The Nets attack and serve from the center line.
Zhang Hao's current physical condition is still good, but his teammates are not so good. After resting for a few months, although they have experienced more than a week of team training, they have reached this point in just the second preseason game. Moreover, their Nets team rotated 9 players tonight, and it was obvious that they were physically exhausted since the middle of the fourth quarter.
Only because Zhang Hao has been training non-stop throughout the summer and his physical strength is already very good, reaching the top physical strength level of 91, and he is really not very good on the defensive end and can do little with little consumption, can he still maintain a very good condition at this time.
This is not a big deal. Zhang Hao noticed that since the second half, the Hornets had even fewer rotation players, only 8!
Kenny Anderson came to the three-point line, took a deep breath, made a beautiful change of direction to get rid of Kendall Gill's defense, took a body advantage and broke through from the right side.
When Zhang Hao saw this scene, he confirmed what he was thinking. Kenny Anderson's breakthrough pace had obviously slowed down, but Kendall Gill's lateral movement pace had become even slower.
The Hornets were paying attention to the breakthrough of Kenny Anderson, a point guard who averaged 20+10 per game. He was not only a strong passer but also had superb scoring skills. They were also paying attention to Gilliam, who had the highest score for the Nets tonight, but they were also paying attention to Zhang Hao.
When Kenny Anderson broke through, Gilliam quickly went around the middle and cut in. Larry Johnson took a step to the arc of the reasonable collision zone in the middle to block Kenny Anderson from breaking into the basket or Gilliam. At this time, Zhang Hao took a step to the outside, and Glen Rice, who was chasing Gilliam, immediately ran to the left side of the three-second zone, and Burrell also moved quickly.
At this time, if Kenny Anderson did not shoot directly from outside the three-point line, and Gilliam chose to cut in, the Hornets would not be so afraid. When these two people broke into the inside, Larry Johnson could completely interfere. Kenny Anderson usually had open shots in the mid-range because his height made it easy for him to be interfered with in the mid-range.
Therefore, when these two people are in their current position, the Hornets are most afraid of the high school rookie on the opposite side!
But Zhang Hao's running outside to find an open shot was just a fake. He only took one step and deceived Burrell and Glen Rice who had a chance to defend him. Then Zhang Hao turned around abruptly. His top-notch flexibility allowed him to easily change direction and accelerate to cut in from mid-range on the left side of the three-second zone!
Kenny Anderson quickly threw the ball to the left side of the basket. He let out a sigh in frustration when he threw it. The force was a little too strong. If it was the third quarter, he would not sigh, but at this time he already felt that he was exhausted, and he was worried that Zhang Hao would not be able to catch it!
However, his worry was unnecessary. Larry Johnson under the basket turned around and tried to grab the ball with the same mentality. Larry Johnson also thought that Zhang Hao could not catch it, but as soon as Larry Johnson turned around and stepped forward, his eyes went dark...
"Bang"
A crisp dunk sound was heard, and Zhang Hao slammed the ball into the basket through Larry Johnson!
When the light came back, Larry Johnson cursed himself for being careless. Looking at Zhang Hao who was falling down, he would push this guy again if Zhang Hao dared to stare at him!
However, Zhang Hao, who adheres to the belief of "keeping a low profile", paid attention to this aspect this time. After the dunk, he immediately turned around and ran to the backcourt without looking back, as if nothing had happened.
This time, Larry Johnson didn't just want to push Zhang Hao, he wanted to fight!
Ignored! What does this mean? Is it saying that the dunk just now was like dunking air?
Too arrogant!
But Larry Johnson couldn't get angry at this time, because Zhang Hao really didn't do anything. His behavior after dunking Edison could be regarded as a provocation, but this time he didn't do anything. If he did anything, he would be in trouble!
So angry!
Larry Johnson followed Zhang Hao to the front court and quickly calmed down. Now was not the time to be angry. What was the point of being angry? What was the point of fighting?
To return the dunk by Zhang Hao... No, to return the two dunks tonight, we have to win this game! Losing two games in a row, and losing two games in a row because of a rookie on the opposite side, even if it is a preseason game, Larry Johnson can't stand it!
Larry Johnson continued to post up in the low post, while Zhang Hao followed Burrell. Burrell went to screen for Glen Rice, bringing Zhang Hao, a rookie with poor defense, to Glen Rice, a top off-ball shooter.
Although Vaughn Fleming followed Burrell, he was always ready to defend Glen Rice who might get rid of Zhang Hao at any time. But at this time, Vaughn Fleming saw Zhang Hao directly shrink to double-team Larry Johnson after encountering a pick-and-roll!
This defensive choice was awful! No one would have expected that someone would shrink when they were supposed to switch to defend Glen Rice, one of the best shooters in the league. However, because of Zhang Hao's choice, Larry Johnson, who was trying his best to avoid PJ Brown's long arms and was about to shoot, was startled and his forearm couldn't help shaking when he shot!
The sure-shot lob hit the right side of the basket and bounced out. Zhang Hao, who was rushing in, just took the opportunity to grab the defensive rebound!
This time when he was defending, Zhang Hao was completely rushing in blindly. He just judged from Larry Johnson's actions that Larry Johnson would definitely shoot the ball himself, but he didn't think about how to get the shot in, and he didn't have time to think about it. He was obviously a beat slow and failed to defend in time. Larry Johnson actually did a very good job. He noticed the position of everyone on the court and confirmed that no one could get to him before he decisively went to the shooting point and shot. He was purely scared by Zhang Hao's sudden rush in. If he hadn't taken that look at that time, he would not have missed the ball!
Zhang Hao grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Guillem, then immediately ran down the court!
Even Zhang Hao's speed has dropped a lot, and the reason is naturally fatigue. Although it was surprising that Larry Johnson did not score this seemingly sure goal, the Hornets retreated in time. When the physical strength is not good, the execution is often better. Of course, this refers to strong teams, they have strong execution at critical moments, and the Hornets happen to be a strong team.
But just when Burrell and Glen Rice were about to block Zhang Hao at the center line, just two or three body lengths away, Zhang Hao suddenly sped up, one beat faster than Kenny Anderson who was also close to the center line, and rushed across the center line first!
Because just one second ago, Zhang Hao surpassed Kenny Anderson, and the gold medal "Single Riding" was triggered!
At the same time Zhang Hao rushed across the center line, Kenny Anderson received the ball. Zhang Hao surpassed the two people who were blocking him and ran towards the opposite basket. Kendall Gill, who originally wanted to intercept Kenny Anderson, rushed towards Zhang Hao quickly, but was also thrown away by Zhang Hao. Moreover, after being thrown away, he found that Zhang Hao had become faster and he could not catch up at all!
"Solo Rider (Gold)" Full power! Temporary speed +10!
Zhang Hao, whose actual speed had dropped to the quasi-first-class level of about 84 or 85 due to physical reasons, instantly reached the top edge when he surpassed Kenny Anderson, and after surpassing Kendall Gill, he directly reached the super top edge!
When Zhang Hao rushed to the free throw line, Kenny Anderson, who was unguarded and undisturbed, passed the ball to the basket in time. Zhang Hao received the ball, took a step forward, and gently dunked the ball into the basket to get two points!
109 to 106, the Nets are leading by 3 points!
Zhang Hao’s counterattack always makes people feel incredible. Others certainly can’t guess the reason. There is only one understanding - this guy was very excited when he counterattacked, so he exploded.
This is very common in the sports world. A person always has exciting aspects, such as a future No. 24 player who does not want to be named. He always has extraordinary obsession and explosiveness in the field of leather and metal percussion instruments.
This was a very ordinary dunk, but in the eyes of the Nets players, it was indeed a perfect dunk, the most perfect dunk of the night!
If Zhang Hao had not unexpectedly rushed to the other side first, Kenny Anderson would have found it difficult to convert the pass from Guillem into points. Guillem, who scored 25 points and 8 rebounds tonight, no longer had the energy to participate in the fast break. He could only become a distraction point in a positional battle, and perhaps his distraction was not strong. He did not shoot, otherwise Glen Rice would not have directly double-teamed Zhang Hao before.
So...the bronze medal "Slam Dunk Master" was triggered for the second time tonight!
The previous alley-oop failed to trigger, but this time it did!
With 1 minute and 33 seconds left in the game, it was the Hornets' turn to attack. This time the Hornets played beautifully, with Glen Rice making a long two-point shot from the baseline, bringing the score to 108 to 109.
But Kenny Anderson immediately responded with a change of direction and a quick stop for two points. The competition between Zhang Hao and Larry Johnson just now actually gave the other scorer on both sides a chance to slow down.
111 to 108, the Nets continue to lead by 3 points!
It was basically the last attack for both teams. When it was the Hornets' turn to attack, they were very anxious to complete the attack. However, after Zhang Hao completed a fast break dunk, the morale of the Nets, which had been exhausted and could only fight hard, rose again. Everyone was trying their best to slow down the pace and look for confrontation.
Larry Johnson is worthy of being one of the best power forwards. At this time, he seized the opportunity, received the ball and made a fake pass to trick the shrinking Zhang Hao into rushing out, then he pushed away PJ Brown's long arms and made a layup to score two points!
110 to 111, the Hornets still have hope!
Not only was there hope, they also defended very well in the next Nets offense, especially Larry Johnson. The role of the star was undoubtedly demonstrated at this moment. When Zhang Hao had no chance to catch the ball and shoot, Kenny Anderson had just shot and was exhausted, and others were powerless, Gilliam's forced breakthrough became the last resort, but Larry Johnson blocked the opportunity in time. Gilliam was already at the end of his strength and had no extra energy. He chose to force a shot, and the ball hit the angle between the rim and the backboard and bounced out!
The Hornets' defense was successful this time!
The ball flew to Dell Curry, who was about to grab the rebound and call a timeout. At this moment, two thin arms appeared in Dell Curry's sight as he looked up and took the ball away!
This board is so strong, it's simply bullying! However, Dell Curry immediately realized that this was not the time to get angry, and turned around to steal the ball, but the opponent did not put the ball down. At this time, Dell Curry regretted it and should have turned around and fouled directly, but it was too late.
Zhang Hao used Dell Curry as a gun mount and shot a close-range jump shot...
At this distance, Dell Curry didn't even jump, he just stretched out his hand. It was too easy for Zhang Hao to shoot, and he made a hollow hit from close range!
With 9 seconds left, thanks to Zhang Hao's mid-range shot, the Nets' lead expanded to 3 points again! The Hornets called a timeout!
The fans at the scene couldn't control themselves anymore and reached climax!
“X…X…X…”
He scored 6 points in a row at the critical moment, and the last ball was made by himself after grabbing the offensive rebound. Zhang Hao's last attack made the fans at the scene change their sides!
The fans in Charlotte are quite fanatical fans - they are crazy about NCAA games. In their opinion, if Zhang Hao had not directly participated in the NBA draft but went to college, then the best college student in the United States after Tim Duncan would most likely be Zhang Hao!
Absolutely brilliant!
As for the Hornets…just move away. They can’t even beat a high school student!
Even though it was just a preseason game, that's what the fans at the scene thought!
If Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison hadn't surprised North Carolina fans with the talent they showed in the pre-season friendly match, they would probably have gone to greet the family of the North Carolina head coach.
But...are Carter and Jamison more talented than Zhang Hao?
The fans at the scene are really not sure right now.
There were Hornets fans at the scene, including some die-hard fans , but more people watched the Hornets game just to join in the fun, otherwise the Hornets' attendance would not have been among the bottom three in the league for seven consecutive years. In other words, since the Charlotte Hornets were established, they have never left the bottom three in attendance!
If Zhang Hao's offensive rebound made the Hornets players feel that the game was over and Zhang Hao's mid-range shot made the Hornets players feel desperate, then the fans' defection was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
There were 9 seconds left. Although the Hornets called a timeout, after the timeout, Glen Rice received the ball and made a three-pointer that went wide!
In this defensive wave, Randy Whitman replaced Jason Williams, PJ Brown, Almon Gilliam, Edwards and Charles, and they did a pretty good job defending!
Jason Williams rested for most of the quarter and was a fresh force. With his excellent rebounding ability, he protected the defensive rebound and held the ball until the final whistle.
The Hornets did not commit any tactical fouls. They gave up on this game!
They really gave up and wanted to escape from here.
It's just a preseason game, how could it get to this point?
At this time, they were all amazed at their seriousness. They realized then that they only had 8 players rotating on the court in the second half, but this made them want to escape even more.
They were really serious in the second half, but ended up losing to the Nets who didn't even have Coleman!
Moreover, the fans at the scene turned against the team! It was because of that person, the rookie on the other side who raised his personal score to 26 points, the highest in the game at the last moment!
The fans at the scene couldn't stop shouting "X". Zhang Hao only noticed this scene at this time, and he himself found it unbelievable.
The mentality of the young people of this generation could no longer be suppressed at this moment. Zhang Hao was not on the court for the last defense, but he immediately rushed onto the court at the end of the game and said to Larry Johnson: "It is a great pleasure to come to the NBA. Thank you for welcoming me with two losses."