On April 22nd, the playoffs officially kicked off.
The first day in the West featured two games: the Lakers versus the King, and the Pioneer versus the Grizzlies.
The most anticipated matchup, of course, was between the Lakers and the King.
Throughout the entire season, the media had been saying one thing over and over: the Lakers were incredibly strong.
But just how strong they were would depend on their performance in the playoffs.
Since Chen Yu had a surgery scheduled, he invited Nelson and his other good friends over to his clinic. They set up a barbecue on the large lawn, drinking beer while watching the games live.
The Lakers’ game was scheduled to start a bit later.
By the time it started, the Pioneer game had already ended.
The Pioneer suffered a heartbreaking 88-87 loss.
The Pioneer’s guards took turns trying, but none of them could contain Wade. He exploded for 31 points and hit the game-winner with 2.4 seconds left on the clock.
Naturally, the result sparked a discussion among the group.
This was especially true given that Chen Yu’s team had been instrumental in the Pioneer’s rebuild.
Finally, Chen Yu offered his own opinion. "I think the Pioneer lost because of their inside game. I’m more and more convinced that Randolph isn’t a good fit for the current Pioneer team."
Nelson and the others brought up several other factors.
For example, no one could guard Wade.
Joe Johnson is a defensive sieve. Even subbing in Tony Allen would make it difficult to stop Wade, and Allen would just drag down the team’s offense.
At one point, Rivers even had Iguodala swing over to help on Wade, but they still couldn’t stop him.
Wade was just too much of a beast.
In just three seasons, he had already developed into a superstar guard averaging 26 points per game.
His lightning-fast first step made his drives unstoppable. Almost no one could guard him.
Ewing believed the loss was on Milicic.
Milicic shot 4-for-13 for the game, and including free throws, he finished with just 14 points and 8 rebounds—an uncharacteristically poor performance.
They attributed it to Pau Gasol’s defense.
’That’s complete bullshit,’ Chen Yu thought. ’Pau Gasol’s defense isn’t all that great, either.’
The only explanation for Milicic playing this way was that as he found success, he drew more attention and was gradually figured out by opposing teams.
In this game, the Grizzlies clearly targeted Milicic.
When he operated near the paint, Pau Gasol would shadow his every move.
As soon as he flashed to the high post, Mike Miller would quickly rotate over to help. This would typically create an opportunity for another Pioneer player to cut to the basket.
The plan was for Milicic to act as a playmaker from the high post. He would only take a three-pointer if there were no cutting opportunities available.
Three-pointers weren’t his strongest skill; they were usually a last resort. He might take a few more only if he got into a rhythm.
Combine that with cutting off the return pass to Milicic, and his option to shoot from the outside was effectively neutralized.
The Grizzlies executed this aspect of their game plan perfectly.
Furthermore, neither Rivers nor D’Antoni were coaches known for making sharp in-game adjustments.
That’s why Milicic had such an off-night.
Chen Yu felt that Milicic had already reached his ceiling.
’His talent has taken him as far as it can. He’s a solid star, but he can’t make the leap to become one of those unstoppable superstars. He just doesn’t have enough raw talent for that.’
And a player at that level is easy to study and game plan against.
Nelson, clutching a beer bottle, asked, "Chen, did you hear something? Is John really planning to trade Randolph?"
He had seen some news reports saying the Pioneer management was unhappy with Randolph and might look to trade him.
Chen Yu shook his head. "I never said that. But Zack really isn’t a good fit for the current Pioneer team. He’s too slow, especially against the Grizzlies."
"Look at how the Grizzlies played this game. They just had Wade drive relentlessly, over and over again."
"The Pioneer have no one on the perimeter who can stop him. Once he gets inside, Milicic is floating outside the paint, while Randolph is too slow to turn and can’t even jump. He has no chance of stopping Wade."
"Sure, he’s a bruiser under the basket and dropped 21 points on Lorenzen Wright, but the team still lost."
"It just goes to show he can’t anchor the Pioneer’s frontcourt."
So it’s understandable that John Nash is interested in Oden.
He knows the Pioneer have major problems in the paint, too.
As the group chatted, the game between the Lakers and the King began.
It was a one-sided affair from the very beginning.
Right out of the gate, the Lakers jumped out to a 10-4 lead over the King.
On the King’s side, no one could score consistently.
"The King really shouldn’t have traded away Weber!" muttered the trainer, Tim Glover.
One of the most shocking trades of last summer was Weber being sent from the King to the Digital People.
And in return, they only got a pile of role players.
Many in the media said the King lost big on that deal.
Nelson said, "Tim, I actually think that from the front office’s perspective, it was the right move."
Everyone else present nodded in agreement.
Glover was a trainer, so unlike Chen Yu and Nelson, he didn’t have as deep an understanding of how the NBA operates.
Without a doubt, Weber was a star, one of the most versatile and elite power forwards in the league.
But he couldn’t take the King any further, which meant he was no longer a good fit for the team.
His salary was too high: a seven-year, $120 million deal. In its later years, the contract would pay him close to twenty million a season, which locked up the King’s salary space and limited their future.
If he couldn’t lead the King to a championship even with that massive salary, what was the point of the team paying him so much year after year?
Did the owner not want to make a profit?
Finally, he and Peggy had irreconcilable differences.
The West is incredibly competitive. Given the King’s current situation, spending more money was impossible. But if they didn’t spend, they’d be stuck in mediocrity. It was better to bite the bullet and unload Weber’s massive salary burden.
By trading one large contract for several smaller ones, they would have much more flexibility for the next season.
At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led 29-17, a 12-point advantage.
"They’re just too strong," Nelson couldn’t help but exclaim.
Chen Yu’s expression was grim.
It was obvious Jackson’s original plan was to pick Granger to strengthen the small forward position.
He never expected Artest to suddenly demand a trade—it was a gift from the heavens.
Artest’s arrival was a quantum leap for the Lakers’ forward and wing defense.
On top of that, he was a beast who averaged nearly 20 points a game. When Kobe and Yao Ming couldn’t get anything going, they could look to him for a basket.
But that situation was unlikely to happen against the King, at least.
"Chen, if we get past the Spurs, we’ll have to play the Lakers in the next round," Nelson said gravely.
For the Phoenix Suns, the playoff bracket was definitely the most difficult.
Chen Yu nodded, his expression serious.
In the frontcourt, the Phoenix Suns were stronger at the power forward position and weaker at center, while the Lakers were the reverse.
So you could call that a wash.
At small forward, Marion and Artest were more or less evenly matched. Marion might be slightly better, but not by much.
So let’s call that even, too.
The problem, then, was in the backcourt.
The Phoenix Suns had no answer for Kobe.
Ben Gordon definitely couldn’t handle him, and it would be a tough matchup even if Poseidon started.
Hardaway was even more out of the question. Instead of having him guard Kobe, it would be better to keep him at the point guard position and let him punish an equally aging Fisher.
Nelson pointed to the television again. "Do you think the Lakers will make starting Bell and Kobe together a regular part of their strategy?"
Jackson did occasionally move Bell into the starting lineup.
He was used for his defense and his three-point shooting from the perimeter.
Those were pretty much his only two skills.
But in that scenario, Kobe had to be the one to handle the ball.
Chen Yu shook his head. "I doubt it. Kobe just doesn’t have the skills to be a point guard."
"Even though Kobe consistently averages four or five assists a game..."
"...if you actually made him the point guard, he’d be lost. The only thing he could do is bring the ball past half-court and then start taking all the shots himself."
"You’d have better luck letting Odom run the offense than expecting Kobe to create for others."
As he said this, Chen Yu smiled wryly. "But maybe it’s a little early to be thinking about this. We still have to figure out how to get past the Spurs first."
’We haven’t even gotten past the Spurs, why are we already thinking about the Lakers?’
Nelson laughed and retorted, "What’s wrong with that? After all, our goal this season is the championship."
Chen Yu sighed. ’That’s right. The Phoenix Suns’ goal is the championship!’

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