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二哈:Zhang San have you been possessed by a grade school student? No way, even grade schoolers don't do it like you. At least they wait until they've got things going to shoot like that. Was this shot necessary?

Harden was cursing Zhang Yang in his mind, slowly muttering MMP, while Zhang Yang turned back on defense and gestured towards him with a '3,' then brought his index and middle fingers together, turning it into a gun gesture and shook it at him, making a "biu" sound with his mouth.

Harden rolled his eyes dramatically and ran back to the paint, received the pass from Durant, and pushed up to half-court. Facing Zhang Yang's defense, he charged forward, got right up close to him... and passed to Durant at the right elbow and moved to the left.

Zhang San smacked his lips: What a gem!

二哈: This brat Zhang San dares try to disrupt my kingly mindset? Impossible!

Durant was even happier to get the ball, continuing to go one-on-one against Kobe.

He used a fake move to try and shake Kobe, which didn't work, but he didn't care and swung his long arms and stretched his long legs to start the crossover, suddenly driving hard with a between-the-legs dribble!

Kobe's defensive positioning and direction were spot on, but Durant still managed to break through!

Durant drove into the paint, facing the rim protection from Gasol and Zhang Yang who had rushed in from the left elbow, he raised the ball high, jumped, and tossed it up with a reverse shot... score!

Zhang Yang grimaced from the discomfort and said to Kobe, who ran in to retrieve the ball: "Durant is so tall and fast, he reminds me of T-Mac with those mid-range drives."

When Kobe was passing, he responded: "That's his physical talent advantage. That basket driving move of his is really tough to deal with. I've studied it for two years and still haven't figured out his reverse shot."

"Maybe you just don't have arms as long as his? After all, it's hard to imagine something you don't possess." Zhang Yang finished his sentence and quickly moved forward.

Kobe suddenly got a flash of inspiration, he followed in Zhang Yang's footsteps... the old Ironsmith: Wait a minute! Something feels off about that statement!

After Zhang Yang crossed half court, he saw Harden up front, so he quickly passed the ball to Kobe.

The Thunder Team managed to overturn the situation against Paul's Clippers, whose condition was quite good, in the second round. While Durant and Harden's stable and strong performance is part of the offense, defense is also crucial.

During preparations over the past two days, Zhang Yang frequently discussed the series between the Thunder Team and the Clippers with teammates, forming a new view about Paul's faltering during crucial moments.

Paul certainly needs a superstar on the wing who can hold up during critical times, that part is clear.

But looking only at the series between the Thunder and Clippers, Paul fell apart in the fourth quarter of the last two games mostly due to exhaustion.

Even though Harden didn't manage to defend against Paul and Joe during their pick-and-roll plays, amongst Crawford, Darren Collison, and Willie Green—three ball handlers—under Harden's defense, the highest shooting percentage was only 42%, while Crawford and Collison were both below 40%. Through three quarters, Paul barely got a break, and he couldn't let go of the ball.

A year has passed, and Harden's defensive progress is huge!

Though he can't be called a gatekeeper, he seemingly ranks under Leonard and James for now, but he can be regarded as a top-notch defender.

Zhang Yang really wants to go head-to-head with Harden right now, but since they've had 4 days to rest after the last round and the new one has just started, he decided to let the veterans find their rhythm and hold back his instincts.

When Kobe receives the ball, he sneaks a side glance at Zhang Yang, against Durant's defense, he dribbles slowly, waiting for Jordan Hill to screen beside Durant. Kobe suddenly accelerates the pace from extremely slow to rapid, controlling the rhythm to the max, getting past Ibaka who switched over.

Durant and Ibaka closed in on Kobe in a pincer move, as Kobe reached the extended free-throw line, he threw the ball out; Gasol received it on the low right side, forcing Durant to retreat after Kobe passed, and then Durant had to cover Gasol.

Kobe and Gasol attracted the team's front three group from the Thunder Team to the low right side!

Gasol lifted the ball high, took advantage of the moment, and threw it towards the top of the arc.

Jordan Hill moved after screening for Durant, to the left side of the free-throw line blocking Harden, while Zhang Yang sprinted from the left sideline to the top of the arc, receiving and spinning for a three-pointer... in again!

Harden put his hands on his hips, his mouth puffing out in frustration.

After defending for three rounds, he personally experienced why the defensively strong Spurs, when reaching game six against the Lakers, didn't even attempt defense but directly competed on offense.

It's indefensible!

The Lakers' three attacks precisely showcased their starting lineup's strongest offense methods—Zhang Yang's isolation playmaking, Zhang Yang's leading counterattack, and the snake brothers' dual-core team synergy.

Especially Kobe and Gasol's dual-core strategy, though they're older, less enduring and impacting, they are highly experienced, have versatile tricks, could unintentionally create a climax.

Zhang Yang started with 6 points and 1 assist, bringing significant pressure to Harden!

Though their defense is good, compared to the Spurs it's about even; Spurs were defensively strong around Duncan's system, while they rely on Durant and Ibaka's strong ability to double and sandwich unpredictably. Neither is necessarily better; however, Spurs couldn't defend, and it's unlikely they can.

Switch to offense, Harden pushed forward to the front court and saw Durant stationed at the sideline, feeling the pressure on emotions lightening significantly.

Two years ago, during Westbrook's controlling plays, Durant would ask for the ball first every time, not getting it, then he'd play off-ball on the side. Back then, Durant's ball-handling skills were much weaker than they are now.

Now, Durant actively plays off-ball!

With Durant's professional ethos, whether active or passive, the outcome might be similar, but the emotional state is certainly better when it's active, sometimes being a crucial factor in deciding a game's victory.

二哈: Start off acting like grandkids for two rounds, then be grandpas the whole game! I've got nine ways to make Schoolbag Du happily become a shooter, nine ways!

Looking at Zhang Yang guarding half a step inside the three-point line, Harden, holding the ball securely, got excited, initiating a one-on-one breakthrough!

Harden bent down to lower his center of gravity, dribbling quickly with his right hand, slowly moving to the left side of the top arc, then suddenly slapped the ball to the left, catching it with his left hand to drive forward... and collided head-on with Zhang Yang!

Zhang Yang anticipated Harden's move and moved sideways to block him! Harden was bigger, but Zhang Yang was stronger and held his ground!

After the clash, Harden stepped back abruptly, but immediately accelerated again to drive to the left.

Zhang Yang shifted rightward but got blocked! Durant's screen!

Zhang Yang reacted instinctively, spinning around Durant, catching up to the advancing Harden.

Kobe tacitly gave up on switching defense, positioning himself in the passing lane between Harden and Durant. In the middle, Jordan Hill moved up to double-team Harden.

Harden reached the elbow area, facing the double team of Zhang Yang and Jordan Hill. Instead of passing to Ibaka, who was open a step inside the free throw line, Harden suddenly stopped dribbling, stepped back to escape the double team range, jumped up and shot... scored!

Using screens to break through and close-range stop-and-step-back shooting, Harden's new killer move shown in this year's playoffs!

Zhang Yang had seen this move in recordings before and thought it was hard to defend. Even when he tried defending, the double team couldn't stop it!

For some reason, he felt a bit frustrated for the boss.

'A year ago,' during the playoffs, Harden's move was just a PPT—only discussed during idle chats on rest days with his friend Zhang San, asking him to help develop this move... A year later, it's become a regular offensive tactic.

Last time Zhang Yang was here training, it was two and a half years ago in his timeline. In the summer of 2006, he had already told Felton about this move, but after two and a half years, although Felton developed this move too, compared to Harden...

In front of talent, hard work seems so insignificant... Yang Huang couple tearily gave a thumbs up.

However, at least the boss worked hard enough. If you lack talent, don't work as hard, and aren't willing to settle, yet your ambitions are sky-high, that's truly wasted.

Lakers on the offense, Kobe and Gasol continued to organize the attack. Bazemore took a high-position pass from Gasol, broke through, passed to the cutting Jordan Hill, who leaped for a layup... missed.

The opportunity was there, but Jordan Hill's hands were too stiff, and Bazemore's passing rhythm was a bit off. A beat slower and it could've been a great alley-oop chance.

The three 'iron-willed' players did not show discontent. If these two were good enough, the situation over the past two years wouldn't have been like this. The two starting players' combined salaries are only 4 million, and so far in the playoffs, one averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds, and the other 8 points and 2 assists—it's quite a bargain.

Durant secured the defensive rebound, passed to Harden, who pushed to the front court, continuing to drive left, and did a pick-and-roll with Durant.

This time, Kobe opted to switch, joining Zhang Yang in double-teaming Harden.

Harden passed to Durant, who caught it and scored a long two-pointer!

6-8, Thunder Team closed the gap!

Then, Kobe did a pick-and-roll with Jordan Hill. During the breakthrough, as the opponents focused on the moving Zhang Yang, Kobe stopped abruptly at the right of the free throw line and shot immediately. Although Ibaka quickly reacted and jumped, using his bounce and wingspan advantage to interfere, Kobe, even under forced leaning back, still managed to sink the ball into the basket!

Court TV commentator Weiping Bryant chimed in with his famous line, "He dares to shoot and actually nails it."

After Zhang Yang's futile scramble, he turned and glimpsed Ibaka mouthing a word that started with F, seemingly surprised that Kobe not only took the shot but also made it. However, Zhang San thought the shot was fine, and the opportunity was good...

The Lakers started off with momentum, hitting 5 out of 4 in their first 10 points, effectively pressing the local powerhouse Thunder Team.

However, Durant and Harden's performances were equally outstanding, leveraging their formidable individual abilities to ignite the team's offense.

Thunder Team's starting lineup: Harden, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka, Perkins—all were performing above the bar. Although they couldn't block the three star players on the opposite side, they effectively limited Bazemore and Jordan Hill, preventing them from supporting the three stars too much, and Thunder Team barely kept the score gap in check.

The game reached the middle of the first quarter; Harden missed a long two-pointer, Ibaka scored on a tip-in, bringing the score to 17-19, Thunder Team hanging on tight!

Thunder Team's coach Scott Brooks clenched his fist, enduring through the opposing starting lineup phase. Once Kobe or Gasol sits, the opponent's offensive firepower will drop, and it won't be as hard. He didn't let Sefolosha and Perkins, who have weaker stamina, nor Ibaka, who's average in stamina, play the entire first half without reason. Usually, he would sub out two players after 3-4 minutes to maintain defensive continuity.

On the other hand, Budenholzer, seeing Ibaka scoring on a tip-in, felt a sting of frustration. Their rebounding wasn't bad; among the starters, apart from Bazemore, everyone averaged over 5 rebounds per game. It's just that the opposite forwards, Durant and Ibaka, are too mobile.

But soon, both coaches' emotions swapped!

After Gasol failed to secure the rebound, he noticed the positioning on the court, quickly picked up the ball and passed it to Zhang Yang. Understanding the cue, Zhang Yang immediately initiated a fast break. Bazemore and Jordan Hill, the teammates with outstanding athletic abilities, reacted faster than they thought, instantly joining the fast break. The two players on the outside even crossed the midline before Zhang Yang.

The Thunder Team players reacted promptly, quickly backpedaling, but their initial positioning affected their formation. Gasol seized the opportunity, helping Zhang Yang capitalize on the transition play!

Sefolosha, Durant, and Harden rushed back, the first two rushed low to block the fast-breaking Bazemore and Jordan Hill from attacking the basket, preventing them from reaching the inside.

Harden, after crossing the three-point line, immediately turned around and rushed toward Zhang Yang, who stopped at the three-point line outside. But it was a bit late; the ball Zhang Yang shot flew over, just slightly beyond Harden's outstretched fingertip...

When Zhang Yang took a trailing three-pointer shot, he actively maximized the difficulty, exceeding the limit where Harden could reach!

Once he saw the ball fall through the hoop, Harden turned his head... Double Harden: Really, Zhang San, can't you just drive in for a dunk? Did you really have to shoot it like this?