Oracle Arena.
Right at the start of the ga, Marion delivered an imdiate blow to the ho team with a backdoor cut for a layup. In his pri, Artest could make many wing stars struggle, but "The Matrix" Shawn Marion was his Achilles’ heel. Marion had the standard height of a wing but the wingspan of a big man. Plus, his finishing moves were so unpredictable, it was hard for Artest to find any pattern in his play.
Take that backdoor cut, for example. A typical small forward, after cutting to the basket, would imdiately open up their body to get good positioning. But Marion didn’t. In fact, the mont he made contact with Artest, he seed more like a passerby, just a player who happened to be in the way. Then, the next second, he leaned into Artest with his right side and, after catching the ball, completed an unconventional left-handed layup. From catching the ball to finishing, Marion’s technique was far from elegant, let alone textbook; it even gave you a strong sense of pickup basketball vibes... but he scored. So it was a good play.
"That damn weirdo." On the baseline, as he prepared to inbound the ball, Artest still looked utterly frustrated.
Back to the Warriors’ offensive possession. Everyone knows that MVP (04/05 season) Mr. Steve Nash’s defense was a sieve. But if you look through Nash’s career matchups, you’ll find that not every point guard necessarily scored big against Nash. Because at its core, basketball is a team sport.
On the court, as Davis dribbled and ran into Nash’s strenuous defense, Marion and Bell, guarding the two wings for the Suns, instantly raised their guard. From a bird’s-eye view, Davis could have easily driven to draw help defense, then dished the ball to create a shot for a teammate. But from Davis’s perspective, you’d find that Marion and Bell’s clever defensive positioning made it impossible for him to find a passing lane, even if he managed to break through. This is the biggest difference between a player’s perspective and a spectator’s.
Seeing this, Zack quickly moved up to the high post. Through observation, Zack had already figured out that the Suns’ defensive focus tonight was on the periter. As an offensive-minded coach, Mike D’Antoni’s defensive philosophy wasn’t hard to guess. After all, whenever they encountered soone who could threaten Nash, the Suns would try to limit the opposing periter core’s penetration and passing to protect their MVP.
So, after setting a high screen for the original "Beard Man," watching Nash, who almost lost his balance and fell after running into him trying to get around the screen, Zack couldn’t help but think of an adjective. If Steve Nash on offense was an absolute legend, then on defense... you could completely call him "Clumsy Steve."
Next, with a pick-and-roll dive, Zack successfully cut into the Suns’ paint. Davis, with quick eyes and hands, imdiately pressed the lob button. In the Suns’ restricted area, Zack, receiving instructions from the tower, instantly took flight and quickly ignited the Oakland Space Center (Houston: ?!) with a powerful one-handed alley-oop dunk.
This play, the Warriors successfully turned Nash into a defensive liability for the Suns. Even though the Warriors’ final points were scored in the paint, this was the correct way to exploit Nash based on the opponent’s defensive strategy. To protect their MVP, when the Suns had to shift their defensive resources to the periter, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tim Thomas alone couldn’t consistently protect the rim effectively on every defensive possession.
However, after landing from the alley-oop, neither Davis nor Zack celebrated. Because the real test was the defense that followed. Unlike those teams in the league that slowly walk the ball up the court, quick baseline inbounds were also a trademark of this Suns team.
Fortunately, the Suns’ transition offense was successfully thwarted by the Warriors’ quick retreat defense. But as soon as they settled into their half-court sets, Stoudemire, who moved up to the high post, tead up with Nash to launch a second attack. They were aggressively attacking at every mont, like surging waves, one higher than the last. As long as a defender dared to lose focus or zone out, the Suns would imdiately seize the opportunity to complete their offensive play.
"Damn it, Jason, stick to your man!" On the wing, Artest noticed Richardson’s slightly relaxed retreat defense and urgently yelled. However, it was too late. Because with Marion’s active movent, Raja Bell had already received a pass from Nash and released the shot under Marion’s screen.
Swish!
This season, Bell’s three-point percentage was over 44%. His ability to both attack and defend definitely made him a highly coveted top 3-and-D player for NBA teams during this era.
If playing against the Spurs felt like the Spurs’ incredibly grueling defense always gradually put the Warriors on the defensive in continuous tug-of-war battles, then playing against the Suns, up until tonight, presented a very strange phenonon. The Warriors lost, but Zack didn’t.
On the court, Zack imdiately scored his 4th point of the ga. And in every subsequent offensive and defensive possession... the Suns didn’t put any extra restrictions on him. He passed when he wanted to, drove when he wanted to, and shot when he wanted to.
And then... at the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read 37-31.
Actually, ever since Artest joined the team, under Montgory’s guidance, even though Montgory’s offensive tactics weren’t a perfect fit for this Warriors team, he still managed to build a defensive system around Zack and Artest. This was key to the Warriors’ gradual transformation into a strong team this season. Because when facing teams skilled in defensive battles, the Warriors weren’t incapable of slowing down and patiently grinding out possessions with their opponents.
However, specifically against these Suns, the Warriors’ defensive system would imdiately beco ineffective. And then, in an offensive shootout against the Suns, they would be overwheld by the Suns’ offensive onslaught.
In the second quarter, D’Antoni, who was an offensive-minded version of Thibodeau during this period, kept Marion and Bell on the court and brought in Barbosa, Diaw, and Jas Jones. As for the Warriors... Montgory initially wanted to give Zack more playing ti, but "Executive Assistant Coach" Dunleavy said, "Let’s use Andris. The only one on the Suns’ second unit who can drive to the basket is that Brazilian guy. I think Andris can handle it, and in terms of offense, Troy and I aren’t afraid of them."
In the first quarter, Zack scored 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in a single quarter. As an observer, Dunleavy knew very well that the Warriors’ offense so far tonight was almost entirely dependent on Zack. This kind of exertion for Zack, who stood 211 centiters (6’11") with shoes on and weighed 121 kilograms (267 lbs), was undoubtedly imnse and potentially devastating. Because no matter how strong Zack was, he couldn’t defeat these Suns solely through individual performance.
However, what no one, including Dunleavy, expected was that Dunleavy’s suggestion, whose original intention was rely to conserve Zack’s energy, ended up having an unexpected effect.
This season, because the Warriors had to fight their way through the incredibly tough Western Conference, Biedrins only got playing ti in 38 gas prior, averaging less than 10 minutes per ga, and only putting up 3.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks. Fortunately, Biedrins, who wouldn’t turn 20 until next season, never complained or made a fuss within the Warriors team, and he’s always had a good relationship with Zack. Therefore, his agent often advised him to be patient.
On the court, Biedrins, seizing a rare opportunity to play, imdiately received a brilliant pass from Jack. Although Biedrins wasn’t great with ball-handling coordination, his finishing around the basket after receiving the ball was quite reliable.
Slam!
Under the basket, Biedrins scored two points for the Warriors with a powerful two-handed dunk. And on the very next play, watching Barbosa quickly slip past Jack, Biedrins swiftly slid over and successfully blocked Barbosa’s low-hand layup. During the layup, Barbosa clearly forgot that Biedrins’ dominant hand was his left, or perhaps the Suns simply hadn’t studied this "water boy" on the Warriors. As a result, Barbosa’s low-hand layup, which was intended to evade a block, instead added another block to young Biedrins’ stats.
Is there a difference in defense between left-handed and right-handed players? Of course there is. And it’s a significant one. Simply put, if Barbosa, who drove and attempted to finish from the left side of the court, had faced a right-handed player, his low-hand layup would have had a very high chance of avoiding the block. But against Biedrins, it was different. Because Biedrins’ dominant hand is his left, this would make him instinctively shift his body weight closer to Barbosa when attempting a block, thus completing the block.
Even though in the NBA, many top shot-blockers can block with either hand, in the fast-paced nature of the court, when there’s no ti to react, a player’s instincts still highlight the difference of their dominant hand. Additionally, as the interior player with the second-best lateral quickness on the Warriors, second only to Zack, Biedrins had also been growing rapidly during the season and a half of "beatings" he received from Zack. This is the benefit of playing in the NBA. Even if you’re a bench player, you’re training with the best players in the world.
Biedrins’ mobility ensured he could keep up with the Suns’ offensive and defensive pace. In Zack’s mory, though his peak was short, Old Nelson truly didn’t misjudge him. Because in terms of defensive range alone, even Brown at this mont might not have the sa impact as Biedrins tonight. After all, Brown’s weight when he was traded to Oakland determined that... unless he lost weight without gaining more, his agility and speed would inevitably be affected by the continuous weight gain he had during his ti with the Wizards.
Midway through the second quarter, the Warriors made a substitution. Biedrins, thinking he was about to be replaced by Zack, was already heading towards the bench, but then Zack suddenly called out to him, "Andris, you’re still in." Hearing this, Biedrins looked at Murphy, who had patted his shoulder and returned to the bench to chat with Brown over a drink, and said, dumbfounded, "I’m still in?" Seeing his reaction, Zack walked up and patted him on the back, saying, "You’re playing well tonight."
What’s the happiest thing in the NBA? Recognition from your idol? Or being able to play alongside your idol? At this mont, looking at Zack, Biedrins imdiately felt what double the happiness ant. And most importantly, for the rest of this half-quarter, Biedrins was quite satisfied with his performance. By Zack’s side, he was far more active than in the first half of the second quarter. On defense, even if he lost his position due to inexperience, Zack would buy him enough ti to recover. On offense, he just needed to lurk near the baseline on either side, depending on the direction of the Warriors’ high pick-and-roll, and after Zack stretched the Suns’ defense, he would imdiately be guided by the ball to the basket to finish.
Throughout the entire second quarter, Biedrins tallied 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks for the Warriors. Aside from shooting 1-for-4 from the free-throw line, you couldn’t find any fault with this young man who wouldn’t turn 20 for another two days. And this... made Brown, who didn’t get a single second of playing ti in the entire second quarter, feel an even stronger sense of crisis.
"Damn pretty boy!"
Especially in the locker room, when he noticed Biedrins laughing and joking with Zack, and even head coach Montgory decided to pair him with Zack again in the third quarter... No way, no way. , who’s been working tirelessly for the Warriors all season... am I getting a DNP? (Note ①)
In fact, Biedrins’ excellent performance tonight was indeed partly due to the Suns not knowing much about him. Of course, more importantly, his energy after coming on successfully jolted the Warriors, who had gradually beco unsure of how to deal with the Suns’ offense after losing to them three tis in a row.
That’s right, against these Suns... the most important thing is to maintain your own energy. This season, the Suns’ average pace was over 87 possessions per ga. This statistic they generated at the current ti was even the sa as their average pace from 15 years later in the 19/20 season. But 15 years later, the NBA was an era where everyone embraced offensive freedom; either you shoot to death with threes, or I shoot you to death with threes. And what about the current NBA? In the current NBA, the Suns would still face teams that actively slowed down the pace on many nights. Therefore, if you can’t maintain energy to match the Suns’ pace, which they generate by constantly speeding up, then you’ll easily fall behind them in an offensive shootout.
The Warriors weren’t incapable of keeping up with the Suns’ transition speed. It’s just that after losing to the Suns in all three previous gas, many players on the Warriors had beco numb and afraid of losing. And tonight, with Biedrins, who ca on as a surprise player, waking up the entire Warriors team... at Oracle Arena, a rare offensive shootout for this era was about to unfold!
On the court, in the third quarter, the live broadcast caras frequently focused on Zack and Nash. On TNT, Barkley quipped, "Are the ssiah and Steve going at it tonight? Steve just completed his eleventh assist of the ga, and the ssiah has now recorded his ninth assist of the ga."
When the Warriors stopped insisting on trying to limit the Suns with perfect defense every ti, as they did at the start, it proved that they absolutely had the offensive capability to match these Suns. Richardson was averaging 17.4 points for the Warriors this season. After successfully joining the team, Artest was also averaging 17.8 points in his Warriors career. And then there’s Davis, who could always disrupt the opposing defense when he drove to the basket.
At the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard read 95-97. Compared to the first quarter, where he battled alone, Zack’s stats quickly climbed to 24 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, as his teammates gradually found their rhythm. It’s worth ntioning that this was Zack’s eleventh triple-double in his rookie season.
Eleven triple-doubles in a rookie season. With 11 regular season gas left for the Warriors this season, Zack, who has already successfully topped the historical record, could certainly be called the "Rookie Triple-Double GOAT." Anyway, as long as you have enough modifiers, in the NBA, who the heck isn’t a GOAT?
In the final quarter, Brown, who had been "DNP’d" for two quarters, finally got a chance to re-enter the ga. However, what still upset Brown was that the reason he got back in was because Biedrins had already accumulated five fouls. Before coming onto the court, Brown looked at Zack and said, utterly wronged, "Boss, I’m not really going to beco a bench player because of this ga, am I?"
Hearing this, Zack imdiately fell into thought. At this mont, watching Zack in a pensive state, Brown instantly broke down! Because he never expected that Zack would actually seriously consider this question!
"Kwa, you really need to lose weight this sumr." After patting Brown’s shoulder, taking advantage of the fact that the final quarter hadn’t started yet, Zack said to Brown.
Brown imdiately replied, "Boss, how much do you think I should lose?"
"Start by getting down to my weight."
"But boss, you’re a power forward, I’m a center!"
"What’s wrong with being a center? This season, when you couldn’t handle a center, wasn’t it who stepped up?"
"..."
Indeed, in this topsy-turvy era, future periter players like LeBron Jas and Carlo Anthony would gain weight to enhance their threat on the court, and historical records even show that Jas’ future weight would reach an astonishing 129 kilograms (284 lbs). However, as the pace of the ga gets faster and faster, interior players must strictly control their weight to ensure they can provide a screening effect through their defensive range.
Zack clearly understood the future trajectory of the NBA, and in his eyes, the more athletically gifted Brown had every chance to beco a better interior defender than Tyson Chandler. As for those periter players who beca increasingly difficult to defend after gaining weight? That, of course, would have to be handled by himself, with his pair of iron knees. Zack never thought of leaving all the problems for his teammates to solve. Nor did he ever imagine that after these supporting characters laid the groundwork for him, he would only need to exert himself at crucial monts to get the biggest piece of the pie. That didn’t fit Zack’s personality.
On the court. In the fourth quarter, Zack, who scored 16 points in the final fra alone, not only led the Warriors to a tough win in this offensive shootout but also recorded his third career "40 triple-double." This night, he finally made it happen: Zack won, and the Warriors won too!
Again, although the Warriors’ season series record against the Suns ultimately settled at 1-3, as long as he could lead the Warriors to beat these Suns once, he was confident he could lead them to beat these Suns countless tis! After all, when it cos to basketball, you can’t just give up if you can’t win, right? Zack was never the kind of player who would calmly pad his stats and wait for a "the team lost, but he didn’t" narrative after a ga he thought they couldn’t win.
After the ga, in an interview, Zack highly praised Biedrins’ performance that night. "Andris provided us with visible energy. I know many Warriors fans hope Andris gets more playing ti, and believe , that day isn’t far off."
D’Antoni, feeling the astonishing growth rate of the Warriors, offered a "poisoned milk" (a joking term for a prediction that backfires) after the ga: "How far can the Warriors go under the ssiah’s leadership? Second round? Western Conference Finals? Finals? Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised no matter how far they go in this year’s playoffs."
Stoudemire also spoke about the deep impression Zack left on him. Although Zack didn’t rember Stoudemire actively guarding him during the ga, "He’s definitely the toughest interior player I’ve ever had to defend. He’s capable of anything on the court, just like it says in Sun Tzu’s Art of War, he always attacks where you’re unprepared and surprises you."
However, when asked about this year’s regular season MVP award, Stoudemire, knowing the difference between a one-ti feast and continuous als, imdiately changed the subject: "The ssiah is excellent, but in terms of experience, he still needs to learn from Steve Nash."
During this period, Nash was absolutely beloved by everyone on the Suns. Especially when, historically, the Spurs would later use underhanded tactics against them. Angering others, the Suns players wouldn’t hold a grudge. But if you dared to anger Nash, even the stray cats on the streets of Phoenix would charge at you and bite you a couple of tis.
Zack knew that the NBA, which still largely adhered to the basic rules of the regular season MVP, wouldn’t award him this year’s MVP, but this didn’t an Zack would humbly and patiently wait.
"I believe I am the best player in the NBA this season. Perhaps you think I’m arrogant, but I believe no player has perford better than so far."
Zack knew very well that even if he couldn’t get the MVP, he had to speak for himself. Because without doing so, how could he compete with the genuine NBA stars of this era?
NBA Headquarters. Commissioner David Stern imdiately felt the pressure Zack was putting on the NBA this year. Could the seasoned Stern feel pressure too? Of course. Because since he took over the league, he had never seen a rookie like Zack who could both put up MVP-level performances and lead a team that only won 13 gas last season to a complete turnaround.
Yes, not even once! After all, even the legendary Tim Duncan had "The Admiral" David Robinson, an NBA Top 50 player, by his side. And if it weren’t for the NBA’s foolish playoff format, the Warriors would currently be the fourth-winningest team in the Western Conference, trailing only the Spurs, Mavericks, and Suns. Furthermore, if they were in the East, they could even be ranked second in the Eastern Conference.
However... what Stern, who was already feeling "Alexander" (a play on words for "under pressure" or "distressed"), didn’t know was that as April approached, Zack, who had already put enough pressure on the NBA, still intended to escalate things. Because in April of this year, the Warriors still had one more ga against the Lakers to play.
On April 11th, the Warriors would have their final ga of the season against the Lakers. That ga would be held at the Staples Center.
"Are you really going to try to score 70 points at the Staples Center?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
On the evening of the 10th, Brown was stunned watching Zack endlessly doing math problems on scrap paper in the hotel room. He never expected that what Zack had told him on Christmas night wasn’t a joke. This guy genuinely wanted to score 70 points at the Staples Center!
But what puzzled Brown was, what did scoring 70 points have to do with doing math problems?
"I’m calculating."
"Calculating what?"
"Calculating how many shots I’ll need to score 70 points, and how I should compensate if sothing unexpected happens."
"Is that sothing you can calculate?"
In the hotel room, Zack put down his pen and told Brown that it was both possible and impossible. It was possible because Zack had already calculated the result he wanted. It was impossible because, even if the result was calculated, it would depend on Zack’s on-court performance that night.
That’s right, after a season of grinding... for Zack, the question of scoring 70 points in a single ga was no longer whether he could do it. Instead, he was confident that he could do it in certain gas. But, it would depend on his form.
Zack ca from the future; he had personally witnessed how Devin Booker scored 70 points in the NBA. Although the future NBA and the current NBA were two completely different concepts, thanks to the Lakers’ outstanding interior defense at this mont, after careful calculation, Zack believed he only needed a few conditions to achieve this grand goal in the ga.
First, he had to get around 40 shot attempts in the ga against the Lakers. 40 field goal attempts in a single ga—this was Zack’s current single-ga shot limit, derived from his rookie season performance. After all, his large fra ant the energy expended after completing offensive plays on the court was incomparable to that of periter stars. In fact, if Zack’s skills weren’t so comprehensive, being able to both attack inside and shoot from the periter, just the 40 field goal attempts he calculated for a single ga... could be a hurdle that many NBA superstars could never overco. For example, LeBron Jas, whose career high in single-ga attempts before Zack’s transmigration was only 38, and Kevin Durant, whose career high was only 34. Without comparison, it’s truly hard to grasp what it ans to take around 40 shots in a single ga in the NBA, the pinnacle of basketball.
In the future, compared to Booker’s 70 points, which largely ca from garbage ti, Zack actually admired more that this young man was able to take 40 shots in a ga. Because ever since Kobe Bryant retired... where else could you find such a great young guy who could freely chuck up 40 shots?
Of course, to achieve this prerequisite, Zack not only had to ensure he could take 40 shots in a ga. He also had to get his teammates on board. Because in the NBA of this era, generally speaking, a team’s average number of shot attempts was only around 70-80. Therefore, 40 shots in a single ga ant that Zack would account for half, or even more than half, of the team’s offensive possessions in the ga against the Lakers. This concept, again, without comparison, it’s hard to grasp how outrageous it truly is. Because in the 05/06 season, Kobe’s average of around 27 shots per ga already earned him the "ball hog" label. And Kobe was a periter player. The Lakers he was on, besides Odom, were almost entirely "chump change" (aning, not good players).
So, Zack had to get his teammates on board. In Zack’s opinion, this wasn’t that difficult. As the absolute core of these Warriors, after nearly a season of gelling, he had already gained absolute authority within this Warriors team. But not difficult didn’t an Zack could do whatever he wanted. Zack knew very well that he had to tell his teammates that he just wanted to shoot freely on a certain night. Otherwise, over ti, what teammate would put up with everyone else just watching him constantly shoot?
In fact, let alone Kobe’s average shot attempts, even with these current Warriors, who had many scoring options, if Zack had too many mindless offensive plays on the court, the team would imdiately fall apart within a month. Because the Warriors weren’t a team like the Lakers, who, apart from Kobe and Odom, were all "chump change." And Zack certainly wouldn’t drag the entire team into an abyss just to have a shooting spree for himself. After all, what’s the point of a basketball ga if you’re not trying to win first?
So, after the team arrived in Los Angeles on the evening of the 10th, Zack imdiately had his personal manager Evans arrange a unique party for everyone. Zack didn’t attend this party. But under Evans’ organization, everyone had a great ti.
At this point, when Zack proposed that he wanted to see if he could respond to Kobe’s previous scoring performance on the "Good Night, Los Angeles" night with a 70-point scoring feast, who in the team would object?
"Indeed, although we won that ga, Kobe actually dominated Jason (Richardson) and Michael (Pietrus) in their matchups. As our leader, you absolutely have the duty and responsibility to avenge your teammates and forr teammates!"
"I support letting our ssiah have a good ti before the playoffs start. Don’t worry, tomorrow night, you’ll definitely be our only target for passes!"
"70 points for a rookie in a single ga? If you can really do that, that old man David Stern will definitely be stomping his feet in anger, because then he wouldn’t know whether he should give you the regular season MVP or not."
That day, after communicating with his teammates, Zack felt he had indeed arrived in a good era. Because compared to that future where Devin Booker, who scored 70 points in his second year, barely caused a ripple... the people of this era had never seen such a shocking story as a rookie scoring 70 points in a single ga!
Actually, before, on so hot nights, Zack had considered using a bit of garbage ti to pad his stats and make them look even better and prettier. But that was truly too unreasonable and too diocre. And it didn’t align with Zack’s original intention of never being an unknown. If he was going to do sothing, if he was going to play, then of course he had to make a na for himself and do sothing big!
Now, having achieved the primary condition for a 70-point ga, Zack had already set his sights on the ga at the Staples Center on the evening of the 11th. Historically, Devin Booker, who shot 21-of-40 overall, including 4-of-11 from three, and 24-of-26 from the free-throw line, got a significant portion of his 70 points from free throws. Zack knew very well that he might not get as many free throws as Booker in the ga on the evening of the 11th. So... he had to shoot more accurately than Booker. His offense had to be more efficient than Booker’s.
And in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. The Lakers, who had already firmly secured the seventh seed in the Western Conference in April, could never have imagined before the ga... that an extraordinarily spectacular drama was about to unfold.
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Note ①: DNP, in the NBA, ans "Did Not Play." It can be understood as the player did not get into the ga or was "banned" from playing.
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