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Chapter 407 - 190. I hope Xiao Fei Lao Da is tough enough!_2

Chapter 407: 190. I hope Xiao Fei Lao Da is tough enough!_2

Zhang Yang: "..."

Bickerstaff didn’t know why Zhang Yang was so resistant to being Jack’s teammate, but since Zhang Yang wasn’t really angry and was just complaining, and even jesting with him, it meant Zhang Yang wasn’t seriously rejecting to partner with Jack... then there was no problem.

He said, "Although Jack’s playing style is similar to Raymond’s, we can’t increase variation in our guard line, it also reduces the time needed for team integration, which is beneficial for us to quickly get over losing Matt... And it’s all your fault, since you pointed out the importance of a first-round rookie’s four-year contract, the boss and I learned about the ’rookie bonus’ from you."

Zhang Yang once again felt the urge that boss Joe wanted to make cuts and he looked at the gleeful Bickerstaff Jr. to his side: "Bernie Jr., do you want to be the head coach? Our ’Big Brother Group’ supports you to replace him!"

Bickerstaff Jr. got a shock: "I didn’t say a damn thing, how did you drag me into this? Do you know it’s embarrassing to still get beaten by my dad at over 40 years old?"

He hurriedly changed the subject: "The Trail Blazers have cleared out all the ball-handling guards, it seems they are determined to build the team around Roy, with Matt, Fred Jones, both of whom are pure off-ball players, which really suit Roy."

"I heard they started shopping Randolph around during the All-Star weekend, definitely planning to build the team around Roy and Aldridge..."

Zhang Yang and Bickerstaff Jr. started discussing the Trail Blazers.

But complaint aside, he had actually accepted the fact as soon as he learned the trade object had changed.

Putting aside the metaphysics, Jack’s talent was really quite good. He was mediocre as a starter, dragging down rookie Roy this year, but coming off the bench was different, whether at the point guard or shooting guard position, he was top tier in the league.

Otherwise, boss Joe wouldn’t have agreed to pay Eric Williams over four million in salary.

After some chit-chat, Zhang Yang asked Bickerstaff Jr.: "I remember there’s a very old church in Atlanta, do you know where it is?"

Bickerstaff Jr.: "The Underground Church? That oldest church on the South Coast? I know where it is, I’ve been there... aren’t you an atheist? Are you going sightseeing?"

Zhang Yang: "My right eyelid has been twitching nonstop, I want to go pray to the Buddha."

Bickerstaff father and son: ???

...

After the afternoon’s ’Big Brother Group’ team building ended, Zhang Yang dragged Felton to the Underground Church to pray to the local bodhisattva.

After finishing his prayers, Felton said puzzled: "Jack, why did we come here to pray? Neither of us is religious."

Zhang Yang: "Hoping he will bless us to be a bit tougher."

When it comes to metaphysics, it’s better to believe it exists rather than not; it doesn’t hurt to pray a little.

And if I don’t pray now, I might not be able to 20 years later, Jesus is going to be replaced by Hamas.

Felton still didn’t understand, but he didn’t ask further, trusting his little brother wouldn’t harm him.

By 7 p.m. the next evening, the Bobcats and the Hawks team had their third regular season meet-up.

After the All-Star weekend, the Hawks team, after years of rebuilding, finally got on the right track, started coordinating well, and began winning.

However, there were still significant issues with the Hawks team’s lineup, and this time the Bobcats came better prepared.

Without Gerald Wallace, Zhang Yang and Alan Anderson couldn’t guard Joe Johnson, so they set up double teams and collapsed on the basket.

Another flaw of the Hawks team, hoarding players between 203-206 cm, was exploited by the Bobcats—lack of three-point shooters.

This season, the Hawks team averaged only 4.1 three-pointers per game, the third lowest in the league, and a team-wide three-point shooting percentage of 32.9% which was the lowest in the league.

Of these 4.1 three-pointers, 2.1 were made by Joe Johnson, 1 by Tyronn Lue, 0.5 by Josh Smith, and almost no one else on the team made threes.

That evening, the Bobcats kept the Hawks team’s scoring very low, allowing only 18 points in the first quarter and even fewer, 16 points, in the second quarter.

However, the Hawks team had significantly improved from two weeks before—on defense.

The 2-4 slots had unlimited switches, and it was pretty impressive. Lacking Gerald Wallace’s interior defense, the Bobcats struggled with mid-range shots when they were set back on offense.

Fortunately, the Bobcats excelled at attacking the rim and in fast breaks, which the Hawks team couldn’t defend against.

The first quarter ended 21-18, the second 22-17, the third 22-20, and the final quarter 21-21... The Bobcats’ lead was never huge, but they held down the Hawks team throughout.

Zhang Yang shot 6 for 14 to score 18 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists, Okafor had 15 points and 15 rebounds, Felton 12 points and 4 assists, Rondo 7 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and the veteran Derek Anderson, who replaced Matt Carroll as the sixth man that evening, had a respectable performance with 10 points...

86-76, the Bobcats comfortably defeated the Hawks team, achieving an 8-game winning streak and bringing their record to 39 wins and 18 losses!

After defeating the Hawks team, on the following day, the Bobcats continued their journey southward to the city of Disney, Orlando, resting for an afternoon before entering the court at Amway Arena at 6:40 p.m. to play back-to-back against the Magic team.

Before the game, the Bobcats’ young players regularly asked to take photos with Hill.

Previously, players like Felton and Okafor were worried about missing out on the next opportunity to face Hill, but now they were congratulating Hill on regaining his health.

Hill was truly healthy this season! His attendance reached a new high for the past seven years!

So far, out of 58 games this season for the Magic team, Hill had played in 48.

What surprised everyone the most was Hill’s performance, with an average of 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, his career all-around low. Yet, a shooting percentage of 52% from the field was a career high!