Capítulo 21: It's not the start I expected!
At 7:40 PM, the entry ceremony began, with the visiting Spurs taking the floor first.
The venue was filled with boos!
In recent years, the fans who hated the Spurs the most were the Suns fans.
The 2007 playoff massacre in the second round remained an eternal pain in the hearts of this generation of Suns fans.
However, these boos also contained worries for their own team.
This year, although the Spurs were only ranked seventh in the Western Conference, they had secured a 50-32 record, and in the first round, they completed an upset, defeating the Mavericks, who had a 55-27 record, by 4-2, pinning Nowitzki to the pillar of shame labeled "soft egg."
The process of the Spurs defeating the Mavericks seemed easier compared to how the Suns defeated the Trail Blazers.
Also, in the 2008 playoffs, they faced the Spurs once again, losing unmistakably with a score of 1-4, with Parker, Duncan, and Ginobili combining to score over 70 points per game.
Public opinion almost unanimously doubted the Suns, believing that the Spurs were set to meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Yes, poor Jazz Team, they hadn't even started their series against the Lakers yet, but everyone believed the Lakers were definitely advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Over the past two playoff seasons, the Jazz Team had lost to the Lakers, with number 24 player taking all his hatred for the old duo out on Deron and Boozer, displaying utmost cruelty.
Especially in the 2008 second round, Kobe averaged 33.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 7.2 assists with a shooting percentage of 49.1%, leaving Deron in a daze.
It wasn't just the fans; in the home team's player tunnel, the Suns players all looked solemn… except for one rookie, who was overly excited upon seeing the "Big Three."
After the entry ceremony ended, there was no interaction between the two teams; even Gentry only politely greeted Popovich before returning to the bench.
Zhang Yang was excited to see the "Big Three" for the first time, but he didn't foolishly go greet them; during the past two days of preparation, he distinctly felt his teammates' hatred for the Spurs, a real hatred, especially from Stoudemire, who gritted his teeth with anger.
Standing together with his teammates was what he was supposed to do as part of the team.
Moreover, being part of the Suns, influenced by his teammates' emotions, he didn't feel any goodwill towards the Spurs either.
The pregame preparation time quickly passed, and both teams' starting lineups took the court.
The Spurs fielded a starting lineup of Parker, George Hill, Richard Jefferson, Duncan, and Antonio McDyess.
The Suns fielded a starting lineup of Nash, Jason Richardson, Hill, Stoudemire, and Channing Frye.
Zhang Yang sat on the bench; unlike his teammates, he felt quite relaxed.
In his mind, this series was about the Suns taking revenge on the Spurs, and the "Son of the Wind" and "Little Emperor" avenging their past defeats.
But once the game started, things didn't go as he had anticipated...
After Stoudemire won the jump ball, he rushed ahead... only to be blocked by Duncan, wasting Nash's excellent opening pass.
Stoudemire got his own offensive rebound but was blocked by Duncan again, this time Richard Jefferson secured the defensive rebound.
The Suns faced a blitz at the start!
Duncan's two thunderous blocks severely struck the Suns' morale while simultaneously elevating the Spurs' spirit to the extreme.
Riding that momentum, Parker scored four consecutive baskets in the first half of the quarter, contributing 8 points and 3 assists, leading the Spurs to a 16-9 half-quarter score.
Fortunately, Gentry's coaching style was steady; he didn't panic. After an official timeout, he kept all five starters on the floor.
In the latter half of the first quarter, the Suns barely stabilized their formation, scoring 12 points in five-and-a-half minutes, although they still allowed the Spurs to score 14 points during that time, widening the gap a bit further, but at least they didn't let the Spurs completely take control of the game.
After the first quarter, Nash scored 6 points, Stoudemire scored 2 points, Jason Richardson scored 6 points, Hill scored 4 points, and Frye scored 3 points; the Suns were trailing the Spurs by 9 points with a score of 21 to 30!
Seeing his teammates' morale sinking, Zhang Yang was completely baffled on the sideline.
What's happening?
Parker played 10 minutes and had a perfect 4 out of 4 shots, scoring 10 points and providing 4 assists? Duncan played for 9 minutes, made 5 of 6 shots, and scored 11 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots?
Isn't that excessively fierce?
What about the Suns' promised revenge against the Spurs? What about the "Son of the Wind" avenging the deep-seated hatred?
...
Although trailing by 9 points, at least they kept the score gap manageable. During the intermission, Gentry began making player changes.
Nash, Jason Richardson, and Stoudemire continued playing, while Zhang Yang and Robin Lopez were substituted in.
Gentry's substitutions were cautious, with only two younger and more spirited players brought in, while the team's three strongest members continued to fight doggedly.
After listening to the tactical arrangement, Zhang Yang excitedly entered the court, his eagerness contrasting sharply with his teammates.
Although the progression of the game was not as intense as the revenge battle he had anticipated, the joy of playing his "first" NBA game overshadowed his confusion and unease.
It was his first time in an NBA game, and although he understood Duncan's dominance over the past decade, he had no direct fear of it.
However, not all his teammates were anxious and fearful; one person's anger overshadowed the frustration from being behind on the scoreboard and the fear from Duncan's years of dominance—Amar'e Stoudemire!
The second quarter began with the Spurs taking the offensive.
Popovich had a normal rotation in the first quarter; this quarter he sent out George Hill, Ginobili, Keith Bogans, DeJuan Blair, and Duncan.
George Hill started the offense with a pick-and-roll with Duncan.
Nash and Stoudemire defended the pick-and-roll, and Zhang Yang, seeing his opponent cutting to the inside, decisively left Ginobili and moved up to block George Hill, who had shaken off Stoudemire's cut-in.
George Hill passed the ball, and Ginobili received it in the mid-range zone on the left side of the three-second area.
Zhang Yang was nervous—had Ginobili chosen to stay beyond the three-point line, he wouldn't have left him open. But when Ginobili received the ball and moved towards the inside, it was likely that second-year player Robin Lopez couldn't contain him, but all he could do was hope that Lopez would guard the basket well since he had noticed during preparation that George Hill had a 47% shooting success rate after a pick-and-roll!
But, Ginobili halted after receiving the ball and did not continue towards the inside. Instead, he took a sudden stop-and-jump shot from mid-range!
"Clang"... Ginobili, with a career mid-range shooting percentage of merely 35%, missed the shot!
The moment Robin Lopez grabbed the defensive rebound, Stoudemire dashed like an arrow towards the front court.
Duncan, trusting Ginobili's mid-range shooting, had seen Ginobili release the ball and immediately began retreating, successfully teaming up with George Hill and Keith Bogans to block the hard-charging Stoudemire and the flanking Jason Richardson.
Stoudemire, receiving the ball on the left side of the three-second area, initially wanted to challenge two defenders with a forceful shot, but seeing another figure appearing on the other side of the three-second area... he didn't hesitate and passed the ball!
Zhang Yang rushed from the right side beyond the three-point line, took the pass directly below the basket, grabbed the ball, and took two steps before leaping!
Duncan turned his head just in time to see Zhang Yang charging in; he knew it was too late, but he still didn't give up, positioned himself under the basket with his hands up, and then everything went dark...
Zhang Yang dunked the ball over Duncan and into the hoop!
Seeking monthly and recommendation tickets!
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