Chapter 1037
In this round of the game, we'll stick to Garnett like glue!
Riley's mind has already wandered far ahead; he's not even thinking about the second round of the playoffs anymore, nor does he care whether the team can ultimately defeat the Bobcats without Rose and Yao Ming to reach the conference finals.
Because Riley knew very well that even if the team made it to the second round, they were still far from the championship!
He's here with only one goal: the championship!
Of course, this is not Riley's way of expressing dissatisfaction with the team's performance.
On the contrary, the Heat played very well in this series; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to eliminate a top team like the Celtics and advance to the second round.
However, not all of them delivered top-notch performances.
After a disastrous performance in last year's playoffs, the team's star player, Beasley, continues to perform poorly in this year's playoffs.
He contributes 19.8 points per game in the regular season, still the team's leading scorer, but this number has declined significantly compared to his best years when he averaged 24-5 points per game. Moreover, as everyone knows, Beasley's decline in numbers is not due to injuries or form.
It's purely because his tactical role has been diminished. He no longer has unlimited shooting rights and has to serve the team's tactics. His offensive capabilities are somewhat limited. Beasley, who is good at almost nothing except one-on-one, has a significantly lower tactical role in the team compared to Cousins and Curry.
This becomes even more apparent in the playoffs.
In this series, Curry averaged 27 points per game, making him the team's number one contributor to the advancement. Although Cousins only averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game, he scored 20+15 in both the fourth and sixth games, and his importance to the team was also self-evident.
In addition, there are the team's role players, especially that rookie.
Riley's gaze then fell on Klay Thompson, a guy who seemed unremarkable except for his shooting touch. Before the season started, many people considered him the next Novak or Kapono, and Riley's eyes were full of admiration.
Riley likes this tough but taciturn guy, likes his chemistry with Curry and Cousins, and more importantly, this kid clearly loves life in Miami, loves the ubiquitous bikinis, nudist beaches and parties.
If I like it here, it means I can negotiate a lower price when we talk about contracts in the future.
If none of these three players are retained, who should the team move to strengthen their roster?
Hinrich? He's available, but his trade value is clearly insufficient.
So, the only player left who can be traded without affecting Riley's ideal lineup is just one person.
That is, in this round of games, the shooting percentage was only 35%, the average score was only 15 points, and although they won, they had no team spirit at all. Just because of his poor performance, he left the court early and had already entered the player tunnel.
So, who should we replace?
Player names flashed through Riley's mind, one by one being rejected and added to the list. He was now brainstorming all by himself.
Duncan, we should definitely give it a try! If possible, we should do everything we can to bring Duncan to our team!
Riley's comment to Duncan was partly a joke, but jokes can come true. If the Celtics are willing to make the offer, Riley is willing to try and get Duncan.
Let's see what the Celtics want.
But no matter how the Heat have set their sights on the offseason, preparing to strengthen their roster and officially contend for the championship, the playoffs must continue.
The first round of games in the Eastern Conference has ended. The second round will be Cavaliers vs. Pacers and Bobcats vs. Heat.
Hmm... the second round was still quite boring.
The Celtics' upset loss and the Bobcats' consecutive key player injuries have led many to believe that these two Eastern Conference matchups will be a one-sided affair and a clash of weak teams, respectively.
Even if they make it to the regional finals, the general consensus is that it will either be a battle of weaklings or a complete rout.
It's incredibly boring.
While there are still some unanswered questions on the Eastern front, people are definitely no longer interested.
Fortunately, there is still the West.
No matter how boring or how clearly the East is divided between the strong and the weak, the West will definitely be a fierce and brutal battle from the very first round!
The Lakers will face the Suns in the first round, a team with 53 wins and three All-Star players.
Teams of this caliber, like the Cavaliers who are also the top seed in their division, might not even be matched up to in the Eastern Conference Finals...
Although this situation arose because both teams suffered upsets and serious injuries, the competitiveness of the Eastern Conference is indeed incredibly low.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have to face the Suns and even stronger teams in every round.
"We need to tighten our defense on Garnett." Before the series began, during the team meeting's individual opinion session, Lin Tian stated without hesitation, "We must defend Garnett very closely!"
"You two have a grudge? Don't worry, I'll definitely get revenge for you!" Kobe chuckled and said, "I'll dunk on him a few more times!"
"What grudge could there be? And why would I be so bored as to blur the lines between public and private matters?" Lin Tian snorted. "It's because Garnett is bound to explode in this series!"
"Why?" Kobe looked at the statistics in his hand in confusion and said, "He was only the team's fourth-leading scorer in the regular season, averaging only 13 points and 9 rebounds per game."
Why should we specifically target him?
"Because he is Kevin Garnett!" Lin Tian stated with unwavering conviction.
Lin Tian's resolute demeanor made Durant worry. Could it be that our Lin has some inside information or something, which is why he's so sure Garnett will explode?
"Did you get their internal tactics or deployment plans?" Even Phil Jackson couldn't help but ask. He believed that Lin Tian had a purpose and wasn't the kind of person who just talked nonsense.
Logically speaking, the Suns' leading scorer is currently Goran Dragic, who is now playing as a dual point guard with Steve Nash. This is the first time he has averaged 20 points per game this season. The second leading scorer is Paul Pierce, a veteran who is getting a bit old but still has some skills and is averaging 17 points per game.
No matter how you look at it, we need to keep a close eye on those two first!
Why did Lin Tian think that he needed to defend against Garnett first?
As Jackson raised his question, everyone's eyes turned to Lin Tian, eager to hear his insights.
"Where would I find such a thing?" Lin Tian replied without hesitation. "If I could get such a thing so easily, who would want to play basketball with you guys?"
"Then why is that?" Even the usually composed Kobe Bryant was baffled and couldn't help but ask.
"Don't you guys look at the Suns' payroll?" Lin Tian pointed to the Suns' basic information sheet that every Lakers player had, which was filled with information about each Suns player.
It covers everything from height and weight, average stats, court preferences, shooting percentage and turnover rate in each area, to reactions to various situations.
Of course, this also includes each person's payslip, clearly showing how much they will receive this year, how much they will receive next year, and how many more years they can earn. However, normally, no player would pay attention to this.
What business is it of theirs how much money the players on the other team make?
After Lin Tian's reminder, everyone looked down at their own intelligence reports.
Garnett will earn $2200 million this year, which is among the highest salaries in the league today, but compared to his regular season performance, this income is obviously too high.
This is also the final year of the three-year, $66 million contract he signed with the Suns. In other words, this summer is Garnett's final year.
"Kevin Garnett, the most money-loving man in the league, without a doubt. All those things he talks about, like passion, victory, teamwork, and championships, are not as important as money. Throughout his career, he has never given up even a single cent for anything."
"Regardless of the team's roster or whether the team was striving for a championship, Garnett never missed out on a single penny. He always received the highest salary he could get or that the management was willing to give him."
"So that's why he was able to earn $04 million in 2800, second only to me. Why should he earn a few million less than me?" "That's getting off topic. That's not important. What's important is that Garnett will try to get as much money as possible, while the Suns' owner is a notorious miser. He won't offer a veteran a big, long contract."
"Garnett will almost certainly not be satisfied with the contract extension his boss offered him; otherwise, they would have already reached an agreement and completed the extension ahead of schedule."
"Therefore, Garnett will definitely do his best to perform in the playoffs and work hard for his next contract."
"He will play with 120% energy and skill. He will give everything, even if it means overworking himself. After all, this is likely Garnett's last big contract. He definitely wants to put up impressive numbers, even if he can't stay in Phoenix, he needs to prepare for a better future."
"We can't go wrong by sticking to him like this!"
Lin Tian's analysis is reasonable and quite logical, consistent with the character's personality.
The only problem is that when he says it, it's not sophisticated or impressive at all.
It's like when a magic trick is revealed, everyone immediately thinks that the trick is nothing special and not amazing at all.
Lin Tian was in the same boat at that moment.
But as unbelievable as it may not be, there is definitely a reason behind it.
When Jackson later laid out tactics and playing styles, he focused on Garnett's habits and playing style.
Focus on rebounding and positioning to prevent Garnett from driving in for the rebound, then capitalize on the rebound to launch a fast break.
This is because Garnett would definitely want to grab more offensive rebounds to pad his stats, but at his age, if he doesn't get back on defense to attack the rebounds, he definitely won't be able to get back and participate in the team's defense in time.
Pay close defense at the high post and don't give him a direct opportunity to receive the ball and shoot. This is Garnett's most reliable offensive weapon. His desire to shoot will increase, so the Lakers will not give him a chance to shoot, thus stagnating the Suns' offense.
The reason for cutting off his connection with his teammates and preventing him from easily passing the ball and making assists is the same as the previous one: to bring the Suns' offense to a standstill.
As for the defensive end, if you're facing Garnett after a pick-and-roll, then take more mid-range and long-range shots, because Garnett will definitely want to grab the rebound, and his desire to grab the rebound will increase significantly, which will greatly increase the Lakers' opportunities for mid-range and long-range shots.
After establishing these basic tactical principles, Jackson began to discuss further, more detailed tactical arrangements and playing styles.
The Lakers' tactics lesson lasted from morning until late at night. Apart from meals and rest, Jackson's mouth hardly stopped as he rapidly laid out tactics.
Although it's the top seed in the West versus the eighth seed, the Suns are a genuine 50+ win team. If they were in the East, they would be a top-tier team. If the Lakers aren't careful, they could really be upset!
We must be on high alert.
Soon, the well-prepared Lakers welcomed their first playoff opponent at home.
Although they are getting old, the Suns are still based on their championship roster from back then, and they still have considerable fighting power and plenty of experience!
The Suns today have no shortage of experience, star players, or buzz and popularity; what they lack is fighting spirit.
With the experience and foundation of the veteran players, they were able to achieve decent results in the regular season, enough to guarantee them a playoff spot even in the Western Conference.
But all they did was make it to the playoffs.
Even the most die-hard Suns fans don't think their team still has a chance to contend for the championship.
But how to put it? It's impossible for every one of the 30 teams in the league to be aiming for the championship. The Suns are currently in a delicate balance.
Their box office is good, this group of players has won a championship, and fans don't have high expectations for them; just making the playoffs is enough.
Therefore, the current Suns team, from top to bottom, inevitably suffers from a lack of desire, a lack of aggressiveness, and a lack of ambition.
They seemed more like a group of old friends getting together, happily playing sports and going to work.
Even so, no one would really underestimate this Suns team.
Everyone knows that if you underestimate him, he can really dry you out!
"Still not retiring? How old are you? Still so shameless." Before the game started, because of the Suns' current laid-back attitude, there wasn't much tension between the two sides. Lin Tian immediately started joking with Nash.
"If I remember correctly, you're a year older than me, right?" Nash said helplessly, "You retired and then came back, how dare you say that to me?"
“I’m in great form, I’m still the MVP, what about you?” Lin Tian said, “You can’t even make the All-Star team anymore, why don’t you hurry up and make way for the younger generation, or do you want to wait for them to have a rebellion and kick you out? That won’t look good.”
"I'm not that kind of person," Dragic said casually, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "I like playing the shooting guard position, and I like playing alongside Steve!"
"So that's why you can't make the All-Star team! Young man, you need to be ambitious and find the right goal, otherwise how will you improve?" Lin Tian patted Dragic on the shoulder with a look of disappointment, then turned around and saw Pierce, immediately going over to him.
"At such an old age, you still won't retire? You're too shameless! Be careful the young people don't stage a coup and kick you out. That wouldn't look good." Lin Tian asked the same question in the same way, but he even condensed it, turning two questions into one.
"I'm five years younger than you, you damn bastard! I won't retire even if you retire." Pierce was definitely more unruly than Nash, and he started swearing as soon as he opened his mouth.
"So you're such a shameless idiot who thinks with your knees, your skin is as thick as the skin on your feet, you're just going to stay put and refuse to leave, huh?" Lin Tian gave Pierce the middle finger and said, "Just wait to be swept aside!"
“You? Sweep me through?” Pierce scoffed. “Don’t even think about it.”
"First, we'll sweep you! After all these years, don't you even have basic team spirit? You deserve to only have one championship, and that was by riding on someone else's coattails."
"Second, where do you get the audacity to talk like that? I beat you to a pulp when you were with the Celtics, and I thrashed you all the way from the East to the West. And you're still spouting nonsense? Over the years, you can't even add up to four playoff wins against me."
"Still bragging to me? Where do you get the nerve?"
"Forget it, Paul, you're no match for him." Garnett, who was in the same year as Lin Tian but only a year older than Pierce, walked over with a hearty laugh and put his arm around Pierce's shoulder, saying, "When have we ever come out on top in a verbal battle with this bastard?"
"Have you finalized your new contract?" Lin Tian ignored Garnett's smug look and dropped the bombshell: "Let me warn you in advance, I've already seen through your idea of using us to raise your value and then get a big contract."
"We've decided to keep a close eye on you! Our goal is to get your annual salary to seven figures next year!"
"By the way, Paul, did you know this guy is planning to run away? He's going to abandon you guys! He's a complete scumbag, you better watch out, don't let him screw you over. He's definitely leaving this summer to switch teams. What can you do? Your boss is such a miser."
"By the way, you know Grandet, right? You went to university, you can't possibly not know him, can you? He's known as one of the four greatest misers in Europe, a character in a Balzac novel, famously stingy and miserly. I think you should..."
Lin Tian was only halfway through his sentence when the two people opposite him turned and left.
Clearly, this conversation was going nowhere, completely dead.
Lin Tian's mouth is always provocative, and when he shuts up, he's always sarcastic. Who can stand him?
Anyway, these Phoenix players really can't hold on.
Fortunately, Lin Tian didn't have much time for his verbal sparring, and everyone quickly separated to warm up. (End of Chapter)