One Year Left to Play

Chapter 603: Chapter 185: Another Backstab Against Boss Qiao (Part 3)

Of course, watching Grant Hill’s game is quite enjoyable.

However, the Pistons played in a way that was truly uncomfortable.

Grant Hill was indeed formidable, playing 44 minutes and scoring 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Alan Houston also showed his worth, hitting 9 out of 20 shots, including 3 out of 7 three-pointers, and making 4 out of 4 free throws, scoring 25 points without a single point from the three-second zone. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

The two together combined for 50 points, while the other Pistons players perfectly demonstrated what it means to be a drag. They took a total of 37 shots, while the rest of the Pistons took 38 combined, only managing to score 23 points, less than either of the two!

On the Pistons’ side, Schmitz scored 19 points and 6 assists, Reggie Miller 13 points, Mark Jackson 12 points and 9 assists, Derek McKay 14 points, Ricky Pierce 12 points, and Antonio Davis 10 points... six players scored in double figures, leading to an 89-73 victory over the Pistons.

The Pistons lost at home, 1-3, and were eliminated!

Watching Grant Hill perform more flashily than Pippen during his solo lead, yet unable to get past the first round, Zhang Hao felt a bit of regret...

At that moment, a task completion notification he almost forgot about came!

"Shooting Star (Alan Houston):

Goal: This season, Zhang Hao’s total number of mid-range shots against Alan Houston must exceed Alan Houston’s total number of mid-range shots. (The host’s total number of successful mid-range shots is 15, Alan Houston’s total is 11, completed)

Congratulations to the host for receiving the reward: 1. Significant improvement in Alan Houston’s goodwill towards Zhang Hao as a top shooter; 2. When the host assigns a player to train with Alan Houston, there is one guaranteed opportunity to trigger the learning mode."

Seeing this task completion notification, Zhang Hao paused for a moment before reacting.

"We had to wait for either us or the Pistons to be eliminated before completion, that’s really... rigid?

Could it be that the Pistons really had a chance to make it to the finals? Even if they could, it would be difficult for us!"

Still, the reward is good!

Triggering the learning mode is not as simple as thought, with many restrictions.

Zhang Hao had tried learning rebounding from Jason Williams and passing from the Magician, but neither triggered the learning mode for him.

But with this, if he finds Alan Houston in the summer for a learning session, he might learn different positioning techniques from one of the league’s top off-ball mid-range shot specialists, combining his own positioning knowledge with Reggie Miller’s rhythm technique... enhancing his own positioning skill.

At this point, the first round in the East was completely over, with all 4 teams advancing.

Bulls VS Knicks, Magic VS Pacers.

In the West, Lakers, SuperSonics, Spurs, all three winning 60+ games, are advancing.

The schedule hasn’t come out yet, but it will be announced tonight, irrespective of whether the Rockets advance directly or are pushed to Game 5, the schedule will be determined.

After the Pistons and Pacers game ended, the Rockets and Utah Jazz game immediately began.

Without letting Zhang Hao and his Lakers continue waiting, Olajuwon, who was down for a game, stood up again in this game, performing heroically, making 21 out of 12 shots, plus 6 free throws out of 7, scoring 30 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals. With Drexler’s 17 points and 11 assists, and Cassell’s 28 points as a substitute, the Rockets beat the Utah Jazz 104-98, winning 3-1 and advancing to the second round!

Tonight, Malone, with 7 for 13 shooting, scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists, was about to vomit blood, two years in a row! Two years in a row being eliminated by the Rockets despite having an advantage in the first round!

Tonight he only managed 13 successful shots and had 9 turnovers! Just like last year’s O’Neal, he was played by Olajuwon to the point of passing the ball to the referee!

Another standard Olajuwon-style dominating match, watching the live broadcast, Zhang Hao thought about them facing such opponents the day after tomorrow...

"Having just played a season averaging 23.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and as a super power forward, not wanting a big contract, going to embrace a draft class top pick’s leg, this sort of thing, I now feel makes sense!"

...

...

The two-time defending champions are here!

Dominating at home, the Lakers began targeted preparations on May 3rd.

"We have significant energy advantages, the Rockets just advanced yesterday, and have to play the second round tomorrow..."

Del Harris emphasized the Lakers’ two major advantages in the tactical meeting, the first being home-court advantage, the second being youth advantage.

Yet the Lakers players listened, feeling no conviction at all.

Before last season’s Western Conference Finals, Spurs coach Bobo Hill also commented on their advantage in front of the media.

After a day’s preparations ended, Lakers players gathered to discuss tomorrow’s game, while talking, they also chatted about the two hottest topics these days.

Tonight, the first matches of Bulls vs. Knicks and SuperSonics vs. Spurs series are starting.

Unlike the first round’s huge strength differences, these four teams have superstars, powerful lineups, even for players competing in the second round, there will be great interest.

Besides this, another thing — voting for the two most significant awards of the regular season.

MVP and DPOY!

Yesterday morning and this morning, the NBA official invited major media outlets, TV commentator, radio broadcaster, authoritative columnists, and other sports authority figures, totaling 125 people, to vote for MVP, DPOY, Best Team, Best Defensive Team.

Originally, Zhang Hao didn’t have much expectation regarding the Best Team, in his cognition, in the future season of 14-15, there’s a team similar to them, called the Hawks, surprisingly finishing the regular season top in the East with 60 wins, yet none of them won any Best Team honors.

But today, Zhang Hao made the hot news.

The reason was a journalist from the American Cable TV Station with voting rights, after all votes were completed, showcased a paper in the 3:30 PM news program.

The paper wrote: MVP-NO.1--X.

All-NBA-Team-NO.1--X.

Regarding the Best Team, media voting for Zhang Hao didn’t have any major issue, in public perception, forward position, some honestly felt Zhang Hao was among the top two forwards in regular season performance, it’s not particularly surprising.

Yet in MVP voting, a voter giving their first pick to Zhang Hao creates a big problem—the unanimous MVP for Jordan is gone!