Chapter 901 The Return of the Diligent Shark

Originally, Anfernee Hardaway’s trade value would definitely be high, certainly not lower than the Heat exchanging half their team for Moning.

However, last summer the Lakers signed O’Neal outright, and other teams saw the Magic wanting to capitalize through trades - no way! No one would offer a high price! They were just waiting for the chance to snatch the prize at no cost.

Moreover, Anfernee Hardaway’s absences this season were no less than O’Neal’s, cooling off the trade market...

Last time the Lakers played the Magic at home, both O’Neal and Anfernee Hardaway took the court. This time, both were sidelined...

The Lakers, powered by Zhang Hao’s 38 points and 6 rebounds, Barkley’s 21 points and 14 rebounds, Doug Christie’s 16 points and 3 assists, and Kenny Anderson’s 16 points and 8 assists... easily defeated the Magic 102-89, elevating their record to 49 wins and 13 losses!

After completing their back-to-back road games, the Lakers arrived in Dallas, rested for a day, and on the night of March 12 at 7:30, played their third match of the four-game road trip against the Mavericks.

After 2 hours and 33 minutes of gameplay, the Lakers were defeated 92-99 on the road by the Mavericks, missing the chance to become the league’s second team to achieve 50 wins this season, with their record now at 49 wins and 14 losses.

During this game, Zhang Hao scored 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks, but also made 5 turnovers; Barkley had 11 points and 12 rebounds; Kenny Anderson scored 22 points with 10 assists; and the bench players, Wilkins scored 11 points, James Robinson scored 10 points.

But other Lakers players scored poorly, the concentrated offensive style struggled when running up against Van Exel dropping 37 points with 9 assists.

Van Exel was on fire even when faced with Payton’s formidable defense.

Along with Finley’s 23 points, Van Exel contributed to a combined 60 points, both being perimeter players, leading the whole team to strike down the Lakers.

After facing the Mavericks, the Lakers flew to Denver for the final game of their four-game road trip against the Nuggets.

The Lakers didn’t have the leisure to lament losses after the Mavericks game. A loss is a loss, but the aftermath intensified as the news of their defeat circulated on TV and in newspapers, sparking widespread discourse.

Since O’Neal was injured, the Lakers have been struggling, achieving only six wins against four losses in the last ten games!

Without O’Neal, their invincible offense couldn’t be restored, often struggling to break 100 points. Their average score has plummeted below 110, now at 109.8 points per game, staying as the league’s highest, leading the Bulls by 3 points, but the Lakers’ polarizing nature meant that things were easy when they were winning, as their halfway performance with 48 wins and 10 losses and six straight wins after the All-Star Weekend made criticisms hard to find.

Now, the media finally has something to attack!

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"Lakers failing to gel?"

"Overrated offense, Lakers exposed"

"Without O’Neal, Lakers can only play offense?"

"Failed transition? Lakers’ defense reliant on O’Neal?"

"..."

"..."

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After a day of defensive training, Zhang Hao glanced at today’s news.

There was a variety of coverage, some claiming they could only play offense, others saying their offensive capabilities weren’t that great — all major media outlets had disparate viewpoints, but unanimously expressed doubt about the Lakers with their words.

Whether they truly doubted them didn’t matter much; such news was far hotter than praising and singing their praises.

Positive news pleases only their fans, their supporters enjoy reading it, but critical news heats up the competition among those who dislike or hate them — and even their fans will read it and counterattack online...

By the next morning, such discussions were still rampant; the Lakers line-up was simply attention-grabbing.

Moreover, after the All-Star Weekend, the other contending strong teams were performing impressively.

Since the All-Star Weekend, the Bulls have played 15 games, winning 14 and losing 1, pulling a streak of 10 consecutive wins, followed by a single loss, and then four more wins, with a current record of 54 wins and 11 losses, even considering another shot at a 70-win season with 17 games left to play.

The Utah Jazz currently hold a record of 49 wins and 15 losses, and the Heat are at 49 wins and 16 losses, closing in on the Lakers.

During breakfast, Zhang Hao kept reading these news stories; although most were sensationalized, there were still some experts who really understood the game or sincerely offered suggestions, providing useful insights amidst the noise.

The Magician also woke up early today to eat breakfast, picked up some food, and sat down next to Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao put down the newspaper and greeted, "Mr. Johnson, good morning."

"Good morning, Aix," responded the Magician, now accustomed to the ’Mr.’ address, briefly glancing at the newspaper before sitting down.

Sharing a meal with Zhang Hao felt dull, the young man wasn’t very talkative, so after a short silence, the Magician proactively initiated the conversation: "Aix, don’t worry too much about our current situation; actually, if we were aiming to fully focus on offense, we’d perform even better than before the All-Star Weekend. Charles is also more motivated now. Our current goal is preparation for the playoffs."

After saying this, the Magician looked at Zhang Hao’s eyes and discovered he was already watching, appearing to be waiting for him to continue.