No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 176 - 104. When it comes to charisma, you still have to look at little brother 4

On the 24th, the Bobcats welcomed the Bucks at their home court for a game.

In the first half, the Bucks scored 26 to 23 and 27 to 23, leading by 7 points at halftime, fully dominating the game, but in the third quarter, everything changed. With Bobby Simmons, the most improved player, and Ford continuously missing shots, the basket seemed to have a lid on it for them.

During this quarter, only Reed managed to score for the Bucks, hitting 6 out of 11 shots for 14 points, while the rest of the team couldn’t make a single field goal, relying on free throws to scrape together 4 points.

Seizing the opportunity, the Bobcats launched a counterattack, scoring a whopping 34 points in a single quarter, overtaking the Bucks by 9 points with a score of 80 to 71 by the end of the third quarter!

Zhang Yang played 8 minutes in the third quarter, scoring 11 points and 2 assists, achieving double-digits in a single quarter for the first time in his career! He added another record to the "youngest" list!

In the last quarter, the Bucks’ performance picked up, scoring 28 points, but the Bobcats withstood their comeback attempt, scoring 23 points in the final quarter.

With the final 9 seconds on the clock, Reed took a step-back three-pointer against Gerald Wallace’s defense and missed, Zhang Yang grabbed the rebound with a 4-point lead and decided not to take a shot. The opponents didn’t opt for a tactical foul either, allowing him to run out the few remaining seconds.

By a score of 103 to 99, the Bobcats narrowly defeated the Bucks, who were seventh in the Eastern Conference, avenging the loss they suffered just a week prior!

Zhang Yang seized his opportunities well tonight, making 9 of 15 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, with 4 baskets coming from fast breaks. He also made 3 out of 4 free throws, tallying up to 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, achieving his fifth 20+ points game of the season!

After two consecutive wins, the Bobcats suffered back-to-back losses, 85 to 91 against the Miami Heat, and 97 to 104 against the Wizards.

The game against the Miami Heat was actually well-played. Gerald Wallace and Perkins did a good job of double-teaming Wade, limiting the Heat’s scoring to just over 90 points, but the opponents’ defense was even better.

Against the Wizards, it was the Wizards’ Big Three that did the job: Arenas with 23 points, Caron Butler with 24 points, and Jamison with 22 points. This trio was just too much for the Bobcats.

As defeat looked likely once again, the Bobcats found warmth in Houston!

The Bobcats faced the Rockets on their home court, and this time Zhang Yang finally competed on the same court as McGrady, with all four major guards checking in.

However, Yao and McGrady couldn’t make it on screen together; this time McGrady returned from injury, and Yao Ming was benched due to his own injury.

Yao Ming’s absence had a greater impact on the Rockets than McGrady’s. Without McGrady, the offense struggled, but they could still rely on their defense. Without Yao, the Rockets’ inside offense fell apart, and their defense dropped significantly.

Felton with 13 points and 8 assists, Gerald Wallace with 16 points, Eli with 12 points, Zhang Yang with 15 points, Matt Carroll with 16 points, Brezec with 18 points... Six Bobcats players scored in double figures, netting a total of 106 points!

The Rockets not only couldn’t hold on defense but also performed poorly on offense. McGrady managed a superstar stat line of 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but with a shooting performance of only 13 makes out of 29 attempts, it was tough for him tonight. Apart from him, the team only had Juwan Howard scoring 12 points and... Chuck Hayes with 13 points!

Having to rely on Hayes for scoring!

The Bobcats’ defense against McGrady could be described as all-out warfare, even more relentless than the defense against Kobe, who at least has teammates like Odom and Kwame Brown.

With Yao Ming absent and the Rockets’ other players performing so poorly, the Bobcats, who had just been beaten by the Sharks and the Wizards’ Big Three, were eager to give McGrady a tough time.

In the end, under the incredulous gaze of Chinese fans watching on their home televisions, the Bobcats massacred the Rockets with a final score of 106 to 78.

After defeating the Rockets, the Bobcats’ record improved to 19 wins and 26 losses. The record certainly isn’t great; with this win rate projected over 82 games, it would amount to just under 35 wins. In the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs would be difficult—likely needing at least 40 wins this season.

But the Rockets’ record is even worse: 17 wins and 29 losses!

After watching the live broadcast of this game, domestic fans began to question the claim that the Rockets are "championship contenders."

The media portrayed the Bobcats as the underdogs, where Zhang Yang was leveling up, while the Rockets were championship contenders with Yao and McGrady being the new version of the OK duo.

Even with the Rockets’ poor season record, the fans believed in the media’s portrayal, thinking that as long as Yao and McGrady were healthy and united, the Rockets could dominate the league and win the championship, just like the original OK duo did.

In those days, there weren’t as many channels of information dissemination, and many people got into basketball because of Yao Ming; they believed whatever the media said.

The opening game victory of the Bobcats over the Rockets was thanks to Zhang Yang’s game-winner, and the domestic media deemed it an upset by the Bobcats.

But this game has shaken the faith of those who firmly believed that the Rockets could contend for the championship.

The fans acknowledged the strength of Yao Ming and McGrady, but seeing them defended by the Bobcats in such a manner, McGrady still put up 33+8+6 on offense, yet the rest of the Rockets seemed weaker than the "bottom-feeders," the "underdogs," and the "leveling team" the Bobcats, as described by the media!

Furthermore, the Bobcats were still missing the Rookie of the Year, Okafor!

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