As Tinsley had anticipated, Granger couldn’t outplay Zhang Yang—his change of direction was closely guarded!
Although the opponent was weak, Zhang Yang didn’t hold back in his preparations, watching clips from Granger’s first four games of the season, he spotted a bad habit in Granger’s one-on-one play—when holding the ball in his right hand and facing a steal, he would subconsciously dribble between his legs to the left to avoid the defense and go left.
Granger had impressive strength but only average explosiveness; glued by Zhang Yang, his speed on the drive was limited. He chose to stop abruptly at the left side of the free-throw line, unable to shake off the defense, and jumped for the shot... which went wildly off target.
Okafor secured the defensive rebound, and on the transition offense, Zhang Yang caught the ball at the high post, turned and threw it... Granger, at nearly 206 centimeters tall with a 215-centimeter wingspan, was well-positioned to interfere. Zhang Yang’s shot clanged off the rim, but!
Okafor turned around, bypassing the younger O’Neal, and slammed down a putback dunk for two points.
With that play, Zhang Yang was certain—the opponents were targeting him, the naive 19-year-old!
When he caught the ball earlier, he noticed from the corner of his eye—Dunleavy on the wing, Tinsley guarding Felton, they were all moving towards him! Insane!
Leverage this for orchestrating an offense? No! He wanted to shoot! He’d always find an opportunity to take a shot!
Next, when Zhang Yang had the ball on offense, the opposition stuck close to him, so he drove looking for shooting chances... to no avail, unfortunately.
Felton, Hill, and the substitute playmaker Rondo, used this to their advantage. After passing to Zhang Yang, when their defenders crowded him, they would cut from the high post into the paint for close-range or under-the-basket attempts, benefiting the most... Okafor!
Isolation plays, feasting on easy baskets, and second-chance points—Okafor was on fire tonight.
Zhang Yang grew increasingly frustrated on offensive and fiercely contested Granger on defense, playing as if his life depended on it.
The technically skilled Granger met Zhang Yang, who was adept at defending technical players, and performed terribly in one-on-one situations.
But regardless of how Granger played, as long as he had the energy, Pacers head coach O’Brien kept letting Tinsley feed him for isolations.
Isolation skills, the ability to force tough shots amidst tight defense and physical contests, are honed ...
At 9:20 PM, the final whistle blew.
Okafor made 12 out of 18 shots, adding 7 out of 10 free throws, scoring 31 points with 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks, leading the Bobcats to an easy 106-92 win over the Pacers.
For the first time this season, Zhang Yang scored less than 20 points. In 35 minutes, he made 6 out of 15 shots, including 2 out of 7 three-pointers, and was perfect from the line with 4 out of 4 free throws, scoring just 18 points.
Despite having 6 assists, which fully extended his playmaking impact, and also delivering an excellent defensive performance, showcasing his defensive talents and making a name for himself in the early season, the in-form Granger had a tough night with only 4 out of 16 shots made, no three-pointers, and just 1 out of 2 free throws, totaling only 9 points and 6 rebounds.
Yet, he felt indignant tonight—he remembered the Pacers players!
Unbeknownst to him, Granger was thinking, "The top rookie of our class can really shoot; managing 15 shots and getting 18 points, thankfully we were prepared. Otherwise, wouldn’t he score forty or fifty points on us?"
Zhang Yang forgot one thing—Granger was in the same draft class.
Facing the number one pick of their class, which ambitious player wouldn’t want to specifically target him?
With the Pacers starting the season with four consecutive losses, the likelihood of winning was slim. Facing the top pick of their draft class, Granger thought since they weren’t going to win anyway, he might as well join forces with Mike Dunleavy, Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and Karim Rush, to collectively corner Zhang Yang and prevent the "bad boy" from scoring explosively on them—he was convinced that Zhang Yang was capable of that.
However, there was a reason Zhang Yang forgot Granger was in his draft class. It wasn’t because Granger looked too old, like Oden or that other person, but rather he gave off the impression of someone much older with many years under his belt.