"How long did he take? One month... This rookie has some skills, hmm! I just don’t like him! No matter how great he is, I am still his coach!"

The Heat had already collapsed, switching to their bench players, while the Lakers played with a lineup of Sedale-Srte, Anthony Peeler, Doug Christie, Donyell Marshall, and Fred Roberts till the end.

In the last few minutes, both sides scored very little, with the Lakers getting 4 points, and the Heat 6.

Ultimately, thanks to Zhang Hao’s performance with 12 out of 31 shots made, including 1 out of 5 three-pointers, and 8 out of 10 free throws, totaling 31 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, the Lakers defeated the Heat 70 to 61, securing an impressive 7-game winning streak!

...

...

After the game, Zhang Hao did not attend the press conference. Del Harris lost his cool at the press conference, completely lacking the composure he’d shown in years coaching in the NCAA and NBA, cursing the Heat and Kurt Thomas like a madwoman.

The scene of Del Harris throwing a fit became the hot news of the night.

This is Los Angeles, the Lakers won, and no matter how Del Harris threw a fit, the media indulged him.

But Pat Riley wasn’t so lucky. He was repeatedly questioned if he intentionally had players injure the Lakers’ super talent. He could only repeatedly emphasize, "No, I’m not, don’t say that..."

Not to mention, if he slipped up and admitted it, he’d risk being branded with revenge against his former employer, the Heat’s own owner probably wouldn’t stand for it.

The NBA makes money off of stars, even coaches like Chuck Daly of the Bad Boys never arranged for players to intentionally foul opponents, and they absolutely never admitted to it being their plan.

They might tacitly allow it, but once exposed for such arrangements, they would be blacklisted by all teams. Coaches can switch teams, so who knows if such a coach might end up injuring your stars while coaching another team.

At the post-game press conferences of the Lakers and Heat, besides the hot topics of Del Harris’ outburst and Pat Riley’s frenzied denials, another Q&A became a hot topic as well.

When Del Harris was asked about what kind of player Zhang Hao is, Del Harris, at a loss for an adjective, remembered Zhang Hao’s response during a timeout and replied, "Aix is a gentleman."

Reporters recalled Zhang Hao repeatedly transforming from a shooter into a charging soldier, launching one counterattack after another, unfazed even after being choked, only growing stronger. A player like this being called a gentleman?

...

"Special contracted player Zhang Hao has gained a new nickname, ’Iron-blooded Gentleman.’ Task: Baptized Rookie? Image creation completed, Zhang Hao has established an image of a gentleman style of play and an iron-blooded personality.

Congratulations to the host for earning a reward: Special Card - Renal Function Enhancement."

"Renal Function Enhancement (*) (Special Contract Player Zhang Hao exclusive): Upon use, Zhang Hao’s renal function will be enhanced."

"...Cough, cough, does it have to be this straightforward and crude? Can’t the description be a bit more professional and flashy... Cough, cough..."

Zhang Hao lay in bed, looked at the notification, fell silent for a moment, then coughed twice, and with a hoarse voice kept ridiculing, eventually coughing a few more times.

"Is this reward because the opponent is Moning? Use!"

"Host uses Special Card: Renal Function Enhancement, designated contract player Zhang Hao..."

"Special Card used: Renal Function Enhancement, Zhang Hao’s renal function has been greatly enhanced, explosive power increased from 84 to 85, and when in an extremely excited state, the explosive power and speed enhancement from adrenaline increase."

"So Renal Function Enhancement also has these effects!"

Originally, Zhang Hao was a bit speechless but also slightly thrilled with the reward, and immediately became more excited.

"In the future, encountering a team with superstars will require us to go all out... But it’s really tough to play! The Heat alone almost beat us, if not for Dirty Kurt’s self-sabotage, who knows if we could have ground out a win in the end..."

Reflecting on his 31 shots with only 12 made tonight, almost hitting a brick count worthy of the player meant to wear the Lakers number 8 jersey, Zhang Hao deeply felt the importance of a superstar capable of forming a team around them!

The Heat just had a group of role players, built a defense around Moning, and could still be so fierce.

Now, the NBA is gradually entering an iron-blooded era. With the Heat’s style and Moning’s defensive dominance, Zhang Hao knows the Heat is bound to attract the attention of many stars today!

"It’s a pity that the iron-blooded era will be ended by rules in the early new century..."

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Hao prepared to review this game thoroughly in learning mode, as there’s a lot to learn.

Turning on the TV, he saw Del Harris’ interview... Zhang Hao was speechless. Originally, he intended to attend the post-game press conference, as his neck had only a sprain, vocal cord strain, and muscle tissue bruising after being choked, nothing serious. But Del Harris insisted he get an X-ray, and as expected, there was no major issue, just talk less, ice regularly, and he’d gradually recover. He was even a bit regretful he couldn’t go to boast after the game.

He wasn’t sure when he started to enjoy that feeling. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

But now, seeing Del Harris’ post-game interview, Zhang Hao was glad he didn’t go...

At 11 o’clock, Zhang Hao opened learning mode and quickly fell asleep, by midnight, learning mode began...