After leaving the locker room, Lin Qi did not return to his CEO office, but instead walked down the corridor and pushed open the door to the video analysis room.
There were no overhead lights in the room; only the huge tactical projection screen on the wall emitted a faint blue light.
Head coach Rick Carlisle had his back to the door, holding a printed document in his hand, his eyes fixed on the densely packed match schedule on the screen.
"We're Doc Rivers tomorrow night. Instead of figuring out how to deal with the Orlando Magic, what's our head coach doing hiding here watching?" Lin Qi pulled out a chair and sat down, his tone slightly sarcastic.
Rick Carlisle didn't turn around or reply immediately, but instead handed the document in his hand back to Lin Qi.
"The PR department is pressing for the final playoff roster," Rick Carlisle said. "League rules state that only 12 players can be active in the playoffs. Take a look; if it's okay, I'll have them submit it."
Lin Qi took the document and glanced at it in the dim light of the curtain.
Because Grant Hill is still in a long injury recovery period, and the team traded Doc Doug Christie for draft picks before the mid-season trade deadline but did not sign any replacements in free agency, the selection of this roster is not difficult. The key lies in the choices made for the fringe rotation players.
The list is clearly displayed.
[Starting Lineup]
Point Guard: Gary Payton
Shooting Guard: Bruce Bowen
Small Forward: Chris Paul Pierce
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Ben Wallace
[Regular rotation]
Point Guard: Chauncey Billups Billups
Shooting Guard: Michael Redd
Swingman: Ron Artest
Power Forward: Rasheed Wallace
Center: Brad Miller
[Functional substitute]
Combination Guard: Ron Harper
Inside player: Wang Zhizhi
Lin Qi's gaze fell on the last line. "So, you've decided to have Hedo ( Türkoğlu ) wear a suit?"
"Yes, put Hedo on the inactive list." Rick Carlisle turned and sat down in a chair, his tone revealing the typical coach's coldness and pragmatism. " Hedo is a good prospect, with good passing vision. But his core strength right now is insufficient to execute technical moves against playoff-level defense. He needs to work out more in the weight room this summer."
Lin Qi nodded. This was an extremely rational judgment.
"Furthermore, you left Wang Zhizhi on the activation list." Lin Qi pointed to the end of the document and smiled slightly.
"He has his tactical role, especially his outside shooting which can create space. I'll put him on the court against certain heavyweight centers." Rick Carlisle put away the roster and then picked up the remote control on the table.
"As for your question about why we didn't watch the Orlando Magic's game footage..." Rick Carlisle pressed a button on the remote, and the complete NBA playoff bracket for this year appeared on the screen.
"To beat an eighth-seeded team in the Eastern Conference without a clear dominant force, our defensive strategies from the regular season are sufficient. If I still need to stay up all night trying to find a solution for the Orlando Magic, then I, as the head coach, should resign." Rick Carlisle's tone was very calm, but this confidence was built on absolute strength. "No one in the Eastern Conference can beat us in a series. I'm speculating here now."
Rick Carlisle used a red laser pointer to circle half of the map on the right side of the screen— the Western Conference.
"The overall competitive environment in the Western Conference this year is extremely tough." Rick Carlisle walked to the screen, the laser pointer landing on the name ranked first.
" The San Antonio Spurs, 58 wins and 24 losses, are first in the Western Conference. Their Twin Towers and Popovich's defensive system make their half-court defense truly outstanding. However, their roster flaws are obvious. In the playoffs, with their targeted defenses, once their interior defense is contained, they lack a ball-handling core on the perimeter capable of breaking down defenses and handling crucial plays. Relying solely on Tim Duncan's low-post isolation plays isn't enough to defeat top teams."
The laser pointer moved downwards and landed on the Kings ' name.
" The Sacramento Kings, 55 wins and 27 losses, third in the Western Conference. Adelman's Princeton offense is extremely well-integrated; their ball movement, spacing, and cutting are the best in the entire league, bar none."
"If it's just about tactical execution and offensive talent, they definitely have the ability to reach the Western Conference Finals. But..."
" The Princeton offense is like a precision clock, highly dependent on the movement and passing of every component. But when the playoffs go to a Game 7, when the defensive intensity pushes everyone's stamina to the limit, and every touch of the ball feels like a grueling ordeal, even the most precise gears will break down."
" Chris Webber is a great player, but he becomes a different person in crucial moments. They can push their opponents to the brink, but in the final two minutes, when someone really needs to step up, they're always just a hair's breadth away. Look at the series Webber lost; in the last two minutes, his true shooting percentage was less than 40%."
"As for the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks..." Rick Carlisle continued, " The Utah Jazz's core roster is aging significantly, and their stamina simply can't withstand the high-intensity demands of the first two rounds in the Western Conference; the Mavericks ' system is still immature, and Nowitzki isn't decisive enough when facing playoff-level double teams."
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair and nodded slightly.
"So," Lin Qi said, crossing his arms in front of him, "Who do you think will break through the chaos in the Western Conference?"
Rick Carlisle was silent for a few seconds.
Instead of answering directly, he pressed the remote control.