One Year Left to Play

Chapter 556 - 170: Death Five-Game Road Trip

"The nightmare of the top eight picks in the 95 draft... Am I really that scary? Ridiculous!"

Zhang Hao leaned in Aprile Clark’s arms, speaking angrily.

Aprile Clark smiled and fed Zhang Hao a grape.

Even Aprile Clark, who shared a pillow with him, felt that Zhang Hao was being too harsh in bullying those drafted higher than him from the same year’s pool.

Last night against the Grizzlies, Zhang Hao chased Bryant Reeves relentlessly; under circumstances where one-on-one wasn’t a sure win, he even called for others to gang up... whoops, double team defense. It wasn’t until the Grizzlies’ head coach subbed out Bryant Reeves, never to return, did he agree to take a rest.

Zhang Hao’s "malice" towards the top eight picks of his draft has become obvious, like Sima Zhao’s intentions. Moreover, the media and fans are speculating all possible reasons, and they all make sense.

Yet Zhang Hao feels aggrieved; he doesn’t think of himself as such a petty person; he believes he is innocent... it’s just a task, after all...

...

After breakfast and some sweet time together, Zhang Hao and Aprile Clark tearfully said goodbye at the airport, as Zhang Hao was off for another round of away games—five consecutive ones. And every one of these opponents is a team in contention for the Eastern Conference playoffs or even a playoff team.

The "Deadly Five Away Games!"

This is the name the media has given to this series of away games for the Lakers.

The opponents aren’t necessarily especially strong, but all these teams are desperately fighting for victory!

With fewer than 20 regular-season games left, those on the edge of playoff contention often erupt with extraordinary performances.

For instance, the Hornets managed to drag the game into overtime despite Jordan’s furious 47 points a few days ago. Then, relying on Larry Johnson’s clutch tip-in, they defeated the Bulls 107 to 106 in overtime, handing the Bulls their eighth loss of the season.

For this stretch, the Lakers’ opponents are the Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, and Magic.

The first four teams are competing fiercely for playoff spots or rankings, all capable of breakout performances. The Magic just lost to the Lakers and will surely fight back at home... Deservedly named "Deadly Five Away Games!"

The Lakers’ coaching staff is troubled over this consecutive away stretch, while the players have mentally braced themselves.

However, on March 24th, the Lakers suffered a crushing defeat in their first consecutive away game.

to 91, losing by 12 points away to the Cavaliers.

The Lakers only scored 79 points in total! And the Magician alone scored 26 points. Besides the Magician’s 9 for 16 shooting, 2 for 3 from the three-point line, and 6 for 6 from free throws, the only other player reaching a shooting accuracy of over 40% was George Lynch, who made all four attempts.

Zhang Hao went 4 for 14 and, with 10 of 12 free throws, scored 18 points; Van Exel, going 4 for 11, netted 13 points and dished out 5 assists; Doug Christie managed 3 for 9, scoring 10 points and 1 assist; and... nobody else scored in double figures.

During their fierce battle with the New York Knicks for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers erupted with tremendous strength!

As a result, the Lakers’ tragic record got them caught up with by the Spurs!

wins, 14 losses, maintaining their lead over the Spurs thanks to better head-to-head results, and holding a slight edge over the SuperSonics thanks to more wins against Western Conference teams, for the time being holding first place in the West.

On the 26th and 27th, the Lakers faced back-to-back showdowns with the South Coast rivals, the Hawks and Heat.

Against the Hawks, the Lakers played exceptionally well, determined and strong; Zhang Hao scored 31 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, made 5 assists, and blocked 5 shots, excelling in rim protection, transitions, and passing in half-court setups. However, as usual, he was one rebound short.

While marking Zhang Hao’s career 19th 30-plus points game, the Lakers smoothly triumphed over the Hawks 112 to 99, avoiding another loss.

However, on the 27th in the back-to-back games, though the Lakers performed admirably, they wrongly anticipated Pat Riley’s strategy.

This year, the Heat have developed a gritty style, impressing everyone as a team rooted in defense.

But during the second match of the back-to-back against the Lakers, the Heat surprised them by leveraging Moning and Tim Hardaway’s offensive edge.

to 105, the Heat defeated the Lakers at home, handing the Lakers their 15th loss of the season!

What stuck in fans’ minds was Zhang Hao’s relentless attack with 35 seconds left in the game, pushing further, even wrestling for an offensive rebound to draw a foul from Moning, sinking two free throws, but only narrowing the deficit from 13 to 11 points.

This scene was moving!

Little did they know; Zhang Hao was merely fulfilling his task to torment fellow top-8 draft picks to prevent failure, otherwise pursuing 13 points in 35 seconds? Madness indeed!

Yet, when the final whistle blew, Zhang Hao didn’t receive a task failure notification.

At this moment, he remembered there wasn’t a task reminder for targeting Bryant Reeves like there was before the Grizzlies game.

Taking a closer look, there wasn’t Kurt Thomas on the opposite side...

Reflecting again, tonight’s game was played entirely by Chris Gatling, disregarded as the best sixth-man candidate...

In that moment, Zhang Hao felt dreaming of a 35-second miracle in the last 35 seconds was indeed foolish.

Yet, due to this game, surprisingly, Zhang Hao’s positive image received a small boost.

After all, as a rookie, any strengths tend to be magnified...

...

...

wins, 15 losses!

With 13 games left, the Lakers got overtaken by the Spurs who had won 14 straight, dropping to second place in the West!