Another big win. This is Lin Yu's seventh game as head coach.
In seven games, he's won six and lost one. The only loss came against the Atlanta Hawks, who boast the African giant Dikembe Mutombo, while Ben Wallace was suspended.
The opponents included warm-up teams like the Celtics, Spurs, and Grizzlies, but also playoff contenders like the Lakers, Hornets, and Magic.
Two weeks ago, Lin Yu declared a match against the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. No one believed him at the time, not even Unseld, who dismissed it as the whims of a young, reckless player.
Now, with the Bullets' sudden rise and soaring record, some are beginning to believe Lin Yu's bold words.
At the post-game press conference, Lin Yu brought no one but Ray Jackson.
"Coach Lin, congratulations on your fourth consecutive win, the longest winning streak for the Bullets this season."
"Since you took over, the Bullets have an impressive record of six wins and one loss, even surpassing the Heat, who are second in the Eastern Conference.
"What's your coaching secret?"
The reporter who asked the question was a skilled questioner, subtly mentioning the Heat. After all, the Heat players' mocking of Lin Yu yesterday had been reported in the newspapers, and all the reporters at the scene were aware of it.
Lin Yu burst into laughter. "Man, I don't have any coaching secrets."
"If I had to give a secret, it's probably that I'm afraid of getting beaten. Even if Batman said he wouldn't hit me, I wouldn't dare go back to Gotham. I'd have to stay in Washington."
The reporters in the audience burst into laughter, instantly improving their impression of Lin Yu. He was a witty young man.
But this answer was definitely not what the reporters were expecting. They were expecting Lin Yu to get red-faced and yell at the Heat; that would be newsworthy.
"Hey, can I say a few words?"
While the reporters were trying to figure out how to continue the fight, Ray Jackson patted the microphone in front of him and said.
Without waiting for the reporters to respond, he began to speak.
Lin Yu even saw Ray Jackson pull out several small slips of paper, densely scribbled, clearly a case of well-prepared work.
"I'm very grateful to the coach. He gave me the opportunity to return to the NBA and the opportunity to take 16 shots tonight."
"You know what? A month ago, I never dreamed I'd make it to the NBA, and tonight I scored 18 points in a single quarter!
"In my opinion, Lin Yu is absolutely the coach in this league who understands and cares for his players the best."
"His coaching skills are also top-notch, as evidenced by his six-win-one record."
Ray Jackson immediately showered Lin Yu with praise, prompting Lin Yu to sigh inwardly: "He's a master of rhetoric. He didn't attack his target right away, but rather took a gradual approach, laying the groundwork first."
"In stark contrast to him is Pat Riley. I've never met a more shameless person."
"Have you ever seen a coach set up a first aid kit on the sidelines, filled with painkillers? How many painkillers does Alonzo Mourning take per game? Ten? Twenty?"
"Pat Riley is murdering us! He completely disregards the health of Alonzo Mourning and the rest of his players; he's only focused on his own performance!"
"I guarantee Alonzo Mourning's kidneys will have serious problems in the future, and they won't be minor ones. This is all Pat Riley's fault."
Ray Jackson shifted the subject from Lin Yu to Pat Riley.
Lin Yu was startled, staring at Ray Jackson in horror. Could this guy have foresight?!
Mourning developed severe kidney disease in 2000, just three years ago. It completely ended his career. Even though he played a few more years in the NBA, he was always in a reserve role.
Mourning was only 27 this year and would be 30 in three years, right in the prime of his career. Yet, painkillers ruined his career.
Ray Jackson wasn't making this up. Mourning really did require large amounts of painkillers during games. Previously, reporters and fans were impressed by Mourning's professionalism, playing through pain. Now, thinking back, Riley seemed like a complete jerk. With his players in such a state, couldn't he just let them rest?
The reporters perked up, knowing they had made the right decision to attend tonight's press conference. Ray Jackson seemed unsatisfied and ready to continue.
"I still say the same thing. I've never met anyone as shameless as Riley."
"Back then, he teamed up with Magic Johnson to force out his mentor, Paul Westhead, and threatened that only one of them could stay. Westhead had just led the Lakers to a championship!
"Who could do such a thing? Only Judas could do it!"
"Even more ridiculous is that after Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV, he was the first to leave the Lakers, going to the Knicks to make a killing."
"After being humiliated by the Bulls, he couldn't stay with the Knicks anymore, so he went to the Heat to cause trouble." "What? You said he won a lot of championships with the Lakers? With that Lakers roster, if I were coaching, I could even do better than him."
Ray Jackson unleashed a barrage of criticism, spewing spittle galore, exposing every ounce of Pat Riley's negative information.
Railley's negative information wasn't exactly a secret; the reporters at the scene had heard it all. It's just that everyone in this business was involved, so who would have the audacity to offend Riley? If Riley retaliated, he'd be in big trouble.
Yet Ray Jackson had no such concerns. He knew his fate was in tatters. If Lin Yu hadn't recruited him to the Bullets, he'd still be selling insurance or running a moving company. He wasn't afraid of offending Riley.
Lin Yu was eager to applaud. Ray Jackson's comparison of Riley to Judas was simply amazing!
Considering all the things Riley had done, he was like Judah himself.
Lin Yu sighed. Some players weren't particularly talented on the court, but they were incredibly talented off it. They were truly exceptional players, like the great painter Larry Sanders, the swimming champion Henry Rivers, and Rick Fox, who thrived in both esports and adult films.
Fox was something. Lin Yu had seen him a few days ago in a game against the Celtics. He was their starting small forward, and after this season, he joined the Lakers.
He made a lot of money during his career, but unfortunately squandered it all. Later, driven to poverty, he turned to making pornographic films, gradually becoming a renowned artist. He later acquired the League of Legends team "ECHO FOX," where the well-known top laner, Looper, played.
Ray Jackson, in Lin Yu's mind, was also among these talented individuals. He was definitely an All-Star starter-level troll.
In just a few minutes, he had already labeled Pat Riley as disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust. In fact, Lin Yu knew even more negative information about Riley, like how he called Hinrich, a clean defender, a dirty player, sparking widespread discontent and ultimately forcing him to apologize. He also had a story about his treatment of veteran Dwyane Wade, even refusing to offer him a respectable retirement contract.
But none of these things had happened yet, so they couldn't be used to accuse Riley tonight.
At the end of the press conference, everyone's faces were filled with satisfaction. It was incredibly explosive; Ray Jackson's words were sure to set the basketball world on fire.
In comparison, Heat player Mark Strickland's taunting of Lin Yu was more like a tickle, completely harmless. Even Lin Yu was amused, thinking Mark was a clever kid, capable of coming up with such a joke.
"Ray, seriously, even if you can't play basketball anymore, you can still find a decent job in the NBA."
"At least Unseld would be happy to offer you a job."
After leading Ray Jackson back to the locker room, Lin Yu patted Ray Jackson on the shoulder and smiled.
Unseld hated Riley so much that if he knew how much he'd been criticized, he'd probably hug Ray Jackson and give him a kiss.
"Really? Coach, how about I be your assistant coach after I retire?"
Ray Jackson said excitedly.
"Of course. No one can refuse a partner like you." Lin Yu grinned widely. With Ray Jackson by his side, he would definitely be invincible in future verbal battles.
The game against the Grizzlies was over, and Lin Yu had raked in another $330,000 tonight. This lucrative, almost robber-like pace of income had left him feeling overwhelmed. Unfortunately, the good times were coming to an end, as tonight was Saturday, and there were no games tomorrow night. A new random aura was about to appear.
With the experience of the previous two random draws, Lin Yu remained calm this time. His coaching career was pretty much on track now, so even if he didn't get a decent aura this time, it wouldn't have much of an impact on him.
Of course, getting a powerful aura would be even better. If he could get more passive auras like "Loaded Dice," Lin Yu would be more than happy to do so. After all, who cares about money?