Zhang Yang couldn't handle Childress, but Felton could!
By his third year in the NBA, Childress was completely different from the player who had dominated the Pac-10 league with his shooting in college. Initially a thin shooter when he entered the NBA, he had bulked up to adapt to defending power forwards and even centers. His three-point shooting was virtually gone; of his average 7.5 shots per game, 5.5 were within the three-second area, relying solely on Drive Attacks and cuts to the basket.
Felton was very adept at blocking such players.
And it wasn't just Childress, who often initiated the Drive Attack plus high-post play, that couldn't break through; even Tyronn Lue struggled.
The nearly 30-year-old Tyronn Lue was no longer the youth who chased after the stars; facing Felton he had a speed advantage, but against Zhang Yang, it was pretty even.
When Tyronn Lue drove into close range, the center and wing didn't even need to collapse.
