No.1 in basketball scoring

Durant 2+1, Harden caught the ball and hit a three-pointer. With the joint efforts of the two, the Thunder Team's rising momentum was firmly held down by Zhang Yang's follow-up three-pointer!

The Thunder Team's counterattack stalled abruptly, and in the ensuing time, they engaged in a renewed tug-of-war with the Lakers.

It's important to note that the Lakers' number one substitute inside, Kaman, and their number two substitute outside, Jodie Meeks, weren't on the floor. Kobe and Gasol were also resting on the sidelines, yet the Thunder Team's dual cores, Durant and Harden, were on the court!

Brooks, on the sideline, almost crushed his tactical board in frustration. When playing positional warfare, he had been secretly delighted that the lineup he substituted had better structure. Veteran players Fisher and Nick Collison were always in the right positions, while Perry Jones had both height and athleticism, providing strong support for Harden and Durant.

However, after one missed shot, he realized the defensive flaw brought on by these two veterans—they couldn't stop the fast break!

Facing the opponents from the 2 to 5 positions, each had top speed in their respective spots. Under Nash's drive, unless Fisher and Nick Collison retreated defensively in advance, the Thunder Team would face a 3-on-4 or even a 3-on-5 situation.

Fisher and Nick Collison could only retreat defensively at the moment their teammates took a shot, severely weakening their offensive rebound performance and, to some extent, affecting their confidence in taking shots from outside.

Brooks wanted to question the opposing bald coach—he really wanted to question Budenholzer—this is the playoffs! The Western Conference Finals! How can you not rely on veteran inside players and instead use an inexperienced playoff combination like Jordan Hill and Ed Davis?

With just seconds left at the end of the quarter, the Lakers attacked. Zhang Yang drove solo, bypassed Harden into the paint, and amidst the encirclement of Harden, Durant, and Perkins, he passed the ball to the sideline. The rotated Jodie Meeks caught the ball and shot a three-pointer... and it went in!

As Harden missed a half-court three-pointer, the first quarter ended with the Lakers leading the Thunder Team by 37 to 30, a 7-point lead going into the inter-quarter break!

Harden and Durant didn't immediately return to the bench. The two stood on the court shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the big screen.

7 shots, 5 makes, including 4 of 4 from three-point range, plus 2 of 2 free throws, Zhang Yang scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in a single quarter!

This score wasn't Zhang Yang's highest for a single quarter against them. In the first round of last season, Zhang Yang once scored over 20 points in a single quarter.

But this time was different. That previous occasion was against regular defense; this time, they had tried to besiege Zhang Yang for an entire quarter. They barely gave him any mid-range or long-range shots and blocked regular three-pointer chances, extending out even when Zhang Yang stepped back to the top of the arc for a last-second shot... But he just relied on a few three-pointer opportunities to soar past 15 points in a quarter!

Kobe in the first half of the quarter, Gasol, and Nash in the second half, all utilized Zhang Yang's distraction power, making the offensive organization as easy as it could possibly be.

Durant hesitantly asked Harden, "James, should we continue executing this defense? The way we're defending Jack, the Lakers' team offense is running too smoothly... but if we don't defend like this, he might again refresh his scoring record against us."

Harden was much more decisive, responding, "Neither is a good choice, but we can't think of a better way, so we should continue executing the current defensive plan. At least the direction is clear."

Upon hearing this, Durant nodded without saying more, his previously hesitant heart now resolved.

Last season, under such lousy performance from the head coach, the Thunder Team faced an almost impossible comeback against the explosive Clippers led by Paul. But this year they managed it, all because of the progress of top talents like Durant, Harden, and Ibaka.

Progress wasn't just in personal skills, it also showed in other aspects, like leadership.

Harden might seem not too smart most of the time, but when it comes to making decisions, regardless of whether the choice is right or wrong, he firmly expresses his opinion each time, providing his teammates with a backbone, perfectly complementing Durant's lack of leadership and decisiveness.

...

In the second quarter, under the leadership of Harden, Durant, and Ibaka, the Thunder Team launched another counterattack.

The first quarter's 3 failed comebacks didn't deal a substantial blow to them. From a certain perspective, Brooks' lousy court management still had 'benefits', having trained the core players long-term on their ability to handle pressure.

After the official timeout, the Thunder Team finally got a chance to overtake the score. Coming back from the timeout, they scored 3 consecutive shots, leading a 7-2 run, cutting the deficit to two points, with the score at 52 to 54.

This time, the Thunder Team's players paid special attention to Zhang Yang's handling of key plays, blocking him completely, and giving him no opportunities whether in positional offense or offensive-defense transitions. But the Lakers still had Kobe...

Kobe seized the opportunity, hitting 3 consecutive shots, including one where he drove to the basket for a 2+1, returning the Thunder Team with a 7-2 run!

The score reached 61 to 54, with the Lakers regaining a lead of over 5 points. After this alternating small climax of exchanges, the Thunder Team didn't achieve a successful comeback in the first half, ending the half with the Lakers leading the Thunder by 68 to 62, a 6-point advantage!

After the halftime break, the third quarter began.

Durant played the entire first half, shooting 9 for 15 efficiently, scoring 24 points, even surpassing Zhang Yang's 23 points, as Zhang Yang 'only' scored 7 points in the second quarter.

But this also led Durant to a slump in the third quarter. In 7 minutes, he shot 1 for 4, with his shooting percentage quickly dropping from 60% towards 50%...