NBA: Rising Superstar!

The buzzer marking the end of the game suddenly resounded, and the noise inside the arena reached its peak instantly.

The big screen started scrolling technical statistics of the match.

Zeng Xingyang showcased his exceptional personal abilities in this intense competition, securing 51 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds.

He was like a sharp blade on the court, repeatedly breaking through the opponent's defense to score, and the Spurs' defense gave their all against Zeng Xingyang but couldn't stop him.

Meanwhile, Jokic also delivered an outstanding performance for the Nuggets, achieving an all-around stat line of 29 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Under the basket, Jokic's physique was like an unmovable mountain; besides strong inside attacks, he set up plays whenever the Nuggets' offense faced trouble, relying on his excellent passing awareness to skillfully deliver the ball to teammates.

The Nuggets secured a total score of 115 points this game, with Zeng Xingyang and Jokic alone scoring a whopping 80 points.

This statistic sufficiently demonstrates the extent of the Nuggets' reliance on these two players.

Looking at the other team members, their scores hovered in single digits, seemingly lost in the game, but those familiar with the Nuggets players knew this was their level.

It's not that other role players on the Nuggets performed poorly, but rather that's their typical performance.

On the contrary, for the Spurs, Aldridge was the top scorer with 26 points, followed by Leonard with 22 points. The Spurs' scoring distribution was far more balanced compared to the Nuggets, yet despite this, the victory in this game still belonged to the Nuggets.

Zhang Weiping frowned with a solemn expression, saying, "The Nuggets won this game with great difficulty, paying a huge price. But looking ahead, their situation doesn't seem optimistic."

Yu Jia, beside him, echoed with worry in his tone, "Yes, the Nuggets currently face serious injury issues within their lineup, significantly impacting their upcoming matches."

...

...

Sure enough, a huge shift in momentum occurred in the subsequent series.

The Nuggets suffered consecutive defeats on the courts of Game 2 and Game 3.

The Western Conference Finals were played over 6 games, and ultimately, the Nuggets lost 2-4 to the Spurs.

Throughout the series, Aldridge averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds, showcasing dominance under the basket with repeated fierce battles inside.

Leonard averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, along with the enduringly strong GDP trio, along with Danny Green, Mills, and other players, sporadically breaking out in games causing significant problems for the Nuggets.

Zeng Xingyang's performance in the series wasn't poor, averaging 45.5 points, 11 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

To produce such astonishing statistical output on the stage of the Western Conference Finals is nothing short of stunning.

In Game 4, Zeng Xingyang staged a crucial game-winning moment.

As the game reached its final moments, the scores were neck and neck, Zeng Xingyang received a baseline pass from Jokic at two meters outside the three-point line, with 0.9 seconds left, he decisively jumped, exerting force to launch the ball, which flew a long distance in the air, finally swishing into the net accomplishing a super long-range game-winner.

At that moment, the entire Denver Center Arena erupted, Nuggets fans cheered crazily, believing the Nuggets would have the last laugh in this round of the series.

Zeng Xingyang saved Game 4!!

However, in Game 5, Leonard also rose to respond, giving the Nuggets a mid-range game-winner. Dribbling to the mid-range position, facing Jokic's help defense, he executed a sudden stop jump shot, the ball swished through the net at the buzzer.

Leonard helped the Spurs secure the crucial 'King of the Hill' battle.

As the game-winning shot went in, Spurs fans jumped from their seats in excitement, shouting wildly while Nuggets fans fell into deep despair.

The alternating game-winners plunged the match into a heated phase.

By Game 6, even though played at the Nuggets' home court, the Spurs still demonstrated formidable strength.

From the beginning of the game, the Spurs team fired on all cylinders, the players cooperated effectively, attacking like flowing water.

They led from start to finish without giving the Nuggets any hope for a comeback.

During the game, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic once stood out, attempting to lead the team to trigger an offensive peak.

Zeng Xingyang repeatedly drove quickly, breaking into the basket, either scoring aggressively or delivering clever passes to teammates.

Jokic stirred a storm in the paint, relying on his excellent setup ability to link the team's offenses.

But the Spurs players seemed to have made a pact, taking turns to score, suppressing the Nuggets' offensive momentum.

After the series ended, Popovich candidly stated during the interview, "The Nuggets are young, a team full of potential. But once we managed to effectively counter Zeng and Nikola's formidable firepower, they seemed somewhat helpless. However, their future is promising, reminiscent of us 15 years ago."

Popovich marveled at the Nuggets' future.

It's already apparent that the Nuggets are on the right path to reconstruction.

The Nuggets' lineup seemingly reached its limit throughout this series.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic have already given their all, even delivering stats rivaling any superstar.

In every game, Mike Malone could be seen on the sidelines anxiously stomping his foot, wishing to let the two play for the full 48 minutes.

Unfortunately, the successive injuries of Harris and Pope disrupted the team's plans, leaving only Nelson and Galinarli to fill their positions. Though these two managed offensively, their defensive performance was lackluster indeed, allowing Ginobili or Parker to easily find ways to break through their defense.

And playoffs precisely demand defense.

Too many injuries made the already disadvantaged starting lineup even harder hit, not to mention the originally underpowered second lineup.

...

After losing Game 6, Zeng Xingyang stood on the court, staring straight at the bright red scoreboard, his eyes full of unwillingness. His hands clenched tightly in fists, yet helpless.

After all, whether they can win a championship isn't something he alone can decide.

Jokic, with his hands on his hips, furrowed brows, also seriously looked at the scoreboard, then walked over to Zeng Xingyang and gave him a hug.

"Zeng, the taste of losing is hard to accept." His voice was deep, carrying a heavy sense of disappointment.

"Yeah!" Zeng Xingyang responded, his tone full of bitterness.

"Next year, let's not lose again, I don't like this feeling." Jokic looked at Zeng Xingyang, his eyes revealing a firm determination that this summer, he was going to lose weight.

"Hmm." Zeng Xingyang nodded heavily.

The two exchanged looks at each other, from each other's eyes, Zeng Xingyang could clearly sense Jokic's strong desire to make a great effort.