Randolph had only now co to realize that his reputation on the outside was that bad.
He was getting anxious.
His agent was even more anxious than him, "Buddy, although I’m not sure what the exact problem is, right now, having stable playing ti is key. If this season ends like this, even if the Pacers trade you, it will be difficult for us to have any say in the new team!"
As long as I don’t give in, Larry Bird surely won’t trade you...
By the end of the agent’s persuasion, Randolph suddenly thought of what Su Wan had said to him that day, his face a mixture of grief and anger, slowly turning to compromise, "Okay, you don’t have to say anymore, I know what to do!"
After speaking, at that day’s practice ga, Zach Randolph’s attitude was more serious than ever before.
Rick Carlisle watched this and nodded in satisfaction.
Su Wan is truly capable!
The "Bear the Brunt" strategy really made sense to him!
But Randolph tragically discovered that even after toiling away on the training court, he still had to sit on the bench during the next day’s regular season ga.
"why!"
He went to find Su Wan again.
But this ti, the look in Su Wan’s eyes didn’t hold as much anger.
There was even a hint of grievance.
I’ve done everything you asked, so why...
Su Wan patted his shoulder, his deanor more peaceful than before: "Zach, think about it, how long has it been since you’ve yearned to be on the court like you do now! If I rember correctly, when you first joined Portland, you had to fight for your playing ti based on your performance on the practice court, right?!"
"How about it, have these days reminded you of that ti you almost forgot?"
"Keep it up, Zach, I’m always watching you!"
"If you continue to slack off in training and only care about your stats during the gas, then everything you’re about to gain will be lost again..."
If any journalist had captured this scene, it would have been a "Godfather teaching his son" level classic photo.
Randolph’s expression at this very mont was one of seriousness that no one had ever seen before.
The words of Su Wan had indeed unlocked mories he had long sealed away.
When he first joined the Blazers, he averaged only 5.8 minutes of playti per ga, and back then, he always watched the ga from the bench with longing.
That longing had indeed been missing for quite so ti.
No, it’s not...
Why am I suddenly getting sentintal!
Zach Randolph shook his head repeatedly.
But by the ti he ca back to his senses, Su Wan was already sitting in front of his locker, scrolling through his phone again.
For a mont, Randolph wasn’t sure if the conversation they had just had was real... or not...
The fearso Indiana!
The good news was, after missing four gas, Zach Randolph finally had the chance to play again.
At that mont, he even felt like crying.
Tonight’s opponent was the Western Conference’s bottom-of-the-barrel team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Two years ago, Elton Brand, making his first "All-NBA First Team," suffered an injury at the start of the season and was ruled out. The Clippers quickly fell to the bottom of the standings, and it’s already March, but they’ve only won 15 gas.
Facing this weak team, with the strength of the Pacers’ lineup, winning the ga shouldn’t be a problem, and Rick Carlisle also wanted to take the opportunity to assess Zach Randolph’s ability to create damage in the paint.
Fortunately, although the Clippers no longer had Brand, they still had Chris Kaman, who was averaging 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds.
As a weighty white center, his weight and resistance served as a "whetstone" to test Randolph’s strong finishing abilities.
The results made Rick Carlisle very happy. Chris Kaman was considered one of the better defenders in the paint, but when Zach Randolph faced him, he used various rough confrontation techniques with finesse, putting the ball into the basket one after another.
Moreover, this guy was not only adept at attacking the rim but could also step out and shoot.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say his post-up offense and physicality were enhanced versions, albeit with reduced athletic ability compared to a "mini O’Neal."
Seeing his performance tonight, Rick Carlisle could imagine the "ultimate form" he originally wanted to reshape the younger O’Neal into.
This way, the Pacers could play two different lineups, one similar to the "OK" duo of Zach Randolph and Su Wan’s "two-man ga."
And another was the Pacers’ lineup with a higher synergy, the "small lineup."
But after Artest’s departure and the younger O’Neal’s injury, the small lineup beca: Point Guard Su Wan, two Anthony Parker, small forward Boris Dior, power forward Millsap, and a random Pacer player with shooting ability.
From this lineup alone, it was evident that this small lineup no longer had a strong defensive capability, and its main function was scoring...
What was once the Pacers’ trump card had now decreased in intensity, which actually showed how key Randolph’s impressive performance was.
Just like tonight, he continually exploded against Chris Kaman in the paint.
This allowed the Pacers’ shooters to feel very comfortable.
Soon, they unleashed a gratifying "Scoring Wave," thereby clinching the victory.
They won by nearly 20 points against the Clippers.
It was the Pacers’ biggest victory margin in recent gas.
During the "Bear the Brunt" period, the Pacers’ performance depended on the day, riding waves of montum to decimate the opposition if they were feeling it, or if not, it was up to Su Wan alone to try and break the opposition.
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