Chapter 1041
Suddenly I feel that letting him get some good data seems like a good choice!
After Kobe's dunk, the Suns called a timeout, and both teams' players walked off the court again.
At this point, their feelings were completely different.
They are worlds apart.
The Lakers secured a hard-fought victory in their first game, and the Staples Center fans cheered wildly, showing their support and congratulating their team on their opening win. The Lakers players were naturally quite relaxed, enjoying the joy of victory.
The Suns, on the other hand, seemed somewhat silent and upset. In a game, they hadn't lost by much; the 14-point deficit didn't seem insurmountable or impossible to overcome.
But the Suns players knew exactly what those 14 points meant.
It was a profound sense of powerlessness. They clearly felt that when the Lakers increased their intensity in the final moments of the game, they were almost powerless to fight back.
The feeling of being overwhelmed by an opponent's burst of energy can sometimes be more painful than losing a game by 20-30 points.
Losing by 30 points can be comforting to oneself as simply having a bad day, or that the opponent had an explosive game, and that's that.
But tonight's loss was particularly evident when the Lakers rallied and went all out in the final five minutes, leaving the Suns utterly helpless.
How should I put it?
They felt like they were a dish being cooked, put on the fire by the Lakers.
Simmer over low heat, then reduce the sauce over high heat at the end.
I feel terrible!
Their suffering wasn't just the team's suffering on the field, but also their personal suffering.
Although Nash delivered 16 assists against Lin Tian's defense, he was powerless in terms of individual offense. He could organize the offense but could not solve problems on his own. He had his highlights, but in a game, those moments were too few and not enough for him to help the team win.
Dragic's performance in the first half was perfect, but he was also completely outmaneuvered by Kobe's all-out defense.
With 18 points in the first half and 22 points in total, Dragic couldn't lie to himself that he had a bad shooting night in the second half. He knew very well that he was being shut down by Kobe.
Garnett felt the same way. Just as Lin Tian said, he wanted to put up some good numbers in the playoffs to work hard for his next contract, but what happened?
He didn't reach double digits in scoring or rebounding. He had 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal. The stats column was indeed full, but it was filled in too hastily.
It's really just filling it in.
With these 8+8 numbers, unless you find a powerful backer to put pressure on management, you're unlikely to get a big contract!
But given Garnett's age and status in the basketball world, is he really a good older brother?
Where is he supposed to look?
Why not look for Lin Tian?
All I can say is that after this game, half of the Suns were disappointed.
Including their head coach Mike D'Antoni, the old man knows very well that this series is basically his last series as the Suns coach.
His contract has expired, and given his status as a championship-winning coach and a key player in the team's success, he only has two options: either stay with a high-salary contract extension or leave immediately.
Given the Suns' owner's stingy personality and the team's current situation, a high-salary contract extension is almost impossible.
The best outcome for D'Antoni would be for both sides to exchange blessings, leave behind some sentimental sentiments of gratitude, remembrance, and unforgettable memories, and then part ways peacefully.
Making a scene? That wouldn't look good!
While D'Antoni has a championship to his name, he also needs some outstanding performances to earn his next contract.
53 wins plus being swept in the first round of the playoffs isn't enough to get him a big contract.
……
In short, although the Suns are currently free of internal strife and the relationships between players are quite good, they are definitely facing internal and external troubles and their players are restless and restless.
Given this mindset and atmosphere, it's highly likely they'll continue to be dominated by the Lakers.
The fate of the Suns this season is basically sealed, and even the fate of this group of players is already determined.
The rest is up to them to see how they leave, and how they choose a dignified way to leave.
Meanwhile, during a Lakers practice session before the start of the second game, Lin Tian suddenly pulled Jackson to a secluded spot to sit down.
“I think we should change our strategy for the game,” Lin Tian said seriously, looking at Jackson. “Although we won the first game, I feel there are still some shortcomings.”
“Shortcomings?” Jackson frowned. On the surface, it didn’t seem like anything, but he had already started a rapid brainstorming session. He needed to figure out where things had gone wrong.
Is it defense? offense? rotation? Or specific playing styles and strategies targeting certain star players? Or is it the method and extent of pressure exerted on the referees?
Jackson's mind raced; he felt like he'd never thought his brain had worked so fast in his entire life.
But he didn't have much time, so he had to think of something quickly.
To make matters worse, while he was thinking, he also had to make some appropriate reactions and expressions. He couldn't let Lin Tian know that he was deep in thought but had no answers at all.
Objectively speaking... the Lakers' performance in the last game was certainly not perfect, but it was by no means to the point that Jackson couldn't find any flaws even after racking his brains.
But the points he could think of had already been discussed in the post-match summary, and there was no need for Lin Tian to call him here to repeat them.
what exactly is it?
Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!
Jackson was so worried he wanted to pull his hair out.
As a head coach, if he couldn't think of it at all, and then his own players did, especially a former championship-winning coach like Little Fox, then Jackson would lose face!
So he's really anxious right now.
He had never felt this bad when he led his team to the Finals, the Conference Finals, and the decisive Game 7.
However, he couldn't drag it out for too long. He knew very well that he only had so much time, otherwise it would be too obvious.
Then, a few dozen seconds later, Jackson surrendered.
He couldn't think of anything the team was doing wrong, something so bad that Lin Tian needed to talk to him privately about it.
He couldn't believe it, but he didn't want to just admit defeat like that.
So embarrassing.
"You noticed it too?" Jackson could only probe with a question in return.
They hoped to trick Lin Tian into revealing the answer directly.
"What a load of rubbish! You have no idea what I'm talking about!" Lin Tiancai didn't give Jackson any face, spreading his hands to indicate that the old man shouldn't pretend, he saw right through him.
"Then tell me, what exactly happened?" Jackson didn't bother arguing with Lin Tian anymore. Anyway, it was just the two of them in private; it wouldn't get out...
"Garnett played terribly!" Lin Tian blurted out, throwing down a royal flush.
Even though Jackson had been a coach for nearly 30 years, spent half his life dealing with basketball, and had met all kinds of stars and celebrities, he had seen all sorts of birds and beasts, from the hippie era to the second decade of the 21st century.
Jackson considered himself well-informed, but Lin Tian's words still challenged his basketball values.
What the hell is this? The other side played terribly, so it's our problem.
Jackson fell silent, looking at Lin Tian and waiting for him to speak.
"Don't you think it would be great if Garnett put up some pretty impressive stats, showing that Kevin did his best and his teammates were like CBA players? By the way, CBA is our Chinese basketball league."
"Feels good? What's so great about it?"
"Are you stupid!" Lin Tian chuckled mischievously. "It's about the same thing as before. Garnett is going to get a new contract this year, and the Suns definitely won't keep him, right? So where will he go?"
Where to go? Jackson continued to ponder, hoping to catch up with Lin Tian's train of thought.
Then Lin Tian's next words broke his defenses again.
"That's not really important. He can go wherever he wants; it's none of our business."
Jackson could faintly hear his back teeth grinding together, almost breaking. But he still tried his best to remain rational and calm: "And then?"
"And then? If he burns his heart out and gives it his all in this series, putting on a spectacular performance with impressive stats and a huge impact on the court, but the team still loses, will he get a huge contract this summer? A contract that is at least completely disproportionate to his current level."
"We all know that Kevin is no longer a top-five or even top-ten power forward in the league, except for his fame, right?"
“Not bad.” Jackson nodded, but he still didn’t understand what Lin Tian was up to.
Doing a good deed? Helping Garnett get a huge contract? This bastard is such a kind person? Jackson would never believe it!
Jackson felt that Lin Tian, who plotted to prevent Garnett from getting a contract to retire before the series started, was more in line with Lin Tian's character.
"Don't you think it's fun to mess with a team like this? They went to great lengths, spent a lot of money, and took a gamble to finally sign this guy, hoping to help the team go further, the most crucial signing."
"He's an old good-for-nothing."
"This feeling, tell me, isn't it amazing!"
"Great!" At this point, how could Jackson not understand what Lin Tian meant?
Fantastic! Absolutely amazing!
They're all cunning old foxes, all schemers with no bottom line. Once they've talked it out, wouldn't they be a perfect match?
Jackson was even starting to regret it!
Why wasn't this tactic discovered before the first game started, and why was Durant forced to target Garnett instead?
A series only has 4-5 games, and if you play badly in one game, it can really lower your average stats!
That's not right!
regret!
Fortunately, there's still time; they can make up for it in the following games.
Of course, Lin Tian and Jackson didn't do this simply out of a morbid sense of humor.
A player like Garnett, at his age, must still have some ambitions; he wouldn't go to a bad team.
Moreover, a bad team wouldn't spend a lot of money to invite such a deity back; their temple is too small to afford it.
The team that will sign Garnett during the offseason will definitely be one of the stronger teams in the league!
They could even be contenders for the championship.
If this were one of the Lakers' top rivals, would they sell everything they own to acquire Garnett at the end of his career?
Wow, that's fantastic! Absolutely amazing!
Garnett has actually become a card for the Lakers, a card that can severely damage a competitor!
As for Garnett's potential comeback and impressive performance after joining a new team next season?
Without even thinking about it, it's impossible!
Garnett has been plagued by injuries in recent years, but this year he played 70 games, his second-highest number since joining the Suns. At the same time, he achieved these stats in a team like the Suns, which is all about offense and no defense.
As we all know, the statistics for run-and-gun teams need to be discounted.
If you can only get such passable stats on a run-and-gun team, then your stats will probably drop by 8% on a team that doesn't play run-and-gun and focuses on half-court offense.
I'm another year older now, so the data should be discounted again, right?
If you grit your teeth and work hard this year without any injuries or illnesses, it's reasonable for you to have some injuries or illnesses next year, right?
It makes perfect sense that his condition would decline due to injury, right?
Thinking about this, Jackson became increasingly excited.
It's incredibly exciting to be able to scam people, especially direct competitors!
Do it! We have to do it!
Jackson was a man of action; once he decided what to do, he immediately changed the counter-strategy at the next war council meeting.
Durant was assigned to guard Pierce because Pierce was playing well, so he was matched up against someone stronger. Barnes, although not tall enough, was tough enough to defend Garnett, a veteran whose career was declining.
What if Garnett can't even beat Barnes?
Well, that's because Garnett is such a useless piece of trash. He can't even get a bite of the meat when it's practically in his mouth. You can't blame us for not helping him, can you?
After all, the Lakers can't just completely ignore Garnett and let him dunk on empty baskets; that would be a bit too much.
After the tactical adjustment, Jackson felt like he could have two more sweet dreams and sleep an extra hour while he slept!
After the Lakers made tactical changes, their second game against the Suns officially began!
After the game started, many people immediately noticed that the Lakers had changed their defensive matchups. Everyone immediately guessed that it was because Pierce had played well in the previous game, scoring around 30 points, so the team made a change to target him in this game.
And then, the effect of this tactical change was actually quite good!
Durant actually managed to withstand Pierce's tough, relentless style of play, limiting Pierce, who had been on fire in the previous game, to just 6 of 19 shots and 18 points.
Although Garnett put up an impressive stat line of 19 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in this game, it was clear that his numbers were not enough to save the team or help the Suns win.
2: 0!
The Lakers won two straight games at home, easily defending their home court.
Then in Game 4 of the series, Jackson decided to go all out and changed the starting lineup, removing Barnes from the starting lineup and replacing him with a pure power forward, Turiaf, to match up against Garnett.
Unfortunately, Turiaf was also short and stocky, and he couldn't interfere with Garnett's shots and passes either.
This game was basically a repeat of the second game, except that the Lakers changed their starting lineup.
Pierce had a mediocre performance, scoring only 15 points again. Nash and Dragic also had some trouble. In the end, Garnett was the best performer on the team.
Tonight he continued his strong performance, scoring 22 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists, showing a resemblance to his peak form and power!
It can only be said that even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The aging Garnett can't deal with young and talented players like Durant, but he can still bully players like Barnes and Turiaf without any problem!
Unfortunately, despite Garnett's excellent performance, he couldn't save the team, and the Suns lost the game, giving the Lakers a match point.
With a 3-0 lead, the Lakers are just one step away from advancing!
Meanwhile, Garnett is basically just one step away from a big contract!
Based on his performance in these two playoff games, he is confident that he will definitely be able to get a contract starting at tens of millions this summer!
Garnett was absolutely thrilled!
In high spirits, he delivered a highly rousing speech before the start of Game 4 of the series!
"We haven't lost yet! We're still alive! The Phoenix fans are waiting for us, waiting for us to bring them a miracle, waiting for us to defeat our opponents, waiting for us to bring them victory!"
Even if it's just one game!
“Steve, can you face our security guard Carl, look him in the eye, and tell him you can’t win a single game? Paul, what about you? You’re pretty close with those guys in row 2 of section A, right? Can you look them in the eye and tell them we can’t win a single game?”
"Diego, and you too, as far as I know, you've gotten a lot of tickets for these two matches. You must have many old Slovenian friends coming to these matches. Are you going to let them leave disappointed and go back home?"
"No! I believe the answer from every one of you is no!"
"If that doesn't work, then let's show them our strength! Let them see our power!"
"I'll just say one thing: we can lose this series! We can be swept out of the game! This could be our last series of the season!"
"But not today! Not at home! We have to give our supporters an explanation, we have to let them go home with a victory!"
Even if it's just one game!
"Our season will not end tonight!"
"No! No! No!" The Phoenix locker room erupted! The players' morale soared once again, and they were filled with hope of defeating the Lakers.
If Lin Tian and Jackson had known that letting Garnett rack up stats would lead to this result...
Well... neither of them will have any special reaction.
It's just that one away game is a little harder to play; it's far from something you'll regret.
The Lakers' strength still far surpasses that of the Suns!
This won't change just because the Suns players are in high spirits; the gap between the two teams is obvious.
But one thing is foreseeable: this match will be quite exciting!
The Suns' determination was evident from the very first second of the game! (End of Chapter)