11. Targeted Talent
They rested for a few minutes, and the second quarter began.
Jones went to the free-throw line to inbound the ball, his voice finally recovered and he taunted, "Just surrender early. Surrendering might be less embarrassing."
DeRozan ignored Jones. After calming down, he remembered that in the first quarter, he had completely forgotten about teamwork. No, not just teamwork; he had barely even passed the ball, and even Harden didn't get many shooting opportunities. Now he had to focus.
Seeing Zhang Yang run to the designated position, DeRozan changed direction and drove forward.
Jones couldn't stop DeRozan's breakthrough, but he didn't give up on defense. Using his speed advantage, he closely followed DeRozan and, together with Isaiah, successfully cornered DeRozan on the right side of the free-throw line... With the experience from the first quarter, their defensive coordination against DeRozan was already very skilled.
However, DeRozan didn't just pull up and shoot when he encountered the double team like before. Instead, he continued to drive deeper into the trap... and then he passed the ball!
Zhang Yang cut along the left side of the three-second zone, caught the ball, and without dribbling, he took two steps and jumped quickly, tossing the ball into the hoop.
Andrew, who was guarding Harden on the left, timely moved in from the baseline, but it was too late.
His athletic ability wasn't much better than his brother Isaiah's, as he was more of a technique player, while Zhang Yang's sprinting speed was even faster than Isaiah's!
"Shooting value +5"
Zhang Yang's eyes brightened as he landed; it was much higher than in training!
He put that aside for now and focused on finishing the game.
Zhang Yang picked up the ball and went to the free-throw line, passing to Jones.
Seeing that the one guarding him had turned to Zhang Yang, Jones felt a flicker of pride in his heart — see, I made the top middle school player from Southern California afraid to guard me!
His ball-handling became flashier, wanting to severely humiliate this pretty boy in front of him.
He didn't know Zhang Yang, but he felt annoyed just looking at Zhang Yang's face.
However, Zhang Yang completely ignored him, didn't even move forward to press, and just stood at the free-throw line after passing the ball!
Also, what was the meaning of this guy's puzzled look?
Jones' anger rose rapidly; he stopped showing off his dribbling and just drove forward.
Zhang Yang, slightly faster in lateral movement and turning than DeRozan, stepped back for defense but still couldn't block Jones' drive.
The oncoming DeRozan, shrinking from the wing, also couldn't form an effective double team. Jones, moving forward, performed a behind-the-back dribble to shake off DeRozan and successfully made it under the basket... only to be stopped by Harden, who had preemptively moved back under the hoop!
There was actually someone under the basket!
Jones bumped into Harden, not only failing to displace him but also stumbling himself.
However, his reaction was quick, and before falling, he flicked the ball to the right.
Andrew, in the right side of the three-second zone, received the ball and went for a jump shot... "smack"... Zhang Yang leaped forward, with a palm sending the ball flying out of bounds!
The crowd screamed incessantly!
What excites the audience most in a basketball game? It's neither dunks nor beautiful shots, but blocks!
Zhang Yang's block was solid, clean, and sharp.
Andy at the sideline also clapped his hands, "Jack's block was really beautiful. He played well this round."
Thomas, "Hmm, they might turn the game around."
Andy, "Hmm? It's just one round, isn't it a bit early to talk about turning the game around?"
Thomas, "Didn't you notice? Jack's block wasn't a fluke. The three of them displayed defensive cooperation. The prior offense was the same; DeRozan didn't pass just because he couldn't break through.
I think he deliberately drove to that spot to entirely draw the two defenders, creating an opportunity for Jack. The idea of actively coordinating is there, and it was well-executed. Their offense is fine, surely better than the first quarter.
Now their defense has also coordinated. DeRozan and Harden both started moving as soon as Jones began his drive, with Harden completely leaving Mels unguarded. Since Mels lacks shooting ability, leaving him open doesn't matter. Jack, while DeRozan complemented the defense on Jones, directly lunged towards the technically solid but athletically weaker Mels... an outstanding defensive trio, considering the opponents' offensive patterns and habits.
The gap wasn't particularly big in the first quarter, but now with DeRozan's team showing significant improvement in both offense and defense, Jones' team has no chance."
Andy, though not a professional coach, enjoyed basketball as an elementary and junior high school PE teacher and part-time basketball coach. When Thomas analyzed the situation, he immediately understood.
He said in astonishment, "Tony, the basketball level in Compton is really high! DeRozan and Harden had just graduated from junior high, and they already had such excellent tactical awareness. I finally understand why you regretted not successfully recruiting Harden."
At Thomas's words, he opened his mouth but ended up saying nothing.
He returned his gaze to the court and, seeing Andy's reaction, he rated Zhang Yang's talent even higher.
On the court, just as Thomas had analyzed, DeRozan's team began to dominate, and their advantage became increasingly apparent.
After one effective trial, DeRozan played more resolutely, taking the initiative to delve deeper and distribute the ball through double-teaming.
Zhang Yang primarily focused on supporting attacks to the basket. If Andrew moved in early to block him under the basket, he would pass the ball directly to Harden.
Harden's baseline shooting was almost perfect, and Andrew, who was defending him, had never even considered contesting or expending any effort there; he wasn't aware.
If Isaiah didn't double-team DeRozan, DeRozan would take the shot himself.
On defense, Harden didn't worry about anything else; he just fell back to the basket using his significantly greater heft compared to others to block players under the basket.
Zhang Yang's arc defense may have seemed useless, but he was slightly faster than DeRozan, forcing Jones to react quicker during his breakthroughs. Moreover, his positioning consciously cleared the way in DeRozan's direction, creating opportunities for DeRozan to help defend against Jones... These were things that DeRozan couldn't do at the arc, and Zhang Yang's way of compensating for Andrew now was something DeRozan couldn't achieve either; their awareness wasn't on the same level.
DeRozan had to do something as simple as Harden: first confront Andrew, then just fall back.
The offensive and defensive strategies set by Zhang Yang were actually very simple, but they were enough for this match.
Jones's team, faced with the sudden coordination from DeRozan's team, had no idea how to respond.
They hadn't reached the stage of tactical training in their high school careers before they were eliminated. Back on the streets, although they still played, they mostly relied on individual skills to dominate their opponents; their coordination was merely due to playing together for several years, gaining some experience. But when they faced a truly cooperative opponent, they couldn't measure up.
The score for the second match was 10 to 6, DeRozan's team evening the overall score to 1 to 1.
In the second match, Jones's team played relatively calmly, or rather, normally.
In the third match, however, the team started playing erratically.
After losing the first match, DeRozan's team had one person who could calm the others down, make clear tactical adjustments, and implement effective changes.
Jones's team lacked a leader and any sense of tactical adaptation. They knew they needed to change, but didn't know how... so they just played blindly.
The psychological quality also revealed the disparity between the teams; even Harden, on DeRozan's side, was affected by losing one match, but at least it didn't disrupt their gameplay.
Jones's team... started cursing as they played.
Although DeRozan's team dominated the second match, a score difference of 10 to 6 wasn't massive. The audience had hoped for a fierce battle in the third match, but it turned out to be one-sided.
DeRozan's team, three junior high students, pounded the streetwise hoodlums, and the crowd cheered loudly for them... Zhang Yang too was mistaken for a junior high student based on his youthful face; he looked the youngest among the six players on the court.
Quickly, the score reached 9 to 3.
Zhang Yang intercepted a pass meant for Jones.
DeRozan immediately dashed beyond the three-point line, catching Zhang Yang's lobbed pass, feinted a shot to send Isaiah, who had lunged at him, flying, and then drove to the free-throw line where he pulled up for a quick jump shot against Jones's desperate defense... and he scored!
10 to 3. With a big score of 2 to 1, DeRozan's team clinched a comeback victory!
As DeRozan landed, wearing a mocking expression, Jones pushed him.
DeRozan hadn't yet steadied himself and was pushed to the ground.
Jones, still furious, dove in to hit him again... and his face met a heavy blow...
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