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Chapter 207 - 115. Fierce Battle!_4

Chapter 207: 115. Fierce Battle!_4

It’s in!

to 16, the Knights continue to keep the score tight!

Zhang Yang watched Damon Jones and Donnell Marshall, a pair of substitutes with combined annual salaries of almost 10 million US dollars, celebrating with high-fives on the retreat and shook his head with gritted teeth.

The Knights really know how to spend money!

With James on his rookie contract and Big Z’s salary dropping from over 14 million US dollars last season to 8.74 million this season, the team’s payroll still stood at a whopping 51 million US dollars.

Last summer, in addition to giving Larry Hughes a near-max deal, they offered Damon Jones a 4-year, 16 million contract, and Donnell Marshall a 4-year, 22 million contract.

Both contracts were overpriced; other teams wouldn’t have offered that much. Damon Jones, who was nothing much besides his shooting, got a 1.5 million US dollar renewal offer from the Miami Heat for one year, take it or leave it. After he left, the Heat signed Jason Kapono, a three-point specialist with similar abilities, for just 2.39 million over two years.

Donnell Marshall didn’t expect to land a long-term deal worth over 20 million dollars either. Last season, despite sinking 12 three-pointers in a single game, his performance was the worst in eight years. Having entered the NBA in ’94, the 32-year-old’s performance had declined from an average of 14 points and 10 rebounds at his peak to 11 points and 6 rebounds. Surprisingly, the Knights offered him a contract that paid even more than at his peak.

But as expensive as they were, Damon Jones and Donnell Marshall fit perfectly with James!

This season, Marshall’s scoring average had dropped to 9.2 points and Jones’s from last season’s 11.6 points average to 6.7 points, but often, just like now, they would stand up from the bench and provide James with strong support!

Zhang Yang took a deep breath to calm himself, got ready to receive the ball and push forward. He anticipated that this game wouldn’t be easy.

Let’s do this!

Next, both teams entered into a scoring battle.

On the Knights’ side, James launched a dazzling four-star strategy, with Damon Jones, Ronald Murray, Donnell Marshall, and Big Z shooting with precision.

The Bobcats, determined to lock down James, would inevitably leave someone open. James, with his excellent vision and ability to find open shooters, was among the league’s best.

James put his ego aside and didn’t force plays. He had many aspects that could be attacked and criticized, but in terms of competitive spirit—at his current age—he was second to none. Knowing that he couldn’t forcefully break through, he chose to pass. Winning the game was all that mattered!

On the Bobcats’ side, the team’s unity was unprecedented. The criticism from their opponents didn’t just earn them the support of the local fans; with Felton rousing his teammates, their cohesion became stronger than ever.

Zhang Yang was responsible for creating scoring opportunities in the mid-range and seizing fast-break chances, while Brezec played the supporting role in set plays, together helping Gerald Wallace stand up to the Knights’ barrage of shooters.

Felton, along with Perkins or Okafor, contained James’ drives.

Everyone played their part! Moving forward together!

At the end of the first quarter, Gerald Wallace scored 7 points, Felton 7 points, Brezec 5 points, Zhang Yang 5 points and 2 assists, and Okafor had 4 points. With Matt Carroll’s three-pointer in the final moments, the Bobcats led the Knights by two points, 31 to 29!

On the Knights’ side, although James, after starting with a 5-out-of-3 shooting streak, managed only one basket on fast breaks thereafter—his shooting percentage dropping to 50% on 4-out-of-8 shooting, missing both of his subsequent field goal attempts in the half-court offense and only making 1 of 2 free throws—he still ended up with 7 points from the start and collected 5 assists for the quarter!

In the second quarter, the battle continued.

Zhang Yang sat out to rest for a few minutes and returned in the latter half of the quarter; however, the endurance of Damon Jones and Donnell Marshall on the opposing side was also failing.

The main reason for Marshall’s plummeting stats last season at the age of 31 was not just a decline in his athletic abilities after turning 30, but his stamina had also dropped significantly. From an average of 36 minutes per game at 30 years old, his time on the court fell to 25 minutes, and this season it continued to decline to just over 20 minutes before he would run out of gas. Damon Jones was in the same boat, with enough energy for only 20-odd minutes per game.

Zhang Yang and Brezec, one inside and one outside off the bench, were now going head-to-head with them.

In the second quarter, James made 3 assists, and the ’playmaking point guard’ Snow secured 4 assists, with the Knights pouring in 30 points for the quarter.

On the Bobcats’ side, Matt Carroll and Okafor caught fire as well!

Taking advantage of Big Z’s extended rest in the second quarter, Okafor made 4 out of 6 shots, plus 2 for 2 from the free-throw line, racking up 10 points, while Matt Carroll nailed 3 out of 5 three-pointers. The two scorched through with a combined 19 points, carrying the Bobcats’ offense!

In the final moments of the second quarter, Zhang Yang stole Snow’s pass and made a Euro step to fake out James, who was catching up, before making a layup.

At halftime, the Bobcats led the Knights 61 to 59 with a two-point lead, also scoring 30 points in the quarter!

By the third quarter, the shooting touch of both teams’ perimeter shooters had cooled, and the scoring in set plays for both sides plummeted.

With shooters missing their shots, James no longer had assists, and Snow also couldn’t orchestrate plays.

Zhang Yang’s mid-range opportunities were gone as well, and Gerald Wallace and Okafor found their attacking space even more restricted.

Both sides faced numerous fast-break chances, and this time, Zhang Yang was at a disadvantage in the contest with James, who had a stronger ability to score on solo fast breaks.

James made 4 out of 7 shots this quarter and, with 2 free throws, made 1, scoring 9 points!

However, while Zhang Yang was suppressed by James, Felton stepped up!

Scoring 2 out of 4 three-pointers, plus a frontal teardrop shot just beyond the charge circle arc for a 2+1, Felton also scored 9 points in the quarter!

By the end of the third quarter, the score was 83 to 82, with the Bobcats narrowly maintaining their lead to go into the break between quarters!

Returning once again to the bench, Zhang Yang drank some water, wetting his mouth before spitting it out onto a towel, doing so several times until his heart rate slowed, and then he continued with thud, thud, thud.

The game was tough! But so exhilarating!

He heard the cheering from the fans in the arena and was filled with fighting spirit!

The fans’ reaction at that moment was exactly what he wanted!

As the game progressed, Zhang Yang and his teammates’ mindset slowly shifted from ’wishing to slap the faces of the media and fans on the Knights’ side’ to focusing solely on pursuing victory.

They turned defending James in positional offense into a habit, just like getting used to his three-step layups, no longer feeling elation at stopping James but focusing on offense and defense themselves.

The spectators’ mindset also gradually changed as the game went deeper.

At first, they were just there to boo James and support the local team.

Latterly, they wanted to see how Felton would defend James.

After successfully defending him, they watched with a sense of amusement.

Later on, they got involved in the game and truly entered the viewing mode.

They didn’t have time to boo James’s layup steps, nor did they concentrate on Felton’s defense against James.

They genuinely started to cheer for the Bobcats’ players scoring and shouted loudly during the Bobcats’ defense.

Many local fans watching the Bobcats for the first time discovered the charm of the team.

Gerald Wallace’s passion, Okafor’s composure, Felton’s delicate recklessness, Brezec’s ’toughness’, Zhang Yang’s talent and precociousness... this team seemed worth following!

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