No.1 in basketball scoring

Zhang Yang posted up Harden at the high post, caught him with a bad rhythm, turned around and jumped shot—scored!

Harden cursed inwardly, failing to provide resistance when Zhang Yang lifted the ball and jumped. He didn't give up, tried his best to jump and interfere with the shot, but he was just a bit short, both in height and reach.

He's 192 cm tall barefoot, with a 210 cm wingspan, not bad for a shooting guard, but Zhang Yang stands 206 cm tall barefoot and has a 216 cm wingspan!

He practiced defense too late, only started working on it after entering the NBA as a backup for Westbrook and Sefolosha, whereas Zhang Yang had been a defensive leader paired with DeRozan in high school and in college.

He can feel it himself, the limitations he placed on Zhang Yang aren't nearly as strong as those Zhang Yang has placed on Durant or him.

But he didn't lose heart, if you get scored on once, score one back!

When the Thunder Team went on offense, Harden forcefully broke past Bazemore, stopped abruptly at close range, stepped back, shot from the elbow—scored!

58 to 60, the Thunder Team continued to bite into the score difference!

As Zhang Yang reached the frontcourt during the attack and defense transition, he found Durant was now guarding him.

One shot! Just one shot! The Thunder Team just needs to defend this possession, score in the next, and might overturn the score. Comparing with the last possession, they are even more desperate to take the lead because the time remaining in the first half is increasingly short; they want to gain some advantage before halftime to face the Lakers' formidable third quarter.

Though not a traditional leader in character, Durant showed leadership on the court, staying fearless when the situation demanded it. Seeing teammates unable to defend, he took the initiative to switch defensively with Harden.

Zhang Yang continued to demand the ball for a one-on-one play, Durant's height and reach advantage were tremendous, sticking closely to Zhang Yang and completely locking down his shooting space, Zhang Yang decisively chose to drive!

Durant didn't move to block horizontally but instantly turned to chase after being beaten, showing his long leg advantage, closely following Zhang Yang in short-distance movement from long two-range to close range, single-handedly locking Zhang Yang's possibility of stopping and jump shooting.

However, Zhang Yang didn't plan to stop from the start, charging straight into the paint, grabbed the ball at the elbow zone while stepping his left foot into the three-second zone, gathered strength, jumped, and raised the ball in mid-air!

Adams rushed from the left sideline of the three-second zone to seal the shot, chasing Durant also sprung up at first instant, their long arms entirely covering Zhang Yang's hand holding the raised ball!

Just as they swung their arms to block, Zhang Yang, at the peak of his jump, swung the ball counterclockwise from above to the right and then downward, evading their block, and before landing, swung it upward, low-hand layup...

Adams whiffed the shot block, panicked, and swung his hand down, striking Zhang Yang's arm but not before the ball left Zhang Yang's fingers!

The referee blew the whistle, the ball hit the backboard and bounced into the hoop... The referee signaled, the goal counted, 2+1!

The fans erupted in manic cheers, while Adams donned a mask of pain, this play was tantamount to being toyed with!

As Zhang Yang sank the free throw amidst chants of "MVP," the Lakers led the Thunder Team 63 to 58.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, the score difference went up to 5, the Thunder Team was truly anxious.

Though Harden has the heart, the capability, and the charisma to lead, he still lacks experience; during the last timeout, he stated the goal and reason overly clear, while giving teammates a clear objective, it also added extra pressure.

Durant, beyond the three-point line, proactively demanded the ball, received it, and faced Zhang Yang, stooping and feigning repeatedly.

Zhang Yang steadfastly maintained his defensive posture, left hand placed on the waist, ready to counter-attack, right hand positioned before the right chest, ready to block or steal, unaffected by Durant's feints.

Durant suddenly jumped, swinging the hand holding the ball towards Zhang Yang's right hand, intending to draw a foul!

However...

Zhang Yang's gaze remained fixed on Durant's waist and legs; when Durant jumped, he followed suit, and due to the close distance, first raised his right hand to interfere with Durant's sight and shooting space, conveniently avoiding Durant's foul-drawing move!

Durant's large swing turned into an empty circle, he jumped up and couldn't control his body balance, vigorously threw the ball but clearly lacked force, it landed in Gasol's arms beneath the basket.

Gasol made the outlet pass, Zhang Yang received the ball and initiated the fast break!

Durant and Adams barricaded Zhang Yang outside the top arc, Zhang Yang passed to Bazemore on the right wing, Bazemore advanced on the relay, lobbed the ball... Kobe sprinted down on the left side, caught the lob for a two-handed slam scoring two points!

The Lakers extended their leading advantage to 7 points, 65 to 58, and the Thunder Team called a timeout!

The fans in the arena were cheering as Zhang Yang and Kobe accumulated 7 straight points, and the Thunder Team fans who popped out from the stones in front of their TVs were rendered speechless.

Earlier, Zhang Yang's one-on-two ended with a 2+1, and seeing Durant actively vied for the ball for a one-on-one play, they expected Durant to unleash a special move but resulted in a huge blunder!

The arena's big screen replayed Zhang Yang's 2+1 and the alley-oop slam dunk linked by Zhang Yang, Bazemore, and Kobe, while the TV broadcast mischievously aired the comedic footage of Durant's failed foul-drawing...

…

An airball, along with two consecutive missed free throws, were regarded as 'errors not counted in statistical records.'

Durant's 'response shot' was an airball, which shattered the Thunder Team's desire to overturn the score before halftime, leaving Thunder Team players silent on the bench.

In clutch moments, Durant was willing to shoulder responsibilities, but the hasty choices he made reflected a deep-seated inclination for taking shortcuts.

At this moment, Harden too was at a loss for words, reviving the teammates' morale relies on scoring and riding a scoring surge.

But only 1 minute remains in the first half!

After the timeout, Reggie Jackson and Harden each tried a one-on-one play but were too hurried, both shots missed.

Zhang Yang, Gasol in the high post facilitates the play, passing to Kobe, who cuts in. Kobe attracts the defense inside and then passes to the right sideline, where Zhang Yang receives the ball at a 45-degree angle, uses a screen, turns, and hits a three-pointer.

With halftime over, the Lakers lead the Thunder Team by 10 points, 68 to 58, as they head into the halftime break!

Shooting 9 times with 5 makes, including 2 for 1 on three-pointers, plus 1 for 1 in free throws, Zhang Yang scores 12 points in a single quarter, leading the Lakers to a 30 to 21 score in the second quarter!

In truth, during the earlier stretch of this quarter, the two teams were tied at 22 to 21, with almost no difference in overall performance.

The gap widened mainly in the last 1 minute and 50 seconds, where the Lakers scored 3 times for 8 points, while the Thunder Team didn't score, bringing the gap from merely needing one shot to surpass to double digits!

After the halftime break, the teams switch halves and continue the battle, with the Lakers already gaining momentum before halftime, and they went wild in the third quarter!

The Thunder Team, with strong resilience, was trailing 2 to 3, and less than two minutes before halftime, they got hit with an 8 to 0 run, taking the lead to double digits; already tense, they were overwhelmed by immense pressure and couldn't hold on!

Zhang Yang was tightly defended this quarter, but when he got the chance to shoot, he was exceedingly accurate, going 3 for 3, including 2 for 2 on three-pointers, with one three-pointer even drawing a foul from Adams on a defensive switch, making it a 3+1 play, scoring 9 points in a single quarter!

With Zhang Yang limited in attempts, Kobe took off!

Seizing the single coverage space created by Zhang Yang's movement to distract, Kobe went 8 for 5 in a quarter, including 5 for 3 on three-pointers, plus 2 for 2 on free throws, exploding for 15 points!

Old Ironsmith: It's been Zhang San's show earlier, now it's finally my time to shine!

Adding Gasol's two open mid-range shots, Nash's receiving a three-pointer, Ed Davis's alley-oop being fouled for two successful free throws... The Lakers stormed through for 33 points in the third quarter!

The Thunder Team not only collapsed defensively this quarter, but their offense fell apart too, the whole team going 24 for 8, with a 33% shooting rate, including 14 for 4 on three-pointers, plus 4 for 3 on free throws, scoring only 23 points.

With three quarters done, the Lakers lead the Thunder Team by 20 points, 101 to 81!

As the match moves to the final quarter, the Thunder Team hasn't given up despite trailing by 20 points, still hoping for a comeback.

Harden referenced the 2012 first-round matchup between the Clippers and Grizzlies in Game 1 as an example.

In that game, the Grizzlies led the Clippers by 19 points, 85 to 64, after three quarters, but the Clippers exploded for a 35 to 14 single-quarter score in the final quarter to reverse the score with a 99 to 98 win.

Harden's spirit of never abandoning and never giving up inspired his teammates, and the Thunder Team indeed rallied at the start of the final quarter, playing beautifully, going 4 for 3 in the first two and a half minutes for 7 points. Yet, during this period, the Lakers also scored two baskets for 5 points.

Then, Caron Butler missed a wide-open three-point attempt, Zhang Yang grabbed the defensive rebound, countered with a trailing three-pointer...

109 by 88, the gap widened to 21 points!

The Thunder Team went on offense, Harden did a solo drive and attracted a double-team from Zhang Yang, passing the ball to Durant... But after scoring 5 points at the start of the final quarter, Durant missed on this try!

Back on the Lakers' end, Zhang Yang weaved through defenders, shaking off the now slower Durant, received the ball, and scored a mid-range shot!

111 by 88, the gap widened to 23 points!

Scott Brooks hesitated for a moment, but ultimately requested timeout after the ball came out.

As the live broadcast showed Tabit, who hadn't played a second in this Western Conference Finals, taking off his training jersey, the announcer declared the Thunder Team's surrender!

…

The Thunder Team called a timeout to surrender, Budenholzer also substituted out Zhang Yang, Kobe, and Gasol, putting in Nash and Kaman, along with Marshon Brooks, Wesley Johnson, and Ed Davis for garbage time play.

First quarter with 16 points, 12 points in the second quarter, 9 points in the third quarter, 5 points in the final quarter, Zhang Yang played for 36 minutes, shooting 23 from 15, including 9 for 6 on three-pointers, plus 6 from 6 on free throws, fiercely scoring 42 points!

Kobe played for 30 minutes, shooting 20 from 11, including 6 for 4 on three-pointers, plus 5 from 5 on free throws, scoring 31 points with 5 assists.

In the first 22 minutes of the half, they battled fiercely with the opposing team, trading waves of highs and lows for nearly half of the game with only a two-point difference, differences in performance practically negligible... They didn't expect the opposing side to completely collapse suddenly in less than two minutes after that!

Sometimes, games are indeed decided by those few critical moments, and this crucial phase appeared at the end of the first half!

The on-site fans already started celebrating reaching the Finals after their opposing duo and own team's starting trio were substituted out, turning the scene into a joyful ocean, the Lakers' bench likewise already celebrating their victory, shouting enthusiastically.

On the visitor's bench, most of the Thunder Team players, after surrendering, experienced a wave of mental breakdown, but as time ticked by, they gradually accepted reality... Except for Harden.

The lost Harden stared at Zhang San, who was joking and playing around with his teammates and their opponents... Suddenly turned to his bag sitting beside and said: "Kevin, let's change the coach, he's no good."

Durant paused, then said: "Scott is actually excellent; he's given us a lot of help, adjusting our gameplay piece by piece..."

Midway through his words, Durant suddenly lost train of thought, remembering how Brooks, though excellent at player development, hadn't really prioritized Harden when Westbrook was around, only focusing on Harden after Harden proved himself worthy.

Durant had profound mentor-disciple ties with Brooks, viewing him rose-colored glasses, which Harden might not necessarily share.

Moreover, the aging yet skilled Spurs Team, and the same aging yet formidable Lakers with Zhang Yang... This is not the time to consider 'mentor-disciple sentiments'.

Durant ultimately nodded, saying: "I support your idea."

In the final 8 minutes, the Lakers and the Thunder Team scored 14 to 18.

At 10:22 PM, as the final whistle blew, Zhang Yang and Kobe combined for 73 points, overshadowed Harden's 27 points, Durant's 28 points, and Ibaka's 15 points. The Lakers overwhelmed the Thunder Team with a sweeping victory, 125 to 106, advancing 4 to 2 in the series to face the Miami Heat in the Finals!