Jiang Shan and Michelin were waiting by the stairwell when Aminu and Mihm soon walked out of Kupchak's office.
"Johnson, you're very talented, you just lacked an opportunity, and Indiana is a great fit for you." Jiang Shan hugged Aminu and then patted him on the chest.
"Thank you, Coach. You taught me a lot and always encouraged us younger guys." Aminu's eyes were red; it was clear he was reluctant to leave upon just hearing the news.
"Mihm, this is just a business league, I'm sure you don't need any comfort." Jiang Shan said to Mihm with a smile.
"OK, Coach, I understand. It's just a pity I won't be able to play under you anymore." Mihm spread his hands and finally gave Jiang Shan a hug.
Granger, Ersan Ilyasova, and Gortat, having rushed over upon hearing the news, had all come to see Aminu off.
After waving goodbye to them, Jiang Shan went into Kupchak's office.
"Mitch, we only have a 12-man roster now. Do you have any backups in mind?"
"Jiang, not yet, but I'll sort it out by tomorrow if you don't have a specific player in mind."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Shan couldn't come up with anyone either. "You sort it out then! I don't have anyone in mind either."
The next day, Kupchak found some waterboy from somewhere. But that didn't matter, because the team was flying to the Denver plateau in the morning.
"Coach, over here!" As soon as he stepped off the plane, Jiang Shan saw a 2-meter-tall giant waving at him, and he exchanged a knowing smile with Michelin.
"You take the players to the bus, I have a few words with him." Jiang Shan walked over to the giant and said sternly:
"Cameron, you skipped practice again. Even though you came to greet me and I'm very happy about it, you still have to follow team discipline."
"Coach, it won't take long, and I asked George for leave," Anthony argued. Jiang Shan stared at him for five seconds, and when his eyes blinked unnaturally a few times, Jiang Shan understood and took the initiative to embrace him.
"Thank you, Cameron. I'm glad you haven't forgotten me. But I'm the Lakers head coach now, and I have to get back to my players. You go back to practice first, and we'll get together tonight."
Anthony nodded and smiled at Jiang Shan. The Melon's smile at this time was indeed very sweet.
The coach was still the same coach, still very strict with him. He just wondered if he would ever have the chance to play under him again.
Waving goodbye, Jiang Shan returned to the team bus.
That night, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Jiang Shan rolled out a starting lineup of Kobe, Raja Bell, Odom, Diaw, and Gasol.
Denver's starting lineup featured Kenyon Martin, Camby, Anthony, Miller, and Watson.
When Jiang Shan shook hands with George Karl, the veteran coach said to him, "Jiang, Cameron respects you a lot. He came back and took the initiative to admit his fault to me, which was completely unimaginable before."
Jiang Shan smiled and didn't say much.
The game started. Following Jiang Shan's arrangements, the offense still played run-and-gun, so the Lakers disrupted Denver's rhythm right out of the gate.
Kobe struck twice from the perimeter in quick succession, taking a 6-0 lead.
On the defensive end, the Lakers played a zone defense from the start, but to prevent Anthony from catching fire, Jiang Shan instructed Diaw to pay attention to help defense.
He was probably the coach who knew Anthony best. Although the two had only worked together for a year, Jiang Shan knew his offensive repertoire inside and out, and had even used the system to give him individual tutoring back then.
Sure enough, after the turnover, Anthony received a pass from Miller and went into a triple threat. He drew a double-team from Diaw and Odom, and the moment Diaw shifted, he tossed the ball toward the rim. Camby blocked Gasol, and the high-flyer caught the alley-oop for a slam dunk.
Over the next few possessions, Anthony pulled out all sorts of moves. Relying on Kobe's shooting efficiency, the Lakers managed to maintain a 3-point lead.
In the second quarter, both teams went to their bench rotations. Jiang Shan brought in Granger and Tyronn Lue while resting Kobe and Gasol, moving Odom to center and picking the pace back up.
During a 4-minute stretch of the rotation, the Lakers outscored Denver 13-7. Seeing the Lakers gaining momentum, George Karl hurriedly sent his interior towers and Anthony back onto the court. Jiang Shan substituted Odom out for Kobe, moving Diaw to the interior.
The Lakers' lineup on the floor looked a bit like the Warriors' future "Death Lineup," but obviously, in 2005, this lineup was unplayable.
Anthony was like a fish in water on the offensive end, frequently breaking through the Lakers' interior.
At halftime, the Lakers trailed the Nuggets 58-63.
During the intermission, Jiang Shan formulated a new defensive strategy targeting Anthony's performance.
At the start of the second half, the Lakers tightened their defense on Anthony while placing more emphasis on team coordination on offense.
When the third-quarter rotation ended, Jiang Shan brought the starting lineup back in, focusing the offense on inside-out connections with smooth chemistry between Kobe and Gasol, while keeping Odom and Diaw on lockdown duty against Anthony on defense. He could pass, but he was absolutely not allowed to shoot.
By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers had tied the game. Jiang Shan really understood Anthony well; when setting up Odom's defense, he told him to pay close attention to Anthony's pivot foot.
Once locked down, Anthony had a habit of using his pivot foot, and his passes would invariably go in the opposite direction of that pivot foot.
"Coach, if Cameron finds out, he's going to be heartbroken," Michelin said gloatingly.
"What am I supposed to say? Lamar figured it all out on his own." Jiang Shan rubbed his nose and continued:
"Playing small-ball is definitely out of the question, which means the switching-everything defense tactic will also take a massive hit. When we get back, take them through the triangle offense or Princeton."
"Isn't it a bit too early? Danny and the others still need time."
"It's not early. Have you looked at the kind of opponents we're facing now? Besides, this Lakers team needs to bear my imprint; we can't just rely on one or two tricks."
The fourth quarter entered a brutal dogfight, with both teams trading blows and swapping the lead.
With 45 seconds left, Denver relied on Anthony's post-up to take a 1-point lead. Odom received the pass but had it stolen by Miller, who then fed Anthony for a coast-to-coast slam dunk.
With 35 seconds remaining, Jiang Shan called a timeout, first drawing up an interior post-up play for Gasol, and then a three-point play for Kobe.
Odom inbounded the ball to Tyronn Lue standing at the top of the key. At that moment, Kobe burst out from the interior closely guarded by Anthony, Gasol planted his feet to set a screen, and Kobe pulled up a meter behind the three-point line, launching a jumper—bang, three-pointer good.
Denver burned their final timeout. With 26 seconds left on the clock, both teams still had one possession remaining.
Jiang Shan instructed the Lakers to focus their defensive attention entirely on Anthony.
Out of the timeout, as Anthony drove, a triple-team collapsed on him. Raja Bell had quick hands and eyes, directly intercepting the ball and hurling it to Kobe—a tactic they hadn't used before.
Kobe sprinted across half court, pulling up once again a meter beyond the arc as Miller rushed out at him. Three plus one! Only 2.3 seconds remained for the Nuggets...
In the end, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Nuggets 106-102.
After the game, Anthony sought out Jiang Shan to express his gratitude.
He said, "Coach, thank you for your guidance back then. Today's game made me feel my own progress."
Jiang Shan smiled and patted Anthony on the shoulder, saying, "You were always talented. The future belongs to you."