The game was extremely intense, and the atmosphere on site was almost frozen.
The fans at Quicken Loans Arena couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
This kind of bitter defeat was something they were experiencing for the first time this season.
The Knights led for most of the first three quarters, and Zeng Xingyang was effectively contained by them, yet they still lost.
Tyronn Lue shook hands with Mike Malone and said, "I hope we get a chance to meet again this season."
The teams’ regular season encounters had ended, and if they were to meet again this season, it would only be in the finals.
"Wish us both luck," Mike Malone looked at Tyronn Lue and said.
Now the Nuggets were in a position where discussing the finals seemed plausible.
In the games following the one where they defeated the Knights, the Nuggets lost one.
Eventually, the Nuggets’ record settled at 54 wins and 28 losses, ranking fourth in the West.
The Western top eight are: Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets, Clippers, Blazers, Mavericks, Rockets.
The Eastern top eight are: Raptors, Cavaliers, Heat, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Pacers.
According to playoff matchup rules, the fourth in the West faces the fifth.
This means the Nuggets will go against the Clippers, with the Nuggets holding the home-court advantage.
After the last game of the regular season, Zeng Xingyang finally felt his body relax a little.
The regular season was so dense; it almost pushed one’s body to its limits.
Mike Malone announced a one-day break for everyone to recover physically.
When Zeng Xingyang got home, he turned on his phone and received a season’s statistics report from the team staff.
In the 15-16 season, Zeng Xingyang played in 78 games, averaging 36.8 minutes, with averages of 28.5 points, 7.2 assists, 5 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 3.2 turnovers per game.
Zeng Xingyang’s two-point shooting percentage was 50.2%, with a three-point percentage of 44%, free-throw percentage of 88%, and a true shooting percentage of 66%.
Looking at the stats, Zeng Xingyang surpassed Michael Jordan in his rookie season and became a member of the 180 club.
He ranked fourth in scoring across the league, surpassing LeBron James, and trailing only Curry, Harden, and Durant. He also became the steals leader, and among guards, his block numbers were the highest.
Many fans and experts believe that Zeng Xingyang’s stats qualify him to contend for MVP.
Of course, contending for the award is one thing; getting it is another.
This season, Curry was clearly more sensational than Zeng Xingyang. Not only did the Warriors achieve a 71-11 record, but his stats were slightly better than Zeng Xingyang’s, earning him the season’s scoring title.
In this situation, Zeng Xingyang aiming for MVP is unrealistic, but making the All-NBA First Team is hopeful.
In total three-pointers, Zeng Xingyang hit 351 this season, averaging 4.5 per game, second only to Curry’s single-season total of 402.
This season was Curry’s epoch-making season.
There’s always this scene in Warriors’ games, where Curry keeps shooting from beyond the arc, and the ball obediently goes in, widening the point gap, and then Curry generally takes the rest of the night off after three quarters.
Curry averaged 11.2 three-point attempts per game, making 5.1, becoming the first player in history to make 400 three-pointers in a single season, breaking his own record for single-season three-pointers made.
The NBA assists leader was Rajon Rondo, averaging 11.9 points, 6 rebounds, 11.7 assists, and 2 steals per game this season, becoming the first Kings player since Archibald to lead the league in assists.
The rebound leader was the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan, who averaged 12.2 rebounds per game, while Zeng Xingyang’s teammate Jokic averaged 11.2 rebounds per game, ranking fifth.
Fans and the media realized Zeng Xingyang’s scoring and steals were among the league’s best. Such stats forced critics to admit Zeng Xingyang was the strongest rookie in NBA history.
Especially after Zeng Xingyang made his fifth game-winning shot, many fans and media considered Zeng Xingyang more crucial to his team than Curry was to the Warriors.
But then Curry responded with unforgettable performances of 44+12 and 47+10, completely quelling external doubts.
Zeng Xingyang didn’t feel he could threaten Curry’s MVP; the Warriors’ record was too dominant. If not for the Nuggets beating them twice this season, they would have broken the Bulls’ 72-win record.
With stellar team and personal success, MVP is unlikely to go to someone else.
Zeng Xingyang’s stats also triggered heated discussions among domestic fans.
After a crazy season, fans acknowledged Zeng Xingyang’s immediate star-caliber performance.
The regular season had ended, and now it was up to Zeng Xingyang to show what he could do in the playoffs.
After reviewing his stats and chatting on the phone with some girls about life goals, Zeng Xingyang went to sleep.
This season, the Nuggets and Clippers faced off four times, with the Nuggets winning three after an initial defeat.
The only loss came when Paul scored continuously at critical moments during the game.
The current Paul is adept at exploiting big men, which poses a challenge for Jokic defensively.
However, Zeng Xingyang has a consistent advantage over Paul, which was evident in the three-game winning streak when he outplayed Paul.
Paul’s height disadvantage was magnified, such that he didn’t even dare to face Zeng Xingyang on the court at one point.
When Paul got outplayed, it severely disrupted the Clippers’ rhythm on both ends of the floor.