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Chapter 507 - 218. Someone has to win_3

Chapter 507: 218. Someone has to win_3

With a weekly salary of $50,000 US dollars, if a decision is made to switch to head coach before July, the salary will be renegotiated.

The contract has been signed, and I’m locked in, so I’d better work hard!

At 7:30 the next morning, Carlisle, with panda eyes from a sleepless night, arrived at the gym and handed over the pre-game plan he had written overnight to Bickerstaff.

Randy Brown and junior Bickerstaff, the two assistant coaches, also submitted their pre-game plans, while Ingles submitted an analysis report on the shooting habits of the Spurs’ main scorers.

Bickerstaff first looked at his son’s pre-game plan and inwardly sighed that his unlucky son had not inherited his coaching talent. The plan, which he had started the night before, was now just okay to look at; using it would definitely result in a loss.

Randy Brown’s pre-game plan had good ideas, but was unrealistic; it was even worse than his son’s. He should stick to being a defensive assistant coach.

When he saw Carlisle’s pre-game plan, Bickerstaff’s eyes lit up. He went to the newly labeled consultant office and said to Carlisle, who was preparing for the strategy meeting over a cup of coffee, "Rick, as expected of you, you’ve come up with such a complete pre-game plan overnight! Even more thorough than my preparations!"

Inside, Carlisle was quite proud. Of course, this was the pre-game plan he had worked on all night, even making phone calls for help.

His teacher, over seventy years old, Bill Fitch had been woken by his call in the middle of the night.

He had also called Sloan, who cursed at him and was about to hang up, but when he heard it was to deal with the Spurs, immediately brewed a cup of tea and chatted with him for two hours.

Could the pre-game strategy, discussed by the past legend coach, the contemporary legendary coach, and himself, who believed he would be a legend in the future, be bad?

But Carlisle still humbly said, "There are still many imperfections in this plan, especially in the details..."

More than an hour later, at 9:30, the Bobcats’ pre-game meeting began.

Bickerstaff first did a pre-game pep talk to motivate the players, then he began to discuss the overall strategy for the finals.

Although he was full of praise for Carlisle’s pre-game plan, the strategy Bickerstaff was ready to employ was very different from the advice provided by Carlisle.

Carlisle wasn’t surprised by this; his coaching style was completely different from Bickerstaff’s. Bickerstaff wanted his pre-game plan definitely to serve as a reference, and even if he was to use it, it would only be the on-the-spot tactical adjustments and strategies targeting a particular player or opposing player that he had thought of.

But after listening to Bickerstaff’s strategy plan, Carlisle was still shocked!

Last night, while working overtime, Carlisle had criticized the old man more than once for his lack of vision and ambition. Already the top in the East, he had failed to consider playing in the finals, only focusing on the immediate opponent.

But now, Carlisle finally understood why Bickerstaff was able to pull off so many upsets.

His pre-game plan, discussed with the two veteran coaches the night before, was from the perspective of the underdog on how to win against the odds, focusing on how to improve one’s own weaknesses and to "steal" the championship.

On the other hand, Bickerstaff was totally different; his whole strategy was focused on capitalizing on his team’s strengths, the advantages... it was to win! To defeat the Spurs!

This bold spirit, which never even considered the possibility of losing, made Carlisle feel that his own pre-game plan was so petty.

Carlisle: Here I was thinking the old man lacked a strategic vision, but it turns out the real clown was me...

Preparing for battle, flying to San Antonio, resting for one night, and continuing to prepare...

To ensure the players could quietly prepare within the limited time, Jordan refused to let the players accept any pre-game interviews, which resulted in a fine from the league, but his attitude remained firm.

Even though this meant less media exposure and being attacked by the press, what would that exposure or criticism matter if, just if, they took home the championship?

Two days plus one morning of preparation time quickly passed, and on June 11th, 2007, at 8:40 p.m., Zhang Yang and his teammates arrived at the player’s tunnel of the ATT stadium.

The entry ceremony was about to begin, and the fans in the stands had already started to boo and curse at the visiting Bobcats’ players.

Zhang Yang looked up at the Spurs’ championship banners from ’99, ’03, and ’05 floating above the court.

The lights in the arena went out, the spotlight shone on the visitor’s team tunnel, and the DJ introduced the starting players of the Bobcats in a deep voice, with the booing from the fans intensifying in an instant.

Zhang Yang followed Felton, entering second, and the booing from the home fans, far from intimidating him, only made him more excited!

After the entry ceremony, Zhang Yang accepted a pre-game live interview from the Imperial Court station.

Zhang Weiping, who came to commentate on the game, joked, "Yangyang, getting an interview with you is not easy."

Zhang Yang cursed silently, "Your entire family is ’duan wang’," but he still kept a smile on his face, considering the esteemed former top player of the Chinese national basketball also shared the surname Zhang, showing a bit more affection wasn’t an issue.

He replied, "Refusing interviews is also for the sake of better preparation. We only had two days to prepare after the Eastern Conference finals, and we didn’t want to be distracted by interviews."

Zhang Weiping laughed, "I can understand that, but it’s rare for a young player like you to be patient enough not to accept interviews or appear in the news... However, fans in our country really want to know more about you and your team. This is truly the first time a Chinese player has gotten this close to the championship. Can you share your thoughts on reaching the NBA Finals? Do you have confidence in facing such a strong opponent?"

The question was surprising to Zhang Yang.

He was reluctant to accept domestic interviews during the playoffs because he had seen how Yao Ming, just for making the playoffs, even without being a top-four in the West, was hyped up by the domestic media like he was going to win the championship. From Yao’s perspective, it felt like he could dig out a mansion as big as Jordan’s from underneath his toes.

After the Eastern Conference finals ended, the Bobcats’ performance was praised for one day, but by yesterday, when the media and fans started discussing the NBA Finals, there wasn’t much optimism for the Bobcats.

Even those who supported them felt like they had no chance against the Spurs. This lack of confidence was even deeper than after they lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Pistons!

That’s why he fully supported Owner Jordan’s decision to decline interviews. With such public opinion, the media questions were bound to be sharper, and while he was okay with it, being thick-skinned and unfazed, he worried it might affect his teammates.

But he never expected the domestic media to ask questions so tactfully now!

It seemed like the Houston house collapse incident served as a good wake-up call for the domestic media.

Feeling a touch sentimental, Zhang Yang spoke into the camera, "Reaching the NBA Finals has exceeded our expectations from when the playoffs started, which was far beyond what we expected at the start of the season. It’s all so incredible to me right now. I feel proud of my teammates. For the finals, we’re prepared to fight well match by match, and as for our goal...

Someone has to win, so why can’t it be us?"