I'm Tired, Let It All End

"Congratulations, senior Paul!"

"Player of the Month, GOOD!"

"Paul, you're the best."

At 9:00 AM on March 1st, the NBA officially released the Players of the Month for February:

The Western Conference award went to the core of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett, who averaged 23.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game with a 46.8% field goal percentage, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to 12 wins that month and securing their spot at the top of the Western Conference.

The Eastern Conference award went to the core of the Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, who averaged 30.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 0.3 blocks per game with a 47.1% field goal percentage, leading the Boston Celtics on a winning streak that propelled them from 9th to 6th place in the Eastern Conference that month.

"Dinner is on me tonight," Paul Pierce said generously. He hadn't expected to win Player of the Month himself, so it was truly a cause for celebration.

"Are we talking 'all-inclusive'?" Vin Baker asked with a grin.

The other teammates also looked toward Paul Pierce.

"No problem," Paul Pierce said with a wave of his hand.

In an instant, everyone except Goodwin was jumping up and down in excitement, shouting, "Paul, you're the best! Paul, you're the greatest!"...

Reaching Paul Pierce's ears, it sounded like two words: pure comfort!

All-inclusive?

What does all-inclusive mean?

Goodwin was a bit confused.

He didn't find out what it meant until that night.

"Senior Paul, I'm going to sit this one out. Bye!" Goodwin fled the scene; he didn't want to lose his innocence in a place like that.

Paul Pierce couldn't even stop Goodwin before he ran off.

Did this junior really have to be so distant?

The next evening, the TD Garden in Boston hosted a game between the Boston Celtics and the Washington Wizards.

The game was at the 6:12 mark of the second quarter, with the score at 30:46.

On the Boston Celtics bench:

Doc Rivers angrily scolded his players, "What are you all doing? You keep leaving your man open on defense—are your legs broken?"

From the start of the game, the Boston Celtics players were completely out of sync, both on offense and defense.

Doc Rivers could tolerate missed shots on offense, but he couldn't stand the lazy, lethargic effort on the defensive end.

Doc Rivers had assumed it was only the starters, but to his surprise, when he subbed in the bench players, it was exactly the same; it was as if they all had lead weights attached to their feet, unable to even run.

In the corner, Goodwin frowned—this was bad!

He knew exactly what was going on, of course. He could only say that his teammates had partied way too hard last night; during the afternoon practice, they had even been bragging about their "stats" from the night before, with some claiming 1-on-2, some 1-on-3, and even 1-on-5.

Hearing that, Goodwin really wanted to ask them if they weren't afraid of catching something.

Magic Johnson was a living example.

If it weren't for that sudden illness, Magic Johnson's achievements might have been even greater.

It was a pity that one illness ruined everything, and he couldn't even complain, as the illness was a result of his own "pleasure."

Facing Doc Rivers' angry reprimand, the players lowered their heads one by one, not daring to meet his eyes.

Doc Rivers took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then grabbed the tactical board to draw up plays while repeatedly emphasizing defense.

But back on the court, the problems persisted, making Doc Rivers feel like he was having a brain hemorrhage on the sidelines.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

In the end, the Boston Celtics suffered a crushing 75:94 home loss, falling by 19 points to the 11th-seeded Washington Wizards.

Goodwin shook his head in frustration after the loss. He had played steadily, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range, finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Such a performance had no impact on the final result.

After the post-game interviews, Doc Rivers returned to the locker room and scolded the players once again.

As soon as Doc Rivers finished speaking, Paul Pierce stood up and said, "Coach, this is my fault. Because I won Player of the Month yesterday, I took the whole team out to party! I feel very sorry about this. I apologize."

Paul Pierce sincerely admitted his mistake.

Doc Rivers finally realized what had happened. No wonder they all looked like they had no energy—it turned out they had used it all up in bed.

"Since you all have so much energy, don't sleep tonight. Everyone, come with me."

The Boston Celtics players: ??

They followed Doc Rivers to the practice facility, only then realizing what was in store.

Doc Rivers was going to run them into the ground.

Goodwin had no complaints about this and was the first to head out. He felt incredibly frustrated; although he knew the reason and the culprit, what could he do? Scold everyone? Or beat up the culprit?

Neither was an option, so he just had to suffer in silence.

It was the perfect opportunity to let it all out.

The rest of the players joined in one after another.

I don't know how much time passed, but almost all the players were sprawled out on the floor, not wanting to move a muscle!

Doc Rivers walked up to the players and said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"We know!" the players replied listlessly.

Doc Rivers said earnestly, "Play is play, and messing around is fine, but never let it affect the game. I won't even talk about anything noble; if there were no games, where would you get the money to play? Think about that question clearly. Dismissed. Be careful on your way home, goodnight."

After saying this, Doc Rivers turned and walked out of the arena.

The players stood there stunned, Doc Rivers' words echoing in their minds.

Meanwhile, Goodwin dragged his exhausted body, his clothes soaked in sweat, as he walked out of the training facility.

At this moment, all he wanted to do was sleep.

After Doc Rivers' talk, the Boston Celtics clearly showed improvement, but their next opponent was the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.

Before the game, the NBA official account created a buzz: Who is the best player of February?

Once the hype was out, many fans were highly anticipating this matchup.

However, the game itself was one-sided. Led by Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota Timberwolves took the lead from the very first second and held it until the final second, taking the victory without breaking a sweat.

77:91

The Boston Celtics lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by 14 points, suffering their second consecutive defeat, and their record dropped directly from 6th to 7th in the Eastern Conference.

Doc Rivers was extremely anxious about this; they couldn't afford to lose anymore.

But the tragedy didn't end there. On March 9th, the Boston Celtics were defeated by a buzzer-beater at Madison Square Garden!

Tim Thomas hit a last-second three-pointer, helping the New York Knicks defeat the Boston Celtics 87:84 by 3 points, handing the Boston Celtics their third straight loss.

Doc Rivers: "..."

I'm tired, just end it all.