No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 905 - 383. Regret_5

In the first quarter, 6 points; second quarter, 10 points; third quarter, 8 points; final quarter, 9 points. Zhang Yang scored 33 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal on 13 of 26 shooting, including 1 of 3 from three-point range, and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. He grabbed 5 offensive rebounds, but the Bobcats still lost to the Pistons, 97 to 107, losing their first away game, bringing the series score to 1-2!

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Just a couple of days ago, there were laughs about the Magic Team’s random three-point shooting. This time, the Bobcats had their own ’random three-point shooting’.

No matter how well the tactics are executed, if there’s no scoring, it looks like random shots. 5 of 21 from three-point range was a disaster.

The next day, during a rest day interview, Zhang Yang was asked about the team’s poor three-point shooting, with a focus on Mike Miller.

Last night, Mike Miller made 1 of 6 from three-point range, a 16% success rate, becoming the target of media and fan criticism.

The main issue is that such performances have happened before with Mike Miller during crucial games.

In the 01-02 playoffs, Mike Miller averaged 15.2 points with a 38% three-point shooting rate. However, during the playoffs against the Hornets, he shot only 12.5% from three-point range, averaging 4.8 points. As the Magic Team’s second-leading scorer that year, they were powerless against the Hornets, and he bore a significant amount of the responsibility.

The Magic Team traded Mike Miller during the second season because of his poor playoff performance.

In the 05-06 season, Mike Miller did it again, shooting 12.5% from three-point range in the series against the Mavericks...

Zhang Yang responded to reporters regarding Mike Miller: "Mike is one of the best three-point shooters in the league; his role has been vital to us achieving 61 wins this regular season. His long-range shooting and sideline feeds are indispensable parts of our tactics. When we lose in the playoffs, we can’t put the blame solely on him; you should focus on me—I am the one leading the team on the court."

This answer left the reporters puzzled.

First, this is clearly an issue of the wing shooters not hitting their shots, causing Zhang Yang to resort to going one-on-one at the top. Besides, isn’t it common practice nowadays to shift the blame when role players don’t perform well? Yet someone still steps up to shoulder the blame?

Zhang Yang was indeed speaking from his heart.

When Mike Miller was traded, Zhang Yang already knew he was a regular-season type of player, or rather, one who only had starting capability during the regular season. In the playoffs against weaker defensive opponents, like the Hawks team, he could still play like a starter.

But against teams with strong defenses, it gets difficult—the officiating becomes looser, and the rotation and defensive interference intensifies, issues Mike Miller cannot resolve.

So in the original timeline, after Mike Miller led the Grizzlies and amassed stats for two years, when he left the Grizzlies for a strong team, he immediately became a single-digit scoring bench player.

Actually, when communicating with the coaching staff, Zhang Yang felt Carlisle had thought about using Mike Miller in the second lineup as a luxury version of Dudley, but eventually abandoned this idea.

Felton’s height meant he could not serve as a serious wing shooter like Mike Miller. His most suitable off-ball play style was using speed and strength to attack the basket, or run around the high post to receive passes, either driving or shooting.

Since there weren’t any particularly powerful forwards to cut through to the basket, the ability to receive and shoot from a distance was key to their tactical flow, so Mike Miller had to stay as a starter...

Mike Miller never demanded a starting position; during the mid-to-early parts of the season, he played quite diligently even as a substitute.

Zhang Yang’s ’tolerance’ of this situation was mainly because of the professional attitude shown by Mike Miller. If Mike Miller had insisted on being a starter and played poorly, Zhang Yang definitely wouldn’t indulge him—but since it’s a team requirement, the fault does not lie with Miller, but rather with Zhang Yang himself.

After a day’s rest, on the 14th, the Bobcats and the Pistons began Game 4 of the series.

Carlisle once again adjusted the tactics. He remarked, "The game is a cycle."

After the first game, he abandoned relying solely on the core players and added running pressure to the tactical execution for the role players.

But by Game 4, he began to actively embrace this approach.

In Game 3, poor three-point shooting was one of the reasons for the loss. But at that time, Carlisle had already seen it: the tactical changes they exhibited in Game 2 had already been understood by the opposing coach, who looked like a mob boss, who made clear defensive adjustments.

The core players had to play better, and the role players had to play better for a chance to win. It would be tough to reduce their burden given the 1-2 deficit. Facing the difficulty of reducing the burden for the players, he had no choice but to apply more pressure. Being proactive is better than reactive, at least allowing for early preparation in response.

After a battle of offensive aggression, the Bobcats fell once again, failing to secure either away game.

Zhang Yang scored 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; Felton had 23 points and 6 assists; Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds; Hill had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists... they lost to Billups’ 26 points and 9 assists; Hamilton with 23 points and 2 assists; Rasheed Wallace with 19 points; and McDyess with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

to 109, the Bobcats lost by 8 points, falling to a 1-3 series deficit!

On the 16th, the Bobcats returned to Charlotte, facing the Pistons in Game 5 of the series.

Carlisle continued to delve into adjusting the ’pressure’ tactic, firmly executing it without changing the approach.

Compared to the passive adjustments in Game 1, and the inability to sustain offensive breakthroughs in Game 3, the Game 4 approach at least presented a chance for victory.

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