One Year Left to Play-Chapter 216 - 72: The First-Generation Team’s Starting Lineup
Actually, this matter isn't that precise, but in the 93-94 NBA season, Kenny Anderson was an All-Star starter. In the 94-95 season, Anfernee Hardaway was selected as an All-Star starter while Kenny Anderson wasn't included. At the end of last season, the media naturally wanted to promote the Brooklyn Nets' game against the Magic. This year, no one cares about the Brooklyn Nets anymore, but Kenny Anderson still cares about this matter.
Also, Zhang Hao had a better understanding of one thing—these days, mentioning either Grant Hill or Anfernee Hardaway makes people think of the other.
But, what Kenny Anderson said today...
Zhang Hao touched Kenny Anderson's forehead, then touched his own forehead, and said puzzledly: "No fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"
This was a ruthless jab... Kenny Anderson, who was speaking passionately, felt an internal shock.
He wanted to retaliate about the looks, but seeing Zhang Hao's face...
I hate to say it, but he's a bit handsome.
Kenny Anderson went back to the corner to lick his wounds—he's still young, doesn't know what handsome means, can't blame him, it's my fault for not teaching him well as the big brother.
Not long after, the staff notified them to enter.
As a starter, standing at the entrance of the player tunnel, he was the second to appear, with the first being the newly promoted second-in-command Almon Gilliam.
Feeling the intense atmosphere of the scene, it was very different from the preseason games.
At their Brooklyn Nets place, only the first game was full, and the attendance for the next three games was sparse, so there was no reference for this.
They played away games against three strong teams, and don't even mention the Hornets; if it weren't for the cheap preseason ticket prices, not that many people would have gone to watch. The Bulls and Pacers had good attendance and enthusiastic fans, but the atmosphere at the Pistons' home court was scarier than at the Bulls' and Pacers' home courts!
It was Zhang Hao's first time experiencing such a scene, and he was initially shocked by it.
Since the Bad Boys began reigning in the NBA, Detroit fans gradually became one of the most passionate NBA fans because racial conflicts in Detroit peaked during that era, making the violent Bad Boys very relatable to the locals. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Even now, with less than a hundred thousand white people, and an increasingly depressed economy, with only Joe Dumars left from the Bad Boys as all others retired, Detroit fans still support this team.
After several years of enduring, they finally got their glory with Grant Hill, who was voted an All-Star in his rookie year, and the enthusiasm has peaked in the 90s!
The shock that this enthusiasm brought to Zhang Hao quickly faded away, as he was about to start his professional career in his first game, and the excitement easily suppressed negative emotions.
This enthusiasm for the game was felt again by his teammates.
Kenny Anderson, who was about to be the last to come out, intentionally didn't remind Zhang Hao how intense the Pistons' home court is, aiming to scare Zhang Hao a bit, then show his boss demeanor to comfort him.
But seeing Zhang Hao's high fighting spirit, which infected all his teammates... even he, as the big brother, felt affected.
Kenny Anderson felt a bit sour inside—it's alright, it's alright, his little brother's charm is the big brother's charm.
Accompanied by the low introduction from the on-site DJ, the Brooklyn Nets substitutes ran out of the player tunnel, stood in a row, and the scene was immediately filled with overwhelming boos.
The first to appear was Gilliam, with such a swagger, it seemed like he was at his home court, rushing out against the boos, high-fiving the substitute teammates excitedly, and even ended with a complex high-five with Jason Williams like a street meet-up.
You can't blame him for being so excited, two years, you know how he got through it, finally returning to the starting position.
But to the on-site audience, this was a taunt! Curses followed immediately.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Hao's mouth twitched, shook his head, and followed the DJ's introduction by running out.
Leaving the player tunnel, Zhang Hao remained expressionless, adhering to the principle of being low-key as king.
However, as soon as the audience saw him running out, the boos reached a fever pitch!
After high-fiving his teammates and standing aside, when PJ Brown and Graham came out afterward, the booing decreased significantly, and the audience's throats were already hoarse. By the time Kenny Anderson came out, the boos increased a bit, but not dramatically.
Zhang Hao was puzzled, Gilliam was booed for being too flashy, but why did Mr. Zhang receive the loudest boos?
He couldn't remember having any grudges with the Pistons, or even the possibility of having any grudges with another team.
Too handsome?
Zhang Hao thought that was the only reason.
After the Brooklyn Nets players finished their entrance, the audience's boos turned into cheers. On the other side of the player tunnel, Joe Dumars was joking with Grant Hill: "Look, since you entered the NBA, any genius entering the league at the same time as you coming here gets booed, this popularity, even the assassin can't match you!"
Joe Dumars was the only gentleman in the Bad Boys, the only one with good demeanor and a positive reputation, who won back-to-back championships and an FMVP.
Since Grant Hill entered the NBA, as the Pistons management hoped, Joe Dumars' experience and capability have been a great help to Grant Hill.
Hearing this, Grant Hill felt somewhat proud, but then he thought he ought to be mature and steady, responding: "It's both a good thing and a bad thing, a good home atmosphere makes us play harder, but we'll also face more targeting from opponents."
