One Year Left to Play-Chapter 259 - 92: The Unsatisfied Youth

The morning after the game against the Heat, Zhang Hao studied while also catching up on news about Duncan. The hype was as intense as that around Oden in contemporary times!

But seeing Logo Man and the Cardinal praising Duncan together, Zhang Hao felt something was off.

The Cardinal seemed genuinely committed to drafting Duncan, and Zhang Hao recalled that the Cardinal even helped the Celtics devise a strategy to build around Duncan. However, they failed to secure the top draft pick, which went to the Spurs, who had five more wins, rendering all plans futile.

But Logo Man, wasn't he targeting O'Neal?

Signing O'Neal to trade for the top pick and select Duncan? This move...

But it just didn't seem right!

And Zhang Hao didn't recall anything like this happening in his memory.

At 10 a.m., Zhang Hao flew with the team to Atlanta, the city for their next away game.

By 5:08 p.m., Zhang Hao received a notification.

"In the Hoya Dog Team's game against the Ireland Warriors Team, signed player Wang Zhizhi played 21 minutes, scoring 11 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, making 1 assist, and blocking 1 shot, helping the Hoya Dog Team win the game.

Congratulations to the host for gaining a total of 4 days of lifespan.

Remaining lifespan: 429 days. Usable lifespan: 428 days."

"Nicely done!"

Zhang Hao was immediately overjoyed, not just for gaining 4 extra days of life, but also because Georgetown University had defeated their opponent.

University of Notre Dame, Zhang Hao recalled, was one of the universities he applied to. They passed the NCAA review last year to enter Division I and joined the Big East Conference. At that time, Zhang Hao cast a wide net, and teams that struggled to recruit top talent were also among his targets. However, it wasn't until after he finished the Adidas Training Camp Elite Competition that he got a response.

Although the past is fleeting, seeing the University of Notre Dame being beaten brought joy to Zhang Hao!

...

"Iverson is really strong; even zone defense can't stop his penetration. His mid-range shot is also very accurate, though I wonder if he matches your accuracy, big brother."

"Our coach has started getting me to trim down. Oh, and recently, someone insulted me, and I couldn't resist getting into a fight with him. I thought I'd be punished, but instead, our coach reported it to the school, and that guy got punished..."

"Iverson invited me to his apartment later. I know he just wants us to sneak in some drinks. Should I go?"

"On the 6th, when the Knicks play the Bullets, Ewing is coming, and he praised my shooting talent, saying I have a shot at the NBA..."

Listening to Wang Zhizhi, Zhang Hao couldn't help but say, "Before you get into the NBA, you should first work on your English skills."

A heartfelt jab!

That evening, after dining out with Kenny Anderson, Vaughn Fleming, and some others, Zhang Hao received a call from Wang Zhizhi. It seemed like he was calling from a public phone booth. From the start, Wang Zhizhi was talking about his team-related matters.

Perhaps due to communication difficulties, and not everything could be shared with the media, Zhang Hao, who had arrived in the American basketball scene earlier, became Wang Zhizhi's confidant.

Wang Zhizhi felt quite downcast, having hardly studied before, and now, at 18, he's suddenly tasked with learning English... It's a struggle for the neighboring dorm—no, the neighboring dorm also houses men... Poor old Wang!

However, after a few months, his English has improved; he's got the basketball terminology down and can handle basic conversations like shopping and asking for directions, but making small talk remains challenging.

The most awkward part is when a senior from the school team compliments him, and he has to have a translator standing by.

After chatting for a bit, Zhang Hao ended the call with Wang Zhizhi.

"Why has Da Zhi become somewhat childlike since he began studying? Though, it's not entirely unexpected. He's only 18, and when I encounter situations, I occasionally experience large emotional swings due to the memories of this era. Even though he was once a soldier, he's still just an 18-year-old young man."

After tidying up his belongings, Zhang Hao headed to the hotel's indoor basketball court for practice.

Atlanta is truly a great place. The living environment is nice, the city is built on the Appalachian Mountain, and it's one of the world's richest locales, ranking among the top five in the U.S. for the number of billionaires. The tourist accommodations are excellent, and the hotel where the Brooklyn Nets are staying has an indoor basketball court.

After warming up, Zhang Hao began training the turnaround fadeaway move.

This simple training involved a turnaround fadeaway shot away from the rim. During the game with the Heat, this move wasn't very familiar. While his motion during the run had reached passing standards, the stationary turnaround fadeaway shot still wasn't very familiar.

If it were more familiar, when playing against Kurt Thomas, he could easily execute it from further out. Pushing towards areas so near the basket isn't mainly for passing but rather to increase scoring opportunities closer to the net.

...

On November 11th, a day fitting for singles, the Brooklyn Nets, with their hot 3-1 start to the season, went on the road to challenge the Hawks.

In terms of strength, the Hawks should be similar to the Heat, according to the Nets' scouting report.

However, in practice, it was completely different.

The Heat employs a game strategy that wears out the opponent, disrupts their rhythm, and banks on patience. Such a strategy is tough to manage if unexpected situations arise, unless one's defense is strong enough to rarely let unforeseen events occur.

The Hawks, on the other hand, maintained a standard style, and their roster was superior.

During the 93-94 season, the Hawks traded "Human Highlight Film" Dominique Wilkins, bundled with two first-round picks, to the Clippers. In return, they got the top-tier power forward Danny Manning, who averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks at the time. From an emotional standpoint, this trade had Hawks fans criticizing it, but in terms of results, it was quite successful. During the second half of that season, the Hawks' record surged, tying their franchise best with 57 wins, and advanced to the second round for the first time in five years.