adbindia Chapter 535 - 163: My Car Was a Gift from the Sponsor
Chapter 535 - 163: My Car Was a Gift from the Sponsor
The competition for the top spot in the Western conference has reached a fever pitch!
After overtaking the SuperSonics in January and sitting at the top of the Western conference for over a month, the Lakers were overtaken by the SuperSonics.
When the Lakers defeated the Warriors, their record improved to 48 wins and 13 losses. The SuperSonics, after resting for three days since their last encounter with the Lakers, also held a record of 48 wins and 13 losses. With both teams having the same record and the SuperSonics holding a 2-1 lead over the Lakers in head-to-head matchups, they temporarily took the top spot in the West.
In this rematch, if the SuperSonics win, they will gain a direct one-game lead over the Lakers and hold the advantage in regular-season matchups. If the teams end up with the same record, the SuperSonics will rank ahead of the Lakers.
In a situation where the top three teams in the West have such close records and excellent regular-season performances, the advantage in head-to-head matchups becomes crucial.
Moreover, this match is not just about the head-to-head advantage between the two teams. The Spurs, with David Robinson playing exceptionally after the All-Star weekend, are on an 8-game winning streak since February 25th. Their record surged to 47 wins and 14 losses, closely trailing. Since the All-Star weekend, the Spurs’ record is 12 wins and 1 loss, catching up remarkably.
This situation even made the usually composed Lakers fans nervous.
At 6:40 PM on March 14th, when the SuperSonics entered the Great Western Forum to face the Lakers, a rare, intense regular-season booing erupted from the crowd.
Among them, when Shawn Kemp and Payton entered the court, the booing reached a boiling point!
Four days ago, the Lakers lost to the SuperSonics by 7 points on the road.
After the game, Kemp, who performed well, arrogantly stated, "Comparing that rookie to me is an insult. He’s got a high score but is just a system player, a soft shooter. When facing strong teams, his performance is as weak as his style."
Zhang Hao responded in an interview, "He’s not wrong. I’ve been lucky to have top point guards feeding me the ball since entering the NBA; otherwise, I wouldn’t score as high. I think he’s envious of the great point guards around me."
Lakers fans now despise Kemp the most.
They see Zhang Hao as such a gentleman, so humble, so low-key...
Through their biased lens, Lakers fans view Kemp as an arrogant, brash bully, which aligns with Kemp’s general reputation, hence the overwhelming boos from Lakers fans.
Kemp’s comments didn’t affect Zhang Hao but instead antagonized players like Ewing, David Robinson, and Pippen—though that’s another story.
Meanwhile, Payton’s initial reaction to Zhang Hao’s comments, upon first seeing the news, was merely a dismissive smile. But now, things have changed!
The F50! That rookie is driving an F50!
He saw it when car shopping himself—one of only 349 globally. As an NBA star, the Seattle dealership was willing to sell it to him without a reservation.
But it was too expensive. Since last year’s release, the price skyrocketed, almost equaling his entire post-tax salary for the season. Even with the recently signed big contract and a next-season salary five times this season’s, it still felt too costly.
So, he settled for the Ferrari F355, launched the same time last year... only to see Zhang Hao driving the F50 in Los Angeles shortly after getting his car.
Thinking back to when he loudly boasted about his car as Zhang Hao passed by a few days ago...
Originally, Payton just wanted to bully the rookie, using a car the rookie wouldn’t dare buy to mentally undermine him... but now, Payton was genuinely targeting Zhang Hao!
...
Every time Zhang Hao steps onto the court, he brings tremendous enthusiasm.
Losing to an opponent, especially just four days prior, might usually saddle a team with some negative emotions.
During warm-ups, some Lakers players did show such emotions.
However, as they entered the court and felt Zhang Hao’s excitement for the game, their negative vibes considerably dissipated.
Instead, the focus resulting from the previous loss heightened at this moment.
Facing a strong team like the SuperSonics thrilled Zhang Hao, but his demeanor remained calm.
After Del Harris finished his pre-game address, he massaged his headache from sleep deprivation while observing Zhang Hao’s calm expression. Though not fond of this face that outshone his own younger good looks known to have charmed thousands of girls, the passion in Zhang Hao’s eyes reassured him.
The game was about to begin. As Zhang Hao dusted his hands with chalk at the scorer’s table, someone quite uncultivated knocked over the chalk box, spilling it all over the table and onto an official.
Amidst the scorer’s complaints, Zhang Hao did not offer help or even inquire about the situation, instead immediately turning... and lowering his gaze to watch the person who had been focused on Zhang Hao since arriving, leading to the accidental spill.
He had finally caught Zhang Hao’s attention after standing by Zhang Hao without response.