One Year Left to Play

"Playing isolation games and distributing the ball involves a lot of blame, huh? Is this why O’Neal needs Kobe, why the Turtle needs a backpack, and why Green has to drag Curry around?"

Although it was unexpected, Zhang Hao felt genuinely pleased—not because he seized the right to shoot! Everyone saw it; the high score was a coincidence, and my style was effective. Boss Kenny and Er Pang, who are willing to play hard, can play more decisively without any worries because there’s always someone else to take the blame...

"Playing with superstars requires someone like me who is willing to contribute silently."

Zhang Hao felt helpless; every team needs someone to take the blame, and it turned out to be him. What can he do? He felt so amused he almost laughed out loud. He quickly contained it, maintaining a poker face.

Back in the locker room, Del Harris looked at what he’d jotted down in his notebook—the playoff-level competition, isolation tactics, the determination of the "little brat" at the end, outcome A-.

This evaluation was quite high. In his notebook, such a grade for O’Neal’s isolation play was also an A-.

Outcome A is only for team play with O’Neal, and A+ is currently empty.

During the first game of the season, they unexpectedly implemented a strategy effective enough to achieve an A- level; Del Harris felt quite pleased.

Although team tactics hardly worked against the New York Knicks, it didn’t matter; the opponent was in a similar situation. They were both considered new teams, with more than half of their players changed. The rest depended on their stars.

Regarding star-centric play, even though the Knicks’ stars’ isolation plays were no worse than the Lakers’ Kenny Anderson, Barkley, and Doug Christie.

But in two areas, the Lakers were stronger.

Firstly, in aggressively fighting for offensive rebounds. Barkley, Jason Williams, and George Lynch were always on the court, performing admirably in securing offensive rebounds.

Secondly, it’s Zhang Hao...

In his second season, compared to his rookie year, Zhang Hao’s shooting accuracy improved. Clearly, a top-notch level isn’t his limit; he’s still growing, and his shot release speed has noticeably increased. He’s more adept at taking the blame, and his ability to shoot, less disturbed by defenders, has enhanced... Simply put, he’s grown taller... from the new season registration, it seems his arms have lengthened.

However, it is also evident that Zhang Hao is making better use of his physical attributes.

It sounds simple, but there are many NBA players who don’t utilize their athletic qualities. This is never a straightforward task and demands great talent; some never learn despite trying all their lives.

With their advantages, they continued. At halftime, Del Harris made adjustments to allow the star isolation tactics to be more effective. As for the tactical aspects, they would take it step by step, discussing it later.

After the start of the second half, the Lakers played more confidently, and their supporting players executed the finer details better than in the first half.

The Knicks adjusted too; Zhang Hao’s playing style seemed to inspire Van Gundy, who began instructing Alan Houston to use a similar approach.

But even with the similar style, Zhang Hao executed it better than Alan Houston!

Firstly, Alan Houston hadn’t played like this before. He typically handles the ball, often with strategies built around him on the Pistons. The original Knicks tactics are similar, revolving around him as a decoy and primary shooting option while creating chances for others or himself, akin to the Pacers’ tactics.

Furthermore, when truly taking the blame, even though Alan Houston excels in regular mid-range shots and his three-pointers are better than Zhang Hao, when making shots under pressure, it’s not always the best shooting opportunities, and Alan Houston is less proficient than Zhang Hao. When Zhang Hao raises the ball, the Knicks almost never manage to block it!

For interior isolation, Barkley was stronger than Ewing and Larry Johnson. On the perimeter, Kenny Anderson surpassed Starks and Chales. With Barkley’s stamina exceeding the Lakers’ expectations, the reliability of Zhang Hao both in receiving and executing crucial shots surpassed Alan Houston. In the third quarter, as both teams intensified their defense to the maximum, the difference in strength became evident.

The Lakers achieved a 24-15 score in the third quarter, setting it at 69-54, leading by 15 points into the final quarter!

Finally, after a scoring of 18-21 in the final quarter, the Lakers beat the Knicks 87-75, winning this defensive showdown!

Zhang Hao played the whole 40 minutes, making 21 shots with 12 successful, including one out of two three-pointers, plus 5 free throws out of 7, ending with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks!

The whole game, Zhang Hao performed tasks that seemed simple, even fewer in facilitation than last season, with one impressive opening pass and one pass during a fast break, and that was it.

For shooting, out of 21 attempts, 13 were when teammates struggled, and there were no better passing opportunities, so they handed it to him, and he made 6 shots.

The rest involved capitalizing on fast break opportunities, where they executed 4 fast breaks, of which 3 successfully scored.

Only 5 successful shots were standard catch-and-shoot plays.

It seemed Zhang Hao’s tactical status and room for performance diminished, yet upon review, Zhang Hao’s 21 attempts were the highest throughout the game, surpassing the opposing Larry Johnson’s 19 shots.

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