One Year Left to Play

Grant Hill continued to go one-on-one, with Zhang Hao guarding the basket, while George Lynch defended on the perimeter.

Grant Hill broke into the paint, drawing in Zhang Hao and Jason Williams, and passed to Rick Mahon on the baseline. Rick Mahon took a step and went for a floater...

No good!

Seeing Zhang Hao quickly move in and disrupt Rick Mahon’s floater from close range, Jason Williams grabbed the rebound. Grant Hill felt a bit regrettable, thinking he rushed a bit and could have waited for Edith Soper to get into position for an open shot.

This thought was fleeting. As soon as Jason Williams grabbed the rebound, Grant Hill immediately retreated to defense, and Zhang Hao and George Lynch had already sprinted out. Grant Hill hurried to catch up.

Jason Williams grabbed the rebound and immediately looked for the Magician, who didn’t advance, waiting for the right moment. Like a quarterback in football, he threw a long pass. Zhang Hao caught the ball in the front court, and Dumas, Grant Hill, and Lynch Hunt, all three players who rushed back, blocked Zhang Hao and George Lynch. Zhang Hao, from the left side of the paint, tossed the ball behind him to James Robinson, who took the shot from three-point range...

This play, with its perfect timing on the pass and cut, allowed James Robinson to hit a three-pointer as soon as he came in!

The Lakers once again initiated their unconventional style, focusing on offense!

With the experience from the previous games against the 76ers and the Celtics, Del Harris knew that O’Neal was starting to emulate Barkley, really acting like he was "clocking out after 20 points". So, the first priority was to pursue stability.

It’s fine when O’Neal is on the court, the threat is there. Once opponents understand O’Neal’s current playing style, it’s hard to say, but for now, that’s how it is.

When O’Neal goes off the court, it signals that the Lakers will temporarily play the way they did before O’Neal returned.

During that period, their defense was indeed poor, ranking 19th in the league, but their offense was unstoppable, averaging 114 points per game!

The Pistons got thrown off by the sudden change in the Lakers’ rhythm. With O’Neal off, the tactics were bound to change, but this rhythm, with strong point presses and inside defense, letting role players take mid-to-long shots, essentially equaled unreliable defense, surprisingly happened at the Lakers. Last season, the Lakers’ defense wasn’t great, but it wasn’t this peculiar!

By the end of the first quarter, with Zhang Hao and O’Neal’s initial 12-point burst and subsequent offensive strike, the Lakers scored 35 points in the first quarter!

The Pistons, steady in their approach, ended the first quarter with 27 points, higher than expected, but still lost by 8 points!

In the second quarter, Kenny Anderson, Brian Shaw, George Lynch, Korcy, and O’Neal came on. Kenny Anderson was the primary ball handler for one-on-one plays and initiating fast breaks. In half-court set plays, it was Brian Shaw supporting top arcs with weak side cut-and-pass tactics. O’Neal kept it simple, guarding the paint defensively and preparing for close-range rebounds on offense, only exerting effort on fast breaks to showcase his physique...

The Pistons studied the Lakers thoroughly and noticed O’Neal’s simple playstyle during this winning streak, except against the SuperSonics, where O’Neal took on the primary scoring role.

The Pistons’ coaching staff and players were confident they were seen as a strong team by the Lakers. Initially, O’Neal played one-on-one, but things started feeling off as the game went on...

From the latter half of the first quarter into the first half of the second, with O’Neal’s substitution patterns, Lakers’ style didn’t match the simple assumptions the Pistons made during game preparations!

The Pistons didn’t underestimate the Lakers, preparing for them to perform as one of the league’s top teams, excelling both offensively and defensively.

No one expected the Lakers to play so oddly! Unlike the Magic, they didn’t use the athletic O’Neal for more tactical plays. Looking back, even when O’Neal was the primary scorer, it was just simple low-post moves!

Not even halfway through the second quarter, and the Lakers, with reckless offense, stretched the lead to 16 points, leading the Pistons 52-36, almost turning into a repeat of the previous thrashing of the 76ers.

Again, it was the Lakers on offense, and another fast break ensued. O’Neal, having just caught the ball in the frontcourt, was immediately wrapped up by Jerome Williams from the bench, trying to take O’Neal down... but it didn’t work.

Here we go again!

Annoyed, O’Neal shoved Jerome Williams aside, but Jerome Williams didn’t back down, instead pressing his face against O’Neal’s arm like a hooligan.

This provocation, another player might have elbowed him on impulse and gotten himself into trouble.

But O’Neal just spat to the side and walked up to the free-throw line.

Though Jerome Williams’ sneaky appearance and actions were annoying, there was someone on the Lakers’ bench who was handsome, almost never verbally or physically taunting but was even more annoying, so O’Neal didn’t take the bait!

Nevertheless, O’Neal got caught spitting by the referee, who handed him a technical foul.

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