One Year Left to Play

But now, the fans are beginning to sympathize with Wilkins. Wilkins went to hug the Spurs’ leg, starting with four consecutive losses. David Robinson is averaging only 15 points and 7 rebounds per game due to persistent injuries. The nearly 37-year-old Wilkins is averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, becoming the Spurs’ mainstay.

Meanwhile, the Hawks have started the season with five straight wins, becoming one of only four teams in the league to remain undefeated. The other three teams are the Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Lakers.

During the off-season, the Nuggets, in order to promote their high-talent new power forward, Antonio McDyess, did not renew their contract with Mutombo, who claimed to have just turned 30. The Hawks signed him with a 5-year, 56 million US Dollar contract.

Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith, Tyrone Corbin, Kristen Lightner, Mutombo make up the core lineup.

In this lineup, besides the almost 35-year-old swingman Tyrone Corbin, who is a role player, the others are at least on the edge of All-Star level.

And for Tyrone Corbin’s position, if Wilkins had agreed to return in the summer, it would have been his.

Zhang Hao, upon seeing the Hawks’ scouting report and noting the not-so-popular analysis regarding the Hawks and Wilkins’ love-hate relationship, felt that such matters were hindsight.

He was entirely unaware of the supporting role that the Hawks played in the 90s, and when he saw Mutombo joining the Hawks, he only thought of the future where the Hawks would send him to team up with Iverson and help Iverson reach the finals. Who could have imagined that the Hawks would play so well in the new season?

It seemed like the Hawks were indeed on the verge of rebuilding last season, but Lanny Wilkens, this man who was so flamboyant both as a player and a coach, managed to revitalise the Hawks!

When discussing the Hawks, Zhang Hao really paid attention to their head coach. After checking the information, Zhang Hao couldn’t believe that this man was such a legend, no less than Larry Bird!

In his playing days in the 60s, he didn’t play for the Celtics. Not having a championship was inevitable, but his personal achievements earned him a place among the 50 greatest players.

The famous player-coach here was Bill Russell. Lanny Wilkens did the same, and in those years, he also got selected as an All-Star while being a player.

As a coach, he helped the SuperSonics win a championship, led teams to the top of the divisional standings six times, served as an All-Star head coach four times, became the first head coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 wins in 1992, and now, while working as a head coach, he took over part of the general manager’s duties and brought the Hawks back to life...

After seeing Lanny Wilkens’ resume, Zhang Hao was incredibly excited—wasn’t this the kind of player he wanted to become?

...

After a day off, the Lakers hosted the match against the Hawks.

Brimming with confidence, perhaps with a slight underestimation of the Hawks and their ’unexpectedly good record,’ similar to how many teams underestimated the Lakers in the first half of last season, the Lakers entered today’s game with overwhelming self-confidence... and then got beaten 32-19 in the first quarter.

Trailing by 13 points in a single quarter, many Lakers players were stunned.

During the break between quarters, Zhang Hao, whose attempt to attack closely was completely blocked in the first quarter, felt it was not working, that they needed to stir things up. Their problem wasn’t how good their offense was, but rather how they were getting beaten to the point they didn’t know how to respond, with their morale dropping!

Perhaps when things hit rock bottom, they can only get better. The second quarter started, and James Robinson, who rotated in when Kenny Anderson took a break, became the main shooter on the guard line. He took a Brian Shaw-assisted pass, but unfortunately missed the open shot.

However, when James Robinson received the ball and shot, Henry James, originally defending Zhang Hao on the perimeter, went over to help.

This was a good defensive help, possibly putting some psychological pressure on James Robinson.

But for Mutombo, this was a tragic event.

Having Henry James to limit Zhang Hao’s speed and Mutombo inside the paint is why the Hawks managed to limit Zhang Hao in the first quarter, but this time, the Hawks’ joint defense broke!

Through preseason and the regular season’s start, Zhang Hao frequently studied his teammates’ shots along with Jason Williams. When James Robinson released the ball, Zhang Hao sensed it was going off-target. With no obstructions, he rushed in, and while Mutombo was fully focused on jostling with Jason Williams, Zhang Hao charged toward where the two contested position, leaping high. After the ball hit the rim, it bounced in the direction of the two elite rebounders!

The two contesting for position were about to jump, noticing the lights dimming, and a collision from behind... Zhang Hao slammed the ball back into the basket over Mutombo and Jason Williams, completing a put-back dunk!

To truly reach the level of rebounding prediction like Jason Williams and Rodman, Zhang Hao realized he couldn’t do it. They dedicate the vast majority of their energy to this work alone, and he neither had the time nor the talent like the two. But he didn’t give up. He chose to pay attention to the release points and the angles when the ball left the hand, focusing solely on his teammates. At least he wanted to judge whether his teammates’ shots were likely to miss, to prepare for retreating on defense or an opportunity to chase the rebound if the distance was right.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!