The five starters all looked grim when they heard that.
The assistant coach was also taken aback. The head coach's words had been far too harsh.
He had compared the five players to five zombies—in other words, he had basically called them five corpses.
That really was a bit much.
But the assistant coach said nothing. If the coach had been any gentler, those players might not have snapped out of it at all.
Coach Finch then pointed to the five players on the court and said to the Timberwolves' five starters:
"Those five may not be as skilled as you, but they have far more energy than you do."
"I need players who are full of energy on the court. It doesn't matter whether we can win or how strong the opponent is. Once you step onto the court, I want you to give it everything you've got!"
The head coach paused briefly.
Then he continued:
"All five of you, think this through carefully. Come talk to me when you're ready to play!"
The five players didn't say a word.
But some of them already looked ashamed.
They turned to look at the court.
The five substitutes weren't as skilled as the Raptors, but every one of them was giving it their all, whether fighting for rebounds, moving without the ball, or playing defense.
They had more energy than the starters had shown earlier.
Gradually, Juan made up his mind.
Gradually, Juan's gaze grew firm.
By the end of the first quarter, the team was trailing by as many as 20 points.
Juan finally stood up and walked over to the head coach.
"Coach, I'm ready!"
His voice was full of determination.
Soldier Ryan stood up beside him and said to the coach, "Coach, I'm ready too!"
Then Tim