After the game, Lin Yu was originally going to tease Jim Jackson, but looking at his gray-headed and lost-faced look, Lin Yu didn't even bother to waste any time on him.
After winning against the Mavericks, the Bullets once again returned to the sixth position in the Eastern Conference, which made Lin Yu distressed. There are only two games left in the season, one against the Raptors and the last against the Heat.
In this game against the Raptors, Lin Yu still let loose and gave the Raptors a victory, allowing the Bullets to return to seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
It's a pity that this seventh place is not stable at all, and the sixth-ranked Hornets only have one more win than the Bullets.
Both teams still have one game left to play. If the Bullets win the Heat in the last game and the Hornets lose the last game, based on the relationship of victory and defeat, the Bullets will squeeze out the Hornets and move to the Eastern Conference. Six.
After thinking about it, Lin Yu decided to give up the game against the Heat. Of course, he couldn't just give up in vain. He also had to disgust Pat Riley.
"I said it, I said it two months ago, the Bullets will face the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and then send the Heat to go fishing."
"Our Bullets are going to enter the playoffs with the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference. Pat Riley, are you ready with your fishing rod?"
Lin Yu frivolously mocked the Heat at the pre-game press conference.
He and Riley have completely broken up, so there is no need to save any face for Riley.
The reporters in the audience looked curious. Isn't this the regular season that's not over yet? Why is Lin Yu so sure that his Bullets will be seventh in the Eastern Conference?
The last game is against the Heat. If the Bullets lose, they will indeed be 100% seventh. Could it be that Lin Yu is ready to give up this game?
Everyone couldn't help but take a breath of air. How much resentment did Lin Yu have towards Pat Riley, and he actually wanted to fight the Heat to the end.
After the press conference, the pressure on Pat Riley doubled.
They had played against the Bullets once before. At that time, they relied on using shark-cutting tactics against Big Ben, and their loss was not much.
However, the Bullets had the advantage on the field. If not for Ben's poor free throws, they would have lost that game by at least 20 points.
Even if Riley doesn't want to admit it, he knows in his heart that the Bullets are indeed more powerful than the Heat.
Now Lin Yu was rushing towards him blankly, saying that he would eliminate the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. Riley really panicked.
If Lin Yu is really eliminated in the first round, he will have no face in this league in the future.
Riley, nicknamed the Fortune Teller, usually has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, but at this moment he has no way to deal with Lin Yu.
It doesn't mean there's nothing we can do, unless Pat Riley is willing to be shameless and give the Bullets a victory in the last game. If the Hornets lose the last game, the Bullets will be ranked in the Eastern Conference. Sixth, the Heat don't have to face the Bullets in the first round.
It's a pity that Riley has the reserve of a strong man. It is impossible for him to do such a thing to show weakness to the enemy. Doesn't this tell the whole world that he is afraid of Lin Yu?
On April 24, at Miami's home court, Riley's teeth almost broke when he saw Lin Yu's starting lineup. Lin Yu simply lost all face.
The Bullets' starting lineup includes center Howard, power forward Murray, small forward Jaren Jackson, shooting guard Irving Sr., and point guard Ray Jackson.
If this lineup plays against the top NCAA teams, life or death will probably be uncertain.
Riley originally had a glimmer of hope, thinking that if the Bullets players felt good, and if he used some tricks on his side, maybe the Bullets could win this game.
But looking at this starting lineup, Riley wanted to strangle Lin Yu. How shameless a person must be to come up with this kind of starting lineup.
Howard also accepted his fate, knowing that he would be traded out no matter what next season, so he might as well take advantage of this last opportunity to desperately improve his statistics. After his debut, he made various random shots to give him a good feeling.
In the end, the Bullets lost the away game with a score of 65:87 and successfully moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
At the end of the regular season, Lin Yu suddenly found that he didn't have to leave.
In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the Heat. Because the Heat had a better record, the first game was the Heat's home court.
The Bullets can just stay in Miami and wait for the first round of the playoffs!
…
Lin Yu received a call from Unseld that night.
"Lin, you really did it. I can't wait to see how angry Riley looks after being eliminated."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. In fact, as long as you can pass the first round."
"Our lineup is still young. Even if we don't get far this year, we still have a chance next year."
Unseld was worried that Lin Yu was under too much pressure, so he spoke to comfort Lin Yu.
"Wes, I can't guarantee whether we can beat the Bulls."
"But I can guarantee that the Heat and Knicks are definitely not our opponents."
"What you have to do now is to inquire about Zhu Wan's deal. It's best to sell him to the west. If he stays in the east, he will have too many opportunities to hand over his hands in the future, which will be embarrassing."
With the end of the regular season, Lin Yu also began to plan a trading plan for next season.
"Don't worry, Zhu Wan is only in his third year and is still a young player. He has no worries about selling."
"Do you have a favorite player? You can trade Zhu Wan for it when the time comes, and you will definitely be able to get him back."
Unseld didn't even realize that he had begun to rely more and more on Lin Yu. When he made transactions in the past, it was absolutely impossible to ask the head coach's opinion.
"Kobe, Kobe from the Lakers."
"He is only the 13th pick in the first round, and he is so young. I think it shouldn't be difficult to win him, right?"
Lin Yu wants Kobe, not because of his offensive ability, but because of his defensive ability. The second-year Kobe has already shown good defensive strength, at least much better than Jaylen Rose.
When he judges a player's strength, he never just looks at the offense. Lin Yu even values the player's defensive quality more than offense.
Kobe's defense is undoubtedly very strong, and he has been weak in various best defensive lineups. It is a pity that he has never won DPOY. This makes his defensive achievements not as good as Jordan's, and he can only rank second in the history of the shooting guard position.
The Bullets' backcourt defense has always been a shortcoming. Lin Yu is confident that after getting Kobe Bryant, the team's backcourt defense intensity will be raised to a higher level.
"Lin, you are still too young. Do you really think Kobe is so easy to trade?"
"Do you know Iverson's sneaker contract? He signed it for 10 years and US$50 million before entering the league."
"If I tell you that Kobe's shoe contract is bigger than Iverson's, you should know how exaggerated Kobe's value is."
"The senior executives of those sports companies all have very vicious visions. You can't regard Kobe as an ordinary 13th pick in the first round. He is a very special being."
Unseld said in an exaggerated tone.
Lin Yu was dumbfounded, why did Unseld describe Kobe so mysteriously? However, Kobe's first sneaker contract was indeed ridiculously high. He signed a six-year, $48 million contract with Adidas, which was much higher than No. 1 pick Allen Iverson.
"Then let's wait until the offseason. In addition to Kobe, there are several players we need to pay attention to."
After the conversation started, Lin Yu simply explained the team building plan for the new season that he had recently figured out to Unseld in detail.
The first is the trade of O'Neal Jr. of the Trail Blazers and Nash of the Suns.
The transaction value of these two people is extremely low, and they are the role of guarding the water cooler in their respective teams.
Nash is because the team has two top point guards, Steve Johnson and Kidd, so he has a chance to perform wherever he goes.
And Xiao Ou simply lacks strength. He is younger than Kobe and is the youngest player in the league today. It is not that the team did not give him a chance at all, but it is a pity that he just couldn't seize it.
After Howard was traded, O'Brien could come to the Bullets to serve as Webber's chief substitute.
"Jermaine O'Neal? Do the Trail Blazers have a player like this?"
Unseld frowned when he heard Lin Yu's plan. The Blazers in his impression didn't seem to have such a player at all.
He usually has a lot of things to do, how could he be impressed by a fringe player like Xiao Ou.
"I'm a little impressed by Nash from the Suns, but can he really take over Rod's position?"
"I don't think that kid plays basketball, but looks like a nightclub foreman."
Unseld naturally distrusted thin players, and even when he was looking for a wife, he looked for someone bigger.
Lin Yu smiled helplessly. The nightclub foreman Unseld said was the future regular season MVP. There are less than ten players in the NBA who are lucky enough to achieve this achievement!
"Keep talking, these two players don't use much leverage at all. When the time comes, I will get the two teams to make a three-way deal, and I can trade them all with just a few things."
"Lin, Jamal and Rod, what do you think we should do?"
"Even if we sell Juwan, the salary balance cannon fodder obtained from the transaction will still occupy our salary space for at least one year."
"Fortunately, Harvey's contract has ended, and the most we can offer is a contract with an annual salary of no more than 7 million."
"The contracts of these two people have expired, and we can only choose one of them. Even if we encounter a team that is willing to spend money, we will not be able to keep any of them."
The more Unseld talked, the more uncomfortable he became. He thought that if he had not gone to court and let the Heat sign Howard away, he would not be in trouble now.
Mashburn and Speedy are both in contract years, and old Paulin is not a wealthy man. Their financial resources can only keep one of them. If they are unlucky, they may not be able to keep either.
Especially Mashburn, he has completely exceeded his worth. With the Bullets' 7 million salary space, it is impossible to sign him.
There is some hope for Speed on the premise that no team that takes advantage of him offers him a bigger contract.
"Don't panic, old man, even if these two people leave, our combat effectiveness will definitely be stronger next season."
Lin Yu said with confidence that he had no need to brag in front of Unseld. As a time traveler, he has a whole offseason to make trades and adjust the lineup. If the Bullets' strength declines in the new season, Lin Yu will still It's better to find a piece of tofu and kill it head on.
This season, Lin Yu came back at an unfortunate time. The trade deadline was coming soon, so he only facilitated two transactions.
"Well, I can only believe you now."
"I'm waiting for your good news in Washington."
Having said that, Unseld hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He was already worried about the Bullets' new season.
