Chapter 118 Seven Consecutive Victories

After the six-game winning streak, the Mavericks' new opponent is the Cavaliers. Since the Knicks and the Cavaliers are currently in the Eastern Conference, they will play against each other four times this season.

However, the pre-match enthusiasm for this game was not very high. If Zheng Yang played against James two seasons ago, it would definitely be promoted by the media as a gimmick.

After all, both of them are players with great potential among the 03 rookies, so naturally a lot of people will pay attention to the head-to-head matchup between the two.

But now the two are not on the same level at all. Although James has performed well in the past two seasons and made it into the All-Stars, it is not so easy for him to rely on this to defame Zheng Yang.

Now, among the class of 03, only Wade is qualified to compete with Zheng Yang. Anyone else who compares with Zheng Yang will only be regarded as a joke.

So the popularity of this game is not very high.

New York City fans don’t care about the head-to-head confrontation between James and Zheng Yang. They just want to see if the team can win another game and achieve a seven-game winning streak.

On November 11, the regular season kicked off at the Knicks' home court, Madison Square Garden. Thanks to the huge market and the team's strong appeal this season, the stadium was still packed for the game.

Enthusiastic Knicks fans wore Zheng Yang's jerseys and waved his posters.

They used exaggerated body language to express their love for Zheng Yang.

Why do you want to play basketball in a big city?

It is because of the high attention and exposure here that as long as you perform well and bring victory, your fame will rise suddenly and you will become a superstar loved by everyone.

Currently, the Knicks' starting lineup has basically been confirmed as Quentin Richardson, Crawford, Zheng Yang, Big Ben and Eddy Curry. This lineup is balanced in offense and defense, and it is difficult to encounter a lineup that can restrain them. Their performance has been good during this period.

As for the bench, it is supported by David Lee, Boss F, Mike James and a few others.

Although Big F's form has deteriorated seriously since he left the Rockets, he still has no problem averaging around ten points per game, especially after he became a substitute. The defensive pressure he faced has decreased and his efficiency has also improved.

With him leading the bench, the Knicks' bench lineup is not considered a disadvantage for the team.

Although Big F was a little indignant about being a substitute at first, facing the reality of his serious decline in strength and the team's thriving situation, he had to accept this fact.

It's okay to play as a substitute. Looking at the situation in the new season, maybe they really have a chance to win the championship.

Let's take a look at the Cavaliers' starting lineup. Their current starting lineup is James, Larry Hughes, Zach Hobbs, Drew Gooden, and Eric Snow.

This lineup is not much different from the previous two seasons, but with the growth of James and the improvement of team tacit understanding, the team's current strength has begun to be competitive in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers management still regards James as the team's hope for the future!
Before the game started, Zheng Yang did not have much communication with James. Now in Zheng Yang's eyes, James is just an ordinary opponent.

The game started immediately. During the jump ball phase, the Cavaliers got the first offensive opportunity and they gave the ball to James, the team's offensive core.

James, who is already in his fourth year in the league, has improved his technical skills to a certain extent, but currently his scoring still mainly depends on his physical talent to impact the inside to score.

So today, his first attack still chose to attack the inside.

The player defending him at the beginning was Crawford, but because of the physical difference between the two and Crawford's weak defense, James passed him in one step.

However, facing the inside line protected by Ben Wallace and Eddy Curry, James hesitated for a moment and then chose a mid-range shot.

But it was precisely because of this slow second that Zheng Yang's defense arrived.

He jumped up at the same time as James, and then used his super long arm span to hold the basketball at the moment it was shot.

The basketball was immediately blown away and Quentin Richardson on the side successfully caught it.

Then he rushed to the frontcourt with the ball. When he rushed to the basket and faced the defense of Larry Hughes, he passed the ball without looking at anyone and threw it directly to Zheng Yang who was following behind him. The latter made a windmill slam dunk.

To be honest, Quentin Richardson passed the ball to Zheng Yang completely based on tacit understanding, because in the games he played against Zheng Yang, Zheng Yang would follow up in time every time there was a fast break, so Quentin Richardson passed the ball to him completely instinctively.

What about James, who was just on the same starting line with Zheng Yang?

After landing, this guy faked a fall and pretended that Zheng Yang had committed a foul. Seeing that the referee did not respond, he ran over to complain to the referee.

Therefore, when Zheng Yang was already running over to attack, he hadn't come over yet.

"Damn it, these guys are only biased towards him!"

Seeing that the referee ignored him, James could only walk away and curse in a low voice. He didn't dare to shout too loudly for fear of being heard and being called for a technical foul.

In the next round, James rushed into the inside with the ball again. This time he learned from the last lesson and without hesitation, he stepped on the accelerator and went directly to the basket.

But Big Ben's help defense came at the right time. He used his strong body to block James's progress. The latter made a layup but had to temporarily increase the arc of his shot because of Eddy Curry's defense.

In the end, the basketball flew straight over the basket without even touching the backboard.

Why is basketball said to be a game that places great emphasis on physical talent? Because talented people are completely different from untalented people.

Like Eddy Curry, this guy's defense has always been criticized, and he is not active in rebounding, but when he is willing to make changes, he can quickly play a big role on the defensive end.

This is the effect of his physical talent!
Zheng Yang successfully protected the rebound and then launched a fast break counterattack.

In the end, thanks to the tacit cooperation, this fast break was still successful.

The Knicks made two successful defensive moves at the start, making the score 0:4!

The fans at the scene cheered wildly. They loved this airtight defense and this powerful offense.

When they run, they are like the wind, fast and light; when they stop to defend, they are like a thick wall, solid and unshakable.

The Knicks' solid inside defense directly confused James. His multiple inside attacks had little effect, and he couldn't find the touch for his outside shooting for a while.

So at the end of the first half, the Cavaliers were already 10 points behind the Knicks.

During the halftime break, James sat in a chair with his fists clenched, his mind full of the game.

He really didn't want to lose this game. Zheng Yang was almost becoming his nightmare.

No matter what award competition, Zheng Yang is always ahead of him, and no matter how hard he tries, he can never surpass him.

When the opponent was still on the Mavericks, he could still comfort himself by saying that the Mavericks were a strong team. After all, before Zheng Yang went there, the Mavericks were already a strong team in the Western Conference. He was just taking advantage of the situation.

If it was James who went there, he would definitely be able to win the scoring title, be included in the best first team, win the championship, and win the FMVP!
But this game was a complete slap in his face, because before Zheng Yang came to the Knicks, this team was a real bottom-ranked team.

As the last team in the Eastern Conference, it would be inconspicuous in the league if it were not for its advantageous geographical location. But after Zheng Yang came here, the whole team seemed to be completely renewed, capable of both offense and defense, and has won six consecutive games so far, ranking first in the league and has not lost a game so far.

And in today's game, they are likely to get their seventh victory of the season.

The Cavaliers, who were united before the game, will only become a stepping stone on their way forward.

And all this happened just because Zheng Yang came here.

I don’t know when it started, but James found that he couldn’t even see his back anymore. No one would compare him with Zheng Yang anymore, and when fans mentioned the league’s rising stars, they would only think of him.

The gap between them is like a chasm!

"I won't lose to him, I won't! I will beat him, I must win this game!"

James' eyes were wide open, bigger than copper bells. He would not allow himself to lose to Zheng Yang, he absolutely would not allow it.

After returning to the second half, James began to get back into shape. In the first three rounds, he made all three three-pointers and directly stopped the Knicks.

"Hey! Damn, the game isn't over yet!
I will win the game! I will! Don't even think about taking a victory away from me! It's absolutely impossible. "

After making the third three-pointer, James yelled at Zheng Yang. At this moment, his heart was surging and he felt like a god of war.

He was invincible and no one could stop him.

But Zheng Yang didn't say anything. He had seen many storms and waves, and this little movement in front of him would not cause any ripples in his heart at all.

However, during the timeout, Zheng Yang spoke to head coach Larry Brown.

"Just let me guard LeBron next! I'll guard him."

Larry Brown nodded immediately, and he began to experience the feeling of old Nelson!

Family, who understands?
When the team was stopped in a wave, I as the head coach didn't need to give any advice, the players stood up to help me solve the problem.

Damn, I feel a little guilty about the salary I receive!
Or let me do some work!

Give me some sense of participation!

After the timeout, the two teams returned to the court. When the Knicks successfully scored a round, James found that the person defending in front of him had changed.

From Crawford, who was half a head shorter than him, to Zheng Yang.

The other person had a blank expression on his face, and it was obvious that he didn't care about him at all.

This kind of neglect made James feel particularly unhappy. Why didn't he care about me? Damn it, he didn't take me seriously at all.

I'm no worse than him!

I'll make him pay!
James thought so, but in fact Zheng Yang really didn't look down on him. It's just that you, James, are not a big star. Isn't it normal for you to be calm when Zheng Yang is defending you?

He doesn't care that much.

Seeing James' knees slightly bent, Zheng Yang also lowered his center of gravity and stretched out his right arm to interfere with his shot.

James' triple threat did not have any deterrent effect. After Zheng Yang faked a dribble and missed it, the opponent started to pass the ball and prepared to break through.

However, Zheng Yang now has rich defensive experience. He has been adjusting his defensive pace according to the opponent's movements, which allows Zheng Yang to react immediately when James makes any move.

So James started to play very uncomfortably. He felt that he could pass his opponent if he rushed forward, but the problem was that he couldn't rush forward at all.

Once he tried to accelerate, he would be blocked by Zheng Yang and would have to stop.

There was no other way. James could only try to use his body to push in little by little, but there was another problem. He punched Zheng Yang a few times, but found that he did not move him.

Although Zheng Yang is lighter than him, because he has always focused on his strength training, no one can beat him with their body at the small forward position.

Unable to break through or score, James could only choose to shoot. But how could his little trick escape Zheng Yang's eyes?
Zheng Yang stuck closely to him, and whenever the opponent tried to make a move, the final result would be blocking.

There are only three seconds left in the attack time. James has no choice but to force the pass!
After receiving the "second pass" from James, Gooden took an extreme shot, but the basketball went straight away without touching it, and then there was a 24-second violation.

This was a successful defense!

"Great job Zheng! That's it!"

Larry Brown on the sidelines finally found his position and began to cheer for Zheng Yang.

No, why are there such awesome players in this world?
No matter where the problem occurs, we can always help!

The team's offense is not good?

Then give him the ball!
The opposing star player played well?
You can give him positions one to three, and he will tell you the answer!

He doesn't care who his opponent is. He has a strong self-confidence. No matter what the problem is, as long as you ask him to solve it, he will definitely help you solve it!
The head coach doesn’t need to worry about anything at all!

No wonder the other side dared to shout out the slogan of winning the championship this season. With such strength, if they don’t fight for the championship, would they fight for the No. 1 pick?
……

After Zheng Yang took the lead in defending James, the opponent's shooting percentage began to plummet, and relying on the overall advantage, the Knicks quickly widened the point difference to more than double digits and maintained it until the end of the game.

At the end of the game, the Knicks players excitedly celebrated the team's seventh consecutive victory, but what about James on the opposite side?

He left the court without looking back. Overall, he played very poorly in this game, making 25 of 8 shots and scoring only 22 points.

And what about Zheng Yang?

Although he only took 18 shots, he made 12 of them and ultimately scored 30 points and 11 rebounds easily!

This was the performance in the second half when he defended the opponent's core players.

This result forced Larry Brown to sigh again in the post-game interview.

“How did we get him?

He is the best player in this league! Barely one of them!"

(End of this chapter)