hotmtlnovel Chapter 301 Brown, who remained silent, dreamed of life as Bird!
Chapter 301 Brown, who remained silent, dreamed of life as Bird!
Chapter 301 Brown, who remained silent, dreamed of life, while Bird!
After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian passed the ball to Webber near the free-throw line, and then drove towards the basket.
The 76ers' defense immediately became tense. Hill, who was guarding Webber, and Snow, who was guarding Lin Tian, both rushed into the paint to try to block Lin Tian's movement, which directly left Webber out.
Although McGee quickly filled in and prevented Webber from easily taking mid-range shots, Carter on the other side was also completely left out.
Webber made a no-look pass to Carter at the left 45-degree angle. Carter faked a shot, and Snow, who had just been chasing Lin Tian, ran towards Carter. However, Snow forgot to tell Hill about the defense, which allowed Hill to leave Lin Tian and run to the free-throw line to defend Webber.
As a result, Lin Tian, who had won the scoring title, was second in scoring average in the regular season, and had scored 40 points in three consecutive games in this series, was completely left wide open under the basket by the 76ers.
Carter slammed the ball in with one hand, sending it flying like a bomb into the paint. Lin Tian, holding the ball under the basket, didn't even bother to jump; he simply stood still and easily slotted the ball in with a layup, like an elementary school student.
"Where is everyone?" Lin Tian asked, spreading his hands after scoring. "Your strategy isn't to completely ignore me, let me score freely, and then exhaust me on the court, is it? You need to give me at least some competition! If you just leave me like this under the basket, I could play from now until 2 a.m. and not break a sweat!"
Iverson had clearly made up his mind tonight. He completely ignored Lin Tian's trash talk and asked for the baseline ball again, dribbling it forward.
After another fierce battle with Lin Tian, Iverson suddenly stopped and stepped back outside the three-point line, and pulled up for a three-pointer that seemed completely out of the ordinary!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Iverson hit a three-pointer!
"Come on, Lin! Come on! Let me show you my determination! We'll definitely win tonight!" After scoring, Iverson fiercely responded to Lin Tian.
"Are you sick?" Lin Tian took the ball from the baseline, rolled his eyes at Iverson, and said, "You pretend to be deaf and dumb when I'm talking, but you'll regain your ability to speak after you score a goal."
"Shameless!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he took advantage of the moment when Iverson was close to him and Snow didn't have time to switch defenses, and stuck his butt out and smacked Iverson.
"That'll teach you to play dumb!"
"Bang!"
"That'll teach you to pretend you're deaf!"
"Bang!"
"Stop pretending to be aloof and silent!"
"Bang!"
After several impacts, Iverson felt like he was about to fall apart, while Lin Tian cursed and cheered, having a great time.
He kept spraying and pushing all the way to the 76ers' three-point line, where Snow quickly ran over to double-team Lin Tian.
But as soon as he came over, Lin Tian passed the ball out, and he quickly turned around to defend against Christie who was receiving the ball.
Then Lin Tian continued to block Iverson and demand the ball, and Christie passed the ball to Lin Tian.
"Bang!"
"That'll teach you to shut up!"
After another clash, Snow ran over again, and Lin Tian passed the ball to Christie, who then bent over and asked for the ball again.
"Hey, come here, Allen doesn't want to talk, so I'll help him out. I'll help him burst his lungs and see if he still talks."
At this moment, Iverson wanted to curse. He wanted to tell Snow: You fucking stop coming to help defend!
Every time you come here, I'll get hit at least twice more!
Can't you tell that Lin Tian, that bastard, did it on purpose?
During the 24-second offensive possession, Iverson took at least 10 hits from Lin Tian, and he felt like his ribs were about to break.
Then, with only 3 seconds left on the shot clock, Lin Tian got the ball again. Just as Iverson was gathering his strength and preparing to shoot at Lin Tian again, Lin Tian suddenly flipped over Iverson, took a step forward, and quickly shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's mid-range shot went in again!
"Allen, where are you?" Lin Tian said to Iverson after scoring. "Give me some physicality! You can't keep going like this!"
"FUXX!"
Iverson finally snapped. He wanted to yell, "You want to fight, huh?! Come on! Fight me! The ball!"
Iverson dribbled towards the baseline again and then ran towards Lin Tian. This time, when he broke through, the range and angle of his elbow swing were unconsciously much larger.
He's going to teach Lin Tian a lesson!
Then, just as Iverson's elbow was about to touch Lin Tian, Lin Tian suddenly seemed to be attacked by some unknown dark force, and he fell backward onto the floor with a "whoosh"!
"Allen Iverson! Offensive foul!"
The referee quickly blew his whistle. Even though this was the 76ers' home court, and even though the referee could tell without a doubt that Lin Tian's backward roll and slide all the way from the three-point line to the center circle was 100% a flop, he still had to blow the whistle.
There was nothing he could do; even with Lin Tian down on the ground, Iverson's elbow was still sticking up so high and so obviously.
I can't help but brag about it!
An offensive foul that's obvious to everyone!
This is the NBA, and there will be some biased calls, home-court advantage, and even favoritism. But this is the NBA, not some other league where referees can just blatantly call fouls in the Finals, to the point that home fans can't stand it anymore and turn against the team, shouting "biased calls!" or even call fouls that allow the away team to forfeit the game, with home fans cheering and saying "Good job, you forfeited!"
Our NBA has its bottom line!
For the remainder of the first quarter, the 76ers were basically being dominated by the Pacers!
Whenever Iverson gets the ball, he's almost always double-teamed. If he drives to the basket, he'll most likely be triple-teamed!
As for the 76ers' lineup on the court, the only players who are left open are Snow and Hill. How should I put it?
They're all the type who tremble when they're nervous, and might even fall over the bridge if they try to shoot a layup.
Expecting them to consistently make open shots is asking the impossible!
As for Brown, the stubborn old man just sat there with his arms crossed, motionless, as if he had bought a VIP ticket tonight. Whether it was a timeout or during the game, Brown remained motionless, sitting there as immovable as a mountain!
Like Xu Shu who joined Cao Cao's camp, he made up his mind and remained silent.
But Brown's actions also served as a declaration to the world: our team has problems, there's infighting, I'm laying my cards on the table, I'm not coaching anymore!
At the end of the first quarter, the Pacers had only scored 27 points because they played slowly and without rushing. Although this was higher than the league average, it was clearly below their own average.
As for the 76ers, with Iverson struggling under double-team defense and the rest of the team failing to step up, they only managed 18 points in the first quarter!
Although they weren't down by 10 points, it was clear to everyone that the 76ers were being completely dominated!
They were only down by 9 points because, firstly, the Pacers really didn't play fast breaks tonight, but instead focused on grinding out the game in half-court sets; secondly, Iverson and McGee made some incredible, difficult shots, helping the team stay close in the score.
"The 76ers are finished!" Barkley bluntly stated during the first quarter break. "The 76ers, who had just risen to prominence and finally made the playoffs twice, are finished! As a former Philadelphia player, I feel this way..."
"You must be thrilled," Kenny rolled his eyes, interrupting Barkley's monologue.
Everyone in the league knows that Barkley left the 76ers because he had a complete falling out with the Philadelphia fans and media. Everyone knows that the Philadelphia fans disliked Barkley for not controlling his weight, and that he came back as fat as a pig every offseason. The Philadelphia media also took every opportunity to criticize him, saying that he was not ambitious or hardworking and was the biggest obstacle to the team's failure to win a championship.
What caused the relationship between the two sides to completely collapse and even fall out was when a Philadelphia reporter with MVP voting rights publicly stated that he would not vote for Barkley for MVP because he was not worthy.
This move thoroughly enraged Barkley and directly led to his departure to Phoenix.
As for Barkley's decision to learn from his mistakes after arriving in Phoenix, his intense offseason training, and his best season of his career, leading the team to the NBA Finals, that's another story.
But in short, what feelings does Barkley have for Philadelphia? It's heartbreaking that the newly emerging 76ers are facing another crisis.
What a load of rubbish!
To say he was gloating, sarcastic, and pretentious?
Everyone believes it!
Barkley, who was rebuffed by Kenny, wasn't embarrassed at all. He shamelessly laughed and said, "I still love Philadelphia! This is my home."
"It's just the kind of home filled with violence, shootings, drugs, alcoholism, domestic violence, and all sorts of crimes."
"Cough cough cough!" Kenny coughed violently upon hearing Barkley's words.
Although the two bicker on the show every day, after working together for so long, they are still very compatible and have long been friends who can talk about anything. Kenny knew that he was saved by Barkley!
We can't let him continue. If he does, Barkley will definitely get complaints, and in more serious cases, he might even be fired by TNT.
The worst possible outcome was that Barkley was walking down the street when several people with slingshots beat him up, and he died a tragic death.
After all, as Barkley said, who doesn't know that Philadelphia has one of the highest crime rates, shooting rates, and other serious crimes in the country? It has many other things to offer, but most notably, crazy people, gangsters, drug addicts, and all kinds of weapons.
Offending the people here could very well mean you actually die on the street.
Barkley clearly understood Kenny's meaning, and he put away his usual roguish demeanor, quickly chuckled, and started talking about the Pacers' upcoming playing style and strategies.
During the break, Brown still stood with his arms crossed, looking like he was watching what kind of mess the team was going to make, showing no intention of helping the team or devising any tactics.
Seeing Brown's attitude, Iverson didn't plead with him. Instead, he said directly, "Eric, you go to the bench and rest. What we need more right now is firepower! So in the second quarter, it'll be me, Aaron, Tony, George, and Theo—all five of us—on the court!"
The lineup that Iverson has put up to replace Brown seems to be the best solution to the 76ers' current predicament.
Although Snow was removed from the court, McGee and Kukoc still had two passing options. As for Lynch, although he didn't have much dribbling or individual offensive ability, and his passing and playmaking abilities were basically negligible, he was the 76ers' most accurate three-point shooter and the only player on the 76ers with a 40% three-point shooting percentage.
However, while his three-point shooting is of good quality, his quantity is truly lacking, averaging only 0.5 attempts and making 0.2 per game...
His performance was really not commendable, which is why Iverson didn't consider Lynch when he was setting up the starting lineup.
If you're accurate but don't shoot, it's practically the same as being inaccurate. But now, the 76ers clearly have no other choice.
With Snow completely left open, Iverson, Kukoc, and McGee all need some space!
In short, Iverson brought out the best lineup he could think of for the current situation!
As for whether it will succeed, we'll only know after we fight it!
The second quarter continues!
For the Pacers, Lin Tian and Carter went to the bench to rest, while Webber led Miller, Buckner, Mullin, and Davis on the court to play during this period of transition between the starters and substitutes!
At the start of the second quarter, without Lin Tian's interference, Iverson was like a fish swimming into the sea, or a parched land receiving rain. He immediately made a strong drive past Buckner and drove to the basket, challenging Davis for a layup!
Although Webber quickly responded with a basket inside, Iverson clearly knew that the time Lin Tian was away was their best chance to catch up! If they couldn't close the gap in these few minutes, then there was no point in playing this game!
So, the 76ers went all out!
Iverson took the lead with the ball and charged ahead without stopping. He was as fast as lightning and rushed into the heart of the Pacers' territory in the blink of an eye, clearly aiming to catch the Pacers off guard!
At this moment, only Buckner and Miller were able to get back on defense in time for the Pacers' interior defense. The rest of the players failed to get to their positions. However, Iverson did not attack the basket directly when facing two perimeter defenders. Instead, he passed the ball to Lynch, who had run to the 45-degree angle!
"Shoot! Don't fucking hesitate!" After passing the ball, Iverson saw that Lin Qi was still hesitating whether to shoot or pass, so he shouted angrily, which startled Lin Qi. He quickly glanced at the ball and then shot!
"Whoosh!"
Lynch wasn't at his best rhythm on that shot, but he was lucky!
With Lynch's three-pointer as a foundation, the 76ers' offense became even more intense. Iverson kept driving to the basket, while the others waited to receive the ball and shoot from beyond the three-point line or in the mid-range. Even if there was no immediate shooting opportunity after receiving the ball, Iverson would use his energy and passion to quickly run out and receive the ball again, looking for another opportunity!
"The 76ers have been playing really well lately!" Barkley couldn't help but exclaim. "They're starting to close the gap!"
"The reason we've been able to play well lately is actually just one thing," Kenny analyzed. "Iverson has been completely unleashed! It's not just because Lin is out, and no one can keep up with his speed, but also because no one on the 76ers' team can limit his firepower!"
"Iverson no longer forces himself to play off-ball, nor does he insist on attacking the basket. Now, Iverson's style of play, simply put, is to play however he wants! He plays entirely according to his instincts and first instincts. To be honest, this style of play is prone to turnovers or consecutive missed shots because he really doesn't have much of a strategy or technique involved."
"It all comes down to one player's individual ability!"
"But this is Iverson after all!" Barkley agreed. "The best perimeter player in the entire league since Lin. His energy is absolutely beyond everyone's imagination. Perhaps, in this situation where the team, coach, and players are all at a loss, Iverson's instincts are the 76ers' only chance to break the deadlock!"
The game on the court continued, with Iverson unleashing his firepower and talent, and the 76ers finally showed some of the spirit they deserved!
Although the Pacers players performed well and were able to respond with points, the 76ers were still slowly narrowing the gap.
33: 29!
Four minutes and 30 seconds into the second quarter, the 76ers narrowed the gap to four points with a mid-range shot by McGee! They were only two baskets away from tying or even taking the lead.
At this point, Bird finally made a move.
"Lin, Vince, Rashard, the three of you go and replace Chris, Dell, and Buckner. The 76ers want to play instinctively, trying to use Iverson's drives and speed to open up the game. Well, let's give them a taste of their own medicine!"
"Lin, you know how to fight, right?"
"Of course!" Lin Tian, Carter, and Lewis got up together and walked onto the court during a dead ball situation.
"Here it comes! The Pacers have made a substitution! It's a big man and four small men! It's their most effective offensive lineup! After grinding out the entire first quarter with half-court sets, the Pacers have changed tactics, but..." Barkley said, "Wow, they didn't put Christie in! Instead, they put in second-year player Rashard Lewis. What is Bird doing?"
Lewis quickly told Barkley why he had come up there!
In the first possession of the Pacers' offense, Lin Tian drove into the paint and drew a double team, so the 76ers naturally left Lewis, who was theoretically the least famous and least threatening player on the Pacers, to double team Lin Tian.
After Lin Tian got into position to double-team, he passed the ball without hesitation, directly to Lewis.
After receiving the ball, Lewis didn't hesitate and decisively took a three-point shot with his somewhat strange and awkward shooting form!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lewis scored his first kill less than 10 seconds after entering the game for the first time tonight!
Next, under Lin Tian's special attention, Iverson finally failed to score. His mid-range jump shot missed, and Lin Tian grabbed the rebound. In a rare move in this game, he abandoned the half-court offense and instead pushed forward at high speed. After driving all the way to the heart of the 76ers' territory, he suddenly made a no-look pass, passing the ball between his legs to behind him!
Behind him was Lewis, who was rapidly closing in but unguarded.
Lewis knew exactly what he was there for tonight and what his value was. After getting the ball, he didn't care that there wasn't a single Pacers player under the basket for the 76ers, and he drew his sword once again!
"Whoosh!"
Lewis scored twice in 30 seconds, netting 6 points in a row!
76人队花了几乎半节时间才将双方的分差从9分缩小到4分，但刘易斯只用了30秒，就把分差再次扩大到了10分！
Although Iverson finally managed to score 2 points again by taking advantage of a screen and the Pacers' weak defense, he didn't even have time to celebrate before the Pacers launched another counterattack!
This time, after Lin Tian drove all the way to the basket, he suddenly passed the ball with both hands towards Lewis on the left.
This time, the 76ers players dared not let Lewis shoot again and rushed towards his direction. But they had only moved their feet when they found that Lin Tian had already taken the ball back, and he took off and jumped up to smash the basket with one arm!
"You guys got lost again?" After scoring, Lin Tian looked at the 76ers players and said casually, "If you keep getting lost on the court, have you considered that maybe this sport isn't for you? If I were you, I'd switch to a sport where you don't get lost! How about Gomoku?"
After Lin Tian entered the game, the 76ers' situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and they were pulled away again.
Iverson couldn't help but glance at Brown sitting on the sidelines. He really hoped that Brown would shout something and give the team some direction.
But Brown was clearly determined, and remained silent with his arms crossed.
"What an old-fashioned, stubborn man, isn't he?" Lin Tian said to Iverson with a smile. "Why don't you come to Indiana? Our coach is very open-minded; I can even take him clubbing!"
"Shut up! And I said you're not allowed to insult Coach Brown!" Iverson knew Brown's temper, so he stopped thinking about it and received the ball from the baseline, starting his drive once again!
For the next few minutes of the second quarter, both sides played a fast-paced game with very similar tactics.
It's about the core point guard breaking through, either attacking himself or finding an open teammate to shoot!
Simply put, Lin Tian and Iverson went all out!
During this period, Iverson was actually in pretty good form. He made 2 of 5 field goals and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points and 2 assists, without a single turnover!
But the score was still widened to 15 points!
Because Lin Tian played better than him! Lin Tian, who was really on fire, made all four of his shots in those few minutes, scoring 9 points and also dishing out 3 assists, without a single turnover!
Seeing the gap between the two sides widening and his team already showing signs of strain, Iverson had no choice but to call a timeout on the court, hoping to give his teammates a breather.
When the 76ers players returned to the bench, everyone instinctively looked at Brown, waiting for him to speak.
But the old man remained silent!
At this moment, Iverson suddenly clapped his hands and said, "We've actually been playing very well lately! It's just that they were luckier; they made all their shots! Don't worry, don't be afraid! We can do it too!"
"From now on, as long as we make those open shots, we can catch up quickly, and we can turn the game around! Everyone remember, shoot confidently! If you miss, I'll take the blame! But if you're too scared to shoot, then get off the court, understand?"
"clear!"
The 76ers' morale and team spirit, which were on the verge of falling apart, were brought back together once again because of Iverson!
On the Pacers' side, Bird calmly said, "Alright, you've been running for so long, you should be tired by now. Rashad, come down and rest for a bit. Ben, you're in!"
"Next, let's continue with the pace of the first quarter, slow down the game, and teach the 76ers a lesson through patience, attention to detail, and physical play in half-court sets! Communicate well on defense, communicate more, and yell more! Don't leave your man open, don't rush to help on defense, pay attention to rotations, understand?"
Go!
After saying this, Bird waved his hand, signaling that everyone could go up and compete.
Once all five players were on the court and the rest of the team's attention was focused on the game, lead assistant coach Carlisle, who had just joined the team this season, couldn't help but say, "Larry, are you doing this on purpose? Intentionally making them play in ways they're not good at, instead of quickly building a lead and turning the game into garbage time?"
Bird gave Carlisle an approving look and nodded, saying, "This season, we've had it too easy! So easy that I'm starting to feel uneasy. They need some setbacks, some trials, so they can finish the rest of the games more steadily! And I don't want these trials and setbacks to come after we encounter truly strong opponents."
"I don't want the team to only have problems when facing the Heat, Lakers, or Trail Blazers, because that would leave us almost no time to adjust! I was really hoping the 76ers could give us some trouble like they did in the regular season!"
Carlisle said, "Because you're not afraid of them, and even if they cause you some difficulties, you're confident you can quickly deal with them, right?"
"That's right. No matter how the 76ers play, no matter how crazy they get, they're still a one-man team. Their only threat and variable is Iverson. Apart from Iverson, the rest of them are not worth mentioning! So no matter how crazy he gets, no matter how unexpected his games are, I'm absolutely confident I can contain him!"
"After all, what I do best is contain super geniuses who can score like crazy!" Bird couldn't help but boast, looking at Carlisle with a bit of anticipation.
Carlisle is getting it! He knows exactly what Bird wants to hear: "That's right! There's only one person in this league who can repeatedly shut down a crazy Michael Jordan, someone who can prevent Jordan from winning even a single series against him!"
comfortable!
Bird leaned back in his chair with a satisfied air, stretching his stiff back. He was increasingly convinced that bringing in Carlisle was the right decision! A tactical genius with exceptional emotional intelligence, he knew exactly what he wanted to hear!
Among the things Bird was most proud of in his life, one of them was sweeping Jordan's Bulls 3-0 twice during his playing career, and the Bulls had no chance to retaliate. The two teams only met twice!
Yes, the Pistons did beat Jordan three times, but what was the result? Didn't Jordan get his revenge? Who was it that got thrashed by Jordan in the Eastern Conference Finals?
Furthermore, since Jordan began his championship run in 1991, apart from the 1995 season when he was not healthy and had not regained his form, from 1991 to 1999, a full nine years, Jordan only lost one series.
Who will we lose to?
It's none other than me, Bird!
Carlisle's flattery made Bird feel very comfortable!
Even after his initial joy, Bird didn't forget to continue giving advice to Carlisle, his handpicked successor.
"Rick, do you know what other reasons I insist the team play a positional game, besides what we just mentioned—hoping the team can encounter some difficulties so they can develop the ability to cope with setbacks?
"Preparing to face the Heat and the Lakers?" Carlisle thought for a moment and said, "Both teams have an overwhelming advantage over us in the paint. Whether it's O'Neal, Malone, or Mourning, we'll have a hard time matching them. Facing these two teams definitely requires us to prepare well and get used to it in advance!"
"For example, we'll lose a lot of rebounds, our interior defense will completely collapse, and without rebounds, it'll be difficult for us to launch our favorite fast breaks! In those situations, half-court sets are essential! Even if it's just one game, even if the opponent is the 76ers who pose no threat to us, you still need to let them get used to the rhythm of half-court sets, right?"
"That's about right. I need to teach them patience; they can't be too hasty! They can't be hasty when they're in the lead, and they can't be hasty when they're behind!"
Bird looked at Lin Tian, who was advancing unhurriedly on the court, Webber, who was confidently setting screens for Lin Tian, and Carter, Ben Wallace, and others, who were diligently making runs, and couldn't help but say, "But maybe all of this is in vain."
"The 76ers are too weak. They can't put any pressure on us at all. Even Iverson has played very poorly for three games in a row. He improved tonight, but that's all. He really didn't play up to the level of the league's top offensive guard."
"Shouldn't Lin Yao be the league's number one backcourt scorer?" Carlisle asked with a smile.
"Who would use Lin Zhi as an attacker? Who would use Lin Zhi as an arrowhead? That would be such a waste!"
At this point, a very intense light shone in Bird's eyes.
"I'm going to develop Lin into the greatest point guard of all time! I'm going to make him beat West and kick Magic, so those Los Angeles bastards will be begging Lin to break fewer records and win fewer championships, to save them some face and not leave them too far behind!"
"Heh heh, if the Los Angeles fans want revenge, they'll need to develop a small forward who surpasses me! But unfortunately, there's no such person in this world! I'll be the best small forward until the day I die!"
"But Lin can definitely surpass that old lecher, that piece of trash, that fat bastard, and that idiot magician!"
"I hope that fatso will always look at me with that expression of wanting to kill me, but also full of envy and jealousy! Lin can definitely make that happen!"
While Bird and Carlisle were chatting, the first half of the game on the court had already ended. In the second half of the second quarter, the Pacers did not launch any more offensive attacks, and the score difference between the two sides remained at 15 points!
65: 50!
After the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Brown immediately got up like a slacker who had just heard the school bell ringing or a lazy employee who was about to clock out, and walked towards the player tunnel.
Without any communication or dialogue, the conflict between Brown and the 76ers players was laid bare!
...............
A few minutes later, in the 76ers' locker room, Allen Iverson, who had played the entire first half, was panting heavily and drinking energy drinks in large gulps. He was exhausted from the first half!
Allen Iverson scored 24 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds, shooting 8-for-19 from the field, 7-for-3 from the free-throw line, and 1-for-3 from three-point range. Although his efficiency wasn't particularly high, he gave it his all in the first half, giving it his all.
But the team was still down by 15 points, and the entire locker room was completely silent; the atmosphere was terrible!
At this point, the person who should have spoken didn't, and even if the others wanted to speak, they didn't have the right to.
Everyone was feeling very stressed; they didn't know what to do.
But everyone had the same idea at that moment.
This team is finished!
This newly formed team will definitely disband next season!
Just as everyone was suppressing their emotions and painfully killing time, Iverson finally stood up. Having regained a lot of strength, he didn't say anything, but walked straight to Brown's side, looked at the head coach he respected so much, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Coach, I apologize to you. My attitude and methods were wrong tonight. I did something impulsive and wrong. I am willing to apologize for it and pay the price for it. But I also want you to know that I still respect you and I still think you are the best coach I have ever had in my life."
"I just want to win, not to argue with you. Now, I need your help, everyone on the team needs your help, and I hope you can start coaching the team again."
After Iverson finished speaking, he bowed to Brown, which was extremely rare for him. This incredibly arrogant and competitive little guy took the initiative to back down.
Everyone in the 76ers' locker room breathed a sigh of relief!
They all knew that in situations like this, if just one person backed down, the problem would be easily resolved! The reason why the conflict between Iverson and Brown was so troublesome was precisely because both of them had incredibly stubborn tempers and were unwilling or unable to back down!
Now Iverson has taken the hardest first step. Next, as long as Brown takes the first step, everything will be perfect! Everything will be solved!
After what happened, the team might be even more united and harmonious next season. Look, Brown has stood up!
He had a smile on his face; he was going to accept Iverson's apology, and the two of them were going to let bygones be bygones... Bullshit!
The tension that everyone had just eased was suddenly jolted back into high spirits by Brown's next words.
"What do you take me for? A puppet? A pet? Or a damn homeless person? Do you think I'm the kind of person you can offend at will, and then come back after a useless apology when you need me? Allen, you really don't understand me at all!"
"I said I would announce my resignation after today's game! So I will not contribute even a single effort to this team anymore! I will not coach you anymore! The only reason I haven't left and am still here is out of my professional ethics; my ethics keep me here."
"But this doesn't mean there's any room for improvement in our relationship!"
"I'm very angry, and my anger won't be resolved with a few perfunctory apologies!"
"But Coach," Iverson said anxiously, "we need you now, the team needs you! Our fans need you! The whole of Philadelphia is waiting for you to save the world!"
"I know," Brown nodded. "But what does it have to do with me? I've already decided to resign. Philadelphia, the 76ers, you, and everyone else on the team—it's all none of my business anymore!"
"I told you, I will never coach an unmanageable guy like you again, and I will never get angry over you again! You're not worth it!"
After Brown finished speaking, as if he had said everything he needed to say that night, he crossed his arms, sat back down in his seat, closed his eyes, and didn't even glance at Iverson or the team he had led for two whole years!
Iverson nodded; he understood the old man's thoughts.
He took two quick deep breaths to calm himself down, then turned to his teammates and said, "In the second half, we'll rely on ourselves! We don't have a coach, but we can do it! We can win! We can take this game!"
"In the final 24 minutes, without a coach, without off-field guidance or support, we devised all the tactics ourselves!"
"The next 24 minutes might be the most chaotic and worst 24 minutes of our careers, but it could also be the most glorious and proudest 24 minutes of our careers!"
"Let's go! Let's fight!"
After Iverson finished speaking, he raised his head and walked out of the locker room.
Brown?
Fuck you!
I don't care anymore!
The fact that he didn't swear or physically assault Brown on the spot was the last bit of respect Iverson showed to that scoundrel!
(End of this chapter)