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The winds of public opinion have shifted dramatically, something Zhang Yang has experienced before. Whether it was himself or the teams he was on, there was always a lot of controversy, though he's not sure why his luck is always so bad.

But this time, the situation is particularly intense, with the media's hype being excessively fierce.

Even when the Thunder Team dragged the second-round series to a 3-3 tie and forced a Game 7, they weren't as 'favored' by the media. Even after their comeback in the last round, they were not viewed as such strong contenders.

It's like a frantic hint to the Thunder Team players: "You're going to win, you're stronger than the Lakers," while trying to destabilize the Lakers players' mindset. The methods are so crude that you can see the intent right away... well... maybe not so obvious.

During the pre-game warm-up, Zhang Yang truly felt his teammates were affected by the media's influence, it's just that...

Sacred punched the sandbag with a "boom," shouting: "Lakers go go go!"

The teammates followed yelling: "Lakers go go go!"

"Send those miners back underground!"

"Send those miners back underground!"

"Kick their bal---s..."

"..."

At first, Sacred was shouting regular slogans, but as he went on, it got crudely vulgar, even to the point of regional discrimination.

Americans have many disdain chains; people from traditionally affluent areas in the East look down on Western upstarts. The West also has internal disdain chains, with people involved in capital entertainment looking down on farmers, yet both look down on those 'Pioneers' from Oklahoma and Colorado. Initially, those people were 'slaves' or 'untouchables' sent to those mountain valleys by Western nascent capitalists or traditional farmers, and this discrimination is deeply rooted. Even locals look down on their own hometowns, preferring to beg, rob, or rap by the beaches of Los Angeles than return home.

Zhang Yang didn't like the meaning conveyed by these slogans, but they worked! He was also inspired by Sacred, choosing to view them from a different angle—they represented the Lakers, representing Los Angeles basketball, California basketball.

Whether the Thunder Team players gained a stronger sense of confidence due to public opinion, Zhang Yang thought they did, but!

Some people with ulterior motives trying to guide public opinion seemed to have forgotten what image the Lakers had before the season started—a group of washed-up veterans, plus a bunch of high-ranking draft busts cut by their former teams, built around a traitor from the Spurs, a non-playoff team.

Most of the team might have had self-doubts, feeling old, feeling weak, feeling that this wasn't where they wanted to be, but after a year of working hard together, from predictions of being ninth in the West to defeating the Spurs to become the top favorite among the final four in the conference finals, everything had changed.

They didn't want, even feared losing all of this. The less they were favored, the more they wanted to hold onto their current position!

Understanding his teammates' mindset, Zhang Yang felt that some people had shot themselves in the foot. Having been an 'Overcomer' before, he knew a Thunder Team trailing 1-3 just needed to win one more game to be significantly boosted in confidence. Whether they had the extra boost from public opinion wasn't as impactful; in that position, they believed more in their ability rather than what others said.

Such public opinion actually made the Lakers side more united!

Zhang Yang understood why the management had given Sacred a one-year fully guaranteed extension in advance.

In training, Sacred was an active sparring partner, doing all kinds of odd jobs; in games, if teammates played well, Sacred waved towels; if they played poorly, he'd offer encouragement and comfort, providing emotional value; when the team needed someone to lead, he'd step up to guide his teammates... truly deserving the foundation title!

…

As night fell, at Staples Center, players from both teams entered the court.

In the pre-game greeting segment, Zhang Yang could feel the changes on both sides.

Though he hadn't been part of it all along, Zhang Yang knew from their three prior encounters that the Lakers and Thunder didn't have a genuine grudge then because their positions were different.

In 2010, the Thunder were just a newly risen team; by 2012, the Lakers were no longer title contenders, and the Thunder had risen to become the stronger team. In last season's series, where Zhang Yang was 'personally involved,' the Thunder were the top seed, and the Lakers were on the playoff fringe...

This time it was different! With the Spurs out, whoever from these two teams made it to the finals had a high chance of easily winning it all, just like the Western Conference Finals teams from 2001 to 2003. This time it's a real championship fight, a battle of benefits!

At least on the court, the players from both teams have started developing into arch-rivals!

Following this trend, if Harden and Durant choose to join the Lakers after their current contracts expire... it's unimaginable how difficult that road would be.

At 8 PM, Western Conference Finals Game 6, under immense scrutiny, commenced.

Gasol defeated Perkins to win the tip-off, giving the Lakers the first attack.

Gasol received the ball at the elbow, backed against Perkins, turned to face the basket, passed to Kobe cutting down the middle off Jordan Hill's screen; Perkins collapsed, double-teaming Kobe with Ibaka. Kobe passed back to Gasol, who passed again... Jordan Hill, slipping along the left sideline of the key area, caught the ball and slammed it over Perkins into the hoop!

A beautifully executed three-man play, never letting the ball stop, with clear passing targets and movement purposes, tore apart the Thunder's man-to-man + quick switch + rim protection defense.

This play also utilized Zhang Yang's drawing power effectively. Harden actually had the chance to block Jordan Hill's cut, but he chose to stick closely to Zhang Yang, who was moving towards the left corner.

Yes, when Kobe and Gasol were creating opportunities for Jordan Hill with their two-man game, Zhang Yang deliberately drew his defender towards a position that could assist against Hill, but unfortunately, Harden didn't fall for it.

During the Thunder Team's offense, Durant went one-on-one with Zhang Yang, pulled a jumper sideways... missed!

Tony Allen's method of defending Durant's iso plays was indeed effective. Zhang Yang's strength, height, and wingspan were even better, and the one-on-one defense was very effective.

But Ibaka grabbed the offensive rebound! He immediately tossed it to Durant, who went to the left 45-degree angle to catch and shoot... three-pointer made!

Zhang Yang was getting ready inside to grab the ball for a counterattack. Although he actively rushed again, he didn't make it in time.

However, in similar situations next time, he will still opt to prioritize counterattack opportunities, as this is a crucial part of breaking through the Thunder Team's defense strategy... to be precise, every step is important.

From the perspective of individual talent, they couldn't match the other team. To perform stronger, they relied on the interconnected offensive and defensive coordination, and of course, there's more to it...

From the first play, both teams strictly adhered to their respective game concepts, steadfastly executing their set strategies.

The Thunder Team played very straightforward and aggressive, with their three star players rotating, and the whole team defending.

The Lakers had a bit of a Spurs feeling, laying out their offensive and defensive tactics first to start steady.

Like in the previous game, Zhang Yang focused on helping the team open up their coordination in the early stages.

The two teams had vastly different styles, but whether it was star-driven chemistry or team-driven coordination, their execution was stronger than any game before this Western Conference Finals, and both teams' competitive states reached new heights!

Comparatively, the Thunder Team, who would be out if they lost and had just won one game, had a stronger momentum.

Even though Jordan Hill made a poster dunk at the start, it didn't have any suppressive effect on their morale. After all, he was just Jordan Hill, not Jordan or Hill.

Just like the Clippers, no matter how beautiful Griffin and DeAndre's dunks were, their impact on the opponent's morale was minimal, not as strong as Paul's solo mid-range shot, perhaps that's why Griffin desires change? Such a talent certainly won't be content being treated like the 'slam dunker' version of DeAndre, even if it's the deluxe version, it's a bit like clutching at straws...

Indeed, having talent means you can do whatever you want. The Thunder Team aggressively pressed with their three stars, overwhelming the Lakers both in momentum and score. At 4:55 of the first quarter, Harden drove inside, made a Euro step, and scored a reverse layup, bringing the score to 18 to 11, and Thunder Team's lead extended to 7 points!

One more goal, and they could establish a double-digit lead in the first quarter, further boosting the Thunder Team's morale!

But just when the Thunder Team was about to extend their lead further, Zhang Yang received the ball a step inside the three-point line, turned around, stepped back, and hit a three-pointer in Harden's face!

14 to 18, the point difference shrank to 4!

Harden watched Zhang Yang retreat on defense; he was too familiar with that offensive move, the step-back was just like his own!

They both excel at step-back shots, but his was the regular version, while Zhang Yang's had always been the high-difficulty version. So, when Zhang Yang turned around earlier, he didn't stick close, as that wasn't the 'Hambledon style' step-back shooting initiation... He didn't expect this guy to secretly learn from him! Clearly, he's practiced!

When it came to the Thunder Team's offense again, the chance to widen the gap to double digits was ruined by Zhang Yang. However, they weren't discouraged as they were on a roll and were ready to create new opportunities.

Harden held the ball high, unexpectedly passing straight to low-post where Durant received and scored with a high layup!

Zhang Yang had been doing a good job defending against Durant, but players at this level can't be completely stopped. At most, you can limit them. He tried hard to keep Durant from getting close to the basket, but Durant still seized the fleeting opportunity, and Harden accurately passed it to him.

Every time, Zhang San thought that if the Thunder Team kept Gui Gui, it would be better.

When it was the Lakers' turn to attack, Zhang Yang continued to call for the ball from the outside against Harden. After receiving it, he turned around.

Harden stuck closely... only to be dismissed with a behind-the-back dribble by Zhang Yang!

Ibaka anticipated well, moving up early from the elbow area to block Zhang Yang's jump shot space at the free-throw line distance, but Zhang Yang chose to gather the ball... stepping out towards the front left, the Euro step begins!

Perkins moved out from the charging zone trying to contest, but Zhang Yang deftly shifted direction, stepping right past Perkins' side, reaching the arc of the charging zone, Durant dashing in from the left baseline, leapt towards Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang didn't pass the ball. As he landed on his second step, he jumped up, raised the ball high, and in the confrontation with the flying Durant, he smashed the ball into the basket!

The basket's groan, the referee's whistle, and the explosive cheers from the fans almost sounded simultaneously!

The fans went wild, having been ready to cheer and scream when Zhang Yang broke through Harden, Ibaka, Perkins to reach an open basket. Unexpectedly, Durant provided the gift of a poster dunk, and it was a 2+1!

After smashing the ball into the basket, Zhang Yang uncontrollably leaned back, stepping back several times upon landing. Luckily, his core strength was strong... mainly because someone behind him helped hold him, preventing a fall, maintaining a cool posture.

To express gratitude, Zhang Yang turned and said to Harden, "This is the real Euro step, James; yours just now was like a little kid's hide-and-seek game."

Second Ha: ?

If I help you next time, I'm a pig!