In the remaining 4 minutes of the second quarter and the third quarter, Zhao Feiyang's performance was perfect.
After he came on the court, he continued to use his personal scoring ability to attack the Pelicans' basket. While scoring, he would also provide assists to some teammates. For example, forward players like Andre Iguodala would cooperate with him in pick-and-rolls several times. Scored the basket.
Although this style of play was not what coach Steve Kerr wanted, he did not stop it. After all, Zhao Feiyang's performance really helped the team recover the point difference.
When the game entered the first half of the fourth quarter, Zhao Feiyang had a blast with three-pointers and hit consecutive long-range three-pointers, leading the team to widen the point difference between the two sides to as much as 13 points.
93 to 80.
The leading Pelicans were completely overtaken.
After a timeout, Zhao Feiyang took a look at the electronic card and found that he had played for 20 minutes, so he decisively chose a truce and returned to the bench.
"Coach Steve, I need to rest. My ankle is a little sore... I don't know if I just sprained it..."
Steve Kerr was shocked by Zhao Feiyang's words.
He looked carefully and found that there seemed to be nothing abnormal about Zhao Feiyang's ankle. However, after noticing Zhao Feiyang's expression, coach Steve Kerr immediately understood.
"Zhao, I think..."
Before Coach Steve Kerr could speak, Zhao Feiyang interrupted him first, "Coach Steve, if the team wants to get respect from me, it should also choose to respect me... .”
"If you need me to play injured, I will refuse without hesitation...I will not risk my career for the Warriors..."
These words are going to scare Coach Steve Kerr!
"Zhao, I know you're still angry...but I respect you. It's the team that's sorry for you first..."
"You go and rest! But...if the team falls behind, I will still let you play..."
Zhao Feiyang nodded.
"certainly."
"But I think if the team with a 13-point gap loses again, then this year's playoffs may..."
Zhao Feiyang didn't say any more.
Coach Steve didn’t ask any more questions.
Just like that, with less than 8 minutes left in the game, Zhao Feiyang, who scored 28 points and 6 assists in 20 minutes, chose to sit on the bench and rest.
Fans were a little confused about this.
However, the Warriors are leading at this time, so there is nothing wrong with letting Zhao Feiyang rest.
In the remaining time, the Warriors' main lineup once again appeared.
Although others still performed poorly, with the support of Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson, the team finally won the game successfully.
The final score between the two sides was 109 to 106.
The original 13-point advantage was reduced to only 3 points in the end.
The moment the timer stopped, even the usually steady head coach Steve Kerr couldn't help but sweat.
Regardless, the Warriors finally got back in the game.
Even though it was a narrow victory, the fans in Oracle Arena were very happy.
Immediately after the game ended, many fans stood up spontaneously and gave Zhao Feiyang all their applause and cheers.
Countless people shouted his name.
When Zhao Feiyang walked to both sides of the tunnel, the fans in the stands went crazy. Countless people reached out to him, especially many Chinese fans, who even shouted Zhao Feiyang's name in Chinese.
Zhao Feiyang was in a pretty good mood, high-fiving the fans one by one, and even gave his boots to a young fan from China.
On the other hand, when other Warriors players walked through both sides of the tunnel, there were not many cheers at all. Not only were there no fans looking for their autographs, but even those who high-fived them were gone.
The team's previous losses have also taken away the admiration of these fans for them.
The effect of Zhao Feiyang's first game after his return was immediate. On the night when he helped the Warriors win, many fans in the Bay Area knew about it.
Likewise, ESPN reported the news, and celebrities talked about it on the show.
"I think this is not the original style of the Warriors...Winning like this is just good luck..."
"Coach Steve hopes that the entire team will rotate and pick-and-roll, and that there will be a large number of off-ball screens... But after Zhao returned to the team, he relied more on his personal ability... ....”
"I know the team won, but such a victory cannot last... If you don't believe it, let's make a bet!"
Famous host Ryan Parsons commented.
He has hosted ESPN for many years and was a player for the Warriors in the 1990s, but retired after playing only a few seasons.
He has always been a solid supporter of the Warriors. Even if the Warriors had poor results in previous seasons, he has never changed his stance.
Unlike other NBA celebrities, Ryan Parsons usually comes up with many surprising opinions in order to make the show more topical.
In the past, no one would support what he said on the show, but this time, even the other two seniors showed their approval.
First up is Charles Barkley.
There are some differences between his and Ryan Parsons' views, but they are generally similar.
"The Warriors are now facing a big problem. If Steve Kerr wants to continue to implement his tactics, he must make adjustments to the existing lineup..."
"Zhao's performance is very good, but no one knows whether it is luck. If the victory cannot be sustained, then such a return will not make much sense..."
Another person who agreed was Shaquille O'Neal.
He also expressed his views.
"The Warriors performed great! Their winning streak at the beginning of the season surprised me... No one expected that Stephen would be injured... Zhao's style is different from his Yes, if there is no chemical reaction, the situation faced by the Warriors may be more difficult..."
Ryan Parsons' words pushed Zhao Feiyang to the forefront, and the approval of two famous players, Barkley and O'Neal, gave Ryan Parsons rare support.
Thus, a heated discussion began about whether Zhao Feiyang could carry the Warriors.
What's even more coincidental is that on the cusp of this storm, Draymond Green actually liked Ryan Parsons' words questioning Zhao Feiyang on his social media account.
Unfortunately, this scene happened to be discovered by fans, and not long after, the outside world began to speculate whether there were major conflicts within the Warriors.
At the same time, the management of the Minnesota Timberwolves also contacted the management of the Warriors again. They hope that if the Warriors are satisfied with their conditions, they can trade Zhao Feiyang to Minnesota earlier.
