The Boston Celtics inbounded from the backcourt and passed the ball to Mike James, who quickly dribbled it across half court.
As soon as he crossed half court, Goodwin and Paul Pierce began moving without the ball on either side.
They ran inward from both wings.
Before long, they reached the paint, where Mark Blount had already set himself and formed a wall.
Goodwin and Paul Pierce used the screens to run in opposite directions.
"Switch!" Doug Christie, who was guarding Paul Pierce, called out.
But Peja Stojaković didn't hear him. He had eyes only for Goodwin. You're not getting a shot off!
Peja went around the screen and quickened his pace, charging toward Goodwin.
That left Paul Pierce open for a shot.
Mike James passed him the ball. Paul Pierce caught it, adjusted, took aim, and let it fly.
A long-range two-pointer.
Swish.
11–14
The lead was down to three.
"Peja, didn't you hear me call for a switch?" Doug Christie immediately asked Peja.
"No," Peja replied flatly.
Doug Christie: "..."
Just as Doug Christie was about to speak again, Mike Bibby walked over from nearby. "If the Boston Celtics run that play again, switch in time. Don't leave either of them open."
Hearing the team's floor general, the two men nodded in unison.
The game resumed with the Sacramento Kings inbounding from the backcourt. Mike Bibby dribbled and directed his teammates' movement.
As the Sacramento Kings moved, they stretched the Boston Celtics' defense. Then, all of a sudden, Mike Bibby—the team's floor general—made his move.
He kept the ball in his left hand and drove his right shoulder into Mike James.
At 88 kilograms, Bibby's sudden burst caught the 85-kilogram Mike James off guard. Mike James had to give ground before he could absorb the impact.
But as soon as Mike James stepped back, he left space behind him, and Mike Bibby immediately squeezed through.
"Help!" Mike James shouted.
Mark Blount moved toward the middle of the paint, but the ball flew past him a moment later, heading to Vlade Divac behind him.
No!
Mark Blount reacted at once and turned to recover, but it was too late.
Vlade Divac caught the ball, rose up, and slammed it home with both hands.
11–16
Mike Bibby had assisted on the dunk, helping the Sacramento Kings steady the game.
"My fault." Mike James immediately tapped his chest, admitting he'd made a defensive mistake.
Paul Pierce also came over to the paint and reminded Mark Blount, "Mark, don't leave your man. As long as you stay in the paint, he won't dare drive in."
At 213 centimeters tall, Mark Blount could deter the 188-centimeter Mike Bibby from driving as long as he stayed in the paint. But if Mark Blount left the paint and moved outside, Mike Bibby would have more room to work.
He could do what he'd just done—pass to a teammate inside—or take it himself.
Mark Blount nodded.
The Boston Celtics inbounded again, and this time Paul Pierce dribbled across half court himself.
He took the ball to the left wing, just beyond the three-point line, and signaled to his teammates. They all moved to the right, leaving Paul Pierce plenty of room to go one-on-one.
At the same time, Paul Pierce made another move, then quickly turned his back to the basket.
Thump, thump, thump...
He kept driving into Doug Christie behind him.
Doug Christie gritted his teeth and held his ground against Paul Pierce's repeated charges.
Eight players on the court stood on the right side, watching the two on the left go at it.
Then Goodwin suddenly moved from the right corner, running along the baseline toward the other side.
What?
Peja Stojaković reacted and immediately chased after him.
"Mark!" Goodwin shouted.
Mark Blount reacted at once, shielding his lower body with both hands and blocking Peja as he chased.
"Fuck!" Peja cursed when he was stopped.
"Vlade, get over there!" Mike Bibby shouted, alerting his teammate.
Vlade Divac ran toward Goodwin.
Paul Pierce flicked his wrist and passed the ball to Goodwin in the left corner.
Goodwin caught the ball and saw Vlade Divac rushing toward him. Instead of shooting, he swung the ball again, sending it toward the paint.
What?
Goodwin's unexpected pass caught everyone on the Sacramento Kings off guard.
The ball reached Mark Blount in the paint. Using his height, Mark Blount ignored Peja Stojaković in front of him and easily laid it in.
13–16.
After scoring, Mark Blount pointed at Goodwin, who smiled back at him.
The Sacramento Kings on the sidelines looked troubled. This was what the Boston Celtics had become.
Ever since Goodwin came off the bench, the Boston Celtics' offense had become much more varied. You never knew what they would do next.
The lead fluctuated between three and six points, and neither team could stop the other from scoring.
The buzzer sounded.
The first quarter ended with the Boston Celtics trailing 27–30.
"Nice work." Doc Rivers was very pleased with the result.
But when it came time for the second-quarter rotations, the Boston Celtics couldn't keep up.
The Sacramento Kings had a much deeper roster. Their starters and their bench could both play.
Goodwin was still on the court, but now he was surrounded by bench players.
As a result, the Sacramento Kings focused nearly all their defensive attention on Goodwin.
With the Sacramento Kings guarding him so closely, Goodwin couldn't get a shot off, or even get the ball.
The lead grew little by little.
"Timeout!" Doc Rivers hurriedly called one and brought the starters back in.
Seeing that, the Sacramento Kings' head coach also immediately put his starters back on the court.
Things didn't go as Doc Rivers had imagined. The gap didn't shrink; it widened.
The buzzer sounded.
The Sacramento Kings had outscored the Boston Celtics 32–20 in the second quarter, extending their lead by 12 points.
47–62
The Boston Celtics headed back to the locker room trailing by 15.
In the locker room, Doc Rivers kept trying to lift his players' spirits with motivational speeches.
The speeches helped the players feel a little better.
But it made no difference. The teams' relative strength was plain to see.
No amount of motivational talk could change that.
In the end, the Boston Celtics lost, just as expected.
101–117
Goodwin walked toward the players' tunnel, unwilling to accept the loss. He'd played extremely well, logging 28 minutes and shooting eight-for-fourteen, including four-for-eight from three-point range. He'd scored a career-high 20 points, along with three rebounds and two assists.
But it didn't matter. They'd still lost.
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