One Year Left to Play

Moreover, right at the start of the officially regulated training camp, O’Neal got injured.

The current situation of the Lakers is a bit like the Magic at the beginning of last season when they had the best record. After O’Neal returned, the others couldn’t play...

Facing the Clippers, if the Lakers play like the last game, with O’Neal aggressively playing one-on-one while others excitedly do the same, the scoring efficiency might actually be higher, but it wasn’t...

Zhang Hao seemed to have 23 attempts, at least half were thrown to him in chaotic situations by other teammates. His performance tonight was average, hitting 4 out of 12 shots, and together with regular plays or one-on-one performances of hitting 5 out of 11, he made only 9 out of 23 shots overall, although he scored 26 points. O’Neal made 6 out of 10 shots, plus 5 out of 8 free throws, scoring 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks, which is quite efficient. But besides the two of them, only Jason Williams from the bench scored in double figures with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Obviously, this team is not a match for the Clippers, who have Loy Stephen Vaught scoring 23 points, Rodney Rogers with 19 points, Brent Barry with 17 points, and Lorenzen Wright with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

to 95, the Lakers were mighty only for one game but got thrashed by a city rival in the second game!

...

games in 5 days is quite intense, and on the morning after the game against the Clippers, the Lakers flew to Oakland.

The atmosphere within the Lakers heading to this away game was quite subtle.

With an 8-2 record, it’s decent, tying with the SuperSonics for second in the West, but the atmosphere wasn’t quite right.

However, due to the need for rest during the 4 games in 5 days, nothing particularly special happened, just that it was very quiet whether on the plane or the team bus.

On their side, it was very quiet, but their performance got the outside very lively. Since O’Neal’s return, the Lakers became the absolute focus of attention.

Opinions on the Lakers forming such a roster varied, but the common view was that this lineup was too buggy. After their game against the Suns, everyone thought they’d go on a winning streak like in the middle of last season. Some even believed they could start an unstoppable winning spree like the Lakers of old.

Then, in the loss to the Clippers, they exposed huge issues...

This greatly increased media discussion!

If the Lakers kept winning, of course, the attention would be high, but the topics definitely wouldn’t be as strong as when they lose!

After a night’s rest, on November 19th, the Lakers arrived at Oracle Arena to challenge the Warriors.

The huge controversy, the Lakers players also knew, and the pressure was substantial.

If their lineup doesn’t integrate well and their performance is subpar, they’d lose a lot of face.

What’s the point of contending for a championship? Isn’t it about face?

At 6:28 PM, the starting lineups of both teams took the court.

The Lakers still had Kenny Anderson, Doug Christie, Zhang Hao, Barkley, and O’Neal as the starting lineup.

On the Warriors side, they fielded Bimbo Coles, Chris Mullin, Spree, Joe Smith, and Felton Spencer as their lineup.

The media was all saying the Lakers were not integrating well and might have big problems, which made the Warriors’ players excited. Regardless of how the Lakers integrate in the future, now is their best chance to beat the Lakers!

At 6:30, when the referee brought the ball to the center circle and the game was about to start, Zhang Hao, who had hesitated for a long time, chose to point at Joe Smith and said, "Hey, top pick guy, I’m definitely winning against you tonight. I’ll score at least 10 points more than you. Get ready to be swept!"

Barkley painfully covered his forehead; they also had a top pick on the Lakers!

This kid, whenever he sees someone from the same draft with a higher pick, he just loses it. Didn’t he notice that O’Neal is already glaring at him!

But, it must be said, Zhang Hao’s personal charm is extremely strong.

Barkley could clearly see that his teammates Kenny Anderson and Doug Christie, who originally looked tense, were visibly more relaxed.

Zhang Hao’s calmness, seemingly unaffected by any external factors or internal team issues, his ever-enthusiastic spirit and passion for the game, all helped soothe his teammates’ mindsets, Barkley included.

This is precisely what Zhang Hao wanted. Although O’Neal didn’t calm down because of it, at least the others now had a common goal and weren’t as tense.

After the game started, Barkley and the rotating George Lynch and Jason Williams desperately defended Joe Smith.

The objective was clear: if Joe Smith scored less, Zhang Hao’s goal would be achieved, leaving only the fight for victory.

As a result, the scoring duel turned into Zhang Hao VS O’Neal VS Spree.

With Joe Smith’s mid-range shots being blocked and O’Neal and Zhang Hao taking turns guarding the basket, he only managed to score 7 points and grab 4 rebounds. However, he is indeed quite capable. It is said that the Warriors want to offer him a 6-year, 48 million US dollar extension, but he hasn’t agreed yet. Despite being heavily defended, he managed to make 5 assists and have 2 steals.

On the Warriors’ side, despite losing Tim Hardaway, their guard line was still top-notch. The starting guards didn’t score much, but the backup BJ Armstrong got 17 points, and former Cavaliers star Mark Price scored 19 points. The starting center Felton Spencer seized the opportunity to score 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, with Spree scoring a game-high 36 points, including the critical final shot, helping the Warriors tie the game 109 to 109 with 11 seconds left!

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