Chapter 30 Friendship Deteriorates
It was a very correct decision to let Zheng Yang defend Parker. Zheng Yang's speed and arm span made the Frenchman, who had abused Nash in the first half, fall into a quagmire.

Parker made almost no offensive achievements in the third quarter. Facing a player who is more than ten centimeters taller than you, if you cannot win with speed, you will definitely be at a disadvantage.

Of course, defending such a speed-type player was very physically demanding for Zheng Yang, and he didn't score much in the third quarter.

However, what the Mavericks have the most is scoring points. Finley, Walker and Nowitzki are enough to take over all the ball possession.

The team signed them to do this!
So before the start of the fourth quarter, the Mavericks led by 57 points, 66:9.

In the TNT studio, Glider was still full of praise for Zheng Yang.

“This was a game between two championship contenders, but the situation of the game changed because of a rookie.

What I mean is that Zheng's appearance makes the goddess of victory one step closer to the Mavericks.

Although the Mavericks maintained the lead in the first half, it can be seen from the shooting percentage that it was not caused by the Mavericks, but because the Spurs themselves had a bad touch.

But in the second half, even though the Spurs' touch improved, Zheng's defense made Parker miserable, and the Spurs suddenly couldn't play.

If they don't figure out how to fix this, the Mavericks are going to lose this win."

Glider tried to make the most objective comments and discussions, but his words couldn't help but reveal his praise for Zheng Yang.

It's really hard not to like this rookie when watching him play.

He now understands why Adidas offered him a seven-year, $7 million sneaker endorsement contract.

Maybe in the future, this contract will really be worth the money!
In the fourth quarter, Popovich's adjustment was to let Tony Parker play pick-and-roll with Duncan as much as possible to avoid directly encountering Zheng Yang.

This has some effect, but it's just average.

Perhaps dissatisfied with the current situation of the team, Duncan started playing one-on-one at the end of the fourth quarter.

Only at this time could Zheng Yang feel the gap in strength between himself and the true top superstars in the NBA.

As long as the ball is in Duncan's hands, no matter whether Fat Monk or Nowitzki goes up to defend, it will be of no avail.

He didn't use any complicated technical moves, but he was able to be the best in the world just by relying on his bank shots.

Obviously, Zheng Yang is still a bit far from this stage.

Although he has made great progress during this period, his accumulation is still less than those superstars.

He was not too depressed. After all, he was only 18 years old and some gap was normal.

As long as he is given enough time, he will definitely be able to match these superstars and surpass them...

Duncan's singles were indeed good, but the Mavericks still used their own powerful offense to withstand this wave of offensive firepower and won the game by 7 points.

In terms of game statistics, although no one on the Mavericks scored more than 30 points, all five starters scored in double digits.

Finley scored a team-high 22 points.

Duncan was the standout player for the Spurs, scoring 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Parker scored the second highest number of points, with 22, but he had already scored 18 points in the first half, which meant he only scored 4 points in the second half.

Zheng Yang really restricted him well!

During the post-match hug session, the GDP trio talked a lot with Zheng Yang. They could see how important Zheng Yang was to the team.

As an old rival, the Spurs should study this rookie more!
Before leaving, Ginobili exchanged phone numbers with Zheng Yang. I don't know why this chatty guy with long hair was so interested in Zheng Yang.

In order to avoid the other party from sending messages to harass him in the middle of the night, Zheng Yang "accidentally" reported the wrong phone number, hoping to escape the disaster!
On the way back to the locker room, Nash and Zheng Yang walked at the end of the team. The former was in a low mood and said to Zheng Yang in frustration.

"Zheng, today's game is all thanks to you! I really can't defend Parker. He is too fast and it is difficult for me to keep up."

Nash's physical talent is relatively average in the league. Even though he has a good defensive attitude, it is still difficult for him to limit his opponents.

After all, the opponents he faced were those with the best physical talents in the field of basketball!

Competitive sports are very realistic. You must have talent first and then you can work hard!

Zheng Yang put his arm around his shoulders and comforted him.

"Steve, there's no need to say this. We are a team. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and the meaning of a team is to let us learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses!"

Nash nodded and said nothing more, but Zheng Yang thought for a moment and then spoke again.

"Steve, although your defense is average, I think you can unleash your talent on offense."

Nash was stunned, then shook his head.

"We already have a lot of scoring options on our team, including Walker, Finley, Dirk, and you!

I just need to get organized!"

"From the perspective of the team, this may be true, but from the perspective of a player, if you have offensive talent, why are you unwilling to realize it?

You can definitely shoot mid-range shots, floaters, three-pointers, or attack the basket with the help of screens. In my opinion, those are all things you are good at, but you just don't use them very often.

I'm not asking you to compete with other people for shots, I just think when you have some shots, maybe you can try it yourself."

Zheng Yang said seriously that he was deeply impressed by Nash during his time with the Suns. At that time, he was really a talented point guard on the offensive end.

He can play pick-and-roll with Stoudemire, he can score in a variety of ways, and he has excellent vision and can complete an offense in seven seconds.

When the team was in trouble, he stepped up many times to turn the tide!

Did he only develop his offensive talent during his time with the Suns?

No, it’s just because no one in the Mavericks needs him to do such a thing!

But Zheng Yang felt that he could give him a reminder, so that he could shoot boldly when it was time to shoot, instead of having to pass the ball to others!

After listening to Zheng Yang's words, Nash suddenly felt that it was hard to find a soulmate. In fact, he also had an offensive desire in his heart. He also wanted to make a bold shot like others and throw the basketball into the basket.

But the Mavericks have too many scorers. If they add him, there won’t be enough points.

So he had no choice but to do his job well.

Although Zheng Yang's words could not change much, they gave him a feeling of being understood.

Men, what you want is someone who can understand you, right?

He stopped and turned to look at Zheng Yang, his eyes full of emotion. "Zheng, thank you! It's great to have you!"

Then he hugged Zheng Yang tightly.

Zheng Yang's body became a little stiff as he was hugged.

This friendship won't... deteriorate, right?
……

It was clearly a battle between the Bulls and the Horses, but the focus of the media interviews after the game was on Anthony who was far away in the Denver Plateau.

"Cameron, what do you think of the glider? Zheng performed very well in this battle between cattle and horses. Do you still firmly believe that you will gain the upper hand in your battle?"

Anthony was silent for a moment. In fact, after watching Zheng Yang's games with the Cavaliers and Spurs, his opinion of this yellow man had changed.

At least he has put the other person on the same level as himself, and he feels a little regretful about what he said before.

But the words have been spoken, you can’t let him contradict himself!

So he continued to be stubborn.

“I have a lot of respect for Clyde, I grew up watching him play.

But I don’t agree with what he said. Although Zheng’s performance was good, my performance was not bad either. I still think I am the one with the advantage.”

“Cameron, I remember you said in your last interview that you couldn’t even remember Zheng’s name, but now you’ve called it out.

Have you been paying attention to his performance recently? Are you worried that you will lose to him in the next game? "

The reporter's eyes lit up like a cat smelling fish, and he asked hurriedly.

Anthony stared at him and then said coldly.

"Next question!"

……

After defeating the Spurs, the Mavericks started a four-game road trip. After the first three games, Nelson decided to rest the main players in the fourth game against the Lakers.

Because the team has just finished three away games, plus the game against the Lakers is back-to-back, if the main players are punished again, the risk of injury will be very high.

A season is long, and there is no need to increase the risk of injury because of an ordinary regular season game.

Therefore, it is expected that only Nash will play among the four All-Stars on the Mavericks side.

As for the Lakers, Kobe, who missed the last game, will play this time, which means that all the Lakers F4 are present.

The game that was originally a battle between two powerful Western teams suddenly lost a lot of its highlights.

No one thought the Mavericks would win this game. Everyone just wanted to see how Zheng, who scored the buzzer beater against the Lakers last time, would perform this time.

On the evening of December 12th, the American Airlines Center welcomed their guests of the night, the Lakers from Los Angeles.

Tonight they are wearing purple and gold jerseys and are coming with great momentum, determined to knock the Mavericks to the ground to avenge the buzzer-beater in the last game!

The sideline reporter for today's game is Craig Sager, the famous "Colorful Man" of TNT media, a reporter who likes to wear colorful suits and is deeply loved by players and coaches.

He had excellent professional qualities and a strong personal charm. He made indelible contributions to the NBA and basketball. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame after his death due to illness.

Today, the person he is going to interview before the game is Zheng, the rookie who scored the buzzer beater against the Lakers the last time the two teams met.

The interview hadn't even started yet when Nash came to disrupt it. He secretly pulled the handkerchief off Craig Sager's chest from behind and pretended to use it to blow his nose.

This is the joke NBA players like to play on him the most.

"Hey Craig, your suit is absolutely hideous! It's exactly like the one my grandpa wore!"

Nash said "disgustedly" and then stuffed the handkerchief back into his chest.

Craig Sager was not angry, he just smiled and said.

"This is my favorite set. Look at how colorful it is. It's so pretty."

"Craig, your taste is too low!"

"Haha."

After greeting Nash, Craig Sager looked at Zheng Yang.

“Sorry, Zheng, I kept you waiting here for a while.

Are you ready for today's interview? The questions I'm going to ask are very explosive. If you try to run away, I will catch you, haha! "

"Come on horseback!"

Zheng Yang smiled and continued the other party's words.

"The first question is, how do you feel about facing the Lakers again, and facing a fully-formed Lakers team? Are you a little nervous?"

"I am actually very calm. I am ready for anything. No matter what happens, I will handle it."

Zheng Yang answered very confidently. Playing basketball is all about confidence!
“Everyone who has interviewed you said that you are a very confident person, and now it seems to be true.

The second question is, what kind of data do you think you will get today?"

"Well that's a little hard to say, but I think I'll get thirty points.

Haha, maybe it’s a bit low…”

"Haha, I think you should set higher standards for yourself.

So let's move on to our last question.

Can you estimate your score today? I mean the total score! "

"90:91! I think I will kill them."

"Haha, I wish you good luck in today's game."

“Haha thank you Craig, I hope to see you wearing such a tasteful suit every day!”

　Now there is one chapter at 12:00 am and one chapter at 6:00 pm (if there are special circumstances, we will inform you in advance)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)