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Chapter 214: Table 118 is ready!_2

Chapter 214: Table 118 is ready!_2

Last night, Zhang Yang played for 29 minutes, going nuts with 21 attempts, making 14 out of 21 shots, including one for one from the three-point line, and hitting 5 out of 6 free throws, scoring a wild 34 points!

Thanks to Zhang Yang’s 34 points, Okafor’s 14 points and 12 rebounds, Gerald Wallace’s 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks, Brezec’s 11 points, Matt Carroll’s 8 points, Felton’s 11 points and 16 assists... the Bobcats crushed the Knicks Team with a score of 116 to 99!

...

In the game against the Knicks Team, the Bobcats, like other teams playing the Knicks Team, operated their offense casually, their defense not exactly strained, winning with ease and minimal exertion, which is why Bickerstaff organised a preparation meeting the next afternoon, getting ready for the upcoming back-to-back home games.

The next day at noon, when Zhang Yang arrived at the arena after lunch, he saw Felton flipping through the team handbook.

Zhang Yang asked, "Raymond, are you looking at the schedule?"

Felton replied, "Yes, I’m checking when we play the Knicks Team next."

Zhang Yang said, "I remember it’s the second to last game, an away game at Madison Square Garden, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s our only chance to play in the basketball mecca this season, big guy, you also want to play there?"

Felton answered off-topic, "Next time we play them, I’m going to score 35 points!"

Zhang Yang pinched his thigh, this time holding back, not laughing! He’s professional! He absolutely cannot laugh!

Last night, Felton was over the moon after the game, sinking 4 out of 7 shots for 11 points and 16 assists, the 16 assists marking a new career high.

Out of those 16 assists, 7 of them were thanks to Zhang Yang helping Felton score.

But after the game, when Felton was interviewed, he was stunned to hear the reporters tell him that Zhang Yang scored 34 points, surpassing his record of 31 points for the highest single-game score by a rookie in the 2005 class...

At that moment, Felton still had to keep his composure, telling the reporters, "Jack deserved it. He has a strong ability to find shooting opportunities, and moreover, to drive toward the basket against Curry and Williams, two 140-kilogram players, takes a lot of courage. I’m proud of Jack’s performance."

Zhang Yang made the news after the game, not only did he set the highest single-game score for his class, but it was also his 10th time scoring 20+ points this season, second only to Paul’s 19 times scoring 20+ in a single game.

The little brother seized his scoring opportunity, and when it came to being outscored for the highest total points by a classmate, Felton naturally couldn’t blame the little brother, he could only focus on the New York old folks’ home, the team that, aside from the Suns, was the easiest to rack up high scores against.

The Suns, at least, would intentionally double-team a player on a scoring streak, but the Knicks Team was different, they just watched opponents score, and when their teammates were getting blown out, the Knicks Team players didn’t think about helping with defense or double-teaming— they thought, "He’s the one being beaten, what’s that got to do with me?"

The afternoon’s preparation mainly consisted of meetings, where Bickerstaff analyzed how to take advantage of the opponents’ defensive weaknesses for the team.

The Bobcats players were all very proactive.

While the national attention from playing the Knights had faded, the Bobcats had still attracted quite a few fans to keep tracking them since that game.

After defeating the Knicks Team, their record stood at 29 wins and 31 losses, surpassing the 76ers’ 29 wins and 32 losses, moving up to ninth in the Eastern Conference!

Next, they faced the Western Conference’s second-to-last Warriors team and the Eastern Conference’s third-to-last Hawks team. This morning’s news had the media saying they were about to hit a 50% win rate and officially take their seat to compete for the playoff spots.

This sparked a wave of discussion among fans nationwide, and local fans also expressed their anticipation and encouragement online.

For most of the Bobcats players, being anticipated by the public again was something they had given up hope on.

The contrast from being the center of attention as students to obscurity as professional players was huge, and now, having regained that attention, the Bobcats players were full of motivation!

On March 10th, the Bobcats faced their first back-to-back opponent, the Warriors team.

Even though the Warriors team was only second-to-last in the West with a 22-40 record, the Bobcats did not underestimate them during preparation, because the Warriors team’s lineup was indeed too good.

An average of 18 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists per game from Baron Davis, an average of 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists per game for Jason Richardson, an average of 14 points, 10 rebounds per game from Troy Murphy... even their sixth man was Derek Fisher, averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 assists per game.

Poor records, a lousy team atmosphere, and a habit of losing were one issue, but head coach Mike Montgomery was also partly to blame.

Montgomery was a renowned NCAA coach, and he brought the college basketball playbook to the NBA, which failed to utilize the talents of his genius players, eventually reducing the offense to several guards taking turns shooting. His zone defense couldn’t unfold in the NBA either—NBA players might have played zone defense in college, but most were the ones being protected within the zone...

Though the Warriors team had poor results, they did have their moment to shine this season— when Baron Davis exploded with 38 points and 9 assists, leading the Warriors to a narrow double-overtime victory over the Spurs team with a score of 136 to 134.

And tonight, the Warriors team exploded once again!

The Warriors players were furious to see that the media treated them as mere stepping stones for the Bobcats’ climb to the table.

They could deal with other teams, but this was the Bobcats! A team with a core of first and second-year players, where the strongest frontcourt was made of fringe players not wanted by other teams.

The Warriors started the first 5 minutes of the game with a fierce offensive, scoring a wild 17 points!

However, the Bobcats conversely weren’t doing too poorly either, steadily scoring 12 points.

Now gradually building confidence and gaining stronger motivation, the Bobcats players remained patient and composed, focusing on patient offenses and concentrated defense, waiting for the opponent’s hot streak to cool down.