The 2023 finals will start on June 19.
At eleven o'clock in the morning the day before the finals.
Heat players are training in the training facility.
This time, no one can ignore Doug Laimbeer.
Although this guy has an unpleasant personality.
But I have to admit that without him, all of them would be on vacation now and would have no chance to play the tiebreaker.
Especially their leader Butler.
He entered the NBA in 2011, so it has been 13 years now.
His competitive spirit is no less than Paul's.
In these 13 years, he has always had only one goal: a championship.
Even when he was just a rookie, averaging only 2.6 points per game, his goal has never changed.
His talent is not high and he cannot fly into the sky and escape like other stars.
So for this goal, he kept spending time in the weight room and training hall.
Make yourself stronger and faster.
His average points per game increased from 2.6 to more than 20 points.
Now he is already a 34-year-old veteran suffering from injuries.
This is almost certainly the closest he has come to winning a championship.
If he doesn't seize this opportunity to win the championship, I'm afraid he will never win a championship again.
As for holding the thigh and mixing the ring?
Jimmy Butler is not that person.
So in the last game, Doug Laimbeer can be said to have saved his championship and the dream he has been pursuing for 13 years.
Although Doug's methods are not glorious.
But he had to admit that he was grateful to Doug in his heart.
So during training, he took the initiative to go to the weight room and found Doug.
"Doug, you have to practice with everyone today."
This was approved by the boss.
It means that the boss is paying attention to him.
As a water fountain keeper who has never had a chance to play, I should be extremely excited at this time and say thank you repeatedly.
But Doug Laimbeer was not as excited as he imagined.
He just stood up calmly and nodded to Butler: "Let's go."
It's as if this all should have been natural.
This also made Butler take a higher look at this guy.
The two came to the training ground, and Butler stared at everyone:
"Now almost everyone outside is scolding him and attacking him. I know many people in our team don't like him either, but we have to admit that without him we wouldn't be here today."
"Without him, the last game might have been the last finals for many people in our team, let alone winning the championship. So, try to accept him."
Upon hearing this, the teammates were silent for a long time.
Haslem, the team's old captain, also stood up at this time.
When his name is mentioned, many people may think of the era of the Big Three or even the earlier era of Wade O'Neal.
At that time, he had a fierce playing style and was recognized as a tough player.
And now he has not appeared in people's sight for a long time.
Many people even thought he had retired.
In fact, he is still with the Heat.
Now he is 42 years old and has played for the Heat for 22 seasons.
Became the only player in NBA history to play for one team for more than 21 seasons.
At this time he walked towards Doug.
Look at him.
Then he said to the players: "I witnessed the Heat's first championship during the Wade and O'Neal era. I also witnessed the Heat's second and third championships during the Big Three era. Just two days ago, I
I thought I would never have the chance to witness the Heat's fourth championship, but when I was already desperate, Laimbeer ignited the fire of hope again."
"It was he who saved the Heat and allowed our championship dream to continue into the next game."
"So I hope everyone will put down their prejudices and fight with him. If you put down your prejudices, you will find that he is a player who is hated by his opponents and liked by his teammates."
The team members looked at each other and finally nodded.
Haslem raised Doug Lambert's arm.
All the team members gathered around and touched Doug's fist with their fists.
This was the case with Bill Laimbeer when he was with the Pistons.
In the beginning, his dirty style of play did offend some teammates.
But when his teammates tasted the benefits of his style of play, they joined in one after another.
Rodman was an out-and-out good kid at the beginning.
But in the end, under the careful guidance of Bill Laimbeer, he became the toughest player in the league with the most aggressive play and the best acting skills.
Others in the Pistons have also shown this style of play.
Eventually, the Pistons Bad Boys were formed, causing Jordan and the Bulls to fall at their feet for three consecutive years.
And this time Haslem seemed to see the prototype of the Pistons' bad boy army.
Meanwhile, in the office.
The Heat's coaching staff is meeting.
This time their issue was not how to guard Wang Yi, but the use of Doug Lambert.
Coach Spoelstra said to the assistant coaches: "I plan to put Doug Laimbeer into the starting lineup for the next game. What do you think?"
When he said this, the other coaches were very surprised.
You must know that before this game, Coach Spoelstra did not like Doug at all.
An assistant coach suggested to him several times that he could let Doug Laimbeer have a try, but he never let Doug play.
Now not only is he allowed to play, but he is also directly transferred to the starting lineup as soon as he comes. This change is a bit too big.
Before, he was only the team's fourth center. Even now, his tough style has benefited the Heat a lot, but he is still much worse in ability than starting center Adebayor, especially Adebayor.
The scoring average of nearly 20 points per game is far beyond what Doug Lambier can achieve.
Under such circumstances, is it a bit too hasty to start Adebayo and start Doug Lambier?
"I don't think it's appropriate. We can have Doug Laimbeer as the main substitute, but if we put him in the starting lineup, our offensive firepower will be greatly weakened. Who will fill Adebayor's nearly 20-point scoring hole?
?”
"I also think this is not good. His speed is a bit slow and he cannot keep up with the Kings' fast break."
"Yeah, with his speed he will be worn down by the Kings' fast break."
However, Coach Spoelstra shook his head: "With him on the court, it's difficult for the Kings to launch fast breaks, and with him guarding the penalty area, the Kings simply don't dare to attack the inside. He is a huge deterrent to the Kings' defenders."
"Furthermore, by putting Adebayor on the bench, he can also cause a dimension-reducing blow to the Kings' inside line."
Everyone, look at me and I look at you.
Although Coach Spoelstra is right, it is still unacceptable to put a fourth center directly into the starting lineup.
Coach Spoelstra naturally knows that this opinion is difficult for other coaches to accept, but he is the head coach.
So in the end he made the decision: "The purpose of today's meeting is not to discuss whether he can be the starting center. I have decided to let him be the starting center. The purpose of our meeting is just to discuss how he should work with Alejandro when he is the starting center.
Chapter completed!