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Chapter 662 - 281. The Collapse of Ainge

Chapter 662: 281. The Collapse of Ainge

Ever since they secured a 9-game winning streak and became the only undefeated team in the league, the Bobcats had already become the center of attention.

Teams that started with a 10-game winning streak are extremely rare in the entire history of the NBA.

When the Bobcats secured a 10-game win streak, the question of who could end the Bobcats’ run had become the hottest topic in the basketball realm.

The 76ers and the Timberwolves were considered candidates for the ’Cat Hunt’ operation; although their records were mediocre, they had both beaten top-four teams from either conference this season. They were young, talented, and full of energy... much like the early Bobcats and Hornets, and after playing for almost a month, they had become the young teams that fans eagerly anticipated.

Both teams had a chance to win during the ’Cat Hunt,’ but in the end, they lost, as no one could step up to make the clutch shots, and in those crucial moments, they were dominated by Zhang Yang.

Back-to-back 40+ point games, Zhang Yang once again showcased his scoring talent.

After these two games, Zhang Yang’s points per game rose to 30.4, leaping to second on the scoring leaderboard and becoming one of only two players this season to average over 30 points a game.

By November 28th, a new week had begun, and the NBA officials announced the Player of the Week awards for the fourth week.

Zhang Yang led his team to 4 victories last week, averaging 35.25 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.25 steals, and 1 block per game, with a shooting rate of 48% from the field and 44% from three-point range, edging out James to claim the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Last week James had 4 games with 2 wins and 2 losses, averaging 38 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 47%.

In the West, Tony Parker, with 4 games averaging 25.5 points and 6 assists and with an astounding 55% shooting rate, led the Grizzlies to 4 straight wins. Originally at 5-5, the tenth in the West, the Grizzlies improved their record to 9-5 after the four consecutive wins, climbing up to... the eighth in the West, and beat Paul to take the Western Conference Player of the Week.

Last week Paul scored an average of 22.3 points with 10 assists and 3 steals per game, shooting 50.7% from the field. His stats were even stronger than Parker’s, but the results were only 2 wins and 2 losses. Unlike Zhang Yang, he couldn’t double up as Player of the Week within a single month and therefore couldn’t seal the deal in the Player of the Month contest.

As the first game month drew to a close, the forecast of the Player of the Month became one of the hottest topics.

In the East, averaging over 30 points and starting with a 13-game winning streak, Zhang Yang was seen as a lock for the first month’s Player of the Week, or at worst, there would be a combined award for the Bobcats.

In the West, the competition was intense, with Paul averaging 22 points, 11 assists, and 3 steals, leading both the assists and steals charts, 11 wins and 3 losses, topping the Western Conference, but his position was still precarious.

Parker, Anthony, Kobe, Nash, Deron + Boozer, a bunch of tough competitors.

By 6 p.m., the Bobcats were at home squaring off against the Celtics.

After more than two hours of play, the game wrapped up at 8:24 p.m.

Pierce made 14 of 26 shots, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line, erupting for 41 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

Together with Tony Allen and Jeff Green, they held Zhang Yang to just 13 of 31 from the field, and of Zhang Yang’s 7 three-point attempts, only 1 went in. Even with 10 of 12 from the free-throw line, Zhang Yang only managed to score 37 points.

Glenn Davis, Jeff Green, and Al Jefferson also did a good job guarding Okafor, who made only 5 of 14 shots and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring just 15 points with 10 rebounds.

Under heavy defense, Zhang Yang and Okafor still took a lot of shots... Felton only made 3 of 11, Mike Miller 2 of 9, and Alan Anderson 0 of 4...

Rondo became the Bobcats’ third-highest scorer tonight, hitting 4 of 7 field goals plus both of his free throws, for a total of 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

As the game went on, Rondo, after receiving passes from Zhang Yang or Okafor, stopped passing to the wings but instead charged right into the crowd. Whenever there was a chance, he shot; if not, he’d pass the buck back to Zhang Yang, who had to take nearly ten tough shots...

With Pierce scoring 41 points in a single game, plus Al Jefferson’s 12 points and 10 rebounds, Boykins’ 7 points and 6 assists, Szczerbiak’s 11 points, Glenn Davis’ 8 points and 8 rebounds, and Jeff Green’s 4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks... the Celtics upset the Bobcats and improved their record to 6-8, climbing to the eighth spot in the East.

The Bobcats’ franchise record winning streak halted at 13 games, as did their season-starting winning streak.

In NBA history, the team with the highest starting win streak is the Rockets in the ’93-’94 season, with Olajuwon leading the team to a 15-game win streak at the start.

The ’48-’49 Washington Capitols, ’57-’58 Celtics, and the ’02-’03 Mavericks all started with 14 wins, tied for second place.

The Bobcats’ 13-game winning streak at the start puts them ahead of the ’96-’97 Chicago Bulls and the ’82-’83 Supersonics, who both had 12-game streaks, alone in fifth place on the starting season winning streak leaderboard!

...

With their winning streak broken, the Bobcats’ players returned to the locker room after the game, where Felton rolled around on the floor, howling in distress, cursing himself for being so off tonight.

The mood among the Bobcats was already low, but this spectacle made everyone chuckle despite themselves.

’Big Baby’ Felton ’sacrificed’ his image to help his teammates adjust their mental state.

Teammates came up to comfort the ’Big Baby,’ offering words of encouragement, and in doing so, they also convinced themselves...

After Hill comforted Felton with a few words, he suddenly noticed Okafor recording Felton with a DV... Was ’Little Duncan’ really this sneaky?

Suddenly, Hill felt something was amiss—it was as if someone was missing. Thinking for a moment, he left the locker room and headed to Court 3.

There he was, as expected.

Hearing the door open, Zhang Yang stopped his shots and looked at the newcomer.