The two battled fiercely from the final minute of the first quarter until the Charlotte Bobcats called a timeout with 5:22 left in the second period.
During this time, Iverson made 7 out of 11 shots, and with 2 free throws made out of 2, he scored 16 points, making it 18 points with the one Felton defended him!
Zhang Yang scored another layup at the end of the first quarter, and in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter, he made 6 out of 10 shots to score 12 points. Including the initial backdown on Iverson, and during their head-to-head, he scored 16 points!
The two of them were going back and forth!
However, on Iverson’s side, he had been the main offensive focus for 6 minutes from the start of the game, never taking a break, and had just attacked for 12 straight rounds, still not showing any signs of fatigue, as if he could go for another 24 rounds.
And on Zhang Yang’s side, he was already nearly collapsing...
Otherwise, Bickerstaff wouldn’t have called a timeout to sub him out.
When Zhang Yang was subbed out, he only had one thought in his mind—those two guys from the ’96 draft are inhuman!
But after collapsing in the chair, he still felt very satisfied, having gone head-to-head with Iverson!
With 13 out of 18 shots made, he scored 26 points. Such an opportunity for a duel just wasn’t possible in the earlier part of the season, and just now, he hit the jackpot.
After that, he stopped caring about anything else and rested properly...
By the time the one-on-one showdown between Zhang Yang and Iverson had ended, the 76ers had narrowed the score to 31-38, closing the gap to 7 points.
But that was the smallest difference for the rest of the game, as the Bobcats quickly extended the lead to double digits.
Just as Okafor and Gerald Wallace thought, the longer the head-to-head went on between Zhang Yang and Iverson, the more disadvantageous it was for the 76ers, even if Iverson won a few more points during the duels, it didn’t change the outcome.
The Bobcats no longer left Iverson one-on-one, but double-teamed him crazily. Iverson had to pass the ball, and even he, faced with Felton’s defense, Gerald Wallace’s help from the wing, and Okafor’s shot blocking under the basket, couldn’t find a way through, and couldn’t even take enough shots to use his possession properly.
They have to thank James for that, as to guard him, the Bobcats were ’forced’ to significantly improve their double-teaming ability.
In the beginning, the 76ers were active in their perimeter movement, but now they had settled and the shooting from open positions also wasn’t good.
The Bobcats were pretty much the same, as their shooters had lost their rhythm, but Gerald Wallace and Okafor attacked fiercely, and the Haitian Prince Dalembert, despite earning tens of millions, couldn’t stop them at all.
That 6-year near-max deal for the Haitian Prince seems like it’s going to rot in the hands of the 76ers. When Ben Wallace talked about renewing his contract with the Pistons, he mentioned that if Dalembert could get a 6-year, $66 million deal, then a 5-year, $80 million or 4-year, $60 million contract for himself was reasonable, right?
By the time Zhang Yang entered the game after the official timeout in the second half, the difference had already reached 22 points.
That’s when the benefit of being a rookie showed, as Gerald Wallace and Okafor went off to rest, leaving Felton and Zhang Yang to keep swinging!
Zhang Yang didn’t hog the ball, taking turns with Felton to attack.
What he found regrettable was that Iverson also rested after the official timeout and wouldn’t be playing anymore.
In the following period, Zhang Yang scored another 9 points. There was no helping it, as even when the Big Fatty tried to give him the ball, he could no longer play the way he did. Once he scored over 30 points, the opponents stopped playing fair and started double-teaming the rookie directly, not even waiting for a defensive help situation but having someone close in before he even received the ball. As soon as he did, he was double-teamed... Felton could only tearfully push his scoring to 20+
At 9:24 in the evening, the final whistle of the game blew.
Zhang Yang made 16 out of 26 shots and was 3 for 4 from free throws, scoring 35 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, tying his personal best for single-game scoring.
Felton made 9 out of 20 shots, including 0 out of 3 three-pointers, and was 3 for 5 from the free-throw line, scoring 21 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists.
With 20 points from Gerald Wallace and 17 points from Okafor...
The Bobcats’ four major talents combined for 93 points, leading the team to an easy victory over the 76ers with a score of 108-90, improving their record to 43 wins and 37 losses, clinching a playoff spot two games early!
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