It was precisely because Zhang Yang's playing time and number of attempts decreased that his efficiency improved, which motivated his teammates to persevere. Nobody needed to say it, but they realized that Zhang Yang tying the God of Basketball with 20 missed shots in two consecutive games was on them... they wanted to play better!
Subjectively, with a clear goal, the effect was obvious. By the second quarter, the overall offense of the Bobcats had somewhat recovered. Millsap played for 7 minutes and got 3 assists, all from three-point shooters. Mike Miller hit two three-pointers, and Jarett Jack hit one three-pointer.
These 3 shots directly boosted the Bobcats' score. They played to a 23 to 21 score in the second quarter, narrowing the gap by two points. By halftime, the Bobcats had pulled the score to 41 to 42!
This quarter, Zhang Yang maintained his efficiency, shooting 4 attempts and hitting 2, plus 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 5 points.
