Unlike at the start when they were trailing by over 20 points and had a carefree attitude, the gap has now narrowed to 11 points, meaning the New York Knicks still have a chance. When the gap widened again, Old Nelson was extremely frustrated.

After fighting hard for one and a half quarters and barely narrowing the gap to 11 points, the opposing rookie had a sudden burst of energy, rendering their efforts futile!

On the other side, Del Harris was relieved that he didn’t call a timeout when the gap narrowed to 11 points, or he wouldn’t have witnessed the stunning performance of that pesky youngster in those two plays.

Among them, the pass from the Magician directly to Zhang Hao deep in the basket shouldn’t logically be intended for Zhang Hao. Jason Williams, positioned on the left of the paint, received the ball and was ready to score, even though it wasn’t an easy direct score. It still had a fifty percent chance, whereas Zhang Hao’s move was truly risky.

But one dared to pass, and the other dared to shoot!

Del Harris began thinking about the adjustments he should make next.

Zhang Hao’s 6 to 0 run not only exhilarated his teammates but also cleared Del Harris’s worries, allowing him to think clearly and make the personnel adjustments and defensive changes he desired...

...

Our old fox is bold!

As Zhang Hao looked at his four teammates – Sedale-Srte, Anthony Peeler, Doug Christie, and George Lynch – entering the court together, he felt that Del Harris really dared to play audaciously!

However, Zhang Hao was confident in his rim protection!

On the Knicks’ side, Little Anthony Mason and Derek Harper hadn’t rested for long before being swapped back in, along with the entire starting lineup of John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Ewing.

If they don’t fight now, Old Nelson believes there would be no chance at all.

But even Old Nelson hadn’t anticipated such rotation!

After the timeout, the Knicks went on the offense.

With this Lakers lineup, their height clearly falls short compared to the opponent, but their perimeter speed is fast, blocking the Knicks’ mid-range and perimeter plays!

What Old Nelson had just arranged was a very beautiful mid-range or corner three-point catch-and-shoot tactic, but this Lakers lineup was too fast, executing switches well, depriving the Knicks of opportunities for mid-long-range shots.

Little Anthony Mason reacted quickly, seizing the chance to cut in, flying for a layup... only to be swatted down by Zhang Hao who had retreated to protect the rim!

A very beautiful one-step-from-the-free-throw-line rim protection!

Tonight, if the Magician dared to pass, Zhang Hao dared to shoot; if Del Harris dared to arrange such bold defense, Zhang Hao dared to block it!

Anthony Peeler grabbed the ball on the left of the paint, without thinking much, and began to push forward!

On the Knicks’ side, they aimed to stabilize morale with this ball, but failed to score and suffered a vicious block, leading to chaotic retreat defense! They couldn’t focus on the defensive plan laid during the timeout!

After Anthony Peeler’s reckless charge, he passed to Doug Christie who was ready to assist, and Doug Christie immediately spotted Zhang Hao following up and passed it out.

No matter what, if there’s no shooting chance or personal play on offense, look for Zhang Hao!

Zhang Hao received the ball one step inside the three-point line but didn’t shoot, instead bumped the ball behind the line, giving Little Anthony Mason a chance to press up.

Facing Little Anthony Mason’s defense, Zhang Hao didn’t hesitate, shooting a javelin-like three-pointer...

The referee’s whistle sounded! Zhang Hao was knocked to the ground by Little Anthony Mason, fouled during shooting, but he couldn’t stop the ball from flying out!

Although Zhang Hao’s shot from such a low release point was almost blocked by Little Anthony Mason, that slight hesitation was absent, just narrowly escaping the block, allowing Zhang Hao’s shot to pierce through the hoop!

to 68! After one and a half quarters, the Lakers relied on Zhang Hao’s consecutive three baskets before and after the timeout to widen the gap back to 20 points!

At this moment, the big screen displayed Zhang Hao’s stats... 46 points, 9 rebounds, 10 blocks, 3 assists, 2 steals!

Why didn’t Zhang Hao just catch and shoot, instead stepping back and losing Doug Christie an assist?

It was because he had already scored 8 points in the first half of the period, reaching 43 points, and didn’t want to wait any longer, aiming to break his personal scoring record now!

Though it was a gamble, his judgment of the blocking distance and confidence in his current ability made him very decisive during the shot, seizing the opportunity to make the three-pointer. Having played only three and a half quarters, he scored 46 points, breaking his personal scoring record!

On Old Nelson’s side——this, good heavens!

Too crazy! Crazy enough to astonish even Old Nelson, dubbed the Mad Scientist, leaving him stunned.

He felt the intent behind Zhang Hao’s three-pointer just now.

Not only did he want to do it, but he accomplished it!

Old Nelson started sympathizing with his players— the opponent gave them hope, but then crushed it... it might have been better if they hadn’t offered any hope.

Just like Old Nelson’s sympathy, the Knicks players now feel even more desperate than during the first quarter!

In the first quarter, they were utterly confused. If they had given up at that time, they might have stayed bewildered until the end of the game.

But later, they worked hard to make the game seem hopeful, only for the opponent to say— Sorry, I’m just messing with you.

Moreover, the opponent really pulled the gap back to 20 points again, in just three plays! Only one person shot!