In Minnesota, at the Lakers’ team hotel.
Inside a suite, Phil Jackson was organizing materials for the night’s game.
"Phil, it’s time for us to go."
Lambis said as he pushed the door open and came in.
Jackson nodded. While stuffing tactical diagrams and statistical data into his bag, he asked, "By the way, it’s been over ten hours. Any news from Phoenix?"
Lambis shook his head in frustration.
Last night, O’Neal was unexpectedly injured.
The news they received was that the entire Phoenix Suns team had returned to Phoenix overnight.
They surely did this so O’Neal could receive Chen Yu’s treatment as soon as possible.
But as for what happened next, how severe the injury was, or whether he was out for the season, no reporters had broken the news yet.
"I have a feeling it’s not a light injury. After all, he carries so much weight," Lambis reasoned.
Even an ordinary person would have a hard time after twisting an ankle on a landing, let alone the 350-pound O’Neal.
Jackson sighed and waved his hand. "Let’s not worry about that. In any case, we have to win tonight’s game. We absolutely cannot let this series drag on. The longer it goes, the more of a disadvantage we’re at."
That wasn’t just anyone; it was O’Neal.
What else could Jackson say? Was he supposed to pray for O’Neal to be done for, out for the season?
Even if he really thought that, Jackson would be too embarrassed to say it out loud.
All Jackson could do was end this series as quickly as possible, start the series against the Phoenix Suns, and take advantage of O’Neal’s absence to maybe steal a couple of wins.
In the regular season, the Lakers played the Phoenix Suns four times and only managed one narrow victory.
Facing the Phoenix Suns with the OP Duo, the Lakers really had a tough time.
Lambis nodded in agreement.
The Lakers were now leading 3-1. Just as Jackson said, the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be for them.
After finishing packing, Jackson walked out with Lambis.
"By the way, Cheeks was fired. Pioneer is probably going to rebuild. Do you have any thoughts on Rashid Wallace?" Lambis asked again.
Jackson froze for a moment, surprised. "He was really fired?"
It was just so fast.
The game ended yesterday, and he was fired today. It was unbelievable.
Lambis said, "A roster with a one-hundred-million-dollar payroll... playing like that, it’s actually not surprising."
Paul Allen clearly didn’t want to be called a sucker forever.
Besides, Pioneer had way too much damn drama this season. They were even being mocked as the Jail Blazers Team.
Now that they’ve fallen in the first round again, someone has to take the blame.
The head coach is naturally the first in the line of fire.
Lambis even felt that O’Neal’s injury in yesterday’s game was related to Pioneer getting desperate from losing.
They had to win at least one game!
A 0-4 rout, even if their opponent was the defending champion, was still a disgrace.
Speaking of a one-hundred-million-US-dollar roster, Jackson couldn’t help but show a hint of envy.
The Lakers were a powerhouse, but they weren’t that loaded.
If the Lakers really had to pay tens of millions in luxury tax, Old Bass would probably pass out.
"Wallace?" Jackson frowned slightly.
Horry had a big heart and a knack for clutch plays, but he was just a role player at the end of the day. He clearly wasn’t the ultimate answer for the Lakers at the power forward position.
If they could really trade for Rashid Wallace, Jackson would be smiling in his sleep.
"Tough," Jackson said, shaking his head.
Even if Pioneer really rebuilt and traded away Rashid Wallace, the Lakers didn’t have the assets to tempt them.
"Besides, I think Tom has been pretty good," Jackson added.
For Yao Ming, the Lakers had taken on Gugliotta’s garbage contract.
But after actually playing him, Jackson found that he was pretty useful.
During the regular season, Gugliotta mostly came off the bench. Although his defense was still a major problem, he was good on offense, reliably contributing stats of 10-plus points and 4-plus rebounds in his limited minutes.
And in this series, perhaps because he was facing his old team, he had become a secret weapon.
In Game 3, he exploded for 27 points, becoming the key player in their victory.
His steady mid-range shot also became an important scoring option for the Lakers in the paint.
If he could keep up this performance, Jackson would even consider moving him into the starting lineup next year.
Horry’s scoring ability was just terrible.
Lambis nodded subconsciously. After Chen Yu treated his knees, Gugliotta’s contract didn’t seem so bloated anymore.
The Lakers’ management was even considering re-signing him next year after his contract expires.
The game began at 7:00 PM.
The Lakers’ strategy was clear: defend the perimeter.
This season, Garnett had gradually developed into one of the league’s top power forwards. He could defend, he could pass, he had great range, and he had a variety of offensive moves. Aside from a slightly lower offensive ceiling, he had almost no weaknesses.
Because of the O’Neal trade, the Lakers had stockpiled a number of interior players.
But they were either too old, terrible at defense, or not tall enough. None of them could really limit Garnett effectively.
But Jackson had found the secret to winning: shut down the perimeter player, Troy Hudson.
In this series, the little-known Hudson had stolen the spotlight for a time with his outstanding performance.
But Jackson discovered that as long as they shut down Hudson, the Minnesota Timberwolves suddenly looked like they forgot how to play basketball.
However, in this crucial do-or-die game, Jackson made his move, and Philip Saunders followed suit. He chose a strategy similar to Jackson’s, relentlessly double-teaming Kobe and not hesitating to foul when necessary.
Midway through the second quarter, Anthony Peeler didn’t hold back at all, slapping Kobe hard on the wrist.
It left a red mark instantly.
Kobe going cold allowed the Wolves to gradually close the gap in the second half.
’A loss wouldn’t be unacceptable; we’d still have a huge advantage in the next game back in Los Angeles.’
But Jackson still didn’t want to drag out the series.
"Yao, you have the height advantage. You’ve worked hard all season on your low-post footwork and turnaround jumper. The team needs you now. You have to step up and help us win this game," Jackson said, squatting in front of Yao Ming on the bench, his expression grave.
As a rookie, Yao Ming’s performance throughout the season had been commendable.
If it weren’t for Stoudemire’s late-season surge, this season’s Rookie of the Year would have likely been Yao Ming.
For his first time in the playoffs, Jackson didn’t have high expectations for Yao Ming. As long as he didn’t make mistakes and played at his usual level, it would be enough.
But now, it seemed they needed him.
Kobe alone couldn’t carry the team.
Everyone turned to look at Yao Ming.
"That’s right, Yao." Kobe, sitting next to him and panting, also reached out to pat Yao Ming’s shoulder. "Nestorovic isn’t as agile as you, nor is he as tall. He can’t guard you. You just need to be a little more confident."
In the previous games, Yao Ming’s tasks were mostly setting screens, making plays and passing near the paint, and finishing after catching the ball. He rarely initiated the offense himself with the ball in his hands.
But Kobe knew that Yao Ming had been training diligently all season with Chen Yu’s training manual.
This was also why he liked Yao Ming; he was much more diligent than a certain big fatty.
So Kobe believed Yao Ming had the skills, but was just too humble and willing to sacrifice for the team.
On the other side, Olajuwon also nodded at Yao Ming.
’I’ve taught him basically everything I can.’
After a whole season of holding nothing back in his teachings, Olajuwon knew exactly what Yao Ming was capable of.
Yao Ming’s expression remained stoic. He simply nodded, but a bright light had already ignited in the depths of his eyes.
’Actually, I’ve always felt I can play better, score more points.’
After the timeout, the Wolves’ strategy remained clear: as soon as Kobe got near the three-point line, as soon as he touched the ball, they would mindlessly double-team him.
At that moment, Yao Ming received the ball in the low post.
Posting up sideways against Nestorovic, Yao Ming, who had just reached 300 pounds and had excellent lower body strength, didn’t feel much pressure from his side.
After a moment of stalemate, Yao Ming suddenly relaxed his force.
Having studied under Olajuwon for a whole season, Yao Ming was very clear on the essence of the Dream Shake: manipulating his own, and even his opponent’s, center of gravity during physical contact.
He even felt that the principle behind it was a bit like the Chinese theory of using softness to overcome hardness.
Suddenly relaxing his force during the contact gave Yao Ming the first-mover’s advantage. In an instant, he made a half-turn, pump-faked, spun back again, and his massive body leaped up, right hand lifting the basketball for a hook shot.
His wingspan was average, but his height was a given. As long as he wasn’t met with overly strong contact and had some space, his hook shot was actually very accurate.
The basketball dropped cleanly into the hoop. Two points.
On the next possession, Yao Ming got the ball again, still in the low post.
He used a jab step to fake out Nestorovic, then turned sideways and easily laid the ball into the basket.
Not far away, Olajuwon repeatedly gestured toward Yao, as if saying, "That’s me out there!"
"That footwork in the paint... Hakeem must have taught him that."
At that very moment, far away in Phoenix, Nelson remarked with emotion from Chen Yu’s backyard.
The TV had been moved into the yard, a barbecue grill was set up, and Chen Yu was busy as hell, but he still couldn’t keep up with the consumption of animals like Nelson and Brian.
"Of course," Brian said with a pout. "I saw a media report that said the Lakers will not only honor the last year of Hakeem’s contract but are also considering keeping him on as an assistant coach after the contract ends. To put it bluntly, it’s all for Yao."
Otherwise, at Olajuwon’s age, the Lakers might have really considered a buyout with him to free up a roster spot.
And Olajuwon obviously knew why he was being kept on the Lakers, so it was a given that he would teach without holding anything back.
Chen Yu handed a freshly grilled skewer to Skiles and took advantage of the break to glance at the TV screen a few times.
’I can tell the Lakers are developing Yao Ming exactly according to the training manual I gave them.’
They were having him appropriately bulk up to improve his physicality while maintaining enough agility, trying to develop him in the direction of a versatile inside-out player like Olajuwon.
But he still had weaknesses. His physicality wasn’t top-tier, and because of his height, his agility was definitely not on par with Olajuwon’s.
Therefore, in Chen Yu’s view, a Yao Ming developing in this direction especially needed a hardworking guy at the power forward position to cover for him and patch up the holes.
Horry was barely adequate, but not enough.
Teylon Hill, who they had traded for, was also old, so he was just so-so.
Gugliotta was still counting on others to cover for him.
The Lakers had clearly changed their game plan and were starting to focus their attack on the paint.
And Yao Ming didn’t disappoint Jackson. He went 4-for-6 in the third quarter, adding free throws to explode for 11 points and preserve the Lakers’ lead.
By the fourth quarter, Nestorovic still hadn’t found a way to limit Yao Ming.
"He’s about to hit 30 points," Chen Yu said as he sat down.
Yao Ming only had 7 points in the entire first half.
But in the second half, it was like he was using a cheat code. All sorts of jumpers and hook shots, as if he could do anything. His score was about to hit 30.
Skiles’s smile vanished. He crossed his arms and began to think about how to face this version of Yao Ming in the next round.
"Chen, what’s the absolute soonest Shaq can come back?" Brian asked.
The rest period Chen Yu had given was one week.
If the Lakers won this game, the second round would start in as soon as three days.
By that calculation, O’Neal might miss two to three games.
If O’Neal were playing, Brian wouldn’t have cared no matter how well Yao Ming performed.
But with him out for two or three games, things were suddenly uncertain.
Skiles also looked at Chen Yu.
"Don’t look at me. He needs a week to recover. As for Yao," Chen Yu said, looking at the TV, "if I remember correctly, Yao’s idol is Adidas. So you guys should trust Adidas. He can handle Yao."
Without O’Neal, they still had Sabonis.
The man was the idol Yao Ming himself admitted to admiring.
In their few limited matchups during the season, the aging Sabonis, relying on his experience, didn’t back down from Yao Ming at all.
In other words, as long as his legs could still move and had some agility, Sabonis could use his experience alone to give many centers in the league a taste of what the former Roof of the World was like.
So Chen Yu really didn’t think it would be that hard to play the Lakers with O’Neal injured.
The Phoenix Suns had plenty of options.
If Sabonis couldn’t do it, then they could have McDyess fill in at the center position. The man was an All-Star big, after all.
Charles Oakley, Kevin Willis—who among them couldn’t hold down the fort for a game?
And if worse came to worst and none of them worked out, they still had Hardaway.

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