The game resumed. Lin Yu substituted Antonio Davis for Second Uncle Huo, then brought on Brother Tui Zi for Jalen Rose.
Before taking the court, Lin Yu pulled Webber over to him.
"Chris, it's up to you tonight. Go for it! We need you to step up."
Webber nodded and sighed as he walked onto the court.
Over the next few minutes, Lin Yu's expression grew increasingly grim. The situation on the court became a near-one-sided massacre for the Bullets.
The Nuggets' two Ellis players were incredibly powerful, practically annihilating both Harvey and Legler.
Especially Daryl Ellis, who sank three-pointers after three, leaving Legler completely defenseless.
Even the Flying Spurs couldn't gain a significant advantage over veteran Mark Jackson. Webber's dejected mood undoubtedly affected his shooting touch. Even with his constant shooting, his scoring efficiency was low, making it difficult for him to maintain the team's momentum.
Lin Yu was only thankful that Davis, the player acquired in the trade for Unseld, played well tonight and didn't suffer a significant disadvantage against Earvin Johnson.
As the minutes ticked by, the Bullets' disadvantage widened.
By the end of the third quarter, the Bullets were trailing by 27 points, a margin that was practically enough to warrant surrender.
But how could Lin Yu just surrender? He'd finally gotten the "Seal of Gan Jue" randomly, so of course he had to maximize its value. If Webber could hit a few more shots, his strength might actually improve.
Lin Yu didn't switch to a purely benched lineup, and naturally, the Nuggets couldn't do the same. By the time the referee blew the final whistle in the fourth quarter, the Bullets had been outscored by the Nuggets, third from the bottom in the Western Conference, by 35 points, 81-116.
Veteran Darr Ellis scored 32 points, including 7 three-pointers, while LaPhonzo Ellis added 36.
It was a humiliating loss.
"Ding, game over, "Seal of Gan Jue" begins calculation.
"Designated Player Chris Webber made 16 mid-range shots and 2 three-pointers for a total of 18 shots, gaining 6 random attributes."
"The distribution results are: Strength +1, Mid-range Shooting +1, Passing +1, Steals +1, Mid-range Shooting +1, Post Offense +1."
Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the distribution of these six random attributes. The results were actually quite good. If you ignore Howard's injury and the 35-point drubbing, Lin Yu might even have smiled.
Webber's passing, steals, post offense, and strength have definitely improved, but the gains are subtle. The real improvement is in his mid-range shooting.
Before the combined state, Webber's mid-range shooting attribute was 88 points. Now, with these two points, it has just passed the 90-point mark.
Chris Webber
[Strength 83] [Speed 88] [Bounce 84]
[Low Post Offense 85] [Low Post Defense 84] [Rebounds 86] [Blocks 80] [Steals 80]
[Mid-Range Shooting 90] [Three-Point Shooting 88] [Free Throwing 86] [Passing 81] [Ball Handling 74] [Drive 76]
This is Webber's current stat sheet. He's a well-balanced player, without any particular top-tier stat, but rather a versatile player.
However, with his mid-range shooting increased by 90 points, Webber has gained a unique offensive skill.
His 90-point mid-range shooting statistic is completely different from Legler's over 90-point three-point shooting statistic. Legler has the statistic, but struggles to fully utilize it because he lacks strong foundational attributes.
Webber, on the other hand, is different. His top-tier speed and bounce at the power forward position allow him to fully unleash the power of his 90-point mid-range shooting statistic.
In tonight's game, Webber made 16 mid-range shots, two three-pointers, and six free throws, for a total of 44 points, leading the game. However, considering he attempted 42 shots, his total seems less significant.
Webber's 42 attempts also rank first in a single game this season. Interestingly, Hakeem Olajuwon, who previously held the top spot, also attempted 40 shots against the Nuggets a month ago, scoring 48 points in that game.
After the game, Webber went straight to the locker room, worried about Dwight Howard. Jalen Rose also followed him back.
Lin Yu sighed as he went on the court, shook hands with Motta, and then led the players back to the locker room.
As they reached the locker room door, Lin Yu heard Howard's roar.
"I told you he was cursed by the devil. He'll only bring us bad luck. You insisted on bringing him to Washington!"
"Have you forgotten our last game in Michigan? Do you want bad luck to continue to defeat us?"
"You injured Ben Wallace yesterday, and within a minute of tonight's start, you nearly disabled me. And what do you say? Blame it on my bad luck?"
Howard was probably yelling at Webber, his tone a bit furious. He was truly furious.
Having spent a week as a substitute, and having watched the Bullets win four games in a row, Howard was in an extremely awkward position.
Winning isn't a big deal; it's the absence of someone who's embarrassed them. With the team going from four consecutive losses to four consecutive wins, fans naturally wondered if Howard was responsible for the team's previous losses.
"Juwan, the last game was my mistake. It had nothing to do with Jaylen.
"I'm sorry for you."
Webber whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
Lin Yu quickly pushed open the door and entered the locker room, where he saw Jalen Rose standing bewildered in the corner, like a child standing in the corner for doing something wrong.
Webber also looked grim, his head bowed as he stood before Uncle Huo.
At this moment, Lin Yu didn't know what to do. He couldn't bring himself to accuse Howard of being aggressive, because Howard had truly suffered a significant loss.
He simply pretended nothing had happened and would reconsider the situation after returning to Washington.
The team doctor examined Howard's injury and found it wasn't particularly serious. However, since it was an ankle injury, he would definitely err on the side of caution and rest for at least three or four weeks.
After resting overnight in Denver, Lin Yu led the team back to the headquarters the next morning.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Yu received a call to rush to the general manager's office.
Inside the office, Paul Poling, Unseld, Howard, and Webber were all present. Lin Yu, observing the situation, guessed that Howard was putting pressure on the team.
"Lin, you've worked hard this week. Come and sit down."
Old Paulin smiled and waved Lin Yu to sit next to him when he saw him enter.
Lin Yu had coached eight games so far, four at home and four away, with a record of six wins and two losses—an impeccable performance.
The results were secondary; what truly pleased Old Paulin was the team's impressive ticket sales.
Originally, the Washington Bullets' average attendance this season was only around 65%. Since the reunion of the Michigan Five, tickets for the upcoming home games have already sold out, bringing in at least $500,000 in extra revenue per game. Naturally, Old Paulin's appreciation for Lin Yu grew.
"Lin, our topic today is whether to trade Jalen Rose."
"His performance since joining the team hasn't been outstanding. In his first game, he was even beaten by an 18-year-old.
"Before the trade deadline arrives, we still have a chance to trade him," Unseld said loudly.
Lin Yu shook his head. "I object. You saw what happened in the game against the Nuggets that just ended."
"Our forward and backcourt lack defensive intensity, and we were outscored by the Nuggets by 35 points. Now that we've traded Jalen, where are we going to find a replacement shooting guard?"
Webber looked at Lin Yu gratefully. He certainly didn't want his childhood friend to be traded, but seeing Howard's plight, he couldn't object.
"If we hadn't sold Chaney before, we wouldn't have needed him at all!"
"Look at what he's done! He's going to bring bad luck to every one of us."
Howard said angrily, sitting in his wheelchair.
Lin Yu felt a surge of anger. The Chaney trade had been his idea, and Howard's words were clearly directed at him.
"Juwan, after all, you went to college. Do you really believe in this nonsense about bad luck?"
"That was an accident. Accidents like this happen almost every day in the NBA. And since Jaylen came here, at least we've won a lot of games and made a lot more money, right?"
"All you have to do now is recover. While you're recovering, I'll make Jaylen prove he's better than Chaney."
"Mr. Pollin, what do you think?"
Lin Yu didn't ask Unseld's opinion, but spoke directly to Pollin.
Unseld had a special affection for Howard. Normally, Howard and Webber's constant companionship contributed to the Bullets' poor performance. Unseld's choice was to sell Webber instead of the weaker and more expensive Howard.
Unseld was already wary of Jalen Rose's unpredictable tactics, and now that Howard was injured, he was definitely thinking about selling Jalen Rose as well.
Pollin, on the other hand, held a completely different stance from Unseld's.
Jalen Rose is one of the Fab Five. Ticket sales have skyrocketed since his arrival. If he were sold at this point, would he still be considered one of the Fab Five?
Lin Yu even speculated that Paul Poling would prefer to sell Dwight Howard over Rose, because the team has proven they can still win without him. Trading Howard would be like giving up a billion-dollar contract. What owner wouldn't be tempted?
"Lin Yu is right. It's almost the 21st century, not the Middle Ages. Why are you still believing in witches?"
"Juwan, take good care of your injury. We'll monitor Jalen's performance for the time being. If he's really underperforming, we can consider a trade later."
Old Pollin's statement gave Lin Yu and Webber a sigh of relief. Jalen Rose was finally saved.