CHAPTER 559: CHAPTER 275: I ALWAYS STAY IN THE SUPER TEAM

Garnett had a strong desire to compete, but Malone wasn’t in a hurry to put him on the court.

On one hand, when they played against the Heat, Malone had tasted success with a small-ball lineup, and he was now testing it out in the game, so he wasn’t eager to put Garnett in.

On the other hand, and more importantly, he was carefully considering a veteran who had reached the twilight of his career.

Garnett’s skills were still intact, it was just that ever since his right knee ligament tore in ’09, his knee had become his biggest obstacle.

Not only had it caused him to lose his explosiveness, his speed had also significantly decreased, and now he no longer had the ability to sweep across the defensive end extensively.

As he aged, his attendance rate started to slide; last season he only played 54 games, and so far this season, just 42.

This season Bargnani’s form and comprehensive strength were definitely stronger than Garnett’s, and the Cavaliers traded for him fearing that, like Paul, he would falter at crucial moments.

If they rushed and Garnett ended up injured as a result, it would be a loss far outweighing any gain.

The Cavaliers’ first opponent after the trade deadline was the Wizards.

With the growth of Wall and Bill, the Wizards had become a strong team in the East, performing even better this season than the last, currently ranking fifth in The East.

Compared to last year, their biggest change in the lineup was replacing Ariza with Pierce as the starting small forward.

So, this game was also very interesting as the former Boston Big Three, with Ray Allen already in semi-retirement, left Pierce and Garnett to represent new teams and face each other after both had left Boston.

During the pre-game warmup, the two of them chatted for quite a while at mid-court.

Their personal relationship was still very good.

After the game began, the two teams quickly fell into a stalemate.

The Wizards’ strength was not weak. In addition to the perimeter players Wall, Bill, and Pierce, the interior lineup consisted of "The Lone Testicle Warrior" Nene and "The Polish Hammer" Gortat.

The Cavaliers were at a disadvantage in the paint, especially tonight, when they encountered big problems defending the pick-and-roll.

Nene and Gortat were both pick-and-roll experts, and Wall’s speed was too fast, forcing the Cavaliers to switch passively when facing the pick-and-rolls.

And once a mismatch occurred after the switch, Wall always managed to punish the Cavaliers’ interior.

TT was wounded by Wall two times in a row, forcing him to exit the game early.

It was just when TT was benched that Garnett stood straight up from his seat.

This move stunned his teammates because Garnett wasn’t on the active roster for tonight’s game.

However, he wasn’t intending to play but instead grabbed TT, who had just come off, and began pouring out advice on the sidelines.

"Play tougher," "play the game like a man"...

The teammates overheard such words clearly.

When they went back to the bench, and TT grabbed a towel, he threw it to the ground with frustration.

It was not clear whether it was because of his own poor performance tonight or because he was bothered by Garnett’s haranguing.

The Cavaliers had failed to defend the Wizards’ pick-and-roll in the first half, whereas on the other side, the Wizards also did not manage to contain Hansen’s ability to penetrate and distribute the ball.

By halftime, the two teams were tied at 54, an evenly matched battle.

During the mid-game interval, Hansen, delayed by a courtside interview with reporters, did not return to the locker room immediately.

Just as he entered the players’ tunnel, he realized that TT was still there.

When he saw Hansen walk in, TT immediately came over to complain,

"KG is just too overbearing!"

The Cavaliers’ frontcourt was originally not strong - something Malone was well aware of, which is why the coach hadn’t said much in the first half.

But with Garnett, whenever they made a mistake, he would point it out immediately, just as Conningham had said, like a stern father.

Even though they played the role of the villain, the difference with Hansen back then was that Garnett was now older and had joined a new team; his behavior could easily lead to resentment.

For now, the players were giving him face and holding back any comments, but over time, conflicts were bound to arise.

Hansen couldn’t help but recall the rumors about Garnett violently assaulting a teammate back in his Timberwolves days.

When he went back to the locker room, Hansen saw Garnett communicating with Tucker.

"Paul’s off-ball awareness is weak; he tends to get lost easily. You need to try to limit his catches, and his cold zones are at the left side of the free-throw line and the top of the free-throw arc. You should force him towards those areas as much as possible."

Hansen drew closer and overheard the content of their conversation. At first, he didn’t even realize who "Paul" referred to until he listened more - Garnett was actually talking about Pierce.

Once he made this realization, Hansen was stunned for a moment.

He thought back to the warm, reminiscent scene between Garnett and Pierce before the game and then considered how Garnett was now unabashedly revealing Pierce’s weaknesses to Tucker - the contrast felt incredibly strong.

Hansen returned and called TT over.

"You’re going to be a free agent this summer?"

TT seemed a bit puzzled by Hansen’s question but nodded nonetheless.

He and Irving were drafted in the same year, Irving being the first overall and he the fourth.

Irving had already received the Cavaliers’ max contract extension the previous summer, but he had not; he would become a restricted free agent this summer.

"KG is an experienced veteran; he’s spent his whole career playing pick-and-rolls, he’s an expert at defending them. You should learn from him as much as you can; it will be greatly beneficial to you."