First in scoring

Chapter 416 415. When will you become number one in the world?
ESPN player rankings: Zhang Yang, Kobe, Wade, Paul, James.

Zhang Yang curled his lips and opened the official websites of the other three popular media outlets to take a look.

As of yesterday, the rankings of all players outside the top five have been announced, leaving only Zhang Yang, Kobe, Paul, Wade, and James.

The sixth place from the four major media outlets was given to Yao Ming or Duncan.

Nash, a frequent member of the top five in the past few years, was ranked as high as tenth by Sports Illustrated. The reason for his ranking plummeted was the same - partnering with O'Neal.

The top five of the other three media are: TNT Sports: Kobe, Wade, Zhang Yang, James, Paul;
Sports Illustrated: Kobe, Paul, Zhang Yang, James, Wade;
Fox Sports: Kobe, James, Zhang Yang, Paul, Wade.

For the other three media, there were changes in the second, fourth and fifth places. Kobe was always first and Zhang Yang was always third.

It can also be seen that James received high praise from the other three media, none of which ranked him fifth, and his overall ranking was higher than Paul and Wade.

Felton looked at his younger brother with suspicion and asked, "Jack, your dad has invested in ESPN?"

This look shows that the essence of the little fat boss is still clear and simple... Zhang Yang complained: "I would like to, but I don't have the channel. If possible, I can invest in it myself. Something is wrong. There must be something wrong. ESPN ranked me first and King ranked fifth. No matter how you think about it, there is something wrong."

Veteran Hill said: "This is ESPN trying to recreate Michael's past!"

Felton: “Grant, what does that mean?”

Hill recalled: "That was in 1995. I had just finished my rookie season and had just won the All-Star vote in my rookie season..."

Zhang Yang, Felton, Okafor, Millsap and other teammates: "..."

After Hill boasted about his rookie vote-winning performance, he continued, "Michael returned at the end of the 94-95 season and played poorly in the playoffs. The Rockets won the championship that season. Before the start of the 95-96 season, Michael was ranked T2 by ABC, and only Olajuwon was ranked T1. Everyone knows what happened next. The Bulls won 72 games and Michael won the MVP..."

Felton: "So that's how it is. ESPN is so confident in James that they think he can win the MVP?"

Zhang Yang: "He doesn't need to win the MVP, as long as he performs better than any of the top four. If he doesn't perform as well as the top four, ESPN will not lose out, because it proves that they have good vision. You see, ESPN's headlines, clicks and comments are much higher than those of the other three media..."

Felton: "This is really... Jack, you are in trouble. If you don't play the best performance in the league, you will definitely be laughed at."

Zhang Yang: "Yeah! Damn it, ESPN is cheating me! So what do you think? How about... I become the strongest in the world?"

Felton: “Ah huh?”

Zhang San's "solution" to the problem not only surprised Xiao Fei, but also everyone else. No one expected him to say that.

But when these words came out of his mouth, it didn't surprise his teammates, and they didn't think it was impossible.

Zhang Yang browsed the comment sections of the four media outlets. ESPN's move had greatly increased traffic. In just over ten minutes, the number of comments had reached several thousand, while the other media outlets only had a few hundred comments.

However, there was also a lot of controversy. The old blacksmith's fans were very dissatisfied with the fact that he was ranked first. They questioned, abused and ridiculed him constantly. His fans fought back bravely and started arguing.

James' fans were also very dissatisfied with this ranking. At this time, they actually united with the Kobe fans group, whom they hated the most, to attack him together.

Wade's fans were not very happy either, only Paul's fans were happy, as it was the first time he made it into the top five.

As for the last three teams in the rankings announced today, the popularity is low, mainly because there is no controversy. The defending champion Bulls ranked first as usual, the runner-up Lakers ranked second, and the Bobcats ranked third...

After lunch, Zhang Yang accepted exclusive interviews from several domestic media outlets. As he expected, they all asked about player rankings, and these media outlets selectively used ESPN's rankings.

After the interview, Zhang Yang checked the domestic websites online and found that they all cited the highest rankings, which really put pressure on him.

Zhang San: I am still young, and I am being pushed to strive for the first place?
...

At 7 p.m., the pre-season Halloween event co-organized by the Bobcats and Charlotte City Hall began.

There are not many programs, just a few, a total of half an hour, and 10 minutes are given to promote the local councilors who are about to run for election.

During a casual chat with old Bickerstaff, Zhang Yang learned that this activity was actually a part of an exchange of interests. Boss Joe used the team's local influence to canvass votes for congressmen with whom he had a cooperative relationship. After the congressmen were re-elected, they gave the Bobcats convenience in local policies.

When the players entered the stadium, each of them wore a headgear that matched their Halloween costumes, and one or two elementary school students who were also dressed up for Halloween night entered the stadium. This was a way of helping Boss Joe in a roundabout way and supporting the exchange of interests between the team and the city hall.

After the entrance ceremony, Zhang Yang accepted a pre-match interview. From the reporter, he understood why Hill said "Sure enough, he is a bad boy" when he chose the pumpkin mask.

Pumpkin Jack, the bad boy who roams the world, is not loved by God, is feared by the devil, and is the one in the Eagle Sauce fable.

It originated from a European fable called Radish Jack. At that time, Halloween lanterns in Europe were made of carrots. During the Age of Discovery, the Irish discovered pumpkins from Mexico and thought they were more suitable for making lanterns. After settling in North America, they changed Halloween lanterns into pumpkin lanterns, and Radish Jack became Pumpkin Jack.

After Zhang Yang finished the interview, he heard the reporter calling him "Pumpkin Jack" in front of the camera...

He didn't expect that he chose the best-made headgear and actually gave himself a nickname, which was linked to his previous nickname... He ran to the second row opposite the technical desk to find his father and asked him to check whether the Pumpkin Jack trademark had been registered. If not, he registered it quickly.

If you register, and if this nickname becomes popular, you can take the initiative to propose to create a series when negotiating endorsements, and make some money.

But his father also offered an idea - buy some land, plant spring corn, and harvest pumpkins in June and July.

Zhang San: A rogue rabbit who never forgets to farm wherever he goes!

He thought this was a good idea. The corn in this area was easy to sell and there was a huge demand for corn syrup.

After finishing the pre-game chores, Zhang Yang went to say hello to Wade.

Since their last collaboration at the All-Stars Weekend, the two have become much closer. However, Zhang Yang feels that it is unlikely to bring Big Cheeks over to their team, unless the fortune teller doesn't want Wade anymore. Otherwise, given Wade's personality, he will not change teams. Moreover, Wade has a very good relationship with James, so he would not look for Zhang San if they want to form a team.

Zhang Yang had no regrets about this, he was looking forward to competing against the 361 Big Three.

More than ten minutes later, the pre-match preparation time ended and the starting players of both teams came onto the court.

Heat: Chalmers, Wade, James Jones, Marion, Haslem.

Bobcats: Felton, Zhang Yang, Pietrus, Millsap, Okafor.

When the two teams entered the stadium, they were surprised by the other side's starting lineup.

Zhang Yang could understand the opponent's starting lineup.

Chalmers, although he was beaten by Harden in the NCAA finals, has mediocre athletic ability, does not have enough one-on-one ability in the NBA, and is still a 22-year-old rookie, age is not a problem. The main reason is that he played for four years in college and is a technical player. His style of play has been solidified, so he was selected in the second round.

However, he has shown an excellent overall view and long-range shooting ability in both the summer league and preseason. It is said that he actively expanded his shooting range during the last season. He had adapted to the NBA standard three-point distance during the summer league. In the preseason, he showed a very stable fixed-point shooting ability and scored a key goal in the game against the Celtics. On the defensive end, he is even more impressive, with a very solid foundation, can steal the ball with both hands, and is not easy to lose position.

It's normal for Chalmers to replace Luther Head, the Heat's starting point guard during the preseason.

Beasley had been the starter in the preseason, but was suddenly relegated to the bench in the opening game. Zhang Yang estimated that it was not a problem with his performance in the preseason.

As the No. 7 pick, he averaged 31 points and 14 rebounds in 6 minutes per game in preseason games. This performance cannot be said to be outstanding, but it is not bad either. It is much better than Bogut and Bargnani's preseason performance in their rookie years, and can be considered decent.

It should be this guy's attitude towards the game and the continuous troubles off the court that made the God of Calculation want to temper his temper... After the end of the regular season last season, the God of Calculation had already resigned as the head coach, but in this season's preseason and tonight, he still appeared on the bench. Even during the pre-match arrangements, the head coach only handed him the tactical board, and he taught the head coach step by step how to make pre-match arrangements.

The media were also joking that the fortune teller had once again thrown the hard work of reconstruction to the videographer, and would reap the rewards after the reconstruction was completed.

James Jones, a second-round pick in 03, shot 44.4% from three-point range alongside Roy last season, averaging 1.6 three-pointers per game. He is also a solid defender who can defend at the three and four positions and has a steady shot. He received a two-year, $2 million contract from the Heat during the offseason.

White Chocolate has retired and the God of Calculation wants to suppress the troublemaker Beasley. It is a good choice to pair these two as outside partners for Wade.

As for the Heat, the game was about to start, and the coaching staff and core players had no idea why the Bobcats had this starting lineup...

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the referee blew the whistle, Okafor defeated Haslem to win the jump ball, and the game began.

Felton advanced to the frontcourt, waited for his teammates to get into position, then started a breakthrough, crushing Chalmers and rushing into the inside.

With a weight difference of 10 kilograms and Chalmers being 3 centimeters taller, he really couldn't handle it. He had solid defensive basics, but Felton's unreasonable style of play made his close defense and pressing completely useless.

Felton broke through to the right elbow area and swung to the left side of the three-second zone.

Zhang Yang used Millsap's off-ball screen to shake off Wade and cut into the inside to receive the ball.

Haslem was very active in defense. After blocking Felton's close-range jump shot, he immediately turned and rushed towards Zhang Yang's defensive frame.

Zhang Yang swung the ball to the right, and Okafor, who was one step inside the free throw line, followed up to receive the ball, knocked away Haslem who was moving and slammed the ball into the frame!

Very beautiful inside pass and inside pass combination!

The fortune teller was surprised when he saw this cooperation: "The Celtics' cooperation?"

"Do the people in Boston have this coordination?" asked the new Heat coach Eric Spoelstra.

Riley shook his head. "It's not the current Celtics' coordination. The Celtics 20 years ago often played like this. McHale, who has mid-range shooting and passing ability, went to the mid-range to screen for Bird. Point guard Johnson used his footwork to break through the opponent and formed a two-man attack with Bird, compressing the opponent's center under the basket and creating scoring opportunities for center Parish or Walton... I remembered that Carlisle on the opposite side was a substitute player on that Celtics team. I didn't expect him to use this tactic."

Spoelstra: "I really didn't expect that their offensive firepower in this tactic was not as strong as their attack against Princeton, right? Now they are allowed to double-team in advance. If Sean (Marion) didn't lose his focus when defending the pick-and-roll and wasn't passed by Jack in one step, this combination wouldn't work."

Riley: "Shawn's distraction on defense may be within their expectations, but you are right. Even so, their offensive firepower is not as good as against Princeton. This is what I don't understand... Jack's support and coordination method also looks familiar to me..."

On the other side, Kato, who was on the bench, also felt that Zhang Yang's coordination, movement and selection were familiar when he first practiced this tactic two days ago...

While the two were talking, Wade broke through Pietrus and entered the inside. He used the European step to avoid Felton's defense, but he made a mistake under the double-team of Zhang Yang and Millsap!
The Bobcats used super-fast double-teaming and extended defense to limit Wade's chance to pass the ball immediately after attracting the double-team. Millsap even slapped the ball away from Wade's hands during the double-team!

Zhang Yang grabbed the ball and launched a counterattack!
Wade fought back and chose to block Zhang Yang's three-point shot, but was passed by Zhang Yang at the top of the arc.

Chalmers defended very aggressively and retreated to the basket... but was fooled by Zhang Yang's European step. Zhang Yang jumped behind Chalmers, took off with the third step, and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
Wade's Eurostep was intercepted, and Zhang Yang completed a dunk with a Eurostep. The atmosphere at the scene was ignited in the first round!

The Bobcats' preseason performance had been questioned, and the fans were actually quite worried. But when they played so beautifully in the first round, with a 4-0 lead, the fans were immediately excited. Even though it was only one round, it was a live game, and the fans cared more about what they saw with their own eyes.

It was the Heat's turn to attack again. The Bobcats' swift contraction and expansion of defense made Wade very uncomfortable. Fortunately, with the experience from the previous round, he did not make any mistakes this time. He suddenly pulled up and made a quick stop jump shot from close range... He was a little hasty and the ball went off the target and did not go in!

Okafor secured the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang took a few steps forward, slowed down his pace, and passed the ball to Felton, but the fast break failed.

The Heat put Beasley on the bench, which means they lost a singles and cutting point on the offensive end, and the overall offense will definitely be affected, but it has many benefits for the defense. James Jones is very active in defense, and the inside line is composed of two short guys, Marion and Haslem. As long as they don't make offensive mistakes and lose the ball, and are counterattacked, their ability to defend against fast breaks is excellent.

Felton advanced to the front court and continued to force Chalmers to launch an attack.

James Jones actively retreated and blocked Zhang Yang's route into the inside, leaving Pietrus in the left corner open.

Felton has always been cautious when passing the ball. A bunch of people blocked his way and he couldn't even see where Pietrus was. He didn't take any risks in passing the ball, but he also didn't pass the ball to Zhang Yang, who had James Jones blocking the way in front of him, Wade chasing him from behind, and Marion switching defense on the side. Instead, he passed the ball to Millsap who was left open on the left side of the free throw line.

Wade played very hard on defense. He immediately braked and turned back to Millsap. Millsap received the ball and passed it to the baseline.

Pietrus received the ball at the baseline and went straight to the basket, dunking to get two points!
The Bobcats started with a 6-0 lead!

It was the Heat's turn to attack again. This time, Wade no longer paid attention to whether his teammates had any chances. He just wanted to score. He went straight to the basket and made a pull-up shot against Okafor's defense, stopping the bleeding for the Heat.

The Flash was determined to shoot and it was impossible to defend against him. The Bobcats players surrounded him, but Wade still managed to score.

In the next few rounds, Wade was just rushing around without considering cooperation. He would completely attract the double-team and then pass the ball to his open teammates when conditions allowed. If the opponent did a good job of switching defense and cutting off, he would just go for it.

Relying on Wade's fierce attack, the Heat held off the Bobcats for several rounds.

But the continuity of such a style of play is obviously not guaranteed. Wade's physical strength is average among superstars. In addition, this is a temporarily adjusted style of play. His teammates are mediocre and have poor independent adaptability. They can only receive the simplest through passes or receive them at fixed points. Wade is even more tired.

After the score was deadlocked at 9 to 12, the Heat collapsed for a while and played with a score of 2 to 7.

Halfway through the first quarter, the Heat called a timeout. The score was 11 to 19, and they were already 8 points behind!

Wade made 4 of 2 shots at the start, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 7 points and 2 assists. All of the Heat's points in the first half were created by him.

Back on the bench, he drank a glass of energy drink, but his mentality was still a little broken.

Where is the super rookie who is comparable to Roy and Durant? Where is the super forward hacker who is also mentioned?

休赛期热火队被视为东部待崛起强队，是把马里昂当成太阳队时期那个作为内线核心时场均20+10+2+2+2信手拈来的超级前锋、把比斯利当成可以场均20分的超级新秀，再配上他腮帮。

So they can successfully attract high-quality forward and guard free agents such as James Jones and Jamario Moon to join.

But the reality is... forget about Beasley, he is a rookie after all.

Marion's performance has plummeted. He has no desire to attack and is absent-minded on defense. He is like a completely different person compared to the first half of last season. Wade, who happily returned to the South Coast after winning the Olympic championship, feels really bad!

(End of this chapter)