One Year Left to Play-Chapter 314 - 103: All It Takes Is One Basket to Make Them Cheer
The Lakers deployed a starting lineup featuring Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, Ceballos, Zhang Hao, and Campbell.
The Pacers started with Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Derek McKay, Dale Davis, and Schmitz.
At 7 PM, the game commenced with the Lakers facing off against the Pacers at home.
In a fierce matchbox jumping contest, Schmitz utilized his height advantage to overpower Campbell and win the tip-off.
The Pacers’ offense remained leisurely, frustrating onlookers.
Mark Jackson advanced slowly, pressing against an 8-second violation as he reached the front court. With Campbell in the paint, Schmitz had no intention of entering. With 10 seconds left on the shot clock and Mark Jackson initiating the attack, Schmitz set a pick for Reggie Miller.
The Pacers’ strategy was straightforward as always, with the shooting guard and center capable of mid-range shots, forming the basis of their offense.
However, the Lakers’ defense was impeccable. Campbell swiftly switched to the baseline, blocking the strong side’s wing from cutting in. After Campbell and Ceballos swapped assignments, they further coordinated with Anthony Peeler to switch on the off-ball screen involving Reggie Miller and Schmitz.
The switch was executed well, but Derek McKay skillfully avoided Campbell, bypassing the four-man screen and switch from the left-side top corner of the free throw line to cut in and receive the ball!
Campbell’s movement was too slow, prompting Zhang Hao to leave the right edge of the painted area and step in. Derek McKay passed to the basket, allowing Dale Davis to easily lay it in for two points.
The arena erupted in boos, and Zhang Hao could hear fans swearing from the baseline direction.
He felt helpless, knowing Derek McKay had a shot opportunity beyond the three-point line, but a 2-on-1 under the basket was evidently more reliable.
As the game transitioned, Van Exel moved up while controlling tempo, waiting for Campbell to occupy the paint. Once his teammates got into position, Van Exel shot a three-pointer over Mark Jackson...
Missed!
But Ceballos turned his back and slipped past Dale Davis, driving into the paint and grabbing the offensive rebound amidst Schmitz, scoring with a second-chance layup for two points.
Ceballos expertly capitalized on Zhang Hao’s advantage over the agile Derek McKay!
As the game transitioned again, Zhang Hao retreated to the backcourt, intending to stick with Dale Davis closely, but Campbell signaled him to extend his defense toward Schmitz.
Campbell’s experience was effective with this adjustment, yet Zhang Hao’s extended defense demonstrated lacking experience and capability. Upon switching to Reggie Miller, he failed to notice Miller’s receiving route was obstructed. Zhang Hao should have contracted but lacked the judgment to do so.
Again, with expanded spacing leading to an internal passing play, Dale Davis scored another two points.
In the first half of the first quarter, Zhang Hao barely had any opportunities offensively, as the opponent’s high scoring success rate and outstanding tempo control limited counterattack chances. There was but one open shot attempt, and it missed.
On the defensive end, his switching to the perimeter was ineffective, as the opponent continuously exploited mid- to long-range shots to create scoring opportunities near the basket and inside.
Thankfully, Van Exel’s daring threes were accurate tonight, while Ceballos used the twin towers’ mid-range threat adeptly; by the time of the official timeout in the first quarter, the Lakers trailed the Pacers by just one point at 14-15. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
The Pacers, despite starting the season as the league’s leader in shooting percentage, had an alarming 11 of 7 in the basket area. This efficiency was a bit much.
This elicited discontent among the home crowd, who persistently booed Zhang Hao.
Conversely, the TV commentators offered quite favorable assessments...
Bill Walton puzzled aloud, "Hubie, it seems the Pacers are paying extra attention to Zhang, his deterrent power appears even higher than Divac’s."
Hubie Brown, having done his homework, said, "Zhang, in their previous encounter, led the Brooklyn Nets to narrowly defeat the Pacers. That game was well-contested by the Pacers, with Miller scoring 32 points and 6 assists, whereas Zhang also scored 31 points and 6 assists, even delivering the winning shot..."
At the Lakers’ bench, like the fans, Del Harris believed Zhang Hao’s perimeter defense was a considerable issue. But Campbell also had problems; he was slower than Schmitz, though his rim protection was superb, as demonstrated with top-tier shot-blocking within the painted area, but outside, he was inferior to even Zhang Hao.
Yet Zhang Hao’s perimeter defense was lacking even compared to Divac’s. His enthusiasm was clear, and he had awareness but frequently made errors, often exploited by opponents when decisions needed to be made instantly.
What surprised Del Harris, however, was Zhang Hao’s deterrent effect being more remarkable than imagined. He believed even with Campbell and Divac’s interior pairing, the opponent wouldn’t give as much attention, and Ceballos wouldn’t have so many scoring chances, tallying 8 points in half a quarter. Under the Pacers’ defense, they wouldn’t casually score 14 points in such a slow tempo.
"Let this guy play more in the first half, save Elden’s energy for crucial moments in the second half. Let’s focus on offense now, since they’ll naturally shift to defense..."
Del Harris decided to abandon adjustments.
"With Vlade and Eddie gone, these guys should be happiest, as they seem likely to collaborate with that fellow..."
