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Chapter 237 - 125. The top three teams in the Eastern Conference all have wins! _3

Chapter 237: 125. The top three teams in the Eastern Conference all have wins! _3

At this moment, Carter regained a bit of his old brilliance and seemed highly reliable.

Felton pushed forward into the frontcourt, with Zhang Yang taking a high position leaning on Carter.

Carter stayed behind Zhang Yang, disrupting the catch and ready to apply pressing defense at the first opportunity.

Unlike Payton, he had witnessed Zhang Yang’s post-up moves at the All-Star Game. Just in terms of skills, they were hard to guard against due to their strange pacing and unpredictable rhythm.

But he wasn’t Kobe, and this wasn’t the All-Star Game; he wouldn’t rely solely on defensive skills when he could take advantage of his physical superiority!

As Felton was about to loft the ball, Carter exerted force suddenly... and then realized something was amiss—the ball wasn’t flying in their direction!

Feeling Zhang Yang powering up on his left side, Carter quickly backpedaled to turn around... only to be blocked by Okafor!

Zhang Yang maneuvered around the screen, the ball falling perfectly behind Okafor’s back. Zhang Yang received the ball and charged into the lane!

Krstic moved up to defend, and Kidd rushed under the basket to intercept any pass to Okafor, but Zhang Yang didn’t pass. Instead, he took two strides, confronting Krstic’s defense, and released a shot... scoring!

Kidd slapped his forehead hard—this rookie, who looked so polite, was fearless when it came to shooting! He dared to throw any ball.

He seriously doubted that, given enough stamina and opportunity, this rookie would dare to attempt over 40 shots in a game just like number 8!

On the switch to offense, Carter received the ball at the top of the arc under immense pressure.

He wasn’t afraid to take clutch shots. Though his spirit had somewhat waned after missing consecutively in the regular time, he was willing and capable of attempting key shots.

But a 5-point gap with 30 seconds left was just too much compared to the 3-point gap he had anticipated!

Adjusting his rhythm, Carter faked a shot and drew back the ball, then suddenly jumped up, lifted his hand to shoot... "Smack"... Zhang Yang’s palm chopped down on Carter’s elevated ball!

Carter’s intention to shoot was too obvious, and Zhang Yang had a clear defensive objective—only to guard against the three-pointer. He focused on Carter’s lower body movements and decisively made his move, timing it perfectly!

As Carter lost control of the ball and stabilized his center of gravity, Zhang Yang had already secured the ball.

Carter attempted to snatch it back, but Zhang Yang dribbled with one hand, turned, and dodged, weaving past Carter and pushing forward for a counterattack!

Carter followed closely, keeping up wasn’t a problem, but he felt desperate inside.

Catching up was one thing, but stopping him was another—he had already failed twice to guard Zhang Yang in one-on-one situations during counterattacks earlier in the game!

The resolve Carter had just shown was chopped down by Zhang Yang’s hand!

Without confidence, his defense naturally suffered.

Zhang Yang rushed forward, took a step to the left, and Carter immediately lunged in. But before Zhang Yang could take a second step, Carter flung himself to the other side. Zhang Yang finally took his second step, drew near the basket, leaped, and made the layup!

The Bobcats extended their lead to 7 points!

With just 18 seconds left, Zhang Yang’s steal and solo counterattack ended the game!

Kidd, running back to receive the inbound pass, didn’t call a timeout and didn’t attempt to play after crossing half-court.

The final buzzer soon sounded, 116 to 109. The Bobcats narrowly defeated the Nets by 7 points, improving their record to 37 wins and 35 losses!

The Bobcats’ players huddled together in wild celebration!

Before the game, they had braced themselves for their win percentage falling back to 50%, but victory was theirs—how could they not be excited?

Zhang Yang and Okafor were surrounded by their teammates at the center!

Zhang Yang scored 12 points in the first quarter, 4 in the second, 6 in the third, and during the crucial moments of the fourth quarter, he scored 4 consecutive points to finish the quarter with 11 points. He made 13 of 23 shots, including one three-pointer from three attempts, plus six free throws from six attempts, securing his career’s second 30+ point game!

Okafor made 10 of his 15 shots, and with 7 free throws out of 10, achieved 27 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Okafor brought the threat and initiative, and Zhang Yang converted it into an actual scoring advantage, which was key to the Bobcats’ victory!

Of course, Felton’s 9 points and 11 assists, Gerald Wallace’s 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks, Matt Carroll’s 9 points, and Brezec’s 11 points... all were significant.

Every teammate who contributed tonight was indispensable! It was a victory for the team!

Kidd watched as the energetic Bobcats players on the opposite side tossed the ball to the referee, preparing to leave.

He felt the cruelty of time and realized he no longer had the vigor of youth.

He reminisced about 2003, when he led an underwhelming team to back-to-back finals with high spirits, turning down a max offer from the Spurs, refusing to switch sides, believing he could win the championship on his own.

In just three short years, his sharp edges had gradually worn down...

He now wondered: if even an emerging team like the Bobcats could find a way to restrain them, to defeat them, did they still have any hope?

Such thoughts did not only arise this particular night. After each loss, Kidd would have a lot to ponder, being in the 12th year of his career with not even one championship title to his name...

...

The Bobcats’ victory over the Nets once again caught the attention of the media and fans.

The Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and the Nets—the top three teams in the Eastern Conference had all been defeated by the Bobcats since the All-Star Weekend!

This feat was something that the Pacers, Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Bucks—four teams that had long occupied playoff spots—had not accomplished!

Even the Pacers, considered the only team in the Eastern Conference’s lower half capable of an upset, couldn’t do it. The top three regarded the Pacers as the least desirable playoff opponent, facing them with the intensity of a knock-out match...

Of the top four in the East, the Bobcats had only not won against the super-team, the Pistons.

However, the Pistons were extraordinarily strong in regular-season play, comparable to the Lakers of the 99-00 season; only the Bulls of 96 and 97 could steadily outperform this season’s Pistons team. Not beating them was normal, as two of the top three were swept by the Pistons. Even with Kidd’s upper hand over Billups, they could not overcome the vast overall strength gap. Only the Heat with an uninjured O’Neal could hold their own against the Pistons, drawing even with two games at 1-1.