novelraw Chapter 381 - 114: This Is a Good Deal
Chapter 381 - 114: This Is a Good Deal
Very tough.
But what the Lakers need is someone like Donyell Marshall who can open up space.
Doug Christie, an old player for the Lakers, fits in better, and even Anthony Peeler, a competitor for the shooting guard position, doesn’t mind Doug Christie returning.
Lately, Anthony Peeler has been averaging 37 minutes per game, the highest on the team! He’s about to break! He needs more playing time, but Del Harris is giving him too much.
As for Ceballos being traded, it didn’t affect most others that much, only Van Exel put on a little show about it. After Eddie Jones and Divac were traded, everyone had become quite accepting of trades.
With Ceballos gone, it’s an opportunity for a good portion of the Lakers!
The Magician is expected to start on the front line, but he originally occupied about 25 minutes of playing time. Even if the Magician now plays 30 minutes a game, the playing time he originally occupied will still be freed up.
This freed-up time is what others can compete for again.
After a day of preparation, the Lakers faced the challenge of the Spurs...
At 7:40 PM, both teams’ players entered the court.
The atmosphere among the fans tonight was particularly high, with cheers much louder than a regular season game!
Finally, they have returned to the center of public attention!
Lakers fans are a unique group; they like seeing their team in the limelight, unlike fans of other teams who don’t want to see their team caught in a media storm.
Zhang Hao looked at the increase in his fan base, maintaining a cold expression but thinking internally - I’ve worked hard playing ball, punching Hill, tackling Jordan, but it’s not as effective as being a trending celebrity for a few days and gaining fans... Hmm, there are a lot of female fans today, cough cough, being a celebrity doesn’t seem too bad...
However...
Players traded to the same team often share a mutual understanding, and Doug Christie and Donyell Marshall quickly got along, staying temporarily in the same hotel and planning to rent together.
The two were discussing performing well tonight when suddenly a voice startled them!
"Why weren’t you guys booed?"
Seeing Zhang Hao’s indifferent face and watching him turn away without getting a response left the two newcomers a bit bewildered... What was that resentful tone about?
...
The game was about to start, and Zhang Hao’s strong desire to win once again influenced his teammates!
Last time they faced the Spurs, they were severely beaten, and this time, they wanted to give it a shot!
The Lakers sent out Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, Zhang Hao, the Magician, and Campbell as the starting lineup.
Unlike Zhang Hao, Del Harris placed the two newcomers on the bench.
On the Spurs’ side, Avery Johnson, Vinny Negro, Sean Elliott, David Robinson, and Will Perdue took the starting positions.
"Little General, ability rating 86, averaging 13 points and 10 assists...
Negro, ability rating 76, averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists...
Elliott, ability rating 85, averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds...
The Admiral, ability rating 97, averaging 25 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.3 blocks...
Perdue, ability rating 70, averaging 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds..."
Zhang Hao looked at the opponent’s ability ratings, described with one word - strong!
Really strong!
The double-tower playstyle is very difficult to deal with!
At 7:58 PM, Zhang Hao finished wiping chalk powder and came to the center circle.
In past games, with Campbell back in the starting position, Del Harris struggled for two games before conceding to let Zhang Hao jump ball today.
The Spurs are not the Kings or Celtics, having the first attack is very important for their Lakers.
David Robinson also came to the center circle, looking at this recently very popular rookie whose news appears daily, with full interest!
From David Robinson’s gaze, Zhang Hao felt sheer ill-intent!
At 8 PM, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and tossed the ball into the air...
David Robinson jumped easily, completely relaxed; jump ball to him is certain to win... F... Overly confident!
Zhang Hao was more serious, more focused, timing the jump better and tipped the ball backward, giving the Lakers the first attack!
Zhang Hao won the jump ball and quickly switched to fast-break mode, while David Robinson, though losing the jump ball, was confident in his athletic ability, having guard-level speed. He chased Zhang Hao fiercely, but couldn’t catch up!
"Single Rider (Gold) triggered, Zhang Hao’s speed +5 on this fast break..."
Winning the jump ball and directly starting a fast break, Zhang Hao was naturally the closest Laker to the opponent’s basket!
The Magician received the ball at the free-throw line position and sent out a long pass!
A full-court pass precisely delivered to Zhang Hao, one of the Spurs’ twin towers, Perdue, just retreated to under the basket, too late to reach out, eyes turning dark...
Zhang Hao dunked over Perdue, slamming the ball into the basket!
The opening exploded the entire crowd!
Del Harris stood up and pumped his fist!
"Did I do something wrong... If I had let him jump ball earlier, we’d have had more openings like this earlier..."
"Dunk Master (Bronze) triggered..."
Watching Zhang Hao, maintaining a cold face, complete the solo fast break and run back, the Lakers’ entire team had their morale ignited from the start!