One Year Left to Play

Chapter 586: Chapter 180: Playoff Defensive Center

When Zhang Hao returned to the court, he was greeted with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. freewebnovel.cσ๓

As the playoffs arrived, Lakers fans became much more passionate.

Especially seeing Zhang Hao’s poor performance in the first quarter, the fans wanted to show their support and cheer him on.

Zhang Hao was also moved...

Suddenly, on a whim, he looked around with a puzzled expression, then used his pinky to clean his ear...

On the sidelines, Aprile Clark, Britney, and Mrs. Pierce, who were all cheering for Zhang Hao, were dumbfounded.

He actually teased his own fans!

Seeing Zhang Hao gesture "too loud," quite a few fans at the scene started to curse!

On the court with him were Magician, Doug Christie, George Lynch, and Donyell Marshall, all paying attention to Zhang Hao’s condition after resting for half a quarter... Even though nothing seemed different, Zhang Hao was still the same, but they hoped Zhang Hao could adapt quickly.

It was clear that, even with Van Exel supporting them, there was still a significant disparity between their strength and that of the regular season. A crucial point being, they were ultimately a team-oriented unit.

Moreover, Zhang Hao, who played an average of 37 minutes per game during his time with the Lakers, was indispensable.

After lightening the pressure by teasing his own fans, Zhang Hao scanned the opposing players on the court and re-engaged in the game.

Adeny and Richmond continued as partners on the court; Richmond indeed played well when paired with such a small point guard, and Adeny also had the capability to score when Richmond was heavily defended.

At the small forward position, the Kings sent out rookie Chris Williamson, a player Zhang Hao recalled... not because he was exceptional, but as the 13th pick, averaging 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, fairly average, but he was the 1994 NCAA Final Four MOP, rated at 68 ability, 201 cm tall, 111 kg, with a speed rating of 87— a quick and sturdy swingman.

The inside line-up consisted of Michael Smith at 203 cm and Brian Grant at 206 cm.

All three front-court players weighed over 110 kg, and they’re also quite fast, both quick and strong.

Damn, it looked like the opponents came to fight physically! Bullying their finesse-style team play, the Lakers! freewёbnoνel.com

After the intermission, the Kings had the first attack.

Zhang Hao guarded under the basket; Adeny eagerly advanced to the front court, starting a one-on-one against Doug Christie’s defense.

Not possessing extraordinary speed for his height, but it was challenging to defend Adeny one-on-one. Being able to establish himself in the NBA with a height of 178 cm and average 10+6 proves Adeny’s high-frequency dribble crossover attack is difficult to defend! Doug Christie was bypassed!

This was anticipated! After being bypassed, Doug Christie immediately turned to keep up, covering Adeny’s mid-range stop-and-pop space.

Adeny rushed into the key area and did not directly challenge the enclosure of Zhang Hao and Doug Christie; instead, he dashed under the basket, Brian Grant blocked Doug Christie, Adeny used the screen under the basket, looped the baseline to prepare for a floater, and as soon as he emerged from under the basket, Zhang Hao aggressively marked him!

It was a rough confrontation, but Zhang Hao kept his hands steady, using the confrontation to force Adeny to stop the dribble!

George Lynch sure lives up to being the best perimeter defender for the Lakers, timely using confrontation to disrupt Richmond’s response; Adeny had no choice but to forcefully shoot leaning back...

Zhang Hao didn’t block it nor did he continue to press up; instead, after forcing Adeny into such a posture, he quickly retreated, backing under the basket to block Brian Grant on the right side of the three-second zone.

Luck was on his side; Zhang Hao moved in the right direction. Despite the correct direction of Adeny’s shot from such a posture, it fell short! The ball hit the left side of the rim, following the force of the throw and bouncing to the right side of the hoop.

Brian Grant wanted to rely on explosive confrontation and weight to overwhelm Zhang Hao for the rebound, only to find that even though he had the upper hand positioning earlier, he couldn’t budge Zhang Hao at all!

Zhang Hao, rightly positioned at the rebound point, triggered the one-in-four probability of the "Rebound Protector"! Perfectly holding off Brian Grant, claiming the defensive rebound!

At the first instance of grabbing the rebound, Zhang Hao immediately sought out Magician to pass it out, then sprinted full speed... The fast break didn’t succeed; Richmond and Chris Williamson’s active defense used rough physical confrontations to block Zhang Hao’s breakaway.

Just a bit more, and he could’ve shrugged them off with the first step of "Single Rider" acceleration, but George Lynch was also sprinting down, unfortunately being closely followed by Michael Smith, Zhang Hao couldn’t even activate the first step of acceleration.

But it’s okay, taking his time; Zhang Hao was in no rush, calmly settling into a half-court offense.

Magician held the ball to organize the offense, noticing Zhang Hao’s movements had changed. Even though Magician was not on the court during the first half of the first quarter, he noticed Zhang Hao very much wanted to showcase himself in the playoffs, naturally by finding shooting opportunities, but they weren’t very good opportunities. Furthermore, the increased competition sometimes left Zhang Hao unable to hit his shots even when he did manage to get the ball.

Now, however, Zhang Hao was primarily playing as a decoy!

As the regular season’s second leading scorer, Zhang Hao was a significant threat. His movements to draw defenders and look for shots were equally threatening; with Zhang Hao actively creating opportunities for his teammates, it became visibly easier for Magician to deliver the ball to other teammates.

Sure enough, Donyell Marshall got a long two-point opportunity from the baseline, with Magician delivering the pass instantly. Unfortunately, Marshall’s baseline jumper just inside the three-point line didn’t go in, and Brian Grant grabbed the defensive rebound.