"Congratulations, Paul!"
"Player of the Month—good!"
"Paul, you're the best."
At 9 a.m. on March 1, the NBA officially announced its February Players of the Month:
In the Western Conference, the award went to the Minnesota Timberwolves' star, Kevin Garnett. He averaged 23.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting 46.8% from the field. He led the Minnesota Timberwolves to 12 wins that month, keeping them firmly in first place in the West.
In the Eastern Conference, the award went to the Boston Celtics' star, Paul Pierce. He averaged 30.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 0.3 blocks per game, while shooting 47.1% from the field. He led the Boston Celtics on a winning streak, helping them leap from ninth to sixth in the East in a single month.
"Dinner's on me tonight," Paul Pierce declared generously. He hadn't expected to win Player of the Month, and it was certainly cause for celebration.
"An all-nighter?" Vin Baker asked with a grin.
The other teammates all looked toward Paul Pierce.
"No problem," Paul Pierce said, waving a hand.
In an instant, every teammate except Goodwin was bouncing excitedly in place, chanting, "Paul, you're the best! Paul, you're the greatest!"...
When the words reached Paul Pierce's ears, they boiled down to one thing: bliss!
An all-nighter?
What did that even mean?
Goodwin was a little confused.
He didn't find out until that evening.
"Sorry, Paul, I'm sitting this one out. See ya!" Goodwin made a direct escape. He wasn't about to lose his first time in a place like that.
Paul Pierce tried to stop him, but Goodwin still got away.
Did this kid really have to be so distant?
The following evening, the Boston Celtics were facing the Washington Wizards at TD North Shore Garden Arena in Boston.
The game was in the second quarter, with 6:12 left on the clock. The score was 30–46.
Boston Celtics bench:
Doc Rivers angrily berated his players. "What are you all doing? You keep leaving men open on defense. Are your legs broken?"
From the start of the game, none of the Boston Celtics had been in sync, whether on offense or defense.
Doc Rivers could tolerate missed shots, but he couldn't stand their lackadaisical defense.
At first, Doc Rivers thought it was only the starters playing like this. But after he sent in the reserves, they were just the same. It was as if every player had a lead ball tied to his foot and couldn't run.
Goodwin, sitting in the corner, furrowed his brow. This wasn't good!
He knew exactly what was going on. His teammates had gone way too wild the night before. Even at afternoon practice, they'd been sharing stories about their exploits. Some had gone one-on-two, others one-on-three, and even one-on-five.
Hearing that, Goodwin had wanted to ask them, "Aren't you worried about catching something?"
Magic Johnson was a living example.
If he hadn't suddenly fallen ill, Magic Johnson might have achieved even more.
Unfortunately, one illness had ruined everything. And he couldn't complain, since his illness had been caused by his own "fun."
Under Doc Rivers' scolding, the players all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Doc Rivers took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Then he picked up the tactics board and laid out a plan, repeatedly reminding them about their defense.
But once they returned to the court, the same problems persisted. Doc Rivers watched from the sidelines, so frustrated it felt like his head might burst.
FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!
In the end, the Boston Celtics suffered a crushing 94–75 defeat at home, losing by 19 points to the Washington Wizards, who were ranked 11th in the East.
Goodwin shook his head helplessly after the loss. He'd played steadily as usual, making 5 of 10 shots and 3 of 6 three-pointers, for 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
His performance had no effect whatsoever on the result.
After the postgame interview, Doc Rivers returned to the locker room and berated the players again.
As soon as Doc Rivers finished speaking, Paul Pierce stood up and said, "Coach, this one's on me. Yesterday, I won Player of the Month, so I took the whole team out to celebrate. I'm truly sorry. I apologize."
Paul Pierce sincerely admitted his mistake.
Only then did Doc Rivers understand. No wonder they'd all seemed so drained. They'd spent all their energy in bed.
"Since you've got so much energy, none of you are sleeping tonight. You're all coming with me."
The Boston Celtics players: ??
They followed Doc Rivers to the practice facility, where they finally realized what was going on.
Doc Rivers was going to run them into the ground.
Goodwin had no objections. He was the first to get started, feeling utterly miserable. He knew what had happened and who was responsible, but what could he do? Yell at everyone? Or beat up the person responsible?
Neither was an option. He could only suffer in silence.
At least now he had a chance to let it all out.
The other players joined in one after another.
No one knew how much time had passed. Nearly every player was sprawled on the floor, unwilling to move a muscle!
Doc Rivers walked up to them and asked, "Do you know what you did wrong?"
"We do!" the players replied, their voices weak.
Doc Rivers spoke earnestly. "Have fun, goof around, but don't let it affect the games. Forget the high-minded speeches—if you didn't have games to play, where would you get the money to have fun? Think about that. You're dismissed. Be careful on your way home. Good night."
With that, Doc Rivers turned and left the court.
The players all sat there, stunned, Doc Rivers' words replaying in their minds.
Goodwin dragged his exhausted body out of the practice facility, his clothes soaked with sweat.
At that moment, all he wanted was to sleep.
After Doc Rivers' talk, the Boston Celtics clearly improved. But their next opponent was the Western Conference's top team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Before the game, the NBA put out a provocative headline: Who was February's best player?
The headline got plenty of fans excited for the matchup.
But the game itself was completely one-sided. Led by Kevin Garnett, the Minnesota Timberwolves took the lead from the very first second and held it until the final second, winning with ease.
77–91
The Boston Celtics lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by 14 points, suffering their second straight defeat. Their record dropped them from sixth to seventh in the East.
Doc Rivers was extremely anxious about it. They couldn't afford to lose again.
But the nightmare wasn't over. On March 9, the Boston Celtics were eliminated by a buzzer-beater at Madison Square Garden.
Tim Thomas sank a three-pointer in the closing seconds, helping the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 87–84, handing them their third straight loss.
Doc Rivers: "..."
I'm tired. Let it all burn.
Before you continue