On the sidelines, Mike Malone was applauding vigorously, he realized that Zeng Xingyang was not only capable of playing the second and third positions but could also play the point guard position.
The fundamental dribbling and passing skills are already there, and there’s an opportunity to develop in this direction in the future.
As the camera focused on Mike Malone, it paused for a second, and Whale, commenting during the live broadcast, started cursing: "Malone, what a rotten guy, how can you have the nerve to applaud."
"Oh, do you know how many times Malone has held back the Nuggets already."
"This rotten man has always been using the starting players to win people’s hearts for personal gain!"
"This kind of coach uses the pretext of benefiting the team to keep Xingyang and Jokic on the bench."
"Why not line up like today’s formation sooner?"
"Just has to put on airs."
"If I meet such a person in real life, I would challenge him to a match in the octagon...."
Whale’s curse was endless, like the rolling waves of a river.
The fans watching were dumbfounded.
"Hahaha, Malone appeared for one second, and Whale cursed for three minutes."
"Today’s lineup from Malone isn’t too flawed, Whale is purely on a personal vendetta."
"Laughing to death, what Whale said is right, the Nuggets should have set up earlier, much better to play this way."
"The offensive and defensive rhythm of the Nuggets’ starters is really comfortable."
"I want to see Whale take on Mike Malone in the octagon...."
Fans were sending barrage comments.
On the sidelines, 76ers’ head coach Brett Brown shouted at Okafor: "Can your rim protection be a bit more active? They’re hitting the basket on every possession now."
Okafor was not very popular on the team, mainly because his playing style required everyone else to slow down to accommodate his post-ups.
Plus, this guy often demanded tactical ball possession as a third pick, thinking the team should revolve around him.
Okafor knew he hadn’t performed well and didn’t dare to talk back.
TJ McConnell dribbled to the front court and passed to the right side to Jerami Grant.
Jerami Grant was an athletic forward with tremendous explosiveness and one of the few highly talented players on the 76ers.
Jerami Grant chose to explode on the right side, breezing past Galinarli in one step.
Driving towards the basket, but Jokic had great defensive positioning and blocked him timely.
With Jokic’s mass, collisions were the least of his worries.
Jerami Grant’s contested layup went off course.
The rebound was once again tipped and controlled by Jokic.
The 76ers’ home arena fell silent.
Why can’t they score?
Why is the Nuggets’ defense so terrifying?
Coach Brown on the sidelines was also distressed; the Nuggets’ defense had multiple layers, even if the first defender was bypassed, there would always be Zeng Xingyang on the wing or Jokic inside as backup defense, making the 76ers’ inside attack strategy completely ineffective.
Jokic passed the ball to Zeng Xingyang, who dribbled past half-court.
Covington continued to defend Zeng Xingyang, constantly harassing him.
Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to Nelson and then began his positioning run.
Nelson passed the ball to the arc-top Jokic.
"You can’t shake me off," Covington shouted at Zeng Xingyang.
"That might not be true." Zeng Xingyang replied and then ran towards Jokic.
Seeing Zeng Xingyang approach, Jokic handed off the ball and simultaneously blocked Covington.
In the instant Okafor switched with Covington on the defense, a gap appeared.
Zeng Xingyang prepared to catch the ball while running.
Caught the ball, drifted, and shot.
The difficulty of this shot was a bit high.
The basketball slammed heavily on the front rim.
But Harris outmuscled Canaan, grabbed the offensive rebound, and passed it back to Zeng Xingyang.
Okafor rotated to defend Zeng Xingyang, forming a one-on-one situation again.
Zeng Xingyang swiftly started dribbling behind his back.
Zeng Xingyang’s confidence in ball-handling was growing; faced with big-man defense, he resolutely took them on.
Continuously adjusting Okafor’s rhythm.
Okafor reached out trying to steal the ball from Zeng Xingyang, but couldn’t.
In a feint, Zeng Xingyang accelerated to the right, Okafor followed closely, slightly adjusting his stance.
Zeng Xingyang quickly stepped back after planting his foot, pulling the ball back to the three-point line.
Broke the rhythm, found the shot opportunity.
Quickly jumped and shot a three-pointer.
Okafor’s turning speed was already slow, all he could do was watch Zeng Xingyang make the shot.
The basketball arced beautifully.
Putting Zeng Xingyang and Jokic in the starting lineup had an immediate effect.
The Nuggets’ starters now looked formidable; the 76ers risked getting blown out right from the start.
After scoring, Zeng Xingyang put his finger to his lips, signaling the crowd to be quiet.
At the LOGO spot, Zeng Xingyang paused and jumped!
Facing the tanking 76ers, Zeng Xingyang showed no mercy in trampling their dignity, which was payback for their pre-game provocations.
"Hahaha, watching the Nuggets’ starters with the crazy play is really satisfying."
"Awesome, keep playing ."
"Xingyang now has the demeanor of a superstar."
"Challenging for scoring champ in his rookie season, who’s the boss."
"The dominant offensive core!"
"As long as Mike Malone doesn’t obstruct Zeng Xingyang, the Nuggets will rise!"
Fans watching back home were extremely excited.
Okafor was speechless; seeing Zeng Xingyang hitting threes with possession was mind-boggling.
This was completely different from college days.
This guy’s progress was incredibly fast.
TJ McConnell was under immense pressure, as the team hadn’t scored yet.