NBA: Rising Superstar!-Chapter 175 - 135, That Ultra Long Arc!
Time-out is over.
Zeng Xingyang dribbles to the frontcourt and passes to Jokic.
Jokic is about to hand the ball off to Pope, who is running by, but James bursts out with a strong presence and steals it.
"Snap!"
It’s a very precise cut, the basketball is knocked loose.
James and JR Smith quickly launch a fast break.
Zeng Xingyang rapidly catches up.
Once James reaches the frontcourt basket, he confronts Zeng Xingyang, forcefully creates space, and scores.
to 26
After scoring, James turns around and roars at Zeng Xingyang.
The crowd at the scene is all shocked by James’s dominance.
Zeng Xingyang’s defense is only capable of guarding James during set plays; stopping James during a fast break is too difficult.
James’s exceptional physical qualities ensure his stable offensive capability on counterattacks, crushing all defenses like a tank.
After shouting, James quickly returns to defense; scoring such a basket is nothing to him, it’s just a way to vent emotions.
Nuggets’ offense.
Zeng Xingyang dribbles past the half-court mark and continues to pass to Jokic.
This time, Jokic cautiously passes to Harris.
Harris gives the ball to Zeng Xingyang, Jokic requests the ball at the left post.
Zeng Xingyang passes the ball inside.
Jokic’s average playing time in his rookie season is as high as 37 minutes, and tactically he’s been given almost equal importance as Zeng Xingyang, causing his stats to soar much more than what Zeng Xing expected in his rookie year.
Many times, some players just need enough tactical status and playing time, and their stats will naturally improve. Jokic is clearly that type.
However, Jokic’s hefty body makes him less agile on the court, and his experience isn’t as ample, so he still has a long way to go compared to his peak.
Many Nuggets fans think achieving this as a second-round pick in a rookie year is already peak performance.
But Zeng Xingyang knows very well that this is far from Jokic’s peak.
The next steps are to simply wait for his growth.
With such tactical positioning and playing time, Jokic will progress faster than Zeng Xing remembers.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Jokic continuously slams into TT, using his weight advantage to push in.
At this moment, James feels TT can’t guard Jokic and quickly goes for a double-team.
Jokic feels the double-teaming pressure and promptly passes the ball out to Zeng Xingyang.
Between Zeng Xingyang and Pope, there’s defender JR, Zeng Xingyang makes a fake move to draw JR over, then quickly passes the ball to Pope, open at the right 45-degree angle.
Pope takes a three-point shot.
"Swish!"
It’s in again.
to 29.
Zeng Xingyang and Pope high-five to celebrate.
Nuggets fans quickly cheer; every possession in this game is extremely tense and exciting, everyone is afraid to miss such scenes.
On the court, the atmosphere among the players is nearly frozen.
Cavaliers’ offense again.
Owen dribbles to the frontcourt, dribbling skillfully while moving at high speed.
Harris soon couldn’t keep up.
Owen broke through and, in high-speed movement, floated the ball in the air.
To whom?
TT cuts under the basket, jumps, and catches the ball with both hands, slams it hard.
"Thump!"
to 29
The cheers in the venue come to a halt again.
Cannot deny the Cavaliers players have strong talent and personal abilities.
Jokic could not react in time slightly and got posterized by TT.
Facing the Nuggets’ intense defense, Owen handles the ball with ease.
Harris never managed to disrupt his rhythm.
Nuggets’ offense.
Harris receives the inbound pass, crosses the half-court, and passes to Zeng Xingyang.
James immediately sticks to defending closely, his face expressionless, his muscles erupt with tremendous strength.
"Zeng, come, try to go one-on-one," James said. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
James is driven by the intense atmosphere of the Nuggets’ home crowd; Zeng Xingyang is the lead of the Nuggets, he seeks to completely suppress this guy and shatter the Nuggets’ hopes.
Zeng Xingyang grits his teeth, feeling immense pressure.
Jokic attempts to set a pick but is preemptively bypassed by James.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Zeng Xingyang continuously dribbles in changing directions against James’ defense.
Moving sideways to create space, quickly attempts a shot.
James reacts fast, contests the shot.
In the anticipative eyes of the fans, the ball heads straight towards the basket.
But.
"Thump!"
The basketball bounces off the rim.
The fans are somewhat disappointed.
"Xingyang’s three-point attempt was a bit rushed; the defensive intensity James provided was enormous," Kovan said with a frown.
"I think Xingyang daring to shoot is a success in itself; after all, it’s James opposite him," Wang Meng said.
"James’s defense isn’t lacking; Xingyang needs to be careful."
"Don’t rush, definitely don’t rush."
"Damn, if Xingyang manages to go one-on-one against James, that would be exaggerating."
"...."
Online fans are having a heated discussion.
David Blatt on the sidelines is also very satisfied with James’s defense, clapping and celebrating loudly.
If James can single-handedly limit Zeng Xingyang, the Cavaliers won’t feel as pressured, and then they can focus on dealing with that big inside man.
The rebound is secured by Love.
Love attempts a long pass, looking for James straight away.
Love is very adept at making long passes like this, he believes that giving the ball to James ensures he would score.
James, like a fuelled-up heavy truck, accelerates for the pass.
It’s just that when James is about to catch the ball, a figure intercepts it even faster.
"Snap!"
Zeng Xingyang intercepts the long pass from Love.
As Zeng Xingyang sprints, his jersey shines continuously; his start-and-stop motion excites the crowd again.
After completing the steal, Zeng Xingyang doesn’t stop, accelerating rapidly forward.
In high-speed action, Zeng Xingyang changes direction without slowing and passes JR Smith, who comes to defend.
Reaching a meter beyond the right three-point line, Zeng Xingyang feels it’s about right; going any further, the opponent’s defense will catch up again, so he decelerates, stops quickly, and decisively takes a shot.
The crowd is tense once more.
This is a rhythm Zeng Xingyang is familiar with, only the distance is a bit far.
The basketball draws a rainbow arc and precisely shoots into the basket.
to 32.
"It’s in!"
"Xingyang sinks this transition long three-pointer," Wang Meng exclaims excitedly.
"This approach is right; Xingyang shouldn’t go head-to-head with James, find his own advantage and strike the opponent precisely."
Wang Meng’s tone is extremely excited; this shot is nothing short of a star player’s performance.
On the court, Zeng Xingyang raises his arms high, celebrating.
David Blatt on the sidelines frowns.
The Cavaliers were just about to start another offensive surge, but it was interrupted by a stolen ball leading to a transition three-pointer, halting their momentum.
David Blatt shouts at James: "Kevin, make the pass safer, LeBron, guard him."
Love pats his chest, gesturing acknowledgment that the pass issue just now was indeed his mistake; he didn’t anticipate Zeng Xingyang’s interception.
James nods as well, his gaze involuntarily sharpens, understanding he needs to be more careful to handle this guy.
