Doc, Welcome!

"I'm really annoyed, Goodwin. I didn't get to play against you again today!" Carmelo Anthony said, looking extremely displeased.

On December 7th, the Boston Celtics traveled to the high altitude to face the Denver Nuggets. The terrain advantage made the visiting Boston Celtics very uncomfortable, while conversely, the Denver Nuggets players performed with great ease.

In the end, the Denver Nuggets relied on their home-court advantage to defeat the Boston Celtics 106-95, a margin of 11 points.

Carmelo Anthony performed well in this game, shooting 6-of-17; although his shooting percentage was a bit low, he still recorded a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists.

As soon as the game ended, Carmelo Anthony ran over to the Boston Celtics bench to find Goodwin.

Winning the game but not beating Goodwin left Carmelo Anthony feeling very frustrated.

Goodwin helplessly patted Carmelo Anthony on the shoulder and said, "Next time, there will be a chance."

Carmelo Anthony really dared to say anything. He didn't even look at where he was—he was currently on the Boston Celtics' bench, having just won the game, yet he came over to "show off." He really wasn't afraid of getting beaten up!

"That's a deal, you must play next time!" After saying this, the two hugged, and then Carmelo Anthony turned and left.

As soon as Carmelo Anthony left, Goodwin's neck was immediately grabbed. Goodwin looked up to see it was Paul Pierce.

"Goodwin, who was that damn rookie?" Paul Pierce asked with fire in his eyes, though he certainly knew who it was.

"He's this year's third overall pick, Carmelo Anthony. Senior Paul, don't hold it against him. He lost to me in the NCAA finals and has been looking to get revenge," Goodwin quickly explained. Carmelo Anthony, that's all I can do for you.

Just then, the voice of the System rang out.

"Rivalry mission failed. Randomly deducting 3 attribute points."

Goodwin: ???

Mission failed! What does that have to do with me? I didn't even play!

"System, get out here! Why are you saying I failed the mission? I didn't even step on the court!"

Goodwin demanded an explanation from the System; this was just too damn unreasonable.

"The host is a member of the Boston Celtics, and Carmelo Anthony is a member of the Denver Nuggets. The Boston Celtics lost to the Denver Nuggets, therefore the host lost to Carmelo Anthony," the System explained.

Goodwin: "..."

Goodwin immediately checked his personal attribute panel:

Mid-range shot 100-99, three-pointer 100-99, free throw 100-99.

NO! Three days of training wasted.

Every time I encounter Carmelo Anthony, I lose three days of training. Ah, ah, ah, I take back what I just said.

"Senior Paul, you should just rush over and beat him up."

Paul Pierce: "..."

Goodwin shouted loudly at Carmelo Anthony's retreating back: "Anthony, you're going to lose next time!"

Damn it! I have to play next time no matter what. Son of a bitch, I just lost 3 attribute points for nothing.

When Carmelo Anthony heard Goodwin's words, his unhappy mood suddenly lifted. Hahaha, winning feels good. He turned around and replied to Goodwin: "That's impossible!"

Click, click!

The surrounding reporters hurriedly took photos of the two. Even though they only occupied a small space in the sports papers that night, it was better than nothing.

This made Paul Pierce envious. "Annoyed," Paul Pierce held the newspaper and said sourly, "Look at you, Goodwin even made the paper."

Goodwin glanced at it and replied calmly, "Maybe it's because I'm handsome."

Paul Pierce: "..." Do you have no shame?

Paul Pierce put down the newspaper and reached out toward Goodwin—a classic case of resorting to physical force when he couldn't win an argument.

The regular season continued, and Danny Ainge made some trades in an attempt to save the team, but the situation remained less than optimistic. The Boston Celtics were losing more than they were winning.

As the December games concluded, the Boston Celtics had a record of only 12 wins and 20 losses, ranking 11th in the Eastern Conference.

Sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference were the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers had been very active during the offseason, first bringing back Larry Bird to serve as the club's general manager.

Larry Bird then fired head coach Isiah Thomas and had Rick Carlisle take over, while also re-signing their two core players, Jermaine O'Neal and Reggie Miller. Under their leadership, after more than two months of play, the Indiana Pacers were far ahead, leading the second-place New Orleans Hornets by a full 3 games.

At the same time, Jermaine O'Neal became the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December, averaging 21.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.4 blocks.

Ranking first in the Western Conference was the Minnesota Timberwolves, even managing to edge out the Los Angeles Lakers, who had formed their own F4.

During the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves recruited players like Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Michael Olowokandi to strengthen their roster. However, integrating these new players into the team was difficult at first, and the Minnesota Timberwolves only had a 9-8 record at the end of November.

In December, the Minnesota Timberwolves began to take shape, losing only 2 games all month and leaping over the Los Angeles Lakers to take the top spot in the West.

At the same time, their core leader Kevin Garnett became the Western Conference Player of the Month for December, averaging 26.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.5 blocks.

On January 1st, 2004, at 9:00 AM, Danny Ainge called John Carroll into his office.

Danny Ainge didn't bother with any pleasantries and got straight to the point: "Coach John, thank you for your efforts over the past few months, but after discussions by our management, we have decided that you are being let go!"

"Fine!" John Carroll said through gritted teeth. Although he had already guessed it, when reality truly arrived, it was still hard to accept.

At 12:00 PM, the Boston Celtics officially announced: "John Carroll is a fantastic coach. We respect and thank him for everything he has done here over the past few months, but given the team's current situation, we must seek change to pursue a championship! The new head coach will be announced tomorrow."

The Boston Celtics fans erupted in cheers:

"I said a long time ago we should fire the coach; this coach was useless."

"I just want to say, well done!"

"Good news, the Celtics can finally get back on track."

Even Goodwin, upon receiving the news, couldn't help but cheer; he had finally seen the clouds part to reveal the moonlight, hahahaha...

General Manager's Office:

A bald man pushed the door open and walked in. As soon as Danny Ainge saw who it was, he hurriedly stood up and said enthusiastically, "Doc, welcome!"