"Coach? Why? Why did you replace me?"
Ben Gordon stood beside the coach, spread his hands, and asked in confusion.
At the critical moment when the team was chasing points, he, the team leader, was actually pressed on the bench.
This is obviously extremely unreasonable!
Although my performance in this game was indeed average, I can still play a huge role at the critical moment!
"Dude, you're too emotional on the court, you should calm down on the bench first!"
"Rose is doing very well at this stage, just having him on the court is enough."
The Bulls head coach said this in a cold voice, his stern face revealing his true thoughts.
Ben Gordon sat on the bench angrily, threw the towel in his hand to the ground, and kept swearing.
Arrogant! Arrogant!
This top draft pick is really too arrogant.
After playing just a few games in his rookie season, he's already trying to seize power and fight for the position of team leader?
It's a dream.
I have played for the Bulls for more than four years. Although I did not lead the team to the playoffs, my personal performance was impeccable.
The reason why they failed to make the playoffs is because the management was not strong enough to trade for strong role players.
It seems like it's time to put some pressure on management to make this young man learn some self-awareness.
It's not that I can't give you the position of team leader, but definitely not now.
On the stadium.
Without Ben Gordon's forced one-on-one plays, the team's offense became smooth again and was even comparable to the Lakers' firepower.
Halftime is over.
69:60.
In the second quarter, with Rose's outstanding performance, the Bulls narrowed the gap to just 9 points.
The new No. 1 pick made 6 of 8 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws in a single quarter, scoring an outstanding 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Jiang Chen scored 25 points in the first quarter and 18 points in the second quarter.
The halftime score reached 43 points!
Refresh personal career half-time scoring record!
During the halftime break.
The Bulls locker room.
The atmosphere is a bit depressing.
Anyone with a little emotional intelligence can see the conflict between Ross and Ben Gordon.
The waves behind push the waves ahead forward.
The old generation of team leader finally met the new generation of challenger, and judging from the performance in this game, Rose can be said to have defeated Ben Gordon in all aspects.
"Man, you played really well in the first half! Keep up the good work in the second half."
In the silence, Ben Gordon suddenly moved, stood up, and walked to Ross. His voice was calm, and it was hard to tell whether it was good or bad.
"Thank you, but your performance was average. I hope you can adjust your form in the second half."
Ross responded with a smile.
???!!!
After hearing this, all the players in the locker room looked over with surprise in their eyes.
Why did Ross suddenly become so bold?
Sophomore player Noah stared at the scene with eyes wide open in disbelief.
Even though he was in the second grade, he was often bullied by the senior team members. He had to do all the messy things like carrying luggage and pouring water.
Now Rose, a rookie, dares to criticize the team leader in front of the whole team?
This is really a bit of a tiger!
After the shock, Noah developed a great liking for Rose and began to admire this young man.
"Dude, are you serious? Do I need you to remind me whether I'm in good shape or not?"
Ben Gordon frowned, with a hint of cruelty on his face.
"Of course, am I not a member of this team? When my teammates perform poorly, don't I have the responsibility to remind them?"
Ross said without showing any weakness, looking serious and determined.
Everyone looked at each other in shock again. Is this still the gentle and kind Ross?
Why did he change so much after only half a game? What inspired him?
"Good! Very good! Very good! I will let you know that there is a price to pay for daring to say these words."
Ben Gordon said angrily, unable to control his emotions.
I originally wanted to make some sarcastic remarks to Ross, but I didn't expect Ross to dare to fight back. He really has grown in ability.
After the game, he will go to the Bulls general manager to have a good talk about trading Rose.
If the Bulls don't want to trade Rose, then just trade yourself.
It depends on how the Bulls management will decide.
"Guys, you are too brave. The game hasn't even finished yet, and you're already fighting in the locker room? Do you take me, your coach, seriously?"
Bulls coach Winnie said angrily, slamming the table, feeling that his authority in the team was violated.
"Coach, this isn't an internal conflict. I'm just kindly reminding Brother Gordon."
Ross emphasized righteously.
"Yes, coach, don't take it so seriously, we are just having some discussions about this game."
Ben Gordon also said that he had no good feelings towards the coach at all.
The locker room fell into silence.
All the players were silent, their minds were full of thoughts about Rose and Ben Gordon, and they had no intention of playing the game at all.
Seeing this, the Bulls coach could only sigh softly.
It's common for players to compete for the team's ace, but Rose was a little too anxious.
This is not a good sign and may even be considered a "locker room cancer."
If that is the case, even if Rose is very capable, few teams would be willing to sign him.
It's a simple truth that the premise and foundation for a team to become a strong team is team unity and stability.
If we can't even unite, it will be hard to go far in the championship race.
Even the Lakers, which consisted of Kobe, O'Neal, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton, lost the championship due to internal strife and other issues...
The second half of the game soon began.
Because of the internal strife, the Bulls team was demoralized and had no morale at all.
The Lakers used just less than 3 minutes to launch a 9:0 attack climax, extending the score difference to 18 points.
Ben Gordon kept forcing the ball on the court.
Ross also passed the ball twice.
But under Jiang Chen's defense, Ben Gordon had little chance to perform. He either missed shots or had his shots intercepted. It was a horrible sight.
In the face of such a disastrous performance, Rose resolutely stopped passing the ball to Ben Gordon.
He started his personal offensive mode, breaking into the penalty area continuously to cause damage.
But how can individual strength compare with the powerful Lakers team?
In addition to Jiang Chen's still strong offense, Kobe also started to take appropriate shots, ready to win the game.
Under the fierce offensive of the Lakers, the score difference quickly reached more than 20 points, and the game completely lost its suspense.