end it all, sending Rose and Noah away, not renewing Luol Deng's contract, and ending the brilliant but short-lived Rose era in the Bulls.
Compared to the young and strong Rose in the original time and space in recent years, Wade, who is already 30 years old, has received the most thorough examinations and the most comprehensive treatment with the permission of the team, and has even begun to consider accepting the advice of his good friend Paul to adjust his playing style.
In the West, the Spurs had a record of 66 wins and 50 losses with only 16 games, and once again won the regular season championship.
The second-placed Thunder, the third-placed Lakers, and the fourth-placed Rockets all have 47 wins, and the Western Conference is still wild.
快船队40胜26负第五、国王队38胜28胜第六、灰熊队37胜29负第七、开拓者队36胜30负第八。
The Bobcats' team record is average due to various factors, but Zhang Yang's personal performance this season is extraordinary!
He played in all 66 games, averaging 40 minutes per game, a career-high in playing time. He averaged 26 shots per game, making 12 of them, of 4 three-pointers per game, and of free throws per game... The number of shots and the number of hits were both career highs!
、，，！
With a tight schedule, many injuries on the team, and fluctuating performances of teammates, the Bobcats were able to maintain a winning rate of just over 60%. Zhang Yang really tried his best!
But there are also benefits. My physical strength was raised to 95 last summer, but after a season of hard work, I managed to get it down to 96!
It may also be related to age. The age of 23-24 is one of the stages when physical strength improves the fastest.
There is still room for improvement in physical strength. The last random physical talent point I drew got physical strength, and the upper limit has been raised to 97.
Speed and jumping ability have also improved a bit this season. His speed talent has been completely drained and has reached 95.
三分还是只有95，中投去年夏天提升到了95，也没那么快有动静，但这赛季突篮下次数增多、高难度攻框技术也在提升……三围95，他本人也有了！三分95（上限98）、中投95（上限97）、上篮95（上限96）！
The experience and gains have finally reached the maximum level, 'Big Bird's post-up rhythm', and the experience and gains of Zhang Yang's main high-post post-up attack have been upgraded to 'perfect'.
...
This time, the rest time after the regular season was shortened to two days. The regular season ended on April 4th, and on April 27th, the Bobcats faced the Hawks in the first round at home.
Fighting with this opponent, Zhang Yang couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty of time.
Back then, the Hawks were the team that gave them the most trouble in the playoffs. Looking back from today, several years later, that Hawks team had no chance of winning the championship at all. But at that time, the Hawks could win against anyone because their outside group was so strong.
But now, Bibby is completely old, averaging points and 3 assists per game in the regular season, and serving as a substitute for Jeff Teague.
Pierce averaged 19 points per game this season, becoming the team's leading scorer, but his shooting percentage was only 43%, 6 percentage points lower than three years ago.
Mr. Billionaire Joe Johnson, although still averaging points per game, but his shooting percentage is . Atlanta fans are calling for a trade, and the 31-year-old has entered a stage of cliff-like decline.
Jeff Teague is steady, but his performance in his third year is just okay, averaging 12 points and 6 assists per game.
The person carrying the Hawks forward this season is Al Horford, who averages 16 points, 10 rebounds and assists per game.
Although Crawford's playoff performance in the past two years was extremely poor, the Hawks' trade of Crawford to the Trail Blazers during last year's draft was indeed a failure. Crawford at least played well in the regular season. With him as the sixth man, Pierce and Joe Johnson would not be under so much pressure to score, and would not need to shoot so many times, and their efficiency would not look so bad.
After 5 games, the Bobcats defeated the Hawks 4-1 and advanced to the second round.
As soon as the Hawks were eliminated from the playoffs, rumors circulated that the Nets wanted to get Joe Johnson or Pierce...
As for the Bulls, Wade was not there and the outside line lost its backbone. They were defeated 23-6 by Harden, who averaged 6 points, 18 rebounds and 20 assists this season, Curry, who averaged 4 points, and Bosh, who averaged 2 points. Yao Ming was eliminated in the first round again after many years.
During the first round, most of the regular season awards were announced.
The 76ers' new sixth man, Louis Williams, won the Best Sixth Man Award; the Magic's Ryan Anderson won the Most Improved Award. After Howard left, Ryan Anderson directly became the team's top scorer, soaring from single-digit scores in previous years to an average of 16 points per game;
The best rookie award went to the Cavaliers' new No. 1 pick Irving; the best defensive player award went to the Clippers' center Tyson Chandler; and the regular season MVP award went to the Rockets' superstar LeBron James.
James has changed his style in the two years since he went to the West. Perhaps it was his own awareness or the team's advice. He changed from his previous extremely high-profile style to a low-key style off the court and high-profile on the court.
Of course, it could also be a last resort.
After all, apart from a regular season MVP and a few first-team and first-defense selections, he has nothing else. He never made it far in the playoffs. He is almost 30 and is still so high-profile. It is difficult for him to continue to gain followers.
After changing his style, things got better again, averaging points, rebounds, 9 assists, steals and 1 block per game, with a hit rate of . His record was not bad either, ranking third in the league... At the stage when mobile Internet began to flourish, he entered a period of increasing fans again, and the evaluations of the media and players improved rapidly.
In his first season with the Rockets, his performance was actually no worse than that of Rose and Durant, but those two brothers actually made it into the top three in MVP votes, while he fell out of the top three.
This season, James successfully defeated Zhang Yang and Durant and won the regular season MVP.
In the second round, Zhang Yang met another old rival, OJ Mayo, who had aimed to defeat him since entering the NBA.
As the saying goes, you need an enemy that you won't stop until you defeat him.
With the idea of 'One day I will definitely beat Zhang Yang', Mayo struggled for 4 years. This season he averaged points, rebounds and assists per game. Maybe his ceiling is here, but he is already a solid All-Star point guard. This season he was also selected as an All-Star reserve along with Al Jefferson and Josh Smith. After all, the team finished first in the Eastern Conference.
Some people say that when you achieve a goal you have worked hard for for many years, what you get may be endless emptiness, and then you lose your goals and beliefs and gradually become depressed.
However, it seems that Mayo's belief must continue.
Although the Bobcats had a tough game, they eliminated the Celtics 6-4 after 2 big games and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals!
Harden, Curry, and Bosh had a miserable second round, encountering peak Granger, Randolph, and DeRozan, who ranked among the top scorers averaging 20 points per game.
4-1, the Pacers easily defeated the Knicks and met the Bobcats in the Eastern Conference Finals!
In the West, James was also unlucky, with 47 wins each, and his record against the Lakers and Thunder was mixed, but the Southwest Division is the most terrifying of the six divisions. The Rockets' record in the division's civil wars is not as good as the Lakers in the Pacific Division and the Thunder in the Northwest Division, so they could only finish fourth, and then they met the Spurs, who were the team that was most effective against them in the West.
James tried his best and created opportunities, but after 6 big battles, he was eliminated 2-4 and stopped in the second round.
The day after No. 23 was eliminated, No. 24 was also eliminated. Such a shortened season would hardly belong to a team dominated by veterans like the Lakers. After persisting for 6 games, the Lakers lost 2-4 to the Thunder and were eliminated in the second round.
The Thunder and the Spurs will meet in the Western Conference Finals.
...
After the second round, the Bobcats rested for only one day before flying to Indianapolis and resting for one night. On May 5, the Eastern Conference Finals began.
When Wade was confirmed to miss the playoffs, the Pacers were considered the strongest team in the Eastern Conference, and they lived up to expectations, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, once again standing in front of the Bobcats.
The young DeRozan, Granger and Randolph who are in their prime, went from the bottom of the league to making the playoffs, and then to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now they have come to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. The Pacers broke out with amazing power from the first game and suppressed the Bobcats!
It was June 6st, and the game venue had been changed to Charlotte Turkish Airlines Arena. After another two and a half hours of competition, the final whistle sounded.
The score was 103 to 95, the Pacers won away from home, and the overall score was... 3 to 0!
The Pacers won 3 games in a row!
The score differences were actually not that big. The biggest one was G1, with an 11-point difference, and the next two games had single-digit score differences.
The Pacers have an obvious advantage in lineup depth, and Randolph is also uniquely strong in the interior.
As for the Bobcats, in this Eastern Conference Finals, there are actually 7 players rotated. Zhang Yang returned to the shooting guard position and sometimes had to play point guard, rotating with Felton and Afflalo in the backcourt. Marion, Ibaka, Millsap and Okafor rotated in the frontcourt.
Only these 7 players did not drag the team down when they were on the court. Carlisle had no more tricks and used the rotation method he used when he was sitting on the bench and watching the Celtics play in the 80s... But he was still at a disadvantage in regular time and always fell behind by a few points.
When it came to the critical moment, when competing for the stars, Granger on the opposite side could also stand up and fight against Zhang Yang. In three games, the Bobcats didn't have a single chance to turn the tables!
Trailing 0-3, the TV commentator had already pronounced the Bobcats' death sentence, and the fans at the scene were also in despair. They were spoiled when they won three championships in four years, but now in the second round and the Eastern Conference Finals, they were at a loss.
TV commentators have begun analyzing the Bobcats' four strongest years, and their analysis is quite correct - from the 4 to 04 class, they reaped the benefits of six consecutive years of high-quality draft picks. Now, the benefits brought by rookies like Collison and Cunningham are no longer enough to support the Bobcats to continue winning the championship.
Zhang Yang, after another defeat, walked towards the player tunnel with a bewildered look on his face. At this time, a fan wearing the No. 22 jersey of the Pacers shouted loudly on the side of the player tunnel -
"Boss Danny, sweep the bad boys! We want 4 to 0!"
Zhang Yang stopped walking, his cloudy eyes were dull for a moment, then gradually became clear...
(End of this chapter)
