Before the game, neutral fans, who were so eager for the Cavaliers to deliver a knockout punch to the Warriors, could never have imagined that on this Christmas night, the unstoppable Zack would unleash his "Gundam" form and turn the game into his personal "Show.Time"!
The strategic revolution initiated by Artest and Dunleavy had already borne its sweetest fruit tonight.
Throughout December, with his workload lightened and more help from his teammates, Zack's mindset and physical condition were perfectly tuned for tonight's game.
On the other hand, LeBron James... he clearly didn't have Zack's ease and composure tonight.
Although James was averaging a stellar "30+7+7" for the Cavaliers before the Christmas game to convince Cleveland fans that he was the "Chosen One" of the city, the more he wanted to prove himself after Zack's "The.Dunk," the harder he had to push for better stats in December.
As a result, by the time this Christmas battle truly arrived, James was mentally excited and eager for revenge, but physically, he was already drained from the previous games.
That's right, even with LeBron James' historic physical talent, he gets tired too.
On the sidelines, watching James' movements become increasingly sluggish after just half a quarter tonight, Murphy asked Dunleavy, "The Cavaliers... haven't they thought about easing LeBron's burden?"
Dunleavy replied, "I don't know what the Cavs' coaches and players are thinking, but Troy... you can first consider why we slowly accepted the Messiah and gradually became his loyal followers."
On the bench, after a long period of thought, Murphy said, "Mike, I give up, just tell me the answer."
Seeing this, Dunleavy, feeling the clear difference in intelligence between people, said, "If the Messiah's rule was truly that tyrannical and he just bullied his teammates, would we still support him like this today?"
Murphy shook his head, "Definitely not. What veteran would tolerate a rookie acting all high and mighty in front of them all day?"
Dunleavy nodded and continued, "The Messiah's assertiveness in preseason training camp was just to quickly establish dominance and tell us, who weren't unified in our thinking at the time, that from now on, the Warriors must revolve around him, and must advance under his leadership."
Murphy asked, "And then?"
"Then... as we kept winning, defeating one opponent after another, didn't you notice that whether in daily practice or games, he actually became our umbrella?"
At this point, after a pause, Dunleavy continued, "He set an example for all of us with his diligent training, which he never missed and was more intense than anyone else's. But he never demanded that we had to train as hard as him... because in the NBA, not everyone is Kobe Bryant, and not everyone is the Messiah."
"He was strict with himself but lenient with others. He seemed unapproachable on the surface, but privately, he could make you feel warmth everywhere. Maybe he's not mature enough yet, but he has indeed made every single one of us believe that under his leadership, the team's tomorrow will surely be better than yesterday. That's why Ron and I could offer him advice, and he was willing to accept it."
Murphy mused, "Mike, are you saying LeBron James doesn't have the leadership qualities of the Messiah?"
Little Dunleavy shook his head, "I'm not LeBron's brother, how would I know what kind of person he truly is? However, I can confirm that LeBron is definitely not as easy to get along with as people might think."
At this moment, little Dunleavy dared to make that judgment mainly because he noticed that, since the start of the game tonight, the Cavaliers' players seemed to be one by one, extremely tense.
For example, on the court right now, the more anxious James became, the more rigid his teammates' bodies grew.
In contrast, the Warriors... after that "accident" involving Zack shortly after the tip-off, although little Dunleavy couldn't be sure if Zack was just trying to take advantage or seize the opportunity to lighten the mood within the Warriors, that "incident" indeed allowed the entire Warriors team, whose nerves were also tightly strung for this destined game, to completely relax.
At Oracle Arena, it was the Cavaliers' possession.
After setting a high screen for James according to the pre-game strategy, "Big Z" successfully drew Brown away by popping out.
On this defensive play, because Zack had to immediately cut off James' path, James' next move, whether a pull-up jumper or a pass to Gooden lurking in the corner, would have been a valid option.
Near the free throw line, suppressing his increasingly anxious heart for a moment, James calmly passed the ball to Gooden. But Gooden made the cardinal sin of not focusing while receiving the pass.
Because he was too eager to demonstrate his loyalty to His Majesty, Gooden, who was constantly thinking about what move to make after catching the ball, actually handed the possession directly to the Warriors.
And at that moment, meeting His Majesty's gaze, Gooden could only throw up his hands in helplessness, indirectly messing with James' mentality.
This Cavaliers team... had already triggered a series of chain reactions due to their incredibly tense nerves at the start of the game tonight.
On the Cavaliers' half of the court, after receiving an assist from Davis, Zack soared for a layup, successfully achieving his first career "20+" quarter. Seeing this, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown had no choice but to call another timeout at the scorer's table.
During the timeout, Brown, who thought he understood James well, boldly suggested, "LeBron, can you guard Zack next?"
At this moment, James' expression was complicated. He knew very well that with Zack's performance tonight, he had no chance in a one-on-one situation. But if he didn't put any restrictions on Zack for the rest of the game, then after this match, he, the "Chosen One," would be completely overshadowed by the "Messiah." And for him to change this situation, he might even have to wait until next season. After all, even if the NBA had an automatic "buy-back" mechanism, the Cavaliers only had two opportunities to play the Warriors each season.
"I'll take the primary defense on Zack... but as soon as he tries to isolate, I need someone to immediately come over and double-team with me," James said to Brown after taking a deep breath, completely surprised by how ferocious his good brother was tonight.
After the timeout, the game continued.
Fortunately, even though James' physical condition was generally poor tonight due to fatigue from previous games, his shooting touch was much better than usual. On the court, on a Cavaliers offensive possession, after continuing to fake out Artest with a jab step on the perimeter, James confidently sank his second three-pointer of the game.
"Is he usually this accurate?" Artest wondered, intentionally giving James space to shoot.
Back to the Warriors' possession. Zack immediately got excited when he saw James actively guarding him. Although Zack didn't have much emotional attachment to most NBA stars... tonight, in Zack's eyes... why bully Gooden when he could happily beat up his good brother?
But on the court, just as Zack reached out for the ball, James, blowing the "King's Horn," immediately called over Gooden and instantly double-teamed him.
At that moment, James distinctly heard Zack swear an F-word. But ironically, that curse word suddenly calmed James' already anxious heart. Because it was only then that James realized... Zack was human, not a god. And even if this Cavaliers team wasn't as strong as people imagined, they were definitely not a pushover.
Gooden's mobility certainly couldn't keep up with Zack, but as one of the standout players from "LeBron's First Stint," after James took over the primary defense on Zack, Gooden was able to show his defensive hustle. (Note ①)
By all accounts, it was a successful double-team. Even for Zack, the best course of action at this point would have been to pass back to Davis and reset the offense.
But since the person with the ball at this moment was named Zack... how could a conventional approach appeal to him?
On the wing, Zack directly bounced the ball through Gooden's legs, and Richardson, who had followed through the middle, put on a dazzling between-the-legs dunk for the fans.
Seeing this, James was also helpless. But compared to before, now that he was gradually calming down, he successfully controlled the frown that was about to appear on his face.
Again, if James was truly that weak and pathetic, considering all those classic battles he lost in his career that would make even Elgin Baylor cry, how could he still be playing in the NBA before Zack's transmigration? Was it just because he had a thick skin? And shouldn't someone with a thick skin be less prone to giving up easily?
On the court, a regrouped James finally led the Cavaliers to some decent offense in the latter half of the first quarter. However, due to the massive deficit they had dug earlier, the score at the end of the first quarter read 20-38.
Zack, in his first career 20+ quarter tonight, tallied 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal.
During the quarter break, the host interviewed Zack about his feelings on his first career 20+ quarter. Before Zack could even answer, he saw his good brother, who had stayed on the court while he rested, complete a soaring layup on the Warriors' half. In response, after simply telling the host, "Great, perfect," Zack immediately ripped off the towel from his shoulders.
On the court, looking at Zack, who was already striding towards the scorer's table, if you absolutely had to ask James what he was feeling at that moment, it would probably be something like: "Can't you just rest a little longer? You're already leading by so much!"
A minute later, Zack returned to the court. However, this quarter, Zack was certainly not going to replicate his first-quarter performance. Because the Cavaliers were now applying all sorts of frantic double-teams on him. As soon as Zack received the ball, any Cavaliers player on the same side as James would immediately join James in surrounding him. As everyone knows in the NBA, even if you want to go one-on-two, you still need the right angle to do it. So, facing the Cavaliers, who didn't want him to score easily, Zack had to change his approach to offense.
On the court, in the latter half of the second quarter, it was the Warriors' possession. After Jack dribbled across half-court, Zack first moved up to the high post to set a screen for Jack, then immediately cut down to set a screen for little Dunleavy on the right side of the free-throw line.
Zack's timing for setting these two screens was very precise. Because one of these screens was real, and the other was a fake. In the game, James, who was guarding Zack, lost track of him for a moment during Zack's second screen, allowing Zack to slip into the Cavaliers' paint.
Then, Jack, who had already observed Zack's movement, timely passed the ball to Zack. Afterward, under the basket, Zack powerfully slammed the ball down with both hands, and after landing from the dunk, he patted James on the shoulder and said, "Good try, LeBron, you almost defended me just now."
Hearing this, James, knowing that Zack was "retaliating" for his constant double-teaming tactics, immediately realized the importance of the Cavaliers bringing in a mobile and defensively skilled power forward in the future.
And at this moment, Zack, who could play off-ball and break double-teams through screens with teammates... probably didn't even realize that his image in James' mind had already surpassed that of other well-known NBA superstars. After all, how do you defend against such an unpredictable play?
Furthermore, in James' eyes, he and Zack had only known each other for a year and a half at most... but within that time, Zack, who was originally just a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, had already evolved to this extent.
In fact, at a certain point in the game, even James himself believed that compared to Zack, the Messiah, he, the Chosen One, was truly unworthy of the title.
But even if the truth was cruel, James would never openly admit this fact to the world. Because he had worked so hard, step by step, to get to where he was today, how could he calmly accept his achievements ultimately becoming Zack's stepping stone?
James could accept being the loser in front of Zack. But he would never allow anyone to strip him of his achievements. Because his achievements... were his only "roots" in his eyes.
At Oracle Arena, at halftime, the score was 48-68. With a significant lead, the Warriors slowed their pace of expanding the lead. Zack had tallied 31 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal for the Warriors in the first half. James, on the other hand, had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.
During halftime, Warriors coach Montgomery, knowing that the Cavaliers' double-team strategy couldn't contain Zack, curiously asked, "Zack, why did you keep passing the ball later?"
Beside him, Artest, always quick to speak his mind, interjected, "Do you want our Messiah to die from exhaustion?"
At this point, Montgomery, realizing the cost of such a tactic to break a double-team, chuckled awkwardly, "My apologies, I spoke out of turn."
There was no way around it; Zack wasn't Stephen Curry, who was only about 190 centimeters tall. Plus, as an inside player, the constant screening and off-ball movement on the court would exhaust him even more. So, in fact, Zack in the second quarter simply wanted to respond to James' repeated "King's Horn" in the game in this way:
"If I want to, you can't stop me."
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As early as the end of the first quarter, Zack had already made up his mind. Since the Cavaliers didn't want him to rack up a high score, he didn't mind ending this pleasant night with another astonishing triple-double.
After halftime, the game continued.
If the first half of the game saw Zack fully demonstrate to the world that he was the only interior player in the NBA who could put up high scores like an perimeter superstar, then the second half saw Zack, through his understanding of the game, once again let the world feel how advanced his "command center" truly was.
Thanks to the higher level of play in the NBA, Zack's court vision and passing ability grew rapidly after entering the league. And the most outrageous thing was... his vision and passing potential were also growing rapidly.
Perhaps this current Warriors team still needed more time to gel and design more sophisticated tactics for Zack's command center to fully utilize his strengths, but tonight, facing Cleveland's mindless double-teams, the other Warriors players only needed to provide Zack with a simple passing lane when he was double-teamed, and Zack would guide the Warriors forward with his passing.
After the third quarter, under the teary-eyed gaze of the Cavaliers players, Zack finally did not play in the fourth quarter. Although, to save some face and make his stats look better, James wasn't subbed out by Mike Brown until the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. But Zack didn't ask to play in the fourth quarter.
At the time, having already scored 42 points, 14 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal for the Warriors in the first three quarters, when asked by Brown why he didn't want to continue playing, he said, "I've done my job exceptionally well tonight, I don't want to work overtime."
Hearing this, Brown, feeling a huge impact on his inner self, said, "But if you continue to play in the fourth quarter, you might even get a '50+ triple-double' tonight!"
Zack shrugged and said, "I believe I'll achieve that feat in the future. I don't want to waste it on a game that's already decided."
Brown was a bit exasperated, "Even if the outcome is decided, it's still an achievement!"
Zack shook his head, "Is an achievement padded in garbage time truly an achievement? Anyway, I don't recognize that kind of achievement."
Brown mumbled, "But isn't your good brother doing exactly that... padding his stats right now?"
Zack smiled, "Don't worry, if there's ever a record I'm really interested in, I promise you, I'll go all out in the game."
Brown was curious, "Speaking of which, what records are you interested in now?"
Zack thought for a moment, "Next time we visit Los Angeles, I want to see if I can score 70 points in a game."
Brown: "..."
See! Monta Ellis didn't slander him! Messiah, how can you still say you're not Kobe Bryant's number one hater?
---
Ultimately, this Christmas showdown between the Cavs and Warriors, which completely devolved into garbage time in the fourth quarter, ended with a final score of 99-119. LeBron James, who totaled 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals for the Cavaliers, indeed salvaged some face for the team in terms of the score.
After the game, given the Chosen One's influence, people didn't dwell on the fact that he heavily padded his stats for 7 minutes in the fourth quarter. Only Barkley, in his commentary, subtly remarked, "LeBron should seriously consider how big the gap is between him and the Messiah."
But... with such clear evidence, did James not know how far behind Zack his performance was in this Christmas battle? Of course, he knew! That's why he didn't even accept interviews after the game. James knew very well that he had to remain silent at this moment and redeem himself with even better statistics in subsequent games.
So, after the game, because the Chosen One left early, the Messiah was surrounded by throngs of eager media in the locker room. When asked about James, Zack completely avoided the topic. Because at this point, the entire NBA knew about his relationship with James, so if he spoke ill of James in an interview, he would surely be labeled as heartless and disloyal. That's right. Since he was destined not to speak the truth when commenting on James, Zack simply chose to avoid it.
"You're leading the All-Star voting (forward position) this year, what are your thoughts on that?"
"I'm very happy that I'm about to become the next All-Star player after Yao Ming."
"You scored another super triple-double tonight. Since you entered the league, you've had 7 triple-doubles. Now people are calling you 'Mr. Triple-Double.' What do you think about the triple-double as a stat?"
"That stat isn't very special to me... I just try my best to contribute more to the team in games, and then I just do it."
---
Finishing the interview, Zack successfully concluded his first Christmas night in his professional career. A dejected LeBron James failed to achieve his revenge this Christmas night. And what's worse, old wounds were reopened and new ones were added. Afterward, recalling the taunts from the Bay Area fans during the game, even with all of James' magnanimity, it was impossible for him to feel any fondness for the city of Oakland or Oracle Arena.
However, fans are fans, and brotherhood is brotherhood. Therefore, before leaving Cleveland with the Cavaliers, James still called Zack. On the phone, James and Zack's friendship was as strong as ever. However, compared to before, in Evans' eyes, who was always by Zack's side, there was a subtle, indescribable something that had emerged between Zack and James.
Evans didn't know how to describe the feeling James gave him over the phone, but he could sense from the fragmented conversation that James' attitude towards Zack was no longer as warm as before.
"What if he's just upset because they lost?"
"Really? Then why does Chris (Paul) never get upset about losing to you, and just punches you afterward?"
"Come on, when has Chris not been beaten down by me?"
---
Bidding farewell to Christmas night, before 2006 arrived, Zack led the Warriors to a victory over the Jazz at the end of the year, followed by an exchange of "fists" with Paul, concluding their 2005 games with a record of 22 wins and 10 losses.
"Looking back at 2005, the biggest focus in the basketball world was undoubtedly the 'Messiah' selected by the Warriors last summer. His strong performance in the first two months of his rookie season led the Warriors to fifth place in the Western Conference in the 05/06 NBA season." — ESPN Year-End Review: Warriors Section
"Although the Rockets narrowly lost to the Mavericks 3-4 in the 04/05 playoffs, at least they were a very competitive team back then. Now, with only 11 wins going into 2006, they can decide if they want to give up on this season." — ESPN Year-End Review: Rockets Section
"When asked about Yao Ming's recent unpleasant conversation with Leslie Alexander, Sonics owner Howard Schultz said it was an internal matter for the Rockets, and outsiders shouldn't interfere. However, Mr. Schultz suggested that when feeling unhappy, Yao Ming should come to Seattle to relax. It's indeed a good suggestion, as Seattle has always been a great place for vacationing and unwinding." — The Seattle Times
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In the new year, the ambitious Warriors immediately encountered injuries. On January 4th, due to a recurrence of his knee injury in the game against the Nets, an MRI revealed that Baron Davis would miss at least five weeks of future games. In January, the most congested month in the NBA schedule every year, Davis's injury came at a very inopportune time.
Before his injury this season, the original "Beard Man" was averaging 15.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals for the Warriors. Although from the stats, Davis showed a slight decline compared to his career peak, in reality, this was simply because Davis was no longer the same Davis as before.
By Zack's side, the original "Beard Man" had already seen a certain possibility, and he no longer cared about his personal statistics. In fact, for this possibility, Davis had even optimized many unreasonable "Kobe-esque" shots in games this season. As a core member of this season's "Run-TMC" Warriors (referencing the original Golden State Warriors' high-scoring trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin), Davis's importance to this Warriors team cannot be overstated.
However, no matter how important Davis was, the Warriors had to accept the fact that they would temporarily lose their original "Beard Man." In this regard, Chris Mullin's trade during last summer's draft proved its importance. Because compared to Monta Ellis, who needed time and effort to coach and was more adept at individual offense, Jarrett Jack, while not entirely replacing Davis's role on the court, at least consistently had good chemistry with Zack, and his playing style ensured he rarely made ill-advised plays.
On January 6th, in the first game without Davis, Jack, getting a starting opportunity, responded to the team's trust with an excellent performance of 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. In this away game against the Bobcats, even Raymond Felton, whom Jordan had high hopes for, couldn't get the better of Jack.
However, compared to Felton being unable to handle Jack, Michael Jordan, who watched the entire game from a VIP box, was clearly more concerned about the lingering regret... Zack.
On the court, facing Emeka Okafor, who had given him a painful memory during his sophomore year, Zack showcased almost his entire arsenal: pull-up jumpers from the perimeter, post-ups in the paint, dribble-drive crossovers, off-ball cuts for screens, no-look passes, and even elbow passes at the cost of two turnovers. He paid the highest respects to Okafor, the 2004 NBA second overall pick, who had always been a quiet person and rarely held grudges.
In the game, Okafor, who never shied away from confronting Zack, paid the price for his honesty. Because if he had understood the importance of blowing the horn and calling for help, if he had let Sean May, who also understood Zack's playing style, take on more defensive responsibility, and if he had consistently adhered to the principle of "never give up until the game is over" and insisted on staying on the court to pad stats in garbage time in the final quarter, then why would he have seemed so vulnerable with stats of 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in the face of Zack's dominant 33 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 blocks?
And after the game, the honest Okafor didn't even mention that he was playing with an injury that night! It wasn't until Zack reminded the world that Okafor had been bothered by a back injury since the new year that people realized the 2004 second overall pick was indeed playing hurt.
"How did you know he was injured?" Brown asked Zack after the game, before they showered together.
Zack replied, "From the first possession, I felt his condition was off, so I specifically asked."
Seeing this, Brown asked, puzzled, "Then why were you so hard on him in the game?"
Zack shook his head, "For an opponent like that, only by going all out in the game can you truly respect them."
Brown sighed, "Emeka is a really good player."
Zack nodded, "Actually... after entering the NBA, he's always been one of the players I've most wanted to play with."
Brown lamented, "Too bad he was drafted by the Bobcats in '04, and he was even a highly-touted second overall pick."
At that moment, looking at Brown, Zack joked, "But we also have a highly-touted, equally valuable first overall pick... I just don't know if Michael Jordan is still interested in you."
Brown: "..."
"That's not a funny joke, Zack."
"Wait, Messiah, you weren't actually serious, were you?"
"Okay, boss, listen... actually, what Emeka can do on the court, I'm not saying I can't do it too."
That night, Brown was scared stiff by Zack's joke. So much so that even after leaving the Bobcats' arena, Brown was still shaken.
As for Michael Jordan, who had witnessed all of Zack's smooth moves and stylish combos on the court from the VIP box?
Melancholy. Just melancholy.
After the game, when interviewed, Jordan, with a mix of sadness and an unwillingness to hide his admiration for Zack, said, "So far, his performance has truly astonished all of us. In my opinion, the only regrettable thing is that he plays for the Golden State Warriors and not us."
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