Chapter 493: Chapter 149: I Want to Escape...

Del Harris is furious!

Being bossed around by a rookie again!

But looking at Phil Jackson opposite him, who has entered his mysterious mode again, Del Harris is really displeased.

Let’s see what the rookie has to say!

Del Harris nodded towards Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao got the nod and told his teammates, "Here’s the plan..."

Upon hearing Zhang Hao’s idea, his teammates’ expressions turned strange.

"This might not be a good idea..." Olajuwon, who had been hammered by O’Neal at least seven or eight times, started flexing his joints.

"Isn’t this a bit shameless?" Malone was also eager to try, his elbows ready for action.

Looking at Olajuwon and Malone, who handled him like child’s play, David Robinson didn’t dare speak, but his eyes expressed his thoughts—just leave it to me! 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Barkley was much more straightforward, not as shy as those two, and directly said, "Rookie, good plan! Hit hard! If it doesn’t work, I’ll do it myself, been annoyed by him for a while."

Zhang Hao expected it would take some convincing to get this group of proud All-Stars to agree to such a strategy.

Who would’ve thought these All-Star teammates had brighter eyes, Barkley’s even glowing red.

Del Harris looked at Zhang Hao—is this a human-devised plan?

This has little to do with basketball itself, right! But if you must say, besides Olajuwon making O’Neal have an average of 5+ turnovers in last season’s finals with one-on-one defense, forcing O’Neal to pass during key moments, Zhang Hao’s idea is really a good way to deal with O’Neal within basketball rules.

At this moment, Del Harris also saw the "new record" created by Olajuwon on the big screen, All-Star Game foul record of 7 fouls...

"As long as there’s a chance, this damn kid seems like he won’t miss it... But this is too shameless!"

The longer he collaborates with Zhang Hao, the more Del Harris discovers things that weren’t apparent from Zhang Hao’s exterior.

...

After the timeout, the Eastern Team prepared to build a clear leading advantage, with Jordan, Reggie Miller, Pippen, Juwan Howard, and O’Neal in the lineup.

The Western Team sent Magician, Drexler, Zhang Hao, Barkley, and David Robinson onto the court.

O’Neal walked to the free throw line, Jordan saw the lineup across, and Zhang Hao was subbed in... Even if it’s not an issue, it still seems odd.

Zhang Hao’s defense might occasionally shine in such games, which is fine; at least Zhang Hao’s height helps with interference when switching defense post-mid-range, but David Robinson defending O’Neal... Along with Barkley won’t yield much effect, and Juwan Howard’s performance tonight has been superb...

"Does the West side not want to win? Can they outplay my team led by me and O’Neal in offense?"

Jordan felt his combination with O’Neal could defeat any pairing, even stronger than his combination with Pippen.

"O’Neal is so strong in regular time; I can kill the game at crucial moments. Our combination is so strong, there should be a nickname for the duo. Yes, I must announce this combo nickname after the game... Let’s call it... the OK Duo!"

While Jordan was caught up in the joy of impending victory, O’Neal, equally proud after dominating Olajuwon and David Robinson—the two major centers tonight, happily missed his free throws...

This center, ah, can’t be happy; once happy, can’t hit free throws.

Barkley secured the defensive rebound and immediately passed it to the Magician, Zhang Hao was the first to sprint down, and David Robinson also sprinted forward after Barkley grabbed the rebound and passed to the Magician as he quickly charged towards the frontcourt.

Drexler slowed down a bit while following behind, for better fast-break positioning and preparing for potential needs, possibly awaiting the Magician, holding the ball.

At the frontcourt, Pippen, Jordan, and Reggie Miller quickly retreated on defense, Zhang Hao’s speed was astonishing!

The Magician didn’t force a pass to Zhang Hao, who was blocked by Pippen and Jordan upfront, instead passed to David Robinson just passing midcourt, Robinson dribbled outside the three-point line, passed, Barkley rushing in got the ball, Pippen backed off from helping Jordan to block Zhang Hao and went in towards the basket along with Juwan Howard to double-team Barkley.

However, Barkley was already charging like a battering ram, received the ball, barreled through Pippen, ignored Juwan Howard, and fiercely jumped, with both hands smashing the ball into the basket!

to 124, the Western Team reduced the point difference to two.

For the aggressive offense from the Western Team, the Eastern Team wasn’t surprised, the Western Team’s lineup seemed tailored for scoring.

No problem, in terms of offense, the East side is even fiercer! Moreover, their approach is simpler, with iso plays and passing; the turnover rate must be lower than the West.

Jordan, full of strong confidence, received the ball thrown by Pippen and was just about to drive forward when the referee’s whistle blew!

"What’s going on?"

Though unclear on the happenings, Jordan felt deeply uneasy.

It definitely wasn’t a foul from their side; the Western Team had retreated after scoring, and their Eastern Team was running the clock, sending the ball out just within 5-second violation limits.

Even though offensively, their OK Duo-led team had a considerable advantage, they still opted for stability in each play, knowing the opponents’ strength in lineup and teamwork was equally strong, just the Zen Master temporarily discovered an exceptionally strong duo.