The Celtics' training facility echoed with the dull, relentless thud of barbell plates striking each other in the weight room.
Next to the tactical whiteboard near the north wall, there is a two-meter square display panel with an aluminum alloy frame.
Above are four tables updated in real time by the physical training coaching team using red and black markers: Specialized Training, Functional Training, Physical Training, and Seasonal Fatigue Recovery Monitoring.
At the very top of this comprehensive ranking, which players jokingly refer to as the "self-torture index," two names are prominently displayed after the dust has settled on the 82-game regular season.
First place: Ben Wallace / Kevin Garnett.
For the past two or three seasons, the top spot on this list has never been a contest. Garnett's almost self-destructive training fanaticism was baffling to the entire league's beat reporters. But this year, Big Ben broke the monopoly. The two have alternated leading the list four times since the All-Star Weekend, hinting at a subtle rivalry.
But after the final game of the regular season, the calculated result was a tie.
This neck-and-neck progress on the training frequency leaderboard perfectly reflects the complementarity and evolution of the two players on the court.
Last summer, Gary Payton's departure and return to Seattle forced the Celtics to rebuild their established offensive system. Rick Carlisle capitalized on this, directly elevating Kevin Garnett to the role of the high-post playmaker. On offense, Garnett shouldered a heavy burden of ball handling, needing to deal with double teams, distribute the ball from the top of the key, and deliver tough plays with turnaround jumpers in half-court situations. He delivered a phenomenal performance, averaging 25.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
Garnett was able to take on these tasks entirely because Ben Wallace shouldered the toughest and most tiring work on the defensive end.
Under Chip Engelland's tutelage, Big Ben Wallace's free throw percentage has gradually improved to 69%. While the increase isn't huge, it seems to be nearing his limit. This number may seem insignificant, but for a rough-around-the-edges center who was previously a prime target for the "Hack-a-Ben" strategy, it represents a qualitative leap in tactics. Furthermore, Big Ben has even developed a somewhat stiff, inconsistent mid-range free throw, and even making just one in a game is enough to make opponents who try to completely leave him open pay the price.
Following the two key inside players are two surprising names.
Third place: Dwyane Wade.
Fourth place: Tyson Chandler Chandler.
At this moment, on the yoga mat in the center of the venue, Tyson Chandler Chandler is focused on performing a set of cat-cow yoga poses to stretch his spine.
It might look a bit comical for a seven-foot-tall man to practice yoga, but Chandler takes it very seriously. With the intervention of the Boston medical team, Chandler's training focus this season has been entirely on improving his back muscles, preventing potential spinal injuries, and steadily increasing his core strength. In addition to continuing to refine his footwork on the defensive end, he has begun to consistently make his 15-foot mid-range shot in practice.
Next to Chandler, Dwyane Wade, who ranks third on the fitness leaderboard, is shirtless and standing on one leg on an unstable balance mat.
His right knee was encased in a special sensor-activated brace, and he held an eight-pound solid medicine ball in both hands. Under the command of strength and conditioning expert Mike Boyle, he slowly performed single-leg hip flexion and extension and cushioning of the fall.
"Keep your core steady! Your knees absolutely cannot buckle inward!" Boyle, holding a stopwatch, stared expressionlessly at Wade. "Pay attention to hip absorption upon landing, distribute the force from the quadriceps to the glutes and hamstrings... Eccentric contraction, hold for three seconds, then switch to the left foot."
As the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, Wade's regular season stats were actually quite restrained: averaging 21 minutes per game, contributing 10.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals.
He could have flown higher and made even more explosive breakthroughs. But in Lin Qi's plan, which was strictly enforced by Rick Carlisle and Boyle, the first priority was to change the mechanism of power generation and landing.
In this timeline, Wade didn't have his meniscus removed during his college years like in the original story. He possessed even more terrifying explosive power. However, his frequent, dramatic changes of direction and his penetrating style of play, which involved launching himself into the air, would eventually tear his intact meniscus apart with his own explosive power if he didn't use proper landing cushioning.
Therefore, Wade's playing time was strictly limited throughout the regular season. He spent most of his time in the training facility tediously working on his single-leg balance, hamstring eccentric contraction, and the stability of his lower limb small muscle groups.
"That's it." Boyle pressed the stopwatch.
Wade let out a long sigh of relief and stepped off the mat. The deep muscles in his right leg ached as if it were filled with lead. Although his stats weren't dazzling, Wade knew in his heart what kind of transformation he had undergone this season. On the court, Mark Jackson taught him step by step how to punish those skinny guards with his back to the basket in the low post. And in daily practice, Rod Strickland constantly honed his ability to stabilize the situation in a crowd of players driving at full speed and to seamlessly switch between playmaking and offense.
"Not bad, kid."
Garnett slung his hoodie over his shoulder, strolled over, and casually shoved Wade on the back of the head.
Several tens of minutes later, in the lounge area inside the New Garden.
On television, ESPN was giving the ultimate preview of the major awards for the regular season, with the most suspenseful topic of the night displayed in the center of the screen: the 2002-2003 season regular season MVP race.
Pierce was chewing on an energy bar, Big Ben was munching on a toothpick, and Billups was leisurely icing his knee. The team's core players were all sitting on the sofa, watching the veteran commentators in the studio argue heatedly.
"Without a doubt, this is a season of epic battles!" The bald host in the studio raised his voice. "In previous years, if the Los Angeles Lakers had achieved a terrifying 65-17 record, the MVP would definitely have come from within the Los Angeles Lakers. But the problem is, Jason Kidd dominated the fast breaks in the first three quarters, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal dominated the paint, and Michael Jordan repeatedly hit crucial shots in the fourth quarter! The votes in Los Angeles were split among their own superstars!"
"So, the real showdown is between San Antonio and Boston!" The special guest opposite pointed to the data chart that popped up on the screen.
On the left is Tim Duncan: 59 wins and 23 losses, averaging 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game.
On the right is Kevin Garnett: 62 wins and 20 losses, averaging 25.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.
" Tim Duncan is still the same player whose excellence is so typical that it's taken for granted," the guest said, raising his voice. "But in my opinion, Kevin Garnett has had an epic transformation this season! When Gary Payton left Boston, everyone thought the Celtics ' offense would stagnate. But Garnett took over the team! He not only filled the void on the playmaking end, averaging 7 assists per game, but also set a new career high in scoring!"
"Look at Boston's record, 62 wins! In NBA history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a forward who can simultaneously maximize their scoring, rebounding, assists, and defensive impact to this level. The MVP trophy deserves to be engraved with his name!"
In the locker room, Pierce finished the last bite of his energy bar, turned to Garnett who was sitting silently in the corner, and raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Did you hear that, Mr. MVP? You have a very good chance of winning this year."
Garnett stared at his promotional photo on the TV screen, his gaze seemingly piercing through the lounge, and suddenly asked as if he had remembered something.
"By the way, how long is Lin's suspension?"
"Less than four months," Pierce answered without hesitation, clearly remembering the date perfectly. "It was lifted in August."