No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 177 - 105. Just secretly be happy about it.

Why must domestic media insist on branding the Rockets as ’championship contenders’?

Why, even after the Rockets dismantled all their quality players, do they still try to concoct a ’new version of the OK combination’ out of thin air?

Because most people admire strength; previously, they might not have even touched a basketball but followed the NBA purely because of Yao Ming.

The title ’champion’ holds a esteemed place in the hearts of the people with the mindset of ’friendship first, competition second, fight me for the championship, and I’ll beat you to death’; anyone who starts following the NBA would know about the OK combination that dominated the league years before.

Superstar Yao Ming, the slogan of ultimate champion, rubbing shoulders with the OK dynasty—all these factors combined generate maximum attention.

Media and the Rockets have a partnership, with the promotional expenses for the 04-05 season coming in second on the Rockets’ expenditure list, only behind player salaries and higher than management salaries.

This is very rare in the NBA; the combined promotional investments of high-spending teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and the Cavaliers don’t even match the Rockets.

Of course, there are some fans who, regardless of the media’s hype, view the Rockets’ strength rationally and even find such exaggeration annoying. But the Rockets’ target audience isn’t these people; they just need to firmly capture the audience they want, sustain the heat, and they can make money.

Many domestic media praise Zhang Yang while belittling the Hornets, simply because they don’t want Zhang Yang’s performance this season to affect the image of the ’Yao-Mac combination’ in the eyes of the audience.

With such a huge investment in promotion, the return is substantial; the owner of the Rockets went from being the poorest in the NBA to soaring into the top twenty richest within less than four years, and his wealth continues to rise.

But what’s fake is fake. The game between the Hornets and the Rockets opened up a rift in the minds of the Rockets’ ’target audience’, who began to doubt what the media was saying.

The rift isn’t big yet, but with doubt creeping in, lies will eventually be exposed... Especially since the domestic fans here aren’t exclusively devoted to just the Rockets.

Zhang Yang doesn’t realize that he has inadvertently done something significant that affects the Chinese basketball circle; if he did, he would try even harder next time.

Defeating the Yao-Mac combination, which had just played together, was one of the goals he most wanted to achieve when he entered the NBA.

If tearing apart the Rockets’ lies was added to his goals, his motivation would be even stronger.

However, if he wanted a showdown with Yao-Mac, he would have to wait until next season.

...

The day after the game against the Rockets, Zhang Yang returned to Charlotte with his team.

Seeing the date of January 30th on his phone, another month was nearing its end.

This month so far, they have played 15 games, with 7 wins and 8 losses.

In November and December, they also played 15 games each, with 6 wins and 9 losses. It seemed like a slight improvement, but Zhang Yang knew they were better than in the past two months. This morning, while waiting for the plane, he saw newspapers saying the same about their improvement this month.

That’s because, in the first 15 games of the month, the opponents were stronger than in the previous two months, mostly playoff-caliber teams.

Against these opponents, their overall performance has improved a lot compared to the previous two months, and they even defeated the seventh-placed Bucks once in the Eastern Conference.

They won against the teams they should have, coming out on top in both battles against the Hornets, who were considered on par with them, making for a particularly impressive performance.

Tomorrow, they have the last game of the month, and Zhang Yang hopes to secure a win rate of fifty percent, although it will be very challenging, as their opponent is the Cavaliers, one of the top three teams in the East with around fifty wins.

He consciously recalled the timeline of the 10 and the finals with the Miami Heat... feeling it was of no reference value. James from the 11-12 season changed his playing style fundamentally compared to the 10-11 season.

Fast and fierce in the 10-11 season, James’ penetrating force was unrivaled, and on the defensive end, he could cover positions 1 to 4 without distinction. His overall performance was no less than MVP Rose, and if defense alone was considered, he could compete with Howard for the best defender.

But by the 11-12 season, James’ offense became simpler, and his defense changed a lot due to increased weight, about 10 kilos heavier than Bosh who played as center, reaching over 120 kilos. Although he could withstand Howard’s impact and protect the rim like a center, defending against quick and nimble guards became almost impossible.

The difference in just one year was so great, let alone over so many years... Ending the reminiscence, he resealed the memories; to study James now, watching videos was more useful.

The next day, January 31st, the final game day of the month arrived.

In the morning, Bickerstaff conducted only a simple defensive training class on double-teaming penetrations and side-shooting wings, finishing the team training just past 9:30 AM to let the players rest.

Midseason, with intensive schedules and strong opponents, having played over 40 games, the physical toll was high... to prevent injuries.

The coaching staff’s focus was on Gerald Wallace, having made a decision to prohibit him from any extra training.

Gerald Wallace didn’t resist the arrangement.

He might be rash, but he wasn’t foolish—rather intelligent. Going all out was his work ethic, he valued his physical health, and getting injured during a game is seen as fearless, but getting hurt during practice would be foolish.

After the team’s training session, Zhang Yang planned to practice three-point shots for just half an hour before resting and watching game videos.

While he was practicing, cheers came from the direction of the locker room.

Before he could even wonder, Felton burst out like a rolling gopher.

While running, Felton shouted, "Jack, you’ve been selected as a starter for the All-Star game!"

Before Zhang Yang could respond, Felton pulled him back into the locker room.

Seeing him arrive, his teammates shouted for treats.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om