Harden didn’t pass the ball to the open Ibaka on the right, who was ready for a double team; instead, he abruptly stopped, stepped back, and shot a mid-range jumper one step within the free throw line... only to miss under the disruption of Zhang Yang!
Harden’s unexpected step-back jumper was successfully predicted by Zhang Yang!
Zhang Yang was certain that Harden wouldn’t pass the ball, but he definitely wouldn’t shoot within the double team of him, World Peace, and Gasol either. Nor would he stop for a jumper directly against him. That left Harden with only one choice!
Gasol secured the defensive rebound and quickly passed to Nash. After completing his shot disruption, Zhang Yang turned to see Gasol in a favorable rebounding position and immediately dashed down the court.
Unfortunately, the opponents’ players in positions 1-4 were either too quick and young, or in their defensive prime. Nash, no longer able to maintain his advantage through long-distance sprints as he could in the past, failed to launch a fast break.
Nash didn’t force a 7-second offense but slowed his pace to secure the ball, waiting for his teammates to catch up and get into position before passing to Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang went one-on-one against Sefolosha, continuing to push forward despite the tight defense. Perkins timed his help defense well, but this kind of defense made little difference to Zhang Yang—it was almost like facing "two separate one-on-one challenges."
Facing the charging Zhang Yang, Perkins’ conventional help defense didn’t even offer a challenge. Zhang Yang took one step, then turned the second into a jump step, avoiding the hastily retreated Ibaka under the basket, leaped, and scored with a floater!
Zhang Yang scored three baskets in a row, giving the Lakers an early lead of 6 to 2 over the Thunder Team!
Watching Zhang Yang score a "one-against-three" basket, Nash clapped his hands. His previous run had been ineffective, and though he didn’t get the ball this time either, he would keep moving because opportunities are for those who are prepared.
If Zhang Yang made the shot, then both offensive plays were good ones.
But why has this student’s playing style suddenly become so wild?
He thought back to the conversation he had with Zhang Yang the morning before yesterday... No, he thought Zhang Yang was just talking— he didn’t expect Zhang Yang to actually do it!
Knowing the student’s personality and his understanding of him, Nash could almost see a pot swinging over his head, ready to come crashing down at any moment...
Pressed at the start, Harden didn’t panic; he took the inbound and calmly pushed forward, opting to use Ibaka for a pick-and-roll.
If a direct one-on-one against Zhang San isn’t working, then no more going one-on-one.
Using Ibaka’s screen, Harden shook off Zhang Yang and faced World Peace, who switched to defend. Harden accelerated and drove towards the basket. The 33-year-old World Peace, even after losing weight, couldn’t keep up with Harden’s pace and failed to form an effective double team with Gasol. Harden scored over Gasol’s attempted block with a floater!
The crowd erupted in cheers, with Harden finally responding to Zhang Yang’s one-on-one offense!
At the season’s start, Harden was booed every time he stepped onto the court. As the season progressed, the boos grew louder.
Because on Westbrook’s side, he averaged 26 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.2 assists for the first month, achieving five triple-doubles in 15 games, the best in active service—the league was going crazy, calling Westbrook a combination of Iverson and Kidd, the modern Big O.
Yet as the season continued, while fans of other teams remained excited by Westbrook’s performance, Thunder fans cooled down and began to appreciate Harden’s game.
Turtle-like stats look good, but they don’t win games!
Jeremy Lin and Parsons turned into spot-up shooters, Asik and Patterson had to set screens for Westbrook to grab the ball and lead the counterattack...
On Harden’s side, his drive attacks might not seem as aggressive, but they were actually much more efficient than Westbrook’s. His field goal percentage in the paint was a full 10 percentage points higher, and while it may not have looked fierce, most of his inside shots were taken while facing up to his defenders, actually encountering more resistance than Westbrook ever did.
If it were Westbrook going against Zhang Yang, after being blocked once, he would definitely keep stubbornly clashing with Zhang Yang mindlessly, only to be completely shut down... That’s exactly what happened in last season’s Western Conference Finals, where Westbrook, facing Zhang Yang’s defense, averaged 18 shots for 17 points per game, miserably shooting only 35 percent.
Durant averaged 18 attempts for 27 points, and Harden averaged 16 attempts for 21 points. Neither could fill the hole Westbrook dug—a formidable Spurs team awaited them.
When it was the Lakers’ turn to attack, Zhang Yang continued to handle the ball one-on-one, with the Thunder team no longer daring to defend him in single coverage.
This was the guy who could easily drop 40+ points in a Western Conference Finals game before his "evolution" last year. Now with an improved game, if Zhang Yang kept playing , scoring 40 points might not be the limit.
Zhang Yang penetrated into the paint, but Ibaka moved into position early. Zhang Yang immediately passed the ball back to the arc where Nash, without hesitation, flicked it toward the left of the basket, and Earl Clark cut to the basket for an alley-oop slam dunk, scoring two points!
At that moment, Nash understood what the smart student intended—once the threat is established, team play will be even more effective.
Had they started playing team basketball right after the first setup, they certainly could have created an opportunity for Earl Clark. But if Earl Clark cut to the basket, he would still face Perkins’ help defense, and scoring would not be so easy, though relatively more likely.
But after Zhang Yang had established his threat, Earl Clark could simply feast on assists!
If Perkins stuck to the paint, Nash could also pass to Gasol, who was spreading out to the right baseline. The options for passing in the triangle offense just multiplied!
As the Lakers’ team offense opened up, on the Thunder Team’s side... the offense was still alternating between Harden and Durant.
Zhang Yang’s overall scoring ability was slightly stronger than the duo of Durant and Harden.
His drives were stronger than Durant’s, and while his shooting was a bit worse, the gap wasn’t significant. The main difference was power shooting; when Durant had energy, his forceful shots against the defense were almost unstoppable. However, when it came to shooting performance after creating opportunities, the two were not all that different;