novelnext Chapter 561 - 171: This Is Just Too Miserable!
Chapter 561 - 171: This Is Just Too Miserable!
But today, in the news, this protagonist is just part of the background.
Zhang Hao felt quite relieved seeing their Lakers news appear in a corner of the page.
"Finally, we don’t have to be on the headlines every day. It’s really not easy!"
Sitting next to Zhang Hao, the Magician and Jason Williams heard Zhang Hao’s sigh and quietly changed seats to avoid the urge to shoot the bird.
With a 55-win and 15-loss record, the Magician felt a bit sentimental seeing this achievement.
Despite being a participant and playing a crucial secondary tactical role, the Magician also sensed the solitude of an era’s change.
His last peak year playing ball achieved 58 wins. Now, with 12 games left, their Lakers have already reached 55 wins. Surpassing 58 wins is certain.
This momentum, in the Magician’s feeling, was like watching Zhang Hao turn the page from his era and begin a new era for the Lakers.
Unfortunately, the Magician’s melancholy went unnoticed. The Lakers players didn’t feel that way, not even Campbell, who besides the Magician, has the longest tenure and played the ’91 Finals with him. Now only 27, he’s in his prime and doesn’t have as many reflections.
However, precisely because most of the Lakers’ key players are young, that boundless youthful feeling gave the Magician a sense of nostalgia from a dozen years ago...
...
On successive road games, without much prep time, after resting a night in Orlando, on March 31st, the Lakers arrived at the Amway Center for an away game against the Magic.
Earlier that day, the Lakers received news that was uncertain whether good or bad—O’Neal was injured again and would miss two weeks.
Entering the arena, Zhang Hao saw a scene unlike when other players were injured—O’Neal was seated behind the bench, not on the bench.
Zhang Hao also read a bunch of local sports news; most criticized O’Neal for frequently getting injured.
Yet Zhang Hao remembers that for the first three years of O’Neal’s rookie season, he only missed 4 games altogether.
As for O’Neal, in his first two seasons, he played only 3 playoff games, but last season, he played 21 playoff games...
With O’Neal absent, the Lakers were uncertain whether it was good or bad news, for a simple reason: once the game started, the Magic’s tactics were very clear, centered around Anfernee Hardaway.
Though without O’Neal, the Magic’s inside offense ability plummeted, but it seemed like they were trying to embarrass O’Neal; the whole Magic team played even more aggressively than when they last faced the Lakers!
Zhang Hao, Doug Christie, Anthony Peeler, George Lynch, Sedale-Srte... all tried, but none could block Anfernee Hardaway’s drives and passes.
Even when Zhang Hao retreated to the free throw line, their abrupt stop, turn, and side-step jump shot was alarmingly accurate, forcing others on the Lakers team to double team.
No double team, and Anfernee Hardaway seemed headed for over 50 points!
By the end of the third quarter, Anfernee Hardaway had already scored 34 points!
Luckily, in the final quarter, Van Exel and Zhang Hao took off, leading a strong counterattack!
Zhang Hao scored 9 points, Van Exel scored 11, combined with George Lynch’s two fast breaks for 5 points, the trio scored 25, helping the team score 31 points in the quarter.
In the end, the Lakers won 104 to 99, narrowly defeating the Magic lacking O’Neal, marking the 56th win of the season!
points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists... Just short of a 40+ triple-double. Anfernee Hardaway’s performance left Zhang Hao stunned looking at the big screen’s data stats afterward.
"My 24 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks aren’t bad either..."
Zhang Hao consoled himself a bit.
Winning, that’s the most important.
Though O’Neal’s absence made the Magic’s strategy clearer and avoided impact from Mr. Zhang on O’Neal, precisely because O’Neal didn’t play, their Lakers could go all out without concern.
There’s no such thing as the Magic would be stronger without O’Neal; any team would drop significantly in strength missing a center like O’Neal.
Indeed, the Magic had a better record without O’Neal this season; the 16 games O’Neal missed at season start saw the Magic 13 and 3, while the subsequent 54 games with O’Neal saw them 38 and 16, but the sample is too small, and early-season absence samples don’t compare.
Perhaps the Magic’s whole team’s form was spot-on at the start while opponents were still adapting, giving them a form advantage.
Like tonight, the Magic played well and fiercely, but the feeling Zhang Hao got... well, they’re only slightly stronger than the Hornets or Hawks; the Heat or Cavaliers might not be worse than the Magic without O’Neal.
Of course, Anfernee Hardaway’s individual leadership was truly stunning, reminiscent of Jordan’s team-leading ten years ago.
He lacks long-range shots, but still can’t be stopped!
...
Despite losing, Anfernee Hardaway was praised to the skies.
While O’Neal, sitting sidelined, got mocked by the Orlando media.
The next morning, before heading back to Los Angeles, Zhang Hao made a point to buy a stack of local newspapers during breakfast.
This year, Orlando’s magazine industry is booming, and news about O’Neal sells highly, greatly influencing local fans’ perceptions.
"Shouldn’t it be losing is minor, but who faces it is embarrassed? But when it comes to Fat O, why is it reversed?
O’Neal is having it tough!"
After some grumbling, Zhang Hao immediately opened another newspaper, and then a third one... enjoying himself immensely.
Only...
"Why does it feel slightly off? Why does it seem a bit like Duncan’s experience? Except completely the opposite, where everything Duncan does is perfect, while every move O’Neal makes is questioned..."