After the trade deadline passed, it was time for our annual high-speed stretch of the season.
This period always seemed to fly by in a blur.
In the latter half of the regular season, the Kings inevitably faced a few injury setbacks—Durant's knee, Butler's back, and Oden's ankle. Fortunately, by the time the regular season wrapped up, the team had managed to stay healthy overall.
When the final game ended, the Kings finished with a 66–16 record, setting a new franchise best and securing the top seed in the Western Conference.
Right behind them were the Golden State Warriors, who kept the same roster from last season and finished second with a 62–20 record.
The final Western Conference standings were:
1st: Sacramento Kings
2nd: Golden State Warriors
3rd: San Antonio Spurs
4th: Houston Rockets
5th: Los Angeles Clippers
6th: Memphis Grizzlies
7th: Oklahoma City Thunder
8th: Denver Nuggets
Meanwhile, in the East:
1st: Boston Celtics
2nd: Cleveland Cavaliers
3rd: Washington Wizards
4th: Toronto Raptors
5th: Milwaukee Bucks
6th: Atlanta Hawks
7th: Indiana Pacers
8th: Miami Heat
"We're facing the Nuggets, huh?"
Chen Yilun sat in his office, scanning the playoff bracket.
"Who's even on the Nuggets right now?" he muttered, turning on his computer to look up their lineup.
The Nuggets' core rotation consisted of starting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and backup Jamal Murray. At power forward, they had Danilo Gallinari, and at center, Kenneth Faried.
Under normal circumstances, a roster like that wouldn't have made the playoffs. But this year, the top three teams in the West—the Kings, Warriors, and Spurs—had pulled so far ahead that the rest of the conference ended up with similar records.
By sheer luck, the Nuggets had squeezed into the playoffs by the slimmest of margins.
"Drawing a team like the Nuggets is pretty lucky for us," Malone said cheerfully. "Facing them in the first round is about as good as it gets."
"Agreed."
Chen Yilun nodded. He couldn't have said it better himself. The current Nuggets had neither the Thunder's star power nor the Grizzlies' structured system. The relentless "Denver Run-and-Gun" squad of old was long gone—now they were just a hollow shell.
Among all the first-round matchups in the West, the Kings had drawn the easiest one.
"Let's finish this series quickly," Chen Yilun said, walking to the water dispenser to pour himself a drink.
"In the second round, we'll face either Houston or Los Angeles. No matter who advances, they'll pose a challenge. We need to conserve our strength in Round One."
"Got it."
Malone nodded seriously.
"I was even thinking," he added with a grin, "maybe we could rest some guys against Denver."
Chen Yilun nearly spat out his water.
"Now that's a bit much, don't you think?"
For a second, he thought Malone was joking.
"Mike, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but let's stay grounded. Things look good, sure—but we still need sixteen more wins to claim the title. Don't get cocky."
Resting players in the playoffs? What kind of backwards strategy was that? Even Jordan back in the day wouldn't have dared try something like that.
Seeing Chen Yilun's reaction, Malone realized he might have gotten ahead of himself.
"Listen," Chen Yilun said, pointing a pen at him.
"In this series, we'll mainly rely on CJ and Booker. Butler and Durant can stay ready as our safety net."
Malone nodded, finally understanding his point.
"Got it—you want to keep the real weapons hidden for now."
Exactly. The Kings had a deadly, never-before-seen playstyle in their arsenal, but they had deliberately held it back all season. Chen Yilun was reminding Malone not to burn all their trump cards too early in the playoffs.
"But you know," Malone said, rubbing the calluses on his palms, "don't stress too much. Basketball's basketball—there aren't that many secret techniques. Even if we don't use that play, opposing coaches can probably figure out most of our tricks just by looking at the lineup."
He wasn't wrong.
The modern game had become incredibly transparent—everyone was improving, and real innovation was rare. Outside of a few unique eras, it was mostly about who had the stronger roster within the same framework.
"Alright, enough of that," Chen Yilun cut him off before Malone could start another lecture.
"So, do you think we can win it all this year?"
"What kind of question is that?"
Malone raised an eyebrow, shooting him an annoyed look.
"With this roster, as long as we stay healthy, if we don't win the championship, I'll resign myself. I wouldn't have the face to stay in this business."
It was worth noting that the betting odds for the Kings to win the championship this year were the lowest among all playoff teams.
"Just look at how the brackets are set up," Malone said, pulling out the schedule to explain.
"In the West, the Spurs face the Grizzlies—those two old rivals are gonna beat each other senseless again. The Warriors face the Thunder—Westbrook's been monstrous this season, but the talent gap is still huge."
"The only unpredictable matchup is Rockets versus Clippers. Harden and Paul are true equals—it'll come down to whether Houston's bigs can hold up against Lob City's inside pressure."
"As for the East, the only teams worth paying attention to are the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Wizards. Especially the Wizards—we need to keep an eye on them."
Malone leaned forward, clearly intrigued.
"I've heard DeMarcus hasn't had the smoothest time in Washington these past two years. Word is, if the Wizards don't make a deep run this season, Cousins might decline his player option."
"If that happens, Washington's Big Three could be breaking up."
"Oh?"
Chen Yilun's eyes lit up.
Cousins' contract was set to expire in 2019. In the original timeline, he opted out in 2018 and joined the Warriors on a minimum deal—creating the legendary story of the Warriors' 'Big Five.'
Could history be repeating itself?
If so… things were about to get interesting.
As he pictured that familiar figure in his mind, a sly grin spread across Chen Yilun's face.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser