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Chapter 249 - 129. Even if my great-grandmother coached the Knicks, they wouldn’t be in last place_2

Chapter 249: 129. Even if my great-grandmother coached the Knicks, they wouldn’t be in last place_2

"There’s an old Chinese saying, ’Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength.’

Some teammates didn’t understand and asked, ’What does a lion have to do with us?’

Felton had also asked this question and shared the answer, ’Lions are felines, and our team name is the Bobcats, which are also felines.’

These words won the teammates’ applause, comparing themselves to lions felt dominant.

As for the meaning of that old Chinese saying, not many understood it, but it wasn’t important.

Felton once again successfully led his teammates.

...

After the meeting, Zhang Yang, Felton, Okafor, and Alan Anderson went out for dinner together.

In the eyes of his teammates, Okafor had joined the ’rookie group;’ he was only in his second year, which wasn’t wrong.

But the influence of these four teamed up within the squad could only rival that of Gerald Wallace. The heir apparent’s charismatic personality was indeed strong, and the management and coaching staff’s cultivation of him was no less than that given to Zhang Yang and Okafor.

During dessert time after the meal, although Zhang Yang and Okafor were disciplined, they occasionally indulged in some junk food with Felton.

As Felton was eating a cupcake and reading the newspaper, he saw a report reprinted from ESPN news and exclaimed in surprise, ’Jack, am I not awake? ESPN says we’re the second-best performing team in the East after the All-Star weekend? The first isn’t the Knights? The Knights are only third?’

Zhang Yang leaned over to look and sighed, ’As expected of ESPN, this is called professionalism!’

Felton: ’Huh?’

Okafor couldn’t stand it anymore and cut in, ’After the All-Star weekend, the Knights lost to us three times, so ESPN hyped us up. This way, it’s not that James isn’t good, but that we’re too tough. If not for the Pistons’ excellent record, they might have put us first.’

Zhang Yang: ’ESPN can also provoke rivalry this way, by ranking the Miami Heat and the Nets behind us. Carter and Wade take these things very seriously. If we get knocked out in the first round and James makes it to the second, none of the former matters.’

Felton: ’Shh... that’s dirty!’

Okafor felt Felton was just lucky to be in the same draft class as Zhang Yang.

If Felton had entered the NBA a year earlier or Zhang Yang a year later, Felton would definitely have been completely overshadowed by Gerald Wallace.

Back at the hotel, the rookie group gathered in Felton’s room to watch the showdown between the Miami Heat and the Nets.

Currently, the Nets are at 48 wins and 32 losses, and the Miami Heat at 49 wins and 31 losses. With only two games left, the Nets could only hope to push to the second seed in the East by beating the Miami Heat head to head. If the Heat won, they would secure the second seed in the East with one game to spare.

The Bobcats are currently seventh in the East, and they might be able to push higher. Their goal is also to rank as high as possible. But if they can’t overtake the Pacers and the Wizards, then it would be very important who secures the second seed between the Nets and the Miami Heat.

Naturally, they were hoping the Nets would win tonight...

The game was fiercely competitive, and the Nets put on an astonishing display of power in regular time. Even though O’Neal had scored 35 points by the 6:22 mark of the final quarter, the Nets had still gained a six-point lead.

Wade was managed by Kidd into making only 7 of 19 shots for just 18 points, while Kidd went berserk, 7 for 12 and making four three-pointers and two free throws, scoring 20 points, and feeding both Carter and Richard Jefferson to over 20 points each. By the official timeout of the fourth quarter, the Nets led 98 to 92.

But after the official timeout, Payton once again taught his younger peer a lesson...

In the latter half of the final quarter, Payton isolated against Kidd, making 4 out of 6 shots to get 10 points. He greatly disrupted Kidd’s ability to connect the offense in positional battles, forcing Carter to solve problems through isolation, leading the Miami Heat to a half-quarter score of 18 to 10.

In the end, the Miami Heat reversed the game against the Nets with a 110 to 108 victory, improving their record to 50 wins and 31 losses, and securing the second seed in the East.

The four rookies felt a huge "danger" sign popping up over their heads when they saw this result.

The seventh seed in the East, it’s not a place to stay!

Hearing his teammates’ lament, Okafor thought about it and said, ’We don’t need to worry and stress about who we’ll face in the playoffs. Just making it to the playoffs this season is already a great achievement. Right now, we don’t have the luxury of choosing our opponents.’

Zhang Yang: ’That’s true, but it’s still nerve-wracking! Big Shark’s peak might not have more than a couple of years left, with his many injuries this year and his unprecedentedly poor physical condition. We might miss the chance to face him in the playoffs if we overlook it. But I also want to face Kidd and Carter, and facing the Pistons’ five tigers would be great too...’

Felton: ’Now that you mention it, Jack, it feels like a shame that we can only face one of them. I’ve heard news that Big Ben and the Pistons didn’t come to terms on a renewal. Big Ben’s asking for a max contract, $80 million or $60 million, but the Pistons don’t want to give it due to his age. Big Ben might leave the Pistons this summer.’

Zhang Yang: ’Exactly...’

Okafor: ’...’

Are people actually anxious about this kind of thing? I shouldn’t unnecessarily worry!

And how did we get off topic again?

...

The next day, after waking up, Zhang Yang stopped caring about who they would face in the playoffs. Who to play if not to play? Since there’s no choice, then face whoever comes.

In the morning, the Bobcats arrived at Madison Square Garden. The coaching staff still only held meetings and didn’t arrange training, restricting some players’ voluntary extra practice.

At this point, the main players couldn’t get injured, not because they were thinking about winning in the playoffs, but because if they were not injured, they could experience what playoff games felt like.

Zhang Yang was not within the restricted range. He was originally, but later the coaches stopped caring, knowing he would rest if tired. For instance, over the past month, his training time had noticeably decreased.