Previously, it was always Zhang Hao scoring effortlessly, breaking the deadlock for his teammates. This time, it was his teammates creating opportunities for him.

Van Exel’s unreasonable outside shooting forced the Cavaliers’ defense to stretch out.

Zhang Hao didn’t fixate on getting mid-to-long-range opportunities. When the opponent’s defense expanded outward, he decisively cut in, aggressively seeking contact in the paint to find free throw opportunities or direct scoring chances.

The first quarter ended 19 to 21, with Van Exel holding things up. The second quarter saw the Lakers slightly edge ahead 21 to 20, trailing by 1 point at halftime, 40 to 41.

By the third quarter, the Lakers played better. In the final moments, with Zhang Hao’s turnaround fadeaway 2+1 and Doug Christie continuing Van Exel’s shooting streak with a three-pointer, the Lakers put together a 6-0 run at the end of the third quarter, leading 67 to 63, turning the tables and leading the Cavaliers by 4 points going into the final quarter.

The final quarter was scrappy. The Lakers scored 9 points, while the Cavaliers scored 11...

Thanks to Zhang Hao and Doug Christie’s 6-0 burst in the last 33 seconds of the third quarter, the Lakers edged the Cavaliers 76 to 74, achieving a brilliant 13-game winning streak!

Of course, Van Exel’s 11 points in the first quarter also played a significant role; without him holding the fort initially, it would have been tough for the Lakers.

However, Van Exel didn’t perform well afterwards; he finished with only 16 points for the game after scoring 11 in the first quarter. Zhang Hao hit 7 out of 23 shots for 19 points, Campbell hit 5 out of 15, but made a lot of free throws. While no one else had more than 5 free throw attempts, Campbell scored on 8 out of 9 attempts, finishing with 18 points. Only three Lakers scored in double figures.

The win was hard-earned!

But on the other hand, even though the Cavaliers’ Danny Ferry came off the bench and scored 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting, the Lakers managed to restrain the rest of the Cavaliers, indicating the Lakers were indeed in excellent form.

The momentum continued!

After the game, the Lakers made headlines again... That night, another team defeated the Charlotte Hornets, reaching a 17-game winning streak...

...

The game against the Cavaliers was tough, full of physical battles and confrontations, with few whistles from the referees. Despite the intensity of the match-up, the Lakers only got 18 free throws. Campbell relied on his size advantage to get numerous free throws in the paint, taking up half of them alone.

Sometimes, strengths and weaknesses are relative. Campbell can’t retreat inside to block defensively like the Cavaliers’ rebound king Michael Cage while moving mid-range. However, when Campbell grabbed offensive rebounds, the Cavaliers could only stop him with fouls, effectively countering their strategy.

After the game against the Cavaliers, the Lakers began their East Coast triple road trip.

On the 22nd, they played the Celtics, broadcast nationwide; on the 24th, they faced the 76ers, and on the 27th, the Brooklyn Nets, with extended coverage...

On the afternoon of the 21st, upon arriving in Boston, Zhang Hao and his teammates stayed in the hotel all day.

Unluckily, a vibrant scene unfolded in Boston today, yet another parade took place.

Although other countries rarely report on it, Boston is probably the city with the highest frequency of parades in the United States. Why wouldn’t it be, with MIT, Harvard, Boston University, Northeast University, Brandeis University... all top universities here? In this city where racial discrimination is severe, student leaders from these universities often have opportunities to shine.

People probably have gotten used to it here. By the next day, the vibrant scene was all gone, and people went back to work or leisure...

The Lakers’ road game against the Celtics wasn’t affected.

At the start of today’s game, Zhang Hao noticed a detail—the Magician’s ability evaluation had reached 86... Compared to when it was raised to 85, there wasn’t much improvement in skills or shooting, mainly in stamina. With stamina at 85, there’s obvious improvement since his comeback.

Compared to his comeback, the Magician, weighing 113 kilograms, had lost two kilograms, and his physique was noticeably more toned.

"36 and a half years old, an ability rating of 86... These legendary stars are incredible... Wasn’t it Jabbar who won an FMVP at the age of 38?"

Zhang Hao just realized one thing—the youngest and oldest FMVPs in NBA history were both from the Lakers.

At 5:30 p.m., the Lakers’ away game against the Celtics tipped off.

Since Duncan announced he wouldn’t participate in the 1996 draft, the Celtics’ record had clearly improved; previously, they were tanking quite blatantly. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

With a record of 14 wins and 26 losses, the Celtics showed remarkable improvement, but the poor start meant winning only 14 games halfway through the regular season made it hard to reach the playoffs.

Facing the Lakers again, the Celtics players were determined; they could lose to anyone at home, but not the Lakers!

Then, they saw the rival team’s fiery rookie bringing in high spirits onto the court! The other Lakers players were inspired too!

Rick Fox, the Celtics’ organizational core, looked at Zhang Hao acting as if there was an intense grudge—"Hey, why do you guys seem more like the ones with a bad record than us? Is it that serious?"

Winning meant +6 days of lifespan, losing meant a deduction of 9 days, Zhang Hao thought it was very serious!

No more beating around the bush, the Lakers relentlessly attacked from the start today!

In the first quarter, the Lakers scored 31 points, performing quite well.

However, the Celtics, holding their home ground, didn’t crumble like last time at the Great Western Forum. They seized the Lakers’ lack of defensive focus and scored 30 points in the first quarter.