Chapter 515: Chapter 156: Frightening Progress
"Of course it’s the Rockets, the Rockets are the defending champions, they will complete the three-peat." Bill Walton is a fan of Olajuwon tonight.
"The Rockets’ record isn’t that great."
"Their record last year wasn’t as good as it is now. They only show their true strength during the playoffs, and this year their record should have been better. You see, Olajuwon missed 9 games, Drexler missed 26 games, their best substitute, one of the favorites for the Sixth Man of the Year this season, Sam Cassell has also missed 15 games so far, and two important substitutes at the shooting guard and small forward positions who average 10+ points per game, Mario Elie and Sam Mark, have missed 33 and 29 games respectively. Starting forward Robert Horry missed 5 games...
There is a reason for their poor record before the All-Star weekend. Look, they won 5 out of 6 games after the All-Star weekend break, and the one they lost was to the Bulls. Despite losing, Olajuwon shot 13 out of 19 for 35 points and 6 assists. Jordan only shot 7 out of 26. If Pippen hadn’t been lucky with his 3-pointers, shooting 6 out of 8, the Bulls would have lost to the Rockets..."
Listening to the once stuttering Bill Walton lay out such a long and well-reasoned argument, Hubie Brown was quite surprised. This guy really has a deep-seated grudge against the Lakers, against Zhang Hao!
However, the Rockets’ performance after the All-Star weekend did indeed make many believe that the Rockets led by Olajuwon would still be one of the strongest teams come the playoffs.
Though the Lakers have a better record, the Rockets have consistently ranked higher in championship probability, even higher than the SuperSonics during the championship probability predictions at the All-Star weekend.
As a commentator, Hubie Brown certainly wouldn’t let another commentator turn fans’ expectations of the game into a one-sided affair. A balanced anticipation makes the game more attractive.
After Bill Walton finished praising Olajuwon, Hubie Brown chimes in: "You make a very good point, but the Lakers are the most surprising team of this season. Look at their lineup; who would’ve thought they’d achieve a 42-10 record topping the Western Conference! I believe this is even more surprising than Jordan’s Bulls’ 46 wins and 7 losses. Aix is a magical player; he has brought a new change to the Lakers. I actually believe under Aix’s leadership, the Lakers are already better than the Rockets..."
Hubie Brown also has reasoned arguments. Jordan has had a more efficient season than his championship years in 90-91 and 91-92, with the best defensive efficiency of his career and offensive efficiency second only to the 89-90 season. Overall, he’s having the best performance of his career. Although surprising, it’s only shocking that at this age he seems to have just reached his peak. But it’s not unbelievable because he is Jordan.
Under Jordan’s performance, the Bulls achieved the best record in NBA history for the same number of games, which is quite reasonable.
Whether the game will be evenly matched is yet to be known, but the battle between the two commentators with opposing views has certainly balanced things out...
In the midst of their heated argument, at the game venue, the starters from both teams took the stage.
The Lakers sent out a lineup of Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, Zhang Hao, Magician, and Campbell.
The Rockets sent out Kenny Smith, Drexler, Robert Horry, Chucky Brown, and Olajuwon.
From the starting lineups, the Rockets indeed seem better than the Lakers. Drexler and Olajuwon are stronger than any of the Lakers’ starters, with the former’s ability rated at 90 and the latter at 96.
But in terms of team cooperation, the Rockets, missing last season’s main power forward Audie Soper after winning the championship, are not as good as the Lakers. Chucky Brown, a 201 cm tall, 71-rated low-profile power forward who averages 8 points and 5 rebounds, can secure the starting spot solely because he is the only player on the Rockets’ 15-man roster who hasn’t been injured this season.
In solo combat ability, the Rockets’ two stars are stronger, but team strength is where the Lakers excel.
Looking at it this way, if the two teams meet in the playoffs, it does indeed feel quite evenly matched.
Each has its own advantages, and to win the game, they need to capitalize on their strengths.
At 7 PM, the game began.
Olajuwon defeated Zhang Hao in the jump ball, and Zhang Hao retreated quickly and defensively with regret, shattering the idea of boosting morale right from the start.
Olajuwon, a seasoned veteran, of course, knows what Zhang Hao wants to do. Although he doesn’t understand why Zhang Hao’s dunk makes the Lakers so excited, he put all his effort into the jump ball today to prevent such a situation from occurring.
The Rockets attacked first.
Once Olajuwon reached the front court, he was somewhat surprised to see the Lakers’ defensive setup.
Compared to the last matchup, the Lakers’ starting lineup’s defensive positioning has greatly improved... that rookie!
It’s mainly Zhang Hao’s defensive positioning that’s improved. During the Magician’s peak, his defense was decent. He defended well from small forward to center, but at this age, even pure power forward roles are problematic for blue-collar tasks. While single coverage is fine, help defense and rotations are quite challenging. However, during the last matchup, the Magician had to do those tasks because Zhang Hao was worse...
But this time, Zhang Hao’s positioning and movement can’t be said to be great, but compared to the last matchup, he clearly resembles a qualified forward defensive player.
