Chapter 914 278: A Win Is a Win, Even by 1 Point!

Step outside the free-throw line, Zhang Hao performs a sudden stop, and with Moning closing in, executes a mid-range shot...

It's good!

It was a great opportunity to pass the ball down low, O'Neal had already cut in from the flank, but since O'Neal cut in and Moning came out, it was definitely a shot worth taking, and it went in; if not, O'Neal had a chance for a putback.

With Zhang Hao's mid-range shot, the Lakers moved the score to 23 to 21, leading the Heat by two!

As the Heat's final long-distance three-pointer missed, the Lakers entered the break leading by two points!

With 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks, Zhang Hao's first-quarter statistics were decent.

But he only scored 8 points from 8 attempts!

This efficiency is quite lackluster for a player expected to score for the team.

However, Zhang Hao still seized every opportunity to shoot.

The Heat even managed to defend Jordan to a 27-for-9 shooting; they rely on defense to win games, so Zhang Hao getting easy scoring chances is unrealistic, but he can't reduce his shot attempts because what if they go in?

What he needs to do is capitalize on those opportunities when they arise!

Sometimes the opportunity may not seem like the usual one, but against a team like the Heat, he needs to improve and score in unconventional ways!

...

Although the difference is only two points, the Heat are feeling overwhelmed.

The Lakers have deployed two lineups: one for offense and one for defense.

At the start of the second quarter, Zhang Hao, the Magician, and Barkley, joined by James Robinson, and Wilkins, took to the court.

The Lakers opened the quarter with a 10-7 run, this time Pat Riley didn't make adjustments, but the Lakers called a timeout to adjust instead, bringing in Brian Shaw, Doug Christie, George Lynch, O'Neal, alongside Zhang Hao, focusing on defense.

After a grueling defensive battle in the final two minutes of the first quarter, the Heat were just starting to adapt to the Lakers' non-intensive defense at the start of the second quarter, getting their offense flowing, when the Lakers switched back to defense again!

The score seems tight, but the rhythm has shifted away from the Heat!

The Lakers minimized offensive time, playing only 4 minutes of offense in the second quarter, spending the remaining 8 minutes intensely focusing on defense.

By halftime, the Lakers scored 43 points, while the Heat scored 39. Despite scoring only 10 points in the last 8 minutes of the second quarter and conceding 11 to the Heat, the few offensive minutes allowed them to end the second quarter at 20-18, securing a 4-point lead by halftime!

Offensively, it was primarily focused on Zhang Hao's pick-and-roll and receiving the ball for strong attacks.

The Heat's defense is very disciplined, drilled countless times, it's effective against ordinary teams by relying on defense alone, but they've studied tactics specifically for top teams in their eyes like the Lakers, Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Supersonic.

Although Zhang Hao suddenly executed pick-and-roll plays, receiving the ball to shoot, break, or pass, all while two defenders concentrated at the top arc, it was simple and straightforward, yet the Heat struggled to defend!

Especially when the Lakers substituted James Robinson and Wilkins after getting physical, ensuring their shooting touch from the perimeter...

Pat Riley may have ideas, but his team has fixed defensive routines, with lots of targeted practice and strong discipline… This is the Heat's biggest issue, struggling to adapt when faced with adversity!

Defensively, the Lakers kept it simple, relying on Zhang Hao and O'Neal for scoring, doing whatever was necessary, focusing on defense and star players.

Zhang Hao made directional changes during four breakthroughs in the second quarter, only scoring once, yet it wasn't hard to fake out the opponent's interior defense players… Unfortunately, Doug Christie and Brian Shaw performed poorly with catch-and-shoot tonight.

However, that's the Heat defense; the Lakers missed Kenny Anderson, even though they controlled the pace, they lacked the capability to overwhelm the opponent.

Returning from halftime, moving into the third quarter.

Heat's halftime adjustments were quite effective, as they opted to compete offensively with the Lakers at the start of the third quarter, doing so by exploiting O'Neal's absence, with Moning's inside post-ups and Marion's splits, initiating an 11-10 run at the start of the third, cutting the score to 50-53, reducing the gap by 1 point.

But as O'Neal settled into the second half, he was back in the groove!

In the latter half of the third quarter, O'Neal scored 9 points, assisted Zhang Hao's top arc three-pointer, with Doug Christie hitting a crucial third-quarter baseline mid-range shot and a cut-in layup, only these three scored, but combined for 15 points, from 4:33 to 11:40 in the third quarter, producing a 15-11 run, pushing the score to 68-61, leading by 7 points!

The last possession belonged to the Heat.

Tim Hardaway advanced with the ball.

After Zhang Hao retreated on defense, O'Neal initially planned on defending from mid-range to close proximity, sometimes things seem daunting at first, but as you play, it becomes routine.

But Zhang Hao waved him back to the top arc, O'Neal immediately returned to the familiar paint, George Lynch marked Isaac Austin, Doug Christie closely guarded Marion, and Fisher stuck to Voshon Leonard.