Auerbach Training Center, Field 2.
"Whoosh."
A three-pointer shot from the right 45-degree angle went in cleanly.
Gary Payton stood beyond the three-point line, one hand poised to shoot, his chest heaving and his breath coming in ragged gasps. Shooting coach Chip Engelland stood near the baseline, glanced down at his stopwatch, and ticked it off on the scoreboard. On the other side, Mark Price retrieved a basketball from the cart, flicked his wrist, and shoved it straight toward Gary Payton's chest.
Gary Payton receives the ball, dips his ankle and knee slightly to gain momentum, and uses the upward force from his lower body to raise his elbow and shoot.
The basketball bounced off the back of the rim, bounced twice, and then fell into the net.
"Five hundred shots done, Gary," Chip Engelland closed his notebook. "Good release point. Lower your jump height, and the power for the shot comes entirely from your lower body; you'll save a lot of energy."
Gary Payton didn't listen at all. He ripped the white towel off his neck and didn't even look at the basketball that Mark Price handed him again.
Gary Payton strode to the sidelines, raised his right foot, and kicked the plastic bucket full of ice to the ground with a bang. Ice cubes mixed with mineral water bottles rolled all over the floor, landing right at Lin Qi's feet as he walked in through the door.
Lin Qi stopped, bent down to pick up a water bottle from beside him and threw it into the recycling bin. He looked up and waved to Engelland and Mark Price: "Good job. You two go to Field One and keep an eye on Tyson Chandler ( Chandler ) and Mehmet ( Okur )."
The two shooting coaches exchanged a glance, then tactfully walked out of the side court and closed the door behind them.
"Lin, how long are you planning to let me rest?" Gary Payton ripped off his wristband and slammed it onto the folding chair, yelling at Lin Qi, " Ed Lasset signed my medical report three weeks ago! I'm perfectly healthy! You've got Chip making me shoot five hundred spot-up threes every day! What are you trying to do? Turn me into a role player like Raja Bell?"
Lin Qi walked to a bench by the side of the court and sat down, patting the empty seat next to him. Gary Payton, panting heavily, stood there with his hands on his hips, refusing to sit down.
" Gary, I traded Chauncey Billups Billups to bring you back to Boston in a sign-and-trade," Lin Qi said bluntly, his voice echoing in the empty secondary court. " Chauncey Billups is in the prime of his career; his performance in last season's NBA Finals and playoffs was better than most starting point guards in the league. The day the trade was made, the entire American sports media was criticizing me for being out of my mind, and fans were criticizing me for trading a NBA Finals for an injured veteran."
Gary Payton's expression changed, and he raised his chin. "Those reporters are blind! Even if I lose a leg, I'm still tougher than Chauncey Billups on both offense and defense!"
"Of course I know how tough you are," Lin Qi looked up at him. "If my goal is just to win one championship, keeping Chauncey Billups is more than enough. With the roster we had back then, we're even very confident of winning another championship trophy this year."
Gary Payton paused, his brow furrowing. "Then why are you still replacing him?"
"Because if we keep Chauncey Billups, we can only win one championship at most, not back-to-back," Lin Qi stood up, hands in his trouser pockets. " Chauncey Billups plays very steadily, but he needs to hold the ball for a long time to control the pace. As long as he's on the court as the starting point guard, plus Pierce and Garnett also need the ball, Dwyane will only be able to play off-ball shooting guard. Dwyane's pick-and-roll, his vision for passing on drives, and his creativity on the move will all be suppressed by Chauncey Billups. We might be able to fight for another championship with our old core, but what after that?"
Lin Qi took two steps forward and stood in front of Gary Payton: " Gary, do you remember that farewell dinner we had two years ago?"
Upon hearing the words "farewell dinner, "Gary Payton's facial muscles twitched violently, and his previously arrogant demeanor instantly vanished.
How could I forget? It was the day after they won their fourth consecutive championship. David Stern pressured Boston, using suspensions, forfeited draft picks, and hefty fines to force Lin Qi to dismantle the dynasty team that had swept the league, thus ending their chance to win a fifth consecutive championship.
"I traded Chauncey Billups for you, not to win a championship. I wanted to build a new dynasty, to win two, three, or even four in a row..."
Gary Payton clenched his teeth, his breathing becoming heavy.
"The only way to win back-to-back championships is to develop Dwyane into a dynasty-level ball-handling core," Lin Qi pointed to the training court number one across the wall. "During the four-peat era, Boston dominated the entire league thanks to their unparalleled defensive resources, coupled with your dynamic offense starting with high pick-and-rolls with Kevin. On defense, you would guard their key player, and on offense, you and Kevin would stretch the defense. You controlled the rhythm of the entire team."
Lin Qi then shifted his focus. "In the next era, Boston will be playing a completely new dynamic offense based on the Boston Pick-and-Roll and Wallace screen. Dwyane's historic first-step explosiveness and finishing ability around the basket are our strongest weapons to break down defenses. He must have the ball in his hands, he must reach the level you were on both ends of the court back then, and even be more aggressive than you were in penetrating and attacking."
Gary Payton understood the underlying meaning and a cold smile appeared on his lips, "After all this trouble, you still think I'm too old and want me to give up my starting position and become that kid's supporting player?"
Lin Qi met Gary Payton's gaze and stood still, not taking a single step back.
In another memory deep in Lin Qi's mind, when Gary Payton was playing alongside Shaq O'Neal in Miami at the end of his career, it was Gary Payton who took the initiative to approach the arrogant O'Neal and persuade the Big Shark to lower his pride and relinquish ball possession to fully support the young Wade, ultimately helping the Heat lift the championship trophy.
This old trash-talking jerk in front of me has top-notch basketball IQ and a great understanding of the game. To get Gary Payton to willingly step back, reasoning won't work; you have to pinpoint his weaknesses and ambitions.
"Who told you to be his supporting role? Gary, I want you to be his godfather, to continue your Gary Payton legend with the Boston Celtics," Lin Qi held up his right hand, making a four-pointed gesture in front of Gary Payton's face. "In the post-credits scene of Kingmaker Part 2, you were wearing four rings, giving the middle finger to the camera, and directly challenging Michael Jordan. What do you think Michael's reaction will be when the movie comes out next year?"