Chapter 912 277: Gentleman Edition Pick and Roll

Zhang Hao's swift baseline mobility really surprised the Heat players. During the last encounter, Zhang Hao was formidable at defending the rim, but his close-range support was definitely not as strong as in this matchup. Fortunately, Voshon Leonard is a strong player and adapted quickly, passing to PJ Brown cutting in on the right side. Barkley moved back to guard Isaac Austin, who took the opportunity to score. PJ Brown received the ball and made a close-range shot!

Zhang Hao's "pick and roll" pass and dunk helped his teammates regain their confidence. After two successful plays, his teammates found this strategy reliable!

Although it was unexpected, when it comes to Zhang Hao, nothing is unexpected.

This is the influence Zhang Hao has built over a year with the Lakers!

The Heat attacked, and the Lakers were still defending hard, with a tight, packed defense. Tim Hardaway received a return pass and attempted a three-pointer from the outside, missing!

The Magician grabbed the rebound. Zhang Hao and Barkley prepared for a counterattack, but the opponents retreated quickly, so they continued with positional play. Wilkins and Zhang Hao set up a pick and roll.

With previous experience, Wilkins took the initiative to pass the ball to Zhang Hao during the pick and roll.

No significant difference was noted, but this was about pride! However, it indeed seemed unchanged—Wilkins passed the ball to Zhang Hao during the pick and roll process.

The Heat had made an adjustment. As soon as Zhang Hao received the ball, Dan Majerle and PJ Brown double-teamed him. Wilkins, who wanted to open up after the pick, cut in immediately when he saw this!

As Zhang Hao was being double-teamed, he immediately raised the ball, passing it to Wilkins who broke through to the inside. The Heat's tight defense was indeed effective, with Isaac Austin quickly positioning himself. Wilkins passed it to Barkley, yet PJ Brown immediately went to help after Zhang Hao's pass, executing a "switch defense", utilizing multiple people to move around and avoid early double-team penalties. Barkley had just received the ball when PJ Brown reached him.

Barkley received and fiercely drove, but PJ Brown, truly deserved his spot in the '91 Best Defensive Team lineup as a defensive genius, successfully disrupted Barkley's runner with his movement.

However, Zhang Hao followed up with a put-back dunk for two points!

Though the Lakers initially wanted to focus on defense, once the offense started, their actions spoke louder than their intentions…

Despite the collaboration not creating an open shot, the Heat's rapid rotational defense was surprisingly good. Zhang Hao first drew two defenders to the top arc, forcing continuous switches, and earned a second-chance opportunity!

14 to 12, the Lakers took a two-point lead!

Immediately after, Tim Hardaway scored a step-back long three-pointer over Wilkins, regaining the lead for the Heat and making it 15 to 14.

Coming back, Zhang Hao, in a pick and roll at the top arc, received a pass from Wilkins. With two defenders tightly guarding against the breakthrough, he directly spun for a three from just outside the top arc…

Missed!

But!

Isaac Austin went inside to block Wilkins' path for the rebound but failed to stop Barkley. Barkley aggressively grabbed the offensive rebound and made a put-back shot!

This play still demonstrated the impact of Zhang Hao's pick and roll play and aggressive threat! The Heat had to step out and defend, while among the Lakers, the most reliable inside shooters were Zhang Hao or, when Kenny Anderson was absent, Wilkins was the most reliable from outside.

The sudden change on the court left the fans stunned!

The score remains fiercely contended, and the situation is still tense. However, unlike earlier in the quarter when both sides struggled to score, now both are finding it hard to defend each other!