Amid the cheers of the fans on site, Zhang Hao retreated into defense with an expressionless face.

Watching Kurt Thomas unable to even disrupt Zhang Hao’s easy turnaround fadeaway for a score, Moning picked up the ball and passed it to Koels, running towards the frontcourt.

Just one ball, and Moning realized Zhang Hao’s progress far exceeded his expectations!

to 19, the Lakers still trailed by two points.

Heat on the offense, Owens faced off against Doug Christie’s defense, took a step sideways for a strong drive, but was tightly guarded by Doug Christie.

Though not as athletic as Owens, Doug Christie’s defensive anticipation is the best on the Lakers, and among perimeter players in the league, he’s definitely one of the elite.

However, Owens, finding no good opportunity, didn’t pass but continued driving to the baseline, throwing up a shot...

No good!

But the ball bounced not far! Moning utilized his strong physique to tip the ball over Jason Williams, who had initially positioned himself, and scored on a putback!

The deepest impression Heat left on Zhang Hao tonight was their decisiveness in offense compared to the first encounter.

Still pushing the tempo, relying on isolation and passing, no team offense without a central organizer, averaging 18.2 assists per game, ranked lowest in the league, with the most assists player averaging 5.8 assists...

But Heat played more decisively and adopted some peculiar collaborative moves, like Owens choosing a closer shot to the basket instead of an immediate jump shot when Moning had a better opportunity for a rebound.

Such a playstyle benefits Moning by reducing his fatigue compared to scoring in double-teamed situations.

Offensive and defensive transition, Lakers on offense.

With great spacing, this lineup is meant to create isolation opportunities for Zhang Hao.

Kurt Thomas was defiant! Under Pat Riley’s training, nearly half a season has passed, his resilience has greatly improved, bravely going up against Zhang Hao... but was pushed back again!

Contacting Zhang Hao’s arms made Kurt Thomas feel suffocated! Prepared with full mental focus to confront Zhang Hao, the sense of powerlessness was more pronounced!

Moning quickly double-teamed, Zhang Hao grasped the ball ready to pass... Rex Chapman had already collapsed to the basket! As he turned to pass low, Zhang Hao saw clearly the positions of teammates and opponents, quickly judged, and tossed the ball toward the top arc...

Koels, guarding Anthony Peeler on the right sideline, quickly dashed toward Van Exel at the top arc, but the ball was securely held in Zhang Hao’s hands!

When Moning realized Zhang Hao wasn’t passing but only faking to shoot the ball down, Zhang Hao had already thrown the ball towards the weak side sideline.

A remarkably beautiful low-post facilitation!

Unfortunately, Anthony Peeler’s three-pointer didn’t go in...

Zhang Hao’s pass was indeed highly entertaining; seeing him manage to pass to Anthony Peeler in such a scenario had the fans cheering incessantly, yet regrettably, Zhang Hao had predicted which spot would be open, but the open shooter missed.

Kurt Thomas secured the defensive rebound; Zhang Hao expressionlessly fell back into defense, feeling a bit of regret but also understanding—it’s normal for Anthony Peeler not to make his first shot after battling on defense in the latter part of the first quarter.

Even Howard frequently has an 80% free throw success rate during practice, but in games, he often achieves just half of his practice accuracy, despite having a steady spot to adjust his shooting at the free throw line.

Back to Heat’s offense, this time Heat’s outside shot missed, Jason Williams struggled against Zhang Hao for a defensive rebound.

to 21, the gap remained at 4 points.

Zhang Hao reached the frontcourt for isolation; this time, he decided against considering passing, opting to handle it himself!

No longer colliding into closer-range shots guaranteed without double-teams—playing that way is too exhausting; a few attempts per quarter are fine, but to play an entire game that way... Even O’Neal wouldn’t manage, nor Malone.

Zhang Hao opted for a turnaround fadeaway from a step inside the free throw line after retreating a step following the collision!

From this distance, if Moning came out early, it’d be an ideal passing chance underneath, and the perimeter collapse would be too late.

The opponent dare not easily double-team from this range... this is merely a premise; the most important thing is he can make the shot!

Zhang Hao couldn’t get close for a low-post turnaround fadeaway; Kurt Thomas’ defensive role had significantly improved as he couldn’t immediately leap during Zhang Hao’s turnaround in the second quarter’s first possession—it was due to fatigue from continuous hits making exertion difficult. Once the opportunity arose, Kurt Thomas was very eager!

Fortunately, Mr. Zhang might be the Lakers player maintaining the most stable shooting under intense confrontations, as this turnaround fadeaway succeeded!

to 21, keeping the score close!

Subsequent possessions saw poor scoring efficiency from both teams, and the pace was slow, generating a rather dull atmosphere from the scoreboard.

Unable to attack the interior nor completely negate the defensive effectiveness, coupled with Kurt Thomas’s effective mid-range defense against shooting, Zhang Hao had a shooting rate of 5-for-2 on subsequent offensive attempts, one of which resulted in a missed shot obtained by Jason Williams for an offensive rebound and passed out to Van Exel’s successful three-pointer. The Lakers secured 11 points in the first 6 minutes and 7 seconds of the second quarter, while the Heat managed 10 points, leaving the Lakers trailing Heat by three, 26 to 29.

After seven isolation attempts and two passes during double-teams in the half quarter, Zhang Hao felt exhausted, unsatisfied with not turning the score around.

Remarkably to the others from both teams though!

In this half-quarter, the Lakers had 11 offensive plays, with 9 initiated or shot by Zhang Hao, all scores within his 9 offensive plays held during the Heat’s extremely sustained defense tonight. Managing 11 points in a half quarter after scoring merely 15 in the first quarter marked a substantial improvement!

Kurt Thomas felt the deepest impression of Zhang Hao’s specialized technique.

Actually, Kurt Thomas found Zhang Hao’s subsequent defensive plays against him more terrifying compared to the initial brutal backs-down into a low-post turnaround fadeaway attempt in the second quarter.

Heat’s team defensive deterrence had clearly worked, forcing Zhang Hao to attempt turnaround fadeaways from a further distance, despite Kurt Thomas’ full interference.

Yet Zhang Hao still managed to score 8 points in half of the quarter!

Back to Heat’s offense, Moning’s near-distance shot missed after grabbing the rebound, quickly retreating again as Lakers continued half-court play.

Zhang Hao arrived at the left baseline mid-range but signaled early to not pass, pushing Kurt Thomas away, and ran towards the top arc!

Zhang Hao appeared to be aggressively positioning himself low inside when the Heat hadn’t thought he’d only maneuver for a bit before running! Kurt Thomas had already lowered his center of gravity, trying to provide greater hindrance for Zhang Hao’s turnaround fadeaway.

Zhang Hao dashed towards the left of the top arc while Van Exel drove simultaneously, creating space at the top arc, passing to Zhang Hao before he ran past the three-point line.

Zhang Hao received the ball; as Owens reached to defend, Zhang Hao stepped out beyond the three-point line, turning around and jumping, already holding the ball to his chest on the right as he ended the twist and smoothly pushed the ball out...

The shot position left Owens no chance to interfere even though he arrived timely!

Zhang Hao scored uncontested for three!

All tied at 29! The Lakers didn’t call a timeout; Heat did after being matched!

When Zhang Hao launched the ball with a shot-put style motion, the fans on site went wild.

As the ball dropped into the basket after Zhang Hao sent it flying, the fans began cheering!

It’s not clear which section started imitating Zhang Hao’s shot-put three as Pat Riley called a timeout, but numerous fans began mimicking Zhang Hao’s style!