Chapter 291: Chapter 239: In the West, They Wouldn’t Even Make It to the Second Round

In contrast to Paul Plessey, Skiles was much calmer, remaining seated on the bench the entire time.

He wasn’t arrogant, but after defeating the Lakers, Skiles truly didn’t believe there was any team in the league the Suns couldn’t beat.

None in the West, and certainly none in the East.

By the end of the first quarter, the Suns were up 27-19, having built an 8-point lead.

Ewing’s 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the quarter was just the icing on the cake. The biggest reason for the Suns’ first-quarter lead was actually their defense.

They had defensive assets from the inside out.

In the East, the Magic had dominated with their sharp drives to the basket, but that strategy wasn’t working against the Suns.

Even Hill, despite having the fastest first step in the league, found himself easily trapped by help defense when he drove inside.

The perimeter was another story. Darrell Armstrong, an important source of outside firepower for the Magic with his decent three-point shooting, went up against the tall and tenacious defender, J Kidd. He missed both of his three-point attempts in the first quarter.

Another season had passed, yet Tracy McGrady still hadn’t developed a consistent jump shot.

On the Magic, his current role was still as a wing defensive stopper, a master of driving to the hoop, and the team’s second scoring option. The Magic couldn’t give him an unlimited green light to polish his shooting.

Unable to score and powerless to stop the Suns, it was only natural that the Magic were trailing.

"See? I told you! The Magic are no match for the Suns. Once they beat the Lakers, the championship was theirs for the taking," Andy Dunbar exclaimed excitedly. Anyone who didn’t know him would’ve thought he’d bet on the Suns to win it all.

The others shared his opinion. No matter how you looked at it, the Magic were no match for the Suns. The gap in their strength was just too wide.

Chen Yu, however, frowned slightly.

’Paul Plessey doesn’t really have what it takes to be a head coach. Last year, he was just a temporary replacement after Rivers was fired. He rode the explosive performances of Hill and Tracy McGrady on a Cinderella run as an eighth seed all the way to the Finals. That’s the only reason the Magic’s front office kept him on. But in reality, their run to the Finals last year had very little to do with his coaching.’

’Just look at the game now.’ Chen Yu could see Paul Plessey’s incompetence. He couldn’t come up with any decent counter-strategies; the only thing he could do was run his starters into the ground.

Hill and Tracy McGrady had played the entire first quarter, and it looked like they were going to stay on the court.

Chen Yu, who occasionally kept up with the Eastern Conference, knew that both Hill and Tracy McGrady’s minutes were consistently high, averaging over 40 minutes a game.

’Although Tracy McGrady is young, he has a history of back problems.’

’Hill’s ankle is fine now, but he’s getting older. Playing this many minutes is a huge risk.’

’This is especially true for a team like the Magic that lacks depth. The weaker the team, the more they have to grind down their starters.’

’It’s not like the Lakers or the Suns, who dare to rest their starters with a lead. If the Magic tried that, their lead would probably be erased the moment their key players sat down.’

’This kind of high-intensity workload can easily lead to injuries.’

’Fortunately, it’s the Finals, and the offseason is just around the corner. As long as they don’t get injured now, I can help them recover during the break.’

And it wasn’t just the Magic’s starters who were struggling; their bench wasn’t good enough either.

The Suns, at least, had Gugliotta and his ten-million-dollar contract coming off the bench.

Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk both averaged around 10 points per game last season and were capable of being starters.

What did the Magic have? Only Mike Miller. And with Hill back in the lineup, even his opportunities were limited.

In the second quarter, the Suns continued to widen the gap.

At halftime, the score was 53-41, with the lead extended to 12 points.

Paul Plessey stood on the sideline with his arms crossed, his brow deeply furrowed. He knew before the game that they couldn’t beat the Suns, but he hadn’t expected the gap in skill to be this wide once the game actually started.

’And Hardaway hasn’t even really gotten going yet; he only has 11 points in the first half.’

’This is the same Hardaway who’s been averaging 32 points a game in the playoffs. He could easily drop another 20 in the second half.’

’It’s one thing not to be able to stop the Suns’ offense. Even the Lakers and the Kings couldn’t do it, so how could the Magic?’

The real headache for Paul Plessey was his own team’s stagnant offense.

’Forget the paint. We only have a few big men, and even by rotating them, they can’t score consistently against Ewing and Olajuwon.’

’The perimeter is just as bad.’

’Darrell Armstrong, a former Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player, is completely lost against J Kidd’s defense.’

’Tracy McGrady is facing his idol, Hardaway, and I don’t know if he’s too excited or what, but he’s been bricking everything in the first half.’

’We’re completely relying on Hill to carry us.’

’But Hill is only one man. He has to score, defend, and run the offense.’

Thinking of playmaking, Paul Plessey grimaced. This was another major headache for him.

The current Magic team didn’t have a single decent playmaker.

Darrell Armstrong wasn’t up to the task. His passing was too simplistic, and his playmaking abilities were limited. Especially since Hill’s return, his main responsibility was just to bring the ball past half-court before handing it off to Hill—or even Tracy McGrady—to run the offense.

Armstrong’s defense was excellent, he was energetic, and he could even fight for rebounds. But he was guarding J Kidd, who rarely shot the ball himself. So no matter how good Armstrong’s defense was, its impact on the team was limited.

Having Hill run the offense wasn’t ideal, either.

A player’s energy is finite. Being able to balance offense and defense is the mark of a top-tier superstar. Adding the responsibility of running the offense and connecting teammates would only drain Hill’s stamina.

Paul Plessey’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on J Kidd as he walked off the court.