The Bobcats spent nearly a full regular season going from contemplating their tactical system to having a vague framework in place, which was finally settled in March of last year.
Constantly adjusting the roster through trial and error, fostering team chemistry, and players sacrificing their own play styles... Although the Hawks had caught on, training for just two days is not something that can be properly adjusted during a halftime intermission.
Mike Woodson’s halftime adjustments did not help the players’ play styles and even confused them further.
In the second quarter, although the Hawks didn’t play well offensively, the players had a clear goal—ISO and split the ball.
After Mike Woodson’s adjustment, the Hawks players didn’t dare to play ISO as freely, and they were unable to execute teamwork... Their score for the quarter plummeted again by 8 points, with only 13 points scored in the third quarter!
The Bobcats seized the opportunity for a fast break and scored a whopping 31 points in a single quarter!
to 60, the game turned into a rout!
The four core players didn’t play the final quarter, and Rondo took the court with Matt Carroll, the bully; Alan Anderson, a versatile defender; the artist Herrmann; and Millsap, the forward, playing during garbage time.
Zhang Yang played for 23 minutes, shooting 8 out of 13, including 2 out of 4 three-pointers, plus 3 out of 3 free throws, scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Okafor scored 19 points with 7 rebounds off a 12 of 7 shooting; Felton, shooting 7 out of 14, added 17 points and 9 assists; Gerald Wallace, perfect with 4 out of 4, achieved 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks...
In the final quarter, Matt Carroll slashed 12 points, bringing his personal score up to 18 points—just shy of 20 points for the game. The Bobcats played the Hawks to a 24 to 28 score in the last quarter.
to 88, the Bobcats easily took down the Hawks!
As the final buzzer sounded, Zhang Yang stood up and celebrated the first win of the second half of the season with high-fives and hugs with his teammates, improving their record to 35 wins and 18 losses!
He looked at the opposing side, feeling certain that this adversary would rise in a year or two to become a formidable opponent.
With the right direction from management and coaching staff, and a multitude of talented players from years of dismal performance, whether for trading or player development, they had options to choose from.
But not just yet; the lack of enthusiasm displayed by the Hawks players during garbage time revealed the team’s issues—having been poor for too long, many Hawks players didn’t believe they had a chance to rise, showing greater eagerness when padding stats than during tense gameplay.
However, Zhang Yang was quite hopeful to see the Hawks rise sooner and wished for a stronger Eastern Conference so that their Bobcats could get more practice...
Parker, Kobe, Josh Howard, Anthony, and Nowitzki smiling viciously as they played ISO, it had been a few days since the All-Star weekend, and yet the image lingered in his mind...
The Bobcats were elated with their victory in the first game of the second half of the season, or as the bad boy Zhang San put it, it was a good start.
But the next afternoon, as the Bobcats prepared for their next opponent, they were missing a teammate—Prince Charming.
Bickerstaff informed the team that Gerald Wallace had banged his knee in a collision with the Timberwolves backup center Lorenzen Wright the night before and woke up with soreness, missing today’s practice and possibly even tomorrow’s game.
Zhang Yang twitched the corner of his mouth when he heard the news, remembering that when Wallace and Lorenzen Wright collided and fell, it was at the end of the first quarter, right?
In the second and third quarters, Wallace was still running and flying around for 6 and 8 minutes, respectively!
If the situation had been tight, that guy probably would have played the entire final quarter!
Zhang Yang admired but also felt frustrated by the Prince’s do-or-die spirit.
But that’s just Wallace; if he didn’t play like that, he wouldn’t be himself, and his impact on the court would drop more than just a notch.
He pushed not only himself but also inspired his teammates.
To enjoy the benefits Wallace brought to the team, one had to accept his frequent injuries.
After the preparation practice, Zhang Yang set aside distractions and continued to work on his three-pointers.
Less than 3,000 shots away from the 100,000 Shooting Value, he was about to gain another point in shooting talent, getting ever closer to a three-point rating of 80—keep missing shots, keep training!
At 6:40 PM on February 17th, Zhang Yang and his teammates entered the arena, facing off against the Timberwolves that night.
Felton, looking at the grim-faced Garnett on the opposite side, said to Zhang Yang, "Jack, did you hear? Garnett has had a blowup with the Timberwolves."
Zhang Yang, "What happened? Tell me about it!"
Felton, "I heard during the All-Star break, the Timberwolves and the Celtics were discussing a trade involving Garnett. The Celtics wanted Garnett to commit to an extension before agreeing to the trade. The offer seemed to include a high school player like you, Al Jefferson, along with Ryan Gomes from your same draft class, and that recently crowned Dunk King, Green. Garnett refused to promise the Celtics an extension..."
Zhang Yang was quite surprised by the news. Was Ainge making moves early?
He asked, "Isn’t Ainge angling for the top draft pick to select Oden? How can they draft Oden if they trade for Garnett now?"
Felton, "Pierce might be out for the season."
Zhang Yang, "The iron man who survived being stabbed 35 times in 13 seconds is going to miss the season?"
Felton, "Stabbed 35 times in 13 seconds? He can take that many stabs? I heard he tore his labrum from overtraining. He had missed 3 games before the All-Star game already.
Some reporters in Boston leaked that after being snubbed from the All-Star game, Pierce requested a trade from the Celtics, prompting Ainge to try to bring in Garnett to appease him since he can opt out of his contract this summer."