Chapter 320: First Round (2)
No sooner had Ham finished speaking than a wave of quiet chuckles spread across the coaching bench.
“Hey! Cut it out with that talk. Don’t you know overconfidence leads to defeat?”
Malone shot Ham a glare and said casually. “Alright, we’ll review the game tonight. While we’re at it, watch the Rockets’ game and start thinking about countermeasures.”
“Understood!”
“The Rockets are a tough nut to crack. With Harden and Paul leading them, their floor is way too high. We need to plan carefully.”
“Tough or not, how bad can it be?” someone muttered. “Could it be worse than the Warriors playing the Spurs on the other side?”
After the first round ended, the Western Conference officially entered full battle mode. Because of massive roster changes during the offseason, most of the elite talent in the West was concentrated among the top four seeds.
As a result, the first-round series played out smoothly, with the upper-bracket teams advancing with little resistance.
Aside from the Kings, Golden State became the first Western Conference team to punch their ticket to the second round. Facing a Jazz team still in the midst of rebuilding, the revenge-driven Warriors showed no mercy at all.
They swept Utah cleanly, 4–0, snuffing out the Jazz’s playoff hopes in decisive fashion.
...
“This really isn’t working anymore. You’ve got to help me out.”
Late at night, inside Chen Yilun’s home, Coach Quin Snyder’s voice rattled on endlessly through the phone.
“The roster’s stuck in that awkward middle—neither young nor experienced, just a bunch of role players. I’ve got no way to work with this.”
Snyder’s frustration was understandable. Aside from Rudy Gobert, there was practically no young talent on the roster worth developing. Being the head coach of a team like this was miserable.
They weren’t rebuilding, but they weren’t contending either. For a franchise, that kind of limbo was nothing short of a slow death.
“Alright, alright. I get it,” Chen Yilun said lazily, half-reclined against the sofa. “When the draft comes around this year, I’ll give you a name. Don’t rush things. I don’t have many opportunities on your side yet, and if I make a move now, it’ll be way too conspicuous.”
“Fine, fine.”
Truth be told, Snyder hadn’t called for anything specific. He just wanted to remind Chen Yilun that he existed.
“Just make sure you pick me a good prospect. I really need one.”
“Relax,” Chen Yilun replied with a smile. “When has your brother’s eye for talent ever been wrong?”
After hanging up with Quin Snyder, Chen Yilun began going over the latest playoff results.
In the West, only one series remained undecided: Spurs versus Trail Blazers.
With Popovich advancing step by step, the Trail Blazers were gradually worn down. Even though their backcourt duo had great chemistry, they stood no chance against the seasoned veteran. Against Popovich, they were completely powerless.
As for the East…
Chen Yilun glanced over at the standings and finally couldn’t help but laugh.
The Celtics, boasting a Big Three along with two top draft picks, swept the Wizards with ease. Once again, Washington fell in the first round of the playoffs.
“If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected is bound to happen,”
Chen Yilun stretched and said offhandedly. “This is DeMarcus Cousins’ contract year. After years of ups and downs, the Big Three that Grunfeld worked so hard to build has finally come to an end.”
Just thinking about it made him want to laugh.
Back when he traded Cousins, Chen Yilun hadn’t expected things to turn out this well. At the time, he simply figured that even with Cousins added, the Wizards’ core wouldn’t go very far. Selling to them was fine—his real priority was clearing the way for Jokić.
It could only be said that luck had been on his side.
Other teams, however, weren’t looking so fortunate.
The 76ers, led by Coach Brown, saw their playoff outlook darken instantly after their star player Joel Embiid went down with an injury.
Led by Simmons and LeVert, they were currently tied 2–2 with the Heat, who were being carried by Wade and Porziņģis. Game 5 was set for the next day.
But the real shocker was the Cavaliers falling behind in their series against the Bucks.
In the physical battle against Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James unexpectedly came out on the losing end. With the series tied 2–2, the pivotal swing game exposed the problem clearly—after just half a game, James was visibly fatigued. The Cavaliers lost that crucial matchup and fell behind 2–3.
“This isn’t going to work, LeBron. You can’t keep carrying the entire team on your shoulders,”
Young said with a frown inside a Cleveland restaurant. “Kidd isn’t stupid. He knows you want to do everything yourself, so the Bucks’ wings don’t do anything else—they just chase you around on defense.”
As he spoke, Young felt a surge of helplessness. Since being traded to the Cavaliers, he had suddenly become the third option. And with Love completely neutralized by Giannis, he was even starting to look like the team’s second-leading scorer in this series.
“In the next game in Milwaukee, give me more touches,” Young said firmly. “I don’t believe the two of us together can’t break through that Bucks iron wall.”
By this point, Young had some real fire in him.
He used to lead the Kings’ bench and trade blows with anyone. How had things suddenly turned into this?
“Alright.”
Hearing Young’s words, James nodded, visibly moved.
Wiping the sauce from his mouth, James added casually, “In the end, it’s still you veterans I can rely on. By the way, Thaddeus Young—let’s talk about something.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“My offensive burden is too heavy next game. Could you help me out by taking Middleton on defense?”
“Sure. Then who are you guarding?”
“Me,” James said after a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll take John Henson.”
Even as he said it, James felt a bit awkward. Hansen was averaging only single-digit points in the series. As the team’s superstar, guarding a role player while leaving the opposing core to a teammate didn’t sound great.
Fortunately, Young wasn’t the type to nitpick. He nodded and agreed.
“No problem. I’ll deal with Middleton. You just save your energy and focus on offense.”
After hashing out the plan for the next game, the two parted ways.
It wasn’t until he was on his way home that Young finally let out a long breath.
“This is going to be tough.”
He looked up at the gloomy sky, the moon hidden somewhere behind thick clouds.
“Did I get too used to the good life in Sacramento?” he muttered to himself. “Now that I’m on a normal team, I actually feel a bit out of place.”
With a self-mocking chuckle, Young quickened his pace and headed home.
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