The Classic "Donkey's Ass" Scene!

Zhou Ze couldn't take Kobe teasing him for being a "bricklayer."

Come on...

You were the greatest bricklayer in history.

Still, Zhou Ze's three-point shooting did have the old problem of starting strong and finishing weak, mainly due to his stamina.

With only 90 (110) stamina, if Zhou Ze failed to conserve his energy in the first half, his shooting form would easily become distorted starting from the latter half of the third quarter.

This was especially true for catch-and-shoot attempts after running.

Spot-up shooting was still alright.

"How am I supposed to conserve my stamina?"

"Put my hands on my hips at certain moments? No way, Kobe would curse me to death."

Zhou Ze thought to himself.

As an NBA rookie, whether or not you were good at defense, your defensive attitude had to be good.

Those who focused heavily on offense and neglected defense were either veteran players or superstars. Besides, they could pour all their energy into defense at crucial moments and transform into defensive stoppers.

[Post-game Reward: 138 Peak Points]

[Peak Points: 265/4319]

Zhou Ze once again chose the random draw.

He received 1 random attribute point, which was once again added to [Release Speed], raising it to 81 (115).

Over the past week's three games, Zhou Ze averaged 23 points, 7.67 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

He had thought that with these numbers, winning another NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Week award would be a sure thing.

But this time, Zhou Ze lost to Chris Paul.

Paul averaged 18 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals that week, leading his team to a 2-2 record.

Franchise stars and core players received a considerable bonus when it came to this honor.

The NBA's Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were:

Eastern Conference Player of the Week: the Cleveland Cavaliers' franchise star—the Little Emperor, the Chosen One, No. 23 LeBron James.

Western Conference Player of the Week: the Los Angeles Lakers' franchise star—the Black Mamba, No. 8 Kobe Bryant.

Zhou Ze was quite depressed about missing out on Rookie of the Week.

That was 300 Peak Points, after all.

At the same time, TNT held a heated discussion over whether Zhou Ze or Chris Paul deserved Western Conference Rookie of the Week, as well as November's Rookie of the Month.

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley each held firmly to their own views.

Kenny Smith, who supported Chris Paul, said, "Stats don't fully reflect Paul's impact on the team. CP3 is a genius point guard who can bring the ball anywhere on the court. He'll become the best active point guard in the NBA in the future. As for Zhou Ze, while he possesses three-point ability rarely seen in an interior player and can throw down explosive dunks, his rebounding and defense are both below league average. Most importantly, the Lakers are Kobe's team, while the Hornets are CP3's team."

The Round Mound of Rebound, Charles Barkley, supported Zhou Ze. "Stop talking about the future all the time. Who knows what'll happen in the future? You say CP3 will become the league's top point guard someday, and that makes it true? I could just as easily say he'll never win a championship, and Zhou will definitely win one before him. Who can say for sure what the future holds?"

Barkley first mocked Kenny Smith for making predictions too far in advance, then launched into a powerful tirade. "Of course, one thing you said is right: the Lakers are Kobe's team. But it's also hard to deny that Zhou's arrival has revitalized the team. Their current record is better than the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat, putting them first in the league, while last year's Lakers didn't even make the playoffs."

"Sure, you can say the season has only just begun, but does the Lakers' current record have anything to do with rookie Zhou Ze? Doesn't he deserve some credit?"

"Besides, I don't really like arguing with stats, but Zhou's numbers are no worse than Chris Paul's. As for his impact on the court, you can clearly see how he stretches opposing defenses with his off-ball movement and makes opponents hesitate in transition, creating good offensive opportunities for his teammates. Worth mentioning is that his arrival has made bust No. 1 pick Kwame Brown look less like a bust, and he's also earned the respect of most of his teammates."

"As for CP3, his relationships with most of his teammates are average at best, and even poor."

Charles Barkley was quite a character. The first time he became known to the vast number of Chinese fans was when Yao Ming made him kiss a donkey's ass. From then on, he reformed himself and developed a slight reverence for the mysterious power of the East.

Though Barkley had now grown round as a ball, beneath his somewhat comical appearance lay great wisdom.

More than once, Barkley had publicly lavished praise on Zhou Ze.

Today, he once again held a "Rookie of the Year" debate with Kenny Smith on TNT.

It made fans who supported Zhou Ze suddenly realize that the second-round pick they rooted for had unknowingly grown to this level.

"I dare say that if the league hasn't taken bribes, November's Rookie of the Month will definitely go to Zhou Ze, even though the Lakers still have three games left in November." Charles Barkley blindly backed Zhou Ze to win Rookie of the Month.

"Dear Sir Charles, this is the TNT studio, not a wishing well!!!"

"On November 30, the Lakers will face the New Orleans Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back. CP3 will prove to the world that Zhou Ze isn't even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him." Kenny Smith fired back.

As the argument between the two grew more and more intense, they suddenly made the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award the stake of a bet.

"Sir Charles, this time I'll pick out a male donkey for you." Kenny Smith said confidently.

Chris Paul's style was steady and mature, far beyond his years. The Lakers were also on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, while the other side had rested and waited. It would not be easy for the Lakers to win. In the final game of November, the two would face off directly. Whoever won the matchup would gain a huge advantage in the race for Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

"Let's wait and see." Charles Barkley was just as confident in Zhou Ze.

A major reason Barkley supported Zhou Ze was that he had seen Zhou Ze's potential. Every time he streamed one of Zhou Ze's games, Barkley would be amazed to discover that Zhou Ze had gotten stronger again—and somehow, he still had all his hair.

As for the donkey-kissing segment, Zhou Ze found it pretty cliché. After all, in the NBA-themed webnovels he had read in his previous life, one of those two idiots was always bound to end up kissing a donkey's ass.

He had long since grown tired of it.

But then again, if they did not make them kiss a donkey's ass at least once, it would be like they had never played in the NBA at all.