Almighty Coach

The NBA season is halfway through, and the competition in the Western Conference is becoming more and more fierce. Judging from the current record, except for the last team in the Western Conference, the other 14 teams still have a chance to enter the playoffs. This is equivalent to a pattern of 14 into 8, which is extremely cruel.

After seven consecutive victories, the Clippers went to Oakland to challenge the No. 1 Golden State Warriors in the West.

For both sides, this is a tough battle, because both sides have strong lineups, and almost every position is a matchup of superstars. As for the audience, such a match between superstars is what they most want to see.

The stars of the two teams did not disappoint the audience. They really played back and forth, and all kinds of difficult goals made the game full of enjoyment.

In the fourth quarter of the game, the scores between the two sides did not open, and the Warriors even had a 4-point advantage. However, on the Warriors' bench, head coach Nicholas frowned, not looking relaxed at all.

This is not the game Nicholas wanted!

In the first three quarters, the two sides have been playing against each other and did not put too much energy on defense. This is not a problem in Nicholas' view. The offensive efficiency of the Warriors is one of the best in the league. Playing against each other, the Warriors The team will not be afraid of any opponent.

The scoring efficiency of the two sides is also very high. They have already scored 100 points in three quarters, which is not a problem in Nicholas' view. With 100 points in three quarters, the average quarter is only 33 points. With the Warriors' offensive efficiency, it is just too much. Just hit a few three-pointers.

But what makes Nicholas feel uneasy is that this game seems to have become a star ball!

It's nothing more than the Clippers playing star football. After all, they were originally a star football team, but the Warriors, like the Clippers, played star football. And this is what Warriors coach Nicholas cannot accept.

The Warriors are also a team that brings together many superstar players, but the real strength of the Warriors is not their stars, but their perfect combination of stars and tactical system. In the Warriors' system, stars can play the greatest role, maximize their respective characteristics, and then lead the team to victory.

In the NBA, some teams play star ball, and some teams play overall basketball, and the Warriors combine the two. It can be said that the Warriors play "star overall basketball."

But in today's game, the stars of the Warriors seemed to have completely abandoned the integrity of their tactics. Their style of play, like the Clippers, became a star ball. As the game progresses, the cooperation of the players is gradually weakened, and replaced by the players' personal abilities.

It is also normal for this kind of transformation to happen. There are too many stars in the lineups of both sides, and they are still the stars of the old and new generations. When the two collide, sparks will inevitably ignite. The new generation of stars hope to kill the former waves on the beach, while the older generation of stars want to teach these young people a lesson. When both players want to prove themselves, there will be more singles, and the game will naturally become a contest of individual ability.

When powerful stars face each other, it has always been relatively easy to "head-up". Tens of thousands of spectators watched, millions of spectators watched in front of the TV, and the players and coaches of both sides also watched. If your opponent scores a goal, if you don't return an "answer-ball" right away, wouldn't you be a coward?

This is the basketball culture of the NBA. As a star, the ball can be thrown, but people must not be cowardly. Sometimes the fans may not remember the "hard steel" with the opponent a hundred times, but as long as they are coaxed once, they may be called a "soft guy" for a lifetime by the fans.

The Warriors have no shortage of stars. They have regular season MVPs and scoring champions. Several of them have been in the first team of the NBA, and there are a lot of players who have been in the All-Star team. They have won multiple championships in recent years. The championship record has also attracted many stars with thighs, so even if they don't play tactics, the Warriors still have the capital to play star games with their opponents.

If it is another opponent, the head coach can tolerate the Warriors players playing star games, because other teams are not as good as the Warriors in terms of the number of star players or the quality of star players, so the head coach Nicholas does not mind his players. Willful once.

But the Clippers are different. The number and quality of the Clippers' stars are not inferior to the Warriors at all. When it comes to star football, the Warriors don't have the upper hand in every position. This is a situation that Coach Nicholas has never encountered.

In position 1, both players are MVP-level players in the regular season. One is good at three-pointers, and the other is good at breakthroughs. Both of them can be said to have their own characteristics. It is hard to say which one is stronger and weaker.

At position 2, both sides are also super scorers. One is the top three-point shooter in the league, and the other is also very accurate in three-pointers, and there is also an unsolvable pull-up jumper. From the perspective of athletic ability , The Clippers' No. 2 position is even stronger.

At the 3rd position, both teams are top superstars. These two superstars are very good at pull-up jump shots. One pulls up high enough, and the other is elegant enough to pull up. It is also impossible to compare strengths and weaknesses. But what is certain is that their scoring ability is top-notch.

At the 4th position, both teams are also players who can open up space. They are also very physical, with good scoring ability, rebounding ability and support ability, and the Clippers' 4th position is even higher. cm.

As for the No. 5 position, the Warriors were once the "No. 1 center" in the NBA, while the Clippers are a potential super center once in 30 years. However, the lineups of these two teams do not rely on inside scoring. Both are the best scorers in the league in terms of position, so these two centers are more likely to grab rebounds and eat cakes, and there are not many opportunities to take the ball alone one-on-one.

Coach Nicholas made a careful comparison, and suddenly found that the Warriors' starting five are really slightly inferior to the Clippers' starting five. The reason why the Warriors currently lead by 4 points is mainly because of the achievements of the bench lineup. Compared with the starting stars, the Warriors' bench lineup is more willing to play tactics. I have to say that the Warriors' tactical system is really good. With the efforts of the bench, the Warriors led the Clippers by 4 points when entering the fourth quarter.

But the difference of 4 points is nothing to the stars on the field. When the game reaches the fourth quarter, the starting lineup will eventually be replaced. In the starting lineups of both sides, there are many people who can score more than a dozen points in a minute, just 4 points, and they can catch up with a transition.

Nicholas doesn't want to play star football with the Clippers, which is tantamount to giving up the Warriors' system and giving up the Warriors' most powerful weapon. And when the opponent's star is not inferior to him at all, playing star football is completely a matter of luck. And once the two teams have reached the stage of fighting luck, it means that the head coach has lost control of the game.

For a champion coach who has achieved success in the NBA, losing control of the game is undoubtedly a disaster!

...

The lights around the rim are on, the timer has been reset, and the basketball is still flying through the air.

All eyes were on the ball, and then there was a "whoosh", and the basketball flew into the basket.

"Enter, lore! The Warriors won!" The live commentary shouted.

The scoreboard showed 128 to 127, the Warriors narrowly won by 1 point, and coach Nicholas also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he won the game, Nicholas couldn't laugh at all. In this game, the reason why the Warriors won was not at the tactical level, but because of luck. Not to mention the game process, if the last goal is not scored, then the Warriors will lose this game.

Some people say that luck is also a part of strength, but as the head coach of an NBA team, and a team that is going to compete for the championship, you can't rely on luck to win!

On the other side of the bench, Dai Li was not discouraged either. He just smiled and encouraged the players, while comforting him: "Don't worry, we just had a little bit of bad luck tonight."

Dai Li said so, but he was still self-criticizing in his heart.

"In the last few shots, I played too disorganized." Dai Li concluded in his heart.

In the last two minutes of the game, the score between the two sides was still tight, and the game entered a fierce stage. Fouls, free throws, timeouts, and the referee watching the video made the last two minutes of the game a toss for half an hour.

At this stage, whether it is the Warriors or the Clippers, the style of play is a bit chaotic.

There are too many star players in the two teams. Every player on the field has the ability to end the game, and every player will feel that he should end the game by himself, which actually caused chaos in the scene.

In the basketball culture of the NBA, star players should stand up and take responsibility at critical moments to end the game, but there is only one ball. If everyone can't wait to stand up, it will be strange if there is no chaos!

Sometimes too many stars is also an annoyance.

"If there are similar situations in the future, we can't fight like this. Everyone wants to end the game and it will cause chaos. We need to clarify the focus of attack." Dai Li thought to himself.

...

The game between the Warriors and the Clippers is a focus battle, and for the fans, it is a hearty star matchup. The high score close to 130 points also means that the offense of the two teams is very smooth. For star players, a smooth offense represents a strong viewing experience.

This game also affects the ongoing All-Star voting. Now that the All-Star Weekend is less than a month away, the All-Star voting has also entered a white-hot stage. Many stars are deliberately performing, hoping to enter the All-Star lineup.

The All-Star voting rules have always been favorable to big-name stars. Many well-known stars, even if the statistics are not very good, can still rely on the support of fans to enter the All-Star, and even get the All-Star starter.

In this regard, the Clippers players have an advantage. After all, there are several veteran star players in the team, and they have a lot of fans. When these veteran stars come back, they are born with extra points for feelings. As long as the data is decent, the fans will vote for them for their feelings. ticket.

The Clippers have returned several old brands at once, which has made the All-Star competition in the West this year unprecedentedly fierce. Some young stars are unlucky. Not to mention the veteran superstars with worse statistics.

Before the All-Star weekend, it is also the peak period for the team to conduct trading operations.

Under normal circumstances, the NBA trade deadline is the first Thursday after the end of the All-Star Weekend. Many teams with unsatisfactory results will also make trades at this time in order to hit the playoffs.

This year, the competition between the East and the West is far more intense than in previous years. There are more teams that want to hit the playoffs, and fewer teams that fail. This also makes more teams hope to adjust their lineups through trades. , or make reinforcements. Therefore, as the All-Star weekend approached, various trade rumors emerged one after another, and the real deal gradually surfaced.

...

In a luxury apartment in Sacramento, a nearly forty-year-old black man was packing his luggage while talking on the phone with his daughter.

"My baby, I will visit you during the All-Star Weekend in a few days... Yes, I can have a week off during the All-Star Weekend. Do you want to go to Miami for vacation..."

After finishing the call with his daughter, he threw the phone on the sofa and continued to pack his luggage.

"The next three consecutive away games are really terrible!" the black man sighed softly.

At this time, the phone rang again. The black man picked up the phone and saw that it was a call from the manager, so he chose to answer it.

"Hey, Lamar, this call is finally connected, and I have been on the call just now." The agent said.

"Sorry, I was just on the phone with my daughter and I was packing my luggage," the black man replied.

"Is it to prepare for the away game?" The agent paused, and then said: "I don't think you need that anymore. I just received a notice from the Kings that they plan to trade you!"

"What! I'm going to be traded?" The black man exclaimed.

"I didn't expect such a thing to happen either. Ordinarily you shouldn't be traded, but this trade requires salary reciprocity. Your salary this season is 3 million, so it was treated as a bonus." The agent explained road.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have chosen the king back then! Adding to the deal, this is an insult to me!" The black man cursed secretly, with a very bad expression on his face.

"Calm down, the NBA is a business. You have played for more than ten years, so you should understand." The agent persuaded.

The black man took a few deep breaths helplessly, and after calming down, he asked, "Then who is my next employer?".

"Boston Celtics." The agent sighed, and continued: "But the Celtics have a lot of talents in the second and third positions. I don't think you will have a chance to play even if you go to Boston."

The black man nodded. The second and third positions of the Celtics are not only full of talents, they are simply overcrowded! Among them are star-level players, rookies with potential, and titans in their prime. An old guy like myself has no place in the Celtics.

On the other side of the phone, the agent went on to say: "I have already started contacting the Celtics' management. If they don't plan to give you a chance to play, I will try to negotiate with them and buy you out so that you can still trade. Before the deadline, I found a new next home.”

"Well, that's the only way to go." The black man sighed, hung up the phone, and sat down on the sofa in a depressed mood, with frustration written all over his face.

"The addition of the deal? I never thought that I, Lamar Vincent, would be reduced to this point!"

...

On the training ground of the Clippers, the athletes and coaching staff were sweating profusely, but Dai Li was sitting on the sidelines, staring at the tablet computer in his hand.

Assistant coach Cassel quietly walked behind Dai Li, looked down, and found that what Li Dai was watching was yesterday's NBA trade rumors.

"Why are you looking at this? Nine out of ten of these trading rumors are false, and most of them are just false news deliberately released." Cassel couldn't help asking.

"I want to see if there are any potential transactions recently." Dai Li said.

"You rarely care about the signings of other teams." Cassel said with some complaints.

"No, I want to see if I can catch a leak." Dai Li said with a smile.

As soon as Dai Li finished speaking, a reminder of new news appeared on the tablet in Dai Li's hand. Dai Li clicked on the message without hesitation.

"Hehe, there's another deal. It's the King and the Celtics." Dai Li pointed to the tablet and said.

"I know that. The king and the Celtics have been talking for several days, and it's finally confirmed!" Cassel looked down at the computer: "Let me see, um, 4 for 2, and it involves a draft pick."

"The key is this, Lamar Vincent, I didn't expect the king to add him to the trade, which is too disrespectful to the veteran. The 'half man, half god' back then will be reduced to a match with equal salary. What a deal! It's a cold world." Dai Li shook his head and said.

"The NBA is a business. However, the Celtics' second and third positions are already overcrowded, and players' playing time is not easy to arrange. Vincent, an old guy, will definitely not be able to play when he goes to the Celtics. Do you think he will retire directly? After all, he is 38 years old." Cassell asked.

With a "ding dong", another new message came.

Dai Li clicked on the new news, and after looking at it, his face immediately beamed with joy.

"The Celtics have announced that they will buy out Vincent after the deal is concluded!" Dai Li said.

Cassel frowned and thought for a few seconds, then said: "The Celtics are doing their best. Since they don't need Vincent, they might as well buy him out. In this case, Vincent has a chance to find him before the All-Star Weekend." A new club. Maybe many teams need his experience, but at the age of 38, many teams will be discouraged."

Dai Li didn't answer, but stood up directly, turned around and prepared to leave.

"Coach, where are you going?" Cassel asked.

"Go to the general manager's office to find Johnson." Dai Li turned his head and replied, "I plan to sign Vincent! He will become our champion puzzle."