Chapter 81 Scoring Champion + Playoffs Begin

In the 04-05 All-Star Game that just ended yesterday, Zheng made a near buzzer-beater in the final moments, but Vince Carter's counter-buster shot missed. The final score was 127:128, and the Western Conference All-Star team narrowly defeated the Eastern Conference!

Zheng, who performed well in this game, finally won the MVP of this game. After becoming the youngest vote-winning player in NBA history, he also became the youngest All-Star MVP in the NBA.

We are witnessing the rise of a new star! ——"ESPN Magazine"

"I like Zheng's performance in this game, he didn't show any mercy at the last moment, just like his perfect performance on the court all the time.

Today's game belongs to him, I'm happy for him." - Barkley praised in the post-match interview.

“What else can I say?

There is a Michael sitting on the sidelines, and there is another Michael playing on the court." - Pippen said with a smile during the post-game interview.

……

Zheng Yang, who won the All-Star MVP, was naturally very excited. He even held a party and invited his teammates to celebrate.

However, after celebrating, he quickly adjusted his state and devoted himself to the next game.

After the All-Star Game, time seemed to speed up a lot. Now most of the schedule has passed, and the regular season will be over in two months.

The team on the edge of the playoffs is pushing forward with all its might, hoping to make the playoff roster.

The teams ranked higher in the East and West are also trying to improve their ranking. After all, the teams in the upper half have the home advantage when they enter the playoffs.

Under the leadership of Zheng Yang and Nowitzki, the Mavericks once jumped directly to first place in the Western Conference, but because Zheng Yang accidentally sprained his ankle in a game and missed five games, the Mavericks suffered a four-game losing streak and returned to fourth place in the Western Conference.

Although the team ranking did not rise, Zheng Yang's personal data has been maintained well, and he has been able to maintain a position of 31+ from beginning to end.

Although Iverson, who was following closely behind, was not bad either, it seemed as if he was lacking something and he was never able to surpass him.

As for the MVP ranking, Nash and O'Neal have always occupied the top two positions, and Zheng Yang has been ranked third most of the time except for a few times.

Although his personal statistics and team statistics are not bad, don't forget that before Nash came, the Suns only had 29 wins, ranking second from the bottom in the Western Conference, but now they have always been at the top of the Western Conference, and there is a high probability that they will get 60+ wins by then.

Before O'Neal went to the Heat, the Heat had 42 wins and ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, which was not bad. But after he came, the Heat took the first place in the Eastern Conference, and the number of wins will be around 60+.

In comparison, the Mavericks' team record has not changed much, and the team leader Nowitzki has performed very well this season. Therefore, in the MVP selection, Zheng Yang can only rank third.

……

After the game on April 4, the 20-04 regular season came to an end. Let’s take a look at the playoff teams in the East and West.

east:

Miami Heat, 59 wins and 23 losses.

Detroit Pistons, 54 wins and 28 losses.

Boston Celtics, 45 wins and 37 losses.

Chicago Bulls, 47 wins and 35 losses.

Washington Wizards, 45 wins and 37 losses.

Indiana Pacers, 44 wins and 38 losses.

Philadelphia 76ers, 43 wins and 39 losses.

New Jersey Nets, 42 wins and 40 losses.

west:

Phoenix Suns, 62 wins and 20 losses.

San Antonio Spurs, 59 wins and 23 losses.

Seattle SuperSonics, 52 wins and 30 losses.

Dallas Mavericks, 58 wins and 24 losses.

Houston Rockets, 51 wins and 31 losses.

Sacramento Kings, 50 wins and 32 losses.

Denver Nuggets, 49 wins and 33 losses.

Memphis Grizzlies, 45 wins and 37 losses.

Among them, although the Mavericks and the Bulls have more wins than the previous team, they can only lag behind them in the overall ranking due to their division rankings.

The Cavaliers did not make the playoffs this year. While fellow rookies Zheng Yang and Wade were pursuing their first championship, James had already packed his things and was ready to go fishing.

The Sacramento Kings could have ranked fifth in the Western Conference, but their amazing record of 0 wins and 4 losses against the Mavericks in the regular season caused them to let the Mavericks play a few games at the end of the regular season.

Finally, they successfully faced the Supersonics, who were ranked third in the Western Conference. Could they gain the upper hand against this emerging team?

It must not be that simple!
……

After the regular season ends, honors such as MVP and best lineup will not be announced until a while later, but who the scoring champion is will be known immediately.

Zheng Yang was eventually crowned this year's scoring champion with 31.2 points, and Iverson ranked second with 30.7 points.

He also became the youngest scoring champion in NBA history, becoming the scoring champion when he was less than 20 years old... I guess the chances of this record being broken in the future are very slim.

After celebrating for Zheng Yang, the Mavericks continued their intense preparation phase. Their goal this year is to win the championship, so they must proceed steadily with every step.

Their first-round opponent is the Rockets led by Yao Ming and McGrady. This Rockets team obviously has no championship potential this season, but they are also a tough nut to crack. The two teams were tied 2-2 in the regular season, and it will not be easy for the Mavericks to surpass them.

In the first round of games, the series between the Mavericks and the Rockets should be the most talked-about. After all, the stars of both teams are quite famous and the strength gap between the two teams is not that big.

Before the game, ESPN estimated that the probability of these two teams going to a Game 96 was %, the highest probability among the four-round series in the Western Conference.

After studying the Rockets' video tapes several times, Nelson held a team meeting and emphasized the key points of the game to the players.

"The Rockets' core players are naturally Yao and Tracy, and most of the team's tactics are based around them.

So my plan was to have Dirk and Eric limit Yao in the paint, and then Zheng and Josh would take turns guarding Tracy on the outside.

Remember, give him enough physical confrontation to consume his physical strength so that he will not have the strength to run again in the fourth quarter.

At the same time, we also need to pay attention to rebounding in this game. Yao is very tall, but we have Eric, Dirk, Zheng, and Josh. Four of our starting five are good rebounders.

As long as we can maintain our rebounding numbers in this game, we will win half of the game."

After saying this, old Nelson glanced at all the players, then patted the table and said.

“Hey kids, don’t forget what our goal is this season.

Well done to all so far, but remember, this championship journey has just begun.

The only truth I have learned from all these years of coaching is this: arrogance will cost you.

So no matter how weak our next opponent is or how far ahead we are in the score, we should not underestimate the opponent and contribute everything we have on the court.

The final result will surely satisfy us.”

……

On April 4, the first game of the series between the Rockets and the Mavericks officially kicked off at the American Airlines Center.

As mentioned before, this game was very popular, so the tickets were sold out shortly after they went on sale.

Both TNT Studios and CCTV chose to broadcast this game, with the former being hosted by Barkley and Kenny Smith.

The latter is last year's combination, with teacher Yu Jia and coach Zhang, and this interesting combination is back again.

During the warm-up before the game, Kenny Smith spoke first in the TNT studio before Barkley opened his mouth.

"Dear fans, today's game will be between the Mavericks and the Rockets.

During the regular season, although the two teams were tied 2-2, but please forgive me for being frank, the Mavericks will definitely get off to a good start in this game.

If you ask me why? I can only say that it's because the Mavericks have Zheng.

This is a very outstanding player. In the regular season that just ended, he won the scoring title this season, and the more crucial the game, the better his performance.

I believe he will definitely use his superb strength to help the team win this game."

Kenny Smith said this in a decisive tone without even taking a breath, and then glanced at Barkley.

Barkley on the side frowned, feeling something was wrong. Why are you saying all my words?
TMD, aren’t you Zheng Hei?
How come you look more like Zheng Chui than I do now?
Besides, you have already said all this, what else can I say?
Barkley, who thought he knew basketball best in the world, thought for a while and shook his head at Kenny Smith.

“No Kenny, you are wrong again, the Rockets will win this game.

Although I favor the Mavericks to win this series, I think the Rockets will be the winner in Game 1.

McGrady is a good scorer..."

Thinking that he had never lost a bet in the past two years, Barkley began to explain it seriously, and the more he spoke, the more confident he became.

But he forgot that the reason he won the bets in the past two years was not because he understood football, but because he bet on Zheng Yang to win every time.

Seeing that Barkley actually supported the Rockets in this game, Kenny Smith was so excited that he almost cried.

Okay, okay, damn it, I finally get to be a Zheng fan and you get to be a Zheng hater.

You'd better call the emergency services right now, or I'm afraid you'll be drowned by my saliva.

You've been criticizing me for almost two years, now it's time for me to criticize you!

In the CCTV studio, Mr. Yu Jia also talked about this game with the fans.

"Today's game is not only a playoff game, but also a Chinese derby. It's the first time in NBA history that a Chinese derby has appeared in the playoffs, and both players are core players of the team.

Although the Rockets are weaker than the Mavericks in the regular season rankings, they are still a strong team.

During the regular season, they were tied with the Mavericks and were evenly matched. It would definitely not be easy for the Mavericks to surpass them.

I believe that today's game will be very exciting, and this series will definitely become a memory of youth for this generation of young fans.

Next, let’s take a look at the starting players on both sides!
The Rockets team includes Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, David Wesley, Bob Sura, and Ryan Bowen!

The Mavericks have Eric Dampier, Dirk Nowitzki, Zheng Yang, Josh Howard and Jason Terry.

Both sides have starting lineups that the teams often use during the regular season.

At the referee's signal, Eric Dampier and Yao Ming walked to the center of the court, ready for a jump ball.

　Forget it, I won’t delay until the weekend. I’ll continue with two updates today and two updates tomorrow as well, but the one in the early morning will have to wait until daytime.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)