Chapter 17: Beyond Jordan meets skepticism, Philadelphia meets AI.
.....
The next afternoon.
Both teams rushed to Wachovia Center Field.
Pre-game press conference.
A reporter asked Iverson, "What do you think about that rookie from the Lakers saying that three-point shooting is the future, and then saying that he could easily surpass Jordan?"
The reporter was obviously looking for a fight, Iverson, despite his awesome scoring ability, wasn't very good at three-point shooting, this reporter deliberately emphasized.
Somewhat to the reporter's surprise, Iverson calmly said, "I don't have an opinion."
Iverson didn't feel how arrogant Zeng Zhen was when he heard the reporter's spin.
After all, that's how he got here as a rookie back in the day.
Beyond God?
Is it hard?
Iverson felt that if Jordan was in front of him against him, he could just as easily blow Jordan away.
Seeing no way to provoke Iverson, the reporter turned to Iguodala and asked for his assessment.
Iguodala said, "Hey, I'm going to play defense on him and get a chance to tell him, "Welcome to the NBA.""
Iguodala understands traffic, he knows what reporters want, and he's happy to be the one to pick on Zeng Zhen.
Iguodala has a great plan for his career and he wants to make a name for himself first now.
The reporter then asked, "He's had three games of 30+, how many more points do you think he'll get tonight."
Iguodala said, "No more than 20 points."
Ten points is too little. Lagabelle is too stupid to be that stupid.
Iguodala thought it was still okay to slightly defend Zeng Zhen and make it tougher for Zeng Zhen to score.
Zeng Zhen's lean body looked ready to be eaten by Iguodala.
On the other hand, Zeng Zhen did not give an interview to the reporter.
These reporters were carrying a lot of malice and would edit his words with a lot of malice, and these made Zeng Zhen upset.
...
In pre-game warm-ups, every time Zeng Zhen made a throwing shot.
Philadelphia 76ers home fans boo.
Zeng Zhen looks like the kind of rookie who doesn't know any better to American fans these days.
Bynum came over to Zeng Zhen and said, "Man, you're a real daredevil, you haven't stopped receiving boos since you came out on the court."
Zeng Zhen made a three-point shot and laughed immediately afterward, "Don't you think that's exciting?"
Bynum said, "How do you find it exciting? Tell me about it?"
Zeng Zhen said, "They hate me but can't do anything about me, isn't that a great feeling? It would be even more comfortable if we were able to their home field to beat their home team."
Bynum laughed, "That's really something, you've got a big heart."
Bynum could feel Zeng Zhen's self-confidence, as if all this provocation was not in his eyes.
If it were him, he'd be nervous about not playing well.
But Zeng Zhen seemed to be very confident in his own strength.
Soon enough, the race was on.
Zeng Zhen remained on the bench, and Zen Master still didn't schedule him to start.
The Lakers side of the attack mainly play inside mainly, Bynum and Odom both continued the good form of the last game, successive attack scored.
The 76ers have Chris Webber inside with Dalembert.
Webb looks too old, his pace is a bit slow, Odom plays a nimble game and against him just pulls out and hits, then explodes and accelerates a step over.
The 76ers side of the offense was mostly an Iverson-based positional attack with the occasional counterattack by others.
Iguodala had a good day as well, hitting back-to-back rebounds off steals.
After every steal and counterattack to win the game, Iguodala had to punch Zeng Zhen off the court to pick a fight.
"Rookie, why are you still on the bench."
"Playing on the bench doesn't qualify you to play against me."
Iguodala kept ranting and raving at the Lakers bench, even as he was warned once by the referees.
Now Iguodala is not a good old boy, he is full of competitiveness, he has just entered the league two seasons, he is being touted as the future of the 76ers, known as the small "AI".
The scene also gave Zeng Zhen a lot of shots, but Zeng Zhen still didn't pay attention to Iguodala's provocation.
Zeng Zhen sees no point in responding to such provocations.
The clock quickly came to 3:11.
The score at this point was 18-18, with both teams in the middle of a tie.
Zen Master decisively replaced Smash Parker with Zeng Zhen after calling a halt to the game.
Zeng Zhen made his first appearance with the score not trailing, and he also felt slightly more relaxed.
It's really heartbreaking if your teammates pull too much.
"Defend his three-point shot, don't let him make a three."
"Force him to the basket or make mid-range shots."
Chris Webber working the defensive setup.
The 76ers also switched up their rotation; Salmons, Korver, Barnes, Iguodala, Chris Webber.
Iverson went down for a break and he continued to play well with 10 points in the first quarter.
On the Lakers' side were Zeng Zhen, Vujacic, Devin George, Odom, and Kwame Brown.
The Zen master values Bynum more than Zeng Zhen, and he often starts Bynum.
Kwame Brown is also proving to be untouchable, and his chances with the Lakers are dwindling.
Back from a timeout.
It was Laker possession on the court.
Zeng Zhen dribbled past half court and immediately gave the ball to Odom.
Odom organizes from the arc.
Zeng Zhen runs around Kwame Brown and Korver is blocked, but Iguodala's assist arrives.
Zeng Zhen received a pass from Odom for a quick three-point shot that was interfered with.
"Frame!"
The basketball hit the rim hard and Webber gathered the rebound.
Back to the 76ers offense.
Salmons, who is an average offensive player, gave the ball to Webber at the free throw line.
Webber faced Odom's defense and dribbled a step to the right after a false start.
Odom didn't lose his spot, just Iguodala on the outside cut in and Webber saw it with his sharp eyes.
Webber gives the ball to Iguodala in the lane.
Iguodala leaned on Kwame Brown and upended the ball on a layup against the play.
Apparently Kwame Brown isn't putting much pressure on Iguodala.
18 to 20.
Iguodala flashed his muscles toward the camera after the goal, then he rushed Zeng Zhen and said, "Rookie, that's how a man should play."
The fans in the crowd cheered as well.
Zeng Zhen received the serve from Odom and dribbled across half court.
The fans in the crowd sent boos.
Zeng Zhen gives the ball to Odom.
Odom gives the ball to Vujacic, who gives it to Devean George.
Devon George dribbled and stumbled on a breakaway as Zeng Zhen continued to run with the cover of Kwame Brown.
This time Zeng Zhen's chance came in the bottom corner.
Devon George didn't pass out very well, leaving Zeng Zhen to make a slight adjustment.
Zeng Zhen's three-point shot again.
"Frame!"
Still nothing, hit the iron.
Webber got the defensive rebound, Iguodala was quick off the bench, and Webber gave the ball directly to Iguodala.
Iguodala was quick and he received the ball and scored on a counterattack against Vujacic.
18 to 22.
The 76ers home crowd was vocal and the fans on the floor were cheering.
Zeng Zhen on the field didn't panic.
It's not unusual to not have two threes in a row; his hand has been hot for three games in a row, and an occasional cold streak doesn't mean anything.
He's not in that peak condition right now.
Although he missed consecutive shots, Zeng Zhen would not remain skeptical about his shots, as long as he had the opportunity, he should still shoot.
If he's wary of striking out on his own, then his rhythm will be messed up.
The first quarter ended quickly.
Zeng Zhen was a total of 0-of-4 from 3-point range and went 1-for-1 from the field in just over three minutes of action.
The score between the two teams is also now 20-27, and the Lakers are down by seven points on the road.
After watching Zeng Zhen's performance in the first quarter.
A lot of fans on the internet turned up the heat.
"But don't shoot anything but three-pointers."
"Fark, then Iron has the nerve to keep striking out."
"This is going to surpass Jordan? I laughed."
"It's starting to pull the hips, and it's hard when you get familiarized with your opponent's style of play."
"Played real soft."
Fans have taken to the forums out of habit.
CCTV studio.
Zhang Weiping said, "Zeng Zhen's touch was not good once he took the field today, probably because of some off-field incidents that affected him."
Seo Je-sung said, "I don't really think it's because of the off-court incident, the shooter's hand will naturally have an up and down phase, it just happened to occur at this time, I believe Zeng Zhen will make adjustments quickly."
Zhang said, "Yes, if you can't score, then help the team in other ways."
Seo said, "You can try to go in and play inside a little bit."
Holiday break.
The Zen master laid out, "Tseng, if it's not a particularly good opportunity, control the three-point shot a little."
Zeng Zhen nodded.
The Zen Master was the curmudgeonly coach who wasn't a big fan of strong three-point shots, and if Zeng Zhen couldn't make the shot, then he would have made an observation.
Zeng Zhen listens, but he doesn't necessarily execute, and still pitches just as well when he has the chance anyway.
Zen Master did not replace Zeng Zhen, but let him continue to play.
Zeng Zhen had done well before, and he still had that bit of patience.
In the second quarter, the teams remained in that same rotation.
76ers offense.
Zeng Zhen upped his defensive intensity as he started pressing Salmons right from the back.
Salmons is a tall 2'01" guard who primarily plays point guard, but the fact that 76 has Iverson has led to him occasionally being moved to the point guard position by coaches.
Salmons plays point guard only part-time, and he doesn't protect the ball enough against Zeng Zhen.
Just as he was about to cross the halfway line, Zeng Zhen suddenly moved forward and broke the ball off with a probing sprint.
The new ability flared up!
The cheers at the 76ers' home arena came to a screeching halt when Salmons tried to rebound the ball because he lost possession and ended up dropping his entire body.
Zeng Zhen dribbled and rushed to the front court, at this time, Iguodala also all back to the basket.
The 76ers defense is in a bit of disarray.
In the conversion, Zeng Zhen appeared open for a three-point play.
Although it was a bit out of line with the trend of hitting in this era, Zeng Zhen remained resolute and took a shot.
The basketball made a wonderful arc.
"Swish!"
Dry hits.
23 to 27.
It was the first three-pointer of the night hit by Zeng Zhen.
Iguodala was also a little sorry to see it, he should have pounced more firmly.
The Zen Master narrowed his eyes on the sidelines, as if Zeng Zhen hadn't taken his words to heart.
But the ball went in, and it was nothing to write home about.
The Lakers players on the court are also slightly relieved, Zeng Zhen's three-point drive, the game will be slightly better.
76ers offense.
Salmons protects the ball well this time, and he brings it across half-court before giving it to Webb.
Facing Odom's defense, Webber didn't have much of an advantage in footwork, opting for a free-throw line jumper after consecutive tentative steps.
Not much interference from Odom.
"Swish!"
23 to 29.
Laker offense.
Zeng Zhen dribbled past and then gave the ball to Odom in the lane.
Odom takes a test step with the ball, and he comes in facing Webber to dribble a one-step jumper as well.
The shot was too obvious for Odom's offensive intent and was interfered with by Webb.
"Frame!"
The basketball hit the rim and bounced up, but luckily Kwame Brown leaped up to collect the rebound.
Kwame Brown had a chance at the basket, but he was too afraid to play himself and he threw the ball back out.
Zeng Zhen received the ball outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, with Iguodala defending him.
Zeng Zhen fakes a shot and Iguodala is shaken, only Iguodala reacts quickly and doesn't give Zeng Zhen the chance to break through, he quickly gets back into position.
The two formed a one-on-one one-on-one situation.
Iguodala lowered his center of gravity and opened his hands as he shouted at Zeng Zhen, "Rookie, come on, come on, one on one."
Zeng Zhen ignored his shouts and raised his hand for a block.
Kwame Brown is active off the bench.
Blocking is what Zeng Zhen likes to do on offense now.
"Bang!"
Iguodala is depressed and blocked.
Zeng Zhen moved across to his right and Dellambert assisted on defense.
Zeng Zhen quickly tapped the ball low from the right side to the left, and he came with a change of pace through the side of Dalembert.
Zeng Zhen smoothly burst into the lane, he didn't feel pressure from his position in the paint to come up with a throw-in.
The basketball made a small arc.
"Swish!"
The basketball fell into the basket with precision.
25 to 29.
Although Zeng Zhen had just made a three-point shot, he didn't stay obsessed with the three-point line, and when he had the chance to burst in, he still burst in and scored.
The throw also dampened the sound of the fans in the crowd slightly.
This rookie looked a little something.
Zhang Weiping also said excitedly, "Good job, the ball used the block to break the 76ers' defense completely, and Zeng Zhen finished the finish with his own precise little throw."
Seo Je-sung said, "That was a little bit of an easy shot by Odom, and Kwame Brown took credit for it."
76ers offense.
Webb holds the ball down low on the left side.
Webber, who averages 20 points per game, is the centerpiece point in this lineup.
Webb leaned on Odom and prepared for a low back bump.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Zeng Zhen comes in fast and clinches while Webb is concentrating on the singles.
"Pop!"
Zeng Zhen cuts the ball down with a quick eye.
Super steals on display once again!
Webb's ball dropped and was picked up by Devon George on the sideline.
Devon George gives the ball to Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhen dribbles quickly across half court.
The 76ers' defense was a bit confused, but Iguodala knew that Zeng Zhen was the main scorer, and he continued to stay close to Zeng Zhen.
Zeng Zhen took his time getting to the slanting 45-degree position and looked like he was going to wait for his teammates to drop in and block.
Iguodala also relaxed a little.
But Zeng Zhen suddenly came with a turnaround burst.
"Whoosh!"
Zeng Zhen wipes Iguodala off the ball, a shot which shows his agility.
Dalembert came over to assist on defense and Zeng Zhen gave the ball to Kwame Brown who followed on the other side.
Kwame Brown can't score any other way, but he can still eat pie.
Zeng Zhen has completely cracked the 76ers' defense with this shot, and Kwame Brown's dunk is very easy.
"Frame!"
With a two-handed plunge, Kwame Brown used to form his body into a pendulum that kept swinging.
27 to 29.
The score gradually caught up.
Zeng Zhen celebrates with Kwame Brown by high-fiving him.
"Tseng, good pass." Kwame Brown thrilled.
Kwame Brown, who has been called a waterboy since he was elected to the first team, has been taking on extra pressure.
He was often at a loss for words on the field.
It wasn't until these games that Kwame Brown felt like he was finding his footing.
Playing next to Zeng Zhen made him feel relaxed.
He will only cover and Zeng Zhen will be able to throw after with the help of coverages.
All he does is eat pies, whereas Zeng Zhen is able to draw all the defense away from him to let him eat pies.
That's comforting.
Kobe wouldn't pass him the ball like that.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone