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Chapter 358 - 167. Unlimited Firepower_3

Chapter 358: 167. Unlimited Firepower_3

Last season, Zhang Yang averaged just over 20 minutes per game, and over seventy percent of his shots and counterattacks came from running to positions and catching the ball, so he could basically be considered as an off-ball floor spacer. It’s normal for him to have fewer injuries; shooting once every two minutes, the ratio might have been a bit high, but due to his limited playing time, he only averaged fourteen or fifteen shots per game. Everyone on the Bobcats had gotten used to it, as had the media and fans who followed the team.

Looking back now, it was a special thing. They thought back carefully and rarely saw Zhang Yang having fitness problems. ’Fitness problem’ doesn’t mean that Zhang Yang could swing freely like Kobe or Iverson, but rather that no matter how tired he was from the previous game, he would still be full of energy in the next one. Back-to-back games hardly affected him. It was only during an extreme schedule, such as five away games in six days or four in five days, that Zhang Yang’s fitness issues would become apparent.

In January last season, the performances of other rookies all declined to some extent, but Zhang Yang’s performance steadily improved. His ball-handling proportion increased, as did his rebounds and assists.

With such physical recovery capability and Zhang Yang’s focus on mid- and long-range shooting with his method of attacking the hoop involving avoiding defenders or quick shots, the risk of injury was low. Jordan and the coaching staff figured they needed to make use of this.

Ingles, who was sitting nearby, looked somewhat worried, "Aren’t you concerned that Jack might lose himself if given unlimited firing rights? No matter how mature he is, he’s still just an 18-year-old kid."

That was precisely what Jordan was worried about. Now that he was an owner, even though he sometimes still acted with a player’s mentality, his mindset had changed when it came to decision-making, becoming much more cautious.

"You can’t have the benefits without taking risks," Bickerstaff responded, "and besides, Chip, you said it yourself, Jack is only 18. Even if he does lose himself, we’ll just have to guide him back on track. Haven’t the fans been saying that this bad boy will still be the youngest player in the NBA next season? We’re in a position to allow for mistakes, and this is temporary. Consider it part of his training."

...

After lunch, the ’Big Brother Group’ went to a café in Madison Square Garden to rest. They didn’t go out and wander about, opting to conserve energy for the evening’s game instead.

The two 30-minute training sessions in the morning weren’t particularly exhausting, but they were mentally draining. Tactical adjustments are indeed a troubling matter.

Felton brought his laptop to the café and connected it to the internet to check the news.

After browsing a few websites, Felton teased Zhang Yang, "Jack, your comments from yesterday have the fans arguing again."

Zhang Yang knew such remarks would definitely cause controversy, but he did it on purpose. The game had been played, and he had lost the salary of six games and a 50 thousand US dollar fine. Naturally, he had to maximize the effect and show those worthless guys a strong stance, ready to inflict both physical and psychological harm if they dared to mess with him.

But when he looked at a few websites, he was surprised – didn’t the topic get a little too much attention? Yesterday’s NFL ranking position match between the Texans and the Chieftains wasn’t as hot as his comments. Major media outlets were all hyping up what he said last night, with some praising and others criticizing and attacking.

Was it because his opponent was the Knicks? Was New York media attention that high?

He checked domestic websites as well, and they too were discussing his comments, sparking huge controversy among fans.

A bit puzzled, Tellem wouldn’t spend money on paid posts for something like this. He had discussed it with Tellem, those words were meant for the opponents, there was no need to hype it up. As for fame, he preferred to earn it through his performance in games.

If he couldn’t figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it. Despite the controversy, he felt that he actually benefited from it.

The afternoon rest time quickly passed, and at 8:40 PM, Zhang Yang and his teammates entered the Madison Square Garden arena.

As he entered, a fierce cheer erupted from the crowd.

It wasn’t the first time he heard cheers in an away game. He had experienced it when playing against the Warriors and Rockets, and even in Los Angeles, there were a small number of fans who cheered for him. But none of the cheers from those away games matched the intensity here at the basketball holy land, making playing away games in this venue a truly enjoyable experience.

When the Knicks entered, there weren’t many boos from the fans; instead, cheers rang out.

Because the Knicks had recently been performing well!

It was quite bizarre for a team to improve after a brawl led to the suspension of several key players, but this was only something you might see with the Knicks.

Currently, the Knicks had four players suspended and three injured, leaving only eight available for the game: Marbury, Crawford, Big Q, David Lee, Malik Rose, Channing Frye, Kevin Cato, and Eddie Curry.

Yet, with just these eight players, they had won five out of the last eight games, improving their record from 5 wins and 17 losses to 10 wins and 20, moving out of the ’Oden competition zone.’

When Zhang Yang saw the peculiar situation of the Knicks, he analyzed that the reason was quite simple – there were fewer players who needed the ball, leaving only Marbury, Crawford, David Lee, and Eddie Curry needing to handle the ball. This provided them more room to perform, and with more teammates playing off-ball, their overall performance naturally improved. Moreover, the Knicks still suffered from internal disputes, with some players unable to even attend games, reducing the conflicts.

Plus, the Knicks’ eight-man lineup was indeed talented. The combined salaries of these eight players exceeded those of a third of the league’s teams.

With recent victories, the atmosphere in the Knicks locker room had eased significantly. Zhang Yang noticed that the opposing players were actively communicating and interacting upon entering the arena, something he hadn’t seen in the three games they played last season.