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Chapter 232 - 123. The obsession of the big cheeked _3

Chapter 232: 123. The obsession of the big cheeked _3

Zhang Yang played for 25 minutes, made 12 shots and hit 7, scoring 21 points with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, marking his 13th time this season with 20+ points!

In this game alone, he had as many as 7 opportunities for open mid-range shots, showcasing an efficient mid-range performance with 4 out of 7 made.

Gerald Wallace and Okafor both scored 17 points, while Matt Carroll scored 16 points, and the recently well-performing Alan Anderson scored 12 points.

Felton faced off against Nelson, and the two stumps drained each other, both with dismal shooting percentages. Felton made 4 out of 12 shots for 11 points, but also contributed 11 assists, which was still a decent performance.

The Magic’s shooters were frighteningly off tonight, making only 7 out of 24 three-point attempts, a 29.1% success rate.

Howard had his third-worst performance of the season, scoring 7 points and grabbing 8 rebounds on 3 out of 10 shooting, plus 1 of 4 from the free-throw line.

The only performances worse than this came against the Lakers, where he faced the high school twin towers, and against the Rockets, where he faced Yao Ming...

...

Okafor had been focusing on Howard for a reason; he had entered the NBA thinking he would become the top draft pick like his idol.

At that time, media and fans unanimously predicted he would be the top pick. Howard wasn’t expected to go as high. If the Magic hadn’t picked Howard, he would have likely ended up with the fourth pick with the Clippers or the sixth pick with the Hawks. As for why not fifth... that was the Wizards.

In the end, the Magic picked Howard, and Okafor’s path to following in his idol’s footsteps was disrupted from the very first second he entered the NBA.

That’s why, after struggling several times in his rookie season to guard Howard, he chose to gain weight.

However, after this game, Okafor completely shifted his focus away from Howard, looking towards the entire league instead.

On the 27th, the Bobcats arrived at the FedEx Forum in Memphis to face the Grizzlies on their home court.

Okafor had a significant advantage over Gasol. In his rookie season last year, though Okafor lost both encounters, he overpowered Gasol. In their first matchup, Okafor scored 17 points with 12 rebounds, while holding Gasol to just 19 points and 5 rebounds on 6 of 17 shooting. The second time, Okafor had 19 points and 18 rebounds, and while Gasol improved his shooting, making 5 of 10 shots for 16 points, he only managed to grab 4 rebounds.

Tonight, Gasol didn’t show much improvement, making 7 of 11 shots and 3 of 4 free-throws for 17 points. Though his offense was alright, his rebounding was weak; averaging 8.9 boards this season, he only managed to get 5 tonight.

Okafor might have only scored 13 points, but he pulled down 21 rebounds.

The difference in rebounding between the two players mirrored the difference between their teams. The Bobcats had a total of 55 rebounds for the game, while the Grizzlies had only 39.

With the security of rebounds and with the Grizzlies’ team defense doing well, a certain No. 3 player chose to go solo and throw up shots.

Zhang Yang played for 31 minutes, shooting 8 out of 20, including 2 for 7 from the three-point line, along with a perfect 3 free-throws out of 3 attempts for 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. His shooting percentage wasn’t great, but as a sixth man, scoring when on the floor is what counts.

The courage to take charge of the ball is also a part of one’s ability.

This month, he’s reached 20+ points in a game for the 5th time, surpassing the 4 times from last December and setting a new personal best!

With Zhang Yang’s reckless shooting, he drew the Grizzlies’ defense up above the free-throw line, creating more open opportunities for his teammates on the wings.

Matt Carroll exploded tonight, going 6 for 9 from the three-point line. Although he missed all of his other shots, he scored 2 out of 3 free throws from a foul while shooting a three, scoring 20 points, the second-highest on the team!

Together with Gerald Wallace’s 15 points, Felton’s 6 points and 12 assists...

With a score of 92 to 85, the Bobcats defeated the Grizzlies, claiming their second consecutive win and improving their record to 36 wins and 34 losses!

On the next day, the 28th, the Bobcats headed to the American Airlines Arena in Miami to play a back-to-back game against the Miami Heat, who were well-rested and waiting.

As the saying goes, enemies’ blood boils upon sight, and right from the get-go, the teams were unfriendly to each other. Any camaraderie from the All-Star game was ruined last time by the players wearing No. 3.

Although O’Neal had a great appreciation for Zhang Yang, it was Wade who was the true holder of his younger brother’s legacy.

With good energy levels tonight, O’Neal helped his ’younger brother’ Wade dominate the opposition’s interior.

On the second night of a back-to-back, Gerald Wallace looked fatigued, scoring only 8 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks on 2 out of 10 shooting. Okafor also managed only 7 points and 11 boards, having wrestled with Gasol for 44 minutes the previous night; today he couldn’t keep up.

Zhang Yang played energetically from the get-go, taking on Wade’s rugged defense. Whenever he got the ball, he attacked, and without it, he actively took Wade away from the double-team area. He shot 4 out of 10, including no threes from 1 attempt, along with a perfect 4 free-throws out of 4 for 12 points and 6 rebounds. He didn’t make any mistakes, but that’s pretty much it.

Zhang Yang’s biggest contribution was providing Felton with more opportunities to go one-on-one against old Payton and White Chocolate. The little general really played well, making 9 out of 18 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free-throws for 24 points, but unfortunately only had 3 assists...

Wade scored 22 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while O’Neal contributed 25 points and 17 rebounds. Together, they led the team to thrash the Bobcats with a score of 93 to 81, avenging their previous loss.

However, even if Wade crushed Zhang Yang with 22 points and 7 boards to 12 and 6, the media backlash he hoped for didn’t materialize.

After the game, Wade saw that fan comments were regretting that No. 3 from the other side hadn’t exploded tonight. Most people were saying that No. 3 was only 17, still too inexperienced, and speculating about how great he might become...

Future, future, future, always about the future. He beats James, and the media says James’ future will be better. He beats Zhang Yang, and the fans say Zhang Yang’s future will be brighter.

Is it because he doesn’t stand tall enough in the big jaw league? Those two are talented, but can their future really match his current level?

Wade is unconvinced! He became obsessed. He wants to beat those two every time he sees them!

When is the next matchup? He looked through the schedule... Damn it! All four matchups with both teams this season are done!

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