No.1 in basketball scoring

Durant scored 36 points with a 50% shooting rate, while Harden grabbed 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists; both delivered MVP-level performances, making it hard not to have confidence in them.

Zhang Yang's fierce performance overshadowed Durant, pushing the Western Conference Finals' intensity to a peak. By the next day, on the second day of the Eastern Conference Finals, discussions about the Western Conference Finals were still more heated than those of the Eastern Conference.

The competitive level is vastly different; after the first battle of the Western Conference Finals, when fans looked at the Pacers and Miami Heat games, they compared it to the Eastern Conference Finals of 2001, 2002, and 2003...

On this rest day, the Lakers took the morning off and arrived at the Ford Center in the afternoon for a brief tactical adjustment training.

In the evening, Zhang Yang, Nash, and Gasol switched to their favorite Miami Heat or Pacers jerseys and came to Kobe's room to watch the live stream of Eastern Conference Game 2.

During their first broadcast with Kobe, Zhang Yang and Nash were uncomfortable, but this time both enjoyed it as much as Gasol; the environment and atmosphere were indeed great.

Before the live broadcast started, the group chatted about Zhang Yang's 7 out of 7 three-pointers last night, during which Zhang Yang clearly felt Kobe's attitude had become much worse...

Horry had retired, and the Lakers' record for most three-pointers in a single playoff game was originally Kobe's 6; now Zhang Yang hit 7, pushing Kobe to second.

In the game, Zhang Yang only knew he felt great and hit many early shots. It wasn't until the post-game interview that he realized he had not missed any three-pointer.

Of course, he wouldn't say his real thoughts on camera; instead, he shrugged casually and said to the camera, "As soon as the ball left my hand, I knew it would go in."

If he were to redo the game, even knowing he felt great, it wouldn't be easy to guarantee such accuracy... but the number of shots would undoubtedly surpass 7.

During the live stream, Kobe returned to normal, chatting, analyzing, predicting, and cheering together...

The Miami Heat changed their strategies tonight, adjusting in the direction Zhang Yang and Kobe analyzed last time: James focused on defense, easy baskets, and counterattacks, while Wade and Bosh took charge of the offense.

The adjustments were effective; under James's leadership, the Miami Heat restricted the Pacers to 26 points in the first quarter, 7 points fewer than their 33-point first quarter last game.

Offensively, Wade led, without much difference compared to when James led, earning 25 points, trailing the Pacers by just 1 point in the first quarter, essentially matched.

As Zhang Yang and Kobe predicted, even though the Pacers appeared to have a team advantage, they couldn't establish a clear dominance. They grew anxious as they played, and after Coach Frank Vogel called a timeout for adjustment, they got a bit better, only to start playing chaotically again after a while, leading to a breakdown in the final quarter's opening.

Nash watched the game situation unfold just as Zhang Yang and Kobe analyzed, feeling a bit deflated, sensing his dream of becoming head coach is moving further and further away...

In the end, the Miami Heat defeated the Pacers 107 to 99, leveling the score 1-1 away and stealing home advantage.

Wade achieved 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists, his highest in this postseason, with 7 assists in the first round and 23 points in the second round.

Bosh scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, with 9 out of 18 shots.

James only scored 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists tonight, but got 2 steals and 3 blocks, holding Paul George to 15 shots and 6 hits for only 15 points, far below his second round average of 24.2 points.

After watching the stream, Gasol sighed, "The Pacers seem finished; they were the best team in the league before February, such a pity."

Zhang Yang: "Not necessarily, the Pacers still have a chance."

"A chance? Do they have someone who can emerge as a leader?" Nash asked curiously, listening intently, eager to learn how to analyze the game from outside since he didn't want to give up his dream of becoming head coach.

Zhang Yang was about to speak, but after hearing a cough, he fell speechless for a moment and pointed towards Kobe.

Sometimes Zhang San is quite understanding... Kobe said, "Bosh's help in offense for Wade was much less than I expected; Wade plays very hard like this. He naturally has poor stamina, and after turning 30, his stamina declined significantly; playing 40 minutes each game during the 2012 playoffs, dropping to 35 minutes in 2013, and only 32 minutes in the first two rounds this year, yet tonight he played 41 minutes; it's hard for him to maintain such performance in each subsequent game."

Recalling the game, Gasol said, "Bosh indeed scored few baskets under the rim this game; I remember only two, and most were perimeter shots... truly surprising, considering how his scoring ability inside the paint once matched mine, besides his cutting ability, which I couldn't match; didn't expect he'd regress so sharply."

Nash had something to add, "If a playing style isn't maintained for long, the body will forget it. Ask me now to lead a fast-paced team, even if my stamina returned to three or four years ago, I couldn't handle it anymore. Bosh's situation is more peculiar, having been playing as a shooter for years, his mid-range shots are even more accurate than mine; he must spend most of his training time on long-range shooting, his inside skills have long been neglected."

Kobe: "Exactly, the Miami Heat's offensive stability is hard to guarantee, just depends if Wade can hold up, and if Wade can't, James will have to lead the defense team..."

…

After one rest day, at 8 PM on May 20th, the second game of the Thunder Team and Lakers series commenced at the Ford Center.

The Thunder Team's players actively adjusted their strategies tonight... This team's rise truly relied on the general manager's exceptional drafting; they are very unique, not just because the players are accustomed to the head coach's lackluster game command but also because the head coach is used to players like Harden leading the team adjustments.