"Aix, tonight is your first official game. Although it won't be broadcast live, if you perform well, there will definitely be a video recording. The regular season opener will definitely be broadcast live, so you don't have to worry too much about your performance in this preseason game... Oh my God, I finally saw a Chinese player on the court in the NBA. I'm so lucky to be the first reporter accompanying a Chinese player in his first official game in the NBA..."
During the warm-up, Xu Jicheng from Xinhua News Agency kept muttering like a madman.
Then the warm-up was over. At 5:15, when we were about to enter the court, another big boss came and muttered, "Aix, the real NBA game is about to start. Don't get too excited or too anxious. Take your time and adapt to the game first. It doesn't matter if you don't play well. Learn from the experience. If you play well, find a way to continue..."
Kenny Anderson considers himself a man who is supposed to be the big brother, so of course he has to do what a big brother should do.
He always felt that Zhang Hao was too young and was worried about him, so he began to guide Zhang Hao and help Zhang Hao to fight for the coaching staff... Then, he gradually started to talk a lot.
The attribute of being a chatterbox is not acquired overnight. Now Kenny Anderson is still in the stage of muttering, but he has already shown the momentum of becoming a chatterbox.
It is easy to make people worry, which is a rare trait. Zhang Hao has this trait. He always makes people around him worry. People who worry, as long as they are not eccentric, are often talkative...
After Zhang Hao came to the United States, he got used to Pierce's nagging. Xu Jicheng's nagging alone was not strong enough, and with Kenny Anderson's nagging, the two together made Zhang Hao feel the pre-game mode that he was accustomed to in high school.
There is an inexplicable sense of security...
At 5:20 in the evening , Zhang Hao and his teammates entered the stadium together.
Walking into the stadium, Zhang Hao looked at the venue which was full of nearly 20,000 fans!
I thought about the ticket price... the average ticket price is 8.6 US dollars...
"If two NBA teams come to our village to play a game, with this kind of ticket price, even if I don't really like these two teams, I will spend this little money to watch it..."
Although he thought so, Zhang Hao's heartbeat couldn't stop accelerating, and that high fighting spirit reappeared. The teammates saw Zhang Hao's eyes flashing with a bellicosity for the second time, and once again felt Zhang Hao's desire for the game, and couldn't help but have similar emotions.
The vast majority of players who can enter the NBA have an immense love for the sport of basketball. Perhaps this love will gradually fade because of years of frustration in the professional arena, but this passion has not been wiped out, it’s just been smoothed out by reality.
Even Jason Williams, when he saw the gleam in Zhang Hao's eyes just before the game began, thought it was great to have such a teammate...
"Hiss..." Jason Williams pinched his thigh hard. He felt like he was hit by an evil spell from the East and he had to wake up!
Zhang Hao sat down on the bench. Randy Whitman did not put him in the starting lineup this morning.
In this game, the Nets' starting lineup is: Kenny Anderson, Edwards, Gilliam, Jason Williams, and PJ Brown.
Zhang Hao had no objection to this arrangement. He felt that it would be better for him to adapt to the NBA game if he waited until the starting lineup was over and then went up to play against the opponent's rotation lineup.
The preseason game in the rookie season is used for rookies like him to adapt to the game, and it is very important.
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao is about to start the first preseason game of the NBA 1995-1996 season. The host can use the player detection system to observe the ability evaluation of the players on the opponent team and analyze it to provide guidance to Zhang Hao."
"Larry Johnson, ability rating 89...
Glen Rice, ability rating 86...
Kendall Gill, ability rating 85..."
"So strong... By the way, they won 50 games last season... huh!"
"Dell Curry 79, Scott Burrell 77, Matt Geiger 75... OK..."
Zhang Hao sat down calmly. The difference in strength was quite obvious. There was no point in worrying. Isn't that what life is like?
At 5:30 in the evening, the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. PJ Brown overpowered Geiger on the opposite side and passed the ball to Kenny Anderson, and the game began.
Kenny Anderson is very good, the strongest player on the team. Although his physical condition has not recovered to its best, he still has a firm advantage over Kendall Gill in passing and controlling the ball.
But as the game progressed, the Nets fell into a disadvantage as expected.
Halfway through the first quarter, with 6 minutes and 7 seconds left, the Nets entered the first official timeout with a 4-point deficit to the Hornets at 15-19.
The pace of the game is very fast!
"This score is a bit exaggerated! Isn't this the iron-blooded era... Oh, no, last season the Magic averaged 110.9 points per game and ranked first in the league. Last season, there seemed to be two other teams that averaged over 110 points per game.
I feel a little dizzy. Let me think about it. When the lockout occurred, it seemed that the fortune teller and Armani's lifelong enemy had just left the Knicks to join the Heat, and now it is still the tail end of the scoring era in the early 1990s.
It seems that the three-point line was shortened last season, and the defensive advantages brought by the shortened three-point line this season will be truly utilized by all teams..."
Zhang Hao finally sorted out the different views of the two memories on this matter.
Randy Whitman was quite satisfied with Kenny Anderson's recovery, which was much better than expected. After the training game, he thought Kenny Anderson would slack off because of his weak teammates, but he didn't expect that he looked quite good.
The team's strength was like this, Randy Whitman no longer considered winning or losing, and began to rotate. With a wave of his hand, he began to cultivate the winning lottery tickets, and the combination of Kenny Anderson , Graham, Vaughn Fleming, Zhang Hao, and PJ Brown were substituted into the court.
"Aix, I'm not worried about you on the offensive end. It doesn't matter if you don't perform well. In the preseason, you just need to adapt to the confrontation and the game. The important thing is that you have to learn to defend. Your size, speed, and physical strength have the potential to become an excellent defensive player. Don't worry about losing your position. It's okay. Try to make up for it..."
Before going on stage, the accompanying player Butch Beldra held Zhang Hao and gave him instructions.
After listening to the coach's instructions, Zhang Hao stepped onto the court, and suddenly a prompt came!
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao is about to step onto the professional field to participate in an official match. The match he will participate in is the pre-season match. Mission: Newcomer participation is triggered."
"Newcomers:
Goal: Special signing player Zhang Hao needs to help his team, the Brooklyn Nets, win at least four preseason games.
Reward: Get 4 wins and get 15 days of life. For each additional win, get an additional 5 days of life, up to a maximum of 30 days of life. "
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao is about to enter the NBA as an off-ball shooter. His first opponent will be Glen Rice and Dell Curry, two top off-ball shooters. Check-in mission: Shooting Star is triggered."
“Shooting Star: Special contract player Zhang Hao is triggered every time he plays against a top pitcher, earning the respect of the top pitchers.
The trigger this time: Dell Curry.
Goal: Zhang Hao scored more points in this game than Dell Curry.
Reward: Top pitcher Dell Curry's favorability towards Zhang Hao has greatly increased.
Note: The host can guide the special contract player Zhang Hao to build good relationships with the top pitchers in the NBA and keep each other warm. "
Finally! The mission to extend lifespan has arrived! Zhang Hao is very excited! Extra life extension!
With his memories of the future, he was already very happy to be able to move freely and live longer, but this was only his initial thought. As he lived longer and could move freely for longer, he naturally became more greedy and wanted to continue living. And since he had the opportunity to continue living, he naturally had to fight for it.
However, Zhang Hao felt that this task was difficult! They really didn't know if they could win the four preseason games.
"Fortunately, this is only a pre-season game, so the opponents shouldn't take it too seriously."
Zhang Hao looked through another task and found that there was no substantial reward. The reward was to win the favor of the opponent... Zhang Hao thought about the status of pitchers these days.
The pitcher's status is indeed low!
Coaches should pay great attention to off-ball shooters, but in the minds of players, players who can shoot with the ball, work hard in the low post, and force their way under the basket are the real stars. These people have shooting ability, so they are considered strong by other players.
Stars who use shooting as their main scoring method and whose other scoring methods are not well-known always seem to be inferior to others, even Garnett and Nowitzki who later became so awesome. The former has always been known for his iron-blooded mid-range shooting, while the latter would always be known as a wimp if it weren't for his super championship season in 2011.
After retiring, Reggie Miller also talked about why he made enemies everywhere when he was a player. It was because he wanted to be noticed. In those days, the presence of pitchers without the ball was too low. If he didn't have those competitions that he actively provoked and put on the table with other stars, he would be like other pitchers of the same era and no one would notice how good .
It was not until the small ball era that pitchers were truly recognized by players and fans.
In this situation, Zhang Hao thought that he was a pure off-ball player, and he was also a power forward, which was really sad...
The game continued, Zhang Hao came to the sidelines, received the ball from the referee and passed it to Kenny Anderson.
The Hornets made a large-scale personnel adjustment, with veteran point guard Michael Adams, top shooter Dell Curry, veteran forward Rafael Edison, Aunt Johnson, and Chief Parish taking the court.
Kenny Anderson received the ball at the center line and moved forward quickly. Zhang Hao quickly followed and cut into the inside first.
Zhang Hao ran into the paint and was closely followed by Larry Johnson. This guy was simply too strong, 199 cm tall and 113 kg. Although he played as a power forward, he was not afraid of anyone in terms of confrontation. The strength rating of Larry Johnson that Zhang Hao had seen before was 96! Super top-level strength!
Therefore, Zhang Hao decisively chose to leave the inside, slipped around the baseline and ran out from the right side of the three-second zone.
When Zhang Hao was running outside, Vaughn Fleming made a quick decision and cut towards the basket. Just as Vaughn Fleming expected, Larry Johnson immediately gave up chasing Zhang Hao and retracted his feet to guard the basket, because Parish had already left the basket with PJ Brown. Larry Johnson was much more afraid of his old rival Vaughn Fleming than Zhang Hao, the skinny rookie.
Kenny Anderson passed the ball immediately, and when Zhang Hao reached the free throw line on the right side of the three-second zone, it was empty!
After receiving the ball, Zhang Hao took a mid-range jump shot without hesitation...
Watching the ball go into the basket, Zhang Hao couldn't believe it. Was it so easy to run out of the open space?
He hadn't done anything yet. He just followed the tactics and cut in to find a chance to attack the basket or slip to the baseline when PJ Brown went to the top arc pick-and-roll. Then the shooting opportunity came...
When Zhang Hao ran back, he quickly analyzed the situation in his mind and discovered one thing... Before going on the court, Kenny Anderson said to him: "Don't worry, you will have many opportunities and adapt to the game well."
The Hornets' defense is actually not bad, not only not bad, it should be very good. Just now, when Vaughn Fleming cut in, there was no problem for Larry Johnson to fill in, but Edison should have been able to switch to him, but Edison still followed Vaughn Fleming to the inside, seemingly guarding against PJ Brown's cut-in after the pick-and-roll.
He was looked down upon by the other party... no, he was ignored!
In this situation, Zhang Hao really felt that... it was great!
The more the opponent underestimates him, the better. This way he will have time to develop and quickly integrate into the NBA style of play.
The offense and defense switched, and the Hornets attacked.
Michael Adams passed the ball to Dell Curry across half court.
Dell Curry made a fake move and dribbled the ball behind his back with great rhythm. He left Kenny Anderson behind in one step and broke through from the left side of the top arc!
Veteran Parish blocked PJ Brown who wanted to make up for the defense. Dell Curry was ready to accelerate into the paint and shoot, but when Dell Curry entered the free throw line, a tall guy suddenly appeared in front of him!
"Isn't this rookie at the bottom line?"
Dell Curry was not prepared for another defender to come in, and was blocked by Zhang Hao. He had no passing route, so he just went for it! He wanted to push the skinny rookie in front of him away, but when they confronted each other, he was the one who couldn't get past him and was forced to stop the ball!
In a flash, there was no time to think, as Kenny Anderson was catching up from behind, and Dell Curry forced a fade away shot... Zhang Hao suddenly jumped up and grabbed the ball!
Zhang Hao, who is very good in height, wingspan, jumping ability..., blocked a shot on Dell Curry!
The fans at the scene exclaimed! This mobility, this awareness, this block... It's so beautiful!
Originally, Nets fans were very unhappy that their team selected a high school student, and a Chinese high school student at that. In their opinion, they had wasted a year, not only did they lose Coleman last summer, but they also selected such a high school student.
With just this one move, Zhang Hao immediately attracted the attention of the fans at the scene.
After catching the ball, Zhang Hao held it to his chest in a low-key manner. He was not in a hurry, nor was he too excited. After all, the person who blocked the shot was a 193 cm guard with a wingspan of only 194 cm. Curry's wingspan seemed to be inherited from his ancestors...
This skinny guy is actually a super strong boy! Dell Curry is also a veteran. After being blocked, he was stunned for a moment and quickly retreated. Zhang Hao held the ball and carefully passed it to Kenny Anderson who came up to receive it, and then ran forward quickly.
Kenny Anderson advanced to the frontcourt and saw that Zhang Hao had already started to run actively.
The Hornets still didn't take Zhang Hao seriously. Zhang Hao followed the tactics and slipped to the baseline, then used a pick-and-roll to get to the free throw line, where he received the pass from Kenny Anderson who broke through the pick-and-roll, and made another mid-range shot!
What a chance!
For the next period of time, Zhang Hao did not make any achievements on the defensive end. After Dell Curry began to pay attention to Zhang Hao's backup defense, it was no longer enough for Zhang Hao to rely on awareness alone. He had talent and a good physique, but poor defensive basics and no experience.
Larry Johnson played against Zhang Hao twice in singles, and both times he relied on his strong body and superb singles skills to make Zhang Hao run around in circles. He was not interested in just bullying him with strength, but just played with him for fun. The attention that most of the Hornets players had for Zhang Hao soon dissipated.
So what if he can make a mid-range shot now and then? He's not a skinny high school rookie.
The defense was not good, but Zhang Hao did very well on the offensive end. He made good use of the opponent's defense and threw the ball as soon as he received it. The sufficient warm-up brought him a good feel!
After the first quarter, the Nets narrowed the score to 31 to 33 thanks to Zhang Hao's 8 points and 1 rebound and Kenny Anderson's 10 points and 5 assists in the quarter.
The Hornets really didn't take this game seriously. During the intermission, after the team's main players had played one quarter, the Hornets started to replace them with training camp players.
On the Nets side, Randy Whitman replaced Kenny Anderson with the core combination of Charles and Jason Williams, replaced the top scorer Gilliam, Edwards who can control and shoot, and Zhang Hao.
The team deployed the core pick-and-roll tactics of Charles and Jason Williams and created space around the shooter Zhang Hao. The first shooting point changed from Zhang Hao in the second half of the first quarter to Gilliam.
The Hornets also made a rotation, including Dell Curry, 26-year-old undrafted player Antoine Lyles from 1992, second-round pick Greg Sutton from 1991, veteran center Joe Wolfe from 1987, and this year's first-round pick George Zideko, who was the 22nd overall pick.
Playing point guard is not a position Dell Curry often plays.
Being moved to this position, the feeling of uneasiness that the new season brought to him became increasingly stronger.
The team lost to the Bulls in the first round last season because Tiny Bogues, an important substitute at the point guard position, was injured after playing one quarter in the third game of the series. Although they lost the home-court advantage in the first game, they won the second game away from home with a 106-89 victory over the Bulls led by Jordan and regained the home-court advantage. They also only lost to the Bulls by 8 points in the first game.
It can be said that it was Xiao Chong's injury in the third game that changed the pattern of the entire series.
The key is that Boges is basically out for the new season... It's not that the team really has no one left, it's just that he really doesn't play point guard very well.
Dell Curry has a lot of worries, and when he steps onto the court, he is ready to vent these negative emotions on his opponents.
After walking onto the court, Dell Curry happened to look up and saw Zhang Hao.
His teammates did not take this high school rookie from China seriously, but he was deeply impressed by Zhang Hao because he was blocked by Zhang Hao.
He scored 8 points with 4 of 7 shots, although he made 2 of 2 shots at the beginning and only 2 of 5 shots at the end.
However, as a top shooter, Dell Curry knew very well that it was because Zhang Hao shot too frequently. He made 2 of 5 shots, two of which he missed because he had just fought off Larry Johnson, a short power forward who was as strong as Charles Barkley. His shooting in the next round was obviously affected. But Zhang Hao quickly adjusted himself and made 2 of 3 shots in the last 1 minute and 27 seconds of the first quarter.
This requires very good shooting fundamentals!
It is difficult for non-professionals to truly understand how difficult it is to master the basic skills of shooting. Many people have a one-sided view of pure pitchers. Many people think that pure pitchers only practice shooting, and if they can't shoot accurately it means they haven't practiced hard enough. Only real professional pitchers know that once the shooting accuracy reaches a certain level, it is very difficult to improve it even a little bit.
Otherwise, there would be a lot of top pitchers in the NBA, but the reality is that there are only a few top pitchers.
And Zhang Hao is only 18 years old! He has such an excellent mid-range shot.
This made Dell Curry develop a strong interest in Zhang Hao. He no longer just casually paid homage to Zhang Hao when he saw him in the morning, but really regarded Zhang Hao as an opponent.
The second quarter began with the Nets attacking first.
After Charles advanced to the frontcourt, Zhang Hao began to move, and from his point of view, he led the opponent's defensive position to move, creating space for Charles, Jason Williams and Gilliam's singles.
However, he overestimated the defensive attitude of the Hornets' current players on the field, and he easily created an opening by running back!
As soon as Charles reached the three-point line, he saw Zhang Hao running back and there was a chance to create an open space... What should he do?
After hesitating for half a second, Charles made a decision and passed the ball quickly, and Zhang Hao received the ball just when he was in an open space.
It was a bit unexpected, but he had already got the feel for the shot. Zhang Hao made a mid-range shot before Joe Wolfe, who came up a beat late, could block it... It was easier than in the first quarter, and he made it again!
10 to 4, Zhang Hao is 6 points ahead of Dell Curry who had 4 points and 2 assists in the first quarter!
Attack and defense change, the Hornets attack, Dell Curry advances to the frontcourt, and none of his star teammates are on the court. Among these teammates, Zidek is a rookie, and the other three may not be able to stay. He can't care about these temporary teammates. He sees too many every year. Now he wants to compete with Zhang Hao and shoot a three-pointer after the pick-and-roll...
Charles didn't play particularly hard on defense, it was only a preseason game, which gave Dell Curry an easy opportunity to shoot with the pick-and-roll, and Dell Curry made a three-pointer!
7 points!
Dell Curry wants to score more points than Zhang Hao and let this high school rookie see the power of the veteran pitcher who has been in the NBA for many years.
When it was the Nets' turn to attack, Almon Gilliam wanted to show off his skills, but the Hornets players on the field wanted to show off their defense so much that they were not active in defending the rookie Zhang Hao because they were focusing on Gilliam, the frontcourt swingman who has the potential to be a first-class scorer.
Well! Whenever Almon Guillem went to position, he was sandwiched by two players. Today, he gave up the idea of ​​showing off. It was just a preseason game. For him, it was just a process of getting used to the rhythm of the game. He just needed to play the role of a stinger.
So, Zhang Hao got another chance to make a mid-range shot, but unfortunately, he missed it this time.
Moreover, looking back, Dell Curry passed the ball to Antoine Lyles, cut in and received the pass, quickly jumped up under the basket, Jason Williams failed to make up for the defense in time, and Dell Curry scored two points with a one-handed dunk!
This running and jumping ability makes Zhang Hao believe that Curry, who inherited Dell Curry's genes, will be able to jump very well in the future. However, they both have short arms, and their father Dell Curry has a very fast jumping speed, while Curry's jumping speed will cause the ball to hit the rim if he is a little anxious.
Dell Curry also scored 9 points!
Dell Curry's 5-2 run helped the Hornets to close the score to 38-33, widening the gap to 5 points!
The Hornets have hope of widening the gap in one fell swoop. The Hornets players on the court already know that Dell Curry wants to do it himself on the offensive end, but they also have to find opportunities to perform, and the defensive end is a good opportunity.
Zhang Hao was a little anxious as he was about to be caught up in the score. What should he do if he couldn't defend against Dell Curry?
But at this time, he saw the opportunity. When Jason Williams picked up the ball and passed it to Charles, the Hornets defended the whole court!
If you can't defend, then attack! Zhang Hao immediately chose to run fast, and with super fast speed, he left Wolf behind who wanted to follow him!
Gold Medal——Triggered by riding alone!
Zhang Hao's speed +5! The retreating Hornets guard Antoine Lyles was also surpassed by him!
Antoine Lyles, who was chasing after him, found that the distance between him and Zhang Hao was getting bigger and bigger! After the opponent passed him, he seemed to be running faster! In fact, Antoine Lyles had never seen a player with such a fast speed. He looked at the back of the rookie opposite him and felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.
I can't catch up at all!
When Zhang Hao surpassed all the opposing players and all the players on his court were closer to the opposing basket, he rode alone at full power! Speed ​​+10! At this moment, his speed was off the charts!
As soon as Charles received the serve, he was blocked by Dell Curry. He originally planned to protect the ball and advance the game, but suddenly he noticed that Zhang Hao had rushed to the opposite side near the three-point line. He made a prompt decision and made a long pass!
When Zhang Hao rushed into the three-point line, the ball fell just inside the free throw line. After catching the ball, Zhang Hao took a step inside the free throw line, switched the ball to his left hand in the air, and scored two points with a left-handed slam dunk!
The fans at the scene burst into loud cheers again!
Zhang Hao's fast break was amazing! Dell Curry just finished a dunk, about three seconds later? Zhang Hao finished a dunk on the other side of the half court!