Chapter 38 The Stolen Best Rookie (Subscribe)

Zheng once again broke his own scoring record in the game against the Lakers. His current scoring record is 53 points, the highest among the 03 rookies.

Maybe it's too early to talk about the best rookie, but I think with Zheng's current performance, he will be the first choice. - ESPN Magazine

Yes, I have expressed my attitude towards Zheng before. He is really a very good player. I don't know how he fell to the sixth pick in the draft. Maybe we should reflect on whether there are some undue prejudices against him. - "Glider" Drexler said in an interview.

In yesterday's game against the Magic, Cavaliers rookie James scored 40 points, breaking his own personal scoring record. However, the 24 free throws he received in the game caused controversy among fans.

The Magic head coach said after the game: "If the Cavaliers must win this game, we can tell them in advance and they don't have to play."

But in an interview with the media, James said that the referees were fair and just, and they accurately caught some actions that should not have happened in the game.

Barkley angrily called James a "softie" on the show, to which the latter has not yet responded. - "Sports Illustrated"

After retiring, I focused more on my own life. I wanted to spend more time with my children and family, so I didn’t pay much attention to things in the league.

A lot of people have asked me about that rookie, and I guess he's a pretty good player, but if you compare him to me...

You know, I averaged 28.8 points per game in my first season. In today's league, I might have won another scoring title.

So don't ask such questions anymore, and don't put too much pressure on young people. ——Jordan's response when a reporter asked him whether Zheng would be the next basketball god.

It is reported that after the game against the Mavericks, a quarrel broke out in the Lakers' locker room. Payton was dissatisfied with his position in the team, while the Big Shark was puzzled that Kobe did not choose to pass the last ball to him.

The Zen Master said that they are a whole and they are still in the process of running-in. It only takes a little more time and everything will be fine. - "Phoenix Sun"

……

In the following two days, these were the mainstream news in major media outlets.

Among so many reports, what Zheng Yang cares most about is Jordan's evaluation. After all, he is the true god of basketball. Who would not want to know what he thinks of himself?

The old rogue's evaluation was within Zheng Yang's expectations. After all, he knew that Danzi was an extremely arrogant person. It was simply wishful thinking to expect him to admit that a rookie had the potential to be comparable to him.

But it’s better this way, as he doesn’t want to appear in front of the fans as the so-called "Jordan's successor" or "Jordan's disciple."

He just wants to be himself!

The unique you!
……

Danzi, who had just retired for the third time, was swimming in his mansion at the moment. When he went ashore to rest, he also saw the content of his interview a few days ago published in the newspaper.

"Is David still asleep? He's planning to promote a new player to replace me?
Haha, doesn't he know there is only one God and only one God of Basketball? "

After saying that, he casually threw the newspaper aside.

He naturally knew that after the Eagle County incident, the NBA would look for a new face, but he mistakenly thought that Stern had chosen Zheng Yang. After all, that kid has been in the limelight recently, and the media always compares him with themselves.

Haha, if you want to compete with the God of Basketball, you should establish a dynasty first!
Stern: I didn't intend to promote him! In the script I designed, LeBron is the protagonist!

Danzi then stood up and jumped into the swimming pool again, causing a huge splash.

Danzi’s weight now is almost comparable to that of the Great Shark!

……

After playing against the Lakers, on December 12, the Mavericks played away against another Western Conference powerhouse, the Timberwolves.

This is also the last tough challenge the Mavericks will face before playing against the Nuggets.

This was also the first time that Zheng Yang missed the game. It wasn’t that he suffered any serious injury, he just didn’t sleep well last night and got a stiff neck!
Old Nelson let him rest for a game. After all, he was very tired during this period. The other starters had all been rested, but he was the only one who had been present all the time.

Not to mention, it feels really good to sit on the bench, drink an ice-cold Coke, cross my legs and watch the players working themselves to death.

The Timberwolves are the team that made the most moves during the offseason, except for the Lakers and Mavericks.

As mentioned earlier, in order to help Garnett win the championship, the Timberwolves management called in "Madman" Sprewell and "Alien" Cassell to form the famous "Three-Headed Monster".

With this lineup, they would have achieved an excellent record of 58 wins and 24 losses in history, entering the playoffs as second in the league and first in the Western Conference.

Of course, that is a story for later. The current "three-headed monster" is also in the running-in stage. As of now, their record is 15 wins and 9 losses, which is not bad, but not good either.

In this game, the 28-year-old Wolf King Garnett fully demonstrated why he is the strongest contender for this year's MVP.

On the offensive end, he, a 2-foot-11 inside player, can actually use a change of direction in front of his body to get past the defender like an outside player, and then finish with a jump shot.

On the defensive end, he can truly defend from the first position to the fifth position, and his defense range covers within the three-point line. His excellent one-on-one defense and assist defense capabilities allow him to support a defensive system by himself.

In addition, he has excellent passing vision and his passing ability is the best except for the defenders in the team.

There is a dialogue to describe him.

"If a player averages 25.8 points per game in a series.

Then he must be an excellent scorer.

What about adding 7 assists and 1 steal?

That's a top point guard!

What if he added 14.8 rebounds and 2 blocks?

Impossible, there is no such player!
No, there is, that is the Wolf King Garnett! "

This is an all-round player!

However, due to the limitations of the times, his current playing style is criticized by fans and the media, but if he were placed in today's small ball era, he would be the most suitable inside player for the small ball era, without a doubt.

In today's game, he scored a triple-double of 35 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He also beat Nowitzki in the third quarter and directly stopped the Mavericks.

Finally led the team to victory!

After the game, Kevin Garnett went to the Mavericks bench to chat with Zheng Yang. Their agent is Eric Fleischer, so in a sense they can be considered friends.

"Hey Zheng, it's such a shame that I couldn't have a match with you today!"

Garnett said after giving Zheng Yang a brief hug, and Zheng Yang also smiled and nodded.

“That’s a bit regrettable indeed.

It doesn't matter, there will be plenty of opportunities to fight each other later." "Will you go out for a walk together later? Is this your first time in Minnesota?"

Wolf King Garnett invited, Zheng Yang thought about it and shook his head.

"Maybe next time. The weather is too cold now. You know, I feel like I'm going to freeze when I walk outside."

"Yeah, Minnesota winters are the worst. It's damn cold!"

After agreeing to hang out together next time, the two went back to their respective locker rooms.

……

On December 12, there was another highly anticipated game as the Mavericks visited the Denver Plateau to play against the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets started to rise this season after Anthony's arrival and are definitely a strong chaser for the playoffs.

But compared to the Mavericks, it is still somewhat inferior.

Of course, the fans are not so concerned about the outcome of the game. What they want to see is the outcome of the duel between the two rookie small forwards.

Will Zheng Yang continue to defeat all the players who stand in his way, or will Carmelo Anthony break the myth and clear his name?
Everything will be revealed this evening.

At 7:30 in the evening, James, who had no game, went straight home and sat in front of the TV to watch the matchup.

He cares about this game more than anyone else.

But guess who he supports?
Carmelo Anthony? That's his brother!

Wrong, actually the person he wanted to support tonight was Zheng Yang!

The reason is actually very simple. He was beaten by Zheng Yang. If Zheng Yang could also beat Anthony, it would mean that his loss was understandable.

But if Anthony defeats Zheng Yang, it would indirectly mean that he is not as good as Anthony.

Then wouldn't his title of top scholar have any value at all?
So he prayed silently in his heart: "Zheng, you must fight well tonight. After you defeat Anthony, wait for me to defeat you."

No one knew that James was daydreaming at home, and everyone's attention was focused on No. 19 and No. 15 on the court.

Anthony, wearing the No. 15 jersey, stared at Zheng Yang in the distance, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

In fact, he also knew that there was still a certain gap in strength between him and the opponent. After all, it was absolutely impossible for him to defeat the Lakers F4 with such a group of people.

But so what?

If you can't win, then don't win. Just fight in your own style.

We are all young people. It’s not shameful to lose, but it’s shameful to be afraid.

As for Zheng Yang, he also glanced at Anthony a few times, but didn't think much about it. He just wanted to play at his normal level.

The game started quickly, and Nowitzki rarely won the jump ball, allowing the Mavericks to make the first attack.

Just after half court, Nash passed the ball to him, and the others also moved away to leave space for the two rookies to play one-on-one.

Everyone's attention is on them, wanting to see which of these two outstanding rookies is the better one.

After Zheng Yang took the ball, he certainly didn't call for a pick-and-roll. He was best at one-on-one play.

Anthony opened his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and prepared to defend well.

What is the most impressive thing about melon?
It's his offense. In his prime, he was called an offensive kaleidoscope, with all kinds of scoring methods at his fingertips.

But what about his defense?

It was equally impressive, but not impressively good, but extremely bad.

He is definitely the most typical player in the league who is strong on offense but weak on defense. The reason why he has no ball to play after the age of 34 is also because of his defense.

But defense is something that depends on "four points on talent and six points on attitude."

With his physical talent, he will never be at a disadvantage when defending!

So why is he still not good at defense?
It only shows that his defensive attitude is too bad!
But at this moment he really wanted to defend it seriously. After all, everyone is competitive, and he didn't want to see the opponent score easily over his head.

Zheng Yang did not rush to pass the ball, but first used a triple threat to test and shift Anthony's center of gravity. Then he suddenly passed the ball and changed direction, directly freezing Anthony in place.

Then he passed it with one step and made a simple layup.

The whole process was clean and neat, without any delay.

Anthony, who was not defended, turned around and asked for the ball to play one-on-one. He could accept that he could not defend the opponent, but he could not give up his best offense.

The reason why Melo dared to say "If the Pistons had chosen me, I would definitely win two consecutive championships" is because he is indeed a good offensive player.

And his offensive ability was not developed gradually, but was fully demonstrated in his first year as a rookie.

Like now, he was facing Zheng Yang. Although he was a little flustered by his close defense, he finally succeeded in scoring the ball.

Win a victory.

He is really a very strong player on the offensive end. If Zheng Yang were not there, he would be a contender for the best rookie of the year.

Of course, in the original history, the best rookie award was finally given to James.

But to be honest, it would be more reasonable to give the award to Anthony. After all, Anthony's statistics are not bad and his team's performance is better.

The Bronnies always say that James was only one game away from making the playoffs, trying to prove that his performance as a leader that year was not bad, but in fact, the Cavaliers' record that season was 35 wins and 47 losses.

The Nuggets have 43 wins and 39 losses. The gap between the two is still very obvious. The Cavaliers are just taking advantage of the weaker strength in the Eastern Conference.

Despite having all the favorable conditions, Anthony still lost this honor. The reason behind this is unknown.

It can be said that this best rookie title was stolen from him!

　There should be no more chapters today. From now on, three chapters will be updated every day, at early morning and six o'clock in the afternoon. As for the time at which the two chapters will be updated, it will depend on the situation of the day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)