Chapter 399: Battle for the Throne (2)
“What do you mean?”
Davis looked up in confusion after hearing James’s words.
“Everyone used to think the Kings’ greatest strength was their seemingly endless bench depth,” James said.
“But now that Butler is injured, a very obvious problem has been exposed.”
He spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.
“That problem is this: among all those young players who look talented on paper, there still isn’t anyone who can truly stand on their own and carry the team.”
“Sure, Jokić and Booker are performing the best right now, but you saw today’s game. Even though the outside world labels them as All-Star–level players, in reality, they’re still just supporting pieces around Durant.”
“And the Kings’ bench isn’t as terrifying as we thought, either. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been forced to send that old guy Gay out there just to steady the ship.”
As James spoke, Davis’s eyes gradually lit up.
“That actually makes a lot of sense!”
Davis stood up and paced back and forth in the locker room, clearly energized.
“So the Kings aren’t nearly as hard to deal with as we thought! There’s a chance—a real chance!”
Watching his teammates regain their confidence, James showed little expression.
Deep down, he knew very well that even without Butler, the Kings were still stronger than the Lakers overall.
He was saying all this simply to fire his teammates back up. If their morale collapsed completely, there wouldn’t even be a chance to turn things around later.
...
“You really carried us today.”
In the Kings’ locker room, Malone spoke with a smile.
“At moments like this, it’s always the veterans you can rely on. Otherwise, tonight would’ve been dangerous.”
“It was nothing.”
Gay sat sprawled on a chair, waving his hand dismissively.
“But today’s game should be a wake-up call for us,” Malone continued, his tone shifting.
“Gay could step in and cover for the team today, but look at his age. He can’t keep playing like this every game. The real key to this series still lies with you young guys.”
Malone’s sharp gaze swept over Anunoby and the others.
“I know this puts a lot of pressure on you, but if you think about it another way, this is also your best opportunity.”
“The league is ruthless. Every year, younger and more talented players come in. One slip-up, and you’re gone.”
“This is your chance to show yourselves. If you deliver results, contract extensions will be a done deal—right, Chen?”
As he spoke, Malone kept shooting looks at Chen Yilun, but Chen Yilun had been quietly playing on his phone since walking in and hadn’t noticed him at all.
“Huh? Oh—right, right!”
Only after hearing his name did Chen Yilun snap back to reality and put his phone away.
“Absolutely. Take Murray, Siakam—if I remember right, you kids are all in your third year of your rookie contracts, yeah? Perform well, and early extensions are already prepared, just waiting for you to sign.”
“As for how much money—that depends entirely on how you play.”
That combination of carrot and stick left the young players completely worked over.
...
“Still not decisive enough.”
After the meeting broke up, Rose frowned as he spoke to Murray, who had come up to him.
“I won’t even talk about your issues—you were just plain awful.”
Rose then turned toward Alexander, who had his head lowered.
“Did everything I taught you go straight down the drain? You couldn’t even handle the ball out there—James stripped you clean twice!”
“I was nervous!”
Alexander finally worked up the courage to explain.
“Western Conference Finals, seven or eight All-Stars on the floor between both teams. My legs were shaking the moment I checked in!”
Hearing this, Rose let out a long sigh and shook his head.
“Throwing you into games at this level right now really is pushing things too fast. But you need to understand this—no championship guard in Sacramento ever made it on seniority alone.”
“Whether it was CJ back then or Richardson later, they were already playing in the Finals on their rookie contracts—and winning titles. In competitive sports, only ability matters. Age is never an excuse for playing badly.”
With every word Rose spoke, Alexander’s head drooped lower, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the floor.
“I won’t say any more.”
Rose packed up his things and prepared to leave the locker room.
“If I see you playing like you’re half-asleep again next game, don’t ever call yourselves my students.”
...
...
“Man, don’t you think Coach has been especially short-tempered lately?”
Alexander and Murray, two equally miserable souls, walked out of the arena side by side. Alexander spoke with lingering fear.
“He’s played great basketball his whole life. After drifting around for so long, he’s finally seeing the championship within reach. Of course his emotions are running high.”
Murray, who had spent more time with Rose, cut straight to the point.
“The Larry O’Brien Trophy—the highest honor in world basketball. No one can face that thing and stay calm.”
As he spoke, Murray turned down another corridor.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“I’m heading to the practice facility for some extra work.”
Murray answered without turning around.
“We just finished a game—can’t we at least rest for one night?”
Seeing Murray heading back to train, Alexander hurried after him.
“Rest? Forget it.”
Murray walked straight toward the brightly lit gym.
“At a time like this, who can even think about resting? And besides—”
He glanced toward the practice court, lights already on.
“Someone’s definitely already in there waiting for us.”
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