The situation was extremely unfavorable, trailing by 17 games. It was the third largest series win gap of the season... but he would never give up until the last moment!
The Bobcats secured their first series victory, which neither the media nor the fans found surprising.
The Nets had Kidd, which was exciting, but their loss was expected, so not many American channels broadcasted it live, and the ratings were pretty average. Most people tuned into the simultaneous matchup between the Knight and the Toronto Raptors from the ’03 class.
The post-game news also focused more on the matchup between James and Bosh.
James made 11 of 21 shots, including 2 of 4 three-pointers, plus 4 of 6 free throws, scoring 28 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Along with Larry Hughes’s 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, Gooden’s 16 points, 10 rebounds, and Big Z’s 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, the Knight narrowly defeated the Toronto Raptors 96 to 91.
Bosh made 8 of 15 shots, plus 6 of 6 free throws to score 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, performing well.
Calderon came off the bench for 33 minutes, played both point guard and shooting guard, made 8 of 13 shots, including 6 of 9 three-pointers, scoring 22 points with 6 assists, delivering a fine performance.
But Ford, taking the most shots, made 5 of 20, scoring 14 points with 5 assists, severely hampered by a leg pull.
About Ford’s poor performance, the media coverage was weird—they didn’t say Ford played badly, but rather praised how well the defending player number 23 did...
The next day at noon, Zhang Yang, Felton, Jarett Jack were gathered around the computer in the locker room looking at the news.
Felton, watching the Knight’s news, complained, "Is defending Ford’s mid to long-range shots really worth such praise? Jack, if you were guarding, you could defend better than him..."
Zhang Yang, "I watched the highlights. James really did defend Ford well. He wasn’t recklessly charging like in last season’s playoffs. He was much more composed, and his defensive habits have greatly improved. Even though it’s overpraised a bit, the media isn’t exaggerating this time."
Felton, "It is true, Jack, it’s weird; I see that you are not very fond of James, but you always speak up for him. However, I like that about you, being objective... Alas, Kidd’s triple-double wasn’t as hot as Ford being locked down to 5 of 20, those fans are too much. They are already forgetting about Kidd?"
Jarett Jack, "Yeah, in the past, Kidd was called the new millennium’s ruler of the East. It has only been a few years!"
Zhang Yang, "That’s the way it is for superstars without championships. 10 years ago, the Utah Duo was all the rage, reaching the finals twice. After Jordan retired, the Jazz Team still drew a lot of attention, but as the years passed, fans spoke less and less about them. After the Lakers’ threepeat, no one talked about the Jazz Team related topics anymore. If Malone hadn’t gone to join the Lakers, perhaps only when news of the Duo’s retirement came would people have remembered them again, just like Barkley... Kidd’s era in the East is also over."
As fans of Kidd, Felton and Jarett Jack felt a wave of sadness on hearing this.
Zhang Yang continued, "Nevermind that Kidd’s triple-double didn’t get much attention, it’s ridiculous that me scoring 35 points didn’t get as much attention as James locking down Ford. The youngest in playoff history to score 30 points in a single game! Last year in my playoff debut, I scored 20 points and it got more attention... Boss, in the second round, you have to crush James!"
This double standard commentary, even as teammates, they couldn’t stand it!