One Year Left to Play-Chapter 357 - 110: The Moment of Full Throttle!

So, despite the Zen Master’s arrangements being on point, the wear and tear were evident.

The Zen Master’s worst fear came true in the final minutes of the first half. Jordan was fine, but Pippen’s stamina was visibly declining!

On the other side, the opportunity arose for the young, fiery, and energetic Zhang Hao!

Zhang Hao, who had only scored 3 points in the past six minutes, scored on a close-range floater cutting in at 9:32 of the second quarter, hit a long two-pointer on a backdoor cut at 10:06, and scored a three-pointer after blocking Rodman and then getting the ball back at 11:33, racking up 7 points!

By halftime, with Zhang Hao scoring 7 consecutive points, plus a three-pointer from Van Exel, the Lakers went on a 10-5 run in just two and a half minutes, overtaking the Bulls to lead 73-71 at the break!

With 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in a single quarter, Zhang Hao’s crucial shooting performance helped the Lakers turn the game around!

points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block... Zhang Hao’s first-half performance was explosive! And extremely efficient! Making 11 of 19 attempts! Including hitting 2 of 4 from three-point range!

Jordan also performed well tonight, with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in the first half, equaling Zhang Hao and perhaps contributing even more to the team’s offense. In crucial one-on-one situations, Jordan was much more formidable than Zhang Hao.

But Zhang Hao is still a rookie!

The commentators on the American Cable TV Station were constantly chanting "The strongest high school player ever" whenever the camera focused on Zhang Hao in those last two and a half minutes of the first half, a nickname given by Pierce’s mother that has now become famous...

Far away in Seattle, a man nicknamed the Rainman was almost crushing his remote control.

"The strongest high school player ever, and someone dares to use that nickname! Where does that leave me?"

...

During halftime, both sides were racking their brains for strategies for the second half.

A single misstep could lead to a lifelong regret...

The Zen Master didn’t know why, but this background music played in his mind, not comprehensible, but it was just the feeling he had.

It’s all the fault of those legendary figures on the other side who play unfairly!

Can they just act freely because they have many all-time superstars and rich experience in tough battles?

It seems they can, and there’s no rule against listening to tactical advice from fans.

These people bought tickets to watch the game, and the opposing coach doesn’t mind these fans chatting with the players...

"If I had known, I would have told the boss to refuse these people tickets. Using the tickets we give them against us? How shameless!"

Thinking about the home team’s history where joining the All-Star team two or three times could get a jersey retired, and then looking at the other side... The Zen Master just wanted to say to the opposing team’s boss lady: "Miss, I don’t want to try so hard anymore."

For a moment, the Zen Master and Zhang Hao reached a consensus without knowing each other’s thoughts.

The Zen Master knew that tonight’s turning point was mainly that phase, the nearly three-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter, when the Lakers’ legendary group made an effort.

After halftime, both teams returned to the court.

Zhang Hao sat on the bench, watching the opposing lineup—just as the legendary group and coaching staff predicted, the Zen Master was bold, leaving out Jordan, Pippen, Steve Kerr, Kukoc, and Langley, going with Ron Harper, Judy Buichler, Rodman, and Bill Wennington.

On their side, Van Exel, Sedale-Srte, George Lynch, Magician, and Campbell went on the court.

The Bulls’ lineup was almost purely defensive. Ron Harper was no longer the top-tier star who averaged 20+5+5 per game, and the defense, although above standard and barely first-class, wasn’t exceptional.

After the second half began, the Lakers quickly took the initiative!

The Bulls defended diligently, mostly effectively, but sometimes faltered, and Magician would seize those moments to assist.

Van Exel and Sedale-Srte mainly focused on creating space on offense, with Van Exel doing so to conserve stamina, as Magician intended to expend all his energy in the third quarter.

On defense, the Lakers’ strategy was simple. This opposing lineup couldn’t shoot! The Bulls charged aggressively to the basket, but even with Rodman’s offensive rebounds, their scoring efficiency was low.

In this situation, Magician’s efforts enabled the Lakers to secure some advantage.

Midway through the third quarter, the Lakers led the Bulls 85-79 by 6 points.

However, the Zen Master only replaced Bill Wennington with Luke Longley to enhance defense, with no outside scorers coming in.

On the other side, the Lakers had no intention to change the current status. The situation was progressing in the direction Del Harris wanted... and it was hard to achieve anything better.

If the offensive lineup were subbed in to challenge the opponent’s defense at this time, improvements might be achieved, but the final quarter... the opposition was willing to wait until the final quarter even if trailing.

The Lakers, inferior in strength, could only be passive in this aspect.

In the comeback game, Magician gave his all, finishing the third quarter with the Lakers leading the Bulls by 9 points at 96-87!

As the whistle blew at the end of the third quarter, Zhang Hao instinctively stood up and took off his warm-up jersey.

Also getting up were Sibaros, Jason Williams, and Anthony Peeler.

Having rested an entire quarter, the stamina of these young Lakers players had recovered well, which was their advantage.

Playing for 27 minutes in three quarters, Magician returned to the bench with a smiling expression, having accumulated 13 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 1 steal.

Understanding Zhang Hao’s calm demeanor, Magician passed by and said, "It’s your turn now, Cool-guy."

Zhang Hao nodded, not caring if the other saw it, taking it as a response.

Looking at Jordan and Pippen opposite him, who had also stood up and taken off their warm-up jerseys, Zhang Hao knew that by rights, he should be nervous, should be excited, but besides feeling thrilled, his mind was clear.

In the past quarter, besides watching his teammates defend and Magician tirelessly connect the team amid intense defense, he listened to the legendary figures who came by him speak about the details they had just thought of. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

At halftime, originally Del Harris wanted Van Exel and Sibaros to lead the team in the third quarter to challenge the opponent’s defensive setup, anticipating that the opponent would do this.

But Magician voluntarily said to leave the third quarter to him...

In the crucial fourth quarter, Magician didn’t need the spotlight but instead entrusted it to this group of young players...

"Take responsibility under the watchful eyes of legends, young man. Temporary task: trusted key player triggered..."