"Larry!"
Spit flying, Rivers suddenly pointed an arm behind him without turning his head.
Larry Hughes, whose name had just been called, jumped in surprise.
Rivers rushed up to Larry Hughes, his eyes fierce. "To me, you're the best perimeter defender in the league. You have an incredible ability to completely freeze an opponent. You also have amazing offensive skills. Larry, believe me, everyone underestimates you!"
"But I," Rivers pounded his own chest, "I know what you're capable of. You have the potential to be a star, to become the best guard on the planet!"
Larry Hughes just stared and nodded.
'Even I don't believe that.'
Rivers paid him no mind and continued, "I need your passion! I need your toughness! You're going to lock down Parker for me and show him you're not to be trifled with!"
"Yes, Coach." Beads of nervous sweat formed on Larry Hughes's forehead.
From the corner, Chen Yu silently shook his head.
'Just like Derek Anderson said, Rivers's style of encouragement is a little too blunt.'
'He's just showering him with forced praise and encouragement!'
After letting Larry Hughes off the hook, Rivers turned his attention to Iguodala and launched into another round of praise.
Finally, Rivers slapped the whiteboard behind him, which was covered in Xs and Os, and roared, "Alright, guys, nobody believes in us! They all think we're going to be eliminated. Popovich even told the media he's already thinking about his opponent in the next round. He's not taking us seriously at all."
"That's right, we're young. We don't have a superstar like Duncan. But let me tell you, Duncan wasn't a star from the very beginning either! So to me, all of you are future stars!"
Rivers jabbed a finger at his own chest, his voice ringing with passion.
"And most importantly, we never even got a formal apology! To this day, the Spurs just claim it was an accident. But was it really just an accident?!"
Rivers suddenly pointed at Nash, who was off to the side.
The room fell silent.
Rivers continued, "Whether it was an accident or not doesn't matter anymore. We're a man down, but we are invincible! And I'm telling you, the only reason they did what they did is because they're scared! Scared that we can beat them!"
"So forget about them being a championship team! If we beat them, then *we* are the championship team!"
Rivers raised his arm high and roared.
The players in the room roared back in response, their shouts echoing his.
From his corner, Chen Yu nodded slightly.
'Say what you will, Rivers really knows how to fire people up.'
'Of course, Chen Yu seriously doubted Popovich would actually say something like he was already looking ahead to the next round.'
'That old fox is far too cunning for that.'
Still, no amount of encouragement could change the reality that the team was missing its core player.
So, the strategy had to change.
The previous game, after Nash left the court, had already proven that Larry Hughes simply didn't have the basketball IQ to run the offense and get everyone involved the way Nash did.
So for this game, Rivers abandoned the run-and-gun offense, focusing instead on a core strategy of defense and fast breaks.
Of course, abandoning the run-and-gun didn't mean they wouldn't be on the offense.
The Blazers' run-and-gun had produced the top-ranked offense in the entire league.
But the offensive focus had shifted. Now, it was on Milicic and Joe Johnson.
This meant a significant increase in isolation plays.
It felt a bit like a suicidal strategy. But when you were missing your core playmaker and facing such a formidable opponent, the only real path to victory was to rely on individual talent and explosive performances.
When Nash appeared on the big screen in his wheelchair, the entire arena erupted in cheers.
Chen Yu felt as if the entire arena was shaking.
There was no denying it: Nash's decision to support the team from the sidelines while injured was a massive boost to their morale.
And that morale was immediately apparent in the game.
Right from the opening tip-off, Milicic seized the initiative, tipping the ball away from Duncan.
And Duncan, with his meniscus now healed, was much better at tip-offs than he used to be.
The Blazers were on offense.
Chen Yu could see clearly that without Nash, the Blazers' tempo had noticeably slowed.
Larry Hughes's passing ability could only be described as average, at best.
Besides, at nearly two meters tall and with a game built around driving to the basket, he was really a better fit for shooting guard.
But without Nash, the Blazers didn't have a single true point guard on the roster.
Chen Yu's gaze fell to the elbow.
Milicic was already posting up on Duncan, his hand out, calling for the ball.
The ball arrived. He immediately made his move, backing Duncan down toward the basket.
This wasn't his usual style of play.
Under the direction of Chen Yu's team and the coaching staff, he had honed his ability to score on the move.
With the height of a center, he played more like a power forward, or even a small forward.
Speed and agility were his strengths, so it made sense for him to play to them.
Contests of strength and banging down low in the paint were not his forte.
This time, however, he was incredibly physical, forcing even Duncan to backpedal. Then, in a brief pause in his backdown, he suddenly spun and jumped for a hook shot.
The spin was incredibly fast, putting his agility on full display.
The ball bounced off the rim and in.
Duncan hadn't been completely beaten on the play.
But scoring a tough basket right over Duncan's head was a huge statement and a massive morale booster.
Chen Yu applauded along with the rest of the crowd. He was starting to understand why Milicic was playing this way. 'He's sending a message to Duncan: even if you're a back-to-back MVP, I'm not afraid of you.'
And that wasn't the end of it. Just as he was aggressive on offense, he was incredibly active on defense.
Duncan hadn't even gotten near the paint before Milicic was all over him. With puffed cheeks and a clenched jaw, Milicic refused to give an inch.
Chen Yu knew this about him. 'The kid has a real mean streak. His game might be more perimeter-oriented, but he's no softy. He dares to initiate contact; he relishes it.'
On that possession, the Blazers got a defensive stop.
Randolph was a powerful, if undersized and stocky, inside presence.
Iguodala's defense was on point as well.
Then there was Larry Hughes, whose height had always made him an excellent defender.
The only potential weak link was Joe Johnson.
His wingspan and athleticism limited his defensive ceiling, but he was still young.
Brent Barry was already 34, an old-timer. In the twilight of his career, he had long since transitioned into a pure shooter.
And he wasn't exactly known for his athleticism even in his youth.
With his morale high, it was no problem for him to stay glued to Brent Barry.
Rivers stood on the sideline, clapping and shouting praise, yelling for them to keep up that intensity, to be even tougher.
"You're all young bucks! You're not gonna let a bunch of old-timers out-hustle you, are you?!"
Even Nash was so inspired he tried to get up and applaud, only to be quickly stopped by Chen Yu beside him.
'What's he getting so excited about? The game's just started.'
The Spurs were known for being savvy, steady, and experienced. They might be stunned by an initial flurry, but they could adjust on the fly.
Their ability to adapt and handle pressure was among the very best in the league.
In the past two years, the Phoenix Suns had consistently crushed them, but that was more a matter of sheer, overwhelming talent.
Besides, there was no telling how long the Blazers could keep this fire burning.
Young players were just inconsistent. When they got their confidence up, they felt like they could do anything, but the moment they hit a snag, they were especially prone to losing their way.
But to Chen Yu's surprise, that fire kept burning all the way into the final minutes of the game.
Especially Milicic.
Chen Yu's gaze followed Milicic on the court, who now had cotton plugs stuffed in his nostrils.
In the second quarter, while crashing the boards for a rebound, he had taken an elbow to the face from Horry. His nose was broken on the spot, and blood had gushed out, staining his jersey.
After a quick patch-up from Chen Yu during a full timeout, he had immediately returned to the game.
He was truly leaving it all on the court.
Most importantly, he was playing like a hero tonight.
With two and a half minutes left in the game, Milicic had already racked up 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
His performance was even overshadowing Duncan.
Duncan had only managed 19 points so far!
The entire Rose Garden Arena was in an uproar.
Chen Yu looked up at the scoreboard. The score was 91 to 84. The Blazers were ahead by 7.
At this rate, the Blazers might actually win this game and claw one back in the series.
Most importantly, if the Blazers could maintain this momentum until Nash returned, they might actually have a shot at coming back to beat the Spurs and pull off a historic eighth-seed upset!

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