810: 272: Fear is the worst thing (Asking for monthly votes!)_3 810: 272: Fear is the worst thing (Asking for monthly votes!)_3 Lenny Wilkens was about to leave when he heard a loud shout from inside the gym: “Alright, Michael, break time’s over, let’s start the next round.”
Then there was the sound of a basketball bouncing on the floor and passing through the net.
He pushed open the door and saw the trainer passing the ball to Michael Reed, whose jersey was already soaked.
Michael Reed repeatedly maneuvered around the obstacles set up on the court, catching, shooting, and releasing the ball.
It was so monotonous, yet Reed remained focused, not even noticing someone at the door of the training gym.
After watching a set of drills, Lenny Wilkens silently closed the door and walked towards his office.
Last night’s Christmas game was exciting but also quite nerve-wracking.
Kobe’s last-second shot was just a hair away from sealing the game, nearly turning Roger’s incredible stats of 55 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks into a great but futile effort.
So, although they won yesterday, Lenny Wilkens wasn’t confident about securing a win against the Lakers in the playoffs.
After all, the game was indeed very hard-fought, and everyone’s skill levels were extremely close.
But if Michael Reed could truly take on more responsibility, making the Hawks’ offense more stable, their chances of winning would undoubtedly increase.
Like he said, not everyone can keep moving forward, forgetting setbacks and failures after sweating it out every day, but Reed truly managed to do it.
He decided to give Reed some more opportunities.
For the first time, Lenny Wilkens felt this way—eager to lose 5,000 US Dollars.
On the 27th, the Atlanta Hawks faced the Toronto Raptors, led by the Canadian Flyer, at home.
In the third quarter, the Hawks were leading by 11 points.
Lenny Wilkens walked to the end of the bench and tapped Michael Reed on the head with a playbook: “Get ready, you’re going in!”
Reed had been eagerly watching the court today, unlike before when he sat dejected at the far end of the bench.
After receiving the order, he immediately took off his training jacket and energetically ran onto the court.
Roger, sitting on the bench resting, was somewhat surprised.
Didn’t Lenny say Reed wouldn’t be playing anytime soon?
Roger glanced at Lenny Wilkens, who shrugged: “What?
I just don’t want you playing 48 minutes every game.
Besides, just because the media said ‘Vince can slam on you,’ you’ve already made Vince Carter lose face.
Please, let this league icon have a few moments; I quite like him.”
Old-school coaches care about face; he certainly wouldn’t directly say, “Damn it, Roger, I broke my promise.
I was soft-hearted, and I still want to give that kid a chance.”
But Roger still saw right through him: “You’re too nice, Lenny, but when the time comes, you still owe me those 5,000 US Dollars, not a penny less.”
“Hey, aren’t we family?”
“Even family has to settle accounts.
I once took a big loss by being soft on Shaq.”
“Ha, if I had a daughter, I definitely wouldn’t let her marry you, you money-grubbing bastard.”
“Someone will be willing to let their daughter marry me, Lenny, you don’t have to worry about that.”
As they chatted, Roger and Lenny Wilkens heard the “swish” sound from the court.
Just then, Michael Reed received a pass from the “Family Man” Hornacek and successfully made his first three-pointer in the NBA.
Michael Reed pumped his fist, roared, then clenched his teeth and focused on defense.
No one cared about this shot; no one cared about Michael Reed.
Many thought it was just luck.
Just a three-pointer, what’s the big deal?
No one knew this was just the beginning of the gears turning.
This Hawks team, which had already beaten the Lakers’ big three, could become even stronger, even better.