One Year Left to Play-Chapter 224 - 75: I’m Still Just a Kid!

After the timeout, the Pistons' defense became more solid. Zhang Hao clearly saw that the pick-and-roll organization between Chales and Jason Williams was somewhat strained. There was no way around it; their pick-and-roll combination didn't necessarily work as well as Kenny Anderson organizing by himself. The two worked well together, but their strength was a factor.

Zhang Hao actively moved to the free-throw line, giving Chales a second chance for a pick-and-roll. As Chales moved around Zhang Hao, he handed the ball to Zhang Hao.

As they crowded together, Chales didn't notice a teammate moving to the left sideline, but Zhang Hao, taller than both Grant Hill and Don Reed, saw it and lifted the ball, throwing it toward the left corner!

Edwards caught the ball, attempted a three-pointer...

Thanks to the boost in team morale, Edwards ran energetically, got into position, received the ball, and shot decisively, hitting the corner three-pointer!

20 to 19, the Brooklyn Nets took a 1-point lead!

At this time, neither side was at their strongest lineup. The Pistons relied on Grant Hill and Alan Houston for scoring; everything depended on these two.

On the Nets' side, it was a combination of pick-and-roll partners, dual shooters, and a slender inside presence that played a collaborative game.

The Nets couldn't stop Grant Hill, and Grant Hill's play lifted Alan Houston's shooting as well.

After being blocked, Alan Houston no longer attacked the interior; without opportunities, he stayed back. Grant Hill would rather forcefully attack against Zhang Hao's long arm interference and take tough shots.

However, this Pistons' lineup, without the defensive prowess of Joe Dumars, Edith Soper, and Ratliff, couldn't suppress the Nets' team offense like in the starting phase.

In this situation, it all depended on who played better.

Unfortunately for the Pistons, today the Brooklyn Nets had an explosive feel in their mid-to-long range shots. After Edwards hit a three-pointer, Chales also made a three at the end of the first quarter, set up by a pass from Zhang Hao via Edwards.

Adding Zhang Hao's mid-range shot made at 10:17 in the first quarter, and Jason Williams' dunk following a pick-and-roll.

By the end of the first quarter, the Nets' score had surged to 27 points!

Although the Pistons scored 5 points in the last 3 minutes, the two teams were tied with 28 seconds remaining.

But thanks to Chales' three-pointer, the Nets turned their deficit into an advantage in the first quarter, finishing with a 3-point lead!

...

With 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks, Zhang Hao was surprised by his single-quarter performance.

Shot 6 of 5, including 3 of 4 on mid-range shots!

This shooting touch was absolutely on fire!

Among them, 8 points were scored after the official timeout in the first quarter, effectively 8 points in a half-quarter!

The blocks and assists were also made during this time!

After playing the full first quarter, Zhang Hao was substituted off and felt the regular season was clearly more tiring than a preseason game, even when playing the full quarter.

In the latter half of the first quarter, Zhang Hao only grabbed 1 rebound; almost all other rebounds were snagged by Jason Williams.

Indeed, with 4 defensive rebounds and 1 offensive rebound in the half-quarter, Jason Williams was enthusiastically chatting with Almon Gilliam, who would return to the court in the second quarter.

The team morale was lifted, and Zhang Hao felt a little proud, but he quickly suppressed that feeling.

Looking at his own ability evaluation calmed him down quickly.

70... just reaching the level of a starter.

He knew this evaluation couldn't tell the whole story, but it did show that apart from mid-range shooting and physical quality, he lacked strengths.

Passing was just average; opponents reacted as fast as tentacles, completely unlike the competitors in high school.

If he had made a proper pass in the last two minutes of the first quarter with no errors, they might have scored two more points. Luckily, after that mistake, the Pistons did not launch a counterattack. Otherwise, whether they could maintain the lead is another question.

However, being able to help the team take the lead in the score, Zhang Hao was very happy. His role was visible: scoring, attracting defense, and occasionally brilliant passes.

There was even one assist today, which turned into Chales' final three-pointer.

The teammates were also very happy, even excited. They realized they underestimated themselves.

The Nets had strong times, not too long ago, in the 93-94 season, they were a playoff-caliber team under Chuck Daly.

However, the Nets' management was not satisfied with being just a first-round playoff team; when the news of "Duncan's unparalleled talent" spread in the NBA, they decisively changed coaches in the Summer of '94 and started tanking. Players like Almon Gilliam, Jason Williams, PJ Brown, and Kenny Anderson played in the 93-94 playoffs as major contributors, and they could feel that the Pistons had East playoff-level strength.

And they were currently leading, meaning they underestimated their own strength.

Not too strong, but definitely not as weak as they imagined! Because Grant Hill scored 8 points with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in a single quarter, and Alan Houston scored 7 points with 1 rebound. Both played very earnestly, not just because of luck.

This meant they indeed had the potential to challenge for the playoffs!

Though difficult and needing improvement, it's possible, which is better than impossible!

...

After the intermission, the Nets sent out the lineup of Chales, Edwards, Almon Gilliam, Jason Williams, and PJ Brown.

From the Pistons, Joe Dumars, Michael Curry, Grant Hill, Terry Mills, and Mark West took the court.

Grant Hill, in his rookie year, had to play an average of 38 minutes per game, and by his second year, where winning began to matter, playing 40 minutes would certainly become the norm.

This was the requirement for a superstar at the time, which the Nets anticipated.

How important is a shooter who can be valued and draw the opponent's best forward defender? 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The Nets quickly understood at the start of the second quarter.

The Nets' lineup was set to let Almon Gilliam initiate, create threats, and then let Chales and Jason Williams run pick-and-rolls to play a team-oriented game.

But Almon Gilliam faced Grant Hill's defense and immediately hit a snare!

Why was Grant Hill so highly regarded?

Because not only was he excellent in scoring, top-tier in rebounding, and top-tier in organizing offense, he also possessed extraordinary defensive talent, with such good physical condition like Zhang Hao's enthusiasm plus physical attributes that one could see he would likely develop into a good help defender in a few years. Everyone believed Grant Hill would become a top defensive player, the next Jordan!

And he did it; his defense had qualitatively improved compared to last season. Almon Gilliam, having seen Zhang Hao score 10 points in the first quarter and considering himself a better scorer and indeed the team's strongest at independent offense, confidently tried to continue dominating against the Pistons, but immediately encountered stiff defense from Grant Hill.

Almon Gilliam entirely overlooked that Zhang Hao had avoided Grant Hill and played off the ball!

Almon Gilliam failed to score in two consecutive individual attempts, but fortunately, Jason Williams, a rebounding fanatic, grabbed an offensive rebound on one of those occasions, passing it out to Edwards for a mid-range shot, keeping Grant Hill from scoring 4 points in a row to turn the tide.

The one who played with disruptive power was not the confident Almon Gilliam but Grant Hill!

Luckily, with Chales present, Almon Gilliam trusted this core organizer in set plays and adjusted his approach.

However, the sharpness from the first quarter was truly exhausted in those two missed shots, and gradually, the Brooklyn Nets fell into a slump. At the 4:22 mark of the second quarter, Alan Houston, who rotated in, hit a three-pointer, putting the Pistons ahead 39 to 35, leading the Brooklyn Nets to call a timeout!

The Pistons launched a 15 to 8 run!

Resting on the sidelines for a short part of the quarter, Zhang Hao's lips twitched as he felt the gaze of his teammates — I'm still just a kid, Mr. Zhang thought, it's my first game! How does the team seem to be placing its confidence in me?