CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 377: THE ZENG XINGYANG RULE, 3-1 LEAD IN THE SERIES!

Many executives, players from other teams advised Zeng Xingyang before the game, suggesting he make big issues small and let small issues go.

But Zeng Xingyang knew well that if he hadn’t pushed himself, he would have been wasted.

Let Pachulia off?

Why?

Now Zeng Xingyang understood that only by making the league feel pain would they listen and realize who’s bringing the money to this commercial league.

....

Game 3 quickly kicked off.

Zeng Xingyang didn’t let anyone beyond Jokic and Butler get involved.

Combined with the suspension of three rookies, six Nuggets players didn’t play at all.

Seeing the Nuggets lineup with Brogdon, Harris, Pope, Gordon, and Grant as starters.

"Boo Boo Boo!!!"

Fans who paid high prices for Oracle Arena tickets instantly started cursing loudly.

Curry shrugged helplessly; the game had no meaning at all.

Without any surprises.

The Nuggets lost at the Warriors home, with a score of 87 to 127.

A 40-point defeat for the Nuggets.

But no one cared about the score anymore.

The series was changed to 1-2 behind.

This game caused a massive uproar!!!

No one expected Zeng Xingyang, Jokic, and Butler to flip the table and provoke the league.

Adam Silver was a bit nervous.

A game supposed to be a century battle shaped by the league turned into a mess.

It seriously affected the league’s reputation.

According to normal regulations, the Nuggets should be punished at this point.

But Adam Silver didn’t dare.

Adam Silver had heard many team owners urging him to quickly resolve this troublesome issue.

NBA teams are tied to the NBA’s reputation, now the league got itself into an awkward position.

According to the team owners’ logic, Zeng Xingyang’s value to the NBA clearly outweighs Pachulia.

So is Zeng Xingyang’s demand still worth considering?

Hurry up and get Pachulia out, just appease the sales king.

Moreover, Zeng Xingyang’s various demands were not unreasonable.

Warriors intended to ruin him.

Who can tolerate such moves?

If this situation continues to escalate, the valuation of NBA teams will drop, and those team owners will unite to overthrow Adam Silver.

Collecting money so easily might not be feasible for the NBA anymore....

On the night after Game 3 was over.

Adam Silver didn’t dare stick to his previous silly decision.

He immediately pressured the Warriors to have their management cut Pachulia.

The Warriors owner didn’t want to get involved in such dirty business anyway and had no intention of protecting Pachulia.

The Warriors management became public enemies.

If it were a core player, the management wouldn’t concede, but Pachulia happened to be irrelevant.

Thus, the Warriors directly announced the cutting of Zaza Pachulia late that night.

Layoffs during the playoffs — a historical first in NBA history!

This layoff move directly could declare the end of Pachulia’s NBA career.

Warriors fans who got the news angrily criticized the Warriors management for not being strong enough to protect their own players.

Pachulia also announced on social media that he would sue the league and coach Stephen Curry.

Pachulia claimed that the foot stepping was at Stephen Curry’s direction.

Stephen Curry naturally denied it flatly...

The players’ union continued to intervene in investigations.

All parties began pulling strings.

But none of that concerned Zeng Xingyang.

Pre-game interview for Game 4.

Zeng Xingyang clapped his hands, saying: "Adam Silver made a very accurate decision, preventing things from developing in another direction."

The journalist asked: "Which direction would it continue to develop?"

Zeng Xingyang answered with a smile: "Hard to say, I don’t know either; it depends on whether our league leaders are smart enough."

Zeng Xingyang was too aware of the league’s nature, everything was primarily about profit.

Let him choose between himself and Pachulia, it was clear what the choice should be.

Adam Silver being dumb for a while made things uncontrollable.

If Adam Silver continued to act foolishly, the Nuggets owner and others would push him out.

As for creating another ABA to counter the NBA?

That’s unnecessary, too troublesome.

It would make you an enemy of the NBA owners.

No one wants to create hassles.

This was originally an easy-to-handle situation, but Adam Silver made it complicated.

Regulations and rules are nothing against a star’s absolute influence.

If regulations are needed, those with authority can introduce new ones immediately.

Exactly.

The league soon introduced new rules — the "Player Safety Ordinance."

One clause of the ordinance states, if proven to execute malicious injurious actions against opponents on the court, depending on the severity and impact, the league can impose the highest penalty of expulsion.

Media and fans teased this ordinance as the "Zeng Xingyang Ordinance."

This was Zeng Xingyang’s first use of his influence to change some league rules.

It was also considering the situation.

No player wants to be maliciously harmed by opponents.

Likewise, teams don’t wish to see their players wasted.

The league even more so — without superstars, who would come to watch the games?

Do they really think fans come specifically to watch minimum-wage and mid-level players?

The majority of fans come to watch the superstar players.

Other players are just supporting roles.

A team’s valuation, besides its location, is greatly influenced by the stars within the team.

Thus Zeng Xingyang’s push for league reforms aligns with the interests of most.

Game 4’s entrance ceremony.

When the Nuggets entered, a sea of boos filled the venue, and when Zeng Xingyang appeared, it reached its peak.

"Zeng, get out of the league!"

"Don’t show your bullying to the outside world."

"You are bullying the blue-collar workers."

"Hmph, you didn’t even get injured!"

Besides Pachulia, those hurt most in this farce were the Warriors fans.

The Warriors were practically face slapped by Zeng Xingyang, with Pachulia, one of the team’s rotations, directly cut!

This is a humiliation for the Warriors.

Game 4 battle, the full-strength Nuggets didn’t give the Warriors any chance; they led from the start and consistently suppressed the opponents.

The Warriors did not regain confidence from the last win.

On the contrary.

Pachulia’s prompt cut also took away some of their morale.

The players weren’t sure if, next time there’s a clash with Zeng Xingyang, the Warriors management would protect them.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic repeatedly attacked the Warriors’ inside line successfully.

After the duo’s offense started, it led to a prominent display of the teammates’ outside shooting.

The Nuggets’ offensive capability was fully demonstrated.

The Oracle Arena fans felt the gap between their home team and the Nuggets.

As long as the Nuggets played with their full roster, the Warriors seemed to have slim hopes.

Durant, Curry, Thompson’s offense was cut off, incapable of linking...

Ultimately, the score of this game was locked at 131 to 111, with the Nuggets winning 20 points on the Warriors’ home court, leading the series 3 to 1.

The Nuggets were just one step away from advancing to the finals!!