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Chapter 323 - 156. War 03 - The First Chapter

Chapter 323: 156. War 03 - The First Chapter

On the 13th at noon, the Bobcats returned to Charlotte. Although there was a game the next day, after playing back-to-back games, no training was scheduled for the afternoon—they rested.

Zhang Yang also went back to his apartment to rest, conserving energy for tomorrow’s game.

In his leisure, he went online to look at his stats... scoring an average of 23.3 points per game.

After playing four games against bottom-tier teams, it was like the league had compensated them for the tough start with three consecutive games in Texas. Others see their average points per game soar when they play against weaker teams, but for him, his points plummeted by 5—a heartbreaking sight for all.

"Brags, I, Zhang Lao San, have taken note of you!"

However, after analyzing the situation, he felt that such a scenario was quite normal.

Setting aside the second game against the Celtics when he scored only 12 points, of the other three games, his first encounter with the Celtics actually resulted in his highest score.

His style of play somehow led to more consistency in scoring against strong defensive teams.

Such opponents valued sustained defense, so even if he got hot, they seldom resorted to blind double-teaming.

For example, against the Spurs, it wasn’t until he nearly had double digits in a single quarter that the Spurs began to shift their defense up higher.

But when playing against weaker teams like the SuperSonics or the Grizzlies, as soon as he made one shot, the next time he went for a shot, they would double-team him. Standing at 195 cm barefoot with a 210 cm wingspan, he could forcefully score against small forwards in single coverage, but it was more difficult when it turned into multiple defenders.

Not to mention the second game against the Celtics, where he had even fewer shooting opportunities.

Also, during the game against the Spurs, there were often times when the team’s offense would stagnate. When teammates couldn’t make their shots under the basket or in one-on-one plays from the three-point line, it necessitated him taking the ball and forcing shots. Such a situation seldom happened against weaker teams—just look at Rondo getting 7 assists in 22 minutes of play to know the difference.

After analyzing it all, Zhang Yang wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or saddened by the distinct traits of his playing style...

The next day, November 14th, a new week had arrived.

In the morning, the league officially announced that the Bobcats’ Emeka Okafor and the Mavericks’ Josh Howard were named Players of the Week for the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively.

Last week, the Bobcats achieved 4 victories out of 4 games, with Okafor averaging 22.7 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, with a shooting accuracy of 60%.

The Mavericks also won all 3 of their games last week, starting the season with a 7-game winning streak, and Josh Howard averaged 25.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game with a shooting accuracy of 55%, including 50% from three-point range, making 2.3 out of 4.6 three-point attempts per game.

Fans were surprised to find that once again, it was players from these two teams who were named Players of the Week.

It was normal for a Maverick to receive the award, as they were the only team that hadn’t lost a game since the season started. After each game, they made headlines, and Josh Howard had also been frequenting the news last week.

But for the Bobcats, they hardly made any hot news last week.

Bobcats fans certainly knew their team was continuously winning, but non-Bobcats fans really didn’t pay attention to them over the past week.

Since their four opponents last week were all too weak—ranked last in both the Eastern and Western Conferences—had the Bobcats lost, they might have been featured more prominently in the news. But with their wins, they wouldn’t make the front page of major portals or newspapers, which at most would mention the score. TV sports news might just briefly mention their victory over a certain team, so non-Bobcats fans who saw or heard wouldn’t take much notice.

To everyone’s surprise, the Bobcats won all four games!

Last night, the Pistons suffered a close defeat away against the Rockets, 78-84, dropping their record to 6 wins and 2 losses. With a 6 wins and 1 loss, the Bobcats now sit alone at the top of the Eastern Conference!

The Bobcats quietly reached the number one spot in the East, and Okafor had a powerful performance this week, showcasing star quality and succeeding Zhang Yang as the Player of the Week.

As for the fact that the Bobcats’ opponents last week were all bottom-tier teams, no one cared, and the media wouldn’t specifically mention it.

Suddenly, both the media and the fans started discussing the Bobcats’ strong start to the season, along with Zhang Yang and Okafor’s early performances.

The Mavericks had been performing well since the start of the season, but now they seemed less dazzling compared to the Bobcats.

At 7 p.m. that evening, the center of attention, the Bobcats, hosted the Nuggets at home.

The Nuggets had a very poor start to the season, only achieving a 2 wins and 6 losses record. They had been overtaken by the Lakers and were now sitting third from last in the Western Conference, with only the SuperSonics at 1 win and 6 losses and the Grizzlies at 1 win and 7 losses doing worse than them.

Their offense and defense had collapsed!

The reason for the collapse—Kenyon Martin injured his right knee severely in the second game of the season and was ruled out for the remainder of the year.

After winning the opening game, the Nuggets only managed to get 1 win and 6 losses from the match where Kenyon Martin got injured.

For the past two years, people had been complaining about Kenyon Martin’s contract signed in ’04, a seven-year deal worth $93 million.

His average stats of 13 points, 6 rebounds, and contributions across the board didn’t justify an annual salary of over $13 million.

However, once Kenyon Martin was ruled out, people realized just how important he was to the Nuggets!

Whether it was help defense in the half-court, being able to keep up on fast breaks and willing to make the effort, or being there for quick gameplay following Andre Miller’s passes—it was all him; even setting screens at the arc or on the wing to help create opportunities and compressing the opposing defense with his cuts—all that relied on him.

In the 6 games after Kenyon Martin was ruled out, the Nuggets averaged only 92 points scored while giving up 103, performing no better than the blatantly tanking teams like the Celtics, Grizzlies, SuperSonics, and Bucks during that period.

Without Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets didn’t just lose a core player in both offense and defense, the players’ confidence also plummeted.

It was then that people realized the leader of the Nuggets wasn’t Anthony, but Kenyon Martin, who had been criticized for his high salary.

The Bobcats had not a bit of sympathy for the Nuggets and wanted desperately to match their franchise’s longest winning streak of six games, as they were already on a five-game winning streak.

Besides this common goal, Felton and Gerald Wallace had personal aims—Player of the Week!

The little bro and the high achiever had both claimed Player of the Week before, but these two hadn’t yet!

Zhang San had once quoted to them a saying from a book that they took to heart—the best time to plant a tree is now.

Fight in this game, and winning Player of the Week wouldn’t be guaranteed, but to win it, one must give it their all in every single game.

In the first quarter, Felton shot 5 for 3, including 1 for 1 from beyond the arc, plus 3 out of 4 free throws, scoring 10 points and 2 assists; Gerald Wallace shot 2 for 1 plus 1 out of 2 free throws, scoring 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Affected by the previous back-to-back away games, the Bobcats’ shooters, including Zhang Yang, had a poor start in mid- to long-range shots tonight, but Felton supported the offense, and under Gerald Wallace’s lead, everyone else defended brilliantly.

Felton and Gerald Wallace together led the team in the first quarter to a score of 24 to 12!

In the second quarter, Zhang Yang, who had missed the most shots with 5 attempts and 1 hit in the first quarter, was the first to find his rhythm. He made 2 of 4 three-pointers under pressure at mid-distance, opening the space for his teammates and adding a steal for a 2+1 break, scoring 9 points in the quarter.

Felton continued to perform outstandingly in the second quarter, scoring 8 points and 1 assist in 7 minutes of play, while Rondo coming off the bench made excellent passes whether partnering with Zhang Yang or with Felton, and got 6 assists in 9 minutes.

Although Anthony scored 15 points in a rampage in the second quarter, leading the Nuggets to score 28 points that quarter, the Bobcats still managed to widen the gap!

The quarter ended 31 to 28; by halftime, the Bobcats were leading the Nuggets by 15 points with a score of 55 to 40!

In the second half, Anthony scored in double figures in both quarters, and the Nuggets’ offense perked up, scoring 25 and 26 points, but their defense still couldn’t hold up.

Felton scored 8 points in each of the last two quarters leading the team to score 27 and 26 points respectively.

At 9:21 PM, the game ended.

Anthony scored 3 points in the first quarter, 15 in the second, 11 in the third, and 13 in the fourth, hitting 14 of 30 shots, including 6 of 14 three-pointers, along with 8 of 11 free throws, scoring a total of 42 points, but still unable to reverse the outcome.

Felton had a major outbreak tonight, hitting 12 of 21 shots, including 4 of 7 three-pointers, and 6 of 9 free throws, scoring 34 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Zhang Yang made 6 of 16 shots, including 4 of 10 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free throws, totaling 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

Gerald Wallace made 5 of 9 shots, and 3 of 6 free throws, scoring 13 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks.

The Bobcats triumphed over the Nuggets with a score of 108 to 91!

Zhang Yang felt fortunate that he had provoked Lil’ Fatty and the Crown Prince at noon, for both had an inspired outbreak tonight.

Although the Nuggets’ performance had been poor lately, they had been a strong playoff team in the Western Conference for the past three seasons, and their basic defensive skills remained. With the Bobcats’ perimeter shots not falling, they contracted their defense and clogged the middle, which stifled Okafor being squeezed by Nene and Camby.

If Felton and Gerald Wallace hadn’t held up both ends of the court in the first quarter, creating an advantage, the Bobcats might very well have capsized in the second quarter once Anthony raged.

Although Gerald Wallace couldn’t stop Anthony in the last three quarters, his help defense in the paint and interceptions on the wing were still very effective, and apart from the second quarter when Anthony got his teammates involved, he was soloing in the last two quarters.

Zhang Yang got the chance to slowly find his touch, going from 1 hit in 5 attempts in the first 8 minutes of the quarter to 5 hits in 11 attempts over the next 22 minutes, all thanks to these two teammates who kept the situation under control and afforded him the chance to miss shots.

But Anthony was indeed fierce, unstoppable once he got hot.

Yet Anthony’s playing style made Zhang Yang shake his head; it was mostly stationary, a triple-threat stance, finishing most plays with pull-up mid-range shots or step-back threes, too reliant on touch.

By defeating the Nuggets, the Bobcats extended their winning streak to six games, matching the franchise record!

Unlike the previous few wins that went largely unnoticed, this time the Bobcats became a hot topic among fans.

One more win, and they would set a new franchise record!

What a coincidence, the next opponent for the Bobcats—Knights!

After arranging a tough Texas road trip for the Bobcats to start with, the league scheduled four weaker opponents for them; afterwards, they gave them what was supposed to be a difficult series of games—facing at home the 03 trio of Anthony, James, and Wade.

This triple-header initially seemed like the Bobcats might face three straight losses, but now it looked like they might achieve eight consecutive victories!

ESPN Sports headline news—"Dignity of the 2003 Class, can KING James end the New Bad Boys Legion’s winning streak?"

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Struggling with a cold and headache, I painstakingly typed out 3000 words, a short and intense update for tonight. Please bear with it, guys; I’m off to sleep now~