Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1137 Rising Stars, Veteran Warriors, Lakers Begin Their Title Defense

Because of the China-based preseason games, the Lakers only have five preseason games this season, including two games against the Sacramento Kings in China. Even though the Kings and Lakers have to participate in some extra activities in China, it's still much easier than playing games.

From this perspective, the league is quite considerate of teams that have to travel long distances when scheduling games.

In five preseason games, whether played in the United States or in China and the Kings, the Lakers' record was mediocre, totaling only 2 wins and 3 losses, which was quite unremarkable.

Of course, no one will take the preseason results as a true reflection of a team's strength. For each team, the preseason is just a time to get used to each other and warm up.

For example, the Lakers' four core players did not average more than 20 minutes of playing time per game in the preseason. Jackson knew the current situation of the team, and he had already started planning how to give the players as much rest as possible from the beginning of the preseason.

Lin Tian is now the oldest player in the entire league. No matter how heroic his performance was last season or how dominant he was in the Olympics, Jackson cannot use him as a 25-year-old.

Although Kobe was much younger than Lin Tian, ​​he was just forcing himself to play on the court last season with a serious injury. During the championship parade after the season, some people noticed that only two fingers on Kobe's right hand could be extended normally, and the remaining three fingers were in a rather horrifying shape.

In addition, his knees have been plagued by injuries for many years. Due to these countless injuries, Kobe was unable to go to London and join the US team for this Olympic Games.

He went to Germany for treatment of his injuries.

Although he has recovered well and shown good form in the training camp, his age of 36 is a fact that cannot be ignored. He is no longer a young man and needs to be used sparingly.

As for Durant, this guy looks like a fragile object. Add to that his physique, playing style, height, and the fact that he didn't rest this summer, playing in the Finals, then the Olympics, and then immediately returning to Los Angeles to prepare for the new season.

Given this level of intensity, even though Durant is still very young, Jackson is considering how to use Durant as little as possible at the beginning of the season.

As for Bynum, he has always been relatively healthy, not too old, and is in the final year of his contract, eager for stats and a more prominent role in the team's tactics.

If there were no other factors, Jackson would definitely use Bynum as the team's primary core player. He would definitely let Bynum play more games and give him some motivational speeches to encourage him to play his hardest.

Unfortunately, Kupchak didn't think so.

Or rather, Bass, who is behind Kupchak, doesn't think so.

"Phil, you're a good coach, and we know you. We know what you want to do next season and how you want to do it. But how should we put it? If Andrew is really determined to get a contract worth over 100 million, we're really having a headache."

Kupchak's words were cryptic, but Jackson understood their meaning perfectly.

It's just about making him use Bynum less at the beginning of the season, lowering Bynum's status on the team, reducing his shot attempts and stats, and making him play a little worse at the beginning of the season.

Then Kupchak and Bass took the opportunity to lower the price and start a new round of negotiations with him.

Then, as long as Bynum can reach a contract with the team that aligns with the team's plans, Jackson is willing to treat Bynum like a beast of burden.

This put Jackson in a difficult position.

Should we obey?

Being obedient is certainly a good thing. It will make the team's path throughout the season smoother and make the team's title defense journey more secure. If Bynum can sign an early contract extension, then as long as Lin Tian does not retire, the Lakers will have the opportunity to create a brand new dynasty.

Even looking further ahead, even if Lin Tian retires in 2-3 years and Kobe's performance declines significantly, the Lakers, with Durant and Bynum, would still be a top-tier team in the league.

But the question is, why should Jackson obey?

Although he has a good relationship with Kupchak and they are quite close, his relationship with Jenny Buss is even better and they are even closer, to the point of being practically in the negative distance.

As is well known, Kupchak is closer to Jenny's brother, Jerry Bass Jr., and is one of Jerry's men.

If Jerry Buss were to relinquish control of the team and hand it over to his son or daughter, Jackson would definitely side with Jeanie.

Considering the age and health of the elder Buss, it's only a matter of time before he hands over power.

So why would Jackson help his rivals? Why would he help them build an ace lineup and create a dynasty?

Why not trip them up a bit and make them feel uncomfortable?

This way, it will be easier for Jeanie to rise to the top, and Jackson himself won't be confined to the coaching position.

Ainge became a general manager, Bird became a general manager, Riley practically became the godfather of the Heat, Jordan even had his own team, and Lin Tian even served as general manager and head coach for a year.

When will it be my turn?

Jackson has been coaching the Lakers for so many years, and he is very eager for power. He doesn't want to be just a coach; he also wants to have the power to appoint and dismiss people and do more.

The job of a general manager is not like that of a sports player, who can only play for three, five, or seven years before retiring. A good general manager can stay in the job for 20 years.

For example, West took over the Lakers in the mid-80s and served for more than 20 years until the early 21st century. Now Kupchak also seems to be planning to serve for another 20 years.

If Kupchak's position remains secure, then what position could be given to Jackson?

So, Jackson is having a real headache right now.

At the same time, he knew his own thoughts and goals, as did Old Buss, Kupchak, and Young Buss.

Therefore, he cannot use overly obvious little tricks to mess around; overly silly little tricks would only make him look like an idiot.

Jackson's little scheme has now completely reached a dead end.

Suddenly, his career as a head coach and his yet-to-be-started management career became inextricably linked and seriously conflicted.

Fortunately, Jackson wasn't an idiot; he wouldn't make these things public, nor would he bring his thoughts and emotions into the team.

At the very least, he won't bring any ideas into the team until he decides what to do.

So the Lakers' atmosphere was completely unaffected. Jackson would still motivate everyone, telling them what the team's goals were this year and how great the team was.

As for the rest, let's talk about it when the season starts.

The superficial harmony and hidden agendas between Jackson and the management have not affected the team for the time being. The Lakers players, especially the role players whose positions are not very stable, are playing extremely hard in the preseason!

The two players who performed best in this year's preseason were second-year player Isaiah Thomas and power forward Earl Clark, who was signed by the team on a minimum salary last year.

Isaiah Thomas had already demonstrated his potential last season, and he even managed to squeeze into the team's rotation during the playoffs. If the Lakers hadn't brought in Terry in the second half of the season, Thomas's role would definitely have been even more significant.

But this year, Isaiah Thomas has shown that he doesn't need to wait for others to give him opportunities anymore; he will seize all the opportunities himself!

In all five preseason games, Isaiah Thomas not only played, but he was also the Lakers' leading scorer in the preseason!

His average of 19 points per game put him ahead of the team's four underperforming players, making him the team's highest scorer in the preseason.

Although it's a preseason game and the sample size is small, Isaiah Thomas has already shown the results of his hard work this summer. He's stronger, and his shooting is more confident and consistent.

Isaiah Thomas's consistent performance in the preseason has reassured many Lakers fans, and he should be able to fill the void left by Terry's departure.

As for Clark, who spent the entire season on the bench with almost no playing time for the Lakers last season, he suddenly emerged as a standout in the preseason after Murphy's retirement, which opened up a rotation spot in the frontcourt.

Originally, everyone thought that the person who could fill in for Murphy's ten-plus minutes would be Turiaf or McRoberts, but in this preseason game, the two of them played mediocrely and didn't have anything particularly outstanding.

Clark, although his stats show that he didn't score more than 5 points in 2 games, in the remaining 3 games, he scored a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in one game, and scored 7 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in another game.

In the final game, he even replaced Durant in the starting lineup and scored a massive double-double of 33 points and 13 rebounds!

Although his performance fluctuated considerably, with only one game in five games where he scored 30+ points and had a field goal percentage over 50%, his range, mobility, and almost frantic aggressiveness during the games were all impressive.

Even if this kind of player can't consistently contribute offensive firepower in every game, they can certainly perfectly fulfill the responsibilities of a blue-collar substitute player.

As long as Clark doesn't underperform or disappoint in the remaining regular season games, he should at least get his chance in the early stages of the regular season.

Jackson was known for his skill in using new talent.

Besides the two role players from last season who delivered amazing performances, the starters, who were basically coasting through the preseason, certainly didn't disappoint either.

For example, Lin Tian played in all 5 games. Although he only averaged 14 points and 10 assists per game, his average playing time was only 18 minutes, and his shooting percentages were as high as 56%, 49%, and 90%.

He remains that efficient and terrifying monster.

Kobe and Durant were in similar situations; both of them only played about ten minutes per game, but achieved impressive stats with high shooting percentages.

The only one who is somewhat worrying is Bynum. Although he only played an average of 17 minutes per game in 5 games, he only scored 3 points and 5 rebounds per game, which is definitely not in line with the expectations of the fans.

Even more outrageous is that his previously efficient finishing ability under the basket has disappeared, with a field goal percentage of only 41% in 5 games. For an inside player who completes almost 100% of his shots in the paint, this statistic is definitely not good.

Fortunately, people can still use excuses like it's the preseason, the players aren't fully in form, or they're not playing seriously to convince themselves. But if Bynum continues to perform like this in the regular season, then the rest of the situation is hard to say.

Overall, after five preseason games, the Lakers' record was abysmal, but their performance and the highlights they created were enough to satisfy their fans.

Even though the team failed to acquire any outstanding players, the team's ability to discover talent from within and its core members from the defending champions still allowed fans to see the Lakers' strength and potential.

Defending the title? No problem!

This confidence and expectation of defending the title ultimately turned into absolute hostility towards the Boston Celtics!

On the opening day of the regular season, there was only one game played in the entire league. The league gave the Lakers and Celtics a lot of face by scheduling only this one game on the first day. The remaining 28 teams will have to wait until tomorrow to officially start their season.

So on this day, the entire league's attention and focus were on Staples Center, and on the Lakers and Celtics, the league's number one rivals.

"Die, you bastards!"

"Boston cockroaches, get back to your sewers!"

"Los Angeles doesn't welcome country bumpkins! Go back to your docks and sell lobsters!"

"Apart from lobsters, nothing from Boston is welcome here!"

"We will surpass your number of championships!"

"You trash can't even make it to the finals! You don't even have a chance to be runners-up!"

"Boston, you shit-eating dog!"

"Die! You bunch of green praying mantises, softer than slugs and looking like a pile of excrement!"

"Hey Lin, you'll get fined if you keep swearing like that." Seeing Lin Tian join in the fans' celebration, Durant couldn't help but pull Lin Tian back and said, "You're swearing too fiercely. If you really can't hold back, you can go online and use a secondary account to swear at them! That way no one will know and you won't get fined."

"I just saw that our fans were really going all out tonight, even their trash talk was above par, so I wanted to help them out."

Lin Tian chuckled, then turned to the Celtics players and yelled, "My dog's poop after 10 days of diarrhea is 10 times harder than your bunch of idiots!"

Seeing that he couldn't stop Lin Tian, ​​Durant simply gave up, even yelling, "The fluids I excrete after drinking my bathwater are more appealing than you bunch of bastards!"

What does "if you can't beat them, join them" mean?

Durant delivered a perfect performance.

Fortunately, the fans at the stadium were too aggressive and noisy, so neither the referees nor the Celtics players heard the two men shouting at each other; otherwise, a conflict would have broken out at any moment.

The championship flag-raising ceremony, coupled with the presence of their arch-rivals, made Los Angeles feel like it had taken a super-potent Viagra. All the fans were going crazy and their anger was boundless.

Of course, it's not just about anger.

For example, when the championship banner was brought out, and Stern arrived at the court to begin the championship award ceremony, the entire venue instantly fell silent.

They listened patiently to Stern's nonsense, patiently listened to Bass's speech, and then, after all the various segments were over, when the championship banner began to rise toward the ceiling, the entire arena once again erupted in a unified and frenzied chant.

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

The fans' frenzy started when the flags were raised and continued until the end of the event. Everyone felt that if no one stopped them, the cheers and shouts from the Los Angeles crowd could last for a whole month.

What finally stopped the Los Angeles fans from cheering wasn't anyone stopping them, but the appearance of the championship ring.

When Bass took out this year's championship rings and began to award them one by one, the chants of "Champion" from the crowd stopped and were replaced by the names of the players.

As each player stepped forward to receive their ring, the fans would shout their names.

When the last player, Lin Tian, ​​walked towards Bass, ready to receive yet another ring, the roars and shouts of the fans in the stadium reached their peak.

This time, even the Celtics players were shocked.

They really didn't expect that people in Los Angeles could be so loud and so crazy.

They originally thought that the noise levels in Los Angeles were already at 100%.

Unexpectedly, Lin Tian's appearance directly boosted the score to 150%!

Simply incredible.

"He can be replaced!" James thought to himself as he watched Lin Tian enjoy the cheers from the entire stadium.

"Next year it will be our turn!" Duncan clenched his fist firmly, cheering on his teammates.

"Once again! Become the champions!" Parker, who hadn't won a championship in a long time and was the only player on the team to have won multiple championships, said firmly, "Our time is running out."

"I'm here to do this!" Although Garnett is still unable to play, he came to the stadium with everyone for the team's opening game, looking confident in his black suit.

Encouraged by the bigwigs, the other players on the team put away their shocked and frightened expressions and cheered up again.

Let's have some fun! Let's celebrate!

The happier and crazier you are now in celebrating, the more pathetic and hilarious you will be when we defeat you!

"We'll do it again next year!" Lin Tian, ​​who was the last to receive the championship ring and was the league's MVP and Finals MVP last season, naturally addressed the fans on behalf of all the team's players.

"Next year, we will once again experience this supreme glory, and we will have another flag hanging on our ceiling! No one can stop us!"

"Whether it's established powerhouses, rising stars, or those hastily assembled rabble in the league trying to stop us from defending our title, none of them are a match for us!"

"A galactic battleship? Before us, even the most luxurious galactic battleship will only be sunk!"

Lin Tian's last two sentences were so clearly pointed that everyone present immediately realized he was targeting the Celtics.

The fans certainly wouldn't let Lin Tian down, and they certainly wouldn't let the atmosphere become dull.

As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, the boos from the audience erupted once again.

"Boston, go eat shit!"

"Boston, go eat shit!"

At this moment, the fans reached an unparalleled consensus, unleashing a torrent of identical insults that swept over the Celtics players from all directions.

Then, the Los Angeles residents once again proved just how happy and crazy they were tonight.

This chorus of boos incredibly lasted for a full five minutes!

From Lin Tian's speech to the Lakers players taking a group photo, to Stern and Bass and other staff leaving the venue and dismantling the temporary stage, and finally the referees checking the time, inspecting the game balls, and communicating with the technical staff that the game was about to begin...

The entire process took at least 5 minutes, during which the boos from the fans never stopped.

Just hearing about the fans' amazing lung capacity, you might wonder if you're surrounded not by 2 fans, but by 2 of the world's best marathon runners. Otherwise, where would they get such incredible lung capacity?

It wasn't until the referee finally walked onto the field, the starting players from both sides took their positions, and the match was about to officially begin, that the fans finally stopped their incessant boos.

The moment the sound stopped, even the three referees couldn't help but swallow hard and breathe a sigh of relief.

Given the momentum the fans had just displayed, the referees were genuinely afraid they might go so far as to do something irrational.

If a stampede or even a massive brawl were to occur, this year's opening match would truly go down in history.

It's not that the Los Angeles fans are unsophisticated; it's just that they've been waiting for this championship for far too long.

1988 years!

This is the last time the Lakers lifted the NBA championship.

Since then, they've reached the finals about 10 times, and without exception, they've lost every single one! Until Lin Tian arrived last season. (End of Chapter)