Chapter 510: Chapter 154: Solid Horse Stance

points!

The reason Dick Motta had Kidd defend Zhang Hao’s off-the-ball is because their defensive continuity is poor. Their one-on-one defense is actually quite good, but their switching and help defense are terrible. Kidd’s defense is more well-rounded, while others, including Jim Jackson, have more single-dimensional defensive capabilities.

Tied at 21!

Scoring isn’t an issue; Zhang Hao knows his team needs to focus on defense.

When Kidd received the ball, he advanced at a slow pace. His rhythm control was excellent, opting for a fast break when possible, but never wildly passing when there wasn’t an opportunity. He steadily moved to the frontcourt, and in half-court scenarios, the pace dropped instantly.

But after Kidd advanced to the frontcourt, he looked bewildered...

Zhang Hao moved back to the free throw line!

With that defensive choice, his teammates felt that if they were Kidd, they’d want to attack Zhang Hao too.

Del Harris sat on the sidelines, not expecting Zhang Hao to defend like this...

Kidd’s pick-and-rolls are tough to defend; Zhang Hao couldn’t figure out how to limit Kidd’s pick-and-roll. In that case, just don’t let Kidd use the pick-and-rolls.

Such a large gap - shoot if you want.

No kidding, Kidd saw this massive opening and, besides feeling humiliated and angry at being underestimated, he felt more confused...

His shooting is poor, but his average is 17 points! Surely it shouldn’t be defended like this?

Hesitating a bit, seeing Zhang Hao’s indifferent face, Kidd couldn’t help but pull up for a three-pointer... clank!

Zhang Hao immediately ran toward the frontcourt, leaving it to Jason Williams at the back.

Jason Williams didn’t let Zhang Hao’s trust down, grabbing the defensive rebound, although Zhang Hao was tightly marked by Kidd.

Kidd struggled to find the right amount of force when defending a post-up, but excelled in transition defense, sticking close, and blocking passing lanes—showcasing first-class defensive skills. Zhang Hao’s fast break had little opportunity; even when forcing a sprint, he was tightly marked by Kidd.

Kidd’s defensive fundamentals are impressive!

However, Kidd could only halt Zhang Hao’s fast break, while George Lynch received a long pass from the Magician, speeding down for a flying slam dunk to score two points!

In transition, Kidd passed the ball to Lucious Harris and received it back, advancing to the frontcourt, feeling frustrated about his hesitation on that three-pointer, worrying it would miss, resulting in an unconfident and skewed shot. Next time he should decisively shoot if the opportunity arises... FUCK!

Kidd reached the frontcourt again, seeing Zhang Hao stationed at the free throw line again. As he stood outside the three-point line, he saw Zhang Hao rolling up his pants and taking a horse stance!

Having just thought he would be decisive, Kidd couldn’t be decisive at all. After cursing, Kidd shot again... but frustration, not decisiveness, drove him.

This time the direction was spot-on, but the power was excessive, and the ball hit the neck of the basket, rebounding toward the top of the arc.

Kidd leapt to try a self-pass and rebound, saw Zhang Hao’s move to block, his rebounding awareness was excellent, accurately predicting the rebound spot, but he wanted to circle around the block... Zhang Hao moved his feet in advance, firmly blocking Kidd!

"Rebound Protector (Bronze) activated, Zhang Hao’s box-out for this rebound will be perfectly executed..."

Zhang Hao predicted the rebound spot, moved to grab the ball when "Rebound Protector" triggered at one quarter probability. He followed the emergent thought, moving a step in the direction that wasn’t the rebound spot, perfectly blocking Kidd!

The ball flew out, Zhang Hao blocked Kidd, then moved forward and grabbed the defensive rebound!

Grabbing the rebound, Zhang Hao immediately turned for a fast break!

Turning around, he left the blocked Kidd behind, then Zhang Hao dashed out past the three-point line, triggering "Single Rider Full Power"!

Kidd reacted quickly, attempting to catch up, but found the distance to Zhang Hao increasing, unable to outrun Zhang Hao pushing forward with the ball!

Zhang Hao sprinted into the opponent’s free throw line, kept it simple, raised the ball and took two steps, finishing with a Statue of Liberty style one-handed slam!

to 21, the Lakers made an 8 to 2 run, overtaking by 4 points!

Really defended... Del Harris didn’t expect it, just tried letting Zhang Hao defend Kidd; Zhang Hao chose not to defend, and succeeded!

"Is this the ultimate level of defense, that not defending is the best defense?"

In fact, Kidd was just baffled for two possessions; in the next offensive play, he decisively broke through the right flank, directed Lauren Meyer to the right side of the three-second area to block Zhang Hao’s lateral movement, then penetrated inside and passed out to Jim Jackson at the free throw line.

However, Jim Jackson’s mid-range shot missed, and on the transition the Lakers’ Doug Christie decisively drove the ball inside, scoring and drawing a foul from Lucius Jones, achieving a 2+1; the Lakers scored consecutively on 5 possessions, establishing a 6-point lead with an additional free throw!

The Mavericks’ offense truly stalled for several possessions, and afterward, the Mavericks played quite well offensively.

Yet, the Lakers originally had the advantage in strength; although they couldn’t defend later, they steadily maintained that advantage in the remaining first-half duration.

Once Van Exel was on the court, he prioritized stability too... While Zhang Hao remained on the court, he diligently aimed to play calmly and sensibly; hearing Zhang Hao’s talk during the team meeting, Van Exel, with his straightforward nature, took it to heart.

Finally, nearing the end of the first half, the Lakers seized the opportunity, sinking three consecutive shots, sparking a 7 to 0 run, widening the gap to 12 points as the half concluded! 64 to 52 at halftime!

However, the most memorable image of the first half for everyone was Zhang Hao taking a horse stance, rolling up his pants...