I recommend you to read it from the beginning since I changed the previous one I did not like it.
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Barnes had just committed a defensive foul, so the Pacers were now inbounding the ball from the sideline.
Wang Feng was 2.01 meters tall and played as a forward, also capable of playing as a shooting guard. At that moment, he replaced forward Harrison Barnes, meaning his direct opponent was the Pacers' forward.
In 2015, the Indiana Pacers had one of the best forwards in the league, Paul George. However, during this period, Paul George suffered the most severe injury of his career and was ruled out for the season. In his absence, the Pacers' record had drastically dropped, and they were only ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference.
This was definitely not a strong team, especially not compared to the Warriors at this stage!
This season, the Warriors had established a new lineup, and after starting with the "Death Five" as their main lineup, their record improved dramatically. They were currently ranked first in the league! If nothing unexpected happened, based on historical progress, by the end of the season, the Warriors would enter the playoffs with a record of 67 wins and 15 losses, eventually winning the championship trophy.
There was a huge strength gap between the two teams, but the Warriors were struggling in this game.
The star player Curry was resting, and the team's collective shooting was off, except for Thompson. Additionally, the Pacers' backup point guard, Rodney Stuckey, had exploded, scoring 25 points in three quarters, hitting 9 of 12 shots with a shooting percentage of 75%. Neither Thompson, nor Iguodala, nor Barnes had been able to contain his scoring!
At that moment, the game had entered the fourth quarter, with about 8 minutes remaining. The score between the two teams was 85–94, with the Warriors trailing by 9 points.
There was still enough time left in the game, and a 9-point deficit wasn't too much. With the Warriors' strong offensive power, as long as the players regained their shooting touch, they would have the opportunity to tie or even surpass the score!
The Pacers' center, Roy Hibbert, inbounded the ball to the team's point guard, George Hill, who dribbled a few times at the top of the arc before passing the ball directly to Stuckey, who was in great form.
As a shooting guard, Stuckey's defender should have been Klay Thompson, who also played as a shooting guard. However, with Curry resting, Thompson, as the primary offensive weapon for the team, wasn't about to waste energy guarding the opponent's most dangerous player. The responsibility of defending Stuckey fell on the forward!
The starting forward Barnes had been guarding Stuckey before, but Stuckey had scored 25 points in just three quarters against Barnes.
Now, Wang Feng was coming into the game as a backup forward, naturally setting up a matchup against Stuckey.
Holding the ball and standing at a 45-degree angle, Stuckey looked at the Asian player in front of him, who was a bit taller than him.
Who is this guy? I don't recognize him...
As a professional player, although Stuckey was just a backup point guard for the Pacers, he had also started during the first eight seasons of his career. In his prime, he averaged 16.6 points and 4.8 assists per game. He basically knew almost all the players across the 30 NBA teams and their technical characteristics.
But he really had no impression of Wang Feng standing in front of him.
"I guess this guy is just a benchwarmer..."
Stuckey thought to himself, not caring at all.
He was in great form today. Not to mention that this was an unknown rookie, even when facing relentless defenders like Barnes and Iguodala, he showed no mercy!
After nine seasons in the league, Stuckey's condition had gradually declined, especially this season, which had the lowest statistics since his rookie year. His status within the team had also been gradually diminishing. Now he finally had the chance to put together a good streak and had to score as many points as possible to prove his worth!
There's a rookie standing in front of me right now. How could I waste such a valuable opportunity?
Without hesitation, Stuckey dribbled the ball slowly and suddenly burst from the right side of Wang Feng with the ball!
As a player whose main offensive method was driving to the basket, Stuckey had extremely strong speed and explosiveness! His first step was quite fast!
Barnes, who had defended him before, was young and strong, but he could barely keep up with his pace. If it were the veteran Iguodala, he would have been left behind in a single step!
However, what Stuckey didn't expect was that just as he started, Wang Feng immediately moved to the side and blocked his path of advancement.
"Wow, that's fast!"
Stuckey was surprised. The lateral speed of this guy was actually faster than Barnes' earlier!
Caught off guard, he didn't have time to react and collided directly with Wang Feng.
Only then did Stuckey realize with amazement that Wang Feng's strength was much greater than he had imagined! That impact felt like crashing into a wall. His body suddenly lost balance, and he almost fell to the floor!
Screech—!
The whistle blew immediately.
The referee, standing by the sideline, raised his hand to signal that Wang Feng had committed a blocking foul.
"Oh my God!"
Wang Feng was a little speechless, but even more surprised.
"Is the bonus from the system really this effective?"
After inheriting the memories and body of another self, Wang Feng had almost instinctive control over this body, so he knew very well that his original self wasn't as strong as he had just demonstrated in terms of speed, strength, and explosive power. If it had been in the past, Stuckey's drive would have been easily passed by him!
"Be careful, or they'll call a foul on you if you're not careful!"
On the sideline, Coach Kerr, who was watching the scene with his arms crossed, was slightly stunned.
"Huh...?"
As the head coach, Kerr knew the situation of all his players very well, including Wang Feng. This Chinese player had some good points, except for his mid- and long-range shooting, but everything else was a disaster!
He wasn't good at offense, and even worse at defense. He was thin and lacked fighting capacity. He even struggled to catch the ball under intense defense!
But right now, facing an opponent whose physical condition was much better than his own, Wang Feng actually had the advantage in their physical confrontation, which surprised Kerr a bit.
It could be an accident. Maybe he just predicted the opponent's direction, and it turned out that the opponent wasn't stable, so he gained the advantage in the confrontation.
Thinking this, Kerr didn't pay much attention to it.
The Pacers continued to inbound the ball from the sideline, and the ball returned to Stuckey's hands.
Although the referee had just called a blocking foul, Wang Feng had actually followed Stuckey's drive, which caused the veteran, who had been playing in the NBA for many years, to feel a bit embarrassed.
This guy is probably a rookie who has only played a few games! If I can't even beat him, how am I going to survive in the league in the future?
Stuckey held the ball at the top of the arc, eyes locked on Wang Feng, filled with aggression! Anyone who saw his look would know what he was planning to do.
Seeing Stuckey's gaze, Wang Feng felt genuinely amused.
"This guy, does he want to try me again?"
Awesome! Wang Feng was relieved because now he had the perfect chance to show himself!
End of this chapter
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