22. Zhang Yang's Desire

Dudley, excited by his buzzer-beating three-pointer, rushed up to embrace Zhang Yang, "Rookie, nice pass!"

Thanks to the rookie for that top five play!

It was because the pass was both straight and hard that the opponent did not anticipate it; otherwise, McDyess might have slapped it down with a swing of his hand to the upper left, and it almost slipped out of his hands when he caught it.

By the way, what was the rookie's name?

Hearing Stoudemire yelling "Jack," Dudley made sure he would remember next time.

The others also crowded around to praise the rookie.

Nash didn't join in the praises... mainly because he was too weak to squeeze through his teammates.

He felt greatly relieved, the young brother had not only become savvy in training but also more flexible and bold during the game.

Zhang Yang received the praises but still viewed his performance very calmly.

Scoring 6 points and 2 assists in 7 minutes was quite good but the scores were easy shots, and those two assists highly tested his teammates' abilities.

The real help to the team's momentum was Stoudemire, who dominated under the basket scoring 14 points and 6 boards in a single quarter.

At most, Zhang Yang could be considered a catalyst speeding up Stoudemire's lead in the momentum.

Of course, he did not sell himself short; if another substitute played, they probably wouldn't have performed as well, and it would take longer for Stoudemire to lead the momentum switch. Consequently, the time to even the score or take the lead would almost certainly be delayed.

After returning to the locker room, Gentry repeatedly stressed they shouldn't become careless simply because they had taken the lead in the score.

Zhang Yang felt the same; he was not clear about the specific conditions of this series, but after the half, he sensed that although the Suns had swept the Spurs 4-0, it certainly hadn't been as easy as the large score margin seemed.

Just like in the 1995 finals, it looked like the Rockets were trouncing the Magic, but in fact, the Magic had almost won each game, only to collapse at critical moments.

The Spurs were genuinely strong. In the second quarter, their side, under the leader of the little overlord, launched a fierce attack, but the Spurs showed no sign of crumbling. Instead, they stubbornly defended their lead until the last moment, which was nerve-wrackingly steady.

However, Zhang Yang was neither nervous nor afraid, he was just a minor substitute. It was enough to cheer for his teammates from the sidelines and give his all when he had a chance to play.

He had confidence in his teammates, he could clearly feel the change in their mentality. At the start of the game, they were overly tense, as if they were under immense pressure, but now, their confidence was rising! And they were playing better and better!

...

After the halftime break, the third quarter began.

As Zhang Yang had anticipated, the game didn't become easier but instead, entered a mode of fierce battle.

All three main players of the Spurs were up!

Duncan, who had performed heroically in the first half, scoring 19 points, started the third quarter with an aggressive attack.

Although Parker had fewer counterattack opportunities, his scoring and passing behind Duncan's screens were still excellent.

The magical Ginobili, who had moments of lapse and brilliance in the first half, also performed excellently in the third quarter.

While battling the three main players, Spurs coach Popovich gave up on offensive rebounds from Duncan, McDyess, and the rotated-in Blair, opting fully for defense to trouble the Suns' fast breaks.

On the Suns' side, Stoudemire continued his aggressive play, Nash, who had primarily passed and shot return passes in the first half, also increased his shooting in the third quarter, clashing hard with the three main players. Gentry also did quite well in making on-the-fly adjustments and rotating the lineup, struggling to compete with the Spurs.

However, in such a situation, Spurs' coach Popovich, who seemed to have the upper hand on the court, was actually under greater pressure, while Suns' coach Gentry, barely hanging on, felt less stressed.

The full-on attack by the three main players was the Spurs' method for harvesting the game. Deploying this strategy in the third quarter was bound to impact their performance later.

If the Spurs managed to gain a scoring advantage, it would be okay to slowly grind their defense later, but they seemed to have an advantage that didn't translate into significant results.

Popovich had no choice but to make such a decision, facing the overwhelming momentum of the other side after they took the lead in the score, and worried the game would slip away if he didn't use his strongest tactics.

He also did not want to play a key ball.

They were one of the teams least skilled at key balls. Ginobili was the best on the team at crucial moments, yet despite his talent, he was often erratic. In the second round game seven of 2006, Ginobili inexplicably fouled Nowitzki with a three-point lead, leading to the score being leveled by Nowitzki and the game pushed into overtime, where Terry and Stackhouse went on a rampage, and the Mavericks reversed and won... That scene was unforgettable for Popovich.

So he chose to gamble, trying to regain the lead with the strongest play.

This choice demonstrated a change in Popovich's coaching philosophy.

However, the game did not go in the direction he had hoped...

With 9:06 left in the third quarter, the Spurs led the Suns by two points, 81 to 79, having played a 25 to 22 quarter, dominating for a long period.

But in the last two minutes, the trio's offense stalled!

The Suns seized the opportunity to counterattack, with Zhang Yang and Richardson scoring on reverse layups, aided by Stoudemire's distraction, and Nash hitting a trailing three-pointer, scoring a quick 7 to 2 against the Spurs!

By the end of the third quarter, the Suns had taken the lead again, 86 to 83, gaining a three-point advantage!

Zhang Yang played for 5 minutes in the third quarter, scoring 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, not as spectacular as in the second quarter.

But he played some special roles —— he affected Popovich's defensive predictions.

In regular plays, Zhang Yang is just a traditional player who can counterattack and make fixed-point mid-range shots.

But after Gentry called for a timeout and during tactical offensive plays, which are critical moments when the Spurs must closely guard and double-team the Suns' stars, Popovich found Zhang Yang troubling and did not want to give him the chance to handle the ball, choosing not to leave him unguarded.

Popovich could not predict what Zhang Yang would do after receiving the ball, and he hated this type of player, unless the player was on his team...

In this quarter, during tactical plays, Zhang Yang himself didn't have any standout performances, but he indirectly made it easier for the team leaders to play.

In the fourth quarter, it was the Suns' turn to explode right from the start.

In the first four minutes, the Suns scored 15 to 8, extending their lead by 10 points, leading 101 to 91.

The Spurs were truly steady, and they didn't collapse, giving only 12 points to the Suns, who were attacking aggressively but then fell into a slump in the final 7 minutes. However, since the trio was too exhausted from the third quarter, they had no energy left to attack and scored only 16 points during this time.

At 10:22 p.m., the final whistle blew.

Duncan had an excellent performance tonight, with 39 minutes on the court, he made 13 of 22 shots, plus made 7 out of 12 free throws, slashing 33 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 6 blocks.

But Stoudemire performed even better! Playing 46 minutes, after scoring only 2 points in the first quarter, he ended the game with 37 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks!

With 11 offensive rebounds, and scoring 12 points just from offensive rebounds, Stoudemire single-handedly provided long-range cover for his teammates.

Nash also performed exceptionally well, scoring 26 points and 12 assists. Son of the Wind and the Little Overlord together led the team to beat the Spurs 113 to 107, leading the series 1 to 0!

...

After the final whistle, the whole Suns team gathered to celebrate, this time around their teammate —— the Little Overlord, Stoudemire.

After the celebration, reporters also surrounded Stoudemire.

In the face-to-face confrontation with the history's number one power forward, Stoudemire overwhelmingly outperformed his opponent, shining brightly tonight.

Zhang Yang watched this scene with envy.

He longed for the day he would also have such a moment...

Tonight, he played 16 minutes, scoring 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, which was quite good.

Especially in the second quarter, helping his team to gain momentum earlier, thereby allowing them to secure the victory earlier without needing to struggle for critical points at the last moment, he felt his role was quite significant.

But there were still areas he wasn't satisfied with —— his two shots in the final quarter paid homage to Los Angeles.

Compared to Nash, Stoudemire, Richardson, Hill, and others, he felt he was still undercooked.

He felt he had to work harder. If he was undercooked, he needed more practice!

...

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