Chapter 791 - 247: The Gentleman with the Wig’s Mad Night! (Part 3)

It’s difficult to break away from Rodman at close range within the three-point line, but over long distances, Zhang Hao finds it simple.

Sprinting to the top of the arc, Zhang Hao catches the ball and takes a trailing three-point shot...

After Barkley passes the ball, he continues to charge toward the basket, ready to grab the rebound... all in vain!

Zhang Hao scores again with a trailing three-pointer!

Zhang Hao hits six consecutive three-pointers! Plus a 2+1 with that turnaround fadeaway, he’s scored 21 points in a row! Finally, with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers regain the lead!

to 119, the Lakers have scored a blistering 41 points in the final quarter, surpassing the Bulls’ highest scoring quarter in this game.

The Bulls were fierce in the third quarter, but the Lakers were even fiercer in the fourth!

Transitioning into defense, the Bulls attack.

With the lead and less than two minutes remaining, the Lakers’ defense became much more aggressive.

Ron Harper and Pippen hesitate to shoot, when Jordan receives Harper’s pass, George Lynch guards against mid-range breakthroughs, Barkley stays close to block Rodman, Pippen, and Harper’s cuts, O’Neal protects the rim, and Doug Christie joins Zhang Hao in double-teaming Jordan at the arc!

Pippen and Ron Harper are unsure of their next move on the sides. Do they even need to move?

Open shooting opportunities are already available!

Facing the tight defense from Zhang Hao and Doug Christie, who double-teamed him immediately without waiting for him to prepare to shoot, even Jordan could only pass the ball. Pippen catches the ball on the right sideline for a three-point attempt...

Missed!

As the ball hit the rim, the Zen Master on the sidelines regretted it!

They should have used Steve Kerr. Originally, they thought Jordan’s one-on-one play was the strongest offensive weapon, and strengthening the defense was enough. But the defense wasn’t effective, and ever since that sophomore opened up with threes, they haven’t managed to stop him even once. Ron Harper was completely ineffective, and they lacked their best three-point shooter!

Barkley blocked Rodman’s attempt to grab the rebound, O’Neal secured the board, passed it to Zhang Hao, who retreated to receive the ball, and then O’Neal followed Barkley on the fast break!

Barkley, O’Neal, George Lynch...

In the final quarter, watching Zhang Hao shine was a treat. In the earlier slow-paced half-court battles, they had few opportunities to shine. Now, the Bulls are starting to miss consecutive shots, and even though Luke Longley retreats to defense at the first sign of a teammate’s shot, he’s too exhausted to rush back to the backcourt promptly. O’Neal and Barkley’s time has come!

Barkley receives a long pass from Zhang Hao in the frontcourt, advances to the right of the key area, blocked by Ron Harper and Jordan, and passes to O’Neal on the left side near the basket. O’Neal jumps from the left side of the three-second area, and Pippen tries to stop him with a foul. Even though O’Neal made two free throws earlier in the quarter, a foul is the only option.

But!

O’Neal wasn’t affected at all by Pippen’s foul when he jumped!

With Pippen hanging on him, O’Neal leaped high and pressed the flying ball down into the basket!

The basket counts, and there’s a free throw to add!

You have to admit, O’Neal’s free throws at this time can be quite reliable, and he makes the additional free throw too! 125 to 119, the Lakers go on a 6-0 run!

Before O’Neal hits the free throw, the Zen Master substitutes Steve Kerr in for Ron Harper.

With 1 minute and 18 seconds left and a 6-point gap, the Bulls aren’t giving up.

With a 6-point lead, the Lakers continue to triple-team Jordan and keep two players under the basket.

Jordan decisively passes to Steve Kerr, but Steve Kerr, having not played for half a quarter, lost his shooting touch!

Steve Kerr’s first three-point attempt misses!

Time for another counterattack! In these critical moments, the Lakers get consecutive opportunities for counterattacks!

This time, Rodman doesn’t try to restrict Zhang Hao’s speed; he just abandons the charge and quickly retreats on defense.

O’Neal, George Lynch, and Barkley sprint downcourt, while Zhang Hao accelerates in the middle, stopping abruptly outside the three-point line!

Jordan and Pippen once again rush out to double-team Zhang Hao at this spot, and once again, Zhang Hao lifts the ball...

Passes to O’Neal!

Rodman watches as the twin powerhouses charge toward him, seeing O’Neal receive the ball and drive to the basket...

When it comes to standing his ground against O’Neal, Rodman isn’t scared in the slightest, but when O’Neal charges at him, Rodman has no choice but to step up and foul!

But O’Neal stops! That huge body suddenly halts, and he lobs the ball...

In return, Barkley catches O’Neal’s lob for an alley-oop dunk!

With 46 seconds left, despite the Bulls’ best efforts to get back on defense, Barkley’s dunk extends the lead to 8 points, completely deflating the Bulls’ last push!

The ultimate frontcourt combination started with an advantage and finished with a 3-man fast-break to seal the victory!

With an 8-point difference and 46 seconds remaining, Jordan still refuses to give up. He receives the inbound pass, drives to the frontcourt, and draws a foul on Zhang Hao, making both free throws.

After Jordan makes both free throws, the Lakers inbound the ball, and Luke Longley fouls O’Neal immediately.

But with only 37 seconds left, although Jordan’s swift offensive maneuver only took 9 seconds from receiving the ball to causing the foul.

Nonetheless, the Zen Master didn’t call a timeout after Barkley’s alley-oop dunk, which signifies that even the coach has given up.

points, and they haven’t hit a three-pointer in a while. To tie, they need four scores...

Moreover, when O’Neal steps to the free-throw line, although he doesn’t make both, going 2-for-1 extends the lead back to needing four inside-the-arc baskets to catch up!

As Jordan’s forced three-point attempt missed, with only 24 seconds left, once the ball is inbounded, the Bulls no longer foul, and Zhang Hao brings it to the frontcourt without pushing the play.

At this point, the arena is very quiet, and everyone’s eyes are focused on Zhang Hao...

Scoring 21 consecutive points, with a single-quarter tally of 31 points, and 3 assists...

Initially, when the fourth quarter began, and the fans saw Zhang Hao running back to the locker room to don a wig between breaks, they laughed.

In this moment, Zhang Hao’s flowing hair, swaying as he dribbles, makes the Bulls fans feel as if he’s mocking them...

The final whistle blows, and the arena quietly empties...

Thanks to Zhang Hao’s explosive shooting spree in the final quarter, the Lakers pulled off a 47 to 30 quarter, returning the favor to the Bulls’ third-quarter 40 to 21, overcoming the league-leading Bulls with a 129 to 121 victory!

Moreover, it was a massive fourth-quarter comeback after trailing by 10 points!