After apologizing to the fans, James thought he should throw the powder from a farther distance next time; otherwise, if it hit someone again, his perfect image might be damaged.
James cares a lot about his personal image.
Soon, the starting players of both teams took to the court.
Knight starters: Owen, JR Smith, James, Love, TT.
This lineup has strong offensive capabilities both on the perimeter and at the forward position, and inside, Love has both low-post and long-range offensive skills.
As for TT Tristan Thompson, he’s responsible for doing some blue-collar work.
Owen kept rubbing his hands while observing Zeng Xingyang across the court.
Zeng Xingyang’s popularity was rising rapidly, which greatly intrigued Owen.
Owen loved playing one-on-one against players like him.
Then beat him completely!
James was also watching Zeng Xingyang.
Back in the NCAA days, James had gone to a live game between Kentucky and Ohio State University.
At that time, he was mocked by Zeng Xingyang for only having a high school education and not deserving to comment without college game experience. Then Kentucky eliminated Ohio State University, which made James a bit frustrated.
However, after watching Zeng Xingyang’s game, James once had the idea of having management draft Zeng Xingyang.
James rarely makes mistakes when judging the strength of teammates; he knows clearly which leg is right for him.
It’s just that Zeng Xingyang’s draft position was too high, and the Knight couldn’t draft him.
After all, for such high draft picks, the Knight would only have a chance to trade if they offered someone like Owen or Love.
Obviously, James couldn’t give up Owen or Love for a rookie.
Even the No. 1 pick, Wiggins, wasn’t valued by him, let alone others.
Zeng Xingyang’s performance after entering the league still made James slap his thigh at times.
This guy plays like an All-Star.
Nuggets starters: Zeng Xingyang, Harris, Pope, Grant, Jokic
Compared with the beginning of the season, the Nuggets’ starting lineup has gradually stabilized; this is the most efficient starting combination explored by Mike Malone, integrating both offense and defense.
There was nothing wrong with moving Zeng Xingyang to the point guard position, as the team’s organizing core is Jokic.
Jokic takes responsibility for organizing after crossing half-court.
And even if it’s dribbling across half-court, it’s not always Zeng Xingyang; every player on the Nuggets can bring the ball up.
Zeng Xingyang as a point guard is more like a faux point guard.
After passing the half-court, everyone should look for Jokic first; all have gradually become accustomed to this style and mode of play.
When given more control of the ball, Jokic lived up to expectations, playing better and better, with season averages of 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Such near triple-double stats placed him fifth in the rookie rankings, behind players like Towns, Porzingis, and Zeng Xingyang.
Jokic and TT jump ball.
TT jumped higher, battling to tip the ball to James.
James handed off the ball to Owen.
Although Zeng Xingyang is a point guard, due to size differences, Mike Malone also assigned Zeng Xingyang to defend James, and the 1.93-meter Harris was assigned to defend Owen.
Harris gave Owen a lot of competition, but Owen cleverly dribbled the ball from the right side behind to the left, rushing past.
After crossing the half-court, Owen passed the ball to James.
Zeng Xingyang swiftly went over to confront James, using his long arms to entangle him.
Zeng Xingyang wasn’t worried about James dribbling past him; as long as he didn’t let him gain speed, James wouldn’t have that capability.
James in a set offense would typically call for a pick and roll and seldom go one-on-one as strong as Owen.
James called for a screen, TT came up.
"Bang!" Zeng Xingyang was momentarily delayed, Jokic chose to retreat.
James hesitated without taking the shot, and with that hesitation, Zeng Xingyang got back to him.
James passed the ball to JR, but JR hadn’t shaken off Pope, which resulted in Pope reaching the ball faster than JR.
Pope darted out and completed the steal.
Pope’s defensive prowess astonished James.
James hadn’t expected Pope to sidestep and complete the steal.
After controlling the ball, the Knight’s players had already fully retreated to defense.
Zeng Xingyang signaled to slow down, going over to receive the ball.
"Damn, the Nuggets’ perimeter defense is really strong now."
"Harris + Pope + Zeng Xingyang, it’s a perimeter defensive fortress."
"JR couldn’t even get the ball; he was too careless."
"Pope is an excellent player; he doesn’t occupy the ball on offense and has super strong defense."
Pope’s defense earned the recognition of many fans.
The fans at the scene cheered loudly, and after the last team trade, the team’s defensive ability improved significantly.
Even for a super team like the Knight, breaking through their defense wasn’t easy.
Connelly, watching from the front row, was also very excited. The team’s strength had improved significantly since the start of the new season.
"Pay attention to his steals next time." James advised JR Smith.
JR Smith nodded, patting his chest, signaling that the issue was his.
JR was sensible enough not to let the boss take the blame!
The Nuggets attacked, Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to Jokic, who came out to support, and then feigned as if to run towards Jokic again for a handoff.
Jokic backed up TT, constantly observing left and right.
Owen preemptively positioned himself between Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, opening up the left side.
Zeng Xingyang hesitated not a moment, directly cutting into the inside from the left.
Jokic, noticing Zeng Xingyang’s chance to receive the ball, decisively passed it over.
The moment Zeng Xingyang caught the ball, he quickly did a fake move, causing Owen to lung.
Owen was fooled, and Zeng Xingyang took a second to rise for a jump shot.
JR Smith rushed over to interfere but couldn’t impose much pressure on Zeng Xingyang.
Nuggets fans cheered excitedly.
Zeng Xingyang looked at Owen and shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Hey, Kyrie, your defense is worse than I imagined."
As his NBA experience grew, Zeng Xingyang became increasingly adept at using words to affect his opponents’ emotions.
However, Owen merely glanced at Zeng Xingyang without responding.
In the next round, though, Zeng Xingyang sensed Owen’s reply.
After James brought the ball past half-court, he first passed it to Love in the low post.
Love positioned himself behind Grant and patiently studied his post moves.
At that moment, Owen ran toward James, and Harris was briefly delayed by James, while Zeng Xingyang switched to guarding Owen.
Owen saw an opportunity to catch the ball, and Love passed it to him.
Outside the right three-point line.
Facing Zeng Xingyang’s tight stance.
Owen initiated high-frequency crossover dribbles.
Continuous pulling complemented by rhythmic changes.
Zeng Xingyang found it slightly challenging to defend, allowing Owen to find an opening, shuffle laterally into a sidestep, and open up a small space between them.
Disrupting Zeng Xingyang’s rhythm with a jump shot three-pointer.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air.
"Rookie, your defense is quite average." Owen immediately taunted Zeng Xingyang back.
Zeng Xingyang clapped his hands, smiling.
Defending Owen was incredibly challenging, and he enjoyed this kind of challenge.
Owen’s strong three-pointer opened a gap in the Nuggets’ perimeter defense.
The atmosphere among the live audience quieted slightly.