Chapter 44 The Western Cowboys are coming!
After the All-Star Game, Zheng Yang has been playing with great enthusiasm.

He is always the most active one on the court, defending, rebounding, running, fast breaks...

He will do everything he can to the extreme!
During normal training, he is also the one who trains the most hardworkingly. Not only does he train with the team, but he also sets his own training plan in his free time.

Fat Monk once practiced with Zheng Yang for a day and chose to quit the next day.

"I play in the NBA to make money and enjoy myself, not to suffer."

These are Fat Monk's original words. In his opinion, instead of practicing one ball in the gym, it is better to practice two balls at once in a nightclub.

Fat Monk didn't catch up, but Da Chou did. This guy was very strong-willed. Although he often vomited during practice, he never gave up.

The hard training also paid off for Zheng Yang on the court. After the All-Star Game, he averaged 21.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals per game.

Compared to before the All-Star Game, all statistics have improved. At the same time, his influence on the court is getting bigger and bigger, and his offensive threat is no weaker than Finley and Walker.

After all, these two's physical talents are not as good as his.

Nelson's lineup adjustments gradually stabilized. After trying several games, he finally decided to replace Finley with the starter and let Big Chou start.

This way the starting lineup will have better defense and not bad offense.

At the same time, the substitute lineup also has a stronger scoring threat, so it is not completely without offensive ability during the transition period of the game.

After the All-Star Game, the Mavericks played against the Timberwolves twice, winning one and losing one. In the game against the Kings in April, Zheng Yang had a big outbreak, scoring 35 points and 9 rebounds.

But the others didn't feel good, which led to them losing the game in the end.

Mike Bibby scoffed in his post-game interview.

“I never cared what the rookie was saying.

What we are looking forward to more is sending them home in four games in the playoffs.

Everybody knew we were going to win in four games."

From Mike Bibby's provocative words, we can get a piece of information, that is, in the first round of the playoffs, the Kings, ranked fourth in the West, will most likely play against the Mavericks, ranked fifth in the West.

Although the season is not over yet, there are only a few games left, and this result is very likely.

……

After the game on April 4, the regular season rankings were determined.

The first to eighth teams in the Western Conference are: Timberwolves, Lakers, Spurs, Kings, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Rockets, and Nuggets.

In the East, they are: Pacers, Nets, Pistons, Heat, Pelicans, Bucks, Knicks, and Celtics!
Once the rankings are determined, the opponents of each team will naturally be determined.

Among them, fans paid more attention to the Western Conference, and among the four first-round series in the Western Conference, the series between the Mavericks and the Kings attracted the most attention.

After all, there are so many things to watch in these two teams!

This year marks the third consecutive year that the two teams have met in the first round. The first year, the Kings defeated the Mavericks 4-1, and the second year, the Mavericks defeated the Kings 4-3, completing their revenge.

As for these two teams that have strengthened their rosters during the offseason this year, everyone is curious about who will win the game.

According to predictions from major media outlets, there is an 87% chance that this series will go to a Game , but no one can guarantee who will advance.

After all, in the regular season, the two teams won two and lost two of four games, resulting in a tie.

Although the Kings won the last game, the score difference was not big, but there were too many influencing factors and it is impossible to be sure.

When no one dared to guarantee who would win the game, Barkley stood up and became the most confident man in the United States.

"I can guarantee you that the Mavericks will be the winner of this series.

And I can guarantee that Zheng will be the most crucial person.

If anyone disagrees with what I said, you can come out and make a bet with me. The bet is still to belly dance here with your bare ass, and maybe you can also keep the company of that big idiot Kenny Smith. "

Judging from his performance throughout the season, it is a foregone conclusion that Zheng Yang will win the Rookie of the Year award, which also means that Barkley won the bet with Kenny Smith at the beginning of the season.

This victory made Barkley feel that his luck had turned, and Zheng Yang was his benefactor.

As long as you hold on to this thigh, you will definitely win every gamble in the future.

Barkley's words naturally sparked a discussion, but the first person to stand up and refute him was not Kenny Smith.

In fact, after being criticized by Barkley for a season, Kenny Smith can be considered half a "Zheng fan" and certainly will not jump out to sing a different tune.

Who was the first person to jump out?
It's Pippen, a figure who has been marginalized in the league.

Although Pippen has not officially announced it yet, he knows that he is no longer suitable to play in the NBA.

He will officially retire soon.

Talking about Pippen, his career can be divided into two parts.

The first part is about winning the championship with Jordan, and the second part is about proving that he really couldn't win the championship without Jordan.

To put it even more bluntly, after leaving Jordan, Pippen was just an ordinary star player.

After leaving the Bulls in 98, Pippen first joined the Rockets, which had Barkley and Olajuwon on the team at the time.

In order to get this six-time champion to challenge for the championship, Barkley even took the initiative to cut his salary. Who would have thought that what he welcomed was not the "real Pippen" but the "fake Jordan".

After coming to the Rockets, Pippen wanted to have most of the ball possession like Jordan, but his efficiency was very low, which made other players very dissatisfied with him.

Therefore, after being swept out in the first round of the playoffs, he was sent to the Trail Blazers by the Rockets. In his first year with the Trail Blazers, the team made it to the Western Conference Finals, but they had already made it to the Western Conference Finals before Pippen came to the Trail Blazers.

He was eliminated in the first round in the next two years, and finally returned to the Bulls, ending the season with an injury-filled state.

So after leaving Jordan, Pippen never really proved himself.

However, although Pippen is not very strong, he still has fame. After all, he has six championship rings, so his words still carry some weight.

"Zheng? To be honest, I don't think highly of him.

He simply can't adapt to the intensity of the playoffs, and his opponents will completely lock him down and make it difficult for him to even dribble."

Barkley was not happy to hear this. He had already disliked Pippen because of the Rockets incident, and now he couldn't stand it anymore when he heard him contradicting him.

“Yeah, we hear that all the time.

When Zheng Yang was in high school, everyone said that he would not be so good once he entered the NBA.

After he entered the league, you said that he wouldn't be so good when he met stronger opponents.

When he made it to the playoffs, you said he wouldn't be that good when he faced a more intense game...

We've heard this a lot, but the truth is, he's obviously been slapping you in the face all the time.

No matter where he plays or how much pressure he faces, he can perform well. He is a player born for big scenes.

As for Scottie, to be honest, he doesn't understand basketball at all, he should just shut up and watch the game on TV."

Barkley's ridicule made Pippen unhappy, and the two started a war of words.

"That idiot actually said I don't understand basketball? I won six championships, and what about him? Oh, I forgot, he only made it to the finals once, and unfortunately, he met us, and we sent him back home."

"My grandma played with Michael Jordan and won six championships. This guy, who has never even been a team leader, knows nothing about basketball."

"I have never been the boss of a team. Wasn't I the boss of the Bulls in the 93-94 season?"

"Kukoc was the boss of that team.

He was the one who took the buzzer-beater and made it, so he’s the boss.”

Barkley's words directly broke Pippen's defense!

The fact that the Zen Master let Kukoc take the buzzer-beater has always been a thorn in Pippen's heart.

In order to express his anger, he even refused to play. Who would have thought that the rookie would actually make the buzzer-beater.

All of a sudden, he became a joke in the NBA!
Now, after so many years, it was brought up again by that idiot Barkley. Damn it!

According to relevant sources, Pippen bought a new set of furniture the next day. As for the original set?
I understand everything!

The verbal battle between the two made the Mavericks' game against the Kings even more popular, and the TNT studio also took this opportunity to extend an olive branch to Pippen.

Hopefully he'll come to the TNT studios as a special guest for this series.

With the intention of seeing Barkley get slapped in the face, Pippen readily agreed to TNT that Barkley and he would host this series.

The first game between the two teams is scheduled for April 4, and CCTV Sports will also broadcast the game.

……

On the eve of the game, the Mavericks players were very excited and full of fighting spirit!

After all, they will meet their old rival again in the first round, and coupled with the previous provocations from Mike Bibby and other Kings players, this time it is just the right time to settle both old and new accounts at the same time.

There are few good guys among those who come to play in the NBA!

In the locker room, old Nelson gave a pre-match speech, and it was obvious that he attached great importance to this round of games.

“You know, kids, I rarely talk that much trash before a game, but sometimes it has to be said.

For example, today, we met our old rival, the Sacramento Kings!

I have to say, that is indeed a tough team. They have four All-Stars and they are very strong.

But kids, I want to win this round, I want to send them home, okay?
Please promise me, no matter how long you are on the court, please give 100% of your energy and don't let the Kings get too comfortable tonight.

Now, please get your mood in order and adjust to the playoff mode. We are going to go out and fight. We want to tell the Kings fans that the Western Cowboys are coming! "

With a wave of old Nelson's hand, everyone ran out of the player tunnel. Zheng Yang stayed at the end of the team. He smiled and said to old Nelson.

"Coach, we're going to win."

"Of course, I believe you."

Old Nelson also smiled and nodded, and then Zheng Yang ran out of the locker room.

As for old Nelson, his eyes also became extremely determined.

The playoffs are a competition between players, but also a competition between their team coaches!

Rick Adelman, come on!

　I will send it out in advance today as well. I will start classes in two days, so it should be sent out at 6pm.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)