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Chapter 378 - 176. The NBA no longer has the answer_2

Chapter 378: 176. The NBA no longer has the answer_2

After the final buzzer sounded, seeing a group across celebrating together, seeing Felton going to accept the post-game interview from the court... Kobe this year had mellowed a lot compared to last season.

Having lost to the Bobcats twice, during these matches, Kobe felt the difference between having Zhang Yang in the team and not having him.

Even though Zhang Yang’s shooting percentage was worse than his tonight, his was 44%, Zhang Yang only 42%, but with Zhang Yang present, the other members of the Bobcats could focus on doing their own thing, unlike the chaotic encounter a month ago.

When Felton, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor could not score, Zhang Yang could step in and boldly attack... It had been two and a half years since O’Neal left, and Kobe had finally understood the importance of teammates this season.

...

From the one-year anniversary of "62 points in three quarters" to the one-year anniversary of the "81-point spirit," almost a month’s time, Kobe didn’t go on a scoring spree, not even a 40+ game, which left many of his fans disappointed. Yet, with disappointment, they also felt that he had matured a lot, and they were greatly comforted.

It was rumored that Garnett, Kidd, and other veteran superstars had reached out to Kobe to discuss the idea of collaboration, interested in working with Kobe who had dramatically reduced his shots by six times this season, but the progress of the discussions was not very promising.

Facing three major challenges.

One was that Kobe cared about his image, he had "driven" O’Neal away, and now he was asking other stars to come, which was a blow to his pride!

Second, there were rumors that Kobe was considering leaving, and if those veteran superstars were to join the Lakers, they would definitely be coming for Kobe. If Kobe didn’t stay, their joining would be meaningless.

Third, these veteran superstars were all under contract, the kind not expiring anytime soon, necessitating the Lakers to send out significant assets, at least Bynum or Odom, and the Lakers were not very keen on breaking up their twin towers.

But this time having directly felt the difference after the Bobcats had another player averaging 20+ points, number 24 contemplated... was it necessary to hold on to such pride?

The ripple effects of Zhang San’s flapping wings in Charlotte were growing bigger...

The increasingly tough-winged Zhang Yang, with the team, left Los Angeles early the next day for the last stop of their three-game Western road trip—Denver.

After resting one evening, on January 28th, the Bobcats arrived at the Pepsi Center to challenge the Nuggets.

Originally, #3 vs #3 was a highly anticipated topic in the U.S., with matchups like Iverson vs Wade, Paul vs Zhang Yang generally being nationally televised. However, ever since Iverson joined the Nuggets, the 76ers’ matches against the Bobcats were not broadcast live, nor did the Bobcats’ games against the Nuggets receive additional airing.

After the news of Anthony’s involvement with the mafia was exposed, the media and fans understood why Stern looked unfavorably upon Anthony.

Before acquiring Iverson, the Nuggets had a record of 7 wins and 17 losses, the third-worst in the West, barely performing better than the tanking SuperSonics.

However, after the trade for Iverson, in the following 21 games, the Nuggets achieved a record of 14 wins and 7 losses, bringing their record to 21 wins and 24 losses, surpassing the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Kings to reach tenth in the West.

With Iverson, George Karl’s beloved athletic fast-break play style finally took shape!

Melo, JR Smith, Nene, Camby, Eduardo Najera, Linas Kleiza, Reggie Evans... players with excellent physical capabilities were excelling!

The Nuggets’ fast-break was markedly different from the Suns’, presenting a new challenge to the Bobcats.

Old Nelson simplified the Showtime style to create a fast-break method that was less demanding for players other than the core members. Based on this "old-fashioned fast-break," D’Antoni and George Karl each developed their variations with personal characteristics.

While the Suns focused on three-point shooting, averaging 10 three-pointers per game, the Nuggets didn’t emphasize this aspect much. They stressed defense and the transition between offense and defense, focusing on drives. They had three-pointers, but not many, averaging only 6.5 three-pointers per game, which was even less than the Bobcats’ average of 7.2.

However, the Nuggets Team ran faster than the Suns and Warriors; the Suns had an average of 84.5 shots per game this season, the Warriors had 85, and the Nuggets had 87 shots per game after acquiring Iverson.

The day before yesterday, in the game against the struggling Lakers role players, the Bobcats encountered a physical crisis, and tonight, facing the Nuggets, who had a deep roster of role players and the fastest offensive pace in the league, they were overwhelmed.

Zhang Yang had quite a few scoring opportunities tonight. The Nuggets ran fast, and although they focused on defense, they emphasized protecting the basket, rebounding, and counterattacking. He threw 26 times, made 12 shots, and scored 31 points, but his teammates had a rough night. Okafor and Gerald Wallace both wilted, Felton scored the second-highest 16 points, and the third to fifth highest scorers were Matt Carroll with 13 points, Jumaine Jones and Rondo each with 10 points...

Blake scored 0 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists; Anthony scored 31 points; Iverson 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 8 assists; JR Smith 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists; Nenê 16 points... The Nuggets defeated the visiting Bobcats 106 to 99, handing them their 17th loss of the season.

Besides the Nuggets’ novel gameplay and the Bobcats’ physical issues, another reason for the Bobcats’ loss was Iverson’s only 16 shots, down from an average of 24.4 before being traded to the Nuggets.

It always seemed like he was going to shoot, but he chose to pass, even to teammates who didn’t have as high a shooting percentage...

After joining the Nuggets, Iverson averaged 18 shots, making 8.5 per game with a shooting percentage of 47.2%, and averaged 24 points—the lowest since first winning the scoring title in his third year—but a career-high of 8 assists per game.

Such an Iverson, when first encountered, was indeed hard to defend.

But as the fans say, the NBA no longer has "the Answer," only Iverson left, as Zhang Yang felt tonight.

...

After the game against the Nuggets, the Bobcats rushed back to Charlotte, rested for one night, then on January 30th, they played their 17th game of the month against the Warriors, whom they had just faced a few days earlier.

A 2-1 record in their last three away games was acceptable for the Bobcats, higher than their season win rate, and the players weren’t too downhearted, nor did they have the leisure to be.

Instead, finally reaching the 17th game of the month—this month that had the most brutal schedule—the last game of the month was about to truly withstand... The Bobcats players were all perked up!

At 6 p.m., the home game against the Warriors kicked off.

Old Nelson, noticing low morale in the Bobcats players the day before yesterday, prepared to exploit the opponents’ weakness tonight, and the Warriors players, having lost to the Bobcats just a few days ago, were also full of drive, especially Ellis.

Then they encountered the rampaging Bobcats...

Old Nelson: Hey, no, you aren’t playing by the book, are you?

The way you played against the Nuggets, you looked dead tired, but against us, you go all out? Think we’re easy to pick on?

Well, they really were easy to pick on.

The defense system he crafted specifically for that team did not work at all against the Bobcats.

The Warriors tonight had seven players score in double figures, played quite well, but the opposing side scored even more fiercely.

Okafor toughened up tonight, shooting 9 of 12, including 5 of 8 from the line, scoring 23 points and 18 rebounds!

Together with Gerald Wallace’s 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, Zhang Yang’s 29 points, Felton’s 20 points, 7 assists, Rondo’s 7 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, Millsap’s 12 points... The Bobcats triumphed over the visiting Warriors 126 to 110, ending this toughest game month with a victory!