One Year Left to Play-Chapter 359 - 111: True Double Kill of the Bulls!
Zhang Hao’s calm demeanor surprised both teams’ players—it was overly composed. In such conflicts, it’s not just the victim of the foul who loses their composure; even the offenders’ teammates get heated.
This feeling of a conflict being suppressed before it truly erupted seemed odd to the Bulls’ players, but the Lakers’ players felt a surge of energy.
The referees, who had prepared to break up a potential fight, found it most peculiar... Is this high school rookie really the troublemaker some veterans claim?
It doesn’t seem so! Such a calm young man.
Even though everyone on the court felt strange, the fans got riled up, shouting Rodman’s name loudly.
Both teams’ players also got agitated, standing up to watch the game.
The referees remained alert, wary that the conflict might escalate later... They needed to be ready to intervene quickly—preferably before any fights broke out.
Conflicts were normal in this era, and referees were used to it, but they preferred to avoid them.
The replay had to be watched, so the referee went to the technical table to review the video.
There weren’t many angles and the footage was limited, but the referee could see that Rodman merely pulled Zhang Hao down without any extraneous actions.
Given it’s the Bulls’ home court, the referee indicated a blocking foul on Rodman, granting Zhang Hao—who was already attempting a dunk—two free throws!
This decision upset the Lakers’ bench, with a bunch of veterans pointing fingers and cursing at the referee; even Del Harris was on edge.
Are referees afraid of being scolded? Yes, they are, but penalizing Rodman with a flagrant foul would bring even more criticism, especially since it’s the Bulls’ home court.
Look at that rookie, standing there at the free-throw line for ages, with no objections to the call—just... could he maybe not stand there with his arms crossed, looking so expectant?
Even the referees felt Zhang Hao was showing off too much!
Free throw attempt.
Seeing Zhang Hao looking as if he only faced an ordinary foul, many on the court admired him, Rodman included.
Even Rodman didn’t want to play like the Bad Boys in such a game.
But at that moment, he did knock Zhang Hao down.
Otherwise, it would have been an absolute poster dunk, and the Lakers’ morale would have soared.
However, Rodman still wore an arrogant expression, hoping the opponent would lash out, but unfortunately, Jason Williams didn’t hit him just now.
Knocking someone down after a stoppage is different from knocking them down while defending.
Zhang Hao missed the first free throw! After adjusting, he made the second one.
to 87, with the Lakers leading the Bulls by 10 points!
Would their own player’s rough action—or even just a stern call of a Level 1 flagrant foul—make the teammates feel ashamed?
Perhaps, but the Bulls’ players had been through too much to be affected, especially when this teammate carried the label of "I’m the bad guy."
Steve Kerr hit a catch-and-shoot three-pointer!
The Bulls launched a fierce comeback right out of the gate in the fourth quarter!
During the offensive-defensive transition, Zhang Hao became more active upon reaching the frontcourt, slipping out from the baseline to receive a pass from Van Exel, and once again, Rodman was the one switched onto him.
When Zhang Hao caught the ball, he glanced at his teammates’ positions, then immediately turned around and took a shot over the onrushing Rodman!
It went in!
After scoring, Zhang Hao deliberately glanced at Rodman, giving Rodman the feeling that he was saying—Is a foul all you can do?
If it were scorn from an old veteran, Rodman wouldn’t feel a thing, even after committing a foul in the previous play.
But from a rookie... it felt completely different!
No time to ponder over it—they had to start offense now, so Rodman sprinted to the frontcourt.
After Steve Kerr’s three-pointer, the Lakers’ defense clearly began to extend outward.
That’s exactly what Jordan wanted: a high-post catch and back-down play!
A smooth turnaround fadeaway shot that swished in, and right after that, Jordan glanced at Zhang Hao. He had clearly seen Zhang Hao’s little smirk after scoring over Rodman earlier.
The Lakers’ next offensive play saw Zhang Hao once again receiving the ball through movement, but this time Jordan immediately doubled him, along with Rodman, who switched onto Zhang Hao in the post, trapping him as he caught the ball!
Zhang Hao passed it out to Van Exel, who took a long two-pointer...
Unfortunately, it didn’t go in!
However, even though it missed, Jordan was quite impressed with Zhang Hao’s decision on this play.
Calmness, for one thing, and Zhang Hao made excellent use of his off-ball advantage.
Without the ball, he was even harder to double-team, and Zhang Hao exploited it greatly.
Without the ability to double in advance, they could only close in on him as he received the ball, otherwise, it would be a zone violation; Zhang Hao used this to create an open shot opportunity for Van Exel, who just didn’t convert.
Nonetheless, Rodman’s excellent defense was showcased by sealing off the space for Zhang Hao to cut through the center; otherwise, Zhang Hao could have passed it to Jason Williams.
As the game progressed, both teams’ actions grew increasingly aggressive, and double-teams became more decisive.
This is when a key difference between the two teams emerged—stability!
The Bulls’ stability was unmatched!
And the Bulls had a high degree of confidence, evidenced by their patience; they did not fall into disarray despite being behind.
The Bulls’ tactics remained simple: Pippen initiating the offense, Jordan catching the ball to draw double-teams and either passing it back out or taking a shot, Kukoc facilitating at the high post, Pippen cutting in and receiving the ball to attack or pass; if the team offense didn’t work, it came down to Jordan’s isolation plays.
