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Chapter 727: When God closes a door on you, he surely welds the window shut as well.

Chapter 727: When God closes a door on you, he surely welds the window shut as well.

After enjoying a delicious and hearty breakfast, Zhang Yang and his three teammates took a car arranged by the restaurant, contentedly returning to the hotel, leaving Paul with a bill that surely left him regretting his generosity.

Zhang Yang even took off with the pile of newspapers Paul had brought, not leaving New Orleans until noon, passing the time by reading newspapers and surfing the internet for news updates.

It was only upon seeing the date on the newspaper that Zhang Yang realized a new year had arrived- it was now January 1, 2008.

Last night’s game against the Hornets had garnered a lot of post-game hype, even stealing the spotlight from the ongoing NFL playoffs.

Media and fans were praising Paul’s performance from last night, which explained why he had gotten up early that morning to find them and, at considerable expense, treated them to a nice meal.

However, both Zhang Yang and Felton also played well last night, so there wasn’t much criticism of them. Some even praised their offensive play.

Of course, their strong performances only made Paul look even more outstanding.

Even though they lost last night’s game, they still finished 2007 with a record of 24 wins and 5 losses, leading the Lakers and the Chicago Bulls by 0.5 games, both of whom had 24 wins and 6 losses, to maintain the league’s top spot.

Zhang Yang scored 37 points last night, increasing his scoring average to 31.7 points per game, just 0.5 points behind James, who had played 30 games with an average of 32.2 points.

In fact, as early as the middle of last month, the scoring average gap between him and James had already narrowed to 0.5 points.

James had seen a significant scoring decrease in the first half of December, adopting a more versatile approach, averaging around 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. By mid-December, his average had dropped from over 34 points per game at the end of November to 31.4 points per game.

By mid-December, Zhang Yang’s average was 30.9 points per game, and at that time, media and fans were saying that he would surpass James by the end of 2007.

With an average of 34 points in his last 7 games, he improved his scoring average to 31.7 points by the end of 2007. However, James had increased his performance again, and the gap in their scoring averages remained at 0.5 points as 2007 concluded.

Zhang Yang recalled the last time they faced off against the Knights, when James was intensely focused on scoring... it was a bit frustrating.

If James really got going, it’s likely he could maintain such a scoring average.

But that might not be the case for him, Zhang San...

By noon, the league announced the Players of the Month for December.

As Zhang Yang expected, Yao Ming won an award.

Last month, the Chicago Bulls had 14 wins and 1 loss in 15 games, with Yao Ming playing in 13 of them. Due to a fall while attempting a block in the Christmas Day game, injuring his buttocks and missing two games after Christmas, he averaged 25.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 blocks, shooting 54.3% from the field, 100% from three-point range... with 1 shot made, and an 83.3% free-throw percentage, securing the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award.

Last month, Paul played in all 15 games, leading the Hornets to an 11-4 record with averages of 24.4 points, 4 rebounds, 12.8 assists, and 3 steals, along with 0.1 blocks per game. He shot 48.3% from the field, and 35% from three-point range, outperforming Kobe and Nash to win the Western Conference Player of the Month award.

It was no surprise that Yao Ming won an award, and as for Paul... his, Zhang San, and little Fatty’s performance basically served as an assist to Paul’s achievement of 26 points and 22 assists last night; there was no doubt after that, and none of it surprised Zhang Yang.

What did surprise him was the Rookie of the Month!

In the East, Noah averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds, beating Horford’s averages of 9+9, to secure the Rookie of the Month.

In the West, Al Thornton averaged 18.2 points, defeating Durant’s 17.3 points average, to grab the Rookie of the Month.

Zhang Yang was surprised that Durant had lost the Rookie of the Month! He thought the guy with the backpack would sweep the West’s monthly honors.

Al Thornton, Zhang Yang remembered him... He was mentioned in a list alongside players like Stickman and the Little Assassin.

Thornton had a decent performance in his rookie season. During the first three years when he mainly started, he averaged over 10 points per game, with his highest year averaging over 15 points.

During the final year of his rookie contract, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. In a talent-rich Warriors team, he became a substitute but still averaged 7 points and 3 rebounds, with a high shooting percentage. The Warriors offered him a 4-year extension contract averaging 4 million a year before the season’s end, to lock him in as a main substitute on the wing, but he declined, opting to test free agency and become a restricted free agent.

This choice wasn’t really a problem, as a player capable of averaging over 15 points per game would naturally turn down a 4 million yearly salary and a bench role.

However, he didn’t stay patient after the off-season lockout, seeking work in the CBA before even the start of training camp, but his move didn’t materialize due to the Warriors’ unwillingness to release a clearance letter. At the time, Europe also required such a letter. In the end, he ended up playing in Puerto Rico, an American overseas territory. Besides taking a hit in salary, he also injured his knee, prematurely ending his NBA career.

In the summer of 2012, having recovered from his injury but unable to find an NBA team, he went to play in the CBA but was cut... A few years later, when he reemerged in the public eye, it was in the BIG3 league. At that time, as the Little Assassin was dealing with the fallout of turning down a 70 million deal over 4 years from the Celtics only to settle for the minimum contract, the media were discussing the topic of "NBA’s foolish players," including him in the conversation.

"I can’t believe this player actually snatched the Rookie of the Month award from Durant... well done!"

Zhang San didn’t get the Rookie of the Month award often and didn’t want to see others sweeping the honors...

...

In the afternoon, the Bobcats flew from New Orleans to Houston, rested for the night, and arrived at the Rockets’ home court the next morning to prepare for the game.

Today’s preparation workload was very light, partly because it was mid-season, they were on a road trip, and for another reason—Rockets’ star player was injured.

McGrady twisted his knee in his first game back after Christmas, missing one to two weeks, not certain about his return but definitely out for tonight’s game. Thibodeau had confirmed McGrady’s absence in yesterday’s routine press conference.

Since McGrady’s injury, the Rockets, who were 16-10 and seventh in the West, only managed 1 win and 3 losses, sliding to a 17-13 record and falling out of the top eight in the West.

Zhang Yang wasn’t surprised by this situation. McGrady was able to play in over 70 games last season because Van Gundy really reduced his workload—cutting down his minutes, reducing his shots, lessening the isolation plays, and being assigned to guard spot-up shooters on defense... Under Thibodeau, McGrady had taken back all those roles, averaging 38.5 minutes in the first 26 games. It was no wonder he got hurt.

However, Zhang Yang was surprised about one thing; McGrady had played in 26 consecutive games before getting injured. This was the longest streak since an unexpected injury before the 05-06 season... This Riley disciple not only had a coaching style as ruthless as a master strategist but also learned how to unleash the players’ potential in a similar way?

He found that Yi Jianlian’s training workload was greater than that of Millsap, Perkins, and other sub-25-year-old big men on their side.

Besides these factors, the Bobcats had another advantage—the Rockets had a game last night, so today was a back-to-back for them.

After the team’s training session, Zhang Yang stayed behind to practice for a while, not doing his regular training but trying out shooting after long-distance runs... He stopped after about a dozen balls.

Mike Miller, who also stayed for extra practice due to the light preparatory workload, stopped and asked, "Jack, are you looking to develop a trailing shot?"

Zhang Yang replied, "I’m giving it a try. If I master this move, I can attempt trailing three-pointers or mid-range shots during fast breaks, which will give me more scoring opportunities on the break. But it’s a difficult skill, much harder than pull-up jumpers."

Mike Miller said, "That’s also a pull-up jumper but with a difference. Stopping abruptly after moving quickly over a long distance and shooting adds much more difficulty compared to regular pull-up jumpers. The shooting technique is completely different and requires dedicated training. Plus, you were practicing dribble break trailing shots just now, which is even more tricky."

Zhang Yang said, "Right, I tried using my usual shooting method, and the first shot barely grazed the rim. To score consistently is challenging. I found that to ensure shooting accuracy, I need to decelerate in advance to prepare for the quick stop and shot, or stabilize after stopping before I shoot. Otherwise, it loses the meaning of a pull-up shot and can’t be considered a trailing shot."

Mike Miller agreed, "Exactly. The goal of a trailing shot is to prevent the opponent from disrupting your shot. If you slow down and adjust your shot after a quick stop, the opponent will have time to get in front of you. Raymond’s follow-up spot-up shooting is that type of play. It’s not suited for dribble breaks or being the primary or secondary option in a fast break. Its main use is to space the floor.

Unless you’re taking on a solo fast break, but then a dunk would be better than a shot, no matter how accurate your shooting is."

At this, Zhang San thought of a certain schoolboy who dared to throw threes on a solo fast break.

Someone maliciously speculated—could that schoolboy have chosen trailing three-pointers to save face because he was worried about breaking the rim again after a dunk on his next solo fast break?

Zhang San said, "It’s so great to have you here, Mike. You’re the only one on our team who truly knows how to do a trailing shot, and you’ve helped me straighten out my thoughts on it."

Mike Miller replied with a hint of envy, "I’m envious of you guys with good athletic abilities. I have the technique, but I can’t pull it off well, like rushing to the front court first during a fast break—it’s quite difficult for me."

Zhang San retorted, "When God closes a door on you, he’ll weld the window shut... Sorry, I mean, opens a window. Maybe it’s because of that you’ve focused your training on shooting. I bet you’ll earn more money in your career than those contemporaries who can only run and jump."

Mike Miller: "..."

Inadvertently revealing his negative feelings, then getting consoled by a 19-year-old kid, Mike Miller was initially embarrassed and touched. But why did his comforting words sound so awkward?

Putting aside these thoughts, Mike Miller said, "You don’t have to be polite with me. If you want to practice that move, I can help you."

Zhang Yang replied, "Sure, let’s wait for a while, though. The schedule right now is tough, and the team has many issues. I’ll practice it when things settle down."

Mike Miller nodded, "I think that’s a good idea..."

That evening, the Bobcats faced off against the Rockets on the road.

The Bobcats had a tougher time than the media and fans predicted. After a grueling battle, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Rockets with a score of 95-89, clinching their first victory of 2008!