No.1 in basketball scoring

In the evening, Zhang Yang watched the live broadcast of the game between the Thunder Team and the Clippers.

The game was quite intense, with the teams tied at 78-78 after three quarters. In the first half of the final quarter, the Clippers started to gain the upper hand with an 18-9 run, seemingly on the verge of victory...After the official timeout, the Clippers' fierce momentum suddenly halted!

Paul executed a pick-and-roll pass to the wing, but both Nick Young and Redick missed their shots. Even Paul's own shot was off, and Griffin's solo attempt with a crossover dribble also missed the mark...Closing your eyes, just hearing the sound, you'd think the two teams were playing at the Staples Center.

In the last 5 minutes and 38 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Clippers made only 1 out of 13 shots, with no free throws, scoring just two points.

The Thunder Team outscored the Clippers 17-2 in the latter half of the quarter, ultimately overturning the game to win 104-98, advancing to the Western Conference Finals with a 4-3 aggregate score.

The livestream left Zhang Yang in silence; for the first three and a half quarters, Paul could be described as a 'zero error' nucleus, but in the latter half of the final quarter, he made frequent blunders.

With Nick Young and Redick already missing three consecutive shots, Paul still passed for the fourth time, which also missed. In such a situation, both Rondo and Kidd would choose to take a shot themselves.

Zhang Yang analyzed Paul's court behavior logic...perhaps, Paul doesn't have the awareness that 'role players can't be trusted in critical moments'?

Other than pairing Paul with a top-tier swingman, it seems there's no other solution.

And it appears the Clippers have also noticed this issue and have begun attempting a solution—having Griffin practice skills to play small forward.

Rumor has it, Griffin could dribble two balls with both hands, inspiring the Clippers coaching staff to have this idea.

The effect has been quite apparent, as Griffin's average rebounds per game this season have fallen below 10, and his scoring method has gradually shifted from straightforward roll-to-the-basket to mid-to-long-range crossovers...

Zhang Yang felt O'Neal's evaluation made sense—even if Griffin's technical skills never improved and he played like he did in his rookie season, he wouldn't have as many injuries.

Many people misunderstand, thinking Griffin's early career playing style caused physical harm and isn't sustainable. In truth, for a heavyweight player like Griffin, the roll-to-the-basket style is the least wearing.

To develop skills, Malone, as a fellow undersized interior player, is Griffin's most suitable mimic target, right when the team has the league's top organizational Point Guard, Paul.

If nothing else works, learning to bulldoze through like the King with the body is also viable.

But it seems the Clippers want to develop Griffin into a technical guru like Anthony and Pierce...an operation that's quite amusing.

On the next day, the Lakers started their targeted preparation work. Since 2010, every year either the Lakers or the Spurs have played against the Thunder Team in the playoffs, with Budenholzer and the core players being very familiar with the Thunder Team, so the preparation is going smoothly and in a clear direction.

Of course, they know this also means the Thunder Team has ample understanding of their core players and base playstyle, so it comes down to which side prepares more thoroughly and the crucial performance of the star players on the spot.

Budenholzer has brought the Spurs' 'quality over quantity' preparation philosophy to the Lakers, mainly because both teams' starting tactical dual-core and substitute organizational cores are 'old men', making it fitting.

During breaks from team training, Zhang Yang seized the opportunity to learn more from Nash and Kobe. Even if it's just superficially acquiring knowledge or sharpening skills at the last minute, it just might come in handy during the game.

Another day passed, and by noon on the 17th, the Lakers flew to Oklahoma City, marking the start of the Western Conference Finals with an away game.

However, before their morning departure, at precisely just past 7 o'clock, the old Ironsmith arrived at Zhang San's house with trainers and nutritionists to start his teaching work, prompting the Son of the Wind, who arrived an hour late, to curse incessantly, though to no avail, as teaching has already commenced on the turnaround jump-back technique for post-up play at the high post, and interrupting mid-session was not an option, leaving him to swallow his pride.

Having previous experience observing the Son of the Wind teach Zhang San skills, the old Ironsmith abandoned past 'erroneous approaches' used in teaching players like Ariza and Shannon Brown, adopting a cram-style teaching similar to the Son of the Wind's approach.

It's enough to simply teach the technical moves as thoroughly as possible, explaining the key points and core concepts clearly, cramming it all in at once, with no need to worry about subsequent details.

By 3 p.m., after resting for a while in the hotel, Nash took Zhang Yang with him to join the coaching crew for a practice session at Ford Center in preparation for a couple of hours.

Budenholzer, seeing the two of them opting for extra practice instead of proper rest, didn't mind, as the Son of the Wind and the old Ironsmith's teaching, along with Zhang Yang's learning and training, weren't excessive and wouldn't delay the next day's game.

When Zhang Yang scheduled a trainer session on the afternoon of the 14th, Budenholzer knew that Zhang Yang aimed to get stronger again, especially since this time Kobe was also involved to learn alongside the league's top first and second external technical leaders.

Equipped with both talent and effort, never satisfied with the status quo, and ambitious, it's no wonder he dared to stand on a basketball at age 15 and declare 'Basketball? As long as I want to play, I will become the world's number one'—a super talent destined for greatness.

Budenholzer, during his year in Los Angeles, had heard many varied tales about Zhang San, adding yet another fresh narrative...

However, when he went to observe Nash's teaching, he thought of another young talent he greatly admired, Leonard...for young Leonard to catch up to third brother, it would be quite a challenge!

…

After the afternoon training ended, Zhang Yang and Nash received an invitation from Kobe to watch the live broadcast of the East Final's first match in his room in the evening.