No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 1426 - 552: Miraculous Comeback, Saint Jack Descends! (Part 2)
On June 6th, the Bobcats came to Conseco Fieldhouse.
At noon, a simple birthday party was held for Zhang Yang, with nothing much else but cutting a cake and giving gifts.
By evening, as Zhang Yang and his teammates stepped onto the court, their thoughts were simple—since they’ve dragged it out one more game, why not see if they can drag it out another?
Though it’s a pity they can’t win, playing one more game against such opponents is also good.
With this mentality, the Bobcats players exploded... a defensive explosion!
In Game 5, the full match saw the Pacers’ five starters, Randolph shooting 8 of 17 for 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, Hibbert shooting 5 of 11 plus 4 free throws to get 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, DeRozan going 5 of 13 for 17 points, Granger going 6 of 15 for 14 points, 8 rebounds, George Hill shooting 5 of 14 for 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists... the shooting rates collectively plummeted!
But they were still doing okay, managing a total shooting percentage of 41.4%. Aside from the five starters, the rest of the Pacers combined for 2 of 15. All seven substitutes got time on the court, but second-year Lance Stephenson was the only one who managed 2 of 4 for 6 points, while the other six substitutes threw 11 shots that all bricked!
The Pacers had only six players scoring, with 31 of 85 shooting for only a 36.4% rate, totaling 79 points!
Despite the Pacers activating defensive battle mode after missing shots, dragging the Bobcats’ shooting percentage down below 40%, they narrowed the gap to two points in the final moments.
But this time, Zhang Yang did not miss the crucial shot, receiving the ball on the right side of the free-throw line amidst two defenders, stepping far toward the end, turning around for a fadeaway jumper, hitting the shot to widen the gap to 4 points, 83 to 79!
In the final seconds, the Pacers’ desperate three-pointer missed, Millsap grabbed the rebound madly, then held onto it tightly, glaring fiercely at Hibbert, who initially wanted to grab the opponent for a tactical foul but stopped his action.
But there were only 4 seconds left, not even enough time for another desperate shot. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel saw Hibbert not go for the tactical foul and didn’t mind; he felt Hibbert thought it unnecessary.
attempts with 9 hits, including 4 of 13 threes, plus 5 of 5 free throws, Zhang Yang scored 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks!
Adding Millsap’s 8 points, 14 rebounds, Felton’s 15 points, 5 assists, Okafor’s 7 points, 15 rebounds, Ibaka’s 12 points, Afflalo’s 6 points, and Marion’s 8 points.
to 79, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Pacers on the road, taking the series score to 2 to 3!
...
On June 8th, the inside and outside of Charlotte Tuhang Stadium were packed with people.
At 7:40 PM, the atmosphere around the spectator seats was particularly frantic, with fans holding banners and signs saying ’Happy Birthday’. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
They originally thought there would be no more home games this season; the team would head to finish the games away and go fishing, but the East Final came back!
So first, face Zhang Yang and give him the 24th birthday wish!
At 8 PM, after the game started, the Bobcats burst again, this time on offense!
After catching up for two straight games, bringing the score to 2 to 3, and narrowly winning a game when they were about to be eliminated, Zhang Yang and his teammates had a completely different mindset.
Zhang Yang’s thoughts were simple: why not win another game?
The teammates’ inner pillar was clear—if the offense is good, with the presence of the third brother, he can blow up Granger with 39 points in a game; when offense is not good, deadlocking defense, the third brother can still hold, scoring 27!
In the first quarter, the Bobcats blasted 32 points, leading the Pacers who had 23 points by 9!
In the second quarter, the Pacers also blasted their best single-quarter performance in six games, scoring 31 points. But the Bobcats did not see a significant drop in scoring, blasting 30 points, holding up!
Half-time saw the Bobcats leading the Pacers by 8 points, 62 to 54!
In the third quarter, under pressure, the Pacers also raised their defense, lowering Bobcats’ score to 23 points, but their own score was also only 23 points, fighting for nothing.
In the last quarter, Zhang Yang came up and locked the victory.
High post face-up isolated Granger with a horizontal step jumper, hitting for a 2+1, stealing DeRozan head-on for a fast-break trailing three, opening with 6-0!
to 77, Bobcats expanded the lead to 14 points!
At this point, the Pacers embarked on a long journey of catching up... but couldn’t catch up.
Though they scored 27 points over the next 11 and a half minutes, the Bobcats blew up again during this time!
When the offense opens up, Lewis also played tonight, weaving in a three-pointer and a long two in the 7-minute stretch combining the end of the first quarter and middle of the second quarter, shooting 3 of 2, with an excellent performance. In the third quarter, the defense was up, and Lewis would drag behind, himself affected in feel, so Carlisle didn’t let him play, the last quarter exploded then let Lewis play.
The veteran went 2 of 3 for threes in the last quarter, playing a significant role! Helping the Bobcats explode with 28 points over the last 11 and a half minutes!
First quarter 7 points, 3 assists, second quarter 5 points, 4 assists, third quarter 10 points, 0 assists, last quarter 8 points, 5 assists, Zhang Yang played for 46 minutes total, going 22 of 10 with 12 of 5 threes, plus 6 of 5 free throws, scoring 30 points, 12 assists... plus 11 rebounds, 3 steals!
Adding Felton’s 20 points, 6 assists, Okafor’s 14 points, 14 rebounds, Ibaka’s 13 points, Millsap’s 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, Lewis’s 11 points, Marion’s 8 points, Afflalo with 3 threes plus 1 long two totaling 11 points...
