In the midst of the cheering from the away fans, Zhang Yang made his free throw, tying the score at 126 to 126—the Bobcats caught up!
The cheers of the audience continued to rise, reaching a boiling point!
After the cheering, everyone was shouting "badboy," "Jack."
It had been almost 4 years since Madison Square Garden last witnessed a single game 50+ point performance!
The last time was February 16, 2003, when the Knicks hosted the Lakers. Alan Houston, who had just entered the prime of his career with his first season averaging over 20 points per game, outdueled Kobe 53 to 40, leading the Knicks to a 117-110 victory over the Lakers.
That's why, with only about 30 seconds left in the game and their team leading by one point, the home crowd was cheering for Zhang Yang, the away player, hoping his free throw would score—they hadn't seen a single game 50+ point performance in too long, and they felt sorrier for themselves than even the third-year Bobcats fans.
