No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 188 - 109. Scoring is king!_2

Matt Haplin, though he joined the Jazz Team only in 2002 when the team had long passed its peak and had partnered with the dynamic duo for just a year, became the man with the most "Jazz spirit" after one of the duo left for Los Angeles and the other retired gloomily.

Seeing Matt Haplin get up, pat his butt, and prepare to continue the offense, Zhang Yang "oh"-ed and shook his head as he quickly looked back to see when the ball would be passed to him, just in time to see the image of this man, nicknamed "The Football Player," hurling himself into the air.

The opposing players were all inspired by Matt Haplin’s do-or-die spirit, Zhang Yang felt the pressure of the game mount but at the same time was thrilled. To go up against an opponent like Matt Haplin was an honor for him!

The Jazz Team launched another attack, Deron initiated a pick and roll with Matt Haplin...it was not impressive,

Fortunately, the other Jazz Team members moved more actively; Deron saw the opportunity and passed the ball... Okur cycled to the right elbow area, caught the ball, and scored with a mid-range shot!

Although the ball went in, the pick and roll was performed so poorly that Sloan shook his head. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Deron was not yet skilled at initiating the pick and rolls; not for a lack of talent but because he had just begun to learn.

In college, like Felton, he was far stronger than other guards, and a simple shove would suffice; he had no need for pick and rolls.

After being selected by the Jazz Team, he was reluctant to try pick and rolls; he disliked Stockton’s soft offensive style. He preferred the one-on-one overpowering approach of Chris Paul and rejected Sloan’s arrangement to have Stockton teach him.

Another reason Sloan pressed on Deron was his refusal to follow instructions.

However, Sloan had never really tried to have a proper conversation with Deron, hadn’t considered a more tactful approach to show Deron that he was suitable for pick and rolls and could improve by using them... Although Deron eventually acquiesced in order to gain playing time and the starting spot, and took to the pick and roll more proactively, as Sloan had anticipated, nonetheless...

As it stands, Sloan’s current thought is dissatisfaction with Deron only being willing to study the pick and roll properly in January and even now not as good as the opposing plump dwarf.

Zhang Yang made two consecutive mid-range shots to help the Bobcats regain the upper hand, motivating his teammates, with Matt Haplin stepping up to reignite the team’s fighting spirit.

Both teams were locked in a tug-of-war.

Felton initiated the offense with a pick and roll; Gerald Wallace cut in from the weak side to respond and keep Okur in check, while the Bobcats’ best three-point shooter, Matt Carroll, with a 41.6% three-point shooting percentage, held the strong side flank.

Once Zhang Yang launched a threat from a high position, Kirilenko was forced to step up in defense, immediately opening up the attack space for Gerald Wallace and Felton.

The Bobcats showed their strength over the Jazz Team — completeness of playstyle, the level of tacit understanding between players in executing tactics.

The Jazz Team couldn’t compete with the Bobcats in this respect, mainly due to the point guard position. Deron’s talent was visibly better than Felton’s, with enhanced physical conditions, but he was technically less mature. His early ’resistance and non-compliance’ affected his growth in the first half of the season and also affected his cooperation with teammates.

Felton was very adept in playing with Gerald Wallace and Zhang Yang, trusting each other and relying on each other.

The cooperation between Deron and Kirilenko was quite poor, as Deron couldn’t utilize Kirilenko’s ability to make plays accurately. To be precise, the two barely coordinated; each played his own game.

Kirilenko’s assists per game, at over 4, reveal this, being excessively high, indicating too much possession time. His way of facilitating plays resembled that of Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan. Theoretically, 2-3 assists per game would be normal. They are better at passing to the right teammate at the high post and moving the ball quickly rather than dribbling solo and waiting for teammates to run open, which isn’t really playmaking but more solo play with belated passing.

But the Jazz Team had their advantage — the roster!

Even with Boozer injured, the Jazz Team’s roster was still better than the Bobcats’, evident from the salaries. Excluding Boozer’s $11 million, the Jazz Team still had $46 million, while the Bobcats, without Okafor, were down to $27 million.

Especially Okur, a top-tier big man shooter, clearly outperformed anyone in the Bobcats’ frontcourt.

While Deron and Kirilenko’s cooperation failed, both were fine in playing with Okur.

Whoever said, "With money, you can do whatever you want." Tonight’s performance of the Jazz Team served as a strong validation of those words. Using their more expensive roster, they managed to exchange blows with the Bobcats.

The Bobcats led 28-24 in the first quarter; the Jazz Team returned with a 27-22 second quarter, taking a one-point lead over the Bobcats by halftime; in the first half of the third quarter, the Jazz Team carved out a 13-9 advantage, but in the latter half, consecutive three-pointers from Felton helped the Bobcats overtake the score... Leading alternated between the two teams until mid-fourth quarter, with the Jazz Team ahead of the Bobcats by two points, at 92-90!

On the Bobcats’ offense, Felton’s sneak pass to the basket was blocked out of bounds by Kirilenko, and during the dead ball, Bickerstaff took the opportunity to bring Zhang Yang back in after he had rested for over half a quarter.

The Bobcats continued their offense with Zhang Yang back in; Felton changed the play, starting a pick and roll with Jumaine Jones.

After penetrating to the inside, Felton passed back toward the free-throw line.

Kirilenko rushed out faster this time, and when Zhang Yang received the ball, Kirilenko was already in his face.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)𝒆bnov(𝒆)l