No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 200 - 113. Okafor Uninjured Was Like This

On the afternoon of February 23, the Bobcats had an intrasquad game with each half lasting 10 minutes.

Okafor’s performance pleasantly surprised Zhang Yang!

He could score quickly on the fast break like Bosh, Randolph, and Chandler.

He could provide solid rim protection like Kwame Brown and Dampier.

He could score from close range by playing physical like Nene and Kaman.

He could handle the ball calmly like Duncan...

Although his fast-break scoring wasn’t as good as Stoudemire’s or Howard’s, his rim protection wasn’t as good as Yao Ming’s or Duncan’s, and his interior scoring wasn’t comparable to that of contemporaries like Gasol and Boozer, he possessed all the skills a frontcourt player should have, and he was excellent at all of them!

The key thing was that Okafor was only in his sophomore year, and he had even wasted one summer putting on weight and half a season losing it without playing!

"So this is what the unbulked Emeka Okafor used to be like!" Zhang Yang exclaimed.

He had another thought he didn’t voice—Okafor, before gaining weight and injuring his ankle, was actually this type of player.

Zhang Yang only began to understand the player Okafor was after 2009.

In the 2009 playoffs, Chandler, who had been in the NBA for eight years, was overwhelmingly outplayed by Nene and Kenyon Martin; it was during the first-round series when the Hornets were demolished by the Nuggets by 58 points... The Hornets, unable to tolerate Chandler’s slow progress, traded him to the Bobcats for Okafor.

It’s worth mentioning that after nurturing Chandler for a year, the Bobcats saw no improvement and lost their patience, trading him to the Mavericks in the summer of 2010... where Chandler, at 28, blossomed into his prime, making the All-Defensive team for the first time in his career—who could have imagined that a talent would need nine years to reach the level of an All-Star?

Okafor, who went to play with Paul in 2009, left an impression on Zhang Yang as a slightly cumbersome, low-post defender with a little mid-range shooting, stable performance, capable of 10 points, 10 rebounds a game, and after playing for two or three years past 30, vanished from the NBA without leaving any other impressions.

Gerald Wallace, hearing Zhang Yang’s sigh, responded, "Emeka was one of the best interior players in the league as soon as he entered the NBA; it was thanks to him that we were able to maintain the basic dignity of an NBA team last season. Seeing his slowed steps and missed shots after gaining weight, I was very anxious but couldn’t communicate with him... The familiar Emeka has finally returned!"

Zhang Yang: "Emeka might be able to play soon; the team doctor said he could participate in the intrasquad game, which was too conservative or perhaps Emeka was very patient this time. He practiced until he felt he could play again right away, then informed the team doctor to conduct a health test."

Felton: "Jack, you’re right. On the 10th, Emeka already felt his body was ready, but he wanted to train for two more weeks to tune his game senses before officially rejoining the team, after all, his idol is Tim Duncan. He wanted to perform like Duncan as soon as he returned from injury... Emeka is tough, he’s really hard on himself. The team doctor thought he could maintain his health line at 265 pounds (120 kilograms), but for better mobility, he reduced it to 255 pounds (approximately 116 kilograms)."

Zhang Yang: "Hey, boss, I thought Emeka wasn’t talking to you?"

At this, Felton became speechless: "Didn’t I go back to school with you for the exams at the beginning of December? We both passed, and when school started last month I submitted my graduation application. Once Emeka knew I could graduate from college, he was willing to talk to me and approached me to discuss pick-and-roll offense. I took the opportunity to ask about his comeback plans."

Zhang Yang, Gerald Wallace: "..."

That’s so Okafor!

Zhang Yang changed the subject: "Gerald, we finally have a reliable interior player, you must be the happiest one, right?"

Gerald Wallace nodded excitedly, with Okafor starting and Perkins as backup, having two teammates excellent at protecting the rim, it’s delightful!

The first nearly four months, Gerald Wallace had a really tough time!

Okafor was injured at the start, fortunately, they were in the relatively weaker Eastern conference, where 5/8 of their opponents were Eastern teams, enabling them to secure a record of 24 wins and 29 losses.

When playing Western teams, don’t even talk about playing teams like the Mavericks or Spurs that have superb interior players.

Facing teams like the Nuggets and Clippers, who have first-rate interior power, they were completely overpowered.

Even against teams like the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and Kings, supported by a strong interior player, they struggled a lot.

Even in the East, there were hard times. There’s no need to mention the Heat; playing against teams like the Bucks, they would be troubled by Bogut’s rim protection and Magloire’s rebounding.

The Magic, burdened by the large contracts of Francis and Hill, only had the sophomore Howard, whom they had to fully focus on, and then get killed by the Magic’s perimeter shooters.

Though Gerald Wallace embraced every game with absolute passion and never complained, he was truly exhausted!

Now that Okafor was finally returning, how could he not be excited?

Felton was also very excited. With Okafor’s return, the chances of stabilizing their record were much higher!

Boozer and David West announced their recovery and return at the end of the All-Star weekend, Boozer scored 30 points and 10 rebounds against the Rockets in his return game yesterday, and David West scored 15 points and 14 rebounds against the Grizzlies in his return game, putting great pressure on Felton.

With similar records, the Bobcats, Hornets, and Jazz faced the return of the strongest interior players of their two rivals, significantly boosting their strength; the Bobcats’ record could possibly be surpassed by these two teams!

Comparing personal performances, Felton knew he couldn’t match Paul, no one from their draft class could compare with Paul, so defensively, he wanted to maintain the advantage.

Okafor was ready to return at any moment, the team’s perimeter players were all happy, but the interior players felt differently.

Voskuhl and Lonny Baxter felt that their chances of playing were dwindling even further.

Perkins, Brezec, and Eli were also worried about their positions going forward.

...

The next day, the home game against the 76ers was hosted by the Bobcats.

Okafor, as he wished, made it into the active roster for the first game after deciding to return, although he was placed on the bench, but beneath his stern expression was concealed a sense of pride.

This was a man’s little joy.

Currently, the 76ers had a slightly better record than the Bobcats, with 26 wins and 27 losses.

Iverson played in 46 of the first 53 games of the season, averaging 32 points per game, during which the 76ers won 25 times and lost 21, meaning in the 7 games Iverson didn’t play, the team won 1 and lost 6.

The situation faced by the three big superstars of the ’96 class this season was exactly the same.

In Zhang Yang’s memory of the future, Iverson, in the 05-06 season, was mocked by many fans for stat padding, but what he saw now was a superstar who, along with Kobe and Nash, ranked in the top ten of the MVP list.

As the season went into its second half, Iverson played more desperately, fighting fiercely in every game for a playoff spot.

But tonight, the Bobcats’ big men were playing just as desperately!

Haitian player, Dalembert, had secured an astonishing 6-year, $64 million contract last summer but the 24-year-old had not progressed as the 76ers’ management and Cuban had hoped, averaging only 8 points and 8 rebounds, which was his limit.

Indeed, it was Cuban who had made the 76ers a 6-year, $64 million extend-and-trade offer last summer. The 76ers, unwilling to trade or let the Haitian go, matched this huge contract, which fans perceived as Cuban’s response to "losing an MVP for nothing."

Tonight, Brezec had 14 points and 14 rebounds, Eli had 9 points and 10 rebounds, Perkins played 16 minutes to score 6 points, grab 7 rebounds, and block 2 shots... A group effort helped substitute Okafor, who played 22 minutes to only grab 5 rebounds, plus score 12 points, secure 2 steals, and block 1 shot.

Webber, Dalembert and substitute center Shafrick Randolph were quickly devoured alive by a group of Bobcats’ big men.

Despite Iverson making 14 of 31 shots, including 2 of 6 three-pointers, and hitting 10 of 13 free throws for a total of 40 points, he still couldn’t secure the victory.

Zhang Yang scored 14 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, gave 1 assist, and made 1 steal; Gerald Wallace scored 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks; Felton had 13 points and 8 assists... The Bobcats narrowly defeated the 76ers 100-94, achieving a three-game winning streak, and improved their record to 25 wins and 29 losses!

Seeing Okafor easily scoring 12 points from 9 shots made Zhang Yang very excited!

Okafor was completely different on the court now!

He moved more swiftly, his defensive anticipation was precise, and he was very good at intercepting passes meant for the inside.

Moreover, Okafor returned not only because he had regained his physical condition and the feel for the game, but he was also clear about what kind of big man the team needed and what role he needed to play.

As Felton said, Okafor made sure he could be of help in the game before deciding to return!

Sometimes, being overly fond of imitating one’s idol isn’t without its benefits!

Having Okafor average 20 points per game... that’s certainly out of reach, but a stable average of 15+ points is definitely no problem!

With such a big man, could they possibly aim for the playoffs?

Zhang Yang felt hopeful, and Felton shared the same expectation. After the game, they went to look at the schedule and the league standings... and their enthusiasm cooled somewhat.

Currently, the Pacers, the eighth team in the East, had a record of 27 wins and 27 losses.

If a .500 win rate is needed to realistically compete for the playoffs, then the Bobcats, currently at 25 wins and 29 losses, need to have a record of 17 wins and 13 losses in their remaining 28 games to raise their win rate to 50%.

This would merely give them a chance to compete for a playoff spot, not to mention there were teams like the 76ers and the Magic also vying for a spot, and the fifth to eighth teams such as the Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Bucks, and Pacers would fight harder not to be overtaken when they saw a real threat to their positions.

More importantly, Zhang Yang counted that among their remaining 28 games, 15 opponents were currently in the top eight of the East and West, and they had to face the 76ers and the Magic, their direct competitors, several more times...

Felton: "Jack, it might be a bit difficult for us to make the playoffs..."

Zhang Yang: "The chances are slim, but boss, that’s fine, isn’t it? There’s no pressure."

Felton: "Huh?"

...

...

Staying up late playing video games, Xiao Feng will be single for 40 years in his next life. Today’s update is late and lacking in strength. Xiao Feng is getting something to eat; he will continue writing shortly. The next Chapter will be 7000 words~looking for votes!

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