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Chapter 458 - 206. We are already considering our opponents for the next round.

Chapter 458: 206. We are already considering our opponents for the next round.

Zhang Yang’s reaction surprised Kidd, but also made him happy.

Kidd wondered if there was a possibility that bad boy Jack was actually a fan of his?

Liking the answer doesn’t mean he can’t like Kidd, too!

Otherwise, why would he give him such high praise?

Even at 40, he’s the most important player on the court—Kidd felt a bit embarrassed hearing that... but also a bit smug.

It seems his performance over the past six years has been pretty good, after all. Legend has it that bad boy Jack stepped onto the court for the first time at the age of 15 to fight with an Iverson fan over a South American hottie... That seems to have been in ’03, right when Kidd made it to the finals two years in a row.

Everything matches up!

Kidd started to praise Zhang Yang in front of the cameras, claiming he was the most talented player in NBA history and was certain to surpass him in the future.

Zhang Yang entered modesty mode, saying he still had a long way to go to become a player like Kidd...

The journalists watched as the two began to mutually flatter each other, finding it quite peculiar.

In their many years of work, they had never seen the best-performing players from both teams get along so harmoniously after a series ended.

But it was normal, considering the huge gap in overall strength between the Bobcats and the Nets. Rookie Millsap from the Bobcats could play as a core part of the frontcourt on the Nets, just like Richard Jefferson did in the ’01-’02 season. Kidd had fought hard, playing like it was life or death, but there was nothing he could do if his all-out effort just wasn’t enough to win.

When the topic of ’best team performance’ came up, Zhang Yang answered, "I don’t think I was the most important in this series, I might even be the least important one, I’m just a piece in the tactical puzzle, taking hold of the opportunities my teammates create for me, without Raymond and Rajon controlling the game, without Gerald’s defense and impact, without Emeka’s steady scoring, without Paul, Nazr, and Kendrick’s active defense... my shooting alone wouldn’t have made such a big impact."

Kidd looked at Zhang Yang in surprise; he hadn’t had much interaction with Zhang Yang, so this was the side of the bad boy he didn’t know about when he wasn’t being fouled...

Kidd also switched to humble mode: "I only got more rebounds by taking advantage of my teammates’ positioning. They need me to grab rebounds to push the counterattack, and I only have more assists because I pass the ball to teammates in the right spots. Without scorers like Vince, Richard, and Eddie, my rebounding and passing skills wouldn’t be of much use. I think scorers like Jack are indispensable for a team..."

Zhang Yang: "No, no, no, a true playmaker like you is the most precious asset of a team. You can’t measure your contribution to the game with stats..."

Journalist: Right, right, right, the mutual admiration is starting again, huh!

...

The Bobcats’ advancement to the second round this time wasn’t as lively as last year.

After regaining the home-court advantage in Game 3, the media and fans believed the Bobcats had this series well in hand. Once the series ended, the only topics worth discussing were Zhang Yang’s 47% field goal percentage, 39.6% three-point percentage, and averaging 27.8 points per game—becoming the youngest player to average over 25+ points in a single playoff series—and Kidd’s averaging a triple-double.

Media and fan attention shifted to the three other series: the Mavericks versus the Warriors, the Rockets versus the Jazz Team, and the Cavaliers versus the Toronto Raptors.

The other four series had also ended.

The Chicago Bulls versus Miami Heat and the Pistons versus the Wizards series ended yesterday.

Hinrich, with help from his teammates, defended Wade to a 21-shots-for-9 average, resulting in 23 points per game, forcing Wade to an average of 12 misses and 6 turnovers per game, taking revenge on Pat Riley for making a fool of him four years ago.

During the 2003 draft workouts, Pat Riley repeatedly indicated in interviews he would select Hinrich; Hinrich believed him, even telling his family they were moving to Miami to enjoy the South Beach scenery, but in the end, Riley chose Wade.

Hinrich had harbored resentment for four years and finally achieved his revenge by sweeping the defending champion Heat 4-0.

The Pistons also swept the Wizards 4-0.

Arenas felt discomfort in his knee before the playoffs started, and after an examination revealed an issue with his knee joint, he was ruled out.

Without Arenas, the Wizards were brutally dominated by the Pistons, managing only an average of 88 points, while the Pistons averaged 106.5 points and advanced to the second round with a 4-0 sweep, boasting an average margin of 18.5 points.

Jamison, who could play both the three and four, had a physical advantage over Prince and could outrun players like Max Hill, Rasheed Wallace, McDyess, Webber, and Melvin Ely, performing well with an average of 30 points per game.

But Caron Butler, who could only run off screens and shoot, was rendered useless against Hamilton, averaging only 8 points on 3-of-9 shooting.

Billups averaged 24 points and 7 assists, while Hamilton averaged 26 points and 4 assists...

Zhang Yang looked up the two players’ profiles online; Billups was 30, and Hamilton was 29. Their personal performance in attack and defense had just reached their peak this season, but it was a pity the "big five" had broken up, especially losing Ben Wallace, the most crucial piece.

Zhang Yang learned from the news that the disbandment of the Pistons’ roster was truly just bad luck. If the Pistons’ owner had been as stingy as Aleksandar or Sterling, unable to keep Ben Wallace, then that would have been their own fault.

But before Paul Allen took over the Trail Blazers, the Dolan family bought the Knicks Team, and Cuban bought the Mavericks, the Pistons’ owner was the most lavish spender in the entire league, the kind who was willing to invest a lot of money without being one of them. His expenditure-to-income ratio ranked first in the league for more than a decade, losing money every year, all out of pure love for the game.