Watching Zhang Yang pull in for a defensive rebound off the baseline with the help of a screen from Millsap, Hamilton shook his hand slightly and retreated on defense.
His touch wasn’t great tonight; his shots were terribly off.
But that wasn’t the worst of it... sure enough!
As Hamilton fell back inside the three-point line, he turned his head to see Zhang Yang advancing towards him.
Felton continued to the left corner, Millsap was ready for a wing screen, Okafor in position down low, and Gerald Wallace prepared for a backdoor cut...
The Pistons’ defense was pressed low, with only Hamilton above the free-throw line.
Zhang Yang continued his isolation play, the same old tactic, driving to the foul line and actively seeking contact.
This time Hamilton chose to step up, leaving the back to his teammates.
As Zhang Yang confronted Hamilton, he turned, pulled the ball with his left hand, and wound around Hamilton, continuing his drive!
Hamilton’s anticipated help defense did arrive, as Max Hill closed in to block Zhang Yang... and fouled him.
Zhang Yang attempted a flying shot that missed, but he earned himself two free throws.
Watching Zhang Yang step to the free-throw line amidst the cheering of the fans, Hamilton couldn’t help but inwardly groan. The second-year’s mid-range one-on-one skills had improved significantly, showing clear progress from their encounter a month ago. His combination of drives and shots had become much more fluid, and Hamilton was finding him increasingly difficult to defend.
In their last two matchups, this guy had already abandoned off-ball offense, grabbing the ball on the court and going straight at him, defending Prince on the defensive end, then retreating to the wing to space out after getting tired... playing with a carefree yet resolute style!
Although this style seemed somewhat selfish, Hamilton felt that Zhang Yang’s approach was the right choice, taking the strengths of a ’pure scorer’ to the extreme.
Moreover, Zhang Yang played smartly. Seeing that the frontcourt was filled with athletic, aggressive but defensively clumsy Max Hill, he took the initiative to attack inside, drawing fouls.
Zhang Yang made both free throws, putting the Bobcats ahead 2 to 0 from the start.
Now it was the Pistons’ turn to attack. Billups went for a one-on-one, with Hamilton ready to assist. Both started to attack fiercely, ensuring a high success rate.
Saunders had inserted Max Hill into the starting lineup to attempt playing fast, aiming to enhance offense, countering Zhang Yang and Okafor’s one-on-one plays. He didn’t anticipate the other team still opting to start Millsap instead of Muhammad or Jumaine Jones, even with Gerald Wallace not sidelined, failing to increase their speed.
Saunders felt really unlucky tonight, not only were his tactical intentions predicted by the opponent, but his players were also off their game.
Hamilton’s second shot also clanked off the rim!
This time the ball hit the front of the rim. Zhang Yang pulled in the rebound, sensing a chance for a fast break, charge, charge, charge!
Gerald Wallace and Millsap flew down the wings, the Pistons’ defense was orderly but fragmented, and as Zhang Yang cut through the middle, facing Max Hill retreating under the basket, he executed a Euro step, moving to Max Hill’s left rear and released a turnaround jumper...
Max Hill’s reaction speed, turning speed, and quickness were all very good, and his defensive enthusiasm was also very high. He had the potential to become a quality role player.
But quick reactions were not always a good thing!
After being faked out of position, Max Hill managed to turn and leap towards Zhang Yang... unable to stop in time, he collided with Zhang Yang after the ball had been released.
The ball went in as the whistle blew. The referee signaled a shooting foul by Max Hill against Zhang Yang, declaring Zhang Yang’s basket good and awarding an additional free throw!
Saunders signaled for a substitution, sending Webber in to replace Max Hill on the court.
The start of the game was frustrating for him, but looking on the bright side, with Max Hill picking up two fouls in the first three plays, he didn’t have to worry anymore whether to continue with the fast breaks at the start... fat lot of good that did! With two fouls in less than two minutes, trouble was brewing tonight!