Chapter Thirty: Preparations Off the Field

"The visiting team could never have anticipated the sheer desire to win displayed by the Chicago Bulls, now back on their home court!" At the United Center in Chicago, the commentator glanced at the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter, a note of amazement in his voice. "Who would have thought that the much-criticized Bulls, coming off three consecutive losses, would be leading the Orlando Magic—winners of three straight—by such a margin at home?"

"In my view, this is entirely due to the Magic players losing focus," the other commentator offered his own perspective. "In their previous victories, the team played with remarkable seriousness and intensity."

"But tonight, none of that is in evidence. They're playing like they did at the start of the season, when they were mired in defeat."

At the beginning of the season, the Orlando Magic were in disarray, their form unstable, resulting in three straight losses to open the campaign. Afterwards, they managed to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, who were missing Ben Simmons and had Joel Embiid under strict minutes restrictions. Their subsequent two wins came only through diligence and complete commitment from the players.

Having done his homework before the game, the commentator pinpointed the visiting team’s most glaring weakness at this moment.

What the commentators observed was long apparent to Magic head coach Vogel. Watching his players flounder in the first quarter, Vogel was furious. "Look at the first-quarter report card you just handed me!"

"Five turnovers and six fouls in a single quarter, allowing the opponent to shoot sixty percent from the field. Is this the performance that secured you three wins in a row?" Vogel jabbed at the stat sheet in his hand, then suddenly turned toward Wu Rui. "Michael, tell me, is this how they won those three games?"

"Uh..."

Caught off guard by the coach’s outburst, Wu Rui was momentarily at a loss for words. To be trailing by thirteen points at the end of the first quarter—this had never happened in the previous three games.

"Sergi, where is your rim protection?" Vogel pressed on, sparing no time. He looked back at Wu Rui. "Michael, tell me, did you see anything impressive from Serge Ibaka under the basket tonight?"

"No!"

Before Wu Rui could answer, Vogel turned directly to Ibaka, delivering his verdict with finality.

Then, in much the same fashion, Vogel tore into every player who had seen minutes, each time directing his questions at Wu Rui, leaving the latter more confused with every round.

What is the coach trying to do?

Having finished his tirade, Vogel wasted no more time. While there was still a moment before play resumed, he made several lineup adjustments and emphasized key tactics to counter what the Bulls might run.

"What I want to see is that Orlando Magic team that makes the home fans cheer—not a bunch of lost kids in Chicago," he said as the players prepared to take the floor again.

At the sound of the whistle, the second quarter began.

For the Magic, Vogel kept only Serge Ibaka and Evan Fournier on the court, swapping in three substitutes, with Wu Rui still sitting on the bench.

On the Bulls’ side, Hoiberg made similar changes, keeping Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade in the backcourt while rotating the other three positions—Jimmy Butler, too, was left on the bench to rest.

"Coach, why did you keep asking me those questions just now?"

As the game continued on the court, Wu Rui, still perplexed, seized the chance to approach Vogel on the bench.

"Michael, don’t you understand?" Vogel, reassured by his team picking up two quick points on the floor, responded, "That was what I had planned for you in this game."

"When a player is on the bench, he should always be preparing to play." As he spoke, Vogel pointed to Rajon Rondo, orchestrating his teammates on court. "What do you think is Rondo’s greatest strength in this game?"

What is Rondo’s greatest strength tonight?

Wu Rui was just about to answer that he was always prepared to play, when Vogel’s seemingly unrelated question caught him off guard.

"Preparation isn’t just about your body or your mindset, though you must be ready in both respects," Vogel continued, reading Wu Rui’s doubts with ease. "When you’re on the bench, you need to do more than that. You should be observing closely—What’s the opposing team’s core? What kind of form are they in tonight?"

"You need to know where the opponent is focusing their efforts, what their main tactical approach is. These are things you must constantly observe from the bench." Vogel shouted at DJ Wilcox for missing a defensive assignment, then turned back to Wu Rui. "And most importantly, if the coach sends you in at that moment, what choices will you make based on these observations?"

"But coach, aren’t these the things you usually tell us during timeouts?"

When Vogel had finished, Wu Rui finally voiced his question. Much of what the coach had said, he was already aware of—Vogel often went over these points with the team during every timeout.

"Yes, a lot of this is the coach’s responsibility. But as a member of the rotation—a player who must always be ready—you need to have a clear grasp of the state of play on the court."

"That’s the kind of preparation every player should be making on the bench."

With this, Vogel strode to the sideline and began barking instructions at his players. Though the Magic’s offense had found some rhythm early in the second quarter, their defense was still lacking. The Bulls’ floor general easily exploited the Magic’s defensive gaps, slicing through what looked on paper to be a solid defense with a series of pinpoint passes.

Both teams struggled to get stops, which meant the Magic kept scoring but could never shrink the deficit—it remained in double digits.

"Jeff, Nikola, get ready," Vogel called, seeing his players tiring on the floor. He motioned to Jeff Green and Nikola Vucevic to prepare to enter the game.

The Magic were about to make a proactive adjustment!