Struggling to hold the impact under the basket, and unable to keep up with Zhang Yang’s footwork when stepping out to block, Bosh encountered the same dilemma against the Bobcats as he did against Garnett.
Bosh’s effective height was significantly shorter than Garnett’s, and although his wingspan was impressive, it was still 4 centimeters shorter than Garnett’s, with a slower reaction time, making it even harder to prevent.
As for why it was Bosh who retracted under the basket to protect it, rather than Nesterovic?
During the Bobcats’ next offensive play, Felton cut along the baseline, received a pass from Zhang Yang, stepped on the left side of the three-second zone, and made a throw shot over Nesterovic, providing the answer.
Nesterovic was excellent at protecting the rim, with top-tier post defense and impact resistance in the league, but his slow footwork meant that taking care of Zhang Yang meant he couldn’t handle Felton.
However, the actual issue still lay with Bosh.
Garnett + Nesterovic was one of the best shot-blocking duos of the early century, causing headaches even for the likes of O’Neal and Duncan.
In the summer of ’03, Popovich played a shrewd move, offering Nesterovic a 6-year, $42 million contract; considering Ben Wallace’s contract at that time was 6 years for $33.9 million, the Timberwolves simply had to let him go.
Of course, Nesterovic and Duncan also complemented each other well, but the price was inflated; in the ’05 Finals, the rotation of Duncan + Nesterovic + Muhammad proved a headache even for Popovich’s mentor, Larry Brown.
If it weren’t for the Spurs’ multiple mid-level contracts with salaries increasing annually, and Ginobili’s "child labor" contract reaching its end needing a salary raise, Popovich would have been reluctant to break up the three-tower lineup.
Youthful Colangelo took the opportunity to bring in Nesterovic, trying to ’recreate’ the Timberwolves’ twin towers of those days.
But Bosh’s help and recovery defense capabilities were far too inferior to Garnett’s.
With Nesterovic behind him, Garnett could disrupt Zhang Yang’s drives while ensuring the side wing pass routes were cut off, and then recover to block to the assisting Felton.
Bosh could manage each of these tasks on their own quite well, like just now when he timely moved to block Okafor’s cut, and also disrupted Millsap’s best receiving moment; his close-range defense against Felton was also good.
But asking him to cover all bases like Garnett was too much to ask.
After a few more rounds, with Zhang Yang scoring from the right elbow area, the Raptors’ players autonomously adjusted, strengthening their middle lane defense to deny Zhang Yang any shooting opportunities.
Whether it was Felton cutting to score or passing to Alan Anderson or Okafor, the Raptors’ players couldn’t cover everything.
Bosh cursed the player who once wore the number 8 jersey in his heart.
Zhang Yang’s play against them wasn’t just somewhat similar to Kobe’s; it was exactly the same!
Although the Raptors had risen to prominence only after changing the majority of their roster this season, their defensive system had been building around Bosh for the past two years, enabling them to quickly gel and match the Pistons’ record midseason.
Kobe’s 81-point game against the Raptors could be considered the perfect case study for dismantling the Raptors’ defense.
Although Zhang Yang’s ability clearly lagged behind Kobe’s, the Raptors’ players still didn’t dare to bet that Zhang Yang wouldn’t make his shots.
This guy’s killer instinct might be even more ruthless than Kobe’s. If he had a chance to shoot, he absolutely would take it. Last time they played, they gave him mid-range opportunities, and Zhang Yang took a total of 31 shots. Plus, not long ago, Zhang Yang fired off 46 times to score 82 points in the Rookie Challenge...
Zhang Yang surely wouldn’t score 82 points in a regular-season game, but even if he scored half that amount, 41 points, the Raptors couldn’t bear the burden!
Facing the Raptors’ block defense, Zhang Yang passed the ball when double-teamed, smoothly initiating the Bobcats’ team offense.
Zhang Yang expended a lot of energy playing this way, so Bickerstaff timely substituted Rondo in for Felton.
Rondo’s response and playmaking not only improved the ball circulation, but also, if trapped in a drive, he could pass out the ball based on prediction.
The Bobcats put on a very aggressive offensive performance that night.
However, the Bobcats didn’t manage to quickly establish a lead!
Without a defender like Garnett, and haunted by Kobe’s 81-point onslaught, the Raptors, even without Gerald Wallace’s cutting threat, still saw Zhang Yang successfully open up team offense.
But Gerald Wallace’s absence greatly impacted their defense!
With 9:22 left in the first quarter, when Zhang Yang rotated out for a rest, the Bobcats were leading the Raptors by just 4 points, 27 to 23!
Without Gerald Wallace’s mid-range disruption, Bosh, in less than 9 and a half minutes, scored 3 out of 5 field goals, plus 2 free throws for 8 points, two more than Zhang Yang!
After Zhang Yang was benched for a rest, the Bobcats’ offensive efficiency dropped, scoring only 5 points in the last two and a half minutes, while the Raptors scored 8 points.
By the end of the first quarter, the Raptors had closed the gap to 32-31, trailing by just 1 point!
In the second quarter, the Bobcats immediately turned the ball over on their first offense, with Ford quickly stealing from Rondo and going on a dribble break that not even Rondo could catch up with, scoring a layup amidst the wild cheers of the home crowd, helping the Raptors take the lead 33-32.
Both being adept speedsters, the rookie Rondo was schooled by the more experienced Ford.
Just like at the end of the first quarter, without Zhang Yang on the court, Felton’s limited draw, and the lack of self-initiative from wing shooters... Rondo couldn’t break through with drives and had to feed the ball to Okafor.
Okafor, against the Raptors’ reserve big men Garbajosa and Bargnani, had a decent success rate in offense.