Career High Score

The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball from the backcourt, passing it to Mike James, who quickly dribbled across half-court.

Once across the timeline, Goodwin and Paul Pierce began running off-ball on both sides of the court.

The two players sprinted toward the paint from their respective wings.

Before long, they reached the interior, where Mark Blount was already prepared, having set up a wall.

Goodwin and Paul Pierce both utilized the screen to cut toward the opposite side.

"Switch!" shouted Doug Christie, who was responsible for guarding Paul Pierce.

But Peja Stojakovic couldn't hear him at all; he had eyes only for Goodwin—no way was he letting him shoot!

Peja Stojakovic bypassed the screen, accelerated his pace, and charged toward Goodwin.

Just like that, Paul Pierce found himself wide open for a jump shot.

Mike James passed the ball over, and Paul Pierce, upon receiving it, adjusted, aimed, and released.

A long-range two-pointer.

"Swish." It went in.

11:14

The gap was now only 3 points.

"Peja, didn't you hear me call for a switch just now?" Doug Christie immediately confronted Peja Stojakovic.

"No!" Peja Stojakovic replied indifferently.

Doug Christie: "..."

Just as Doug Christie was about to speak again, Mike Bibby walked over from nearby and said, "If the Boston Celtics use this tactic again, you must switch in time. Don't give any of them a chance for an open look."

Hearing the team's floor general, both men nodded in unison.

The game continued, with the Sacramento Kings inbounding from the backcourt as Mike Bibby dribbled while directing his teammates' movements.

As the Sacramento Kings moved, the entire Boston Celtics defense was pulled out of position, and at that moment, the floor general Mike Bibby suddenly made his move.

Holding the ball in his left hand, he drove his right shoulder into Mike James, who was in front of him.

His 88kg frame combined with the sudden burst of speed caught the 85kg Mike James off guard, forcing him to take a step back to absorb the impact.

But as soon as Mike James retreated, the space behind him opened up, and Mike Bibby immediately squeezed through.

"Help defense!" Mike James shouted.

Mark Blount in the paint immediately moved toward the middle, but the next second, the ball zipped past him, flying toward Vlade Divac behind him.

NO!

Mark Blount reacted instantly, turning to recover, but it was too late.

Vlade Divac caught the ball, jumped, and threw down a two-handed dunk.

11:16

Mike Bibby assisted his teammate on the dunk, helping the Sacramento Kings stabilize the situation.

"My bad." Mike James immediately patted his chest, acknowledging that the defensive lapse was his fault.

At the same time, Paul Pierce came into the paint to remind Mark Blount, "Mark, remember not to leave your man. As long as you stand in the paint, he won't dare to drive in easily."

With his 213cm height, as long as he stood in the paint, the 188cm Mike Bibby wouldn't dare to drive in easily; conversely, if Mark Blount left the paint to move outward, Mike Bibby would have plenty of room to operate.

Just like before, he could pass to an interior teammate or even finish himself.

Mark Blount nodded.

The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball again, and this time, Paul Pierce brought the ball across half-court himself.

Paul Pierce dribbled to the left 45-degree three-point line and signaled to his teammates, who all ran to the right side, leaving Paul Pierce with plenty of room for an isolation play.

At the same time, Paul Pierce performed a move, and immediately after, he backed into his defender.

Thump, thump, thump...

He kept bumping into Doug Christie behind him.

Facing Paul Pierce's physical assault, Doug Christie gritted his teeth and held his ground.

Just like that, the 8 players on the court stood on the right side watching the 2 players on the left go at it.

Right at this moment, Goodwin in the right corner suddenly moved, running along the baseline toward the other side.

What?

Peja Stojakovic, having reacted, immediately gave chase.

"Mark!" Goodwin shouted loudly.

Mark Blount in the paint reacted immediately, protecting his lower body with his hands as he blocked the pursuing Peja Stojakovic.

FUCK! Peja Stojakovic couldn't help but curse after being blocked.

"Vlade, hurry and follow him," the floor general Mike Bibby shouted a reminder.

Vlade Divac chased in the direction of Goodwin.

Paul Pierce flicked his wrist, sending the ball to Goodwin in the left corner.

Upon receiving the ball, Goodwin noticed Vlade Divac rushing toward him; he didn't choose to shoot himself, but instead passed the ball again, sending it flying toward the paint.

What?

Goodwin's pass was completely unexpected, catching everyone on the Sacramento Kings off guard.

The ball reached Mark Blount in the paint, and Mark Blount used his height to ignore Peja Stojakovic in front of him, easily completing the layup.

13:16.

After scoring, Mark Blount pointed at Goodwin, and Goodwin also flashed a smile.

On the sidelines, the Sacramento Kings looked a bit grim; this was the current Boston Celtics!

Ever since they subbed in the reserve Goodwin, the entire Boston Celtics' offense had become diverse, making it impossible to predict what they would do next.

Subsequently, the point gap between the two sides fluctuated between 3 and 6 points, with neither side able to stop the other's offense.

"Beep."

The first quarter ended, 27:30, with the Boston Celtics trailing by 3 points.

"Well done." Doc Rivers was very satisfied with this result.

But when it came time for the second-quarter rotation to take the floor, the Boston Celtics couldn't hold on.

Compared to the Boston Celtics, the Sacramento Kings had a very complete roster, capable of playing well whether they were starters or reserves.

Although Goodwin was still on the court, he was paired with reserve players.

Because of this, the Sacramento Kings focused almost all of their defense on Goodwin.

Facing the heavy guard of the Sacramento Kings, let alone shooting, Goodwin found it difficult even to receive the ball.

The point gap was widened bit by bit.

"Timeout." Doc Rivers hurriedly called a timeout and subbed in his starters.

Seeing this, the Sacramento Kings' head coach immediately subbed in his starters as well.

The situation did not unfold as Doc Rivers had imagined; the gap didn't shrink, but instead widened further.

"Beep." The second quarter ended.

The Sacramento Kings outscored the Boston Celtics 32:20 in the quarter, winning the period by 12 points.

47:62.

The Boston Celtics headed back to the locker room trailing by 15 points.

In the locker room, Doc Rivers kept pouring chicken soup for the soul into the Boston Celtics players.

The players drank the chicken soup, and their moods improved slightly.

But it was useless; the disparity in strength between the two sides was clear.

No amount of chicken soup could change the outcome.

In the end, the Boston Celtics lost as expected.

101:117.

Goodwin walked toward the player tunnel with a look of unwillingness on his face. Goodwin had performed exceptionally well in this game, playing 28 minutes, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 from three-point range, racking up a career-high 20 points, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

But the result was useless; they still lost.