One Year Left to Play

On the 24th, although there was a Christmas Day game the next day, the Lakers didn’t schedule any training.

Generally speaking, teams playing in the Christmas Day game have at least two days of rest before the match, and the same is true for both the Lakers and the Bulls.

However, compared to the Bulls’ players, who could spend Christmas Eve at home with their families, the Lakers had it a bit more complicated.

But it’s just a little more trouble. The Lakers provided tickets for the players’ families who wanted to join them at the away venue on the 23rd or 24th for Christmas Eve, as long as they informed the team in advance.

On the 23rd, Zhang Hao chartered a plane to bring his friends and family in the United States, while some teammates’ relatives arrived on the 23rd or 24th. Of course, some teammates wanted to take advantage of these two free days to have some fun.

Like Barkley, who spent two nights galloping through nightclubs and didn’t return to his hotel.

On the morning of the 24th, Zhang Hao finalized an equity swap agreement with Howard Schultz, then entrusted everything to Pelinka. Zhang Hao handled his business in the United States through Pelinka, while domestically, it was his dad’s responsibility. He loved money, but playing basketball made him extremely wealthy, so business was just an interest. The troublesome work was left to others, while he just counted the money.

Once the business matters were settled, he didn’t think about it anymore.

For him, basketball was his greatest passion.

Moreover, after retirement, most business ventures would need to be based on his achievements in basketball.

Even now, many times he relied on his status as an NBA up-and-comer.

At noon on the 24th, unlike most Americans who would have a hearty dinner, little Le Lin had to return to Seattle in the afternoon, so they had a grand lunch.

Christmas Eve was very simple; Zhang Hao went to bed early and rose early as usual...

On the 25th, Christmas arrived.

At 6:15 in the morning, Zhang Hao woke up and gently placed Aprile Clark, who was clinging to him like a koala, back on the bed.

After a hot shower, Zhang Hao headed to the hotel restaurant... As he reached the elevator, it happened to open, and he saw Pierce looking exhausted.

What a coincidence, Pierce greeted him, "Morning... Ah... Ah... Aix."

Zhang Hao glanced at Pierce and asked, "Paul, did you really go partying all night with two girls with Barkley at the club?"

Pierce held up three fingers, "Hehe, not two, but three! How about that! Impressive or what!"

"..." Zhang Hao looked at Pierce in disbelief, "Was that necessary? Be careful with your back. Haven’t you been with a woman before?"

Pierce retorted indignantly, "Who said anything about not having a girlfriend? Would I be single until college if you hadn’t said that?"

Zhang Hao showed a puzzled expression, "What’s wrong with saying that?"

"You went and found a girlfriend, and it’s Aprile of all people! Didn’t you say something like rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrow? You even hit on your friends!" Pierce said disdainfully.

"Uh... That’s true, but there’s also a saying about sticking close to what’s nearby to get the first chance... Meaning like being closer to the moon."

Zhang Hao thought he shouldn’t try to forcefully translate idioms anymore. Putting that aside, he looked at Pierce and said, "I did say not to rush into relationships, but now I’m rich! Isn’t getting a girlfriend normal?"

Pierce stretched his neck to look up at Zhang Hao, his neck stretching even further upward, ready to fight!

Zhang Hao quickly ran away, skipping the elevator, and dashed toward the stairwell!

...

At 9 in the morning, Zhang Hao and the team bus arrived at the United Center.

Two days of rest were over, and it was finally time for the Christmas game.

Today, when Zhang Hao met his teammates, he sensed a difference in their spirits compared to mid-December—very excited! Very energetic!

The Christmas game, although it meant not spending Christmas Eve or Christmas day at home, was an honor for any team just the same, and for the players too.

The teammates who hadn’t brought their families went out on the 23rd, and on the 24th, except for Barkley and even O’Neal stayed quietly in the hotel.

It’s just...

Barkley’s energy was amazing!

The comparison made it worse—Zhang Hao had seen Pierce’s drained state two hours earlier, and looking at Barkley now... After two days of partying, returning at maybe four or five in the morning, and already full of energy!

His physical fitness was simply unmatched.

During the preparation phase, even though there was no tactical training yesterday, pre-game warm-up went smoothly. Most of the Lakers’ players had experience with the Bulls from last season.

Today’s focus was just to adjust their state and run through the tactics.

The Bulls’ strategy this season was not very different from last year’s. If there was any difference, it was that this season, the Bulls’ coordination and consistency were better than last year.

This year, the Bulls started the season with a 25-4 record. Not as good as the same time last year, but their consistency was a notch higher.

Last year, the Bulls sometimes showed extreme fluctuations in performance, only that even when they were underperforming, they were still better than most strong teams, whereas this year, the Bulls maintained a very high level of performance without needing any explosive individual efforts.

Del Harris, during the tactical meeting, commented on this season’s Bulls, saying the Bulls were performing even better than last season.

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