One Year Left to Play

Anfernee Hardaway wanted to win, but even with his explosive performance, the Magic could only hold their own against the Lakers.

With O’Neal trying hard but playing inconsistently, and Kenny Anderson and Zhang Hao performing excellently, while the Lakers’ role players were shooting inaccurately, Anfernee Hardaway managed to keep the team neck and neck with the Lakers.

When Zhang Hao got into a hot streak, the Magic were obviously no match.

After the timeout, Anfernee Hardaway tried to lead his teammates in a comeback, but their performance fell far short of the first half.

The Magic’s defense became noticeably disorganized. Previously strong and tightly coordinated, they crumbled after trailing by 10 points. Anfernee Hardaway’s hurried offensive choices failed to match their first-half success, making the defense anxious as well.

In the latter part of the third quarter, Anfernee Hardaway’s personal score kept rising. By the 11:44 mark, his personal score jumped to 48 points, breaking his career high!

However, the Magic went from 75 to 85, to 88 to 104...

In those 7-plus minutes, Anfernee Hardaway went 11 for 3 from the field, plus 4 out of 5 from the free-throw line, totaling 10 points, but only 1 assist. The Magic only scored 13 points!

Meanwhile, the Lakers scored 19 points. Zhang Hao’s personal score stayed at 44 points, with only 4 points in those 7-plus minutes, cutting short his explosive 14-point offensive in 4 and a half minutes. However, he gave out 4 assists. When he was double-teamed, he focused solely on winning, neglecting stats. When double-teamed, he passed the ball with minimal exertion, allowing him to invest more energy on defense. All 4 points were from fast-breaks, with 1 steal and 1 block leading to fast-break scores!

At the 11:58 mark, Zhang Hao passed to Barkley, who was substituted at the end of the third quarter, scoring on a layup, leading the Lakers 106 to 88 by 18 points!

In the last two seconds, the Magic inbounded the ball, but Anfernee Hardaway didn’t move. He stood still with the ball, running out the final two seconds.

Wanting to win but unable to, the more he wanted to win, the more his mindset exploded...

The whistle signaled the end of the third quarter, and Anfernee Hardaway walked directly towards the player tunnel.

Couldn’t play anymore!

points, 5 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, Anfernee Hardaway went from an efficient 15 out of 23 shooting to 18 out of 34, completely exhausted, both physically and mentally drained... He needed to find a quiet corner to hide...

In the final quarter, despite fans chanting Zhang Hao’s name, Zhang Hao didn’t play.

Because the Lakers opened the final quarter with a 7 to 0 run, pushing the lead to 25 points.

Anfernee Hardaway walked out directly, not knowing what would happen afterward, but the other Magic players’ mindsets crumbled as well.

points, 8 boards, 9 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks in three quarters... Many fans on-site hoped Zhang Hao would return to achieve another 50+ or a 5x5 performance, with Del Harris even nudging Zhang Hao’s calf.

But Zhang Hao refused.

Ultimately, the score froze at 133 to 103, the Lakers slaughtering the Magic by 30 points!

After the final whistle, even though O’Neal took it easy in the second half, he immediately got surrounded by journalists after the game, having scored 12 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, and 3 blocks in the first half.

"I’ve got better and stronger teammates. My brother said that as long as I wanted to play solo, the ball would come to me, and he delivered! Plus, I got 127 million, 27 million more than one hundred million, I love it here. Playing here for a few months has been more joyful than playing three years elsewhere..."

At least for tonight, Zhang Hao was a great teammate and brother to O’Neal...

Elsewhere, Zhang Hao was also surrounded by a throng of reporters.

Tonight’s game attracted enormous attention, with almost all major sports media from the United States and the Asia-Pacific Region present.

When asked why Zhang Hao didn’t play to get a few more points, two more rebounds, and one more assist for another 50+ triple-double, he replied: "Can I lie?"

"Yes."

"..." Didn’t play by the rules!

Zhang Hao, surprised at the turn, said helplessly, "Alright, I’ll start lying. I’m tired, I want to rest."

"Can you tell the truth?"

"No."

"What do you think of Penny’s performance tonight? Do you regard him as a good player?"

Zhang Hao wanted to be boastful, but he genuinely admired Anfernee Hardaway!

Then he heard O’Neal’s voice loud and clear on the other side... Got it! He replied: "He performed okay, but I did better, I think Hardaway is only worth 126 million."

...

...

Just how terrifying is the trio of Kenny Anderson, Zhang Hao, and O’Neal?

The past 13 games allowed the media, fans, and fellow players to truly feel it!

The first half against the Magic showcased it perfectly!

Even with Anfernee Hardaway scoring 38 points with 5 assists in the first half, the Magic couldn’t overcome the Lakers, leaving Hardaway storming off the court after three quarters.

And this was with O’Neal only playing 15 minutes in the first half!

But crucially, it was those 15 minutes when O’Neal, Zhang Hao, and Kenny Anderson were all on the court together.

Apart from hack-a-Shaq, nothing could stop the trio when united and playing to their full strength!

Thus, the old topic resurfaced - O’Neal sacrificing his statistics and team status to support Zhang Hao...

Reading this news, Zhang Hao threw the newspaper on the floor - as if he didn’t want to slack off!

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