As public opinion predicted at the end of March, the Suns have caused some trouble for the Lakers. Anthony Hardaway's 20 points and 3 assists in a single quarter are indeed amazing. If O'Neal hadn't had a big explosion that night, the Suns would have really probably won.

It is also possible that if O'Neal does not explode, it will not be able to stimulate Anfenny Hardaway's performance of 20 points and 3 assists in a single quarter.

The next eight opponents will be weaker in the momentum when they meet the Lakers. Even teams such as the Nets and Cavaliers that compete in the playoffs, and even the Spurs, which are rushing to fourth place in the West, have no room for counterattack when they meet the Lakers.

On April 7 and 8, the Lakers played back-to-back against the Nets and Cavaliers away, winning easily 107-96 and 105-93 respectively. O'Neal scored 32 points and 38 points respectively, which made Jordan beat up his equally weak opponent.

Zhang Hao and McGrady have one common feature in these two games, and they easily scored more than 5 assists.

However, Zhang Hao also relied on O'Neal and Jason Williams who followed the excitement to play against the Nets to get a defensive rebound, and scored a triple-double with 13 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists. He happily won the seventh triple-double for the season. Unfortunately, when playing against the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers also had great rebounds. O'Neal and Jason Williams didn't have time to help Zhang Hao get the position. Zhang Hao only got 8 rebounds, but only 8 assists, 22 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, which is OK.

When playing against the Spurs on April 10, O'Neal's high score finally couldn't hold back. As Jordan expected, O'Neal was not the kind of player who could score 30+ points in every game. It would be too tiring for a center, even a physically powerful maniac like O'Neal, because the center always has to face the opponent to fight the best player. O'Neal only scored 22 points tonight.

However, O'Neal's control over the past few games helped Zhang Hao get many opportunities. Zhang Hao and Fisher on the wing scored 37 points and 21 points respectively. Fisher's 21 points in a single game set a career high, with 20+ for the first time. The Lakers relied on O'Neal, Zhang Hao and Fisher to score 80 points together, defeating the Spurs 117-104, winning 9 consecutive victories, and continuing to set a new record. When the Bulls played 77 games in the 95-96 season and the 96-97 season, they had already lost 11 games!

Now the Lakers have the remaining five games, the opponents are the Mavericks at home, the Mavericks three consecutive away games, the Pistons, the Warriors, and the Jazz at home.

The Nets, Cavaliers and Spurs' three playoff-level opponents did not cause substantial trouble to the Lakers. The next four opponents do not seem to be in trouble because of slackness. These four opponents, except for the Pistons, are all bad teams. The Mavericks are currently 20 wins and 57 losses, the Warriors are currently 19 wins and 58 losses, and the two teams are ranked fifth to the bottom and sixth to the bottom respectively in the league. They all want to "go further". The Pistons are currently 35 wins and 42 losses, and have certain winning ability.

Therefore, the hope of the regular season "Beat-LA" really falls on the Utah double evil spirits!

...

On April 12, the Lakers played the Mavericks at home, slaughtering 115 to 91. On April 14, the Lakers started three consecutive away games, with the first match against the Mavericks, 125 to 88, slaughtering.

O'Neal played the Mavericks for only 18 minutes at home. He got 21 points during the second half and played against the Mavericks away. O'Neal went crazy and scored 35 points in three quarters. He clocked in and got off work.

No reason, even when O'Neal saw that he only scored 20 points, Jordan only played 22 minutes to rest for halftime, so he had to find something for Jordan.

At this time, O'Neal felt that Zhang Hao was very smart, and this was the way to consume Jordan!

It seems that it is doing something that harms others and does not benefit oneself, but who can explain this kind of thing clearly?

There is no suspense. After two matches between the Mavericks, the Lakers' record increased to 70 wins and 9 losses, tying the highest winning game in history and continuing to refresh the highest winning game in the same game!

This is not unexpected, and it is not even surprising. People's attention and public opinion have changed from "whether the Lakers can win 70 wins" to "whether the Lakers can lose in double games."

On April 16, the Lakers played the Pistons away, and thought it would be a little troublesome, after all, there was Grant Hill, but just before the Lakers went out, Grant Hill sprained ankle. Because there was no need to fight, he had already lost hope for the playoffs. The Pistons chose to let Grant Hill miss the last few games.

The Lakers did not play well in this game, and they only scored 95 points in a single game. Zhang Hao helped the Lakers score more than 90 points in the last quarter, but the Pistons were even worse, only 73 points. The Lakers massacred the Pistons 95-73, tying their own second-longest winning streak of the season, with 12 consecutive wins!

On April 18, the Lakers returned to the West and came to the Bay Area to challenge the Oakland Warriors.

Zhang Hao felt that Billups was destined to wander in his early career. When he was in the Warriors, Billups was still on the bench while playing. He was indeed not strong enough and was a pure core style of play. Judging from his playing style, he could not be able to cooperate with him even if he was a supportive core... This reminded Zhang Hao that Billups had the experience of partnering with Garnett in time and space. Kassel and Spreeville and Garnett were so old that they were still called a thigh, because during their partnership with Garnett, both of them played thighs.

Not to mention anything else, Garnett's increase in teammates' strength on the court is visible to the naked eye, and Billups can't play well.

It was useless to hold Billups in his early years. He needed to eat a hundred families and grow slowly, with a cycle of 5-7 years.

The Mavericks have been losing games, and the Warriors, the Grizzlies, which have a record of "beyond" the fourth-last in the league, can no longer be able to do it. The Grizzlies only won 17 and the Warriors have won 19, but they never want to be surpassed by the sixth-last Mavericks.

In this game against the Lakers, the head coach of the Warriors was strongly controlled by the throat coach Carlesimo, and the Warriors only scored 84 points in the game.

The Lakers only scored an average of 108 points in the season, and 24 points were still slaughtered by the Warriors.

Finally, Zhang Hao had a triple-double again, with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. His teammates felt that Zhang Hao was forced to open business... Indeed, except for playing against the Nets, Cavaliers, Spurs, and Pistons, Zhang Hao didn't care about other games, and spent all his time observing the opponents in the last game.

After a huge wave of 13 consecutive victories, the Lakers' record increased to 72 wins and 9 losses, which was a record that people could not be broken in their minds. It was just one game away from April 21, and the Lakers played against the Jazz at home!

...

...

"Shake, congratulations in advance on getting the MVP."

"Haha, Charles, what did Aix say? Thank you Geely for your congratulations!"

"I'll just say that Aix is ​​definitely not the kind of person who is obsessed with data and personal honors. If you play well, he will definitely help you."

"I hope he can get more triple-doubles. I help him get a position and grab the board, he doesn't want to brush rebounds. Although I think you're right, I always think he has a purpose..."

"Uh...you may be thinking too much."

Isn’t Barkley speechless and worried that you will get angry?

On April 19, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles. Today and tomorrow are off days. They played against the Jazz on the 21st. There were 5 games that day. Today and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, NBA teams will end the regular season one after another.

The Lakers did not arrange training today, Barkley had no rest days, and there were no classes in the school, so they came to play with old teammates. Of course, it was O'Neal, not Zhang Hao's stone Buddha who couldn't even show any of them after chatting for a long time.

If it were other times, Barkley would definitely not want O'Neal to win the MVP, but his opponent was Jordan, so Barkley would really hope that O'Neal could win the MVP.

Zhang Hao was discussing the next Jazz game with Kenny Anderson, Brian Shaw, and Rick Fox. If you have any questions, call the coaching staff to discuss it.

Jason Williams is studying the issue of opponent's shooting.

The pitchers practice wing three-pointers in the training hall...

O'Neal's preparations are to rest, pure rest, and don't do anything related to physical exhaustion, and the division of labor is clear.

Although the Lakers' record of 72 wins and 9 losses is extremely terrifying, it cannot affect other teams' competition for rankings and playoff spots.

Not all teams with 70 wins can win the championship, but the 72 wins team in front of them beat the 70 wins last season.

The first eight in the east and west have been confirmed until the last three game days of the regular season.

In the West, the Lakers with 72 wins and 9 losses, the Supersonics with 61 wins and 20 losses, the Jazz with 60 wins and 20 losses, the Suns with 52 wins and 29 losses, the Trail Blazers with 52 wins and 29 losses, the Spurs with 51 wins and 30 losses, the Timberwolves with 45 wins and 36 losses, and the Rockets with 41 wins and 40 losses ranked among the top eight in the West.

In the East, the Pacers with 62 wins and 19 losses, the Bulls with 60 wins and 21 losses, the Heat with 56 wins and 25 losses, the 76ers with 54 wins and 27 losses, the Hornets with 50 wins and 31 losses, the Knicks with 45 wins and 36 losses, the Hawks with 44 wins and 37 losses, and the Cavaliers with 44 wins and 37 losses, ranking among the top eight in the East.

Both the Nets, which have 42-39 losses and the Wizards, which have 40-41 losses, have lost their playoff opportunities.

Each team has not played 1-2 games left. The rankings of the top four in the East have been determined, and the fifth and eighth in the East have also been determined, but the sixth and seventh in the East have not yet been determined. If the Knicks lose in the last game against the Heat and the Hawks win all the next two games, then the Hawks will enter the playoffs as the sixth in the East and play the first round with the Heat.

Relatively speaking, teams in the second half of the Eastern Conference do not want to meet the 76ers team with Duncan who is the top five super newcomer king in the NBA.

But the Knicks have the advantage of winning or losing against the Hawks. If the Knicks and the Hawks win the remaining games, the Knicks will be the sixth in the East.

In the Western Conference, both the first and seventh and eighth places have been confirmed, but the second and third are not yet confirmed. The Supersonics overtook the Jazz in April. If the Supersonics lose in the last game, the Jazz wins in the last two games, and the Jazz will return to the second in the Western Conference. The two teams draw 2-2. If both teams win in the last game, it depends on the division record and division record ranking.

In the fourth to seventh in the Western Conference, the Suns have the greatest advantage, and the Spurs are at the worst situation. Basically, the Spurs can only expect the Suns and the Trail Blazers to lose all the remaining games, and the Spurs will win the Rockets in their last away game.

The Suns, Trail Blazers, and Spurs don’t want to be the seventh place; on the other hand, the Supersonics and Jazz want to be the second-place Timberwolves, and don’t want to play against a certain team in the Suns, Trail Blazers, and Spurs.

For the Supersonics and the Jazz, it’s not that they are afraid of these three teams, but why the Timberwolves, who can be weaker, fight against those three stronger opponents... In addition, whoever has the second place or the Jazz will have a home advantage in the second round. This is very important. The Supersonics are indeed strong this season. If there is no home advantage, the Jazz will be under great pressure.

...

Although the Lakers are far ahead of second place, expanding from eight wins at the end of March to at least 10 wins, it doesn't mean they can rest assured.

Zhang Hao, his teammates and coaching staff are all concerned about the final pattern of the West.

Although strength is the king, sometimes there is a way to restrain the situation, and weak teams may defeat the strong with weak... What Zhang Hao mainly expects is not that there is a lower defeat, but that teams with disadvantages should be able to cause more trouble for stronger teams.

While Zhang Hao and his team were preparing for their last match against the Jazz, the three game days at the end of the season kicked off at 3:30 p.m. on the 19th.

What all fans are most concerned about now is whether the Lakers can win 73 wins and create a dreamy regular season that is almost impossible to surpass.

But I also pay great attention to the ranking battle for the season results.

In the last one to two games, the final ranking will be decided. The strong team will definitely work hard and maybe you can see the explosive performance of the stars.

After 2 hours and 41 minutes of the game, the Jazz relied on Malone's performance of 51 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in a single game. Through overtime, they defeated the Pacers 109-106 away, improving their record to 61 wins and 20 losses, tying the Supersonics!

This time Ma Longxiong is on the rise!

On the second day, on April 20, the Supersonics suffered a 104-105 home game against Anthony Hardaway, taking a step back and shooting a final shot, with a record of 61 wins and 21 losses.

Before the game, the media had already checked the specific situation of the Supersonics and the Jazz. The two teams tied 2-2 in the regular season, but the Supersonics won 44 of the 52 games against the Western Conference opponents, leading the Jazz with 42 wins.

Therefore, if the Jazz loses in the last game, even if the record is 61 wins and 21 losses, the Supersonics can still rank second, and the Jazz can only rank third.

On the 20th, in addition to the Supersonics determining their record, there were also many teams determining their record.

In the curtain call game, the Suns, who defeated the Supersonics, had a final record of 53 wins and 29 losses, locked in fourth place in the West, and the Trail Blazers lost. The Spurs defeated the Rockets, with a record of 52 wins and 30 losses, and the record of the Trail Blazers was the same as the Trail Blazers, but the victory or defeat was the advantage. Except for the second and third in the West, other rankings have been determined, the Suns are fourth, the Spurs are fifth, the Trail Blazers are sixth, the Timberwolves are seventh, and the Rockets are eighth.

The Jazz won the last game against the Lakers, and the Timberwolves in the first round. In the first round, they lost, and the Trail Blazers, which were the top inside combination of Sabonis and Rashid Wallace...

Regarding ranking issues, everyone's attention is currently focused on the two powerful balloon teams, the Jazz and the Supersonics.

In the east, not many people care about the rankings in the lower half of the area.

In the evening, the season curtain call between the Heat and the Knicks began.

If the Knicks win this game, they will be ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, and if they lose, they will fall to seventh.

Pat Riley decisively chose to let Mooning and Marshburn in this game "ab due to injury" two players who had hidden injuries. The Heat lost to the Knicks away 79-94, sending the Knicks to secure the sixth in the Eastern Conference.

The purpose is very simple. Pat Riley wants to play against Ewing in the first round, but the Hawks' record is slightly worse than that of the Knicks, but the Hawks led by Mutombo is one of the representative teams of the Iron Blood Corps. Pat Riley doesn't want to fight head-on...

...

...

The last game day of the NBA 1997-1998 regular season season has arrived.

There are only 3 games today, the Bulls play the Wizards at home, the 76ers play the Hornets at home, and the Lakers play the Jazz at home.

Whoever loses and wins in the first two games will not affect the ranking. The record may affect the probability of home-court advantage in the finals, but the probability is not high. For example, the Bulls won in the last game, because they have an advantage in winning and losing against the Supersonics, when both teams reach the finals, the Bulls have a home-court advantage.

However, people are paying attention to these two games, only one topic, how miserable is the Wizards?

Since March, Jordan has been very irritable. Now in the last game, the winner will not affect the ranking. The Lakers' 72 wins broke the Bulls' record of 70 wins. Jordan has been venting in the past two games, with two consecutive games of 40+...

Before the Wizards changed their name, they were used as the target of venting, but after the name change, they still...
To be continued...