"There's one more thing: basketball is all about results. As long as the outcome is good, then it was a good play."
"To put it another way, suppose that last play had happened in the final possession of a tied Finals Game 7."
"The Lakers are on offense, and you're coaching the Raptors. Would you rather have Zhang Yu wait until Luka has no strength left to drive and is likely to shoot a three, then rush in from Luka's blind spot to block it? Or stay under the basket and wait for Luka to shoot?"
When he put it that way, Magic Johnson found himself caught between two choices.
It really was a difficult decision.
Given the way old-school players approached the game, the ideal was for everyone to play by the book, without taking too many risks.
If Zhang Doncic saw Zhang Yu rushing in and passed the ball to someone under the basket, that risky attempt to block the shot would cost him a championship.
But if Doncic didn't see him, then that risky block would win him a championship outright. It was a tough choice.
Of course, as a player on the court, you had to accept the consequences of whatever you chose.
If you lost the championship because you'd risked going for the block, you had to be ready to take the blame.
The coach would blame you, your teammates would blame you, and the fans would blame you.
But if that risky block won you the championship, you'd earn endless praise, flowers, and applause.
Your market value could easily increase tenfold overnight.
So James was right about one thing: basketball was all about results.
No matter how risky your decision had been, if the outcome was good, the praise and applause were yours.
Put