He Should Not Have Been Made a Starter So Early

The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball, and Mike James quickly dribbled past midcourt.

Once across the half-court line, Mike James passed the ball to Paul Pierce on the right side.

Kobe Bryant couldn't help but set his defensive stance.

But Paul Pierce didn't get tangled up with Kobe, because he wasn't the primary offensive option today, at least not for the time being.

Paul Pierce dribbled the ball while keeping an eye on his teammates' positions.

On the other side, Goodwin used a screen from Vin Baker to run to the top of the arc.

Seeing this, Paul Pierce passed the ball over, then ran to the corner, forcing Kobe to follow him.

What the hell is he doing? Why isn't he attacking?

Kobe's eyes were filled with confusion.

Upon receiving the ball, Goodwin didn't make any adjustments and went straight up for the shot.

The late-arriving Rick Fox jumped with all his might, aiming not for the ball, but for Goodwin's face.

In an instant, Goodwin's vision was blocked, turning pitch black.

The corners of Goodwin's mouth curled up slightly; you think this is enough to stop me from shooting? You're overthinking it.

As if he hadn't been obstructed at all, Goodwin drew his bow and released the arrow.

The ball left Goodwin's hand and flew toward the rim.

"Swish." The ball hit the backboard and rebounded into the hoop.

A bank-shot three-pointer.

6:4

Right from the start of the game, Goodwin was firing on all cylinders, hitting two out of two three-pointers for 6 consecutive points, silencing the entire Staples Center.

"Fuck, who is this guy? How is he so accurate?"

"Is this dude on something?"

"Rick, defend better, don't let him shoot again."

The fans at the arena were buzzing with discussion.

Phil Jackson stood up from his chair on the bench, walked to the sideline, and said to Gary Payton not far away: "Gary, go freeze him."

Gary Payton was a bit surprised; he was being asked to bully a rookie?

Since the coach had said so, he had no choice but to accept.

"OK!"

The Los Angeles Lakers organized their offense, and Gary Payton dribbled past midcourt.

Inside, The Diesel demanded position, his massive frame instantly shoving Mark Blount behind him.

Mark Blount pushed hard against The Diesel, but The Diesel was like a mountain, immovable.

Not far away, Vin Baker saw this and immediately came over to help defend, and even Goodwin on the perimeter dropped back to cover.

Facing the triple-team, The Diesel didn't lose his edge at all.

Bang.

Goodwin felt an impact on his chest and, for a split second, felt like he had been sent flying.

A human behemoth.

Gary Payton didn't pass the ball inside to The Diesel, but instead kicked it out to Rick Fox, who was wide open in the corner.

Rick Fox took aim, jumped, and released the shot.

"Clang." The ball hit the rim and missed.

Mine!

The Diesel jumped over all three defenders and grabbed the rebound.

The moment his feet touched the ground, The Diesel jumped again, like a bomber, and slammed the ball into the rim with both hands.

Boom.

The Diesel scored with another two-handed dunk.

6:6

Goodwin looked at The Diesel in front of him in shock; holy crap, is this The Diesel?

This is too terrifying, right?

He's completely unstoppable.

After the dunk, The Diesel turned and silently swept his gaze over Goodwin and the other two, as if to say: You guys still have a long way to go!

He then lengthened his stride and headed back on defense.

"Don't take it to heart, he's Shaquille O'Neal after all," Vin Baker said, offering comfort to Goodwin immediately.

"He's practically a monster, and we're just human; humans can't fight monsters," Mark Blount added. This wasn't his first time facing Shaquille O'Neal, and he had gone from shock to total numbness.

Goodwin nodded and ran toward the frontcourt.

The Boston Celtics inbounded the ball, passing it to Mike James.

When Mike James saw Rick Fox in front of him, he was full of question marks. Why is he guarding me?

As for Gary Payton, he went to defend Goodwin.

Looking at Gary Payton in front of him, Goodwin wasn't shocked at all; instead, he looked excited.

It is my honor to be defended by the only point guard in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year.

But you won't be able to stop me.

Goodwin quickly began to move.

He had only taken his first step when Gary Payton slammed into him.

With a loud thud, the massive impact forced Goodwin to slow his pace.

Gary Payton wasn't finished yet, immediately following up with aggressive physical contact, their bodies seemingly glued together.

Muscle against muscle, bone against bone.

Hiss... Goodwin gritted his teeth, bracing against Gary Payton's collisions.

Interesting. I didn't expect this "pretty boy" to be able to withstand my impact, Gary Payton thought, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

The next moment, Vin Baker ran over to set a screen for Goodwin.

Goodwin used Vin Baker's screen to run toward the other side.

In an instant, Gary Payton navigated around the screen and chased after Goodwin.

Goodwin ran to the left 60-degree three-point line, preparing to receive the ball, but the next second, Gary Payton appeared right in front of him, even using one hand to block the passing lane, denying Goodwin any chance to catch the ball.

Seeing this, Mike James at the top of the arc held off on the pass.

"Mike, time!" Paul Pierce reminded him.

Mike James immediately called for a screen.

Mark Blount ran out from the paint to set a screen for Mike James, who used it to shake off his defender, drove inside, and pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

"Clang," it missed.

Shaquille O'Neal grabbed the rebound, and the moment he landed, he saw Kobe Bryant sprinting toward the frontcourt and whipped the ball down the floor.

The ball flew straight to Kobe Bryant in the frontcourt.

Paul Pierce gave chase, but there remained a half-step gap between them.

The ball reached Kobe Bryant safely; he dribbled toward the paint, leaped high into the air, and slammed the ball into the rim with his right hand.

Boom.

Kobe Bryant scored with a thunderous dunk.

6:8

The Los Angeles Lakers used a fast break to take the lead once again.

Following that, the game gradually fell into the rhythm of the Los Angeles Lakers. Goodwin was completely shut down by Gary Payton; he couldn't touch the ball at all. Even when Mike James tried to pass it to him, Gary Payton would somehow appear out of nowhere to disrupt the play.

"Rookie, don't even think about touching the ball for the rest of this game."

Goodwin: "..."

Goodwin ran frantically, yet he still couldn't shake Gary Payton.

Without Goodwin, the Boston Celtics' offense plummeted. As for Paul Pierce, he was being hounded by Kobe Bryant.

Relying on the offensive capabilities of the remaining three players, they simply couldn't compete with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The point gap between the two sides widened bit by bit.

"Beep." The first quarter ended.

22:31

The Los Angeles Lakers led by 9 points.

Huff, huff, huff... Sitting on the bench, Goodwin was panting heavily. In the full 12 minutes of the first quarter, he had run off-ball frantically, covering a distance nearly equal to what he usually ran in an entire game as a substitute.

"Goodwin, drink some water, wipe your sweat," a staff member said, handing him a water bottle and a towel.

"Thanks," Goodwin said, taking the bottle and towel.

He drank some water, wiped off his sweat, and then covered his head with the towel.

Seeing this scene, Doc Rivers couldn't help but ask himself: Was I too impatient? Should I not have started him so early?