Zack's electrifying debut has become the hottest topic since the start of the NBA season.
It turns out you didn't even have to wait for the future; in just one night, people forgot that Kevin Garnett had routinely put up a "25+10+4" in the game.
The next day, fueled by media hype and word-of-mouth among fans...
Compared to the largely ignored process, the result of Zack "completely dominating" Garnett in their matchup was what truly mattered.
So, after firmly establishing Garnett, the superstar power forward, as the backdrop to Zack's sensational debut, everyone began discussing just how high Zack, who peaked on his very first game, could go in the future.
Zack, however, didn't get lost in the hype.
Even though he watched his career debut highlights dozens of times last night...
The very next morning, he stepped into the Warriors' practice facility with a sense of awe.
Compared to a month ago, his teammates were already accustomed to Zack being the first one to arrive at the training facility every day and the last one to leave.
As for the professional attitude Zack had shown since joining the team...
Even though the original "Big Beard" Baron Davis, who previously had a bone to pick with him, still privately called him "that arrogant kid," Davis had already become "in the shape of" Zack, both in games and daily practices.
To adapt to Zack's playing style, Davis even privately sought out the coaching staff and requested game footage of Zack from his college days.
Then, based on Zack's pick-and-roll habits, he adjusted his driving lines, game rhythm, and passing methods through practice.
This is the "original Big Beard" who refused to let his pride die.
Stubborn on the outside, sure.
But his body had to be honest.
And as his body became more and more honest, Davis also took on the responsibility of guiding rookies like Jack and Bynum in daily training to help them adapt to the NBA game rhythm.
Proud towards superiors, but never disrespecting subordinates—that's a major characteristic of Baron Davis's conduct.
In Zack's memory, many young guards who had played with Davis praised the original "Big Beard" for his patience and conscientiousness when teaching new players basketball skills.
Upon learning about these things through Jack, Zack said with a wry smile, "Actually... I'm a rookie too."
Hearing this, Jack shook his head, "Baron would never consider you a rookie."
All in all, the Warriors were currently moving in a positive direction.
The only slight drawback was...
Currently, Zack still couldn't find a way to awaken the beast that was Jason Richardson.
In the season opener, Richardson, who shot 3-for-7, seemed like an outsider in that big win.
Even Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy understood better than him how to survive in the Warriors' new system.
"Is Jason still holding a grudge against me?" Zack asked.
"I don't think so, because when Jason talks about you privately, he always praises your dunks as being prettier than his," Jack replied truthfully.
Since he didn't know how to awaken Richardson for now...
Zack decided to focus his attention on teammates with whom he had already developed chemistry.
After a day of rest, the Warriors hosted the Jazz at Oracle Arena.
The Jazz, who were still tanking last season, had a completely fresh look this season.
It was clear that Jerry Sloan had already proven, with his career-worst record of only 16 wins with the Jazz, that even if he chose to bow to David Stern...
Stern would only offer Sloan the highest respect:
"Stop faking it, Jerry. Don't I know your coaching abilities? High draft picks? Don't even think about it!"
Alright, since Stern wouldn't let him tank, Sloan didn't want to pretend anymore after acquiring Chris Paul.
On the court, even though Chris Paul was completely disoriented by Zack and Davis's pick-and-roll combination in the first quarter...
The score at the end of the first quarter was 38-31.
That night, Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring were firing on all cylinders.
The former was like a deadly dagger, always appearing where the Warriors' defense couldn't spare attention.
The latter showed characteristics of his football background...
Tough and good at acting.
At Oracle Arena, when Zack was inexplicably forced off the court due to his second foul, the Warriors fans in attendance practically wanted to storm the court and beat up the referees.
Using a tough exterior to gain sympathy, and then relying on superb acting skills to convert it into repeated trips to the free-throw line, even not hesitating to play the victim to the referees when necessary – that was Matt Harpring's brilliance on the court.
Additionally, the two high-post threats, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, were also very difficult to deal with.
Under Sloan's tactical system...
They were like two Urban cannons that could blast through the Theodosian Walls at any moment; a slight lapse in defense would result in a fatal punishment.
And compared to Timberwolves coach Casey, who still needed time to hone his skills, the seasoned Sloan immediately showed the Warriors his attitude tonight:
"Heard you guys like to run? Then let's play run-and-gun offense!"
Who says old fuddy-duddies can't adapt?
Before the second quarter began, looking at Zack, who was preparing to come on with him, Murphy surprisingly gathered the rest of his teammates and said, "Listen, don't let Zack take the blame for you guys anymore. Be more active, and try not to let Zack get a third foul."
Throughout his career, Murphy was never known for his defense.
But that didn't mean he didn't know how to defend.
Murphy clearly understood that Harpring was able to use the rules to force Zack off the court temporarily precisely because the Warriors' wings couldn't provide adequate help defense for Zack.
Seeing this, Dunleavy Jr. echoed, "Stir yourselves up! We have to get the score back this quarter."
In this quarter, Zack scored 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Murphy and Dunleavy Jr. had already found the right way to play with Zack.
The former had range, so he would always use pick-and-rolls to create space for Zack.
The latter was active in cutting, so if the Jazz dared to double-team Zack, Dunleavy Jr. would immediately become a 'ghost seeking retribution'.
And as a reserve, Jack didn't let Paul, who was almost knocked out by Davis in the first quarter, gain any advantage when guarding him.
As a result...
Before Paul could regain his footing, the fully "recharged" original "Big Beard" successfully returned to the court.
At that moment, Paul, looking at Davis with a frustrated gaze, just couldn't understand why all the guards in the NBA seemed to be as fierce as if they had eaten dragon penis.
First Deron Williams, then Baron Davis...
At halftime, the score was 64-67.
Tonight, two teams that were vying for tanking last season put on an ultimate offensive showdown that left all the fans thoroughly entertained.
During halftime, Murphy imparted some wisdom to Brown: "When you're playing inside with Zack, don't worry about your fouls at all, because Zack's fouls are far more valuable than yours.
As long as you think Zack might commit a foul, you can boldly go for it and try to get the foul called on yourself first."
Looking at Murphy, who a month ago was still cursing Zack as a "bastard" behind his back...
Brown's fragile heart was once again greatly impacted.
However, the advice Murphy gave was indeed very effective.
In the third quarter, even though Brown was forced off the court due to three consecutive fouls...
Since the referees had been calling fouls against the home team Warriors all night...
The increasingly pressured referees could only "balance the calls" in the rest of the game to appease the home fans.
After all, this wasn't the NBA of twenty years later, where they dared to blatantly rig games.
In fact, after reflection, the referees also noticed that the Jazz players seemed to have been infected by Harpring; every time they attacked the basket, they looked for a whistle.
And on the sidelines, looking at Zack, who was heading to the free-throw line for the fourth time tonight, Brown asked with a bewildered expression, "Was this part of your plan too, Troy?"
Hearing this, Murphy shook his head, "I just wanted you to take a few fouls for Zack. How was I supposed to know the referees would try to balance things out because of it?"
This wave of "balance calls" in the third quarter became the only flaw in this offensive showdown.
Because the game was interrupted frequently in this quarter, the flow on the court was far less exciting than the first half.
In the final quarter, Zack and Davis teamed up to secure the victory for the Warriors.
Paul had no answer for Zack and Davis's hand-off plays.
The Jazz's inside big man combination was strong offensively but weak defensively, with help defense primarily relying on Kirilenko.
But this quarter, Dunleavy Jr. firmly kept Kirilenko pinned to the perimeter.
Because throughout the entire game, he only took 5 shots, but he made all 5 of them, all precious, crucial three-pointers.
At this point, it was Richardson who was embarrassed, as he didn't get any playing time in the final quarter.
In terms of individual ability and athleticism, Richardson was definitely far superior to Dunleavy Jr.
In terms of basketball IQ, Richardson, who had won an NCAA championship with the Spartans, was certainly not a player lacking in tactical understanding.
But...
In the first two games of the new season, this former Warriors' leading man had clearly played himself out of the rotation.
Was it that Richardson couldn't make those open threes on the court?
No.
Was Richardson's defense not as good as Dunleavy Jr.'s?
No.
Alright, if it wasn't either of those, then why...
Did Richardson completely become a spectator in the final quarter tonight?
Was Zack also a player who could only play with specific teammates?
Did that lead to Richardson's inability to adapt to the Warriors' new system?
On the sidelines, looking at his teammates whose chemistry with Zack was getting better and better, Richardson fell into a moment of silence.
And on the court, his gaze fell on Paul, who actually dared to help defend Boozer...
Zack, who had already driven deep into Jazz territory with the ball, immediately launched an attack on the restricted area guarded by Paul without a second thought.
In this moment, for that two-and-a-half-year brotherhood...
As Zack slammed the ball into the hoop over Paul, he immediately performed a Bellingham-esque "king's pose" upon landing.
Although Zack's career had just begun at this point...
In Zack's eyes...
This was absolutely one of the most memorable dunks of his entire career!
Because Chris Paul had just been personally "slain" by him!
"Chris just made a courageous decision at that moment. I won't question my judgment based on his performance in the first two games of his career; he is the most basketball-intelligent point guard for his age," Jerry Sloan replied when asked after the game about Paul being dunked on by Zack.
Ultimately, this game, which could very well lead to a broken friendship, ended with a score of 111-121.
Zack scored his first career "30+" tonight, totaling 31 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers.
A triple-double in his career debut.
A "30+" in his second career game.
And he even led the Warriors, who only won 13 games last season, to a two-game winning streak—a dream start that Warriors fans wouldn't have even dared to imagine before...
On TNT, Charles Barkley, who was broadcasting other games, saw the Jazz vs. Warriors box score and curiously asked, "Are you nervous, Kenny?"
Hearing this, although Kenny Smith wanted to tough it out and say he wasn't nervous...
He was definitely the most nervous person in America at that moment.
Because just yesterday, Shaquille O'Neal had officially informed TNT through the media:
If Smith dared to kiss his butt at next year's All-Star Weekend, he would beat Smith so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
Furthermore...
Although Paul only scored a total of 14 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 turnovers in his first two career games combined...
As Sloan said, Paul had already proven with his brave and fearless attitude in the game that he was no ordinary talent.
As for Zack and Paul's friendship?
A mere dunk wouldn't possibly be held against him by Paul.
After the game, Paul, who stayed a night at Zack's East Bay mansion and returned to Salt Lake City the next day, proved with his actions that his friendship with Zack was indeed that unbreakable.
Of course...
Since Zack and Paul's friendship was so strong, then playful punches and insults must also be a sign of affection.
That night, watching the "Fried Chicken Brothers" exchanging playful punches, Evans instantly felt like he was back in college, back in those best years!
"Go, Chris!"
"Don't stop, Zack!"
Winning two consecutive home games, and waking up every day with anticipation for Zack, had already become a daily routine for Warriors fans.
However, to continue savoring the beauty Zack brought...
Warriors fans would have to wait a while.
Because the Warriors were about to embark on a five-game road trip.
On the evening of November 5th, the Warriors arrived in Los Angeles a day early.
Unlike the sunny California beaches during the day...
Los Angeles at night was like a Latin dancer in a short skirt, hot and sexy, her movements captivating and intoxicating, making one linger and forget to leave.
Actually, the moment he arrived in Los Angeles with the team, Zack was very curious if he would be the first person those fashionable Los Angeles ladies would call...
However, the scene Zack anticipated didn't happen.
Because after fully learning from the lessons of the Eagle County incident (referencing the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, where strict team protocols were put in place afterwards to prevent similar incidents and scandals), the accompanying Warriors staff had already installed passwords on the phones in every room.
Additionally, no strangers were allowed into the players' rooms without permission.
It must be said that the money Kobe used to settle the case was not wasted.
Because Kobe used that money to tell all NBA teams...
Although the league was destined to be unable to prevent tragedies caused by players failing to control their desires...
Through stricter regulations, the NBA could effectively increase the cost for those unscrupulous groupies attempting blackmail, thereby reducing the occurrence of such tragedies.
From this perspective, Miss Catherine Feibel was indeed a great person.
Because before approaching Kobe, she had already "battled" three other men, and she not only put herself in the situation to teach all NBA players a lesson.
And even years later, despite being despised by a wide range of American women for her "coming forward" story that no one believed, she didn't forget to use her annoying, repetitive speeches to remind the NBA:
"Brothers, when the cannon fires, it's worth thousands of gold!"
On the evening of the 6th.
Zack saw Kobe Bryant again at the Staples Center.
Actually, last year, because he couldn't hold back and verbally attacked Kobe...
Zack had always felt "guilty."
After all, in a sense, Kobe was just there to watch him play, and he inexplicably got lectured.
Zack genuinely didn't have any special feelings for Kobe.
But strangely, at that time, Zack just wanted to lay into Kobe.
However, given Kobe's usually magnanimous personality, Zack figured that after a year had passed since that lecture, Kobe surely wouldn't hold a grudge.
"You're the one who spoke disrespectfully about my idol?"
On the court, as the Warriors were warming up before the game, Monta Ellis, the second-round pick the Lakers drafted this year, directly rushed onto the Warriors' half-court and aggressively said to Zack.
Although the Warriors players were well aware of Zack's combativeness, at that moment, all Warriors players, including Davis and Richardson, were ready to jump into the fray at any second.
And on the court, looking down at Ellis, Zack asked curiously, "Kobe told you everything about that day?"
Ellis nodded and said, "Good, at least you're not someone who talks tough but can't own up to it."
Actually, at this moment, Zack didn't know that although Kobe had casually mentioned this incident to Ellis during a conversation, what Kobe actually wanted to convey was:
"From that day on, I realized that sometimes it's not a bad thing to occasionally listen to criticism. Because without that unexpected event, I might have overlooked that my pregnant wife was already seriously ill at the time."
As for Zack's inexplicable lecture, Kobe had, in fact, never taken it seriously.
After all, Kobe, whose personality had always been obsessive, couldn't be brought back by a mere lecture, could he?
However, that lecture unintentionally led to a good outcome for Kobe.
Therefore, if one were to translate Kobe's intended meaning to Ellis into ##, it would probably be "a blessing in disguise."
However, as a die-hard Kobe fan...
Ellis misinterpreted Kobe's words as: because of that lecture, Kobe, whose mood was already low, even had to spend a lot of time afterward taking care of Vanessa, who was seriously ill at the time.
"Remember, my name is Monta Ellis, and I don't care who you are. Since you insulted my idol...
I will make you pay for it in the game," Ellis, who was never afraid of anything, said at this moment, looking directly at Zack.
Hearing this, Zack pondered for three seconds and then said, "Alright, I admit, I did offend Mr. Kobe Bryant that day.
But I don't regret it, so I accept your challenge."
Seeing this, Ellis said, "See you in the game then."
"Wait."
"What? You want to back out, or are you scared?"
"No, what I mean is, if you think I insulted your idol, you can actually insult my idol to vent your anger."
"Who's your idol?"
"Xie Bin."
On the court, Ellis was completely dumbfounded at this moment.
Because...
"XieBin" who?
Carrying this question in his mind, Ellis returned to the Lakers' half-court with a bewildered look.
At this point, Kobe hurriedly stepped forward and asked with concern, "Why did you run to the other half of the court to provoke them? In the NBA, that's crossing the line, understand?"
After a long silence, Ellis looked at Kobe and retorted, "Boss, do you know who 'XieBin' is?"
Kobe: "..."
"That jerk said I could insult his idol to vent my anger, but I've never heard that name."
At this moment, Kobe, realizing that Ellis had gone to provoke Zack for his sake, his eyes instantly softened.
He stroked Ellis's back and said, "Don't do that again.
There are plenty of people in this world who hate me, you know? I never demand that they have to like me."
And after receiving Kobe's affectionate touch, Ellis immediately became pumped up, "Don't worry, Boss, I'll take care of all those who dare to insult you! I'll deal with them for you!"
In this world, if you ask Ellis who the strongest basketball player on Earth is...
He would definitely tell you, Kobe first, him second.
As for third?
Who the hell cares.
[Silly kid, do you know? That guy was just a bit foul-mouthed.
Actually, looking back, some of what he said wasn't entirely unreasonable.
And if I hadn't been annoyed by him that day, causing me to decide to go home early, how would I have discovered that my wife was already seriously ill?
You know, the doctor said at the time that if it had been two more days, the baby in her belly might not have been saved.]
At this moment, as Ellis recalled that unexpected encounter with Zack last year...
Kobe couldn't help but think of his own little rascal, Maccaroni-Bryant.
In a few more months...
This eldest son of the Bryant family, who carried Kobe's boundless expectations and whose name could also be translated to "macaroni" in Italian, would officially celebrate his first birthday.
And at the same time...
Zack on the opposite side of the court probably didn't know what kind of monster he had unwittingly unleashed.
As everyone knows, historically, the Kobe of the 05/06 season was the Kobe who held the "The.Zone" switch.
In that season, Kobe not only created the legend of scoring 62 points in three quarters against the Bulls...
He also created the myth of scoring 81 points against the Raptors.
And now, Kobe, with added motivation for Maccaroni...
Had already scored a total of 85 points for the Lakers in the first two games of the 05/06 season.
Tonight, as Kobe's deep gaze fell upon the Warriors on the opposite half of the court...
For some reason, Kobe just felt his focus was sharper than ever before.
And this...
Was often a premonition of Kobe entering "The.Zone."
"Jarrett, speaking of which, ever since I argued with that Lakers kid just now, I've felt really strange..."
"What is it, Zack?"
"I feel like I'm currently alone in an incredibly quiet space. If I don't listen carefully to you guys... then I can only... only... only see myself and this court."
On the Warriors' half-court, at this moment, Jack looked up at Zack, immediately stopped his conversation with Zack, and prevented anyone trying to approach Zack before the game started.
"Don't disturb him... I have a feeling he's going to have an unprecedented (breakout/explosion) tonight," Jack said with certainty, hugging Brown, who was about to chat with Zack, before the game.
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