Chapter 1198: Chapter 489: Youngest MVP in History!

When Horford congratulated him, his eyes were full of admiration. His birthday is June 3rd, more than two years and three days older than Zhang Yang, yet he has just reached the borderline of being an All-Star. Meanwhile, Zhang Yang, the top leader of the new generation, has already become the youngest MVP in history! Though they are opponents, and the two teams do not get along well, Horford couldn’t hide his feelings of longing at this moment… The chef said: No more pretending, I’m a Three Blower!

Pierce was different; his hug was full of perfunctory, he ignored the photographer’s invitation for a group photo, turned away immediately after the hug, and his emotions of envy, jealousy, and hatred were unmistakably exposed.

Pierce has similarities with Turkoglu, envying those who are stronger and more honored, but the two are fundamentally different. One is in personality: Turkoglu’s envy and jealousy are hidden, while Pierce is brazenly outspoken, daring to say anything.

Another major difference is that Turkoglu needs a system that suits him to perform at the star level, entering the ranks of first-line players only after Big Fan joined and Howard peaked. Before that, he was merely an all-around sixth man averaging 13+4+3 per game; Pierce genuinely has the ability to face head-on against superstars, and has a chance to win.

This fundamental difference is also why fans have varying degrees of favor towards them. Pierce’s fun-seeking approach has kept him quite popular.

…

Pre-game preparation ended, and both teams’ starters took to the court.

Hawks team: Bibby, Joe Johnson, Pierce, Horford, Pachulia.

Bobcats team: Felton, Zhang Yang, Pietrus, Millsap, Okafor.

Hawks players were all very energetic. They’re a 50+ win team and their style suits the playoffs, certainly aiming for the championship.

Zhang Yang just received the MVP trophy. If he can defeat the Bobcats tonight, he would not only seize home court advantage but also deliver a massive blow to the Bobcats’ confidence!

Bobcats players were equally focused and vigilant, not careless due to their more than ten win advantage and the apparent comfort of sweeping the opponent during the regular season. That said ‘sweeping’, they won by only 18 points across 4 matches.

This point was emphasized by the Boss during the preparation stage multiple times, they’ve heard it so often they could almost recite it.

At 8 PM, Okafor won the tip-off against Pachulia, and the game began with the Bobcats on the attack!

Felton executed the first attack, using Millsap’s screen to break through.

Chasing him was Horford, just about to press out, but sighting Zhang Yang navigating through the three-second area, taking advantage of Okafor’s screen, Horford hesitated. Felton, who just broke into the three-point arc, caught the lapse and stepped back for a three-point shot… and scored!

Next, Pierce broke into the paint under Millsap and Okafor’s double-team pressure, only to hit the rim, leading to the Bobcats’ offense. Zhang Yang caught the ball at the right arc-top, Joe Johnson missed defending directly and stood half a step inside the three-point line.

Zhang Yang turned, jumped, and fired a three-pointer facing the hastily covering Joe Johnson… and scored as well!

The Bobcats opened with a 6-0 lead!

On the sidelines, Woodson stood up: You two brothers, can you talk some sense?

More than half a month ago, after surpassing the Bulls to secure the fifth position in the Eastern standings, Woodson had begun preparations for the second-round clash with the Bobcats, with detailed strategies against the Bobcats’ cut-and-pass, break-and-split, high-post and sideline coordination. Just for the opening attack, they rehearsed five or six defensive collaborations, prepared defensively for any of the three young stars starting the attack.

Yet, before they could even test the effectiveness of this defense plan based on actual engagement over four regular-season games, video reports, and other data, this unreasonable Double Guns started by scoring on them 6-0.

No tactical cooperation whatsoever, purely relying on personal ability!

Fortunately, Pierce soon broke into the paint again, causing Millsap to commit a foul on his defensive cover, converting both free throws, and Woodson could breathe a sigh of relief: As long as we can score, it’s fine. If those two brothers keep scoring like that and we can’t defend, well, just let them keep scoring, it proves their ability.

Woodson has been coaching for several years now, and with long-term coaching at bottom teams, he had encountered all kinds of setbacks and had a high tolerance for unexpected situations.

Even Carlisle couldn’t compare; having won Coach of the Year in his rookie season, his early career was very smooth; even though Larry Brown took his job, he quickly found a new position coaching the luxury lineup Larry Brown had assembled… Therefore, in terms of ‘receptiveness’, Carlisle was far less than Woodson, but that wasn’t necessarily a flaw, instead often a perk; he wouldn’t accept tanking, even after the Auburn Palace incident, the Pacers tried to sort out the chaos for two and a half years, though unsuccessful, despite antagonizing Big Bird.

Indeed, a strong ‘acceptance capacity’ could be advantageous in specific contexts, like Woodson’s mindset now, choosing not to fixate on opponent scores relying purely on individual ability, trusting the defensive arrangement to limit the opponent’s regular offensive play; his genuine concern lay in their inability to break through offensively. As Larry Brown’s favored pupil, he truly was clueless about offensive strategy, relying over the past year and more solely on a few star players to hold things together…

Woodson’s confidence was not unfounded. After the Bobcats’ 6-0 start, they became trapped in the Hawks’ defensive quagmire and couldn’t produce highlights for the rest of the first quarter.

The Hawks were already tormented by the Celtics’ ironclad defense in the first round. However, the Celtics hadn’t been doing much better themselves, almost crushed by Woodson’s wing-clipping strategy; if not for the prime-time performance by Big Al, the Celtics wouldn’t have held out in six matches.

Fortunately, the Bobcats were complete both in offense and defense. Though their offense hadn’t fully unraveled, their defense was excellent, keeping the Hawks’ four stars struggling despite their utmost effort and their whole team’s ongoing offensive slump.

Into the final quarter at 11 minutes 49 seconds, Brad Miller on the rotation hit a high-post mid-range shot, widening the Bobcats’ lead to 9 points!

Then Bibby stepped up, utilizing the screen facing Okafor’s switched defense with a fadeaway three-pointer and brought the score up to 20-26.

As Mike Miller’s long pass buzzer-beating three-point attempt hit the rim, by the first quarter’s end, the Bobcats held a 6-point lead!

Carlisle sighed lightly, slightly reluctant, as these last dozen seconds equal losing 6 points!

Thankfully, Zhang San’s murmur beside him diverted Coach’s conflicted state of mind.

“Indeed, a disciple of Larry Brown, this lineup’s offense could manage something like this…”

While Zhang San held Vincent’s stat pad containing freshly compiled opponent’s first-quarter data, Coach said: You little thief, give me back my tactical board!

Averting attention, Carlisle retrieved the tactical board from Zhang Yang’s hands, glanced at it, and indeed the opponent’s data was glaring; only 5 players scored in the first quarter: Bibby with 5 points, Pierce with 7, Joe Johnson with 4, and Horford and backup Center Randolph Morris with 2 each.

Horford and Randolph Morris’ scores all came from second-chance opportunities, meaning regular shooting yielded points solely from the personal strong offensive capabilities of three major stars!