Chapter 200 199. The crucial battle!

But if they lose to the Pistons tonight, their record will be tied at 54 wins and 27 losses.

Because of the head-to-head results, they will fall back to second place, and all their efforts in the second half of the season will be in vain.

With Gerald Wallace out for a month due to injury, they are fighting in every game to keep up with the Pistons and not fall behind. Isn't it just for the sake of getting first place?

不然半程34胜18负的他们，后半程30场比赛只需要赢一半就能稳保第二，赢16场就能拿到50胜。

Of course, they can still expect the 76ers to beat the Pistons in their final game... But not to mention how the 76ers can win, Zhang Yang feels uncomfortable just thinking about the feeling of pinning his hopes on another team.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, the Bobcats began preparing for tonight's game.

Zhang Yang felt that his teammates were in high spirits and very excited.

To quote Gerald Wallace in an interview: "Who doesn't want to be No. 1?"

However, in addition to the ambition to be number one, there are also external influences.

At the request of major media outlets, Jordan opened up filming and interviews during the training phase today!

Yesterday the most popular game was the Mavericks vs. Warriors, today it’s the Bobcats vs. Pistons!
Moreover, the only thing to watch in the game between the Mavericks and the Warriors is whether the Mavericks can tie the Lakers' best record in the new century in the 99-00 season last night and whether they have a chance to tie the Celtics' third best record in history. The fans are just watching the fun.

The game between the Bobcats and the Pistons is seen as a 'preview of the Eastern Conference Finals'.

When Zhang Yang was watching the news, he saw the media and fans analyzing the matchup between the Jazz and the Rockets, and discussing the probability that the Jazz would win... Although the Rockets are fifth in the Western Conference, they have a better record than the Jazz and have the home-court advantage.

Analyze the matchup between the Suns and the Lakers, and discuss the probability of the Lakers winning the black seven. Last year, the Lakers led the Suns 3-1 at one point, which gave people a lot of expectations. However, most people think that the Lakers have no chance this year. Last year, the Suns did not have a little bully, and did not have a player whose offensive ability could match Kobe's. This year, the Suns have made up for this shortcoming, otherwise they would not have been able to suppress the Mavericks, who performed so brutally, before February.

Analyze the matchup between the Spurs and the Nuggets, and discuss how many games the Nuggets can win. Not many people think the Nuggets can win this series. Duncan is back to his peak...

In the summer of 05, Duncan finally got rid of the trouble of plantar fasciitis through surgery, but his athletic ability declined again. Last season, his average points per game plummeted to a career-low 18.6 points. For the first time in his career, he was not selected for the first team and only got second team and second defense.

However, after a year of adjustment last season, adapting to new physical conditions and improving his playing style, Duncan has been able to achieve 20+10 performances again this year. His shooting percentage once reached a career high of 55%, and now he has the second-highest shooting percentage of his career at 54.6%.

Moreover, his 43.4% mid-range shooting percentage and 47.8% close-range shooting percentage both set new highs, and his 38% long two-point shooting percentage was also remarkable.

The goal of developing the three-point shot failed. Duncan shot five three-pointers in the first three games, but missed all of them, so he gave up later.

The matchup between the Mavericks and the Warriors is also seen as an exciting offensive battle.

In the East, after skipping the first and second rounds, the media and fans are discussing which of the two teams will make it to the finals...

The Cavaliers and the Heat are also hot topics, but the discussion is just about whether they can make it to the second round.

In addition to this, when Zhang Yang was interviewed during the preparation period, he was repeatedly asked about the "Bad Boys". The "Old Bad Boys" is part of the history of their opponent, the Pistons...

...

It was 5:40 in the evening at the Turkish Airlines Arena. The Pistons and Bobcats entered the stadium one after another, and the live TV broadcast had begun.

It was still light in the United States when the live broadcast began, and it was still light in China when the live broadcast also began. Both Chaoting TV and Guangdong Sports broadcasted additional broadcasts of this game.

Stern regretted it so much. Since it was the game at the end of the regular season, why didn't he schedule it for a later time?

But before the season started, who would have thought that the Bobcats would actually top the Eastern Conference in the regular season?

Moreover, the second round match between the Bobcats and the Pistons last season was not very popular in China. What was hotly discussed was that the Bobcats made it to the second round, which was something the Rockets had failed to do in their two attempts to make the playoffs. Even the domestic media did not hype that the Bobcats had a chance to win when they made it to the second round.

Stern thought that the last few games of the regular season would be a battle between the Heat and the Pistons for first place in the Eastern Conference, and that the "New Bad Boys" would focus on competing with the NCAA in late March and early April.

He was in his office watching the dismal ratings from the imperial TV station at the beginning of the game, feeling upset. Ninety percent of the main force watching the game in China were still asleep...

On the court, after the entrance ceremony, players from both teams were very enthusiastic before the game started.

Even though the two teams always look like they are going to fight each other every time they play against each other, in fact, the relationship between the two teams is quite good.

Rasheed Wallace and McDyess are both people with good character and personality.

Hamilton comes from a sports family, has a good family background and received a good education. Okafor has a close relationship with him... Both of them graduated from the University of Connecticut, and both led their teams to win the championship and the MOP in their last year of college.

The most important point is that Hamilton completed his studies and obtained his diploma in 05.

On the Bobcats side, Okafor has a good reputation, and Gerald Wallace and Felton are both enthusiastic and cheerful.

Zhang Yang, Felton and Rasheed Wallace are all alumni.

The two teams have so many connections, and after many encounters, many players have established good personal relationships with the opposing players.

The Bobcats were nicknamed the 'New Bad Boys', which gave the two teams an innate sense of closeness.

Because when the Bobcats players were asked about this nickname by reporters, they all expressed respect for the 'Old Bad Boys' and called them 'one of the greatest teams'.

Even Jordan said in an interview that the 'Bad Old Boys' were one of the two toughest opponents he had ever encountered in his career.

The other, of course...is not the Jazz, but the Celtics.

The only ones who seem to have contradictions are Little Duncan and Tianzun.

Rasheed Wallace greeted Okafor enthusiastically, but was ignored, which made him so angry that he made an emoji.

Number 3 on the side fanned the flames: "Mr. Crawford, Rashid's expression is so scary, kick him out!"

Bald Crawford really wanted to blow the whistle to give the bad boy a technical foul, but he held back and walked away, leaving the bad boy with regret and Tianzun with a resentful look on his face.

Rasheed Wallace took advantage of Zhang Yang's inattention, moved behind him, stretched out his hand... and was slapped away.

Rasheed Wallace was very regretful. When he was watching the live broadcast of the game between the Bobcats and the Spurs, he saw Duncan reaching out his hand towards Zhang Yang's head but was slapped away. He wanted to try to complete a sneak attack on his junior, but failed.

Tianzun is one of the most shameless people in the league. He hooked his arm around Zhang Yang's shoulder, who looked disgusted, and asked, "Why did Emeka suddenly hate me in these two games? He wasn't like this before. He even went to the opera with me last summer."

Zhang Yang: "Maybe it's because you don't have a college degree?"

Tianzun: "You don't have a college diploma. I completed my thesis defense in advance during my rookie season and got my degree. I'm not like Carter who left college for three years before getting his degree."

Zhang Yang: "I don't really have a college degree. I'm only a sophomore."

Tianzun: "..." Zhang Yang: "Stop kidding. Have you forgotten that you were ranked the second best forward in the Eastern Conference and Emeka was ranked third?"

Tianzun: "He already beat me in our last match, he still remembers it!"

Zhang Yang: "Our Emeka... he has a good memory, you know. His GPA is 4.3. I heard that when he graduated from high school, he got a B in one subject and he cried and wanted to repeat the year."

Rasheed Wallace felt this statement was outrageous, but he knew it might be true.

These poker-faced people are really narrow-minded!

Tianzun: "Can you help me talk to him? I think he is the best power forward in the East. I asked him to watch a concert but he ignored me."

Zhang Yang: “No.”

Tianzun: "Why? We have a very good relationship! I was the first one to treat you to dinner at the All-Stars last year!"

Zhang Yang: "You didn't invite me to a concert or an opera. Let's talk about it later."

Tianzun: "..."

Please, please, please! Can't I treat you? How much money can I spend?

However, Rasheed Wallace understood what Zhang Yang meant - Okafor disliked him, so he would play harder when facing him, and the Bobcats would have a higher chance of winning, especially in the playoffs.

Even if Zhang Yang was willing to help him, it wasn't now.

The atmosphere before the game was generally harmonious, but at 5:58, when the referee notified the two teams of their starting lineups, the atmosphere changed.

In the battle for the first place in the Eastern Conference, neither side wants to lose!
The Bobcats sent out a starting lineup of Felton, Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, Millsap and Okafor.

The Pistons sent out a starting lineup of Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Jason Maxiell and Rasheed Wallace.

In front of the two teams' benches, Bickerstaff and Sanders looked at each other.

Bickerstaff: I knew you wanted to play dirty!

Sanders: This old guy is really hard to deal with. He actually predicted my quick move.

As Okafor beat Rasheed Wallace on the jump ball and pushed the ball back, the game began and the Bobcats took the lead.

Felton advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Zhang Yang, who received the ball and broke through!
Breaking to the right side of the free throw line, Zhang Yang failed to shake off Hamilton. He took the initiative to move towards Hamilton, pushed him, pulled the ball during the confrontation, stepped back, and took a mid-range shot... but it was short!
The direction was correct, but the force was not enough and it hit the outside edge of the basket.

Rasheed Wallace grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Billups, who pushed the counterattack to make an offense-defense transition...

Hamilton only looked at speed, and was not faster than Zhang Yang, so he was stuck.

Gerald Wallace rushed back quickly, and Prince posed no threat even when he was running down the court.

However, these two are not the teammates that Billups relies on for defense and counterattack. Maxiell, who is 201 cm tall, runs fast, has a fast bounce speed and strong impact, is the key to his full-scale counterattack.

However, Maxiell, who was running fast, was stuck by Millsap!

Maxiell has good athletic ability, Millsap is even better!

Fortunately, Billups was mentally prepared when he saw the opponent's lineup. He just tried it, but failed to start the fast break. He did not play hard, but slowed down after crossing the center line and fell into a positional battle.

Felton defended Billups, Gerald Wallace chased Hamilton, Okafor fought Rasheed Wallace, and Millsap was in close range to defend against the wing cut.

Billups scored the ball in a single play... Hamilton moved quickly, received the pass from Billups with the help of a screen, turned around and shot... missed!
Seeing Zhang Yang move closer to the baseline and use Millsap's block to grab the defensive rebound, Hamilton shook his hands and retreated.

I didn't feel very good at the start tonight, and my shots were very crooked.

But this is not the worst thing...as expected!
Hamilton retreated back to the three-point line and turned around to see Zhang Yang approaching him.

Felton continued to go to the left corner, Millsap prepared to screen on the wing, Okafor responded in the low post, and Gerald Wallace prepared to cut...

The Pistons' defense was suppressed, and Hamilton was the only one above the free throw line.

Zhang Yang continued to play one-on-one, using the old trick, actively seeking confrontation after breaking through to the free throw line.

This time, Hamilton chose to take the initiative and leave the back to his teammates.

When Zhang Yang and Hamilton were confronting each other, he turned around, pulled the ball with his left hand to bypass Hamilton, and continued to advance!
The backup defense Hamilton was expecting came, Maxiell blocked Zhang Yang at close range... and committed a foul.

Zhang Yang missed the jump shot, but got two free throws.

Seeing Zhang Yang walk to the free throw line amid the cheers of the fans, Hamilton cried out in his heart that he couldn't stand it. The sophomore's mid-range singles skills were getting better and better. He had made obvious progress compared to the match a month ago. His combination of breakthroughs and shots was much more skillful than it was back then, and he was becoming more and more difficult to defend against.

In the last two encounters, this guy has given up on attacking without the ball. He would just go after him with the ball when he got on the court. On defense, he would defend Prince, and when he got tired, he would go to the wing to move away... He played very freely and firmly!
This style of play may seem toxic, but Hamilton feels that Zhang Yang made the right choice by playing this way, bringing out the advantages of a "pure scorer" to the extreme.

Moreover, Zhang Yang played very smartly. Seeing that the forward was Maxiell, who was athletic and aggressive in defense but had poor defensive skills and was clumsy, he took the initiative to attack the inside and cause damage.

Zhang Yang made both free throws, and the Bobcats took a 2-0 lead at the start.

When it was the Pistons' turn to attack, Billups played solo and Hamilton took over, and the two also started to attack fiercely to ensure their success rate.

The reason why Sanders put Maxiell in the starting lineup to try to play fast was to strengthen the offense and compete with Zhang Yang and Okafor's one-on-ones. However, he did not expect that the opponent would still choose Millsap to start instead of Muhammad or Jumaine Jones when Gerald Wallace was not injured, and the speed did not increase.

Sanders felt that he was really unlucky tonight. Not only was his tactical intention predicted by the opponent, but his players also didn't feel good.

Hamilton's second shot also failed!

This time the ball hit the front of the basket, Zhang Yang rushed in to grab the rebound, and the opportunity for counterattack came, go, go!
Gerald Wallace and Millsap flew on both wings, the Pistons retreated in an orderly but scattered manner, Zhang Yang inserted into the middle, faced Maxiell who retreated to the basket, performed a European step, came to Maxiell's left rear, turned around and shot...

Maxiell has excellent reaction speed, turning speed, and jumping speed, and is very active in defense. He has the potential to become a high-quality role player.

But reacting too quickly is sometimes not a good thing!

After Maxiell was shaken off his position, he turned around and rushed forward... He failed to brake and bumped into Zhang Yang after he threw the ball.

As the ball went in, the referee blew the whistle, indicating that Maxiell had fouled Zhang Yang's shot. Zhang Yang's goal was valid and he was awarded a penalty!
Sanders signaled for a substitution, replacing Maxiell with Weber.

He was frustrated at the start, but on the bright side, Maxiell had two fouls in the first three rounds, so he didn't have to worry about whether to continue the fast break at the start... What a benefit! Two fouls in less than two minutes, something is going to happen tonight!
(End of this chapter)