mountain top

Chapter 282 When Legends Become the Past, When GOAT Conquers Hearts
How important are free throws to a player in the NBA?
Simply put, free throws allow a player to score in the easiest way on the court. (O'Neal: Really? I don't believe it.)
Furthermore, players who get free throws can use them to adjust their shooting touch and get a breather during the free throw process.

In Qin Yue's previous life, Stephen Curry, whose cylinder was so small that it could only be seen with a magnifying glass, was undoubtedly the best example.

Objectively speaking, Curry's playing style dictates that his relatively low number of free throws is to be expected.

But Curry, who is often ignored by referees on the court because his cylinder is too small, has had far more than just one or two free throws robbed by referees.

It's important to understand that once Curry finds his shooting rhythm with those one or two free throws in a game, the baby-faced killer can trigger a series of chain reactions on the court.

According to statistics, in games where Curry has more than 5 free throw attempts in his career, he averages 30.9 points per game, and his team has a winning percentage of 71%.

In games where Curry gets 10 free throws, his average points per game will skyrocket to 37.4, and the team's winning percentage will also soar to 76.7%.

As for games where Curry got 15 or more free throws?

The answer is that in the three games in Curry's career where he had 15 or more free throw attempts, Curry averaged 53.3 points per game, and his team won all three games.

This is the terrifying boost that a fair call can bring to Curry.

March has arrived.

David Stern personally tore off the "seal" that had been pressing down on Qin Yue for nearly four years.

On March 1st, the Warriors played the Grizzlies on the road.

秦岳全场29投18中，其中三分球7投3中，罚球16罚15中，仅用三节比赛便为球队轰下了54分14篮板8助攻3封盖1抢断。

On March 2, the Warriors returned to their home court to face the Nuggets, who are still rebuilding.

秦岳全场27投19中，其中三分球9投5中，罚球14罚全中，还是只用三节比赛就为球队砍下了57分11篮板7助攻4封盖2抢断。

Then, on March 5th, the Warriors traveled to Dallas to challenge the Mavericks.

That night, Qin Yue, who had a terrible start, eventually regained his touch with free throws, making 14 of 28 field goals, including 4 of 8 three-pointers, and 23 of 24 free throws, for a total of 55 points, 21 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 blocks and 1 steal.

The legendary coach George Karl once said...

He had no doubt that Qin Yue had the ability to average 50+ points per game in the NBA.

However, in the past four years, in order to limit the Qin, the NBA took the opportunity to introduce the infamous "Qin Yue Law".

This restriction meant that Qin Yue, who couldn't give his all in the regular season, had to find a more cost-effective way to achieve the data and victories he wanted.

But now that the seal has been broken...
Qin Yue, who could personally feel that the referee's standards were very different from before, naturally wanted to enjoy this "celebrity whistle" in the air.

Throughout March, Qin Yue was either shooting three-pointers or relentlessly attacking the opponent's inside game, completely embodying the image of the "Moreyball" of later generations.

Moreover, unlike later players who profited from faking accidents, he was different.

Faced with Qin Yue's sudden surge in free throw attempts, the Warriors' opponents couldn't argue that Qin Yue's excessive free throws were due to preferential treatment from the referees.

after all
For the past four years, without the help of referees, what have these warriors' opponents used to stop the Great Qin?

On March 31, the Warriors hosted a major game at Oracle Arena.

During the game, they faced the Gasol brothers' cautious encirclement.

来如电，去如风的秦岳全场34投20中，其中三分球9投4中，罚球18罚17中，总计砍下了61分24篮板11助攻4封盖2抢断。

This is Qin Yue's first time achieving a 60+ triple-double in the regular season, and including the playoffs, it is also the second time in his career that he has achieved the legendary "60+20+10" performance in the NBA.

It's worth mentioning that the last time Qin Yue achieved a "60+20+10" performance in the NBA, the Warriors' opponent was also the Lakers.

However, the last time Qin Yue achieved this was in the Western Conference Finals, where he scored "60+20+10".

And TNT television station.

Regarding Qin Yue's average of 50.8 points, 18.4 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 3.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game in March, Barkley commented: "Stop it, Qin! If you keep playing like this, I feel like Michael Jordan won't even be worthy of shining your shoes!"

Since bringing his talent to TNT, Shaquille O'Neal, who has been completely defeated by Qin Yue, said: "He has utterly shattered my understanding of basketball and made all the superstars of his era his supporting actors."

Throughout March, Qin Yue, who was thoroughly enjoying his game, was changing the basketball world's perception of him almost every day.

Furthermore, thanks to his outstanding performance since the beginning of the new year, Qin Yue's season average points per game have soared to "40+" before the Warriors' final game in April.

Currently, Qin Yue leads Durant, who is ranked second, by as many as 12 points in the scoring leader statistics.

In rebounds and blocks, Qin Yue also leads the second-place player by a wide margin.

In early April, when the NBA officially announced the Player of the Month awards, ESPN commented, "Can someone help me count how many times Messiah has made headlines this season?"

Which time?
To be precise, Qin Yue has been on the front page of ESPN since the very first day of 2013.

Furthermore, according to sources close to Jordan, even though an invisible barrier has existed between the old GOAT and the new GOAT since the "Dallas incident," Jordan still commented on Qin Yue: "In my mind, he is the undisputed GOAT of this sport."

Previously, people always felt that Wilt Chamberlain's record of 50+ points in a single game in the NBA was an unbreakable myth.

But now, even fans in China and the United States who always like to "banter" with Qin Yue have no doubt that this record will definitely belong to Qin Yue in the future.

In addition, Qin Yue's recent strong performance in April has also made people around the world look forward to whether he can become the NBA's 20,000-point scorer this season.

To date, only three NBA players have reached 20,000 career regular season points before the age of 30.

They are Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant.

Originally, at the same point in history, James would have become the fourth player in NBA history to achieve this feat before the age of 30, thanks to his advantage as a high school player in the draft, at the age of 28 years and 17 days, and would have become the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 points.

However, due to his reduced stats during his time with the Knicks, James will have to wait until next season at the earliest to reach his 20,000th career regular season point.

Moreover, even if James still has the chance to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, compared to Da Qin, who entered the league at the age of 21 and missed a full season due to injury...
James, who played three more seasons than Qin Yue but still trailed behind Qin Yue in various statistical categories, cannot shake off the image of "abandoned son" that he left on the world.

In short, before the Warriors' final six games in April, no one doubted that the 12/13 season belonged to Da Qin.

4 month 12 day.

The Warriors hosted their final regular season game at Oracle Arena.

On the night of the game, Qin Yue, who was just 23 points away from officially joining the 20,000-point club in the regular season, became the focus of worldwide attention.

Before the game, the big screen at Oracle Arena displayed Qin Yue's total regular season points for each previous season:
05/06 season, 2214 points.

06/07 season, 2527 points.

07/08 season, 3067 points.

09/10 season, 2722 points.

10/11 season, 2904 points.

11/12 season, 3018 points.

And in the 12/13 season, there was a score of 35?? which was marked with two question marks.

On the commentary booth, Rick Barry remarked, "If it weren't for that season he missed due to injury, I think Messiah would already be on his way to 30,000 career points in the regular season."

Upon hearing this, Adornal-Foyle said, "But Rick, that's precisely why we're so amazed by the Messiah's chance to become a 20,000-point scorer before the age of thirty." Indeed.
If it were simply a matter of accumulating seniority to break various NBA all-time records, how could Qin Yue have surprised the world so much this season?

Seven seasons, 20,000 points.

This is the key to Qin Yue's impact on the present era.

For example, if Qin Yue can successfully achieve his long-cherished "Project 411" before retiring.

The "411 Project," created in just fourteen seasons, is incomparable to the "411 Project" created by someone in history who relied on seniority and spent more than twenty years.

In competitive sports, no one ever compares who can live as long as a tortoise.

On the court, as the Timberwolves players, the Warriors' final opponent, took to the court one by one, LeBron James, who opted to sit out with a "groin strain," prompted Barkley to quip, "Hey LeBron, you were full of energy for the Timberwolves last game, scoring 28 points. How come you can't play this game?"

As is well known, in the NBA, when most star players suffer injuries, the team releases the official announcement.

For example, according to a certain team, a certain player will be out for a certain amount of time due to injury.

But only LeBron James, whose greatness needs no further explanation, had his long-term injury revealed by sources close to him.

The same applies to this one.

Before the game, Randy Mims, a close associate of LeBron James, revealed that James, who has been plagued by a groin injury all season, will miss the Timberwolves' final regular season game against the Warriors.

"Your former good brother is truly a man of great spirit despite his disability," Brown said to Qin Yue before the match began.

Seeing this, Qin Yue laughed and asked, "How do you know?"

Brown said, "Because according to people close to him, since he entered the league at the age of eighteen, LeBron has been battling injuries almost every day, and he has never been healthy in a single game."

LeBron James is terrifying!
Why do you say that?

Because if what Mims said is true, then wouldn't that mean that in Qin Yue's memory, James, who was disabled but determined, had worked for more than 20 years with his amazing willpower?

However, James' absence due to injury will obviously not affect the course of this game.

After all, before the Timberwolves' final game, they had already secured last place in the regular season with 14 wins, and even with LeBron James, they hadn't been able to win many more games.

That's right, this is the "leadership ability" that James was praised to the skies in Qin Yue's memory.

In fact, rather than saying that James is an excellent leader, it's more accurate to say that at every stage of his career, James has been better than anyone at putting pressure on team management to build a highly competitive roster around him.

Unfortunately, Wolves' rebuilding process is destined to be long.

So even though Manager James is more anxious than anyone else, there's nothing he can do about it since he still has at least another year to play for Wolves.

At Oracle Arena, Qin Yue did not disappoint the fans that night, bringing the Oakland crowd to a climax in the second quarter.

On the court, the Warriors' offensive possession.

First, a powerful smash.

He then dribbled sideways.

When Qin Yue jumped straight up and shot his signature shot, scoring his 23rd point of the game, he temporarily became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points at the age of 29 years and 102 days, and the fourth player to enter the 20,000-point club in the regular season before the age of 30.

At this moment, Kobe, who was 29 years and 112 days old, Wilt Chamberlain, who was 29 years and 136 days old, and Michael Jordan, who was 29 years and 236 days old, all became the past.

The final score was 97 to 128.

Qin Yue, who played only two and a half quarters for the Warriors, scored a total of 43 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 blocks.

This also brought his season total to 3568 points.

With an outstanding average of 43.5 points per game, he broke the NBA record for the highest single-season scoring average since the league began compiling complete statistics.

In addition, the Oracle Arena's big screen displayed Qin Yue's complete statistics for the 12/13 regular season amidst the deafening cheers of the home crowd:

这一季，赛季满勤的秦岳场均能为球队贡献43.5分15.8篮板9.6助攻4.4封盖1.6抢断。

no doubt.

This is a set of data that will be repeatedly mentioned by people even after many years.

In the post-game interview, a reporter asked, "Tonight you became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points. What are your thoughts on this?"

Qin Yue replied, "It's nothing. It's just a record, and I've never played for records. You know, I've always only stepped onto the court to win."

Then, the reporter asked, "Except for the season you missed due to injury, you have been named the NBA's rebounding and shot-blocking champion for seven consecutive seasons. Do you consider yourself the best defensive player in NBA history?"

Qin Yue laughed and said, "If I said I wasn't, I think my supporters would definitely think I was hypocritical, so my answer is that I have never doubted that I am the best defensive player in NBA history."

Finally, the reporter asked, "This is your sixth scoring title season. Can you share with us how you managed to average 40+ points per game this season?"

In response, Qin Yue said, "Step onto the court and make the shot, that's my secret."

Qin Yue's seemingly nonchalant attitude afterward contrasted sharply with his excitement in front of Evans, which kept him awake all night.

Meanwhile, with the conclusion of the 12/13 NBA regular season, the playoff seeding for each team has been officially determined.

Curry, who has been participating in team training since March, has finally had the opportunity to prove himself again.

If we say that the Qin Dynasty has just finished a perfect season.

Curry, who was criticized by ESPN for "the Warriors being the same with or without Stephen Curry" whenever the Warriors won, spent a season that led him further and further down the path of frustration.

At this moment, Curry, who was getting angrier the more he thought about it, just wanted to prove himself in the upcoming playoffs.

However, perhaps Curry felt that the anger he had accumulated this season was not explosive enough.

Before the playoffs, ESPN, in summarizing Qin Yue's great season, didn't forget to mention Curry, saying: "Of course, besides the already divine messiah, Stephen Curry, who has never proven himself, is also a player we should pay attention to."

What do you mean by "I have never proven myself"?

Curry got anxious.

This time, they were really in a hurry.

Seeing this, Brown could only advise Curry not to rush things. During the team's training session, he said to Curry, "Stephen, you don't need to care about ESPN's evaluation of you. After all, this is a media outlet that ranks LeBron James ahead of Gerrard."

"what?"

Meanwhile, Gerald Wallace, who only just realized that he had been ranked "behind the road" at the small forward position in ESPN's season summary, was furious and exclaimed, "Damn ESPN! What kind of crap is this?"

That's right, this is the true status of "the roadside player" in the minds of contemporary players right now.

For Wallace himself
This is likely the biggest insult he has suffered in recent times.

……

PS: This chapter serves as a summary of the current stage before the completion of "The Summit," and it's probably the first time A Qiao has included so much data in a single chapter. Yes, this season is the final season of the main body of "The Summit." (After the main body is finished, A Qiao will try to write the remaining seven seasons of Lao Qin in a chapter-based biography format.)
(End of this chapter)