Chapter 51: The No. 5 on the Three-Point Line and the Greeks Still Adapting
"The Pacers started well, but Xiao Zhang has to say that in the first NBA game, he had 2 of 2 in the first quarter, and he was not at all stage frightened. Now he doesn't know if the Pacers can keep the lead. In this way, the bus has the chance to play in the fourth quarter."
Teacher Zhang Heli was spitting in CCTV's commentary hall. Zhang Tian's first quarter was accidental, but it was inseparable from his daily training. Opportunities were reserved for those who were prepared. This sentence is always the truth.
The atmosphere on the Pacers was very lively. Reggie Miller scored the highest in the first quarter, scoring 13 points, and Mark Jackson's 7 assists were basically made from him and Zhang Tian.
Larry Bird was very satisfied with Zhang Tian's performance. The opponent's offense was no less than his ex-Jaylen Ross. The most important thing was that this guy had room for growth. Jaylen Ross had already been finalized, which was the main reason for forcing the king to choose to trade Ross.
"We are leading by 14 points, so in the second quarter, Theodoros, Chris, Travis, Jermaine, Ben, you five are on the way." Derek McGee almost fainted when he heard the head coach's arrangement on the bench. Was he just forced to abandon the king? This is the NBA. If you don't have the strength, you will only be abandoned by the team.
Don Casey's side made adjustments to the Nets' lineup in the second quarter. Scott Burrell, who was in the third position, became veteran John Newman, and the Romanian giant Murraysan was replaced on the fifth. The scene on the court immediately became beautiful. The big book, less than two meters, faced against the Giants more than seven-foot-5. This game was really interesting.
Theodore Rospapalucas was placed in the second position, and Travis Best was the one who controlled the ball, facing Stephen Marbury, the junior. He chose to speed up. The lone wolf could not handle Mark Jackson, but it was still very easy to deal with the senior who came out of the Hornets. Marbury's lateral movement speed was OK. No matter how the Pacers' substitute point guards dodge, they could not pass in the first time, and twenty-four seconds began to pass in the opponent's hands.
Seeing that there was no chance, Travis Best chose to make an emergency stop and shoot the ball. Murraysan was stuck at the basket and wanted to get the rebound, but there was a guy wearing a basket-colored No. 3 jersey, who flew up and took the rebound over the Romanian's head and threw it to the outside.
The person who received the ball was Theodoros Papalucas. The Greek defender's first choice was not to shoot, but to break through. He stepped forward with one foot. Kendalgil tried to steal, but Theodoros Papalucas chose to dribble behind the back and switched hands. The ball reached the other hand, but a guy wearing a white No. 33 jersey appeared behind the Greek defender. With a bang, the ball was broken and the Nets scored counterattack.
Larry Bird shook his head on the sidelines. Papalucas will need some time to adapt to the NBA. I hope this day will come as soon as possible. For the Greeks, the king is still very important. His upper limit has reached the peak, but the opponent's existence will give the Pacers' back line an additional layer of insurance. The stage of the playoff finals is about the depth of the lineup. If you still rotate eight people at that moment, you will be in a bad life.
Travis Best did not comfort the Greeks, but he still advanced quickly. This time he did not go to force Marbury, but distributed the ball to Theodore Rospapalucas, and ran to the weak side.
Theodoros Papalucas was still close to Kendal. In the first quarter, he was criticized by Don Casey halfway because he was not defending.
The Greek faced Kendalgil's close body, and he took a step back, arched up, and broke through from the left. Kendalgil used his sliding steps to block the opponent, but Theodoros Papalucas chose to turn around in the opposite direction. He passed Kendalgil, but Marbury appeared around him like a nightmare, and the ball was cut by the lone wolf again.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Nets relied on the "help" of the Greeks to recover four points.
Larry Bird looked at the bench, and veterans such as Reggie Miller should have a little rest, so... "You go and replace Theodoros, are there any problems?"
Zhang Tian threw the towel aside, shook his head, and called the second position, but it was actually not much different from the third position.
A chance to die, the official timeout came, and five substitutes arrived in the seat, and the Greek defender had an ominous premonition.
"Theodoros, you have talent and strength, but this is not Europe, this is the NBA. In Europe, you can rely on your personal ability to play one and three, one and five, but in the NBA, you can only start from scratch, so Zhang will take over your position next. "The European League emphasizes teamwork, so Papalucas will stand out in that atmosphere, but in the NBA, he is not even a chicken.
The Greek defender lowered his head. From the summer league, preseason to the current regular season, the European No. 1 defender thought he had successfully adapted to the NBA, but the last minute broke his fantasy.
"That Greek still needs to adapt, but Matthew Leonis, Kukoc, Schramf, Nowitzki and others are already ahead. It should not be difficult for this guy to adapt to the NBA, provided that he has the determination."
Mav Albert mentioned that since the 1990s, more European players have begun to appear in the NBA, among which Stankovic, the Yugoslav basketball giant, played a great role.
After Zhang Tian came on the court, the opponent became Kendalgill. It would be great if it was John Newman. That rookie in 1982 would definitely not be able to defend himself. Kendalgill was still somewhat defensive and strong when he was serious.
After the timeout, Travis Best still played very "reasonable" in the Nets' halftime and distributed the ball to Zhang Tian. When Zhang Tian received the ball, Kendalgill posted it up. The opponent's two three-pointers in the first quarter were still remembered by the New Jerseys. Zhang Tian shook the ball with a sway, Kendalgill did not jump, and the other teammates had no good chance. Zhang Tian stepped forward with his right foot.
The New Jersey Nets retreated a little bit at the second position. He wanted to block Zhang Tian's breakthrough route. The Pacers' Five Show saw the space pulling open between the two sides, but did not break through, but instead pulled his feet over. At the same time, a sudden stop was stopped and another three-pointer shot from the outside.
"Zhang, did you take action again? He made a three-pointer again. Reggie didn't dare to hit the Pacers like this. This guy reminded me of Mark Price and Cleg Hodges." Albert King felt that his three views were blown up. What a weird thing the Pacer chose, just catch the outside line and take action if he had the chance.
"No, I think he's more like Antoine Walker, the core of Boston, but Zhang isn't as strong as Antoine."
Antoine Walker is nicknamed "Bird", the most forward-looking forward player in the NBA. The strange man who lived on the three-point line in the 1990s. Although his three-point shooting percentage was only 35.8% in his career-high season, this does not hinder the opponent's obsession with three-pointers.
Chapter completed!