Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 583 - 194: Farewell, the youth draws the bow to the fullest! (2 updates today, begging for subscription and monthly tickets!)
In the past, NBA coaches hated Phil Jackson.
Now, they despise Mike Malone just as much.
And compared to the old Zen Master Jackson...
Little Zen Master Malone is even more shameless when it comes to being smug.
"Why isn't giving the ball to the star player and waiting for victory considered a tactic?"
At the press conference, Malone retorted Gentry's criticism that he had no strategy at all, saying: "I know many people envy me for coaching the Messiah, but why don't they reflect on themselves as to why I can coach the Messiah, and they can't? To me, one shouldn't always focus on others' luck. Coach Alvin Gentry should reflect more on himself and find his own shortcomings more often. Because only then can he one day become a great coach like me."
Malone's rebuttal completely disarmed Gentry.
But...
Malone, who usually doesn't like to argue just for the sake of arguing, wasn't satisfied with this.
To further make Gentry realize the gap in coaching abilities between them...
After the next day's practice ended, Malone specifically found Qin Yue: "In the second game, I want you to play freely. What do you think?"
Qin Yue had no intention of getting involved in the debate over coaching philosophies between Malone and Gentry after the first game of the finals.
But he was very interested in Malone's desire for him to play freely in the second game of the finals.
Because since his return from injury, Qin Yue had almost forgotten...
The last time he took forty shots in a single game.
"What's the highest score in a single finals game?" Qin Yue suddenly asked out of curiosity.
"67 points," Malone replied.
67 points?
Who the hell holds such a freakish record?
"Of course, it's you!"
Beside him, Brown reminded the overly forgetful Qin Yue: "Don't you remember? In the fourth game of the finals between us and the Knights, you scored 67 points in just three quarters."
Oh right! He remembered!
After all, Qin Yue set so many records in the NBA over the years, and 67 isn't exactly an easy number to remember, so how could Qin Yue remember scoring 67 in the finals all those years ago?
Wait a minute...
Hold on!
"Was I that freakish back then?" Qin Yue asked in puzzlement, "I remember I was only 23 during the finals against the Knights!"
At that moment, though it felt like Qin Yue might be acting pretentious...
Brown, used to it, still cooperated and said: "No doubt, you were that freakish that night. If I'm not mistaken, your good brother didn't even dare to face an interview, leaving the court in a hurry once the game ended."
Qin Yue never expected that his 23-year-old self would leave such an unbreachable record for his soon-to-be-27-year-old self.
This realization left Qin Yue feeling frustrated, as he had intended to make his mark in this year's finals.
It's well known that scoring in the NBA playoffs is a whole different challenge than the regular season.
Especially in the finals.
Back when Qin Yue was transported to a different life, even then, the finals single-game record held by Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan (61 points) and the playoff single-game scoring record (63 points) remained unbroken.
Because, unlike the regular season...
Scoring high in the more physically intense playoffs is bound to increase exponentially in difficulty.
With Brown's help, Qin Yue gradually recalled details of his past finals games...
And not to mention the current Celtics being on a whole different level than the Knights of back then.
Even considering the "Qin Yue's Law" he currently experiences on the court, the difficulty he faces trying to make his mark in this year's finals is worlds apart from back then.
"You don't really plan to try and break your own finals single-game scoring record, do you?" Brown asked in surprise, seeing how excited Qin Yue became after talking with Malone.
"Mike wants to see me score," Qin Yue confidently said, "I also want to unleash the frustrations I've been holding in through a scoring showcase."
Hearing this, Brown said without hesitation: "Trust me, if you can break the record you yourself hold, then from now on, no one will dare bring up the fact you racked up points in the finals all those years ago."
Indeed, while scoring 67 at the age of 23 was certainly an astonishing record for Qin Yue.
The fact that the Knight team led by Young James was universally acknowledged as the worst team to ever reach the NBA finals has led to ongoing doubts about the legitimacy of that score ever since.
Now, prodded by Malone, Qin Yue would strive to see if he could surpass his 23-year-old self.
Qin Yue knew it would be difficult.
But...
Challenging your limits, isn't that one of the most charming aspects of basketball?
"[Qin Yue's Dual Life] mission has now been triggered.
Difficulty: Nightmare.
You run desperately, merely to catch up with the illustrious self of yesteryear.
Current mission completion condition: Break your own NBA finals single-game scoring record before the end of this year's finals.
Real-time mission completion reward: A legendary-grade random skill attribute package."
...
Two days later, the second game of the finals between the Celtics and Warriors continued at Oracle Arena.
