50+ 7 times in 11 days, is it not enough? The NBA's "March Madness" is certainly not over. Who will be the next player to score more than 50 points in a single game? The answer is, Sadiq Bay of the Detroit Pistons.
Bay enters ZONE mode. In the first half of the game, all his shots seemed to be able to score. In the first 20 minutes, Bay had already created a career night when he scored 30 points, including six three-pointers. The only question is whether he will score 50 or even 60 points in a similar way in the second half.
On March 18, Beijing time, the Pistons challenged the Orlando Magic away. At the Amway Center, Sadiq Bay, who is not yet 23 years old, joined the 50+ club. He scored a career-high 51 points on 17-of-27 shooting, 10-of-14 three-pointers and 7-of-10 from the free throw line to help the Pistons beat the Magic 134-120 on the road. The Pistons ended a four-game losing streak and the Magic suffered a three-game losing streak.
Marvin Bagley had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Isaiah Stewart had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Pistons' top scorer Jeramie Grant (with a knee injury) and "Pick-up" Cade Cunningham continued to miss the game.
The game between the league's worst teams this season is the only game in the NBA on the 18th, which just provides a stage for Bay to be noticed by more people. This is the first time that the Pistons have scored 50+ points in a single game since Blake Griffin scored 50 points in a single game in the 2018-19 season, Bay's 51 points are tied for fifth in Pistons history, and the Pistons' all-time single-game scoring record was set by Jerry Starkhouse in 2001.
"He's in a white-hot state, so it's great to see him have a night like this. As an NBA player, he will always remember this moment. Pistons head coach Dwyane Casey said, "Individual performances like Sadik's are incredible. That's a good thing for a second-year player. ”
On career night, the Pistons forward's talent was perfectly demonstrated. Bay has averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season, but he is not a three-pointer, shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range this season. However, he was hot in this game, and 10 three-pointers in a single game equaled the team record set by Pistons legend Joe Dumas in 1994. In the 39 minutes of playing time, Bay also grabbed nine rebounds, delivered four assists and three steals.
There was still some suspense in the final three minutes of the game, when Bay scored 44 points and the Pistons maintained a double-digit lead. It looks like he's going to be replaced right away and can only finish a pretty good game instead of a big one. With 2:39 left in the fourth quarter, Bay hit a jumper, 46 points, and with 1 minute and 08 seconds left, Bay shot another retreat three-pointer, 49 points. In the final minute, he had a chance to score a 50-pointer, but the shot was blocked.
What I never expected was that the magic team had adult beauty. On the Pistons' final offense, Bay got the ball, and the Magic immediately fouled him, putting him on the free throw line and two chances to break the 50-point mark. In the end, Bay made two free throws, and the Magic's home fans even cheered for him.
Sadiq Bay said: "I walked up to the free throw line and told myself I had to hit at least one free throw. Then he added, "I was in that rhythm and I'm glad I did it." I was more nervous about whether I could hit at the free throw line, but I also knew that once I got there, I would at least have a chance to shoot one. ”
Although the game was a personal performance of Bay, he did not seem to deliberately brush points or deviate from the team's game plan until he unlocked the 50-point achievement in a single game.
The Pistons led 106-94 into the fourth quarter, hitting a three-pointer with 10 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game, and the Pistons extended the score to 113-96, but the Magic's Wagner Brothers immediately began to fight back. The Magic played an 8-0 counter-attack to bring the score to 106-115. Joseph hit back two free throws, Bay fired again and hit two more three-pointers, one to eight straight points, and the Pistons led 125-108 in the middle of the fourth quarter. The Magic played tenaciously, and Cole Anthony chased back seven points, still relying on the Pistons to score five points in a row to maintain the lead.
Bay said: "I think that's the flow of the game. I didn't say in the game that I wanted to score 50 points. When you catch the rhythm, you're inside Zone mode, and you still want to win the game. My teammates did a great job, they found me and encouraged me to keep a positive mindset. ”
"When you know you're in the spotlight and you're trying to get everyone involved, that's the kind of good cause and effect." Stewart said.
On the 16th, Kyrie Irving scored 60 points at home for the Magic, and then Bay set a new personal scoring record. Coach Casey said, why not?
Bay is the kind of functional player that every team wants, he has honed solid basic skills in two years at Villanova University, he is physically strong and not afraid of any challenges on the defensive end, of course, his flaws are more obvious, mediocre athleticism and explosiveness, lack of more ball holding, autonomous offensive ability. These strengths and weaknesses are the reasons why the team positioned him as a 3D player, and he can score 50 points in a single game, which is definitely greatly unexpected by the Pistons.
"I have a villain mentality, and my villain mentality comes from the Joker [the villain in Batman], which is why I dyed a handful of my hair green." Bay said in an interview.
Bay grew up watching the Batman v Joker series, and he prefers this character to the character that creates chaos throughout Gotham City than Batman. Bey also wanted to create some chaos. He wanted to be a villain. Bay wants you to hate him. He wants you to say something so he can fight back.
He was one such person who scored 23 points against the Toronto Raptors, and that night he shot a fatal goal that gave the Pistons a narrow 108-106 win over the Raptors. He said he likes to play away from home because "I like to hear boos". He was one such guy who scored 28 points against the Charlotte Hornets, and in the final minute of the game, Bay hit a crucial three-pointer in quick succession. After hitting a three-pointer that nearly sealed the win, he stared at a fan and kept slapping his chest just because the fan had been chattering at him from the sidelines.
With 50+ points per game, how many players can't reach them throughout their careers. So a 51-point game would undoubtedly encourage Bay, and perhaps that moment would change his career in the future.
"Whether we win or lose tonight, at least it was a very rewarding night for the youngster. This will boost his self-confidence and not have to look to the future, whether it's the rest of the year, summer or next year. Casey said.