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Chapter 433 - 198. Who hasn’t been a champion before?_3

Chapter 433: 198. Who hasn’t been a champion before?_3

In the final quarter, the Bobcats dispatched a dual-point-guard lineup with Rondo and Felton, with Alan Anderson, Millsap, and Muhammad in the frontcourt.

Rondo stole the ball from Kidd right off the bat, bursting into the paint like lightning, and scored a layup before Krstic could get in position, tying the game.

When it was the Nets’ turn to attack, Kidd fed the ball to Krstic, turned around, and Felton, using a screen, drove into the paint and passed to Rondo, who then dished it out to Millsap. Millsap took the pass in the paint, scored the layup, drew the foul on Krstic, and made the additional free throw, putting the Bobcats up 80-79, firmly suppressing the Nets!

Bickerstaff predicted that the opponent would use Krstic as the center to catch up and sent out five players capable of attacking the rim, surrounding the defensively weaker Krstic, and the strategy worked!

Halfway through the fourth quarter, with Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, and Okafor all absent, the Bobcats were leading the Nets by 3 points with a score of 91-88!

After the official timeout, the lineup of Jarett Jack, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Jumaine Jones, and Okafor took to the court.

Gerald Wallace started off by giving Carter, who was driving to the basket, a massive block.

Turning back, Zhang Yang caught the ball at the high post, spun, and took a step to the side to avoid Richard Jefferson’s defense, hitting a mid-range shot—93-88, the Bobcats extended their lead to 5 points, seizing control of the game!

In the last 5 minutes, the two teams played to a score of 13-12, with the Bobcats firmly suppressing the Nets.

At 9:22 PM, the game ended.

Zhang Yang played 13 minutes in the first half and scored 9 points, played 9 minutes in the third quarter and scored 10 points, and played just over 5 minutes in the fourth quarter, scoring 8 points—shooting 10 out of 21, including 3 out of 5 from beyond the arc, and 4 out of 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Okafor scored 22 points and grabbed 10 boards, Gerald Wallace had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, Felton had 12 points and 6 assists, Rondo scored 10 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists...106-100, the Bobcats put on a steady performance tonight, didn’t panic when behind by a large margin, played solidly, turned the game around against the Nets, and secured their 54th victory of the season!

After the final whistle, Zhang Yang once again looked up at the big screen.

Tonight, Kidd scored 14 points, 8 boards, and 12 assists, Carter had 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Richard Jefferson finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals—the trio combined for 70 points and 17 assists, but the Nets only managed 100 points and 23 assists as a team...

Felton and Jarett Jack, two point guards who admire Kidd, stood on either side of Zhang Yang, also looking at the big screen.

Felton said, "Kidd is so pitiful."

Jarett Jack replied, "Yeah, aside from House and Krstic, they have no other scorers, and Mikki Moore is actually starting as a power forward, I remember he averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds last season."

Felton continued, "When the Nets are no longer the top contenders for the championship in the East, role players don’t want to go there. Without quality role players, even Kidd can’t carry the team. Seeing the Nets’ decline, they are less willing to join, creating a vicious cycle. Plus, the Nets’ three stars together nearly reach the salary cap, leaving only the mid-level exception available... Kidd’s era is over."

Jarett Jack: Boss is so impressive!

By his side, Rondo turned and walked away.

Although he had genuinely acknowledged Felton as the leader, the sight of Felton shamelessly passing off Zhang Yang’s pre-game casual conversation as his own...indeed, to be a leader one had to have thick skin... Better not to listen, pretend it never happened, right!

...

As the regular season neared its end, media and fans focused their attention on a few teams.

Nash nailed a near game-winning three-pointer, leading the Suns to a 112-110 thrilling victory over the Spurs, improving their record to 60 wins and 20 losses.

The Suns became the season’s second team to reach 60 wins, also dashing the Spurs’ hopes of reaching 60 wins. After being defeated at the buzzer, the Spurs’ record fell to 57 wins and 23 losses, and even if they won the remaining two games, they would only tally up to 59 wins.

Before the All-Star break, the Suns had put together an impressive streak of 17 consecutive wins, looking as if they were headed for 70+ victories, with Nash speeding along the road to a third consecutive MVP... Injuries are a player’s greatest enemy.

With the Suns’ victory over the Spurs, the Spurs no longer had even a theoretical chance of overtaking the Suns, and the top seven rankings in the West were set.

The Jazz, currently at 50 wins and 30 losses, had already secured the Northwest Division title and locked in the fourth seed in the West early on.

The Rockets, with a record of 51 wins and 29 losses, were third in the Southwest Division but could only settle for fifth place.

The Nuggets, after a catastrophic start to the season and a mid-season jacking that brought in Iverson, started their comeback trail. During the final phase of the rankings, they won home-and-away games against the Lakers, currently standing at 44 wins and 36 losses in sixth place.

The Lakers, propelled by Kobe’s insane scoring spree after the All-Star weekend, are currently 42 wins and 38 losses, in seventh place.

The Warriors and Clippers both have records of 40 wins and 40 losses. Since the Lakers held an advantage over these two teams in the season series, the Lakers secured the seventh seed in the West early, with the Warriors and Clippers still contending for the last playoff spot in the West.

The Hornets, failing to keep up with those four teams in April, started off with a four-game losing streak and are currently 35 wins and 45 losses, locked in as the tenth seed in the West...

In the East, after consecutive victories over the Raptors and the Nets, the Bobcats improved their record to 54 wins and 26 losses, overtaking the Pistons, who have 53 wins and 27 losses, to take the top spot in the East at the last moment.

The Raptors have nearly secured the fourth seed in the East, while the Cavaliers and the Bulls are contending for the third spot.

The Miami Heat, with Wade and O’Neal back from injuries, have seen improvements and locked in the sixth seed with a record of 41 wins and 39 losses.