Chapter 120 119. The brutal finale of the race

Gerald Wallace became the fourth active player to achieve 4 times 5 data.

Jamal Tinsley got it once, in November 1 against the Timberwolves.

Kirilenko has won it three times, in December 3 against the Rockets and Knicks, and in January this year against the Lakers.

Camby won it once, in January 1 against the Utah Jazz.

Before this season, people thought Garnett would be the next player to get such data, because Garnett had many games with 5+ blocks or 5+ steals in a single game. There were times when he was very close, but unfortunately he either had one less steal or one less block.

As Garnett is about to turn 30, his steals and blocks are visibly declining. His defense is becoming more mature and he no longer needs to use blocks and steals to intimidate his opponents... His hope of getting 5 times 5 data is becoming increasingly slim.

Who knew that Gerald Wallace would emerge this season, averaging 2 steals and 2 blocks per game, which are better defensive stats than Kirilenko and Garnett's.

Gerald Wallace is also pretty good in scoring, rebounding, and passing. During Christmas, he was called to be the next player to score 5 times 5 in a single game. After such a long wait, his time has finally come.

Although there is suspicion of data manipulation, not many people care about this.

After trying his best once, he didn't want to try it again because he was really tired.

If he got similar data in normal play, such as when playing against the Warriors, he would just get it. He couldn't bring himself to get it again.

Look, the way little brother Jack looks at him has changed.

In fact, Zhang Yang was just shocked when he saw the data of 5 times 5. After all, there are only a few players in an era who are capable of performing like this. He remembered that after Kirilenko, it took many years before Pippen and Batum of France achieved such data.

In Zhang Yang's memory, Gerald Wallace has been keen on defensive data only in the past two years. After that, his defense became more solid, and his defensive effect improved a lot. He seemed to have been selected as the first defense. However, his steals and blocks continued to decline after these two years. He changed from stealing to mainly interference. His actual effect is actually stronger, but the data does not look as amazing as when he first rose.

Eagles... Zhang Yang's name is added to his notebook, and those two high school students will be beaten up every time they are seen when college student Zhang San 'grows up'!
...

After playing three games in four days, the Bobcats got two days of rest.

On the 12th, Zhang Yang rested at home for the whole morning and came to the gym for training in the afternoon.

When he arrived at the training ground, he saw that many of his teammates were already exercising and preparing for training. The coaching staff did not arrange any team or individual training today, so everyone came here on their own initiative.

Training on rest days on their own initiative, this kind of thing, last month, only the rookie team and the struggling team would do it, as well as the loner Okafor.

But after the game on February 2, the teammates' initiative has been significantly improved, and Zhang Yang once again thanked King James for his strong support.

There is also the influence of public opinion. Today there are quite a few news reports praising them.

After 4 consecutive wins, their winning rate increased to 50%, and they were officially on the table, and were truly regarded by the media as a team competing for the playoffs.

Many players on their team have been praised by the media. In addition to their core four, other players have also entered the public eye.

In addition to the core four players, Brezek, the only one who averaged double-digit points per game, Matt Carroll, an excellent three-point shooter who became known to some people after participating in the three-point contest, Kareem Rush and Keith Bogans with their active playing style... were all mentioned in the news.

It is often said that inner strength is the real strength, and that one's own recognition of oneself is more important than the recognition of others.

In fact, for most people, only recognition from the outside world can make them truly confident and motivated to move forward.

Even Zhang Yang, who has a firm goal, will be affected by the team environment. In the beginning, he saw that the team was in disarray, forming cliques, and playing for fun... He felt somewhat uncomfortable. Now, most of his teammates are full of energy, fighting for victory together, and working hard to improve themselves. He feels very motivated.

Looking around, Zhang Yang didn't see Little Fatty Boss! He came to the lounge. Well, Little Fatty Boss really couldn't be lazy.

But why is the little fat boss so sad? Zhang Yang went over to take a look...it turned out that he was looking at the schedule.

Zhang Yang greeted him, and Felton responded and said, "Jack, our comfortable days are coming to an end. The last 20 games were simply hell mode."

Of course Zhang Yang knows that a large number of playoff teams are coming!
Zhang Yang responded, "Boss, don't be too anxious. When your opponents come, fight them and defeat them. If you can't beat them, defeat the next opponent."

Seeing that the younger brother was not afraid at all, Felton quickly adjusted his expression so as not to look scared.

It’s true, by keeping a tense expression, the psychological pressure is reduced a lot.

Just as Zhang Yang said to Felton, the strong playoff teams that are about to play against the Bobcats are also troubled by this opponent.

On March 3, after the Heat arrived in Charlotte, they immediately went to the Charlotte Arena to prepare for the evening game.

O'Neal complained bitterly and had to train back to back!

But the head coach was a ruthless and calculating man, and he had no choice but to train even after complaining.

He wanted to win the championship, to defeat that annoying high school student, and he was eager to do so. He had a vague feeling that he wouldn't be able to hold out for another two years.

If they want to win the championship, they have to be in a more favorable ranking, but the problem is that the Eastern Conference playoff situation is very unclear.

The Central Division is very clear. The Pistons, who are at the top of the division, have 50 wins and 13 losses, and are firmly in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers, who are second in the division, have more than a dozen fewer wins than the Pistons. Even if they win more games later, they will only be fourth in the end according to division rules.

But the Heat and the Nets currently both have 40 wins and 22 losses. Both teams are at the top of their divisions and are competing for second place based on their records.

The fifth-placed Wizards are only three wins away from the ninth-placed Bobcats, and with about 3 games left, it's hard to say who will be in the final ranking.

O'Neal knew his team's goal - to avoid the Pacers.

After the trade was completed in December, the Pacers went from second to last in the Eastern Conference with 12 wins and 7 losses to seventh in the Eastern Conference with 17 wins and 33 losses. After replacing Artest with Peja, they achieved a record of 30 wins and 26 losses. They were regarded by the media and fans as the only team in the lower half of the Eastern Conference that could potentially make an upset. Both the Nets and the Heat wanted to avoid the Pacers.

The Pacers' strongest momentum was in the middle of the season, but it has slowed down after the All-Star Weekend. Their hope of surpassing the Wizards is not very high, and the probability of falling to eighth or out of the playoffs is not high either. It currently looks like they will be sixth or seventh.

Even a fortune teller cannot figure out the Pacers' final ranking, so they can only fight for victory with all their strength and get the number of wins first. Only then will they have the right to make a choice in the final stage of the regular season.

Before yesterday, the Heat were leading the Nets by one win, but they were upset in overtime against the 1ers yesterday.

韦德打了50分钟拿到38分10板6助攻、奥尼尔打了37分钟拿到28分12板3助攻3盖帽，还是不敌打满53分钟拿到32分16助攻7抢断的艾弗森。

There are two types of teams in the NBA that don't seem to be very strong and give the strong teams a headache. One is the fringe playoff team like the 76ers led by a superstar, and the other is the young team that makes a comeback like the Bobcats. You can't say they are great, but they are really difficult to deal with when they explode.

The Heat were also unlucky as they met these two teams back-to-back.

What could O'Neal do but follow the training, using it to activate his tired body so that he could play better in the evening game.

O'Neal looked at Wade, who was panting heavily during practice, and observed a moment of silence for his new brother.

O'Neal is already 34 years old. Even if he has been playing against No. 8 in the past two years and has ruined himself, he has already received 5 million in 1 years and has no worries about the future. Wade was trained like this during his rookie contract. Kobe, a genius of the same level, just started in his third year and was still training without pressure. James was still praised for his future in his third year, but Wade had to turn his future into reality in his third year...

...

At 6:40 in the evening, the entrance ceremony began at the Charlotte Arena.

After two days of rest, the Bobcats welcomed the Heat, their fourth opponent in five consecutive home games.

This game was broadcasted additionally. This was their seventh nationwide live broadcast this season. The Bobcats players have found a new goal - to have 7 live broadcasts this season!
As a counterattacking team, our wishes are so pure, simple and beautiful.

When the players of both teams entered the court, the commentators were hyping up the two topics of "AJ's top player battle" and "the showdown between the No. 3 players of three eras".

The competition among AJ, Yang, Wade, Anthony and Paul.

After the All-Star Weekend, Paul's price is the same as Wade and Anthony, averaging 300 million US dollars per year. Anthony and Wade's contracts expire in 09, and Paul's expires in 10.

In terms of endorsement fees, these three brothers cannot compare with Zhang Yang, but they are not the top stars. It is not about how much the endorsement fee is, but who performs better, who has more attention, and who has more fans, who is the top star.

Just like Kobe, his reputation was at the lowest point in his career when he joined Nike. Nike was not very serious when signing him, and the money they gave him was not as high as what Adidas gave him in his rookie season in 97, but he currently has the exclusive poster on Nike's official website.

Wade is the best performing AJ spokesperson at present. His fans are naturally dissatisfied with the treatment Zhang Yang receives from Nike and want to see Wade beat Zhang Yang to death.

In fact, AJ also has a spokesperson, Ray Allen, who averages 25+ points per game, but Ray Allen's record this season is terrible, and he is not very popular and not taken seriously. His endorsement fee is also very low, and he is not considered a top contender.

'No. 3 from three eras' refers to the three players who wore the No. 3 jersey: Iverson, Wade and Zhang Yang.

艾弗森75年6月出生、韦德82年1月出生、张杨88年6月出生，从前到后年龄刚好都是差了6岁半，不看进入NBA的时间只看年龄，妥妥的3个时代的球员。

Wade played against Iverson and Zhang Yang successively, and under the guidance of the media, this topic became popular.

After the entrance ceremony, the players from both teams exchanged friendly greetings.

They played in the All-Star Game together and accomplished together the goal of helping James win the AMVP. Although their efforts and attitudes of helping were different, Wade tried his best, Zhang Yang was powerless, O'Neal was capable but not interested, and Gerald Wallace didn't care at all...but the four of them are considered to be quite familiar with each other.

O'Neal himself is not a very hard-working person, but he admires Gerald Wallace's hard-working style of play and has a good impression of Zhang Yang. When he sees Zhang Yang, all he thinks of is the best time he had with another 17-year-old high school student.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the game started.

Both sides put aside their pre-match friendliness and started a fierce hand-to-hand fight from the start of the game.

Tonight, Bickerstaff sent out the twin towers of Okafor and Perkins to deal with O'Neal.

The outside line was composed of Felton, Keith Bogans and Gerald Wallace, the three players with the best physical fitness and the toughest defense, to deal with the outside line group led by Wade.

In the first few rounds, O'Neal launched an unstoppable attack and the Heat started with an 8-4 lead.

But the Bobcats players held on tenaciously, scoring 7 to 5 in the final seconds, and narrowed the gap to two points at 11 to 13 when the official timeout came!

Zhang Yang was called by the head coach, took off his training suit, and stretched his body to prepare for the game.

After watching half of the game, he felt the ruthlessness of time and the fortune teller.

When they played against the Heat before, due to the absence of Okafor, the Bobcats had a huge disadvantage in the interior, but it was not obvious.

This time, Zhang Yang clearly felt that O'Neal was not as good as before. The Big Shark was still the best center in the league. He averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds in only 9 minutes per game, with a career-high shooting percentage of 61%.

But it's not that O'Neal only wants to play 30 minutes, but that he can only play 30 minutes. He is no longer far ahead of other centers like he was last season, but has become an 'ordinary' first center in the league.

His health condition has also reached the worst since the new century. He has missed 16 games so far, which is the season with the highest absence rate since the 98-99 season, and it is still rising.

He turned 2 in February, which is one of the reasons for O'Neal's decline, but the core reason for such a serious decline compared to last season is Pat Riley's use of O'Neal.

Under Phil Jackson's team, O'Neal could rest whenever he felt uncomfortable, whether he was really injured or not. He could also slack off during the regular season, lose weight while playing, and then exert his strength in the playoffs.

As for the Heat, O'Neal had to lose weight from the beginning of the season. He also had the pressure of performance in the regular season and had to fight. He did benefit from it last season. His attendance rate and efficiency improved significantly compared to the 03-04 season. But the consequences came this season, with constant injuries.

When the Heat had all their players together, their strength was not as 'bad' as 40 wins and 22 losses. In the 46 games that O'Neal played, the Heat had a record of 34 wins and 12 losses, '65 wins level'.

It can be said that O'Neal held up the lower limit of the Heat's strength. If he were replaced with a starting center who is in good health but has average strength, the Heat's strength would probably not be much different from that of the Wizards, Bucks, and Bulls.

Zhang Yang came to the court and looked at player No. 3 walking towards him from the opposite side. Zhang Yang put away his feelings about the passing of time and became excited.

This person is the strongest among the 03 Platinum Generation!
After the timeout, the Heat attack.

The Bobcats lineup includes Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Okafor, and Brezek.

The Heat lineup includes Payton, Wade, Antoine Walker, Haslem, and Mourning.

Wade received the serve, facing the iron-clad defense of Felton who took a step back, Gerald Wallace on the wing, and Okafor at the baseline. He did not break through, but instead passed the ball to Payton who was leaning against Zhang Yang in the right elbow area.

Payton leaned against Zhang Yang to dribble the ball, trying to find the rhythm of the attack while yelling, "My dear boy, you are going to get beaten again tonight. After you get beaten, will you hide behind Jordan and cry?"

He is a professional at bullying rookies. He starts by using words to destroy the opponent's confidence.

But the response he got was - "You were beaten by Jordan in the finals."

Peyton: "..."

Who the hell wouldn't get beaten up if they met Jordan in the finals? He felt that 50 years ago or 50 years later, all the superstars would get beaten up if they met Jordan in the finals.

Payton was not affected by Zhang Yang's words. What bothered him was that this rookie's defense was so solid!
The level of force in top defense is just right, the standing position is good, and the defensive habits of both hands are also very good... Compared to the match in January, this rookie's defensive habits have become better!
However, in the two encounters in November last year and January this year, when Payton trash-talked Zhang Yang, the other side did not respond and just defended honestly... Is it because the strength has improved now compared to that time that he talks more?
Payton likes this mentality: if you don’t have the ability, just shut up; if you have the ability, talk more.

Seeing Walker pulling towards the top arc, Payton wanted to pass the ball first, but Zhang Yang's words made him take back his action.

"There's no way in my life I'll lose to Jordan in the Finals."

Payton would not get angry no matter being scolded or ridiculed. Even if someone talked about Ferrari again, he would just smile calmly.

But Zhang Yang's words hit the spot.

It’s been 3 years since Jordan retired for the third time. Of course you can’t lose to Jordan in the finals!
Payton's big butt suddenly pushed up towards Zhang Yang, and his upper body turned around, but his legs stepped forward, turning around and taking a step, and shooting a jump shot... His action was seen through! The rookie on the opposite side pounced on him!
Under Zhang Yang's defense, Payton's low-post turnaround jump shot missed!
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(End of this chapter)