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Chapter 687 - 289. Wouldn’t you avoid being killed if you just honestly gave up?_5

Chapter 687: 289. Wouldn’t you avoid being killed if you just honestly gave up?_5

Roy guarded Zhang Yang from the front, his eyes sharp, his defensive stance and movements very good, and he had made the clutch shot earlier, so now he just had to hold his ground defensively!

Just at that moment, the bad boy on the opposite side spoke up.

"Why bother struggling in vain, Brandon? Just miss the shot honestly, and you won’t have to taste the pain of my game-winner," he said.

A question mark popped up in Roy’s mind just as Zhang Yang started his drive. He dismissed the distraction and actively defended, unaffected by Zhang Yang’s trash talk but... he couldn’t guard him!

Zhang Yang executed a butterfly step, pulling the ball significantly before actually sidestepping quickly into a mid-range change of direction. Roy’s lateral movements couldn’t keep up as Zhang Yang accelerated down the middle, cleanly breaking past him!

The crowd on-site screamed in shock at the sight.

Aldridge was on the side of the three-second zone, working hard to block Okafor to prevent him from getting an open look for a game-winning alley-oop, when suddenly, he heard the screams from the crowd. He turned to check on Roy’s defensive situation, only to see Zhang Yang charging towards the basket.

Aldridge quickly let go of Okafor and rushed to cover, but as he turned and stepped in front of the basket, everything before him turned dark...

Zhang Yang, a step inside the free-throw line, caught the ball and jumped over Aldridge, slamming the ball into the hoop!

With only 2.2 seconds left, the Bobcats led by one, 125-124, overtaking the score again!

As the ball went in, the referee’s whistle blew – Aldridge was called for a blocking foul! Zhang Yang’s basket was good, and he was awarded an additional free throw!

The crowd let out a cry of despair, Aldridge, knocked back and unable to steady himself, sat down hard on the court, smacking the floor in frustration.

Roy rushed into the key only after Zhang Yang had landed, his heart reeling with shock. The bad boy’s move was too quick... no, just like the last round when he nailed the buzzer-beater, the bad boy had exploded with speed at the critical moment, and this time, Roy couldn’t keep up!

As for the referee’s call, the Trail Blazers players didn’t dispute it; Aldridge’s movement and contest within the restricted area were too obvious, he hadn’t even fully squared up to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang and his teammates celebrated briefly, and upon the referee’s urging, he approached the free-throw line amidst boos from the home fans and calmly made the additional free throw.

126-124, the Bobcats led by two points!

The Trail Blazers called a time-out, McMillan drew up an offensive strategy... this time, it was convenient for both teams; there was no need for substitutions. The Trail Blazers now had their best shooters and most open lineup, while the Bobcats similarly had their quickest defensive lineup. McMillan only needed to arrange the inbounding strategy, and Carlisle simply had to predict how the opponents would inbound the ball and prepare to intercept.

The time-out ended, and the Trail Blazers had the ball in their frontcourt.

With only 2.2 seconds left, the Bobcats had a clear defensive target – block the lane and prevent Blake and Roy from getting the ball.

As the 5-second inbound count was about to expire, Aldridge had no choice but to pass the ball to Frye, who had come out to receive it.

Frye caught the ball and was immediately pressed by Hill. He turned and forcibly shot... affected by the contact, the shot was too weak, missing completely. The buzzer sounded as the ball flew out of bounds...

Going 15-for-27, including 4-for-7 from three, and adding 6-for-7 free throws, Zhang Yang blasted 40 points along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, outclassing Roy’s 29 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals, leading the Bobcats to a narrow 126-124 victory over the Trail Blazers, clinching their 16th win of the season!

As the final buzzer sounded, the Bobcats players rushed onto the court, surrounding Zhang Yang and cheering in celebration.

Zhang Yang was also thrilled and excited, surrounded and cheered by his teammates as they celebrated this hard-fought victory, relishing the scoring spree, the one-on-one against Roy, and that crucial buzzer-beater... He had himself a ball tonight!

If there was any regret... it was that his streak of consecutive games with at least one block had come to an end. But that stuff, not so important.

While some rejoiced, naturally, others were despondent.

Roy, seeing Zhang Yang surrounded by his teammates across the court, felt a sense of deflation.

Just over a minute earlier, after he had made his own buzzer-beater, he felt on top of the world, thinking ’the new generation’s top player’ was no big deal, just a common scorer after all.

But he was quickly proven wrong, his buzzer-beater now just a dire backdrop to the opponent’s counter buzzer-beater.

Even someone as mentally robust as he was feeling a bit shattered, an unusual look of despondency crossing his face.

At that moment, Roy heard people shouting his name, growing in number.

Roy looked toward where the shouts had begun... the scorer’s table.

Behind the scorer’s table, several fans were still holding banners saying ’Jack, Brandon will be as strong as you.’

Seeing these banners for the first time today, Roy didn’t want to engage, and was even a bit annoyed as he disliked these comparisons, especially against a player four years his junior... but now, he found these few fans rather adorable.

Roy suddenly realized, it’s not that the Portland fans didn’t love their Trail Blazers anymore, they were just too scared to care again. The ’Jail Blazers’ era players had hurt the fans deeply.

Still, there were always those fans supporting them, appreciating him and his teammates’ performance.

These fans, like others, had also been deeply hurt by the ’Jail Blazers’ era of the team, fearful that they might be the same... Their improving performances didn’t necessarily mean the team was fixed; the ’Jail Blazers’ era was also capable of notching 50 wins and being a powerhouse in the west.

So even those who supported him, those who enjoyed watching him play, wanted to set a higher bar for him, the highest possible target... Roy also thought that this meant facing off against the ’new generation’s top player’ from the opposing side.

Hearing even more fans shouting his name, Roy’s resolve strengthened, and he looked at the curious bad boy surveying the arena around him, thinking—You won this time, but next time, you won’t be so lucky!