No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 1424 - 551: Another Stumbling Point?

As the saying goes, people need an enemy, someone they’re willing to keep pushing forward to defeat, even if it kills them.

With the mindset of ’One day I will definitely defeat Zhang Yang,’ Mayo worked hard for 4 years. This season, he averaged 22.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. That might be his ceiling, but he’s firmly an All-Star point guard, and this year he was selected as an All-Star reserve along with Al Jefferson and Josh Smith, having secured first place in the East.

Some say that when you achieve a goal you’ve worked towards for years, you may feel endless emptiness, lose your target and belief, and gradually become disheartened.

But Mayo’s determination seems like it has to keep going. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Bobcats had a tough go, but after a 6-game battle, they defeated the Celtics 4-2 and advanced to the East Final as an underdog!

Harden, Curry, and Bosh had a rough second round, facing off against peak Granger, Randolph, and DeRozan, who joined the ranks of players averaging 20 points per game.

4-1, the Pacers effortlessly beat the Knicks, meeting the Bobcats in the East Final!

Over in the West, James hit a rough patch. They all had 47 wins, and they had mixed results with the Lakers and Thunder Team. But the Southwest Division is the most daunting in the six divisions. The Rockets’ in-division record wasn’t as good as the Lakers in the Pacific Division or the Thunder Team in the Northwest Division, so they could only settle for fourth, then faced the Spurs, who always had their number in the West.

James fought with all his might and created opportunities, but after a 6-game series, they were eliminated 2-4, stopping at the second round.

The day after No. 23 was eliminated, No. 24 was also out, so this condensed season was tough for a veteran-heavy team like the Lakers. After 6 games, the Lakers lost to the Thunder Team 2-4, stopping at the second round.

The Thunder Team and Spurs met in the Western Conference Finals.

...

After the Bobcats finished the second round, they rested for one day before heading to Indianapolis. After a night’s rest, the East Finals began on May 27th.

When Wade was confirmed out for the playoffs, the Pacers were seen as the strongest in the East, and they didn’t disappoint, advancing to the East Finals and once again standing in the Bobcats’ way.

The young DeRozan, peak Granger, and Randolph moved from being at the bottom of the league to making the playoffs and advancing to the East Finals for the second consecutive year. The Pacers exploded with astonishing power from the first game, pressing the Bobcats hard!

As time reached June 1st, the game venue had switched to Charlotte’s Tuhang Stadium. After another 2 and a half hours, the final whistle blew.

The score was 103 to 95, with the Pacers winning on the road, bringing the series lead to... 3-0!

The Pacers won 3 games in a row!

The point differences weren’t large, with the biggest one being in Game 1, an 11-point gap, while the other two games had single-digit differences.

The Pacers’ advantage in roster depth was very clear, with Randolph as uniquely powerful on the inside.

On the Bobcats’ side, this East Final was effectively a 7-man rotation. Zhang Yang returned to the shooting guard position, sometimes having to play point guard, rotating the backcourt with Felton and Afflalo, with Marion, Ibaka, Millsap, and Okafor rotating the front court.

Only when these 7 were on could they hold their ground. Carlisle had no more tricks, even pulling out the rotation methods he saw watching the Celtics play from the bench in the ’80s... but in regulation time they were always at a disadvantage, always trailing by a few points.

At crucial moments, when they needed stars to step up, Granger on the other side would stand against Zhang Yang, and in 3 games, the Bobcats didn’t manage a comeback opportunity even once!

Trailing 0-3, the TV commentators had already pronounced the Bobcats dead, and the fans in attendance were also in despair. During the years of 3 championships in 4 years, they were spoiled, and now, coming to the second round and East Finals, they are at a loss.

The TV commentators even started analyzing the peak years of the Bobcats, analyzing correctly—from the 2004 to 2009 drafts, the team enjoyed the dividends of six years of high-quality drafts. Now, the benefits brought by rookies like Collison and Cunningham are no longer sufficient to support the Bobcats’ continued title contention.

Zhang Yang, after another loss, walked toward the players’ tunnel with a blank expression. At this moment, a fan on one side of the tunnel wearing a Pacers No. 22 jersey shouted loudly—

"Danny Boss, sweep the bad kids! We want 4-0!"

Zhang Yang’s steps stopped, and his dull eyes were momentarily blank before gradually becoming clear...