Zhang Hao learned this pass from Garnett during the Adidas Training Camp Elite Competition. Coincidentally, his position on the court was similar to the one when Garnett passed him an alley-oop, so he tried to blast the ball into the rim and succeeded!
Although it was not his shot, but the goal was related to him, so Zhang Hao still felt a little happy.
In the offense-defense transition, Zhang Hao retreated immediately after passing the ball, which embarrassed Guillem who rushed out with his arm raised for a high-five after receiving the ball... but he quickly retreated.
Gilliam firmly believes that as long as he is not embarrassed, he is not embarrassed.
He is very excited now. Although it was just one shot, he felt the benefit of having teammates with mid-range containment ability! In return , after Gilliam retreated to the backcourt, he patted Zhang Hao on the back and took the initiative to meet Larry Johnson who was running over.
Zhang Hao hesitated for a moment, and then Edison came running over, and he immediately followed Edison.
Facing Gilliam, Larry Johnson was obviously much more cautious. Gilliam was big enough, after all, he was an opponent who could play the center position in a short lineup. In terms of using his body, Gilliam had far more experience than Zhang Hao.
However, Larry Johnson still wanted to play one-on-one. He was already in high spirits. Facing Gilliam, his long-time rival, he asked Goldwire for the ball again.
Larry Johnson, who received the ball, began to use his skills and strength to single out Gilliam. He was patient and focused. Finally, he found an opportunity. Larry Johnson made a beautiful turn and while turning, he used the angle that the referee could not see directly with his eyes during the confrontation to push Gilliam with his arm, and got the chance to shoot!
Larry Johnson was pursuing a perfect shooting opportunity, so he was very focused, but he didn't notice an opponent who was sneaking towards the inside. When Larry Johnson got the perfect opportunity to make a direct small jump shot, a tall and thin man behind him jumped up quickly and slapped the ball he threw onto the basket!
Zhang Hao’s double-team block!
When Larry Johnson was playing one-on-one, Zhang Hao left Edison open and moved in, seizing the opportunity to block Larry Johnson's shot!
Guillem grabbed the rebound, Zhang Hao blocked the shot and then jumped out for a fast break!
When Zhang Hao surpassed his four teammates, the golden medal "Single Riding" was triggered!
Although the full power was not turned on, Edison and Dell Curry on the opposite side retreated to the defense immediately and retreated to the backcourt faster than Zhang Hao, but Zhang Hao's speed increased to 95 after the "Solo Riding" was triggered, which also surprised the opponent. When Guillem passed the ball to Charles and Charles accurately passed the ball to Zhang Hao, Zhang Hao had already entered the free throw line in the frontcourt!
At this time, Zhang Hao could no longer control his inner impulse. After receiving the ball, he took a step forward and took off towards the two people retreating to the basket!
Dell Curry quickly moved out of the way. He had felt Zhang Hao's strength in the previous game, which was much stronger than it looked. However, Edison, who was not much taller than Zhang Hao and weighed 201 cm and 98 kg, jumped towards Zhang Hao without fear.
Amid the exclamations of the fans at the scene, the two men confronted each other, and then Edison lost his balance and fell to the ground. After knocking Edison over, Zhang Hao slammed the ball into the basket!
After Zhang Hao smashed the ball into the basket, some fans at the scene couldn't help but exclaim again!
It was a clean and even more violent experience than expected!
In this ball, it looked like Zhang Hao was trying to avoid the opponent's dunk, but Edison rushed towards Zhang Hao and was knocked over as if he had hit a speeding locomotive!
The referee's whistle was a beat late, Zhang Hao's goal was valid, Edison blocked the foul, and Zhang Hao was given an extra penalty!
After Zhang Hao landed, he just looked at Edison lying on the ground, looking quite arrogant.
This made the fans at the scene start booing Zhang Hao after they realized what was happening.
Dell Curry, who helped Edison up, felt that Zhang Hao was too arrogant. It didn't matter if he dunked over him, but he was still pretending to be awesome after dunking over him. However, this was different from the Zhang Hao he knew before.
In fact, Zhang Hao was not really arrogant. He was just trying to keep a low profile and calm himself down to avoid causing displeasure to his opponents through his excited celebrations.
Look carefully, his eyes are empty...
After a few seconds, he adjusted himself and turned to the free throw line.
At this moment, Larry Johnson came over and pushed Zhang Hao. Seeing this, Dell Curry hurried over to stop Larry Johnson.
Zhang Hao was pushed and almost fell, so he was naturally angry and felt confused. He considered himself humble and low-key, and did not even celebrate after the dunk.
Edison was also helped up by Dell Curry and should not be injured. What is this old lady trying to do?
Before Zhang Hao could react, another muscular man rushed out. Jason Williams rushed up and pushed Larry Johnson. Zhang Hao quickly went up to stop Jason Williams. On the other side, Dell Curry also quickly grabbed Larry Johnson .
The situation suddenly became chaotic, but fortunately, except for Larry Johnson and Jason Williams, everyone else was relatively calm, including Edison who was dunked on and Zhang Hao who was pushed for unknown reasons . The two strongest men on the field on both sides were able to calm down despite being covered in blood.
The main reason is that there was no malicious intent in Zhang Hao's dunk just now, he was just a little arrogant after the dunk.
The referee finally squeezed into the crowd and blew the whistle continuously. Larry Johnson and Jason Williams both received a technical foul. Finally, the referee gave Zhang Hao a technical foul.
Zhang Hao widened his eyes and asked silently why?
The referee looked up and saw Zhang Hao put the whistle in his mouth...
"I was wrong..." Zhang Hao admitted his mistake decisively.
He had a good attitude in admitting his mistake. He did not fight back when he was pushed but calmly separated the two players. The referee did not give him a second technical foul.
Dell Curry, who was standing by, was speechless when he saw that Zhang Hao seemed to be unaware of his arrogance just now... Was he just too calm? Is this considered an excellent mentality?
The situation finally stabilized. The referee signaled that the technical fouls between Larry Johnson and Jason Williams were offset. The Hornets team had to shoot free throws for Zhang Hao's technical foul and went into a timeout first. After the conflict, the Hornets team that Edison, who had just committed the blocking foul, was on had already called a timeout.
"Axl, your dunk just now was so fucking cool. Why didn't I think of celebrating like you after the dunk? So arrogant, but so cool..." Jason Williams still couldn't calm down. He kept muttering to Zhang Hao excitedly while hooking his arm around his shoulder. At this moment, he even forgot that they were competitors.
This big black charcoal is quite loyal! Zhang Hao's impression of Jason Williams has improved a lot. However, when he heard what Jason Williams said, he realized that his behavior of standing still after dunking just now was really a bit arrogant... He needs to keep a low profile!
But what if I can’t keep a low profile?
Not only did he get a technical foul, he also dragged Jason Williams into trouble. Zhang Hao had no intention of fighting back after being pushed. If Larry Johnson was sent off for this, then the Nets' chances of winning would greatly increase.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hao suddenly felt something was wrong. How come he was the same as a tall guy in Minnesota who insisted on not playing center in his rookie season?
"No! You have to be low-key! Only by being vulgar can you develop well!"
Zhang Hao remained steadfast in his belief and said to Jason Williams after returning to the bench: "Thank you, Jason."
At this time, Jason Williams had gradually calmed down. After hearing what Zhang Hao said, he curled his lips and said, "I'm not helping you, just because you are my teammate."
He just can't stand seeing his teammates being bullied.
After this conflict, the morale of the Nets team was obviously boosted, and his dunk just now was very morale-boosting.
Moreover, he also triggered the bronze medal "Slam Dunk Master". In the next three rounds, their morale will reach its peak!
Randy Whitman didn't say anything about this conflict, and didn't even make a substitution. Instead, the opponent replaced Larry Johnson first to calm down.
The timeout was about to end. Before the players went on the court, Butch Baird came to Zhang Hao and said, "Axl, you have to be careful next time. The game will definitely become very tense. I believe your confrontation can adapt to the NBA. This is a good opportunity for you to learn how to play in a high-confrontation environment..."
As Butch Baird said, when Zhang Hao came on the court again, he clearly felt that the atmosphere on the opposite side had changed. The Hornets replaced Kendall Gill, Dell Curry, Scott Burrell, Darreon Hancock and George Zideko.
The inside line is weak, but the best players on the outside, except Glen Rice, are replaced.
Dell Curry executed the free throw for Zhang Hao's technical foul on behalf of the Hornets. The score was 15 to 18, and the Hornets were still 3 points behind the Nets.
Then Zhang Hao caused Edison to commit a foul and was awarded a free throw.
The fans at the scene booed when they saw Zhang Hao and Jason Williams continue to play.
This time Zhang Hao was a little nervous and missed the free throw! Czech center Zidek from the same class grabbed the defensive rebound.
Zhang Hao was a little annoyed, but he immediately retreated without standing there in an idiot manner.
Retreating to the backcourt, Zhang Hao saw Kendall Gill advancing towards him. Hancock, a 201-centimeter athletic swingman who could play positions 2-4, cut in from the weak side, and Zhang Hao immediately followed.
Hancock is not strong, but very comprehensive, he knows a little bit of everything. His shortcoming is that he suffers from many injuries, but when he is not injured, he is a very useful jack-of-all-trades player. Zhang Hao was restrained here, and the Hornets' outside trio's team play was launched.
The Hornets don't play the type of game where one person holds the ball while others receive and shoot. Except for singles, their style of play is for the ball to pass through the hands of multiple people, and the three outside players can all pass the ball. Burrell took advantage of Dell Curry's cut-in threat, received the ball and passed it back to Kendall Gill who was around the baseline, and Kendall Gill made a close-range jump shot!
Zhang Hao has some understanding of the playoffs between the Bulls and the Hornets last season. In his opinion, if Larry Johnson is in the interior to contain the cooperation of this trio, the Bulls will not be able to defend against it!
Zhang Hao felt pressure he had never felt before. After all, he was an NBA rookie who had only played one preseason game. The games in high school did not bring him such great pressure, nor did he feel such great pressure in the Adidas training camp.
However, under such great pressure, Zhang Hao was calmer because he really had nothing to be afraid of. Besides the pressure, he was more excited because he could finally compete with a serious playoff-level team!
Zhang Hao did not have the opportunity to start a fast break, so he quickly ran to the frontcourt and waited for Charles, who was setting the tempo, to come and organize the offense.
Charles did not change the rhythm just because Zhang Hao was on the court. If there was a fast break opportunity, of course he would pass the ball, but if there was no opportunity, he would not change the rhythm.
If the team wants a change of pace, then just put Kenny Anderson in, he knows what he is supposed to do on the court.
When Zhang Hao saw Charles approaching the three-point line, he immediately started running to the open area, taking the defensive players around to a position away from Charles and Jason Williams who were running the pick-and-roll.
When Zhang Hao judged that his teammates were about to start the attack, he took the initiative to speed up and attract the attention of the opponent. Vaughn Fleming got the opportunity to cut in from the baseline and shoot, and he flew up to shoot after receiving the pass from Charles...
In this ball, Vaughn Fleming played very aggressively. His experience as a veteran allowed him to keenly find the opportunity to cut in. Charles' pass was also very timely. Vaughn Fleming's flying shot fell into the basket and the Nets got two points!
20 to 17, amid the boos from the fans, the Nets still maintained their lead!
In the rest of the first quarter, the two teams fought back and forth. The Hornets were strong on the outside, but their inside was too weak, and both starters did not play.
The Nets did not have an advantage in strength, but they won in hard work. In addition, in the few rounds after the conflict, they relied on high morale and the opponent's poor inside defense to make several beautiful attacks and steadily withstood the Hornets' intention to make a breakthrough after the conflict.
During this period, Zhang Hao did not have many opportunities to perform. Once he received the ball and made a mid-range shot but missed it. However, he had a tip-in. The opponent defended him very strictly, or it was obvious that they were targeting him on the defensive end, but this instead gave the entire Nets team an opportunity.
After the first quarter, the Nets led the Hornets by two points, 28 to 26!
In the second quarter, Zhang Hao was substituted for rest.
4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block, playing for more than 6 minutes in the first quarter, which is a pretty good performance.
Charles continued to use the positional warfare lineup to fight against the opponent, and played very well, which was much better than expected because their confidence was already shown.
At this time, Larry Johnson was substituted in, but Gilliam did not lose the upper hand. He fought him on equal terms and demonstrated his excellent offensive skills.
Zhang Hao stared at the players on the field intently from the sidelines, observing how his teammates and opponents handled certain situations. Zhang Hao had only experienced this kind of close observation in the previous game, and it was a good way to learn.
In addition, he is trying hard to analyze the opponent's tactics from a player's perspective combined with the coaching staff's pre-match analysis.
Compared to the Nets' passionate and indomitable momentum, the Hornets played very depressed.
They sent out a combination of Michael Adams, Glen Rice, Burrell, Larry Johnson and Zideko. In terms of strength, they were definitely stronger than their opponents, including Charles, Jason , Gilliam, Edwards and Graham.
However, the Hornets did not take advantage!
The other side played like they were fighting for every ball, not treating it like an insignificant preseason game but as if it were a playoff game.
However, the Hornets players played harder and harder. The game reached such a pace that they didn't want to lose!
By the middle of the second quarter, the Nets finally made a large-scale rotation, with the combination of Kenny Anderson, Graham, Levis, Zhang Hao and PJ Brown coming on the court. This is their most athletic combination.
On the Hornets side, the combination of Kendall Gill, Glen Rice, Edison, Larry Johnson, and Matt Geiger came on the court.
Zhang Hao easily understood the opponent's intention of this rotation - they wanted to establish a leading advantage before the end of the first half!
Currently, the Nets lead the Hornets by 1 point, 43 to 42. Even though the Nets played so well, the Hornets still did not really fall behind. This is the strength of the Hornets, and they are also confident because of their strength.
After the timeout, the Hornets attacked first. Zhang Hao stayed in the backcourt, waiting for the opponent to start running to the frontcourt. He followed Larry Johnson's movements while thinking about the opponent's intentions based on the movements of the opponent's players.
Suddenly, Larry Johnson, who was originally just moving at a close distance, suddenly exerted force to cut towards the basket. Zhang Hao quickly pressed forward to confront him, but he only confronted Larry Johnson for a while, and immediately rushed to the other side of the three-second zone because he saw Edison cutting in!
Just as Zhang Hao analyzed, Larry Johnson's cut-in was just a threat, and the other side was the real end point, because PJ Brown had already expanded to defend Glen Rice! Sure enough, Zhang Hao had just pounced on the right side of the three-second zone, and Glen Rice, who had received the ball and attracted PJ Brown to defend, had already passed the ball to Edison.
Edison was ready to catch the ball and dunk easily, but he didn't expect Zhang Hao to block him.
The rushing Edison saw Zhang Hao. If it was usual, he would choose to fake a shot and then shoot or layup, but this time he didn't. He wanted to return the dunk that Zhang Hao had made in the previous quarter. The excited Edison jumped towards Zhang Hao and tried to dunk...
"Snapped"
Zhang Hao jumped up on the spot, and in the confrontation with Edison, he slapped the ball down that Edison was holding up!
Clean and tidy! Relying on the advantages of confrontation, height and wingspan, Zhang Hao completed a beautiful and clean block!