One Year Left to Play-Chapter 285 - 99: Only Hard Work Is Worthwhile

Duncan's popularity is overwhelming; it's only been a month into his junior season, and he's already on fire. Even Zhang Hao, who knows how strong Duncan is, finds it strange.

Regarding how their team suddenly became a negative example listed by sports media in New Jersey and surrounding states, Zhang Hao feels even more puzzled.

He just feels something is off, but he can't pinpoint what it is.

On the 29th, Zhang Hao and his teammates, under the guidance of the coaching staff, prepared for the Bulls.

No matter how the public opinion is, Zhang Hao and his teammates will definitely try their best to win every game. Even if they don't make it to the playoffs, having a decent record is beneficial for securing a contract.

Even if they become trade chips, going to a new team offers more opportunities than playing a year for a lousy team.

Overall, the main players of their Brooklyn Nets team each have their own characteristics: PJ Brown has great help defense and athletic ability.

Jason Williams has outstanding rebounding skills.

Kenny Anderson is at an All-Star level, and Chales excels in organizing offense and defense and executing pick-and-rolls.

Even Graham has the potential of drifting through the NBA for years, which isn't bad at all. Even if he picks up a minimum salary and drifts among NBA teams, he's still among the top basketball players in the world.

During today's training, Zhang Hao noticed the head coach frequently running to the owner's and general manager's offices. The owner came today, looking rather busy.

Zhang Hao feels these things are irrelevant.

"Maybe it's because the public opinion is unfavorable, and our market was already mediocre, so the owner is anxious..."

...

...

The Brooklyn Nets' first regular season game this new season with sold-out tickets!

Before, when they returned from the opening game on the road, even with the buzz from Zhang Hao breaking Chamberlain's debut scoring record, the home tickets weren't sold out, with over 200 tickets remaining.

This time, with the Bulls coming, the tickets sold out yesterday.

Moreover, the cheers for the visiting players entering were noticeably higher than those for the home Brooklyn Nets players!

The home court turned into an away game... This feeling really annoys Zhang Hao!

What annoys him even more is the possibility of their winning percentage dropping below 50% today.

Desperately wanting to win!

Zhang Hao's strong desire for victory easily spreads to his teammates, and once this emotion appears within them, it's quickly reinforced.

They really want to win!

Just thinking about beating a nearly invincible team with a 10-game winning streak makes them feel their blood boiling!

The pressure from the Bulls' powerful strength on the Brooklyn Nets players is greatly eased under this emotion.

But this opponent is indeed too strong!

In just four match weeks, the Bulls dispelled people's doubts with a mighty 10-game winning streak, defeating top teams like the SuperSonics, Spurs, Pacers, and New York Knicks cleanly.

In the past 10 games, the Bulls averaged 107 points, allowing 91.4 points, and had an average winning margin of over 15 points!

The Magic's record may not be inferior to the Bulls', and Anfernee Hardaway's solo performance shines incredibly bright.

However, from a team perspective, more people still think the Bulls might remain stronger, even if O'Neal returns; perhaps the Bulls would still be stronger.

The trio of Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman is unbelievably strong!

"Michael Jordan, 32 years old, height 198 cm, wingspan 212 cm, weight 100 kg, ability rating 105, offense 105, defense 95, passing 81, three-pointer 58 (85 at the top arc), mid-range 100, layup 99, speed 93, strength 94, jumping 95, stamina 96... averages 30 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 steals..."

"Scottie Pippen, 30 years old, height 203 cm, wingspan 218 cm, weight 98 kg, ability rating 92, offense 89, defense 97, passing 87, three-pointer 82, mid-range 86, layup 92, speed 91, strength 88, jumping 89... averages 19 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.6 steals..."

"Dennis Rodman, 35 years old, height 201 cm, wingspan 218 cm, weight 99 kg, ability rating 79, offense 45, defense 93, rebounding 105... averages 5.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks..."

Looking at the ability ratings of the opposing Three Giants in the player detection system, Zhang Hao's head feels like it's exploding; they're too dominant!

Not only are their ability ratings strong and stats excellent, but their actual impact in games is also powerful!

After playing more than ten games, Zhang Hao has come to understand some things.

For top players, perhaps a one or two-point difference in overall ability ratings won't make much of a difference in comprehensive capabilities; a player rated 95 might put up stats not worse than a 99-rated player. But there will always be slight differences here and there, which might not seem significant, but in-game impact and visual impression show the difference.

Just like Grant Hill right now, averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists doesn't seem any less than Jordan's 30+5+3, but the actual impact is significantly different.

This trio of the Bulls is super strong in both stats and impact, especially on defense, where the three form an explosive perimeter defensive combination!

However, at this point, Zhang Hao feels the strength of the other Bulls players isn't that strong...

Apart from the Bulls' three stars, in terms of point guards, their Brooklyn Nets are definitely stronger. At the center position, even if Mr. Zhang plays center, he wouldn't be worse than Luke Longley or Bill Wennington.