"We just can't stop them." Chen Yilun rubbed his hands nervously..
Although the score was still close, anyone with some basketball sense could see it—the tempo of the game was slowly falling into the Rockets' hands.
The Kings worked hard to drag the Rockets into a half-court battle, but Harden kept breaking through. Under his deliberate control, the pace only got faster and faster.
"Substitution!" Malone glanced at the clock—it was already midway through the second quarter.
The Rockets led 38–30.
With Harden constantly targeting them, the Kings' starters were drained, far behind the Rockets in stamina. Malone had no choice but to make an early substitution.
Casspi and LaVine came in for CJ and Cousins.
Seeing two of the Kings' main players head to the bench, the Rockets' fans roared in celebration. To them, victory already seemed secure.
"In the next possession, go one-on-one with Harden. Don't worry about scoring—just wear him out."
As Coach Malone explained the tactic to LaVine, Chen Yilun nearly spit out his drink.
Wait, that tactic sounds familiar! Where have I seen that before?
He suddenly thought of something funny, lowered his head, and tried not to laugh. That would've been rude!
Once on the court, LaVine immediately signaled for the others to spread out so he could go iso.
At the start of the season, LaVine had wanted to mold himself into a 3-and-D player. But after a full season of Chen Yilun and Malone taking turns "CPU controlling" him, he had developed the confidence to create his own offense.
Seriously, if you stick to just being a 3-and-D guy, who's going to pay to watch you?
"Spread out, spread out!"
LaVine directed his teammates, then drove hard after a quick crossover.
Harden stepped back half a step, waiting to see what LaVine would do next.
But LaVine, young and reckless, charged straight inside like a bulldozer.
Beep!
The referee's whistle blew.
Howard helplessly raised his right hand.
Harden had once again defended lazily, leaving Howard to rotate late. But with LaVine already at full speed, fouling was his only option.
"At least try to defend! You just stood there staring and let him go right by!" Howard snapped at Harden.
This was still Nightclub Harden. His defense wasn't terrible—about league average—but the fatal flaw was his lack of effort. He was the definition of lazy defense.
From the sideline, McHale immediately spotted Malone's tactical intent and adjusted, assigning Ariza, their defensive stopper, to take LaVine head-on.
"We still don't have enough ball-handlers."
Chen Yilun shook his head at the scene.
The Kings' roster just wasn't on the same level. Both teams were built around offense, but the Rockets' firepower was a whole tier higher.
By halftime, the Rockets led 55–46.
In the locker room, the Kings' mood was heavy. They were in trouble, and no one had a real answer.
Even Malone looked helpless. The playoffs were a different world from the regular season—what worked in one often collapsed in the other.
"How about we go full Moreyball? Whether we win or not will just depend on our shooting touch."
Chen Yilun leaned over and whispered.
"That's all we can do." Malone frowned deeply, then called everyone together to go over the new plan.
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
"Oh? Coach Malone is putting CJ and LaVine on the floor together!"
The sharp-eyed commentator quickly noticed the adjustment.
Normally, CJ and LaVine were staggered. If both ball-handlers played at the same time and the game dragged on, they'd burn out quickly. Once their energy was gone, the Kings would be like fish on a chopping board.
So, was Malone trying to settle the game in the third quarter?
McHale gave him a meaningful look, then turned and whispered to Harden. "Push the tempo. Have Terry and the others wear down their perimeter guys as much as possible."
With the whistle, the third quarter began.
On the sideline, Chen Yilun suddenly had an idea.
It had been a while since he used his boost card—time to activate it!
"Run!"
Jokić battled Howard for the rebound, grabbed it, and handed it directly to CJ.
The moment CJ caught it, LaVine, Casspi, and Gay all sprinted down the floor.
CJ raced past half court, launched a quarterback-style pass, and hit Gay in the lane. Gay faked Terry out of position and finished an easy layup.
The Rockets immediately felt the power of the boost card.
"What did they do at halftime? How are they hitting everything?"
Harden, breathing heavily, watched Gay drain another three. Suddenly, the Kings were on fire from deep, throwing the Rockets completely off rhythm.
Frustrated, Harden's defensive intensity finally picked up.
I'm just lazy, not someone who doesn't want to win!
Fueled by that thought, Harden launched into a shootout against the Kings.
The third quarter ended with the Rockets barely ahead, 76–75.
"Hold on, just keep this touch going! We've got a chance to steal this road game!" Malone shouted hoarsely.
But Chen Yilun's face was grim. He stayed quiet.
The boost only lasted 20 minutes. Even with the Kings' fast pace saving them some time, with all the stoppages and free throws, it would expire barely two minutes into the fourth.
Sure enough, just over two minutes later, the Kings' shooting went ice cold.
The Rockets immediately seized the moment and buried them with a decisive run.
"The gap's still too wide."
That night at the staff dinner, Malone stayed gloomy the whole time. Only at the end did he finally mutter, "Don't be sad. Seventh seed against the second. We fought until the very end—you did your best."
Chen Yilun gulped down a mouthful of beer before answering. "Don't let it get to you. Tonight's food was so dry I nearly choked just trying to swallow."
"Besides, don't be too discouraged. It's only Game 1. Go home, regroup, and get ready for Game 2."
But the miracle never came.
The Kings lost both road games. Back in Sacramento, they barely managed to take one, only to drop the next two and bow out of the playoffs.
The young Kings were given a harsh lesson in reality.
It's the trial every great team must endure.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser