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Chapter 342 - 163. The Last Truth - Iverson_2

Chapter 342: 163. The Last Truth - Iverson_2

But it was also frustrating for him—as Zhang Yang’s passes were sometimes just a fraction slow or he held onto the ball a bit too long. If he’d been a little quicker, it could have led directly to shots or drives for his teammates, guaranteeing more than just 8 assists.

Just sticking with the ball for a few more rounds could result in a couple more assists. Wouldn’t that mean a 20+10 performance?

Bickerstaff wouldn’t have thought this way in the past, but after watching players like Brevin Knight who were obsessed with their stats, he couldn’t help but think the same...

...

The next day, December 3rd, the Bobcats arrived at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for a back-to-back away game against the Pacers.

It finally provided Harrington with an opportunity to take a shot at Zhang Yang.

Taking advantage of the Bobcats’ back-to-back fatigue, the Pacers, led by Harrington, pulled off a surprise win over the Bobcats, 106 to 99, handing them their 5th loss of the season.

Harrington made 7 out of 15 shots, including 2 of 3 from three-point range, and with a perfect 4 out of 4 from the free-throw line, he tallied 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Stephen Jackson scored 20 points, the younger O’Neal had 18 points, while Danny Granger added 16 points...

For the Bobcats, Zhang Yang went 9 for 21, finishing with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, while Okafor made 8 of 19 shots for 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Felton and Gerald Wallace had off nights, with the former scoring only 10 points and 7 assists on 4 of 11 shooting, and the latter scraping together 8 points and 7 rebounds on 2 of 6 field goals and 4 of 6 free throws.

Rondo, on the other hand, shot an efficient 3 for 5 and, with 2 of 4 from the charity stripe, ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds. But he only managed a couple of assists, as his passes to the perimeter only led to missed shots by his teammates.

This time, Bickerstaff didn’t need Zhang Yang to whisper in his ear; Bickerstaff himself was praising Carlisle’s excellence to his son, little Bernie.

With such a ragtag lineup of forwards, Carlisle managed to conjure some magic!

Zhang Yang thought about how in the future, when the Mavericks really had no one left and signed a bunch of role-playing guards, Carlisle somehow managed to get them into the playoffs... It seemed that swapping out a bunch of forwards could also work!

He wondered, if Carlisle went to the Hawks, leading that group of players all around 206 cm tall, could he make something happen? Josh Smith had been nearly fooled into stupidity by Mike Woodson over the past two years.

Of course, it was just a thought. If he could snatch Carlisle, he definitely wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity.

Now it was just a matter of time before Carlisle and "Big Bird" Larry Bird had a complete falling out. There were two possible outcomes: one, Big Bird would simply fire Carlisle; the other, just as Zhang Yang remembered happening in his past, they would dismantle the team, sending players to the "Crazy Scientist" to rebuild, focusing on developing Granger whose talent was finally paying off, and tanking for a better draft pick. Carlisle, having not yet succeeded, might resign voluntarily.

After the Pacers game, the Bobcats’ record stood at 13 wins and 5 losses.

On December 5th, the Bobcats arrived at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia to challenge the 76ers.

The theme of tonight’s game— Iverson going one-on-one against the Bobcats’ four young talents all by himself.

Perhaps because Iverson knew his days with the team were numbered, he played some of this season’s games with abandon.

In the earlier matchups with the Miami Heat, Iverson, facing Wade’s defense, scored 46 and 41 points. In those games, he took over 30 shots, and in one game, Wade managed to hold his ground with 30 points and 13 assists, leading the Heat to victory. In the other game, he couldn’t withstand the pressure, making only 8 of 21 shots and ending with 20 points and 4 assists, as Iverson turned the tables.

Those two matches were among the hottest post-game topics last month.

Against the Suns, Iverson went 13 for 27 and scored 39 points with 8 assists, duking it out with the other MVP from his draft class, Nash, who responded with 13 of 23 shooting, including 5 for 9 from three-point territory, and a perfect 3 out of 3 from the free-throw line, tallying 34 points and 6 assists. The Suns narrowly defeated the 76ers by 5 points, thanks to their superior team strength.

So far this season, Iverson led the scoring charts with an average of 32.1 points per game, edging out Kobe’s 30.5 points per game. His performances were the talk of the fans, but it was a shame that Iverson missed the game against the Lakers due to injury.

Iverson played in a way that made him happy, the fans happy, and even the 76ers’ owner happy—the ticket sales were high. The only casualty was third-year player Andre Iguodala.

Why did it always have to be him getting hammered every time they brought in an offensive wing player?

Although he had a defensive talent, at 22 years old, the best he could handle was "denying Kobe 50 points". When Kobe came to Philadelphia earlier this season and saw Iverson sidelined, he furiously pummeled Iguodala, scoring a season-high of 46 points in a single game.

With Iverson in, the opposition’s scorers would hammer Iguodala; without Iverson, they became even more aggressive...

But he couldn’t possibly ask Iverson to defend the opposing scorers himself, could he?

What truly made Iguodala despair was facing teams like the Wizards or the Bobcats, which had multiple scoring options on the perimeter...

Zhang Yang, Felton, Gerald Wallace, and even Rondo, provoked by Iverson, all switched to isolation mode one after another. An unnamed player wearing the number 3 jersey, indicating mischief, would actively call over Iguodala when he was supposed to be guarded by the smaller guard Willie Green, intentionally increasing the level of difficulty. Following suit, his teammates would seek out Iguodala when going one-on-one.

Iguodala: "Let this world perish!"

Iverson finished the game making 14 of 31 shots, scoring 39 points and 5 assists.

Zhang Yang had 21 points on 8 of 18 shooting, adding 5 of 6 from the free throw line; Gerald Wallace made 7 of 13 for 19 points; Felton went 7 for 15 for 18 points; and Rondo scored 10 points making 4 of 8 shots... With Okafor contributing 17 points and 10 rebounds, the Bobcats defeated the 76ers 102 to 95, improving their record to 14 wins and 5 losses.