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Chapter 420 - 194. Another small but promising change_3

Chapter 420: 194. Another small but promising change_3

Tonight, there was one thing that Zhang Yang cared deeply about—Livingston wasn’t injured!

Was it because of his joining, the Bobcats made the playoffs in their second season building the team, and they received the schedule of a strong team in their third season, which caused the entire schedule of the league to differ from that of the original timeline and therefore allowed Livingston to avoid that accidental injury?

Zhang Yang was surprised but also felt happy about this.

Livingston, at the age of 21 this season, averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.2 steals, having become a qualified second-unit organizer. Continuing to grow, there was hope for him to take over from Cassell as the new core of the Clippers backcourt within the next two years.

Zhang Yang was curious about what kind of player this 2004 class’s second-highest high school player would become—a tall version of Karen Mok whose athleticism wasn’t destroyed... He was an opponent well worth looking forward to!

...

The next day, March 23rd, the Bobcats faced the challenge of the Kings at home in a back-to-back game.

The players of the Bobcats took this game very seriously.

Because this was their last encounter with a Western conference team this season, and after losing to the Clippers last night, their record against Western conference teams had become 15 wins and 14 losses; if they lost again, they would no longer have an ’advantage’ over Western conference teams.

This ’advantage’ was actually insignificant to the Bobcats as a team.

But Zhang Yang and his teammates cared a lot about it!

The Pistons had an advantage over the Western conference teams; they must have it as well, for the sake of pride.

Furthermore, the media were also hyping up this issue—if the Bobcats lost to the Kings, they would be no different from the other Eastern conference teams, aside from the Pistons, all getting suppressed by the Western conference teams.

The Bobcats players didn’t want to be lumped in with those teams, so they fought very hard tonight!

The players of the Kings fought fiercely as well!

Having played 70 games, their record was 28 wins and 42 losses, the same as the Timberwolves. But since they lost the head-to-head record against the Timberwolves, they were ranked twelfth in the Western conference.

At this stage of the season, they had no hopes of playoffs or a top-three pick, and the management didn’t care anymore, leaving the head coach and players to play however they wanted.

The players of the Kings could only find joy in such minor pleasures, making the best out of a bad situation.

For instance, Artest and Brad Miller recently played against the Lakers, going all out to guard Kobe, ending his streak of six consecutive games with 50+ points.

Tonight, the joy the Kings sought was to end the Bobcats’ ’advantage’ over Western conference teams.

In the first quarter, Zhang Yang scored 7 points, Felton had 5 points and 2 assists, and Okafor scored 10 points, the three of them leading the team to 31 points in the quarter. However, the Kings also scored 30 points!

In the second quarter, the Kings took control, achieving a score of 31 to 25, leading the Bobcats by 5 points with a halftime score of 61 to 56.

The back-to-back game had quite an impact on the Bobcats, as they struggled to get into a defensive rhythm.

Come the third quarter, the Kings continued to press, scoring 27 to the Bobcats’ 20 in the first 10 minutes, widening the gap to double digits.

Just when the home fans were starting to despair, the trio of Rondo, Wallace, and White Devil exploded!

Rondo and Gerald Wallace completed steals in 3 consecutive possessions, Zhang Yang led a fast break, scoring 6 points in a quick 6-0 run, reducing the deficit to 6 points.

Then Artest forced an attempt on Gerald Wallace but missed the shot, and Rondo secured the rebound.

This time, the Bobcats didn’t launch a counterattack; Zhang Yang played a high post single, distributing the ball to Rondo on the wing. Rondo stepped forward for a close-range jump shot but missed. However, Gerald Wallace followed it up with a dunk over Brad Miller and Rahim.

The Bobcats went on an 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the third quarter, closing the score to 84-88 and reducing the gap to within 5 points!

After the break, the trio of Rondo, Zhang Yang, and Gerald Wallace continued their rampage.

With the distraction provided by Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace, Rondo sneaked in ’traveling’ layups for two consecutive rounds. Coupled with Zhang Yang’s three-pointer and Gerald Wallace’s forceful drive to the basket for four points including a score on the fast break, the three players scored an 11-5 run against the Kings in just three minutes.

95-93, the Bobcats took the lead, the Kings called a timeout!

Bibby took the offensive reins from the critical-moment-fumbling Kevin Martin and Artest.

In his third year, Kevin Martin was averaging 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, which was quite impressive. However, his soft playing style was evident. Although he appeared to draw fouls frequently, averaging seven free throws per game, most were earned by exploiting the rules, without actually powering through to the free-throw line in a game. When the intensity ramped up in crunch time, he just couldn’t handle it.

Artest was tough, but during crucial moments, he would only drive inside, and the Bobcats’ lineup just countered that type of player.

The White Devil was solid in crunch time, hitting a three-pointer after the timeout to help the Kings regain the lead at 96-95.

On the Bobcat’s offense, if you wanted stability, you had to rely on Zhang Yang, and he was up against Kevin Martin...

He nailed the turnaround fadeaway jumper!

Zhang Yang was thrilled to go head-to-head with the White Devil during crucial moments.

The White Devil was also excited to face off against the rising star and bad boy, Jack.

Bibby taught Zhang Yang a lesson tonight, scoring another 6 points while Zhang Yang only managed 3. The White Devil single-handedly put up a 9-5 run after the timeout, helping the Kings take a 102-100 lead with a two-point advantage.

But the White Devil had to fight alone—if he couldn’t hold up, the Kings would fall apart in crunch time; whereas Zhang Yang, if he couldn’t handle it, still had Big Brother behind.

In the Bobcat’s final possession before the official timeout, Felton, who had replaced Rondo, hit a step-back three-pointer over Bibby.

103-102, the Bobcats took a one-point lead over the Kings into the official timeout!

From the end of the third quarter to the beginning of the fourth, the Kings found themselves overwhelmed by a 19-5 run led by Zhang Longjie trio in a span of five minutes, and their morale plummeted. Just as Bibby was fiercely battling to rally the team’s spirits back... Felton’s three-pointer shattered the Kings’ morale once again.

After the official timeout, Bibby, who had scored 9 points alone in just over three minutes, couldn’t handle it anymore. His clutch ability might be top five in the league, but scoring in bursts wasn’t his strength.

The Kings’ morale collapsed while the Bobcats carried their momentum from the start, outscoring them with a 14-9 run in the final five minutes.

At 9:22 p.m., the final whistle blew.

Kevin Martin’s 21 points and 6 assists, Artest’s 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, Bibby’s 25 points, 7 assists, Rahim’s 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and Brad Miller’s 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists... all went in vain.

On the Bobcats’ side, Zhang Yang, Okafor, Felton, and Rondo all performed well.

Zhang Yang scored 11 points in the first half, an average performance, but he exploded in the second half by taking advantage of opportunities created by his teammates, scoring 10 points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth. Out of 22 shots, he made 12, including 4 out of 6 three-pointers, and scored 32 points with 4 free throws made out of 4 attempts.

Okafor had a steady performance throughout the game, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Felton scored 16 points along with 7 assists, which were just average for the season, but he stepped up in the final quarter to match Bibby and held onto the lead that his teammates had worked hard for.

Rondo had a well-rounded performance tonight, scoring in double figures for a change.

But what pleased them the most was not their own performances but seeing Gerald Wallace, who had been struggling since his return, finally explode with a 5x2 performance tonight, contributing 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks!

Before the game, the Big Brother Group worried about how Wallace would handle Artest, as the crown prince had not regained his form since his return. However, tonight Wallace stepped up when the team was on the brink of collapse and the deficit had hit double digits. Not only did he fend off Artest’s offense, but he also erupted on the offensive end.

In the five minutes at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, Wallace accumulated 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 steals, leading the team in a counter-offensive surge to complete the comeback!

As a candidate for the King of the Cats, he truly showed toughness!

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