55: This is real hatred!

55: This is real hatred!

The Spurs locked in the top spot in the league and made headlines, but the buzz, though high, wasn’t surprising to anyone.

If they had been 44-8 halfway through the season and hadn’t secured the top league position by the end, that would’ve been a ‘surprise.’

The Spurs players weren’t too excited about it either…

Before the game against the Jazz, everyone was enthusiastic, but after securing the top spot, it seemed like nobody really cared.

It’s possible that everyone was just imitating number 21, acting cool like the wind…

When Zhang Yang was learning the pick-and-roll rhythm from Ginobili, he asked if he really didn’t care about being first.

Ginobili replied, “You should learn to enjoy the process of striving for first place, not the outcome.

You only need to care if you don’t get it.”

Zhang Yang blinked, what a reasonable point!

The team had locked in the regular season championship, but Zhang Yang’s optional mission wasn’t over yet.

He needed one more win to set a new team record.

But Popovich, having lost the possibility of surpassing the Mavericks’ 67 wins, didn’t care about the record anymore after securing the regular season championship.

On the 12th, the day before the Spurs played against the Suns, before the Suns had arrived in San Antonio, Popovich announced that Duncan and Ginobili wouldn’t play in the games against the Suns on the 13th and 17th.

Since they were playing the Lakers on the 15th, Popovich couldn’t think of any injuries that would allow a break between games.

Imagining different injury scenarios for a week was bothersome, so he simply stopped pretending.

Zhang Yang didn’t know Popovich was worried about this, otherwise he would’ve definitely suggested another immature idea—installing a ‘smart groin’ for Duncan and a ‘smart hamstring’ for Ginobili.

Even Parker could get a ‘smart gluteus maximus’ prepared.

With the team’s two strongest players not playing, Zhang Yang felt some pressure on the mission.

Winning against the Lakers wasn’t guaranteed, the Lakers were on an eight-game winning streak, formidable in their momentum.

Achieving a victory over the Suns to break the team record was the priority.

…

In the afternoon, the Suns arrived at San Antonio.

In the evening, Zhang Yang spent a bit of money to treat Nash to dinner at a fancy restaurant.

He was very grateful for the guidance Nash had given him during the playoffs last season.

After dinner, Nash remarked, “I knew you would make it.

If only Steve hadn’t refused to match the contract, your staying on the team would have increased our chances of making the playoffs.

I didn’t expect you to get traded to the Spurs.

It looks like you’ll win a championship before I do.”

Zhang Yang responded, “I think so, I’m not far from winning a championship.”

This year’s championship probability wasn’t high; the system this season was still lacking something.

Playing high-intensity games was always tough, and these weren’t issues he could solve.

However, he wasn’t worried; Popovich would eventually figure it out.

The next three years were definitely the golden window for championships.

It’s just that he didn’t know if ‘he’ would re-sign in the future.

Considering ‘his’ past choices between staying with the Suns or moving to the Warriors based on money, ‘he’ seemed to care a lot about money.

But it was hard to say.

The difference between Kerr’s offer of two years, three million US dollars, and the Warriors’ two years, over five million US dollars was nearly half.

As a lower-tier player, any normal person would choose the Warriors’ contract.

If there were another Gate of Trials in this timeline, that would reveal ‘his’ choice.

The next evening, on April 13 at 8 PM, the Spurs were set to host a game against the Suns at home.

With Stoudemire heading for the Big Apple, the Suns’ strength had significantly weakened, dropping from championship contenders to an ordinary playoff-level team.

That was the least of it.

Initially, relying on players like Nash, Jason Richardson, Hill, and Frye, the Suns had maintained a top-eight position in the West for the first two months.

However, before Christmas, Kerr made his last trade with the Suns—trading their leading scorer, Richardson, averaging 19.3 points per game, along with the backup lineup’s organizational core, Turkoglu, for Vince Carter from the Magic.

This trade had completely wrecked the Suns!

Currently, Nash, with an average of 14.7 points and 11.5 assists per game, was both the scoring and assist leader for the Suns.

Carter was no longer at star level.

Even in the Magic, he only averaged 15 points per game, and after joining the Suns, his scoring average dropped to 13.5 points per game, even less than what the 38-year-old veteran Hill could muster.

However, Marcin Gortat, who had been just an add-on averaging 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds over the first three-plus seasons, had been fed well by Nash.

He averaged 13 points, compensating slightly for the loss.

During the All-Star weekend, Steve Kerr resigned, leaving a mess for his successor.

But even with Kerr having crippled the team, with Nash around, the Suns’ offense was never bad!

Tonight in the first quarter, having seen the Spurs, the Suns exploded to score 31 points, leading the Spurs, who had 27 points, by 4!

In the second quarter, the Spurs withstood the Suns’ firepower, tying the game at 29-29, preventing the Suns from further widening the gap.

In the third quarter, both teams’ stamina started to wane, the fast breaks slowed down, and the Spurs finally took advantage of their set-piece attacks, outscoring the Suns 29-26, reducing the gap to just 1 point.

In the final quarter, the teams battled fiercely until the last moments, and at 11 minutes and 44 seconds, Nash hit a three-pointer after a pick-and-roll, bringing the quarter score to 26-25 and the overall score to 112-110, with the Suns gaining a two-point lead in the closing moment.

The Spurs called a timeout, and Popovich brought in Zhang Yang and Parker, along with Danny Green, Richard Jefferson, and Bonner, all three-point shooters.

After the timeout, Parker dribbled the ball, and with 8 seconds remaining, he passed to Zhang Yang, who with Bonner’s help at the top of the arc blocked Carter, allowing Zhang Yang to use the cover to break through, easily shaking off the covering Frye, stopping on the right side of the three-second area, catching the ball, and jumping to take a mid-range shot…

At the crucial moment, Zhang Yang was excited, but his hands did not shake, and he scored a mid-range jumper from nearly an open position!

112-112, the Spurs tied the game!

Nash felt a bit regretful at that moment, the small trick that Zhang Yang used to advance a step further after the pick-and-roll to shake off Frye was taught by him!

In the final 4 seconds, the Suns did not score, sending the game to overtime.

Both teams’ veterans were sighing, they were already exhausted from the game, and they had to continue.

But they sighed too soon…

In the first overtime, Nash scored 4 points and 2 assists, Parker scored 6 points and 1 assist.

The teams were evenly matched, ending the first overtime at 9-9, going into the second overtime.

It wasn’t over yet; in the second overtime the teams tied at 7-7, bringing on a third overtime!

Zhang Yang collapsed in the second overtime, having played over 37 minutes in regulation time, the entire first overtime, and more than 3 minutes into the second overtime, ending his time on the court at 46 minutes.

In games like these, it was still up to Parker!

In the third overtime, Parker alone scored an 8-4 overtime score, killing the game!

Parker played for 55 minutes, made 16 of 28 field goals, along with 12 of 16 free throws, racking up 44 points and 9 assists.

With Zhang Yang’s 29 points, McDyess’s 24 points, Bonner’s 10 points, George Hill’s 13 points and 5 assists…

the Spurs narrowly defeated the Suns with a score of 136-132, improving their record to 64-16, refreshing their best historical record!

When the final buzzer sounded, several veterans simply sat down on the floor.

Before the outcome was decided, people on both sides fought as if it were life or death.

After the outcome was decided, the Suns’ veterans felt that Nash’s key three-pointer in the regulation time that could have turned the score around wasn’t crucial.

Winning one more game wouldn’t have gotten them into the playoffs anyway, and, more importantly, they lost.

The Spurs’ veterans also felt it would have been better if Zhang Yang’s game-tying mid-range shot hadn’t gone in.

They were already in first place; winning another game wouldn’t increase their salary…

Luckily they won, otherwise it would have been even more heart-wrenching.

The Gate of Trials appeared before Zhang Yang, notifying him that the task of ‘best in team history’ had been completed and he had attained ‘Devil’s Pace of the Demon Blade’.

But now he was almost spent; he closed the Gate of Trials, deciding to rest a bit before looking again.

46 minutes of playing time seem a lot… indeed it was, especially for someone who was only in his second year, and crucially, the Suns often played a running game, so they also had to run.

Unfortunately, he was the team’s second option for fast breaks, also being Parker’s primary support point when initiating fast attacks.

Seeing Nash tonight, who played for 57 minutes scoring 26 points, 2 rebounds, 20 assists, and Hill, who played for 50 minutes scoring 24 points, 17 rebounds…

Zhang Yang felt that these two really hated the Spurs!

They truly despised them!

Last year’s revenge in a playoff series wasn’t enough; given a chance, they would seek revenge again!

…

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