Chapter 79 starts with a historical record!
In the last 7 minutes or so, both teams were playing randomly. The Pistons were just shooting in the extravagant hope of "just in case of a comeback". On the Nets side, Zhang Hao, Jason Williams and Edwards were all exhausted and were replaced. Kenny Anderson and Almon Gilliam went up to play one-on-one, and defense... was no longer important.
There were no surprises. With the score difference of more than 10 points, Grant Hill collapsed after getting 39 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The Pistons had no one else who could lead the team to a comeback. They relied on an extremely versatile superstar as a foundation, and the Collins coaching staff had the opportunity to build a playoff-level team.
In the end, the Nets defeated the Pistons 119 to 101 on the road and won the opening game!
The fans at the scene had been booing Zhang Hao since the beginning of the fourth quarter, but now they have completely quieted down.
The final result turned out to be like this...
They saw hope during the preseason.
They started the game tonight with anticipation.
Halfway through the first quarter, they felt that hope had become a reality.
But in the end, this is the ending!
Everything is because of that rookie!
44 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks!
Just like when future company commander Corey Brewer scored 50+ against the No. 1 point guard and no one thought he was really capable of getting such a high score, everyone thought Zhang Hao's score was due to luck.
He was indeed lucky. He scored 19 points in the counterattack, 11 of which were in the last quarter. In the first three quarters, Zhang Hao only scored 8 points despite his fierce counterattack.
But why are they the Pistons the ones who are so unlucky?
Is it really because he has done too many evil things and now he is being punished?
Their two coaches, one was unwilling and the other was comforted.
As for the players, the old players are okay, they have seen a lot of big scenes. During their playing days, there was a guy named Michael Jordan.
But the two new stars were very emotional.
Alan Houston is sour, tall, fast...he is really amazing!
Grant Hill played very well individually, but the feeling of trying his best and not winning is too torturous!
Sometimes the simpler and more direct the method, the better the effect!
The key point is that others don’t know, but he, the team’s star player, knows that they originally wanted to choose Zhang Hao, and before choosing him they even asked him if he was willing to partner with a high school rookie.
He has always had a gentle personality, and when the team wanted to select him, he supported it.
But in fact, the team did not choose Zhang Hao, but chose Ratliff, a center with good defensive talent. He was secretly happy in his heart.
He was also really pleased with Ratliff’s rim protection ability.
But now, after just playing the first regular season game of the new season, he wanted to vomit blood.
Ratliff was good, very good.
But now Zhang Hao also has the rim protection that Ratliff has, but Zhang Hao's athletic ability, shooting , tactical awareness... Ratliff has none of them!
The high school student on the opposite side was supposed to be on their Pistons team!
On the Nets side, after the final whistle, they surrounded Zhang Hao again. Kenny Anderson was the most excited because Zhang Hao broke the single-game scoring record for the NBA Nets created by Derrick Coleman! This meant that the team had lost one more mark of Derrick Coleman engraved on it over the years!
Why is it said to be the Nets' single-game scoring record in the NBA?
Because the Nets had been in the ABA league for many years before joining the NBA, during the Nets' ABA league period, Julius Irving scored 50+ in a single game.
Since the NBA does not recognize other honors except All-Star during the ABA period, Zhang Hao has now become the single-game scoring leader in the Nets' history!
Zhang Hao was also very excited. After being substituted in the fourth quarter, he was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.
44 points!
63 days of life! Got it!
And when he heard Kenny Anderson say that he broke the team's scoring record, he was in a trance and kept grinning.
But the subtitle prompt after the final whistle left him confused!
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao has broken the highest score in NBA player's debut history. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the opportunity to start the center position technical learning mode once."
There were other hints, but Zhang Hao was too confused to read them.
Is this a record-breaking one?
44 points was a very high score, so high that Zhang Hao smiled foolishly.
But there is still a limit, and it is not particularly outrageous.
After all, there is a man who just returned to the game and has scored 40+ points in a single game more than 100 times, and it seems that he will add another 30 or 50 times.
He was happy because he knew that his real ability was not enough to get 40+, but it was a combination of various complex factors and luck that got him 40+.
Of course this is fun.
But breaking the record, especially breaking Chamberlain's record, is a completely different situation!
Not to mention that he didn't expect it, it seemed that no one else at the scene had thought of this.
But they knew it right away.
This game was broadcast live, and it was broadcast in multiple countries. In addition to China and the United States, two other countries in Europe broadcast the game in which Grant Hill participated. The best performing players tonight had post-game interviews. For some reasons, the media that the league arranged for the post-game interviews tonight was China's Chaoting Sports Channel.
Su Qun excitedly came to the visiting team's bench. As soon as Zhang Hao recovered, he was taken by the team's Butch Baird to accept a post-match interview.
Post-match interview...
Teammates were watching, and with the exception of Kenny Anderson, few had experience with postgame interviews, nor did veterans like Vaughn Fleming and Almon Gilliam.
If it was Coleman who was giving the post-match interview, his teammates would have left long ago. But it was different for Zhang Hao. As a rookie, although not everyone liked him particularly, he was not as disliked by his teammates as Coleman was.
The cameraman also deliberately put some Nets players in the camera. Su Qun asked: "Axel, you broke Chamberlain's debut scoring record!"
Zhang Hao felt that this was not an interview at all, and the interview was in English! A Chinese reporter was interviewing a Chinese player in English... He remembered that there seemed to be no information diversion technology these days. The live broadcasts of several TV stations were all using the same signal, and the post-match interviews must also be using the same signal.
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Hao was still complaining in his heart, because he had already known about it a few minutes ago and had already recovered from it, but his teammates were shocked!
Highest score for the debut!
Hearing the excitement in Su Qun's voice and the exclamations of his teammates, Zhang Hao took a deep breath and said, "I didn't expect to break the record..."
Before Zhang Hao finished speaking, Jason Williams, who was squeezed next to him, cursed: "F... How did this rookie do it?"
Zhang Hao turned his head and looked at Jason Williams. Seeing this guy, he was no longer nervous and said with a smile: "Just shoot and shoot like that, and you've got 44 points!
Anyway, some things are bound to be broken. It is better for me to break them than for others to break them."
Zhang Hao doesn't talk much usually. He used to talk a lot because he didn't really understand that in the industry of professional athletes, only those who have outstanding achievements can talk effectively . He wanted to rely on socializing to get to know more people and accumulate connections. Later he discovered that the key for a future socialite to have such good social relationships is not only to be a good person, but also to be a good basketball player.
So later on, Zhang Hao became less talkative, and his way of doing things that had returned to his memories of that era was restored. Of course, when it was time to speak, he was better and more willing to speak than before.
After joining the Nets, Zhang Hao was also very "low-key", at least in terms of speaking. His love of stabbing others was only known to the three people he communicated with the most, Kenny Anderson, Vaughn Fleming, and Jason Williams.
Modesty and hard work are the impressions Zhang Hao leaves on his teammates.
Therefore, Zhang Hao's answers in this interview made his teammates see a different side of him - in addition to his extraordinary passion for the game, he also has extremely strong self-confidence on the court!
…
After finishing the interview and returning to the locker room, Zhang Hao was urged by his teammates led by Jason Williams to treat them to a meal when they returned to Rutherford Town. Zhang Hao agreed, but he knew that Kenny Anderson would definitely pay for it in the end.
It’s not that he didn’t want to pay, but Vaughn Fleming had told him that Kenny Anderson would definitely act like the boss and he couldn’t argue with him about this.
If you don't fight, the relationship will become better, but if you compete to pay the bill, that may not necessarily be the case.
The logic is a bit strange, but Zhang Hao analyzed it and found that it is true.
Because when three or five people go out to eat, even though they all try to avoid paying the bill, Kenny Anderson always pays in the end.
It doesn't cost much anyway . Although Kenny Anderson had the bad luck to sign a 7-year rookie contract, his total 7-year contract amount is 23.69 million US dollars, which is much higher than Pippen's 7-year contract of 19.47 million US dollars.
Unlike Pippen's contract, which had a strange salary cut in the middle, Kenny Anderson's contract has been increasing all the time.
Although he often complains that he is still on a rookie contract, he is not short of money.
Due to some reasons, Zhang Hao now has no teammates to take a shower with him.
While some teammates went to take a shower, some stayed in the lounge to chat or rest while waiting to take a shower.
Zhang Hao wiped the sweat off his face and accepted the masseur's muscle relaxation treatment. He knew he would be the last one to take a shower.
At this time, a Pistons player came to the visiting team's locker room.
It's Grant Hill.
If other players from the Pistons came here, they would probably be kicked out.
But Grant Hill is different, his good character is recognized by everyone.
Grant Hill greeted everyone in the locker room very friendly and he knew everyone's name.
For some players, even those who have played for several years but have always been at the bottom, this feels flattering.
This is a superstar who is earning more than 5 million US dollars in salary in his second year and has a 5-year 34 million US dollar contract.
Grant Hill came to Zhang Hao, who had already stood up.
Grant Hill said to Zhang Hao: "Axel, you played very well. It's a pleasure to witness your first game. Welcome to the NBA."
Zhang Hao had a lot to say at this moment, but in the end he only said one word: "Thank you."
Grant Hill didn't stay too long. He was in the visiting team's locker room for only two minutes. He hugged Zhang Hao and then left.
As soon as Grant Hill left, his teammates started chattering again. The general content of their chat was something like how Grant Hill was a very nice person.
Indeed, compared to other superstars, Grant Hill is very special.
Graham came up and put his arm around Zhang Hao's shoulders and chattered, his tone full of envy.
But there is not much jealousy within the Nets. For example, someone who earns 5,000 yuan a month may envy the person who runs a small supermarket next door who makes 10,000 yuan a month, because he also has the opportunity to earn 10,000 yuan a month; but for those who earn hundreds of thousands a month, they are often envious and want to be one of them.
Until now, Zhang Hao was still a little dazed, thinking about tonight's game, thinking about what he experienced tonight, thinking about Grant Hill coming to say something to him - "Probably the most beautiful NBA welcome ceremony, right?"
…
…
The game was over, the interview was over, and Zhang Hao was massaging his muscles to relax while waiting to take a shower in the locker room. Tonight's game had already sparked public opinion!
In this nationwide live broadcast, Zhang Hao defeated Grant Hill!
Grant Hill was the third pick when he entered the NBA, a very high pick and high popularity, but he was definitely not as valued as the talented Glenn Robinson at first.
But he became the most watched rookie at the beginning of his rookie season, and then his popularity exploded, and he quickly became the All-Star voting leader. What did he rely on?
In the sixth game of his rookie season, he faced O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway and scored 21 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, leading the Pistons, who had lost five games in a row, to beat the Magic 114-102.
You know, the Magic were the favorites to win the championship from the beginning last season. This game made Grant Hill's popularity soar to the highest in the league, and he directly became the All-Star voting leader in his rookie season.
Although the attention Zhang Hao received was not as exaggerated as Grant Hill, it was also very eye-catching.
18 years old!
At least from this game, Zhang Hao can adapt to the confrontation in the NBA!
This is very important. Many rookies, even those who have just graduated from college, need to spend a year to adapt to the competition in the NBA, such as Kenny Anderson.
But Zhang Hao was able to adapt from the very beginning!
In the United States, for many reasons and based on facts, the mainstream media's evaluation is that Zhang Hao was lucky to get such a high score.
But because the opponent had Grant Hill, a new generation superstar who is very popular with the media, no media said that Zhang Hao's 44 points tonight were of low value.
Regardless of whether it was good luck or not, Zhang Hao scored 44 points in his first game, breaking the record for the highest score in an NBA player's debut that had been untouched for 36 years! Wilt Chamberlain's 43 points in his first game in his career is gone! This incident is sensational enough!
Back home, the Chaoting Sports Channel was actually under pressure to broadcast the NBA game live. If Zhang Hao didn't play well, they would definitely be laughed at.
Because their ratings are high! These days, the ratings for live TV shows are generally high.
Moreover, they started promoting this match long in advance.
After Zhang Hao scored 19 points in the first half, there were no problems.
When Zhang Hao scored 11 points in 4 minutes in the fourth quarter and broke the record, the domestic commentator noticed it very keenly and the domestic fans went crazy!
