No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 728 - 312. The devil’s schedule Southwest Division 4 consecutive away games

Chapter 728: 312. The devil’s schedule Southwest Division 4 consecutive away games

The Bobcats fought a grueling battle against the Hornets the day before yesterday, and they looked fatigued at the start of tonight’s game. By halftime, the Rockets had outscored them 48 to 39, but it was thanks to Rondo’s put-back that the gap was narrowed to single digits going into the second half.

In the third quarter, the Bobcats finally found their rhythm, with Zhang Yang, Okafor, and Mike Miller leading a 32 to 25 run to chase the score to 71 to 73, closing the gap to just two points.

Facing the Bobcats’ fierce counterattack, the Rockets didn’t give up. For a long time in the final quarter, they kept the score close, but with a little over three minutes left, Zhang Yang drew the defense, and with Mike Miller and Okafor converting 4 baskets off Rondo’s passes, they unleashed a 10 to 2 run, and the Bobcats finally secured the victory.

Zhang Yang played for 35 minutes, making 8 of 22 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers, plus 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, notching up 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.

Okafor made 9 of 16 shots, plus 6 of 8 from the free-throw line, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Mike Miller had 16 points; Felton contributed 9 points and 4 assists; Millsap added 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists; Hill had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block; and Rondo had 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists...

With everyone on the Bobcats working together in unison, they ultimately came from behind to beat the Rockets by 6 points.

The Rockets’ players, if nothing else, have shown incredible resilience.

Aleksandar has become much more generous this season, willing to spend money on reinforcements, but the extent of his generosity is limited, only allowing role players’ salaries to move from mostly the minimum up to a couple of million US dollars at most.

This awkward salary level makes it tough to bring in very talented players, so the Rockets’ management had to find another way, picking players with average ability but those who are characterized by their hard work, perseverance, and enthusiasm.

Before Coach Thibodeau emphasized defense, a team composed of these players could play die-hard defense, and at the very least, their performance wouldn’t be too shabby.

Just like after Yao Ming’s career-halting injury in ’09, when the Rockets seemed in disarray, they still managed to scrabble together more than 40 wins, maintaining fringe playoff-caliber strength and saving up chips to trade for Kevin Martin, eventually trading Martin for Harden.

Such a group of players, under Thibodeau’s coaching, play with grit even without McGrady, bravely and tenaciously battling any opponent.

Yi Jianlian, in such an environment, has adopted a style quite different from what Zhang Yang remembers.

In his way of play, he ignored the mindless suggestions of domestic agents, played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, leveraging his athleticism. On offense, he focused on pick-and-pop shooting, backdoor cuts when left open, and scoring on fast breaks; and although his defensive abilities are weak, Thibodeau made good use of his athleticism. Whenever there was a breakthrough, he’d just go in for shot interference - not worrying about anyone else, trusting his teammates to cover any gaps he left. Although he is not particularly strong on defense, his attitude is positive, and his objectives are clear. After playing for more than two months, at least he is not dragging the team down anymore.

Before the game, Zhang Yang reviewed Yi Jianlian’s performance so far this season; he played in 25 of the first 30 games, averaging 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.8 blocks... Sister Lian, put up a fight, why don’t you aim for Rookie of the Month or something?

...

The morning after the match against the Rockets, the Bobcats left Houston for Dallas.

Zhang Yang regretted not being able to meet up with Yi Jianlian after the game against the Rockets, but was also somewhat relieved.

They only contacted each other occasionally based on being under the same agent, and weren’t very close. Yi Jianlian wasn’t that enthusiastic and would often grumble about his problems. While he didn’t always grumble, he seldom talked about other things, leaving Zhang Yang with the impression that Yi Jianlian was always complaining.

After resting for a night, on January 4th, the Bobcats headed to American Airlines Center to challenge the Mavericks.

At 7:40 PM, the Bobcats and Mavericks entered the arena one after another.

After the entrance ceremony, Hill noticed Zhang Yang’s gaze wandering over the players on the opposite team and asked, "Jack, what are you looking at?"

Zhang Yang: "They’ve really fallen apart, huh? The last two years when I came here to play away games, I saw a team with great harmony and morale. Now, none of them are smiling. Look at their stance; it’s as if they’ve become disconnected."

Hill: "They are indeed in a bad way this year, having played 32 games with only 19 wins and 13 losses. After losing to the Warriors the day before yesterday, they’ve fallen to eighth in the Western Conference. They’ve managed to win over 50 games for 7 consecutive seasons, and this season that might be broken. When you start losing a lot, all sorts of internal team issues begin to surface."

Felton chimed in from the side: "It’s not just an issue of record. Their first-round upset last season brought a lot of internal strife."

Zhang Yang and Hill were both intrigued by this, and Zhang Yang said, "Big guy, tell us more."

Felton, clearly enjoying the gossip, replied, "Nowitzki only shot 38% from the field in the playoff series where they were upset by the Warriors. That’s why the media gave him the ’Tissue’ nickname. I read a report that said even his own teammates called Nowitzki soft, blaming him for their upset and their embarrassment."

Hill: "That’s not right, I watched that series live. The Mavericks’ first-round upset wasn’t only Nowitzki’s fault. The point guard couldn’t control the pace, the coach’s strategic plan was flawed, the response was terrible, the perimeter defense couldn’t keep up with the speed, and they also defended poorly against the fast break..."

Zhang Yang: "It shouldn’t be, but it’s normal."

Hill: "Hmm... right."