Chapter 1098: Chapter 1098

Zhang Yang, on the other hand, chose to ignore the external praise. He fully entered a training state, woke up for breakfast at around nine in the morning the next day, then stayed in the study to watch the video clips of last night’s game sent over by the team, and also reviewed the footage from the first and the first four games of the second round.

After analyzing the footage from several games, he concluded that if it weren’t for his presence, the Lakers likely would have lost the critical Game 5!

The ’him’ here carries a hint of Zhang San’s flair, but his style of play was greatly influenced by the Spurs... more accurately, by Duncan’s influence, and it was profound!

If allowed, ’he’ would prioritize stability, which is also the reason why the Lakers’ Spurs system could be successfully established.

Of course, there are special circumstances — ’stimulated’ by Curry’s extravagant shots.

In the first round series against the Warriors, ’he’ started his flamboyant play in the second game with a ’I’ll make more threes than you’ posture, using numerous attempts and successful three-point shots to break through the Warriors’ excellent defensive rotations, preventing the Lakers from being upset like last season’s Nuggets.

But the Spurs no longer have a player like Curry who can single-handedly change the game with personal ability.

Duncan, even in his youth, wasn’t a player who could single-handedly turn a game around. His play style has always been about steady pressure.

Parker... not being a liability during adversity is good enough.

Ginobili in his youth did have that ability and was one of the players who had the most impact on game outcomes in the entire NBA, but not anymore. He is still excellent but is getting older, with only two months to go before he turns 37. His excellence is now limited to within the system, and he can play some key moments if his stamina is enough, but it’s no longer possible for him to explode and take down opponents like he did when he was younger.

In the footage Zhang Yang saw, in the first four games of the series against the Spurs, ’he’ started steadily, striving to unfold teamwork with his teammates, even the G4 comeback began only in the third quarter.

If following the rhythm of the first four games, the Spurs’ defensive plan at the start of last night’s game would likely have been effective.

Zhang Yang guessed, maybe his presence was meant to change the original course!

Last night, he didn’t think much at first — just felt that when he got the ball, it was one-on-one, Leonard was still moving, and as long as Duncan didn’t come to double-team in time, throwing it himself had a higher probability of scoring than Bazemore’s open shot. It was only after playing several rounds and noticing signs of disorder in their defense did he gradually realize his impact... one could say his instinctive reactions helped break the game.

However, even knowing how to break the game at the start last night, Zhang Yang, recalling the actual feel of last night’s game, felt that if given another chance to play it again, he still couldn’t be sure of the outcome.

When gathering information before, he came across remarks that ’if the Spurs kept Zhang, they could achieve four consecutive championships’, which he felt was exaggerated, but after a real showdown, he thought as long as Duncan doesn’t retire early, the statement was merely stating a fact!

After lunch, Anna Amas, having been neglected for two days, flipped Zhang Yang the middle finger and slammed the door on her way out.

Zhang Yang originally intended to retain and explain that he was too busy and offer some comforting words, but he ultimately chose to give up, fearing that if things went out of control, it would be awkward for ’himself’.

Besides, looking at Anna Amas’ state, ’he’ and this Cuban girl didn’t seem like lovers.

Even if they were, he believed a handsome and wealthy ’him’ could win her back without much worry.

Zhang San: Thank you for the compliment!

In the afternoon, Zhang Yang flew with the team to San Antonio. Upon reaching the hotel, Zhang Yang sought out Kobe, Gasol, and Nash to discuss strategies.

He was so proactive and only talked about the game without touching on personal matters, which didn’t make any of the three feel anything unusual; ’he’ was always when there was a game, especially this time it was against his former team with whom there was a grudge, so there was no need to say more.

Moreover, the three always appreciated Zhang Yang’s attitude towards the game; players from their era were all like that, but nowadays, it’s become increasingly rare to find young players with the old-school player’s ethos like Zhang Yang.

Of course, this was a good thing for them. With players continually showing better talent, if everyone worked as hard as they did, they would have had to retire two or three years earlier, so they had no intention of changing this trend... except for a certain old Ironsmith, who often offered unsolicited advice to the younger generation. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel✦fire.net

The Son of the Wind and the Big Sister-in-law thought, if it weren’t for the old Ironsmith’s fame, respect, and large fanbase, he would have long been disliked by young players. It’s not like there aren’t players willing to listen, but even having one out of ten is optimistic.

After a day of rest, May 13th, it was the sixth game day of the series between the Lakers and the Spurs.

On the way to the ATT Center in the morning, Zhang Yang learned from chatting with Nash that the Cavaliers won the first pick in the draft lottery again last night, which he hadn’t really followed.

"Jack, do you think the Cavaliers getting the first pick for the third time in four years is the league’s way of compensating the Cavaliers for losing James?" Nash whispered.

Zhang Yang was speechless for two seconds and replied, "This isn’t some unspeakable secret, no need to talk in whispers."

Zhang Yang: "I remember the Cavaliers had 33 wins and finished tenth in the East this season? Their odds of getting the first pick were fifth-lowest among the fourteen lottery teams, lower than the odds for the Bulls in ’08 or the Rockets in ’02. It definitely seems like it’s to appease Gilbert. I heard when James left, Gilbert was planning to sell the Cavaliers. Neither Stern nor current President Silver want to see a deep-pocketed owner leave the NBA. I recall the Cavaliers were breaking small-market team salary records every year during those years."