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Chapter 252 - 130. Carter: I knew it, someone has been led astray by Kobe!_2

Chapter 252: 130. Carter: I knew it, someone has been led astray by Kobe!_2

...

A 17-year-old rookie’s debut at the basketball temple resulted in an unprecedented 43 points for a rookie’s single-game high score in the class of 2005, turning Zhang Yang into the focus once again.

Riding on the wave of the Grizzlies’ surge, led by James, Zhang Yang was seen as a phenom rookie, starting with their upset win over the Miami Heat, historically known as the "James-Wade Connection."

With fame comes controversy, and with high scores, even more.

Most of the controversy came from fans of new-generation superstars who hadn’t scored 40+ points in a game during their rookie years, accusing Zhang Yang of stat padding and playing selfishly.

James’s fans were not among them, since James had scored 40+ points in a game during his rookie year.

Of course, Zhang Yang’s fans hit back, showcasing the fervor of college basketball fans!

The quarrels among fans of the new-generation superstars were nothing new, just like people had grown accustomed to the incessant arguments among fans of mid-generation superstars.

The fans of the mid-generation superstars merely watched for fun; they had been through it all and no longer participated, lest their stars get dragged into it—who hadn’t stat padded when they were young? There are always exceptions.

An in-his-prime, popular mid-generation superstar stepped into the fray, not through his fans but in his own words, "I always said Kobe scoring 81 points would set a bad example for the kids, and now someone has started to imitate him, that’s not the right way to play basketball..."

After this remark, fans from Carolina’s college basketball scene didn’t even get the chance to respond when Kobe’s fans got fired up.

We’re here to enjoy the spectacle, and you come mocking us? And the celebrity himself?

And so, another all-stars feud unfolded.

When Zhang Yang noticed the direction the public opinion was taking, he felt some dismay.

Dear fans, weren’t you all discussing whether I could score 20+ points 20 times in a single season? I did it, so why is no one talking about it anymore...

All because of Kobe!

What about those 62 points in 3 quarters? What about that 81-point game?

After feeling frustrated for a while that his limelight was stolen, Zhang Yang calmed down, thinking it was for the better, helping him to break free from the ’illusory boom’ brought about by his 43-point game.

Seeing the resentful look in O’Neal’s eyes, before leaving New York, he went to a mall and bought a hefty gold watch for O’Neal as a gift.

At first, O’Neal refused, but when Zhang Yang mentioned it was an early birthday present, he gladly accepted it and was deeply touched.

The day before yesterday at noon, when Felton had just arrived in New York, he met up with a friend from middle school in a bar. His friend, taken by the watch, asked to take a closer look, so Felton took it off. He went to the restroom and upon his return, his friend told him the watch had disappeared from the table in the blink of an eye...

Felton told Zhang Yang about the incident, insisting that his friend didn’t steal it, but he took Zhang Yang’s advice not to associate with that friend anymore.

Zhang Yang was indeed planning to give O’Neal a watch for his birthday at the end of June to heal the big guy’s broken heart, so this was just an early present.

After returning to Charlotte that evening, Zhang Yang stayed home and watched a live broadcast of the game between the Wizards and the Chicago Bulls, which was the regular season finale for both teams.

The Wizards had a record of 44 wins and 37 losses. They couldn’t handle the pressure during the crucial final moments of the regular season, losing consecutively to the Spurs and the 76ers, with their record surpassed by the Pacers and caught up by the Grizzlies. Another loss in their final game would send them straight to the seventh spot, but a win could still give them a chance to fight for the fifth spot based on head-to-head and division records—provided the Pacers lost their last game.

The situation was even more urgent for the Bulls, with a record of 42 wins and 39 losses. A loss tonight could lead to them being ousted from the top eight by the Bucks, who currently held a record of 41 wins and 40 losses.

Of course, the Bulls could hope for the Bucks to lose their game against the Toronto Raptors tomorrow...

The Wizards played aggressively, leading the scores in the first quarter 28 to 26, in the second quarter 28 to 22, and in the third quarter 26 to 21, finishing the three quarters ahead of the Bulls by 13 points with a score of 82 to 69.

Just as Zhang Yang began to calculate their head-to-head records and division records against the Wizards, the Bulls went on a rampage in the final quarter.

’Bench Jordan’ Ben Gordon shot 5 for 7 in the last quarter, including a perfect 4 for 4 from the three-point line, along with 1 for 1 free throws, amassing a quick-fire 15 points and leading the Bulls to a 34-point explosion in the final quarter.

Hinrich, Luol Deng, and Chandler also performed excellently on defense, working together to limit the Wizards to just 19 points in the final quarter.

As Arenas stepped back for an ultra-long three-pointer more than a meter away from the three-point line and missed, the Chicago Bulls completed a comeback with a 103-101 victory over the Wizards, securing the eighth spot in the East!

The Wizards ended their season with a three-game losing streak, dropping to seventh in the East with a 44-38 record.

Zhang Yang was startled; would he face KING James in the first round?

The answer would come from tomorrow’s games!

...

April 18th, the last game day of the 05-06 regular season.

The media and fans turned their attention to Charlotte, with multiple TV stations broadcasting or altering their live coverage.

In the Western Conference, following the Nuggets Team’s loss to the Lakers on the road, the top eight rankings were settled.

The Spurs clinched the first spot in the West with 63 wins and 19 losses, Suns second with 54-28, Nuggets Team third with 44-38, Mavericks fourth with 60-22 due to division rules, Grizzlies fifth with 49-33, Clippers sixth with 47-35, Lakers seventh with 46-36, and King still had one game left at eighth with 44-37.

In the East, the Pistons took the first place with 64-18, and the Miami Heat, Nets, and Knight all had one last game today, but win or lose, their ranking wouldn’t be affected. The Bulls’ eighth place was also already confirmed.

The only undecided rankings were between the Pacers, Bobcats, and Wizards. The Wizards could only watch from the sidelines, their playoff fate in others’ hands.

And that ’others’ referred to the two teams facing off in Charlotte’s arena today: the Bobcats and the Pacers!

Zhang Yang learned from the regulations just before the last quarter of last night’s game between the Wizards and the Bulls; if the records were tied, the ranking would be Wizards, Bobcats, Pacers.

If the Wizards had won last night, then even if the Bobcats defeated the Pacers and tied the Wizards’ record, they would still rank behind the Wizards as the sixth.

In that case, the finale against the Pacers would simply be about giving it their all to win.

But the Wizards lost! If they beat the Pacers, they could climb directly to fifth place, relying on the regular-season advantage of 3 wins to 1 in head-to-head encounters!

That changed everything, all in!

Though they lamented not being able to face certain opponents, when really given a choice, of course, they would choose...

Before the morning’s pre-game meeting, Felton shared the calculation formula with his teammates. The teammates didn’t care much for calculations, but hearing they could reach fifth place with a win stirred up excitement!

At 7:00 PM, the Bobcats’ home game against the Pacers, marking the regular season finale, tipped off!

Little O’Neal won the jump ball against Okafor but was quickly served a huge block by Okafor, igniting the home crowd’s excitement.

On the other end, Okafor’s turn-around hook shot was also disrupted by Little O’Neal, with both sides refusing to give in.

The Bobcats were highly motivated, and so were the Pacers.

Eager not to concede after finally getting back to fifth place, the Pacers were resolute, especially in the season’s last game.

The end of this regular season was eventful in the East, with three teams vying for the fifth spot—a situation not seen in the Eastern Conference in many years.

From the opening round, the power forwards from both teams set the tone for a rough battle ahead.

With the Bobcats ranked 11th in offense and the Pacers 24th, the Bobcats had the advantage, but they were somewhat weaker overall on defense, with the Pacers at 5th and Bobcats at 11th.

Rick Carlisle deserved credit for maintaining such defensive performance by the Pacers even after losing their best defensive player. In times of the most intense conflict within the team, he insisted on emphasizing defense, even if it led to clashes with players.

Recently, the referees’ calls have been getting looser, moving towards a playoff whistle tonight. Facing the playoff-experienced Pacers, the Bobcats found themselves on the back foot in this gritty battle.

After 5 minutes of play, the Bobcats trailed the Pacers by 3 points, 5-8, but thankfully Bickerstaff timely substituted Zhang Yang on. With Zhang Yang, who just scored 43 points, holding position at the high post, it created much more space for Felton, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor to attack the basket.

At the end of the first quarter, the Bobcats kept the score close, trailing the Pacers by three points, 18-21. In the 7 minutes after Zhang Yang entered the game, although he didn’t score much, the team’s scoring surged, and the TV commentators noted the importance of a mid-range scorer to the game.