So, despite the Zen Master's arrangements being on point, the wear and tear were evident.
The Zen Master's worst fear came true in the final minutes of the first half. Jordan was fine, but Pippen's stamina was visibly declining!
On the other side, the opportunity arose for the young, fiery, and energetic Zhang Hao!
Zhang Hao, who had only scored 3 points in the past six minutes, scored on a close-range floater cutting in at 9:32 of the second quarter, hit a long two-pointer on a backdoor cut at 10:06, and scored a three-pointer after blocking Rodman and then getting the ball back at 11:33, racking up 7 points!
By halftime, with Zhang Hao scoring 7 consecutive points, plus a three-pointer from Van Exel, the Lakers went on a 10-5 run in just two and a half minutes, overtaking the Bulls to lead 73-71 at the break!
With 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in a single quarter, Zhang Hao's crucial shooting performance helped the Lakers turn the game around!
