The Knight and the Pistons are in the same division, so the highest ranking they can achieve in the East is fourth. The Knight have no pressure in terms of ranking, their only goal is to hit 50 wins.
Winning 3 out of 4 games is still quite pressure-inducing for the Knight.
The biggest pressure comes from the opponents they’re facing right now...
At 6 p.m., the game kicked off.
James, so far, hadn’t found a way to break through the Bobcats’ defense. Technique and fundamentals were lacking, and simply trying to think of solutions wasn’t going to solve the problem.
But the Bobcats’ defense against James could be further optimized through tactical improvements!
In the first quarter, the Bobcats came out with a score of 23 to 13, immediately silencing the home crowd!
By the second quarter, the Bobcats continued to suppress the Knight, scoring 22 to 20, leading by 12 points at halftime with a score of 45 to 33!
James had 6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block at halftime and was reduced to focusing on rebounding.
In their previous two encounters, the Bobcats did well in limiting James’s scoring efficiency but couldn’t restrict his shot attempts and scoring, allowing James over 30 shooting opportunities per game. Tonight, the Bobcats did even better in this regard!
To limit James’s counterattack scoring, the Bobcats would rather sacrifice their own fast break chances, preferring to slow down the pace and quickly set up their defense...
After halftime, the Knight still saw no improvement. Having not met for a month and a half, the Bobcats had made significant progress, which was evident from their improved record from 26 wins and 29 losses to 41 wins and 37 losses. Mike Brown actually had made preparations, mainly on the defensive end where they did quite well, bringing down the Bobcats’ scoring. But on the offensive end, Mike Brown had no solution.
The third quarter saw a score of 24 to 15, and the final quarter 17 to 26. The Bobcats extended their lead to as much as 21 points, and only after James was benched did the Bobcats’ defense start to relax.
James tonight made 5 of 15 shots, including 1 of 5 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws, totaling 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He tried to adapt by reducing shots and ball-handling... and then the team’s offense completely fell apart.
Okafor and Felton focused on defense tonight, with neither scoring in double figures, but Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace, and Brezec had a good scoring performance.
Zhang Yang didn’t have many counterattacks, continuing his performance from the past two games with 9 of 16 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, plus 3 out of 3 free throws, claiming 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Gerald Wallace scored 17 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and had 3 assists, while Brezec had 15 points and 9 rebounds.
With a score of 86 to 74, the Bobcats solidly defeated the Knight, improving their record to 42 wins and 37 losses, and further securing their playoff spot.
For the Knight, the road to 50 wins became even tougher, with all 3 of their remaining games being must-wins, but as a favored team, the Knight’s last three regular-season games will all be against playoff powerhouses...
The Bobcats once again shut down James, sparking attention once more.
Zhang Yang has scored over 20 points for a third consecutive game, bringing his season total of 20+ point games to 18, with 3 games remaining. He has the chance to become the second rookie of the ’05 class to surpass 20 instances of scoring 20+ points in a rookie season, which has also sparked discussion among the media and fans about his scoring talent.
But both the Bobcats and Zhang Yang himself hadn’t the slightest interest in such matters.
The day after beating the Knight, the Bobcats returned to Charlotte. There was no practice scheduled for the afternoon, but under the strong request of several core players, Bickerstaff called a team meeting to study tomorrow’s opponent, the 76ers.
The opponent doesn’t matter; what’s important is that if they win tomorrow’s game, they’ll lock a playoff berth two games early!
As the Bobcats defeated the Knight, the ninth-place Bucks lost their game, changing their record to 40 wins and 39 losses. With the Bobcats holding the advantage in direct confrontations with the Bucks, if the Bobcats win tomorrow, even if the Bucks win their last three games, the Bobcats will still be ranked ahead of them.
From being pushovers to a team capable of winning 30 games, to being on the cusp of the playoffs... The Bobcats’ players couldn’t wait, anxious to secure their playoff spot immediately!
I forgot I had to work today, so I was late and got my salary docked, crap, and the update is late as well, which is even more upsetting... Give me some votes to console this poor Little Wind, and thank you, buddies, for your support! I’ll keep writing~