Old Man Gary, I'm Going to Run You Into the Ground

Los Angeles Lakers bench:

Huff, huff, huff... Gary Payton, who was responsible for guarding Goodwin, was panting heavily.

FUCK! Gary Payton couldn't help but curse inwardly: How useless, just guarding a rookie, and after only one quarter, I'm already panting like this!

Gary Payton is about to turn 36 this season.

For an NBA athlete, 36 is already the twilight of one's career.

This is also the reason why Gary Payton came to the Los Angeles Lakers; he wants to win a championship in the final stage of his career to draw a perfect conclusion to his professional life.

"Gary, are you alright?" Phil Jackson noticed Gary Payton's condition immediately and asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Gary Payton replied.

"How about letting Kobe Bryant guard Goodwin, and you switch to guarding Paul Pierce?" Phil Jackson considered the current situation; after all, Gary Payton is old, his stamina can't keep up, especially when guarding a player like Goodwin who runs off-ball, which consumes far more energy than usual.

Hearing Phil Jackson mention his name, Kobe Bryant, who was standing to the side, spoke up: "I have no problem with that."

The corners of Gary Payton's mouth curled up slightly, and he looked at Kobe Bryant with a half-smile: "Kobe, are you sure? He is your least favorite type to guard."

In private, the two had talked before, and Kobe Bryant had said at the time that the player he hated guarding the most was: The Masked Man, Rip Hamilton!

Hamilton is famous for his astonishing stamina; Hamilton was born into a sports family in Pennsylvania and received formal physical training from a young age, laying a solid foundation for his endurance. Although he lacks explosive power, he possesses rare stamina, similar to his long-distance runner father.

However, Hamilton's favorite sport is basketball, not running. Since he was a child, he was obsessed with Jordan on television and dreamed of becoming a basketball player just like him. At 15, he decided to make basketball his lifelong career. In high school, his coach taught him a special breathing technique, alternating between his mouth and nose in a specific rhythm. This breathing method helped him reduce physical exertion on the court and further improved his endurance.

This also brought his stamina to a terrifying level, so much so that even a physical freak like Kobe Bryant would be left gasping for air when guarding him.

Hearing Gary Payton's words, Kobe Bryant was clearly stunned for a moment.

"Hahahaha." Seeing Kobe Bryant's expression, Gary Payton burst into laughter, then added: "I'm just kidding, he's nowhere near Hamilton. He'll stay with me; you focus on guarding their core, Paul Pierce."

Kobe Bryant nodded. Compared to Goodwin, he cared more about Paul Pierce.

Paul Pierce is an All-Star, while Goodwin is just a rookie.

Phil Jackson didn't force them; he just went along with what the players said. If it didn't work, he would adjust later.

In the second quarter, Paul Pierce and Vin Baker came on with three substitutes, hoping to take the opportunity to close the gap.

But the Los Angeles Lakers didn't give them a chance; Phil Jackson continued to send out Kobe Bryant, with Kobe Bryant leading four substitutes onto the court.

Both sides traded baskets.

The 9-point lead remained as steady as a mountain; the Boston Celtics couldn't narrow the gap, and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't extend it either.

Halfway through the quarter, both head coaches sent their starters back in.

Looking at Goodwin, who was within arm's reach, Gary Payton couldn't help but say: "Rookie, your scoring ends tonight."

"Oh, I know, go play somewhere else," Goodwin said dismissively, waving his hand at Gary Payton.

Gary Payton: "..."

Goodwin said that, but in his heart, he was frantically thinking about how to shake off this persistent pest.

Damn it, so annoying!

Goodwin ran frantically, and Gary Payton followed closely behind, not giving Goodwin a chance to leave his side. The two chased each other, neither willing to give an inch.

As time passed, the stamina of both sides began to decline, and sweat dripped continuously from their faces onto the floor.

This caused the sideline staff to immediately mop up the sweat on the floor whenever they had the chance.

Damn it!

Why can't I shake him off? Goodwin wished he could punch the relentless Gary Payton and KO him with one blow.

And so, for the remainder of the second quarter, the two were like peripheral figures, not participating in any team offense or defense for the entire time.

"Beep." The whistle for the second quarter sounded, and the first half ended.

45:58.

The Boston Celtics trailed by 13 points.

Goodwin wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked toward the player tunnel.

On the other side, Gary Payton walked toward the player tunnel with heavy steps; his stamina had already hit the red zone.

This season, Gary Payton's average playing time is only 33 minutes, the lowest in the last 10 years. His job this season is to be responsible for playmaking and some scoring; as for defense, it's not his turn at all.

Because the Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant is always responsible for the opponent's ace.

But the current situation made him very uncomfortable. If it were physical confrontation, he would have no problem at all, but clearly, that wasn't the case—it was frantic running.

For the aging veteran, this frantic running was a bit too much to handle.

It was only the first half, yet he felt as if his legs were tied with dozens of pounds of sandbags, making every step difficult.

FUCK, Gary Payton wished he were 2-3 years younger.

Time passed quietly. Now that things had come to this, Gary Payton silently cheered himself on: Keep going, Gary, how could you possibly lose to a rookie!

On the other side, Goodwin returned to the locker room, sat down, and covered himself with a towel, remaining motionless.

The other teammates saw this and didn't come over to disturb him.

Until Doc Rivers walked in.

Doc Rivers walked straight toward Goodwin and asked, "Goodwin, can you still run in the second half?"

Hearing the coach's voice, Goodwin immediately pulled away his towel, looked up at Doc Rivers, and replied decisively, "I can!" Even if I run until I have absolutely no strength left, I won't collapse.

"Very good, you keep running in the second half until you wear Gary Payton out."

Goodwin:??

Goodwin looked at Doc Rivers, full of confusion.

Doc Rivers reminded him, "Haven't you noticed? Gary Payton's stamina has reached its limit; as long as you push yourself in the second half, you can finish him off."

Stamina reached its limit?

In an instant, a smile appeared on Goodwin's face. Damn, why didn't I think of that?

If I, the one attacking, am running this tired, then Gary Payton, who is chasing me, must be even more exhausted, especially since he's nearly 36 years old.

"No problem, Coach, I will definitely complete the mission." Goodwin "whooshed" up from his chair and responded loudly.

His voice was so booming that it gave his other teammates a huge fright.

Startled, Paul Pierce walked straight over and kicked Goodwin, "Goodwin, please, can you keep it down next time?"

Goodwin completely ignored Paul Pierce, instead wearing a smile while his mind spun wildly.

Old man Gary, I'm going to run you into the ground.