One Year Left to Play

The fans at the scene were enjoying it a lot, but the performances of both were surprising.

Glenn Rice playing so well was indeed unexpected, even for the local Charlotte fans. Before Larry Johnson left, Glenn Rice had always been known for his shooting, but he would only score just over 20 points per game, with four or five rebounds and one or two assists, a top-tier second option.

Now, Glenn Rice has showcased his top-notch scoring ability in the league!

With a stronger dual interior combination that can organize offense and has better athleticism, Glenn Rice’s positioning has become more fluid, and the pick-and-rolls set by these two are excellent, always allowing Glenn Rice to find shooting opportunities.

Glenn Rice has proven with his ability that it wasn’t that he couldn’t play like this before; he just didn’t have the chance to show it.

On the other hand, Zhang Hao surprised people with his use of his own conditions and his teammates’ abilities.

Cutting in, catch-and-shoot after pick-and-roll – just these two moves, but he can find opportunities well, and his judgment of the opponent’s defensive movements is done very well. Of course, the passing of Kenny Anderson and the Magician played a crucial role. Without these two, his performance would definitely drop significantly.

However, Zhang Hao has one particularly surprising point, his ability to drive in with the ball!

Although there aren’t many opportunities, once they arise, whether it’s causing damage or attacking directly, Zhang Hao’s drive into the inside has seen a huge improvement compared to last season!

The closer to the basket, the easier it is to score. This statement holds some truth; with a higher offensive success rate, Zhang Hao and the wider shooting range of Glenn Rice have been going back and forth.

When the Lakers tried to focus on defending Glenn Rice, Dale Curry’s excellent breakthrough ability was showcased. His outstanding physical condition allows him to be an attacker. At 32, his running and jumping ability is still unmatched by his future son’s peak period.

Compared to the Hornets, the Lakers found it easier to adjust when Zhang Hao was closely marked and double-teamed whenever he received the ball. Because Zhang Hao plays even simpler than Glenn Rice, when Kenny Anderson and the Magician are on the court, he doesn’t have to consider anything other than scoring. It’s not that he needs to attract double teams completely for his teammates to use his threat, but whenever the Hornets show a tendency to double-team him, Kenny Anderson and the Magician can seize the opportunity. A double-team tendency requires preemptive movement and focused defensive attention.

However, the Hornets’ signings seem more suitable than the Lakers’ signings. Little Anthony Mason and Clifford Robinson fit perfectly with Dale Curry and Glenn Rice, which is why they could put on such an explosive performance from the start.

The Lakers’ new players are stronger, but Barkley doesn’t take initiative on offense unless you poke him. Like the last game against the Raptors, Kenny Anderson was the main offensive player in the first three quarters and scored 29 points with 12 assists for the whole game.

Tonight, Barkley is the same; during fast breaks, he exerts his full effort, but in set offense, he maintains his rebounding threat, securing positions and rebounds on defense.

Furthermore, the Hornets have an 8-man main rotation, aside from the six-man lineup of the five starters plus Dale Curry, only Scott Burrell and Tony Smith come off the bench. Although this heavily consumes the main players, Glenn Rice, Little Anthony Mason, and Clifford Robinson all play over 40 minutes. Boggs and Dale Curry can each play around 30 minutes, maintaining strong stamina. This means the Hornets can always let their main roster play longer, maintaining stronger stability.

The Lakers, on the other hand, rotate more often, always resulting in a lack of connection between offense and defense, allowing the Hornets to gain an advantage at certain stages.

However, whenever the Hornets stretched the lead to seven or eight points, the Lakers could always catch up.

By the end of the first half, Zhang Hao had played 21 minutes, scored 18 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and made 1 assist. Kenny Anderson had 12 points and 6 assists, and Jason Williams gobbled up 11 points, with all three scoring in double figures, accumulating 56 points.

Meanwhile, the Hornets scored 58 through Glenn Rice’s 16 points, Dale Curry’s 11 points, and Little Anthony Mason’s 12 points.

The Lakers trailed 56 to 58 at halftime, keeping the score tightly contested.

...

Back in the locker room, despite having the game-high of 18 points... accidentally taking the most shots and scoring the most, this tight score was making Zhang Hao uncomfortable—they could never fully unleash their strongest theoretical abilities.

No matter, the key issue was when he got back to the locker room and found head coach Del Harris was glancing at him from time to time. When he turned his head, it seemed like the other side was hesitating about something.

This is a bad signal!

This old fox, whenever he shows this expression, it means he’s up to something!

Sure enough, after a few minutes of rest, Del Harris abandoned the pre-game strategy again during tactical arrangements...

"In the second half, we’re playing defense. Aix, Kenny, you guys are the main attackers. Doug, George, Jerome, Jason, Derek... be ready to go on at any time..."

This strategic shift was very sudden. After the game against the New York Knicks, they had agreed in the team meeting that they should play cooperatively in the upcoming games.

But during the game, it was fine against the Raptors. When it came to playing the Hornets, facing Little Anthony Mason and Clifford Robinson, who have a chance to be chosen for All-Defensive Teams, they played poorly.

And when they encountered problems, Del Harris immediately abandoned the idea of continuing to work on their coordination...

But if they don’t change, their current level of coordination won’t allow them to play better on the offensive end.

Zhang Hao’s idea was to try working through it, leaving the crucial last moment, but the old fox always makes significant adjustments!

"Aix, this is trust," the Magician chimed in: "I think it might really be tough for us to fully coordinate well, maybe... never. Charles’ style during games differs from what the coaching staff initially envisioned, and it might be the same after Shaq returns, but that’s okay; we can still win games, can’t we? We still have you and Kenny..."

The meaning of this sentence is to try to coordinate, and if it doesn’t work out, give up and rely on star players to win?

Seeing Zhang Hao’s doubts, the Magician smiled and said: "Don’t be too concerned about it. You overthink. Regardless of how well the tactics are coordinated, the most crucial thing is whether we can win games. Besides, if our tactical coordination isn’t working, we’ve prepared and practiced for so long to not have effects, we can adjust! Our goal is to win games, not to execute tactics..."

The Magician’s words, Zhang Hao might not say he had an epiphany, but he certainly felt enlightened.

Indeed, it seems he has been too focused on playing by tactics...

But understanding is one thing; he still feels like the Magician is trying to slack off... Huh? Why add the word "also"?

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