NBA: Rising Superstar!-Chapter 145 - 117, [Shooting] Upgraded to Level 8!

The third quarter started quickly.

The Warriors deployed the death lineup.

Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iguodala, Green.

This lineup immediately changed the defensive strategy from the first half, switching defense seamlessly.

Jokic tried to find a cutting teammate at the free-throw line but couldn’t find a good opportunity.

Zeng Xingyang was closely followed by Barnes and Thompson, and couldn’t find a space to receive the ball.

With time running out, Jokic opted for a step-back two-point jumper after dribbling.

Green didn’t lose his position, and Jokic’s mid-range jumper hit the rim.

It clanged out.

Iguodala grabbed the rebound.

The Warriors counter-attack was extremely fast, with everyone charging forward.

Iguodala dribbled to the frontcourt and then handed the ball to the trailing Thompson with an underhand pass.

The Nuggets’ defense hadn’t settled.

Thompson’s transition three-pointer was swift.

"Swish!"

Clean shot.

to 55

This was Thompson’s second three-pointer of the day. His shooting touch was somewhat off in the first half, but it seemed to return in the second half.

"An impressive transition three-pointer, Klay showed the confidence of a top shooter. Even if his first half accuracy wasn’t high, he’s still taking shots decisively," Barkley said excitedly.

O’Neal said, "The Warriors need to close the gap quickly, or they’ll face a devastating defeat."

Barkley said, "A 20-point gap is nothing for the Warriors."

O’Neal said, "That might not be the case."

Barkley rolled his eyes at O’Neal and didn’t continue with this hypothetical argument.

The Nuggets’ offense came again.

This time Jokic backed into the paint, and Green had a low stance.

Jokic spun, gathered the ball, and attempted a strong move.

"Bang!"

Iguodala swiped the ball.

This play had a hint of a foul, but the referee didn’t blow the whistle.

Iguodala made a pass to Curry, who was racing down the court.

Curry rushed to the basket and executed an acrobatic layup for the score.

to 57

Jokic spread his hands wide, assuming the superstar pose, and complained to the referee, who ignored him.

The atmosphere inside Oracle Arena was rocking.

Just as speculated, the Warriors entering the third quarter were the true Warriors.

Following the halftime adjustments, the Warriors brought out a super intense level of offense and defense.

In consecutive possessions, the Nuggets either missed shots or turned the ball over.

The Warriors seized the opportunity, repeatedly launching counterattacks, starting the third quarter with an 11-0 run against the Nuggets.

The score between the two teams became 72 to 63.

Mike Malone didn’t even have time to call a timeout.

The Warriors’ counterattack storm was too fierce.

Zeng Xingyang received the ball from the baseline, dribbled past half-court, and called a timeout by himself.

"Everyone executes the play for me, focus, and find a way to get the ball into Zeng’s hands," Mike Malone emphasized during the timeout.

Since the second half started, Zeng Xingyang hadn’t been getting the ball much, and the others hadn’t been handling it effectively, which left him frustrated.

In the first half, they had led by so much, which made them instinctively relax a bit.

This relaxation was seized upon by the Warriors as an opportunity.

Poor efficiency would lead to being counterattacked.

Getting countered by the Warriors like this made it easy to lose the lead.

Mike Malone emphasizing tactics was about establishing Zeng Xingyang’s authority.

Barton, Harris, Jokic, and others were panting heavily.

Under the Warriors’ intense defense, they indeed faced some issues.

Zeng Xingyang’s eyes grew colder; he knew he had to step up at this point.

Jokic’s facilitation and command weren’t much of an issue today; it was mainly that his offensive ability hadn’t improved.

Offensive ability is the main difference between him now and during his peak.

At peak times, Jokic averaged about 30 points per game, whereas now he averages around 12 points, a huge difference.

Often, a player’s strong scoring ability forces the opponent to change defense; if this ability isn’t enough, the threat significantly decreases.

Can’t rely solely on young Teacher Yue anymore, gotta step up himself.

Quickly, the timeout ended.

Nuggets’ offense.

After Mike Malone’s emphasis, the other Nuggets players tried to create an opportunity for Zeng Xingyang to receive the ball.

Iguodala was defending Zeng Xingyang.

Iguodala’s defense is top-notch in the league, with his strength and defensive experience allowing him to match up against any superstar.

When playing against the Warriors, players like James and Durant were mostly defended by him.

Jokic dribbled to the top of the arc while Faried set an off-ball screen for Zeng Xingyang inside.

Zeng Xingyang used the screen to run the opposite way, barely shaking off Iguodala’s chase.

Barnes switched defense, and Zeng Xingyang received Jokic’s hand-off pass.

"Bang!"

Jokic slid over to temporarily delay Barnes.

A very small gap appeared.

Zeng Xingyang didn’t hesitate at all and cleanly took the catch for a drifting three-pointer.

Barnes was a tad slow in his closeout, and he could only watch helplessly as Zeng Xingyang’s smooth three-point shot was released.

The basketball carved a long arc.

"Swish!"

A perfect shot.

to 63.

"When the team was in a very tough spot, Zeng Xingyang stepped up to resolve the issue."

"Zeng Xingyang’s threes may be delayed, but they won’t be absent."

"As long as there’s space, it’s in. That was beautiful."

"Being able to step up under pressure when the Warriors are on a scoring spree, Xingyang’s three-point shooting ability is undoubtedly impressive."

"Xingyang’s ball-handling skills are still a bit lacking in these top-tier games, but his ability to hit clutch shots and withstand pressure is beyond question."

The fans watching the live broadcast are really excited.

On the court.

"Clang!"

"[Shooting] upgraded to LV8!"

Zeng Xingyang has been in the league for a while now, and the shooting experience he’s gained on the court is much faster than during training.

After hitting this three-pointer, Zeng Xingyang once again felt a bit more experience and technique in shooting threes added to his mind.

His skills have further improved.

He still doesn’t know exactly how strong his shooting ability has become.

The Warriors happen to be a great test.

Glancing at the stats.

[Shooting: LV8] fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

[Experience: 1/100000]

[Remark: Has reached NBA top shooter level, max level is LV10]

This in-game upgrade made Zeng Xingyang even more confident.

He then raised his three-point hand gesture and quickly retreated on defense.

Walton on the sideline frowned.

That rookie hadn’t touched the ball to initiate an attack for quite a while, yet now he can make the shot as soon as he gets the ball.

His shooting touch is on fire!

It was hard to close the gap to single digits, but his shot pushed it back to double digits, which is a bit demoralizing.

However, the Warriors players on the court weren’t heavily affected and continued to quickly launch their offense.

Curry dribbled past half-court and passed to Green.

Green proceeded to organize and distribute the ball.

"Leave him and Andrei open for shots."

"They don’t have that shooting ability, you know."

Zeng Xingyang began his banter, critiquing Iguodala and Green’s inability to hit threes.

Even though these two have a 35% and 38% three-point shooting percentage, he still made this defensive choice.

The main reason is that the Warriors’ ball movement is so fast, and their teamwork is excellent, so the Nuggets need to make some necessary defensive adjustments.

If they try to guard everything, they won’t be able to guard anything.

Tonight, Zeng Xingyang is betting that neither Green nor Iguodala can beat them with threes.

Curry and Thompson can absolutely dismantle their defensive system, but Green and Iguodala don’t have that power.

Even if they lose to those two, Zeng Xingyang is willing to accept it.

Under Zeng Xingyang’s defensive directions, Iguodala got an open shot at the right 45-degree angle.

Seeing that Curry and Thompson didn’t have better opportunities, Iguodala chose to take the three-point shot.

"Clank!"

As Zeng Xingyang predicted, as long as Iguodala and Green are not able to drive and make plays, letting them finish with threes will reduce the Warriors’ overall firepower.

Zeng Xingyang is hoping every three-point attempt is taken by Green and Iguodala.

As long as it’s not Curry or Thompson shooting, it’s fine.

Green tried to crash the boards for the rebound, but Jokic held strong, boxing him out and securing the rebound.

Nuggets’ offense.

After a successful offensive and defensive set, the team’s tension slightly eased.

Nelson dribbled into the frontcourt, continuing to pass the ball to Jokic.

Zeng Xingyang moved from the left corner, cut inside, and emerged at the top of the arc to receive the ball.

Jokic set a screen, and Zeng Xingyang used it to shift horizontally and then exploded towards the right side.

The Warriors’ defense instinctively collapsed towards Zeng Xingyang’s drive direction.

As Zeng Xingyang drove to the right low post, his offensive angle was again blocked by Iguodala and Green.

But he anticipated this, so he made a jump pass to Jokic at the free-throw line.

Jokic, with little defensive pressure facing him, had Curry as his defender.

Jokic made a subtle fake, and Curry went flying.

Jokic’s floater on the third step was successful.

to 63.

Jokic’s steady finish cemented the play.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic high-fived in celebration.

The Oracle Arena fans quieted down a bit.

Kenny Smith said, "Under such high pressure, Nikola Jokic still delivers a solid performance. I have high hopes for his future, but he unusually chose the number 15 jersey, which seems a bit small for a center, not quite legendary material. Shaq, what number did you wear with the Lakers?"

O’Neal said, "34."

Kenny Smith asked, "What about with the Heat?"

O’Neal said, "32."

Kenny Smith continued, "With the Cavaliers?"

O’Neal said, "33."

Kenny Smith asked, "Why did you choose 33 with the Cavaliers?"

Barkley interrupted, "That was his scoring average for the month."

Kenny Smith asked, "What about with the Celtics?"

O’Neal said, "36."

Kenny Smith asked, "Why that number?"

Barkley continued answering for O’Neal, "That’s his two-month scoring average."

O’Neal joined the Cavaliers and Celtics towards the end of his career, and Barkley jokingly took jabs at it.

O’Neal glared at Barkley, then spread his hands and replied, "Bro, back then I already had four championship rings in hand, and wasn’t worried about those scores. The great Shaq didn’t need to bandwagon for titles at the end of his career, haha!!"

Barkley, at the end of his career, wanted to join the Rockets to chase a title, but failed...

The taunt made Barkley clench his fists.

Seeing him squirm with no comeback, O’Neal was unrelenting and pulled out a small shark-shaped water gun from under the table.

Aiming at the target.

"Sss!!"

A direct hit, soaking Barkley’s face.

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