章節 60: Losing the Game Again but Winning the Stats?
Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a genin or chunin.
I will start editing the new novel The Warrior Godfather, in which I will change the name and nationality of the MC, I will change parts of the story.
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(A note from the author: I realized that the part about signing a contract with Nike might have come off too casually, which led to some dissatisfaction among readers. Initially, I provided a 6-year, 12 million contract for the sake of realism, based on similar deals, like Anthony's 6-year, 18 million deal with AJ. The protagonist didn't sign an actual 6-year, 12 million contract; it had a reward mechanism, and the amount was set to increase soon in the story. However, I may have overthought it and ended up complicating things. Given that this is an online story meant for entertainment, I changed it to the protagonist rejecting the lowball offer and instead signing a big contract after proving his worth in the second year, giving Nike a slap in the face. Apologies for any less-than-ideal reading experiences.)
"This rookie is really something..."
Even on the bench, Malone couldn't help but comment as he watched Wang Chong compete with James without losing his edge.
As the current second-highest scorer in NBA history, Malone has had the longest career among the Lakers' current franchise players and has witnessed a lot.
He could see that Wang Chong's style of play could thrive in the league, and with another two years of development, he could become a formidable problem on the defensive end for every team in the NBA.
However, before that happens, Wang Chong must first address the issue of his playing style being studied, analyzed, and targeted by other teams after entering the league.
Many young and emerging players dominate on the court by relying on their unique skills, but once those skills are studied, analyzed, and countered, they are like a bird without wings and cannot perform at all.
This is the so-called rookie wall.
Those rookies with outstanding talent and strong adaptability can quickly adjust and overcome the rookie wall when they encounter it, but most rookies will hit this wall and may never be able to surpass it throughout their entire careers.
If Wang Chong can experience more NBA games and officially overcome this rookie wall, he will become a truly valuable and potentially superstar rookie.
Second Quarter Continued
Since the Lakers had built a sufficient lead in the first quarter, not all of their starters returned for the second quarter. O'Neal and two veterans, Gary Payton and Malone, continued to rest on the bench, but Kobe returned to the court.
However, Kobe's appearance disrupted Wang Chong's rhythm.
Fisher, known for adapting to the situation, immediately started passing the ball to Kobe the moment he stepped onto the court.
As a result, Wang Chong found himself struggling to receive the ball.
Whenever Kobe has the ball, he takes it upon himself to make a play.
The Cavaliers, whose overall strength is weak and whose defense is not great, couldn't contain Kobe, whose frequent shots were quite efficient. In the blink of an eye, he scored 6 points.
Wang Chong thought, "..."
Well done! You're still the best when it comes to bullying weaker opponents! No wonder you're the guy who once scored 81 points in a single game.
The Lakers continued to dominate, but James seized his chances when Wang Chong didn't have the ball, scoring several points and surpassing Wang Chong's total points.
A few minutes later, Wang Chong was also substituted.
There wasn't much he could do about the coach's decision.
But as he was leaving the court, head coach Phil Jackson gave Wang Chong a slight nod and said softly, "You played well. Don't worry; this game will give you a chance to match up against James."
Hearing this, Wang Chong felt reassured.
A championship coach is indeed a championship coach. People often say that Phil Jackson relies solely on superstars to win games, but his ability to manage relationships between superstars and create effective on-court chemistry is a testament to his coaching wisdom.
For instance, Kobe's strong desire to perform is understandable. The Eagle County incident has overwhelmed him, and he naturally needs an outlet to release his pressure. Doing so on the court is the best option.
In the second quarter, Phil Jackson intended to let Kobe go wild. However, even Kobe couldn't stay motivated for a full game in such a low-stakes preseason match.
By now, it should be enough to have shown off in front of James, the new number-one pick.
As for the next two quarters, they would be left entirely to Wang Chong.
Phil Jackson was also eager to see the outcome of the showdown between Wang Chong and James—to see who would come out on top.
After Wang Chong exited the court in the second quarter, he didn't return for the remainder of the half.
The Lakers continued to push forward under Kobe's leadership.
Against the Cavaliers' defense—which could generously be described as full of holes—Kobe racked up 17 points in a single quarter, helping the Lakers widen their lead to more than 25 points by halftime.
The massive lead made the game's outcome a foregone conclusion.
During the halftime break, James looked a bit uneasy.
The game was completely different from what he had imagined.
For James, who was undefeated in high school, victory has been slipping further away ever since joining the Cavaliers, a bottom-tier team.
In the NBA, he has no way of single-handedly turning the tide, at least not yet.
Even in the preseason, the Cavaliers looked weak. It's easy to imagine how much they will struggle in the more intense regular season.
"But at least I won in the individual matchup."
Although James's 11 points in the first quarter were slightly behind Wang Chong's 12, Wang Chong didn't score a single point in the second quarter, while James added another 9 points. His halftime stats had reached 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
James didn't want to lose both the game and his individual matchup with Wang Chong, which would mean losing face both personally and as a team.
However, James couldn't have imagined that in the second half of the game, he would end up losing everything.
Third Quarter
Wang Chong started again in the third quarter, while Kobe was substituted by the head coach.
Kobe seemed satisfied with his wild performance in the second quarter. After all, this was just a preseason game, and he wasn't interested in playing the entire game. He watched the rest of the game from the sidelines with a smile.
This allowed Wang Chong to become the Lakers' offensive focus once again.
At this point, James was still resting on the bench. He had played nearly 18 minutes in the first half. Although James was young, his stamina wasn't at its peak yet, so he needed more rest in the third quarter.
But even with James taking a breather, Wang Chong went completely off.
The Cavaliers' backup forward was Ira Newble, a little-known player who averaged only 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game throughout his eight-year NBA career.
James was able to use his explosive athleticism to create some problems for Wang Chong, but Newble couldn't do that at all. As a result, at the start of the game, Wang Chong made all three of his mid-range jump shots and scored 6 points in a row. His personal score now reached 18 points—just 2 points shy of James's 20!
(End of this chapter)
Note: I will continue uploading as promised 4-5 chapters every day until 100, after 100 1-2 per day, with stones, reviews, and collections I will upload more don't worry.
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Chugamc
Chugamc Hi guys this is Chuga. If you read this far and liked it you can leave comments, stones and reviews which is very important for a new translator / author.
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