Free Web NovelChapter 583: Chapter 179: Not Suited for the Playoffs?
The second day of the playoffs arrived, and Zhang Hao was at the team’s venue early in the morning. Everyone who arrived after him could sense the vibrant fighting spirit emanating from him.
No matter how many times his teammates saw that bright look in Zhang Hao’s eyes on game days, they still felt their hearts surge with excitement, as if they were about to follow the rookie to rob a bank, instantly igniting their passion.
Confusion, being dominated by luck, worries... All vanished on game day. freewёbnoνel.com
Last night, Zhang Hao watched not only the Bulls’ dominating victory over the Heat but also the thrilling iron-blooded battle between the Knicks and the Cavaliers, with an 84-80 score; faced with Barkley’s 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists performance, Payton led his team in a comeback with 22 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals to beat the Suns 104-99 despite Kemp’s poor showing with 8 points and 7 boards.
Zhang Hao was fired up by the face-off between Barkley and Payton, wishing he could jump in and play himself.
In yesterday’s four series openers, the team with the better record won the first three matches.
Only one upset occurred: the Blazers, with a 44-win record, defeated the 60-win Spurs 94-91 in the first game.
David Robinson was defensively pressured by the interior duo of Clifford Robinson and Sabonis, ending with 22 points and 6 boards on 8 for 28 shooting.
Yet despite this, the Spurs still competed fiercely with the Blazers thanks to Sean Elliott and Avery Johnson on the perimeter, and it was Robinson’s injury that provided the Blazers an opportunity to defeat the Spurs.
Zhang Hao watched the final quarter of this match, regretting Robinson’s five missed shots then; otherwise, the Spurs might still have had a chance to win.
Even now, Zhang Hao lamented, "If the Spurs advanced, even a one-legged Admiral could give the SuperSonics more trouble...
Best to safely get through the first round first!"
As the playoffs begin, regular season awards start to roll out with voting and announcements.
After a morning of match preparations, by noon, the NBA announced via American Cable TV Sports Channel’s live broadcast that Lakers’ general manager Jerry West edged out Bulls’ GM Jerry Luox to clinch the 95-96 season’s Best Manager award. frёewebnoѵēl.com
This marked the second consecutive year for Logo Man winning Best Manager, the second NBA executive to achieve such an accomplishment since the award’s establishment in 1973.
Last season, he secured it by strategically signing Sibaros and drafting Eddie Jones, then blending them with Van Exel, Divac, and Campbell to form a fairly strong lineup that reached the playoffs.
Last year, there was ample competition against Logo Man, who narrowly won, lacking advantages besides his clever acquisitions and lineup dynamics.
This year was straightforward; with decisive trades bringing in rookie Zhang Hao at the cost of two players with potential All-Star possibilities, one inside and one outside, these bold moves propelled the Lakers to the pinnacle of the Western regular season, even more astonishing than the Bulls’ recruitment of Rodman and attaining 70 wins.
Clearly a prize to be taken, much like at the team’s appreciation gathering the other day when Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss dubbed Zhang Hao as "our Best Rookie," the Lakers had long considered this award theirs.
Best Manager, Best Rookie, two awards already seen as trophies in hand.
Soon, a day of preparations passed, and the Lakers hosted the series opener against the Kings.
With a 26-game victory gap, strength disparity is significant, but Zhang Hao chose to approach cautiously, as did the Lakers; two years ago, the SuperSonics were upset by the Nuggets, Malone’s iron elbow leading an overthrow against David Robinson, last year the Rockets started as West’s sixth seed and upset all the way to the final, claiming the trophy... these past two years, the frequency of upsets in the West has clearly risen, last year their team also upset the SuperSonics in the first round despite their nine-game higher win tally.
...
Teus Edney, the strongest second-round pick of 95.
Played 80 games in the regular season, averaging 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.1 steals.
In the 95’s "big year for power forwards," only three perimeter players stood out: one was the lamentable man with a tragic 18+9 average yet nearly impossible to win Best Rookie, lamenting "Born a mouse, why born Hao"; another was Michael Finley of the Mavericks, showing excellent immediate combat prowess with high potential, earning the title as Jordan’s successor.
The last one was Teus Edney, chosen by the Kings as the 47th pick in the second round.
After losing Spottie Webb, the Kings should’ve collapsed without a point guard, but they selected a new spud, Edney, standing merely 178 cm, and he indeed showed up.
The talent of the 95 rookies, after one season, garnered evaluations much higher than at the draft moment, producing many players leaving strong impressions on media and fans.
Yet, these players all dimmed by one individual.
Edney looked at the fellow across from him, calmly walking to the mid-circle after dusting off magnesium powder, his hands trembling... he took a deep breath to suppress it.
Averaging 27.1 points! Second in the league! This was their rookie from the same cohort!
During the regular season, each 95 rookie facing Zhang Hao aimed to outperform him and steal the spotlight. As games almost occurred every other day, with back-to-back matches, they hadn’t the energy to contemplate much else.
