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Chapter 691 - 291. Begins with roars_2

Chapter 691: 291. Begins with roars_2

Aiming for the best start in history... Although this ’record’ was newly set this year, before the media and fans only cared about how long a winning streak was at the beginning... But to break the record, of course he wanted it, and he was only five or six games short. If they could hold up during this away streak, going back to play against the Miami Heat, Hawks team, and Warriors, updating the 22-2 start was almost certain.

Felton was also sleepless, wandering around the hotel when he saw Zhang Yang ask the front desk to buy milk to mix with his brought honey, and he followed Zhang Yang back to the room to mooch off some drinks. However, his insomnia was different from Zhang Yang’s—he was frustrated after being hammered by Deron.

Upon learning the reason for Felton’s mental breakdown, Zhang Yang didn’t console him this time; Felton needed to get used to it because later on, he would have to face Paul, who was even tougher. Zhang Yang didn’t have much confidence in a one-on-one with him.

The sleep-inducing beverage, after all, was just a form of assistance; if you couldn’t sleep, you still couldn’t sleep. Zhang Yang turned on his computer and browsed the news.

He clicked on the game report between their Bobcats and the Jazz Team.

Deron made 8 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 three-pointers, plus 5 of 7 free throws, scoring 24 points with 3 rebounds and 13 assists.

Felton made 9 of 20 shots, including 4 of 10 three-pointers, plus 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 25 points with 2 rebounds and 5 assists.

Lil Fatty served as the third scoring point, mainly playing off Zhang Yang and Okafor in isolation, occasionally sneaking in for close-range attacks, and stepping up when needed. Certainly, his overall ability was not on par with Lil Chubby, but in terms of scoring during their matchups, he was not outclassed. Of course, looking at the overall performance, Lil Fatty had a rough night against Lil Chubby, only getting 5 assists compared to Lil Chubby’s 8.

Boozer had 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Okafor had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Okafor, as an offensive core, was definitely inferior to Boozer when it came to shooting and rebounding, but in one-on-one matchups, Okafor actually had the upper hand. Okafor hadn’t suffered the major injury that would have destroyed his athletic ability; entering his fourth year in the NBA, his offense and defense had become more balanced, while Boozer was strong in offense but weak in defense.

Zhang Yang made 13 of 25 shots, including 3 of 8 three-pointers, plus 5 of 7 free throws, scoring 34 points with 3 rebounds and 6 assists; on this point, the Jazz Team had almost no one who could match him.

But on the Jazz Team, Okur scored 20 points with 6 rebounds, Kirilenko got 10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, Korver had 12 points, and Ronnie Brewer added 10 points with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals... Zhang Yang fighting alone was hard against two, let alone four.

Star player matchups clearly gave their Bobcats an advantage, but the Jazz Team played team offense, with multifaceted scoring: six players with double-digit scores, whereas only three players on the Bobcats managed that.

Turning off the game report, Zhang Yang glanced at the other news. Just like when they had been defeated by the Chicago Bulls team earlier, after the Jazz Team beat them, they dominated the headlines on the basketball portal site.

However, there was a clear difference; after the Chicago Bulls defeated them, they were considered the underdogs, with news reports about the Chicago Bulls focusing mainly on hyping the players’ conflicts with the management, the soap opera of where Pierce would go, and how Rivers was stuck between players and management like the chocolate filling in a cookie... and so on;

The post-game news of the Jazz Team was different, the media reported on the players’ performances, their strength... and so on, that is, the game itself.

The reason for such a big difference was naturally due to their strength.

The Jazz Team’s record had reached 14 wins and 6 losses, a 70% winning rate, second only to the Hornets and Lakers with 15-5, sitting at third place in the Western Conference, better than the Suns with 12-6 and the Spurs with 12-7. Looking across the league, they could rank fifth, with only the 16-2 Bobcats and 14-5 Chicago Bulls ahead of them in the East.

While updating the news, Zhang Yang saw an opinion that most of the comment section supported—the Jazz Team was the most likely team in the West to make it to the Finals, after the Lakers.

Zhang San was baffled by this viewpoint, so different from his perception, yet most people supported it. He expressed his confusion to Biggie Felton.

Felton, "The Jazz Team has a mature offensive and defensive system, their head coach has ample playoff coaching experience, they already made it to the Western Conference finals last season, and now with the Suns having lost Thomas (Cuttino Mobley), and the Spurs having lost Parker, the Mavericks starting off in disarray, isn’t the Jazz Team essentially the second contender for the Western Conference finals?"

Zhang Yang, "What about the Hornets? Aren’t the Hornets the most dazzling team in the West right now?"

Zhang Yang remembered that in 2008, the Hornets had lost to the Spurs in a Game 7 during the second round. At the time, as a middle school student, he felt regret at not witnessing a showdown between Kobe and Paul, the two MVP contenders.

Felton, "Chris... It’s a little bad to talk behind people’s backs, but if the Hornets get the first spot in the West and the Warriors are eighth, I don’t think Chris can defeat Davis."

Hearing this, Zhang Yang opened the homepage and looked at the Warriors ranked ahead of the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers... You know, actually, the Rockets might collapse later on, the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers each had their own shortcomings, it really could be the Warriors in eighth...

If the Hornets are second or third, the lower half of the Western Conference playoffs would also have the Nuggets Team, Spurs... Poor little cannon!

For some reason, seeing the competitive environment of the little cannon in the West, much of Zhang San’s frustration from losing dissipated.

Zhang Yang also stumbled upon a ranking—the strength ranking of the 2005 draft players.

He was listed among the top three along with Paul and Deron, while Bynum and Ellis were fourth and fifth, with Felton dropping out of the top five.