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Chapter 218 - 119. The brutal final stage of the schedule_2

Chapter 218: 119. The brutal final stage of the schedule_2

If you want to win the championship, you need to be in a more advantageous ranking, but the problem is that the playoff situation in the Eastern Conference is very unclear right now.

The Central Division, on the other hand, is quite clear. The Pistons, leading the division, already have 50 wins and 13 losses, comfortably the first in the East. The Knight, the second in the division, have over ten fewer wins than the Pistons and, even if they win more games later on, they can only rank fourth, according to the division rules.

However, the Miami Heat and the Nets both currently have 40 wins and 22 losses, tied for the lead in their division, competing for the second spot based on their records.

The fifth-place Wizards and the ninth-place Bobcats are separated by just 3 wins, and with around 20 games left, the final rankings are hard to predict.

O’Neal was clear about their team’s goal—to avoid the Pacers.

After a trade in December, the Pacers went from a 7-win, 17-loss record that ranked second to last in the East to 33 wins and 30 losses, placing them seventh in the East. They exchanged Artest for Peja and achieved a record of 26 wins and 13 losses; the media and fans considered them the only team in the lower part of the Eastern Conference capable of an upset. Both the Nets and the Miami Heat wanted to avoid the Pacers.

The Pacers were at their most formidable in the middle of the season, but they slowed down after the All-Star weekend. The hope of surpassing the Wizards wasn’t high, as was the likelihood of falling to eighth place or out of the playoffs. It looked like they would end up in either the sixth or seventh spot.

Even a fortune teller couldn’t predict the final ranking of the Pacers, so the only option was to fight hard to win games and secure the victories first. Only then would they have the power to make choices in the final stages of the regular season.

Before yesterday, the Miami Heat were leading the Nets by one win, but they suffered an upset loss to the 76ers in overtime.

Wade played 50 minutes and scored 38 points with 10 rebounds and 6 assists, while O’Neal played 37 minutes and scored 28 points with 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks—still not enough to beat Iverson, who played 53 minutes and scored 32 points with 16 assists and 7 steals.

In the NBA, there are two types of teams that may not seem very strong but give the powerhouses a headache. One is the kind of team like the 76ers, led by a superstar and on the fringe of playoffs; the other is like the Bobcats, a young team capable of upsets. To say they’re formidable may not be quite right, but when they surge, they are really tough to handle.

The Miami Heat were just unlucky, facing both of these teams back-to-back.

What could O’Neal do? He could only follow along in practice, using the training to stimulate his tired body to perform better in the evening’s game.

O’Neal looked towards Wade, who was panting heavily in practice, and silently sympathized with his new young brother.

O’Neal himself had already turned 34 years old, and even if he had worn himself out chasing championships over the last couple of years, that 5-year, 100 million US dollar contract had already been secured, and his future was worry-free.

Meanwhile, Wade was being worked to the bone while still in his rookie contract, and his genius contemporaries had different paths: In his third year, Kobe had just begun starting and was practicing without pressure; in his third year, James was still being touted as the future, while Wade, in his third year, had to turn that future into the present...

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At 6:40 p.m., Charlotte Coliseum, the entrance ceremony began.

After two days of rest, the Bobcats faced the Miami Heat, their fourth opponent in a five-game home stretch.

The game was broadcasted nationally, marking their seventh nationwide broadcast of the season. The Bobcats’ players set a new goal for themselves—to reach ten televised games this season!

As an underdog team, their aspirations were that simple, pure, and wonderful.

As both teams made their entrance, the commentators hyped up two topics: the "AJ brand ambassador battle" and the "three-number-three-players of three epochs" showdown.

The "AJ brand ambassador battle" referred to the competition among Zhang Yang, Wade, Anthony, and Paul.

After the All-Star weekend, Paul’s price reached the same level as Wade’s and Anthony’s, averaging 3 million US dollars annually. Anthony’s and Wade’s contracts would expire in 2009, while Paul’s would expire in 2010.

In terms of endorsement fees, the trio couldn’t surpass Zhang Yang, but being a brand ambassador is not about who gets more endorsement fees. It’s about who performs well, who commands attention, who has more fans—that’s who becomes the brand ambassador.

Take Kobe, for example. When he joined Nike, his reputation was at a low point. Nike didn’t seem very committed when they signed him, offering less than what Adidas did in his rookie season in ’97. Yet, he now dominates Nike’s official website posters.

Wade was the best-performing AJ endorsee at the moment, and his fans naturally were unhappy with the treatment Zhang Yang was getting at Nike. They were eager to see Wade hammer Zhang Yang into the ground.

There was actually another AJ endorsee, Ray Allen, who averaged over 25 points per game, but his team’s record this season was dismal, and with his lack of popularity, not much emphasis was placed on him, so he wasn’t considered a contender for the brand’s top ambassador.

The "three number threes of three epochs" referred to Iverson, Wade, and Zhang Yang—three players who wore the number three jersey.

Iverson was born in June 1975, Wade in January 1982, and Zhang Yang in June 1988; they were in succession six and a half years apart in age. Without considering their NBA entry times, they represented three players of three different epochs.

With the media’s influence, the topic gained traction after Wade battled Iverson and Zhang Yang consecutively.

After the entrance ceremony ended, the teams exchanged friendly greetings.

Having played together in the All-Star game and having collectively achieved the goal of helping James get the AMVP—though their efforts and attitudes differed, with Wade giving his all, Zhang Yang indifferent, O’Neal strong but uninterested, and Gerald Wallace not caring at all—they had grown quite familiar with one another.

O’Neal wasn’t one for hard work, but he admired Gerald’s relentless playing style, and he held a favorable view of Zhang Yang, seeing in him a reminiscence of the time spent with another 17-year-old high schooler—the best moments of his past.