Chapter Forty: Withdrawing from the Competition?

“Andrew Wiggins again—this is already his third consecutive field goal in this game!”
Inside the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic, the commentator at the announcer’s table unleashed a torrent of excitement into the microphone: “With that basket, the Timberwolves now lead the Magic on the road, 15 to 7!”

At the start of the game, Wiggins had virtually taken over. Not only was he scoring relentlessly on offense, but his defensive rotations were timely, always appearing exactly where Coach Tom Thibodeau needed him to be.

In contrast, the Magic’s small forward, Aaron Gordon, was far less impressive. After missing two mid-range jump shots early, Gordon seemed hesitant, and with Karl-Anthony Towns anchoring the Timberwolves’ paint, Gordon was reluctant to attack the basket.

A few possessions later, the Timberwolves were firmly in control.

Of course, Magic head coach Frank Vogel saw his team’s weaknesses as clearly as anyone. As soon as Wiggins scored again, Vogel acted decisively, making substitutions.

Since the starting small forward had underperformed, why not try the bench?
Jeff Green replaced Aaron Gordon, and D.J. Augustin came in for Elfrid Payton. Clearly, Vogel was also dissatisfied with Payton’s playmaking decisions so far.

After a brief word with the two players coming off, Vogel turned his attention back to the game. This substitution was just an experiment; he didn’t truly believe it would solve their problems.

Sure enough, Vogel’s changes failed to spark the offense. Instead, the Magic’s attack stagnated, while Wiggins took a brief step back and Zach LaVine stepped up for the Timberwolves—driving and shooting, pouring in 15 points in the quarter. With Towns contributing hook shots and mid-range jumpers, the Timberwolves ended the first quarter with a double-digit lead over the Magic!

“Bang!”

The first quarter ended. Back on the bench, Vogel slammed his tactics board aside. “I have no strategy to share with you now.”

“Look up at the scoreboard, boys! See how many points you’re trailing by!” Vogel roared, waving his hand. “You let the visitors shoot 61.4 percent in your own house, while you managed only 27.8 percent!”

Listing those numbers only fueled Vogel’s anger. “Do you realize your opponents have only won one game all season?”

“Do you understand what trailing by 22 points in the first quarter means?”

Yes, Vogel’s fury was entirely justified. On their home floor, the Orlando Magic trailed the Minnesota Timberwolves by 22 points, 17 to 39!

They had allowed their opponents to dominate the game with a scorching shooting percentage. Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins had scored 15 and 11 points respectively, while the Magic’s top scorer was Serge Ibaka with a paltry four points.

“If you don’t want to win, I may as well throw in the towel!” With that, Vogel gave his players no chance to respond, and handed in his lineup for the second quarter.

The whistle blew, and the second period was about to begin. Before the commentators could even regain their composure, a commotion erupted among the spectators.

“Look, that’s C.J. Watson!”

“Oh, my God! If not for my phone app, I wouldn’t even know the Magic had this player!”

Fans whispered in astonishment, expressing their shock. Indeed, it was unbelievable.

For the start of the second quarter, Coach Vogel had sent out C.J. Watson as the point guard!

“Wow, I think my eyes aren’t deceiving me—it really is C.J. Watson.” Not only the fans, but even the commentators were baffled. “This is his first appearance of the season. Incredible—I’d nearly forgotten he was on the team.”

“My God, I don’t understand at all. Coach Vogel is putting a veteran like this on the court—is this some new strategy?” Another commentator was equally perplexed, unable to fathom Vogel’s intentions.

His partner just shook his head. “No, man, look at the rest of the Magic’s lineup. I think this is a strategy called ‘giving up.’”

Joining Watson on the floor were shooting guard Mario Hezonja, power forward Damjan Rudez, center Stephen Zimmerman—and small forward, Rui Wu!

Aside from Hezonja, the fifth overall pick in 2015, the two big men, like Watson, were making their debut for the season.

“What on earth is Coach Frank Vogel doing—is he conceding the game?”

Watching the bench-warmers adjusting their jerseys and preparing to show their stuff, even the home crowd grew restless; the Amway Center became noisier.

The fans understood the game well. Though a small contingent felt a brief thrill seeing Rui Wu get on the court so early, their excitement quickly faded. They knew this lineup was not meant to win.

“I think this is Vogel’s punishment for the starters—their first quarter performance was abysmal.” The commentator finally made sense of it, though he sounded resigned. “It looks like Minnesota’s young guys can start celebrating the end of their losing streak.”

The commentators, along with the entire home crowd, felt certain how this game would end. The Timberwolves had rested Wiggins and Towns, but the red-hot LaVine was still on the floor.

With Tyus Jones, Shabazz Muhammad, and the rest of the bench mob, their fighting power was considerable.

Even if the Timberwolves’ bench unit was less formidable, it was still far superior to the Magic’s current lineup.

“Look at these guys’ faces—I have no idea why Coach Vogel wants me out here!” Feeling the disappointed eyes of the crowd, Watson, making his season debut, felt no joy at all. His face was stiff. “Are we just here to embarrass ourselves?”

“CJ, what are you talking about? The coach put us in; how could it be just to make us look bad?”
Watson grumbled, but Rui Wu beside him was unaffected by the crowd’s mood. Wu tucked in his jersey, bounced twice, warming up.

Getting into the game in the second quarter filled Rui Wu with excitement. Watching LaVine and Wiggins’ explosive performances in the first quarter, his heart was ablaze.

How much have I truly learned?