Chapter 31 Leader
Today's Mavericks vs. Lakers game is also broadcast live across the United States. In the TNT studio, the famous Zheng fan Barkley is discussing this game with Kenny Smith in a "seriously" manner.

"Although the Mavericks are missing three All-Stars today, don't forget that they have a best rookie on their team.

In the last game against the Lakers, he just defeated them with a buzzer beater!
Even if Kobe is here today, I still think he will beat the Lakers!"

Barkley started to be different again.

If everyone says the Mavericks are going to lose, then he's definitely going to go against everyone else!
"Hey Barkley, the Rookie of the Year hasn't been decided yet.

Besides, although Zheng performed well some time ago, he has been studied thoroughly by other teams and he will hit the rookie wall.

In my opinion, with Payton and Kobe defending him today, his score would never exceed 20 points."

There was never any silence in the TNT studio, as Barkley and Kenny Smith each had their own opinions.

As for the rookie wall mentioned by the latter, it refers to the player's rookie season, due to physical strength, experience and other reasons, suddenly lost his form at a certain period of the season, as if his way forward was blocked by an invisible wall.

Buckley sneered.

"Kenny, stop arguing with me about that stupid question, you're the only one in the world who thinks someone else will win the Rookie of the Year award.

As for the rookie wall? Haha, while other teams are studying Zheng, he is also constantly improving. Maybe his performance will be affected to a certain extent, but he will still be the most dazzling presence on the court. "

"Shut up, idiot, you don't understand football at all!"

"You don't understand football!"

The two started to fight each other again!
……

Before the game started, three veteran players in suits were sitting on the bench chatting, and Nowitzki said to Zheng Yang.

"Zheng, behave yourself today! You have unlimited firing rights today."

"I will bring victory back."

"Haha, I hope so!"

Everyone smiled. Everyone knew that Zheng was a very confident player, so it was not surprising to hear such words from him.

But in a competition, it is not the one who is more confident who will win.

They are not optimistic about the outcome of today's game.

But Zheng Yang was not joking with them, he had no intention of giving up today's victory.

Black Mamba? Shark? The Postman? The Glove?
Come and arm wrestle!
……

As the players from both sides took their positions in the midfield, the game began!
Today the Mavericks sent out Nash, Zheng Yang, Dachou, Erchou, and Zhugan.

The Lakers have the Lakers F4 plus Devin George!

During the jump ball phase, Zhugan used his height advantage to push the ball over, and Nash caught it firmly.

Zheng Yang looked at the bamboo pole with some heartache, hoping that he would not be smashed into heroic pieces by the shark today.

Just after halftime, Payton came to Zheng Yang and talked trash to him. He had a lot of resentment towards Zheng Yang.

It was this kid who stole their victory last time.

"Hey kid, you won't be so lucky today. Don't try to get mercy from me. I will make sure you leave this gym crying."

"Peyton, your trash talk is just as old and smelly as you are."

Zheng Yang sprayed back as usual, then went to the left side at a 45-degree angle to receive the ball.

There is one thing Nowitzki said right today, that is, he does have unlimited firing rights today. Old Nelson told him to play freely today, as long as he doesn't lose by 58 points!
The first person to defend Zheng Yang today was George, the least famous player in the Lakers' starting lineup.

After a breakthrough and a sudden stop, Zheng Yang took a mid-range shot, but George's defense did not cause him much interference.

This mid-range shot hit the target steadily!
In return, Payton passed the ball to Kobe, the team's outside core.

Since the Eagle County incident, Kobe's life has been a mess. His fans began to hate him, his wife suffered a miscarriage, and he was in danger of going to jail!
All this weighed heavily on him!
Basketball is the only thing that can temporarily free him from all that, so he enjoys every minute and every second on the court.

He focused and tried his best!

The player defending him, Kobe, was already a player known for his defense, but Kobe still easily scored 2 points in front of him.

Kobe in the 03-04 season could not be said to have reached the peak of his career, but after three trips to the finals, the 25-year-old had completely transformed and was no longer the rookie who missed three shots at crucial moments in the playoffs.

It was the Mavericks' turn to attack, and Nash passed the ball to Zheng Yang again, who hit another three-pointer.

The two sides started a fierce offensive battle!
But letting Zheng Yang compete with the Lakers in offense is definitely a wrong decision.

No matter how good Zheng Yang's touch is today, he can never beat the Lakers F4.

After the first quarter, the Mavericks were trailing by 12 points, with the score at 18:30.

Kenny Smith pointed at Barkley and taunted loudly in the TNT studio.

"Hey Barkley, the game is in garbage time, your dream is about to be shattered.

You're a stupid pig who doesn't understand football!"

"Shut up, idiot, the game has only just ended in one quarter!"

Barkley retorted loudly, but his confidence was clearly lacking.

We were behind by 12 points in the first quarter. How could we continue to play?
Zheng Yang, who was taking a break during the intermission, looked at Payton making faces at him and unconsciously clenched his fists.

"Hey guys, listen to me for a minute."

Zheng Yang stood up and walked in front of his teammates. He looked serious and solemn.

"I know there's a huge gap between us and them in this game, but let's lose. I didn't come to the NBA to listen to others telling me "It's okay, it's normal to lose to them."

I kicked their asses in the last game, and I can do it again in this game.

I always believe in one thing: everything is possible!
Steve, step up our offense. These guys on the other side are too old to run. We have to complete an offense within seven seconds, okay?
You can definitely do it with your ability!

Just seven seconds, let them watch us score in our backcourt!

Josh, Marquez, play with more passion and don't let others score easily over you. You all know those old guys on the opposite side.

You've been watching others bragging about their past on TV, but if you kill them, the world will hear your story tomorrow.

Sean, don't let that shark run wild in your penalty area, hold him down and I'll help you protect the rebounds.

Guys, show us your passion! Don't let our fans see us downcast! Let's give them the victory!

Let them go home and get some sleep tonight, got it?"

Zheng Yang shouted loudly to everyone. His appearance really shocked many people. Everyone's impression of him was that he was a gentle young man who occasionally talked trash.

He was seldom so excited!
But when three All-Star teammates took a rest, he stood up and became the leader of the team. He cast a firm look at everyone, hoping to get their response. "Don't worry, I won't let Kobe score so easily again."

Da Chou was the first to respond. He was a rookie on the team and also the team's water dispenser manager. He could pass water and wave towels to the veteran players when they were on the court.

But when the opportunity to play falls on him, he will never give up easily.

He came to the NBA to play basketball, not to watch others perform.

He can be a background board, but he can't always be a background board.

"Me too."

Erchou also followed suit. He was not good at speaking and could not say anything, but he also had a heart that pursued victory.

Sean nodded at Zheng Yang, and Nash also responded.

"I understand what you mean, Zheng. Just run to the front court and the ball will definitely come to you."

The starting five led the team's other substitute players, and they are united in their determination to overthrow the Lakers!
Nowitzki, Finley and Walker looked at each other, all looking stunned.

Why does it feel like the team's situation has changed after just one game?

Is it too late to return to the team now? Captain Zheng!

Old Nelson, who was sitting next to him, did not stop Zheng Yang from speaking. He just sat there quietly watching the young man passionately encouraging his teammates.

It has been a long time since the team has seen such a passionate player. Compared to Dirk, he is more suitable to be a leader!
Of course, he still has a long way to go before becoming a qualified leader!
……

Zheng Yang's voice was so loud that even the Lakers bench could hear it. O'Neal took a look and said with interest.

"Why is that rookie acting like the boss of the team? Nowadays all rookies want to be the boss!"

Fisher is usually the one who takes over the conversation. After all, the relationship between the four big guys on the team is a bit delicate, and sometimes they don't say a word all day.

But when Lao Yu was about to agree, he suddenly felt that it was difficult to respond!
How is this like making a veiled accusation against someone who is doing something wrong?

He glanced secretly at Kobe and didn't dare to respond!

The Big Shark also realized that this sentence had a bit of a "pointing at Kobe" meaning, but thinking of the increasingly cold relationship between the two recently, he was too lazy to explain.

As the boss of a team, why should you always consider the thoughts of a younger brother?

The break time is over soon and the second quarter will begin soon!
The Mavericks still have their starting lineup, while the Lakers, except for Kobe and Payton, have replaced everyone else with substitutes.

In this offensive round, Kobe immediately felt that the opponent's defensive intensity was completely different from that in the first quarter.

Da Chou clung to him tightly, secretly exerting force with his arms.

In this era when physical whistles were not often blown, there was no problem with Dachou's defense.

The defense of the big ugly did not make Kobe feel irritated, but instead aroused his competitive spirit.

He has a very strong competitive spirit. He likes to tear apart every player's defense. He wants to prove to everyone that he can do anything!

Just like Jordan...

So he didn't choose to pass the ball, but chose to play alone!

Dachou's defense is indeed good, but he still lacks experience and was passed by Kobe with a change of direction.

But when Kobe passed the ugly guy, Zheng Yang who came to assist in defense and Zhugan who was guarding the restricted area appeared in front of him!

The league just changed the rules during the offseason, allowing teams to use zone defense in more situations.

Therefore, when outside players break through the first line of defense and come to the inside, they will often be double-teamed by the center and forwards.

Logically speaking, he had just passed one person and there were two people standing in front of him, so his teammates must have an open opportunity, and passing the ball was the most appropriate choice.

But Kobe is not the kind of player who can be speculated by common sense.

Two-man defense?

No, there is no one defending!
In this situation, it is impossible to get him to pass the ball!

So he directly shot a mid-range shot with confidence.

"clang!"

It’s the familiar sound of blacksmithing!
The break just ended and there are two people defending again. It’s not that easy to score!
Payton, who was in an open position on the outside, didn't say much and turned around and left naturally!

In the previous few games, when he encountered this kind of situation, he would definitely want to scold that kid to death!

Why the hell are you pretending? Do you think you are Jordan?
Do you have to work alone and can't pass the ball?

But as he played more games, he gradually got used to it!

Forget it, since he can’t change the environment, he can only change himself. Otherwise, he is really worried that he will be pissed off to death by these teammates before he even wins the championship!

Hey, that’s not right. Why the hell did you all run to our backcourt?
Payton looked up, stunned. How come Dachou had already rushed to his backcourt? Nash, who had just reached the three-point line, threw the ball out, and the two of them completed an aerial relay!
The “original version” of the seven-second offense is officially born!
"Josh, you defended well just now, keep going!"

Zheng Yang shouted at Da Chou. He could see that the other party was a little frustrated about not being able to defend Kobe just now!

Zheng Yang's original intention was to encourage his teammates, but when it reached Kobe's ears, it took on a different meaning!

Good defense?

You actually said he played good defense?
He can't defend me at all, okay?
Kobe felt that sometimes he needed to let these young people know how great he was!
So he asked Payton again, and the latter hesitated for a moment and finally passed the ball to him!

People are under the eaves and have to bow their heads!
After a series of operations, Kobe finally passed the ugly player, but Zheng Yang and Zhugan had been waiting in the penalty area for a long time.

"clang!"

The crisp and loud sound of iron hitting the target was heard on the court again!

After grabbing the rebound, Zheng Yang led the team forward. This time, Payton, who had been prepared, rushed back to the backcourt in time, but Zheng Yang did not rush into the inside, but stopped at the three-point line.

"This ball should have gone to the basket!"

Old Nelson on the sidelines frowned, but then with a clean and neat "swish" sound, Old Nelson immediately shouted to the assistant coach beside him.

"That's right, we should take bold shots from the outside!
This is a beautiful shot!"

There was also applause from the audience. After watching the first quarter of the game, they all thought that today's outcome was already determined!

Who would have thought that at the beginning of the second quarter, the Mavericks actually scored 5:0 and directly stopped the Lakers!
"Fuck you Kenny Smith, the game has just begun!"

The flying pig in the studio pounded the table and shouted at Kenny Smith, he was tough again!

　It will be available on the shelves at midnight on May 5st. I hope you will support it!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)