Now it's different. At the end of last month, after repeated validations, Zhang Yang and Felton proved they could shoulder the burden with personal ability, and Carlisle began to advance the system to the next stage.
With a month of playing, newcomers Millsap and Pietrus became more familiar with how to cooperate with the key players, gaining practical experience on how to perform as starters.
On the Hawks team side, having had experience from the last encounter, they still believed in their pre-game preparation that their three major stars had an individual advantage over Zhang Yang + Felton, just as last season, and wanted to replicate the opening performance from the last season after the trio assembled.
From the matchups, Hawks' three major stars had their reasons for confidence. Bibby's solid build and strong strength could impose restrictions on Felton's tank-style breakthrough. Pierce and Horford's twin forwards have done well cutting off Felton's inside passes.
