No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 879 - 375. Explode the Truth! _3

This rotation strategy was already set during the preparation meeting, and Zhang Yang wasn’t agitated by the tight score or the narrowing margin. He patiently regained his stamina on the sidelines, waved a towel, and waited to go all out once back on the court.

However, Carlisle had a small impromptu plan, which he felt should be successful...

It’s the Bobcats’ turn to attack. Zhang Yang, who had rested for quite a while, was ready for a one-on-one to get a feel, but upon catching the ball, he was immediately body-checked by Pierce, indifferent to whether he’d get past him or not.

Zhang Yang didn’t hesitate; his height was at a disadvantage, so he quickly turned around from the close combat, took a step back, and changed direction to break through Pierce into the paint... surrounded by three players.

There was Horford in front, Bibby on the flank, and Pierce behind. It was possible to forcibly squeeze past Bibby towards the basket, but Pachulia had already moved into position.

Seizing the fleeting moment before the encirclement tightened, Zhang Yang quickly tossed the ball to Okafor, who had moved to the right sideline just inside the two-point range.

The distance was beyond Okafor’s shooting range, and he couldn’t pass to Hill on the other side who had found an open spot. With Bibby recovering to defend Felton on the right baseline, he passed the ball to Brad Miller, who had moved outside the top arc.

Brad Miller took an open three... and missed.

Horford secured the defensive rebound. Bibby controlled the pace after catching the ball, but Pierce quickly sprinted down the court calling for the ball.

Bibby noticed Pierce’s urgency, but he understood it; the score difference was constantly large, the opponents’ main players kept returning, and they had struggled to reduce the gap to just 5 points. Now that the opponent missed a three-pointer, Pierce was certainly eager to narrow the gap to under 5 points.

He felt Pierce’s intentions were correct; they should seize the momentum to reduce the gap as much as possible, and if they could take the lead before the half ends, they could have the upper hand in the second half.

Moreover... the other team’s mischievous kid was too decisive in making decisions. If he saw the opportunity, he would shoot; if he didn’t, he would immediately pass the ball, putting immense pressure on them.

In a flash of thought, Bibby advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Pierce, who had just scored 4 points in a row.

One step inside the three-point line, in a single against Hill, faking a drive with a step-back... but Hill wasn’t tricked!

Hill’s defensive judgment was excellent, immediately following Pierce’s footwork as he pulled back!

With the shot prepared, Pierce took a fading three against Hill’s contest... and missed!

As Horford aggressively scrambled but failed to grab it, Okafor secured the defensive board, but this also gave the Hawks team the chance to block Zhang Yang from quick-transition offense.

Falling into a set play, Zhang Yang didn’t test his shooting feel anymore. The opponent wouldn’t give him that chance, so he immediately started running positions and using screens to find shooting opportunities.

The Hawks team did a great job chasing defenders, but Brad Miller still found an opportunity...

Zhang Yang saw an opportunity for a cut to receive the ball during his movement, decisively turning back for a sprint, reaching the left corner, right as Brad Miller’s pass came!

Horford switched and rushed to Zhang Yang’s front, but it was already too late.

Zhang Yang had already raised the ball and jumped, taking a three-pointer against Horford’s closeout... and scored!

No need to test the feel? Just do it!

After scoring, Zhang Yang excitedly ran to the mid-circle, high-fiving with Brad Miller in celebration.

As expected from the passing master who played for those Kings for years, daring to make such predictive passes!

If Zhang San hesitated a bit, or hadn’t noticed the gap, the Big White Bear’s pass would have been an Odom-style mistake.

However, he also felt Brad Miller’s trust in his play-awareness and ability to seize opportunities!

Wait, does this mean, for Odom’s many mistakes, he truly saw those as real opportunities?

Carlisle was also very excited at this moment, his small plan succeeded, and he had been waiting for the opponent’s impatience!

A 12-7 surge, and our mischievous kid easily seized the opportunity to catch up!

to 59, the hard-fought 5-point difference was stretched back to 8 points, leaving Pierce frustrated, knowing the miss was his fault. But he wasn’t beaten down; as the Hawks team’s attack resumed, he kept collecting the ball, choosing to drive and distribute this time.

Pachulia was left wide open, caught the ball, took a long two... and scored!

When it was the Bobcats’ turn to attack, the Hawks team tightened up their defense on Zhang Yang even more, but the Bobcats now enjoyed the same offensive space they had in the mid to late first quarter, getting open shots effortlessly as Felton moved past the baseline to the left of the paint, caught a short-range floater... and scored!

Under Pierce’s leadership, the Hawks and the Bobcats engaged in another fierce shootout, with neither team able to gain a clear upper hand in the next few plays.

At 11 minutes and 41 seconds in, Bibby, who had ’vanished’ from the offense for a while, ’reappeared,’ using a screen to drive to the right side of the paint, nailed a pull-up jumper, trimming the score to 59-66, reducing the deficit to 7 points!

The Hawks could accept this point difference; though they hadn’t substantively reduced it, they didn’t let the opponent expand the advantage further in the second quarter and even reduced it by 1 point.

As the pace flipped, the Bobcats had the last attack of the first half.

Felton passed the half-court stripe then handed the ball to Zhang Yang, directly running to the left sideline. Brad Miller went to the left baseline, Okafor to the right of the basket, Hill to the right long two-point area, while Zhang Yang advanced to the top arc, protecting the ball as he burned the time.

Pierce lingered cautiously at the top arc, not daring to press up, because the kid on the opposite team was excessively alert and reacted very quickly. If Pierce left any gap, he’d definitely be easily surpassed.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds until there were 8 seconds left in the first half. Zhang Yang moved, executing a butterfly step to swing the ball!

The crowd’s excitement surged at the sight, the fans roaring their cheers. Pierce, on the other hand, was irate; how dare the brat pull such a slick move on him! He immediately rushed in to confront.

Zhang Yang quickly accelerated the ball with his left hand, actively surging against the oncoming Pierce, dropping the ball for a behind-the-back dribble, sidestepped a step, bypassed Pierce, and charged into the three-point line!

Pierce, who swung at air, instantly pivoted to follow, seeing Zhang Yang make a quick-stop jump-shot one step inside the three-point line. He jumped to block, slapping Zhang Yang’s right arm, but Zhang Yang had already released the ball!

The referee whistled, and the ball plunged into the hoop. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

2+1!

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