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Chapter 439 - 200. The first in the East!_2

Chapter 439: 200. The first in the East!_2

Every time they faced off, he could see the progress of the Bobcats!

Compared to the matchup at the beginning of March, the Bobcats had not made as significant progress tonight in terms of player and tactical abilities as they had between the first and second, and second and third matchups. The potential of the Bobcats’ current players and their tactical potential had been fully tapped in the early to mid-season. They needed time to polish the players’ fundamentals and more games for the coaching staff to gather material for tactical studies before they could accumulate potential again.

But after a little over a month, the Bobcats’ ability to seize opportunities had improved a lot!

They were also stronger at controlling the game after establishing a lead!

Saunders thought the Bobcats would pose a threat to them only in the following season, but tonight, he already felt a strong sense of unease and urgency.

The recruitment was not going well!

After last season ended, he had guessed that they wouldn’t be able to come to terms over Ben Wallace’s salary. He was well aware that the boss was out of money, couldn’t afford the tax, and had been planning early. He had set his sights on Nesterovic and Muhammad, whom the Spurs couldn’t keep, but the Spurs didn’t let them go, instead offering them to the Bobcats and the Raptors at a low price.

Late on, when Bynum had developed, he wished to trade for Kwame Brown from the Lakers, but that was refused, and in the end, all he got were Melvin Ely and Webber, who had been bought out by the 76ers. He could only use a rotation of big men like Rasheed Wallace, McDyess, Webber, Melvin Ely, and Max Hill. Although it barely maintained their top-tier status, given the current situation, this year might be their last stand!

...

Hamilton played a lot of minutes tonight, going 1-for-5 in the first quarter, 0-for-2 in the first half of the second quarter, and 3-for-5 in the second half, then 7-for-13 in the second half, playing 40 minutes, shooting 11-for-25, plus 5-for-6 from the free throw line, to score 27 points, with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

His style of play relied on physically demanding movement and mid-range shots off screens, and the impact of defensive intensity on him was far less than that of his shooting touch.

In the ’04 Finals, Kobe averaged 46.2 minutes per game, spending over 20 minutes a match chasing Hamilton and could only limit his shooting percentage to 40%. It’s important to note that this was a series that averaged only 90 to 81 points per game, which means that defense wasn’t successful. And Kobe himself was worn down by Hamilton to the point where even his mid-range shots were unstable, shooting only 38%.

Letting Hamilton play during garbage time was a good move by Saunders, without letting Hamilton leave the game with a dismal 1-for-7 performance for a quarter and a half.

At the end of the game, Hamilton, though the game was a disgraceful loss, didn’t look as bad individually and had successfully regained his game rhythm, which was a bit of a preparation for the next game and those that followed.

For the Bobcats, Zhang Yang played 14 minutes, making 5 of 9 shots, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, plus 3-for-3 from the free throw line, to gather 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.

Felton played 12 minutes and took 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists; Okafor played 15 minutes and got 10 points, 6 rebounds.

Gerald Wallace scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, Rondo 11 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, Jarett Jack 17 points, 3 assists, Muhammad 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, Alan Anderson 9 points, Jumaine Jones 10 points, Millsap 8 points, 4 rebounds...

to 96, the Bobcats slaughtered the Pistons by 19 points, bringing their record up to 55 wins and 26 losses, and securing the first spot in the East a game early!

Reaching the top of the division in just the third season of establishment, this had only happened in the NBA’s first decade or so. Since the NBA established the East-West structure in the late ’50s, it’s the first time in over 50 years!

At the beginning of last month, the Bobcats had already beaten the Pistons once, unlike in the previous season and the first half of this season when they were elaborately crushed. Even before this game started, many believed the Bobcats could win, and reporters were waiting.

After the final buzzer, reporters swarmed the court to interview the Bobcats players. Once the Bobcats returned to the locker room, Jordan made the locker room available for interviews...

During the interview break, Zhang Yang slipped out of the locker room and ran up to the rooftop for some air, spreading his arms wide, peace is so nice!

He liked to do interviews, to be in the limelight, and enjoyed it even more after a win... but tonight was just too noisy.

The reporters nearly filled up the locker room and the practice court!

Seeing his little brother slip away, Felton also sneaked out, curious as he saw Zhang Yang looking up with his arms spread and a look of enjoyment, "Jack, what are you doing?"

Zhang Yang, "Listen, the wind has picked up!"

Felton, feeling the dryness in the air, puzzled, "What wind? The weather forecast said it’s going to be a downpour."

Zhang Yang, "..."

He should’ve taken Okafor up there; a master’s student should be able to understand him.

But that wasn’t certain either, the Eagles have technology but not much culture.

Maybe he should’ve taken Herrmann, a member of the royal family from a literary household...

Once quiet, Felton’s thoughts cleared, and after some consideration, he asked his little brother, "Jack, I feel like tonight’s victory will be hard to replicate. Should we remind our teammates not to get too confident because of this win... that won’t do, we need that kind of confidence right now, to have the belief that we can win against anyone. You’ve said, confidence might not make us stronger, but it allows us to perform at our best... "

Seeing Felton’s dilemma, Zhang Yang laughed, "You’re the boss, I’ll follow your lead."

Felton nodded and went back to his own thoughts.