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Chapter 215: Table 118 is ready!_3

Chapter 215: Table 118 is ready!_3

They were aware of their own limits, knowing that they couldn’t brute force their way through this situation. On the other side, Dunk King Richardson was the fourth-best three-point shooter in the league this season, with only Ray Allen, Arenas, and Raja Bell shooting better from the three-point line. Richardson had already started the game by making 3 three-pointers against the defense. It wasn’t like they could engage in a shooting contest with the opponent, right? Didn’t they see their best three-point shooter, Matt Carroll, gnashing his teeth and shaking his head on the sideline?

It was the Warriors’ turn to be on the offense again, and Richardson continued to demand the ball from Baron Davis, ignoring Gerald Wallace and taking off higher than him. If there was interference, he would just lean back to avoid the block and shoot...

All of Richardson’s previous shots were like this, relying on the league’s top-tier jumping ability to overshadow Gerald Wallace, and they had gone in. But this time, he missed!

Felton grabbed the defensive rebound and pushed for a counterattack, passing the ball... only for it to be slapped out of bounds by a leaping Baron Davis.

Bickerstaff made a substitution, bringing in Zhang Yang to replace Karim Rush, while Felton, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, and Brezec continued to play.

The Warriors made a substitution too; Montgomery had Monta Ellis replace Mike Dunleavy on the court.

Both high school players looked at each other as they took the court, each sensing the other’s fighting spirit at the moment their eyes met.

Opportunities are always given to those who are prepared. Although Monta Ellis had a disastrous draft, falling from a predicted lottery pick, even top ten or top five, to the middle of the second round, he did not wallow in despair. Instead, he turned his frustration into motivation and trained fiercely.

By the last game before the All-Star weekend, Ellis had his chance when the usual first-choice shooting guard and small forward reserve, Mickael Pietrus, got injured.

After the All-Star weekend, with the Warriors struggling to find a reliable substitute on the wings, Montgomery tried giving Ellis some playing time.

In the first game of the second half of the season against Jazz Team, facing the highest-drafted perimeter player from his class, Ellis exploded with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in 29 minutes on the court.

Montgomery decided on the spot to give Ellis more opportunities to try. Over the next six games, Ellis scored 12, 8, 11, 14, and 16 points... Becoming the backup main player, Ellis averaged 11.6 points and 3.7 assists in 7 games, the second-best perimeter substitute for the Warriors behind Fisher.

The 2003 lottery pick, Mickael Pietrus, twisted his knee and took a rest for half a month only to come back and find no place for him in the team!

The Bobcats continued their offense, and Felton, after receiving the inbound pass, gave it to Zhang Yang and took a break.

Ellis pressed against Zhang Yang, sticking close in defense. Zhang Yang, facing the slight 84-kilogram Ellis, leaned in, pushing the opponent back and easily protecting the ball.

The crowd roared with excitement. They’re matched up, their prodigy high... North Carolina’s prodigious freshman and the up-and-coming former All-American high school runner-up!

Having been pushed back, Ellis pressed forward again, but this time Zhang Yang moved faster. To the astonishment of Ellis, Zhang Yang pulled the ball with his left hand, pivoted to the left, brushing past Ellis and into the three-point line!

As Ellis turned around, Zhang Yang had already taken off toward the paint!

Foyle moved up, stopping half a step inside the defensive arc, hoping to block Zhang Yang. But then Okafor turned and freed himself from Troy Murphy to cut into the paint, causing Foyle to hesitate—who should he block?

At that moment, Zhang Yang, just outside the defensive arc, grabbed the ball and lobbed it towards the hoop.

Foyle immediately turned to defend against Okafor’s alley-oop... eh? That preparatory jumping action, was it to rebound? Foyle looked at the hoop—the ball had gone in!

Watching Okafor silently retreat on defense and high-fiving Zhang Yang in celebration, Foyle had a huge question mark over his head.

What kind of play was that? Was that a shot?!

He had thought that their own high school rookie, Ellis, was wild and soloistic enough, but compared to the opposing high school rookie who started in the All-Star game, it was like a candle against the sun!

As the game switched from defense to offense, Baron Davis, after advancing past the mid-court, passed to Ellis. He felt he could rest now—that was a job for Fisher.

He couldn’t refuse to pass the ball; Ellis had almost no off-the-ball movement ability, and his positioning was dreadful, purely a ball-dominant style of play.

However, Baron Davis was full of expectation for Ellis’s talent. The rookie reminded him of his most trusted teammate back in the day—Jamal Mashburn.

Ellis went one-on-one with Zhang Yang, dribbling with crossover moves and relying on speed to break through... but was matched closely!

Ellis reached the right side of the free-throw line and met a wing squeeze by Gerald Wallace, cutting off the sideline pass!

Ellis made a split-second decision, jumped, and attempted a leaning jump shot... wildly off target!

The ball hit the front left edge of the rim and bounced to Felton, who was following Baron Davis at a 45-degree angle on the left.

Felton led the counterattack and, close to the mid-court, passed to the fast-breaking Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang dashed to the baseline, drawing the hurried defense of Ellis and Baron Davis, and then passed back to the middle... where Okafor caught the ball and slam-dunked with both hands!

Watching Zhang Yang return to high-five his teammates in celebration, Ellis couldn’t believe it!

Three months ago, he had faced Zhang Yang for the first time, and although he only played for 8 minutes, he was mainly matched up against Zhang Yang. During that matchup, he was the dominant one, whether in terms of skill or physical fitness. Being born two and a half years earlier and already 20 years old, he had the advantage.

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