249. Michael is really stingy!

The day after the first round ended, Zhang Yang truly felt for the first time how terrifying the backlash from playoff failure could be.

He had experienced playoff eliminations before—losing to the Pistons in the second round during his rookie year.

But that time, after their exit, media and fans had praised them to the skies, with many even saying that the Rookie of the Year award was unfair and that he deserved it more than Paul.

Reaching the playoffs in their second year and making it to the second round was quite sensational at the time.

Only the fans of the team they had surprisingly beaten in the first round hurled unwarranted abuse and mockery at him.

In his second year, winning the championship at 19 and becoming the youngest FMVP broke Magic's record, and the public sentiment about that needs no elaboration.

But now, about to turn 25 and eliminated from the playoffs, even with an average of over 35 points, he was criticized ruthlessly.