Popovich finished speaking, and Jefferson fell silent.

He hadn't thought too much when he spoke to the reporters, but now that Popovich brought it up, he realized he'd made a big mistake.

Being dissatisfied with playing time was common in the NBA, especially for players like him who had signed big contracts.

Even complaining in the locker room or to the head coach was acceptable.

But he shouldn't have, shouldn't have mentioned it in front of the media, because that involved the public image.

What he said was tantamount to saying that the Spurs were not harmonious internally, which would put a lot of pressure on the entire team, even the management and coaching staff.

That was why Popovich was so angry.

The players looked at each other, not knowing what had happened. With the game about to start, they didn't have time to browse any news.

Popovich saw that Jefferson was silent, so he didn't say anything more. After letting the players prepare to go on, he and Budenholzer left first.

The atmosphere in the locker room was a bit awkward. No one knew what had happened, so naturally, no one knew what to say.

"Congratulations, Tang, starting, I told you you could do it." After a moment of silence, Green stood up and congratulated Tang Tian.

"You guy, you stole my starting spot, I have to ask the old man to get it back," Ginobili joked, getting up to congratulate Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was well-liked on the Spurs. With Green and Ginobili taking the lead, others came over to congratulate him one after another.

Duncan was also about to pat Tang Tian's head to congratulate him, but after seeing his buzz cut, he withdrew his hand and just gave him a Buddha-like smile.

The cheers in the locker room disappeared, and the brief awkwardness quickly dissipated.

Jefferson's face was very ugly at this time. He suddenly felt a bit out of place with the team.

Not long after, Budenholzer called the players to the game.

Jefferson stayed in the locker room alone because he was suspended and could not enter the arena.

When everyone was gone, he punched the bench angrily. This was really the most frustrating time in his NBA career.

But after he punched it, he didn't leave the locker room immediately, but took out his tablet and searched for a live broadcast.

He wanted to see how Tang Tian would play as a starter.

He had been unhappy with Tang Tian since his alma mater was eliminated by UConn, and his unhappiness had been accumulating as his playing time was squeezed.

Now that he had been robbed of his starting spot, it had reached a critical point.

He disliked Tang Tian and was now watching the game with a purely theatrical mindset.

He had played in the NBA for so many years and knew the difference between starting and bench players. It wasn't just a difference between two words.

First, every team had a core, and when the core was on the court, the shot attempts would be concentrated in their hands.

As a role player, starters basically did dirty work, and opportunities were very limited.

Secondly, starting players were matched up against starting players. In most cases, the difficulty of the matchup was directly raised a level, and it was naturally more difficult to play well.

Finally, there was also the consideration from the coaching staff.

Starters played the opening minutes, and if they made a mistake, they would most likely be directly replaced, with much less room for error than playing off the bench.

That was why many players who clearly had the strength to start were arranged by the coaching staff to play as the sixth man, or even the seventh or eighth man.

That was also why he kept complaining, and Popovich continued to let him start.

Without absolute strength, being promoted from the bench to the starting lineup was like forcing growth, and not necessarily a good thing.

He was now waiting to see Tang Tian make a fool of himself.

If Tang Tian didn't play well, Popovich would have to use him as a starter in the next game.

Playing one game as a starter would make Tang Tian recognize his own strength, and also make Popovich realize his importance.

A blessing in disguise!

…

Since the "Wolf King" Garnett left for Boston, the Timberwolves' record had plummeted.

No superstars were willing to come to the freezing cold Minneapolis, and the result was that the arena's attendance rate hit new lows.

Tonight, the attendance rate in the arena was less than 40%, making it feel even colder.

However, the fans who were present seemed to be in good spirits. The main reason was naturally the performance of rookies Derrick Williams and Rubio.

The only way for the Timberwolves to get out of this predicament was to hope for the draft.

Previous players like Corey Brewer and Jonny Flynn had been proven to be of little use, but the two rookies this season had performed well.

Especially after entering February, one was averaging double-digit points and the other was averaging a double-double, coupled with the team's core, Kevin Love, giving people infinite hope.

This could be seen not only from the emotions of the spectators on the sidelines, but also from the KT boards in their hands. In addition to Love, there were also Rubio and Williams.

After the pre-game warm-up, the starting players from both sides took the court one after another.

On the Spurs' side, Jefferson was suspended by the team. The other positions remained unchanged. The backcourt was Parker and Green, the frontcourt Tang Tian and Duncan, and the center Blair.

The Timberwolves were a little surprised when this starting lineup came out.

Head coach Rick Adelman was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

Tang Tian starting was a breakthrough point, and the team's chances of winning tonight were greater.

Derrick Williams became extremely excited all of a sudden.

If you want to talk about which rookie had the deepest resentment towards Tang Tian, he was definitely number one, much deeper than Reggie Jackson, Monroe, or even Singler.

He was originally a top pick, but because his team lost to UConn and stopped in the Sweet Sixteen, he was forced to drop to fourth overall.

Moreover, it was in the second half of that game that Tang Tian made him extremely embarrassed and exposed all his shortcomings.

If it weren't for Tang Tian, he wouldn't be playing in this godforsaken, freezing cold place. He really hated Tang Tian.

Now that the opportunity had come, Tang Tian was starting at small forward, which was simply a great opportunity given to him by God!

Compared to his time in college, he had now found his place. Small forward was the right position for him in the NBA.

He was in great shape now and would definitely blow up Tang Tian and vent his anger!

After the Spurs, the Timberwolves' starters took the court one after another amidst the announcer's shouts.

The backcourt consisted of the rookie "Golden Boy" Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour, a two-point guard lineup.

The frontcourt was Derrick Williams and Kevin Love, and the center was Pekovic.

Love and Duncan in the center jump.

Tang Tian noticed that Williams' eyes were constantly on him, so he looked up.

When he saw the latter's fiery gaze, his emotions were a little complicated.

In fact, he was a kind-hearted person.

During the NCAA, if it wasn't because the tournament was a single-elimination competition, he really wouldn't have wanted to defend Williams so miserably.

Similarly, if he were playing off the bench tonight, he wouldn't have wanted to do anything to Williams.

But this was his first career start, and Popovich was watching from the sidelines. His performance might affect his opportunities in the second half of the season.

So he could only go against his good nature and use Williams as a stepping stone again.