One Year Left to Play

The opponent’s open shot was blocked, and the Lakers scored; with one thing leading to another, it’s equal to 4 points!

At 9 minutes and 49 seconds, when Anfernee Hardaway’s forced shot missed, Zhang Hao’s pass to Fisher on a fast break was successful, and the Lakers led the Magic by 6 points, 68 to 62!

The Magic had to give it their all to compete evenly with the Lakers. When Zhang Hao, cooperating with O’Neal and Doug Christie, significantly disrupted Anfernee Hardaway’s breakthroughs, Hardaway’s unbelievable touch began to cool, and the disparity in strength became apparent!

Anfernee Hardaway got a bit anxious; facing Doug Christie’s step-back defense, he chose to attempt a three-pointer... Although Anfernee Hardaway’s three-pointers were not great, he had a high success rate when he had a good feel. But after gaining weight, his shooting beyond the three-point line became extremely poor, nearly missing the rim completely!

O’Neal got position, Zhang Hao grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Magic couldn’t hold back any longer. Already with 3 fouls, they chose to foul O’Neal!

In the last two minutes of the first half, the Lakers scored 3 points, the Magic scored 4 points, and after O’Neal made 1 out of 4 free throws, he was subbed out; Kenny Anderson’s pass to the substitute Magician led to a successful floater.

O’Neal genuinely put in a lot of effort tonight, working hard on defense, actively attacking on offense, playing unselfishly, and managing to receive Zhang Hao’s killer passes...

However, no matter how much effort he puts in, making free throws is the one thing he can’t seem to accomplish!

In those two minutes, the Magic had 6 shooting opportunities but only made 1 basket; besides, Anfernee Hardaway managed to draw a foul against Zhang Hao, who over-committed, making 2 free throws, meaning out of 5 successful shooting attempts, only 1 went in!

Unlike the second half of the first quarter, after O’Neal went out, the Magic relied on Anfernee Hardaway’s outstanding performance—regardless of rhythm or defensive intensity—to pull off strong plays and execute well as a team.

But now, the Magic’s rhythm is also disrupted, and Anfernee Hardaway doesn’t have as good a feel as before, seriously limiting their offensive capabilities!

Though the Magic disrupted the Lakers’ rhythm, at the end of the first half, the Magic still trailed the Lakers by 5 points with a score of 66 to 71!

At the start of the third quarter, the Lakers did not immediately sub O’Neal back in and put in the lineup of Kenny Anderson, Byron Scott, Brian Shaw, Jason Williams, and Zhang Hao.

On the Magic’s side, Anfernee Hardaway didn’t start either, with Kenny Smith, Gerald Wilkins, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant, and Ronnie Seikaly taking the court.

The Lakers tried to increase their shooters, but besides Fisher performing well from mid-to-long range, the rest of the Lakers’ role players were quite disappointing. During rotations, the offensive burden remained on the "Brooklyn Nets Three Giants."

The Lakers missed their first three shots, as the Magic’s defense was extreme, leaving Byron Scott and Brian Shaw with shooting opportunities.

The Magic seized the opportunity, making 2 out of 4 shots, resulting in a 4-0 run, narrowing the gap to one point at 70 to 71.

Kenny Anderson tried to manage on his own but faced immense pressure; when the wing shooters couldn’t make shots, his drive-and-kick play was easily contained due to his significant size disadvantage.

At this point, Zhang Hao called for the ball to go one-on-one again!

The Magic wanted to defend, with Nick Anderson giving Zhang Hao some space inside the three-point line to guard against his drives.

Zhang Hao received the ball and immediately attempted a three-pointer...

Zhang Hao only intended to test his touch with this shot, as the game still had nearly a half remaining, so missing one wouldn’t matter.

However, when Zhang Hao tested the shot, he felt fantastic, like the feeling you get after a couple of sets in three-point practice, reaching peak training condition!

As the ball left Zhang Hao’s hands, Nick Anderson rushed to contest but was too late. Once Zhang Hao raised the ball and bent his knees, Nick Anderson could only watch as Zhang Hao’s shot flew straight into the basket for a clean score!

to 70, the Lakers widened the margin again!

In the first half, Anfernee Hardaway went wild, scoring 38 points and 6 assists with a scorching hot touch.

In the second half, it was Zhang Hao’s turn!

Zhang Hao, who scored 26 points in the first half, erupted in the second half. After hitting his first three-pointer, he combined drives and shots, making 4 consecutive field goals, including one 2+1 and two consecutive free throws after drawing a foul, racking up 14 points in just 4 and a half minutes of the third quarter, surpassing Anfernee Hardaway and pushing his score to 40 points!

Two three-pointers, a fast-break dunk, a drive for a 2+1, and a breakthrough drawing a foul...

After Zhang Hao made two free throws, the Magic called a timeout, forced to bring Anfernee Hardaway back early.

When Anfernee Hardaway returned to the court, it was evident that his stamina was affected after playing a full 24 minutes in the first half, taking 23 shots and despite making 15 of 23 and hitting 8 of 9 free throws, it took a toll on his energy. This could be seen in the last few plays of the first half!

The Magic intended for Anfernee Hardaway to return only after the official timeout in the third quarter, which was only about two minutes earlier. But two minutes of game time usually take 4-5 minutes to finish and lack the rest afforded by an official timeout.

It may not seem long, but some unnamed future player known as number 23 knows how wonderful it would be to call two timeouts in a row for another minute or two of rest!

But there’s nothing they could do; just now, in those 4 and a half minutes, Zhang Hao single-handedly went on a 14 to 9 run, pushing the Lakers’ lead to 10 points at an 85 to 75 advantage!

However, when Anfernee Hardaway came back to the floor, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness...

He gave it his all to help the Magic keep the score close in the first half, but as soon as he took a break, the team looked doomed!

"Why not give O’Neal a hundred million! If you’re not giving him a hundred million, why not give me a hundred million!"

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