One Year Left to Play-Chapter 313 - 103: All It Takes Is One Goal for Them to Cheer
However, not everyone hates him...
"Go, Big Bamboo Brother!"
This is Le Lin Schultz sitting courtside, along with Howard Schultz, Aprile Clark, and Pierce’s mom, all cheering for him... but their cheers are drowned by the boos.
"At least some people are supporting me... huh?"
Zhang Hao noticed a few young girls cheering for him!
They seemed to be middle school students...
"MMC? Seems like a Disney-affiliated girl idol group? Are they fans of that group? Or members? Are my fans mostly in this age group? Maybe I should throw in some rap and dance performances?"
Looking closely, out of the 20,000 people present, quite a few weren’t booing him, maybe... one in ten?
There are still some supporters, and Zhang Hao’s mood improved significantly.
Ignoring the crowd, Zhang Hao walked over to Del Harris to listen to the arrangements.
As he expected, Del Harris had a bias against him and didn’t like him, but since he had to guarantee him playing time, he had to make good use of his skills, otherwise, it wouldn’t benefit the team at all. This is the Lakers, and if Del Harris wanted to keep his job, he would need to make the most of Zhang Hao’s abilities once he was given playing time.
The game was about to start as the pre-match preparations concluded, and the mission prompts arrived!
"If you’re a basketball player moving to Los Angeles, congratulations, this is the stage for superstars.
If you’re a basketball player moving to Los Angeles, I sympathize with you, as this is an athlete’s hell, where it’s hard to find happiness unless you’re a superstar.
Special signing player Zhang Hao was traded to the Lakers at a high cost and received an extremely negative response from fans. Mission: This Is My Stage triggered."
"This Is My Stage:
First Stage Objective: Under the host’s guidance, Zhang Hao must score at least 20 points in his Lakers debut and win the game.
Reward: The host gains 10 days of life, and for each point Zhang Hao scores over 20 points, the host gains an additional day of life.
After completing the first stage objective, the second stage objective will be unlocked."
"Is this... to prove something to the fans?"
Zhang Hao didn’t really care about the fans; he worked hard mainly because of his love for basketball and his will to survive. He valued the fans in the sense of living up to his salary, not wanting to end up like certain soccer players, but other than that, he didn’t really care.
"But since the mission has come, let’s work hard to prove something! Anyway, winning is the goal. If they cheer for me, it’ll be more enjoyable to play..."
At this moment, a second mission arrived.
"Special signing player Zhang Hao faces Reggie Miller, the most formidable three-point shooter who despises big-city stars, in his Lakers debut. Shooting Star: Strongest Shooter 2 triggered."
"Strongest Shooter 2:
Objective: Zhang Hao must make more three-pointers than Reggie Miller in the upcoming game against the Pacers.
Reward: Learning Mode Simulation Training - Position Rhythm."
Rhythm!
Zhang Hao possibly has the richest positioning route library in the league, but rhythm is a composite of experience, basketball IQ, and more, with experience being particularly important.
But he really lacked experience. Of course, he wasn’t worried about it because only more games could accumulate experience. As he played longer, naturally, he would know how to control positioning rhythm.
But now this reward is right in front of him...
"Make more three-pointers than Reggie Miller? I’ve just developed my three-point skills to a good level, and you want me to outshoot Reggie Miller? How to do it... hey? It’s not impossible..."
Amidst the boos from the fans, Zhang Hao wiped the chalk on the technical table, feeling spontaneous, grabbed a handful of chalk, rubbed it in his hands, turned around, and tossed it into the air, which drew even louder boos as he walked onto the court.
Del Harris wanted to see Zhang Hao make a fool of himself. With the necessity of providing a starting position and playing time, he was willing to assign tactics to Zhang Hao, but if Zhang Hao didn’t perform well, Harris would be happy to see it. In that situation, it would be up to the sponsors to decide whether to continue supporting a poorly performing player or to give up the sponsorship, and he believed the team would make the better choice.
The boos from the fans were sure to affect the player.
But Zhang Hao’s ability to withstand pressure... "I just don’t like him!"
...
"Welcome everyone to the Time Warner Cable Sports broadcast of the Lakers’ home game against the Pacers on this Sunday evening. I’m your old friend, Bill."
"I’m Hubie... hey, Bill, why do you seem so happy today? Don’t you hate commentating on Lakers games the most?"
"Yes, I hate the Lakers, but seeing the Lakers’ fans booing their own player makes me happy. Seeing the Lakers getting weaker also makes me happy. Can someone help convey a message to that Chinese high schooler—if things don’t work out with the Lakers, the Celtic family welcomes you!"
If the Hornets traded Larry Johnson and Dale Curry for Zhang Hao, it might be deemed unworthy, and a significant loss, while the Brooklyn Nets would be considered to have made a great trade, but it would be challenging to focus the discussion on the player.
With the Lakers, it’s different. After the trade, the public’s criticism was directed towards Zhang Hao.
Many knew Zhang Hao was innocent, but they enjoyed the spectacle.
There you have it, Bill Walton was ready to witness the show.
With Bill Walton’s friendly blessings to the Lakers players, on the court, the starting players from both teams stepped up.
