It turns out that when a person is free, time flies very fast. After the trade deadline, Jake entered the most leisurely period of the year. Over the past two months, he's been sleeping and waking up whenever he wants. When he feels like it, he flies around the country with the team to watch games for free. Or he visits NCAA universities, eating and drinking with the coaches—all covered by the team's expenses. The only formal work he's done is watching the famous "March Madness" tournament.
To be fair, the NCAA games are genuinely exciting. There's none of the commercialism of the NBA—just pure basketball. Young players sweat it out on the court, competing for the ultimate glory in North American college basketball.
One day, as Jake collapsed into a chair in his office, ready to slack off for another day, Coach Malone walked in.
"Will you be heading to Los Angeles with us tomorrow?"
"Why go to Los Angeles? I've got plenty of work to do." Jake pretended to type on his keyboard.
"Come on, what work have you been doing these past two months?" Malone exposed Jake's poor acting without hesitation. "I didn't say anything about you slacking before, but now you're not even going to the team's final game? Isn't that a bit much?"
"Final game?" Jake was stunned by Malone's words and checked his computer's calendar. "April 14th? Isn't tomorrow the 15th, the last game of the regular season?"
"What's the team's record right now?" Jake asked, and Malone almost rolled his eyes to the ceiling.
"Are you seriously asking that? You're the head manager of this team, and you don't even know our record?"
"Oh, I trust you," Jake replied with a laugh, trying to brush it off.
"You're unbelievable, Old Six," Malone continued, shaking his head. "Whether we win or lose tomorrow doesn't really matter. Our record stands at 52 wins and 29 losses right now. We're two wins behind the Spurs, who are in front of us, and three wins ahead of the Mavericks behind us. So, we're locked in as the seventh seed in the West, no matter what."
"Seventh place, that's good enough," Jake said with satisfaction upon hearing the numbers. The goal this season was just to make the playoffs. Whether they'd get knocked out in the first round? Not Jake's problem to worry about. Barring any surprises, the Western Conference standings should look something like this:
1st: Golden State Warriors
2nd: Houston Rockets
3rd: Los Angeles Clippers
4th: Portland Trail Blazers
5th: Memphis Grizzlies
6th: San Antonio Spurs
7th: Sacramento Kings
8th: Dallas Mavericks
The Pelicans, who were originally in the running for eighth, were squeezed out of the playoffs.
"Alright then, let's go." Jake gathered the papers on his desk. "We finally made it to the playoffs—we've got to celebrate."
...
At the Staples Center that night, even though the Lakers ranked last in the West this season, Coach Byron Scott benched all the starters in the last game to improve their draft lottery odds. The Lakers looked like they were ready to fold, but Los Angeles, a massive basketball city, still packed the arena.
Malone also decided to rest Cousins and CJ, saving their energy for the playoffs. He let Zach LaVine and Greg Oden start. The Kings easily won the game, ending the season with a record of 54 wins and 28 losses.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Kings players couldn't contain their excitement, rushing onto the court to celebrate.
"Congratulations to the Kings! They've made it back to the playoffs after an eight-year drought!" The domestic broadcast had aired the game, and commentator's voice rang out excitedly. "It hasn't been easy. Their record nearly doubled in just one year, making the Kings the biggest surprise of the season!"
"If there are no surprises, Jake will likely win the Best General Manager Award this year," added commentator. "The Kings' rise is largely due to Jake's incredible trades!"
"That's right. The Kings enter the playoffs as the seventh seed in the West. In the first round, they'll face an old rival, the second-seeded Rockets. Mr. commentator, do you have any predictions for the playoffs?"
"I wouldn't dare make a prediction!" commentator laughed, waving his hand. "For many of our fans, a Kings vs. Rockets matchup is going to be a tough one. Let's just hope it's an exciting series."
The streets of Sacramento were wild with joy. Kings fans, long silent, donned their jerseys and flooded the streets to celebrate. The scene resembled a championship parade.
"You've done well. Making the playoffs this year has given our board a lot of confidence!" said Ranadivé, pacing around his office excitedly. Jake and Malone sat on the couch, listening to their owner.
Ranadivé hadn't expected this. Originally, he had brought Jake over from the Spurs to use him as a scapegoat in case things went south. But Jake had managed to turn the team around, and now Ranadivé was thrilled.
"Boss, while now may not be the best time to mention it, I still have to remind you," Malone began cautiously, seeing how excited Ranadivé was. "Even though we made the playoffs, there's still a gap between us and the top teams in the West."
"I'm aware," Ranadivé waved his hand dismissively. "I won't expect miracles in the playoffs. I just want one thing—make sure we show the team's spirit. Even if we can't win, make it exciting."
The excitement of the playoffs would significantly impact next year's ticket sales, so the team had to put on a great show, win or lose.
"Don't worry, Boss. I'll make sure we deliver!" Malone promised enthusiastically, eager to reassure Ranadivé before he could think of any crazy new ideas.
"You've all worked hard this year. I'll speak to the board later—your bonuses for this season will be doubled!"