Many Miami reporters approached Bosh with a teasing attitude.
Bosh said nothing and turned away.
Bosh only scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds tonight, with a shooting percentage of just 39%, which is poor for a big man.
He didn’t know how to deal with the media’s teasing questions.
After all, he wasn’t like James, who can handle the media freely.
After tonight’s game, the NBA officially announced the players of the week for the past week.
In the East, it was John Wall of the Wizards, who averaged 27 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds, leading the Wizards to a 3-1 record.
Wall and Beal’s outstanding performances make the Wizards look like they have a chance to make the playoffs.
In the West, there was no surprise as Zeng Xingyang was chosen, and Jokic also gathered quite a number of votes.
In last week’s games, Jokic averaged a near triple-double of 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, being the strongest helper around Zeng Xingyang.
Unlike the prevalent backcourt combos in the current league, the pairing of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic, one outside and one inside, seems quite special.
Lillard and McCollum of the Blazers.
Wall and Beal of the Wizards.
The Splash Brothers of the Warriors.
The Thunder Explosion of the Thunder.
The Trash Brothers of the Raptors.
These are all backcourt-focused combos, while another inside-outside pair in Harden and Howard shows a lot of conflicts, hinting at potential trades.
The inside-outside duo of Zeng Xingyang and Jokic is very smooth, and it seems to have a promising future.
The Nuggets’ next destination is the team of the Eastern’s player of the week, the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are ranked seventh in the East this season, with a record of half wins and half losses. If they maintain this momentum, they might once again reach the playoffs.
The Wizards have been in good form lately, while the Nuggets have been worn out by several tough away games. Therefore, many believe that the exhausted Nuggets might see their winning streak end in Washington.
The predecessor of the Wizards was the Baltimore Bullets.
Since the 1960s, the Wizards have been a strong team in the East, consistently making the playoffs, and won their first championship in the 1977-78 season.
However, in the 1990s, the Wizards played the role of underachievers most of the time, only making the playoffs in the 1996-97 season. The team re-entered the playoffs following the rise of Gilbert Arenas in the 2004-05 season.
Yet, from 2008 to 2011, the Wizards missed the playoffs for three consecutive years, until they returned in the 2013-14 season under Wall’s leadership.
Despite being a top draft pick, Wall did not grow to be the superstar fans hoped for, with unreliable shooting, lack of dominant playmaking, and too many turnovers hindering him from becoming a better player.
The game between the Nuggets and the Wizards was uneventful.
The Nuggets players’ stamina was indeed affected, but at this time Mike Malone increased the player rotations.
The players in the Nuggets’ second lineup might be weak in the West, but cannot be called weak against Eastern teams, at least giving them a back-and-forth battle.
Nurkic and Galinarli both made significant contributions on the court.
Zeng Xingyang’s overall condition was mediocre, but he still showed his mismatch offensive capabilities at critical moments.
Whether facing the Polish Hammer Gortat or Beal, one of the Wizards’ stars, Zeng Xingyang would go for an iso-play.
In the eyes of Wizards fans, Zeng Xingyang’s isolation play was very troublesome. Against big players, he would use rhythm to create space, and against smaller, frailer players, he would directly use physical dominance.
In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Zeng Xingyang went for a one-on-one three times, and he succeeded all three times.
These three iso-plays helped the Nuggets extend their lead to 5 points.
The two teams tugged back and forth around the 5-point difference.
With 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in the second quarter.
Wall and Gortat’s pick-and-roll offense.
Zeng Xingyang was blocked by Gortat, Jokic switched, and Wall made a quick crossover to drive to the left.
Wall showed his explosiveness, and his drive was incredibly fast, but Zeng Xingyang’s defense was not easily shaken off.
Wall stepped up, soaring for a layup.
As the ball was about to hit the backboard, Zeng Xingyang came flying from behind.
Zeng Xingyang delivered a backboard block on Wall.
The ball bounced off and was controlled by Jokic.
Gortat tried to steal it back, resulting in a foul.
Wall wiped the sweat off his forehead, almost not believing that Zeng Xingyang’s chase-down block could be so fierce, rivaling the threat brought by LeBron.
This didn’t resemble a rookie at all.
Bear in mind, Wall’s speed is top-tier in the NBA, and breaking through defenses is his forte.
Wall has been blocked before, but mostly by big men in the paint, as blocking him for perimeter players is extremely difficult.
Yet, Zeng Xingyang gave him a tough backboard block.
Zeng Xingyang was also panting heavily upon landing; when Wall went past Jokic, he made a slight adjustment, giving Zeng the chance to catch up for the block at the moment of the layup.
Nuggets on the offense.
Jokic received the ball and, after crossing half court, passed it to Zeng Xingyang.
After Zeng Xingyang received the ball, Porter was on defense. Porter’s defense was decent, with no major flaws.
Zeng Xingyang decisively looked for Beal.
Zeng Xingyang now enjoys picking on players with weak defense one-on-one.
This future Suns star’s defense is punishable.
Bradley Beal is officially 6’5" tall, but not really, and his defense is average, with weak awareness.
Beal was defending Pope when Zeng Xingyang decisively called for Pope’s screen.
Pope moved up, blocked Porter, and quickly left, leaving Beal for Zeng Xingyang.
Pope has a strong range, so his screens easily draw switches.
Beal, feeling frustrated, extended his arms wide in defense.
Beyond the three-point line, Zeng Xingyang directly began backing down.
After two bumps, ensuring a clear power advantage, Zeng turned and spun past.
Beal was completely sealed behind Zeng Xingyang, unable to do anything.
Morris came inside to help, but Zeng adjusted his tempo, shifted with the ball, and after slightly adjusting Morris’s rhythm, he took a jump shot.
Beal was very frustrated, as defending Zeng Xingyang was very challenging.
He could match Zeng’s speed, but couldn’t stop his strong physique.
Moreover, in terms of technical application and rhythm control, Zeng Xingyang was very mature.
On the sideline, Wizards’ head coach Whitman frowned, seeing that the Nuggets’ strategy was to target weak defensive points and amplify Zeng Xingyang’s advantages.
Swapping Beal out could mitigate this, but Beal’s presence is crucial for the team.
Beal is averaging 17 points, 3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game this season, being one of the most needed outside scorers for the Wizards.
If Beal were to be benched, it would severely impact the team’s outside shooting, leaving Wall to fight alone.
After all, it’s enough to lock down the paint when defending Wall.
The players on the Wizards have apparent weak spots, while the Nuggets’ players seem strong and complete.
Whitman was quite troubled.