In the second half, facing Zack's relentless onslaught, Bogut transformed into a whiner. His constant hand-waving, growling at teammates, and complaining to the referees made Zack completely lose interest in him.
It turns out that tonight, Bogut perfectly lived up to Zack's stereotype of him. He was arrogant but also a bully who picked on the weak. The moment he faced a truly tough opponent on the court, Bogut would show you through his actions that he was a coward who didn't deserve to be called a man.
Historically, the main reason Bogut became the number one overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, aside from his deceptive performances at the Athens Olympics and his sophomore year, was that at the time, the new generation of centers in American college basketball either hadn't emerged yet, or like Horford and Noah, they still needed time to develop. "No tigers in Australia, the kangaroo rules" – in Zack's eyes, this phrase perfectly described Bogut before the 2005 draft.
Tonight, every NBA general manager should thank Zack. Because if Zack hadn't personally exposed Bogut's true worth in this challenge match, Bogut would probably have continued to deceive people with his "White Duncan" title.
"As a top center from the same period in the NCAA, even if Emeka Okafor's career didn't meet expectations due to back injuries after entering the NBA, he at least showed his low-post skills and defense in the NBA. But what about Andrew Bogut? In his 14-year career, where he always intentionally injured opponents, this number one pick's total career points are even more than 500 points less than Okafor, who only played 10 years in the NBA."
On the court, before being substituted by Coach Prosser, Zack watched Bogut still trying to cling to the court for the last 3 minutes to pad his stats. Zack felt that this public challenge initiated by Bogut had become a major stain on his future career.
To wash away this shame, Zack, who tallied 37 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 blocks, and 2 steals in the game, said in a post-game interview: "I like the atmosphere of American college basketball because here, you can challenge each other to promote mutual progress. But at this moment, I have to say... please stop hyping me up with people like Andrew Bogut, because it will only lower people's opinion of me and wrongly assess my current strength."
Hearing this, American reporters, who always liked specific and precise answers in interviews, pressed on: "Do you mean Andrew Bogut isn't worthy of being your opponent?"
Zack nodded: "I never considered him my opponent."
"Then who do you think is your opponent in college basketball today?"
"Myself."
"Do you mean that you currently have no opponents in college basketball?"
At this moment, seeing these reporters trying to coax him into saying the next sentence, Zack smiled slightly and changed the subject: "Our generation grew up watching Michael Jordan play. Michael has a famous quote: 'Step by step, that's the only way to success.' Now, I long to improve every day by defeating my yesterday's self. I'm grounded and never waver in my determination. I believe that one day, I will constantly defeat myself and become a better version of myself."
Before transmigrating, Zack had watched "Yes, Minister" countless times, so he knew exactly how to deal with media inquiries in such situations. After all, he was a huge fan of Jim Hacker.
This night, Zack's answer not only conveyed his confidence but also showed the reporters present a maturity far beyond his age.
As for Andrew Bogut? The next day, in ESPN's updated 2005 draft projections, Bogut had plummeted out of the top ten. Perhaps Bogut still had time and opportunities to improve his draft ranking next year. But after his battle with Zack, no NBA team in this lifetime would give Bogut the same patience and playing time in his early career as Zack remembered, waiting for him to grow. This is the cruel and ruthless side of the NBA. Except for players drafted as core pieces, most young players entering the NBA cannot predict if they will survive in the league.
Yes, throughout the long history of the NBA, through continuous trial and error and failed cases, it has gradually formed a survival-of-the-fittest model. This model is brutal, but it ensures the NBA's competitiveness.
The Madness Begins: Teams Vie for Zack
68 to 109. After Wake Forest, ranked number one in the nation, once again proved its top-tier quality in a challenge game against another conference, Zack's unforgettable dominance in the match again sparked curiosity about his future. However, unlike a month ago, people are now wondering which team this unstoppable beast of college basketball will save next year.
Chris Mullin, back in Oakland, has made up his mind and systematically initiated "Operation Overlord," a tanking plan. "Overlord" is the nickname media gave to Zack. Therefore, the Warriors' "Overlord Operation" clearly reveals their intentions.
Meanwhile, Billy Knight, back in Atlanta, is playing the off-court card. In an interview, the Hawks' general manager stated that since every team in the league has an obligation to promote the NBA, and with Yao Ming already in the West, the East also needs a superstar. "Atlanta has superior geographical advantages and excellent infrastructure, and there are also a large number of enterprises in Atlanta..." However, after Knight's interview was published, one might have thought he was representing the Mayor of Atlanta to showcase Atlanta's investment environment to investors.
Compared to Atlanta, which could play the geographical advantage card, Milwaukee chose to play the sympathy card to complain to the world. "Milwaukee has been in decline for many years. We need a savior to save this place." Although Bucks general manager Larry Harris didn't mention Zack's name in the interview, anyone who isn't an idiot knows how badly the Bucks want to draft Zack next year.
"I know the team's current situation isn't great, but I still hope fans can be patient with us. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day." Unlike two months ago when he was cursed daily by fans with banners, as Zack gradually conquered all scouts and fans, Trail Blazers general manager John Nash not only hinted to fans that the team would be more confident in tanking next season but also gained considerable support from Trail Blazers fans.
The League in a Frenzy: Kobe's Isolation and Zack's Retribution
That day, after returning to the City of Angels, Los Angeles, from Winston-Salem, Kupchak realized that the faces he had seen that night were all in motion. At this moment, the entire NBA felt like it had fallen into some kind of madness. But Kupchak wasn't surprised by this frenzy. Because anyone, after witnessing what Zack had done on the college court, Kupchak believed they would fall into the same madness.
He is Nike's carefully crafted "Son of ####." His past experiences have given him a mental toughness far beyond his peers. On the court, his already enticing static talent had undergone a comprehensive evolution this past summer. He could dribble with an incredibly low center of gravity and then smoothly pull up for a jump shot the next second. He is a heavy tank that can reach F1 supercar speeds on the court. He is also a Raptor fighter jet that can take off at any time to help the team control the air. Kupchak knew that the Lakers had found an answer to all their problems.
"Unlike other rookies who need to be polished before being put into battle... as soon as he lands in the NBA, he will immediately become a reliable star player." A player with both immediate impact and immense commercial value. In Kupchak's opinion, as long as the Lakers could acquire Zack at all costs, the Lakers' resurgence would no longer be a false proposition, but imminent.
However, after nearly half an hour of mental ecstasy, Kupchak deflated like a balloon, becoming frustrated. In December 2004, with constant media pressure, Kobe, who had completely isolated himself, was looking forward to one victory after another to change people's perceptions of him. In fact, even Kupchak couldn't communicate normally with Kobe during this period. It might sound a bit desperate... currently, the only bridge within the Lakers that could help the team communicate with Kobe was Lamar Odom.
Moreover, the more pressure the media put on him, the more unreasonable Kobe became. Not long ago, Kobe had already conveyed through Odom to the Lakers' front office that he would no longer accept interviews from Sherry Smith. The reason was that Sherry Smith had asked Kobe two questions during a previous interview.
First, Sherry asked if Kobe believed he could still earn his teammates' trust. To this question, Kobe casually replied, "Yeah, what about it?" Then, Sherry threw her second question at Kobe, "Because the police report mentioned that you betrayed Shaquille O'Neal in the investigation, many people in the league are unhappy about it and feel that you broke the rules..." At that moment, before Sherry could finish speaking, Kobe immediately ended the interview. Because he knew exactly what Sherry Smith was going to ask him next.
Yes, ever since Kobe's phrase "Shaq did it too" was exposed by the media, Kobe became the most isolated person, even within the Lakers team. When he got on the team bus and walked into the locker room, his teammates would often immediately fall silent. After all, no one wanted to be the one "who did it too" in Kobe's mouth someday.
Self-isolating, refusing to communicate, being ostracized by teammates, being attacked by the media... Facing Kobe at this moment, Kupchak knew he absolutely couldn't persuade him to give up the regular season and tank with the team to welcome a savior. And Kupchak also had no confidence in the Lakers tanking to get the number one pick.
"However, if we can get an earlier pick and are willing to trade Lamar Odom and Caron Butler... as well as future draft picks and take on expiring contracts..." That day, after a sudden flash of inspiration, Kupchak felt it was necessary to meet with Jerry Buss.
Meanwhile, in December, Zack, who felt the fire he had ignited in the NBA wasn't burning fiercely enough, poured another bucket of hot oil at the North Carolina Tar Heels' home court. This year, with the "Four Youngsters" together, the Tar Heels were ranked second in the nation before the game. As a highly anticipated matchup, the game was full of gunpowder from the start.
In the first half, due to fans constantly mocking Paul about his deceased grandfather, Paul lost control, and a conflict broke out at the Tar Heels' home court. In a subsequent scramble for a rebound, the completely irrational Paul directly punched North Carolina player Julius Hodge in the groin... and then the entire arena instantly fell into chaos. Although the referees immediately separated the agitated players from both teams, and while Paul's punch to Hodge's groin was provoked, after reviewing the replay, Paul was unanimously ruled to be ejected by the three referees.
In Zack's previous life, Paul's infamous "Cannon Punch" was supposed to happen two months later against Hodge. If Zack remembered correctly, this "Cannon Punch" would not only get Paul suspended for one game, causing him to miss an important ACC conference playoff game... but it would also cause Paul to be heavily criticized for a long time afterward.
In this life, since the start of the new season, due to the Tar Heels, who also aimed to win the NCAA Championship, being constantly suppressed by Wake Forest, North Carolina fans were willing to do whatever it took to affect the performance of the Demon Deacons' core players when Wake Forest and North Carolina met this December. The North Carolina fans knew that compared to the always unmovable Zack, Paul was undoubtedly the one they could provoke and enrage.
Indeed, the North Carolina fans succeeded. Because no matter the reason, Paul's "Cannon Punch" led to his ejection from the game. But when Paul was ejected, the North Carolina fans evidently didn't notice the change in Zack's expression. Unlike other NBA stars who are often dubbed "superstar standard," either lacking a father or having a childhood devoid of parental affection, Zack knew very well that Paul's grandfather had played a very important role in his upbringing. So, even though Zack also believed that Paul shouldn't have punched the North Carolina player in extreme anger, since Paul had already thrown that "Cannon Punch"...
"Give me the ball, I want to turn this place into the quietest library in all of North Carolina!" On the bench, before the game restarted, Zack scanned his teammates and said with a murderous aura.
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