No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 137 - 94. Finally figured out why they got the No. 3 pick.

After the opening game, the Bobcats got two days of rest. On the 31st, they took a day off, and as a new month arrived, on November 1st, Zhang Yang left Charlotte with the team to start back-to-back away games.

The first stop was Philadelphia, where the first opponent of the back-to-back was the 76ers.

On the 2nd, the Bobcats arrived at the Wachovia Center to prepare for battle.

Being a player who also wears jersey number 3, Zhang Yang was asked by reporters if Iverson was his idol. He replied, "My goal is to become the strongest player who wears number 3."

The reporters thought this 17-year-old rookie was really bold!

But this time, Zhang Yang was bold on purpose.

He discussed with Big Mike how he could be more helpful during the game.

His off-ball movement was already excellent, but decent mid-range shots were not enough, especially against opponents with strong team defense like the Rockets, where his off-the-ball movement had insufficient impact.

The result of the discussion—become the target of the opposition.

Zhang Yang, as a high school rookie, was already prone to being targeted. If he could attract more defensive attention from the opposition, he could help his teammates on offense and possibly even contribute to their defense.

Just like when they played against the Hawks, Harrington insisted on Childress taking him one-on-one.

Childress was proactive at the beginning but later didn’t want to continue the one-on-ones. He wasn’t particularly good at them, and if the defender knew how to guard him, he couldn’t make the shot, but he couldn’t say no to Harrington...

Even if opponents managed to blow past Zhang Yang, his teammates, aware that he was being targeted, could more easily help with defensive rotations. Besides, there weren’t really any better defensive guards on their team than him.

Brevin Knight was like a sieve, and Felton was too short to guard the taller players.

Karim Rush was hardworking and strong in team defense collaboration, but weak in man-to-man combat. His athletic ability was not as good as his brother Brandon Rush, who was still in college; if the opponent was a little faster, he couldn’t keep up.

The good defenders on the team, Alan Anderson, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, Brezec, Okafor... were all frontcourt players.

Zhang Yang felt that his ability to attract fire was viable!

He wasn’t afraid of pressure, so being targeted was fine. His defense was already aggressive, and he couldn’t stand not being this way. If he was going to expend energy, he might as well take on more pressure to better train his defense.

But how could he increase the targeting by opponents, to become the main target?

Felton suggested tactfully, "When you’re being interviewed and reporters ask you about a superstar from the opposing team, just talk like when you’re practicing with me."

A question mark popped up over Zhang Yang’s head at that moment; he felt Big Mike was off.

But since Big Mike gave the order, he did just that, and it certainly wasn’t because he wanted to.

The feedback, however, was very different from what he expected.

After interviewing Zhang Yang, the reporters went to interview Iverson and relayed what Zhang Yang had said.

Iverson responded, "That’s cool. To become the greatest number 3 in history, he at least needs to win one MVP. Young players should have such ambition."

Does he have the potential to surpass me? Of course, he does. I’ve watched the replay of him making the game-winning shot against Yao Ming and I was stunned by his performance. He always made the right moves off the ball, and even if his shot didn’t go in, he wouldn’t be disheartened the next time he attacked. He has great awareness and always seizes on the chance to counterattack; he’s also got a really good sense of rhythm when driving. He has a talent for handling the ball."

"His mental toughness is very strong, I see a bit of myself in him. It takes a lot of courage to take the final shot after missing four mid-range shots in a row, he has the qualities of a great player."

As a basketball superstar, an immensely popular star who was chosen as an All-Star starter the year he retired, Iverson’s words brought back the heat from Zhang Yang’s recent game-winning exploits.

By the evening warm-up before the game, Gerald Wallace joked with his little brother, "Iverson says you’ll be a great player like him. I’m starting to feel the pressure; I’ll have to be careful not to be surpassed by you."

Zhang Yang: "He didn’t get angry? Wasn’t he supposed to be that kind of proud and arrogant player?"

Gerald Wallace: "Iverson is very proud and arrogant, but his pride is for the superstars who entered the NBA at the same time as him. His arrogance is towards those veteran stars. He always has plenty of praise for talented newcomers. Moreover, being the object of aspiration for someone as gifted as you, is something to be happy about."

Zhang Yang: "Gerald, do you like Iverson?"

Gerald Wallace: "It’s admiration. When I decided to play basketball, I watched a lot of NBA games to find someone to learn from in terms of basketball attitude. Iverson’s relentless fighting spirit attracted me. I decided to become as tenacious as him." frёewebηovel.cѳm

Zhang Yang: "Is that why you chose number 3 before? Should I give the number 3 jersey back to you?"

Gerald Wallace waved his hand, "No worries, I don’t have any special affection for basketball stars, at most just admiration. Since you like it, you can wear it."

Zhang Yang: "Then why did you choose 45? Is there a player you really admire who wears 45?"

Gerald Wallace, speaking in a tone used for children, said: "I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else... Michael often wants to teach me how to play ball, and I didn’t want to learn from him without offending him. Just then, when I asked you what number you wanted, you said 3, so I switched to 45, which he wore when he came back from his first retirement. I told him I admired his courage to return mid-season after a year and a half of retirement... Of course, I really do admire him. He’s the greatest player in basketball history."

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