Chapter 50: The price of youth

"It's impossible to limit them." Jake rubbed his hands uncomfortably. Although the score hadn't widened yet, anyone with a basic understanding of the game could see that the Rockets were slowly but surely taking control. The Kings tried hard to slow the game down and force the Rockets into a half-court battle, but Harden repeatedly broke their defense, and the game tempo was increasing under his deliberate pace-setting.

"Substitution!" Malone glanced at the clock. It was already midway through the second quarter, and the Rockets led 38-30. The Kings' starting lineup, physically exhausted under Harden's constant targeting, was lagging behind the Rockets' pace. Malone had to make early substitutions, bringing on Casspi and LaVine to replace CJ and Cousins. As soon as the Kings' two starters left the court, the Rockets fans erupted in cheers, sensing victory was within reach.

"We'll start the offense soon. You hold the ball and go one-on-one against Harden. Don't worry about scoring—just tire him out." When Coach Malone was explaining the tactics to LaVine, Jake, sitting nearby, almost spit out his drink. This tactic sounded way too familiar! He silently bowed his head, trying to stifle his laughter. Can't laugh—it's impolite!

LaVine wasted no time once he hit the court, signaling the team to play isolation. Earlier in the season, LaVine had aimed to be a 3-and-D player, but after a season under both Jake and Malone's constant prodding, LaVine had developed his own offensive skills. He wasn't just a 3-and-D player anymore—are you kidding? You can't sell tickets with just defense!

"Spread out, spread out!" LaVine directed his teammates, ready to drive into the paint with a quick crossover. Harden backed up a half-step, waiting for LaVine to make his move. But LaVine, playing with youthful aggression, bulldozed into the lane with no hesitation.

"Beep!" The referee's whistle blew. Howard, looking frustrated, raised his hand, conceding the foul. Harden had relied on his eyes to defend again, and Howard had to step in at the last minute. But with LaVine already deep in the paint, fouling was Howard's only choice.

"Why didn't you defend? You just let him in with your eyes!" Howard angrily questioned Harden. At this point, Harden still embodied his "Houston Four O'Clock Sun" nightclub persona. His defense wasn't terrible—he was at least average in the league—but his biggest flaw was his lack of enthusiasm on that end. Harden was notorious for defending more with his eyes than his body.

McHale, standing on the sidelines, quickly realized Malone's tactic and adjusted his defense, assigning Ariza, the team's best defender, to handle LaVine.

"There aren't enough ball handlers," Jake muttered as he analyzed the situation. The Kings' roster wasn't as strong as it needed to be, and the Rockets' offensive firepower was on another level. By the end of the first half, the Rockets had a 9-point lead, 55-46, heading into halftime.

In the Kings' locker room, the atmosphere was tense. The team was in trouble, but no one had a clear solution. Even Malone seemed at a loss—after all, the playoffs were a completely different game than the regular season. Many tactics that worked during the season were proving ineffective now.

"Why don't we try the 'magic ball' strategy? Whether we win or lose will depend on the players' shooting touch," Jake quietly suggested to Malone.

"That might be our best shot," Malone said, frowning deeply. He quickly gathered the team and began laying out the new strategy. Time flew by, and soon the third quarter was about to start.

"Oh? Coach Malone is putting CJ and LaVine on the floor together!" a sharp-eyed commentator noticed. Up until now, CJ and LaVine had been playing at different times to avoid exhausting both primary ball handlers. Putting them on the court simultaneously meant Malone was taking a gamble, likely pushing for an offensive surge.

McHale glanced over at Malone, his face giving nothing away. Then he leaned over to Harden and whispered, "Slow the pace down. Let Terry and the others wear down their perimeter players."

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the third quarter. Jake, sitting courtside, suddenly had an idea—activate the booster card!

"Run!" Jokic boxed out Howard to grab the defensive rebound and quickly passed it to CJ. As soon as CJ received the ball, LaVine, Casspi, and Gay sprinted toward the other half of the court. CJ made a two-step advance, stopping just past the logo, and launched a perfect long pass to Gay in the paint. Gay faked out Terry, who was scrambling back on defense, and smoothly dunked the ball.

The Rockets quickly felt the impact of the booster card.

"What did they do during halftime? They're scoring at will!" Harden muttered, winded after seeing Gay sink another three-pointer. The Kings suddenly turned up the heat, firing from the perimeter and throwing the Rockets' defense off balance. This irritated Harden, pushing his defensive energy to a higher level—he wasn't lazy, just competitive. Now, he wasn't willing to lose!

With that mindset, Harden began battling head-to-head against the entire Kings team. As the third quarter ended, the Rockets were clinging to a slim 80-79 lead heading into the final frame.

"Hold on, keep playing the way you've been feeling. We have a chance to win this away game!" Malone urged his players with all his might. But Jake, standing nearby, didn't look as optimistic. He kept quiet, knowing the booster card's effects only lasted 20 minutes. Although the Kings had saved energy by speeding up their offense, the timeouts and free throws in the third quarter had eaten into that window. The boost would run out just two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Sure enough, as soon as those two minutes passed, the Kings' rhythm dropped off a cliff. The Rockets quickly capitalized, pulling ahead in one decisive wave.

"The gap is still too big," Malone muttered during dinner that evening, visibly deflated. He stayed quiet most of the time, only speaking at the end to express his frustration.

"Don't take it so hard. Seventh seed against the second, and it came down to the wire. You did everything you could," Jake said, gulping down a big swig of beer to ease the tension. "Besides, it's just the first game. Get back to practice, analyze what went wrong, and get ready for Game 2."

But despite their efforts, no miracle came. The Kings lost the first two games on the road. When they returned to Sacramento, they managed to win one game but then lost the next two, bringing their playoff run to an end.

The young Kings were given a harsh lesson by reality. This was the journey every great team had to endure.