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Chapter 408 - 190. Hope Xiao Fei Lao Da is tough enough! _3

Chapter 408: 190. Hope Xiao Fei Lao Da is tough enough! _3

Kobe once said, "In a one-on-one matchup against the best defenders, I’m more accurate than any role player shooting from an open position."

Hill proved this statement from another angle.

When he switched his style to mid-range and long two-point shooting without the ball, cut into play options, counterattack response spots, and free-throw line maneuvering points, his response shots and counterattack performances outclassed those of any role player, with a 47% shooting rate on long two-pointers and 70% under the basket, performances he had never achieved even at his peak.

Besides Hill, many players on the Magic team significantly improved their individual performances this year.

Howard’s numbers held steady at an average of 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks per game, with massive improvement defensively, quickly growing from last season’s easily outmaneuvered leaper to a trustworthy protector of the basket... Of course, there’s still a sizable gap from the best defensive lineup, but currently, in terms of basket protection alone, the top three in the Eastern Conference are Little Duncan, Big Ben.

Also, Howard averages 2 assists to 4 turnovers per game, really doing better without this aspect, plus he commits a lot of fouls, which limit his defensive performance, with 4 fouls for every 2 blocks.

Turkoglu had grown into a qualified tactical core for the front line, and Nelson’s one-on-one ability was also improving...

Strangely, the Magic players one by one were getting better, but their record was only 26 wins and 32 losses, even worse than the same period last season.

Their head coach, Brian Hill, was only capable of developing players, not leading them to victories, and the Magic had reached the stage where a change of head coach was necessary; without switching to a coach who could lead the team to victories, conflicts might erupt among the players.

Indeed, Brian Hill had already begun to overtrain Howard, starting to train him to pass the ball like O’Neal after Howard had solidified his defense, finishing, and fast-break fundamentals...

At 7 PM, the game between the Bobcats and the Magic began.

The first quarter saw both teams exchanging leads, with Felton using a screen to make a step-turn three-pointer, helping the Bobcats to a lead of 27-25 over the Magic by the end of the first quarter, entering the second with a one-point lead.

Just when the Bobcats players felt they were gaining momentum, the Magic exploded... At the start of the second quarter, the Puerto Rican Carlos Arroyo led the Magic in a three-point barrage.

Arroyo, Nelson, Redick, and Turkoglu made six three-pointers together, with Arroyo scoring two, including a 2+1, and Turkoglu also scored two, while the other two each made one, scoring a 19-2 run against the Bobcats in less than three minutes...

The Bobcats players were stupefied by the shooting!

Zhang Yang recalled the 09 Eastern Conference finals where the Magic drowned the Cavaliers in a round of three-pointers, averaging over 10 three-pointers per game in a series for the first time since the gritty 90s.

No amount of steps could compete, not even slight movements.

Moreover, in the latter part of that series, Van Gundy devised a method to contain the KING, with James shooting 20 out of 30 in the first game and 13 out of 23 in the second, starting the third game, Nelson+Howard’s combined defense dropped his shooting percentage below 40%...

Tonight, they, the Bobcats, experienced an early taste of a three-pointer barrage.

In the second quarter, the Magic scored 36-18, leaving the Bobcats unsure how to respond, trailing by 16 points at halftime.

Returning from the half-time break, the Bobcats rallied, scoring 26-23 and 24-21 in the two quarters, but only managed to close the gap by 6 points.

95-105, the Bobcats lost the last game of a four-game road trip, ending an 8-game winning streak.

Zhang Yang performed decently tonight, 7 out of 16 shooting, including 4 out of 9 threes, plus 1 out of 2 free throws, scoring 19 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.

Perkins and Okafor did well too, holding Howard to 4 out of 10 shooting, limiting him to just 10 points and 10 rebounds.

But the Magic’s 24 out of 14 on three-point shots, no one could withstand that...

Zhang San even went betting on three-point shooting, performing okay, but compared to the opponent’s 58% three-point shooting rate, it was far short.

Chasing the team’s first-ever 10-game winning streak is tough!

Looking at the Mavericks, they are on an 11-game winning streak... envy and jealousy!

...

After the four-road trip, on the 27th at noon, the Bobcats returned to Charlotte.

Going 3-1 on the four-game road trip and 5-1 after the All-Star weekend, the media and fans actually rated the Bobcats’ start to the second half of the season highly.

During this period, aside from the Mavericks, they had the highest win rate in the league.

The 10 games of February are already over, and having just completed a back-to-back, the Bobcats got two days’ rest.

However, after Zhang Yang got home and put his luggage down, he rushed to the stadium to meet his new teammates.

Yesterday, Eric Williams and Jarett Jack had already arrived in Charlotte, and this morning Bickerstaff and Ingles didn’t return with the team on the chartered flight but arrived three hours earlier in Charlotte, taking the two newcomers to the hospital for a medical check-up.

When Zhang Yang arrived at the stadium, Jarett Jack was undergoing a technical test; he asked Ingles for the new teammates’ medical reports.

True to Jack’s reputation, all health indicators were excellent, really healthy!

Poor Blake, having played so well in more than 50 games last season, averaging 11 points and 6 assists, shooting 41% on three-pointers, then suddenly slipping with no contact, side-lined for a month, returning at the end of March with the remaining 14 games without scoring double digits in any, including 4 zero-point games, and even lost his starting point guard spot, traded to the Bucks during the off-season.

Praying hard for "Big Fat" to have tough luck!

Noticing Zhang Yang’s arrival, Jarett Jack wrapped up his test and went over to greet him; they had connections, having met during the draft, with the same agent, Tellem.

But as he approached, Zhang Yang opened his arms towards him, muttering, "Evil spirits, begone..."

Jarett Jack said, puzzled, "Jack, what are you doing?"

Zhang Yang: "Your former team is a place of ill omen; I’m helping you to ward off evil."

Jarett Jack ’uh’ed, intrigued, wondering if his high school junior brother knew how to exorcise.

But considering the bizarre injuries he saw his teammates endure over two years with the Trail Blazers... it was indeed time to ward off bad luck!