The rest is just noise

The history of NBA championships is the history of center dominance.

From George Mikan to today, only the 1979 SuperSonics did not have a superstar center. Now Louis has Ewing on his hands, but he is still troubled by the offensive and defensive system.

During the Celtics era, they had too many cards, so he was able to role-play Sampson on the offensive end and create four systems with Bird and Thomas as the core.

Now, with Ewing and Stockton, perhaps we can only imitate that classic Jazz team and play the UCLA system.

Louis only knew that the Jazz under Sloan played UCLA's offense, but did not know the specific measures. He hoped to promote the establishment of the system according to his own ideas.

With ten days left before the end of training camp, Louis officially launched the N.UCLA offensive system.

However, he changed the name of the system.

Although the concept of the system originated from UCLA, it was not copied directly. Therefore, an "N" was added.

Louis made it clear that the team's style of play in the new season will be based on the pick-and-roll with the ball holder, and the positional battle will be based on two and three groups that echo each other. The shooting guard will be spread out, and the small forward will be responsible for the wing pick-and-roll + cutting + catch-and-shoot. The two inside players will become tools in the low post.

The offense follows the flow, taking full advantage of Ewing and Oakley's mid-range shooting abilities to pull off the pick-and-roll.

The result was not smooth. First of all, everyone's concept of the new system was not strong.

Moreover, even the veteran players who have played for Louis for a year have to give up the tactics they have memorized by heart and relearn new tactical movements and pick-and-roll passes.

With less than half a month left before the start of the preseason, Louis threw out 200 tactics.

The tactical reserves of the NBA coaching staff depend on the number of assistant coaches.

The more assistants there are, the richer and more varied the tactics will be.

Louis has the largest coaching team in the league. Among these 200 tactics, except for 10 offensive tactics designed by Louis himself, the others are all obtained from the college arena by Zhao Yuanzheng, Jackson and Tomjanovich in a few days.

Scavenged.

Even Louis himself only remembers 1/4 of the tactics.

And he needs the point guard to memorize all 200 tactics, and other positions will be allocated according to their work. Just write down the tactics for their own position.

The insiders had grimaces. Some of them lacked IQ, some were impatient, and some didn't know how to memorize 69 pick-and-roll + screen methods and all kinds of almost ever-changing cover routes in 10 days.

"Coach, I can't do it!" Antoine Kyle was about to burst into tears holding the thick tactical manual.

Louis said gently: "If you don't want to play, it doesn't matter if you can't do it. Just listen to the command of the ball holder on the court."

Louis Orr was obviously resentful. He suddenly came up with so many tactics, and he didn't start practicing them from the first day of training camp.

"It would have been fine if we didn't use these tactics before." Orr muttered.

"I don't care what you were like before, starting from today, we are going to start a new era."

Louis' slogans are loud, but the players' problems still exist.

For example, Oakley, who has been designated by Louis: "Coach, you know that I am not good at understanding. You let me fight on the court, hug and throw, whatever I do, these tactics are me and me."

"Remember the basic 17 pick-and-roll and screen methods that I listed in detail above. If you don't know how to do it, just follow the instructions. Trust John."

Boll said nothing. He read the tactical manual handed down by Louis like a bible.

Things were not going well, but Louis was not in a hurry.

Originally, he did not plan to build the system in one season. Apart from Stockton, it is estimated that no other person in the Knicks team can master the new system in the first season.

Even Stockton, who had high hopes from Louis, frowned while staring at the tactical manual.

Ewing couldn't help but ask: "Coach, what is CrossSreen? (cross screen)"

"What is DownSreen?"

"What is DragSreen?"

"No way?" Louis was stunned, "Don't tell me you don't understand!"

Ewing believed he couldn't be the only one who didn't understand: "Do you understand?"

Ball joked: "The only thing I understand is cover."

Everyone else shook their heads, but no one could understand these 17 pick-and-roll and screen methods.

"What exactly did you learn in school?"

Louis finally understood how urgent the situation was, but he didn't expect to have to teach him the most basic cover.

He quickly left his position, shouted, and asked the insiders to come to the court together with Stockton, Webber and other defenders.

Louis gave the ball to Tomjanovich, acted as a pick-and-roll man, and asked Zhao Yuanzheng to come over as a defender.

On the other side, Phil Jackson has taken out the only camera in the Blue Palace to film.

Because you won’t be able to remember it after watching it once, you need to film all the pick-and-rolls and screens, make a videotape and give it to the players.

"The so-called cross screen is a classic UCLA offense." Louis came to the outside of the right paint area, which is also called the short corner area. "For example, if I stand here to make an off-ball screen, Oak, you go around from the top line.

Get in front of me, and then use my screen to cut to the basket. At this time, our ball carrier needs to pass the ball at a 45-degree angle in the opposite direction to create an offensive opportunity."

Louis added: "Because Oak and Patrick are both players with mid-range shooting ability, so after you get an opportunity through the screen, you don't have to go inside. If you have the opportunity, you can completely solve the problem with shooting."

"Do you understand? There are 11 tactics involving cross-covering in the tactical manual. You must write them all down."

The insiders were thoughtful, and Louis continued.

"The so-called drag screen is not as complicated as you think. For example, when Oke is responsible for serving, he deliberately falls to the back. Once he runs to the frontcourt, he does not necessarily go to the low post or other positions, but chooses to serve on the spot.

The ball holder picks and rolls, or covers for the ball-free man who is a shooting threat. If the opponent's inside line comes out to help defend, Oak can go straight to the empty basket; if the opponent's inside line is indifferent, our ball handler can partially

Conduct a two-on-one offense; at the same time, Oke can also pull to the dessert after completing the screen to catch the ball and shoot."

17 screen/pick-and-roll methods and concepts, explained in detail by Louis.

In fact, a pick-and-roll is a pick-and-roll, and a screen is a screen. At most, there are only back screens and front screens. The difference between a fake pick-and-roll and a real pick-and-roll is just to stand still after blocking the person, or to pull away after blocking, to slide down after blocking, and to move forward after blocking.

Continue to cover teammates on the flanks, that's all.

These 17 types of pick-and-rolls and screens emphasize concepts, position, space, timing and selection.

"Coach, it's too difficult."

Oakley cried out again.

"You can ask me to fight every game, but I really can't learn this."

"So I said, those who can't learn can only play as a substitute." Louis cleared his throat, "But, I will let Oak play, because I want the whole team, except Patrick, there will not be a second inside man.

Understand the playbook, and I need a real tough guy to help Patrick solve problems. Unless someone can fully understand the playbook, or prove that you are better than Oak, otherwise, Patrick and Oak will become our

Insider."

Kyle accepted his fate. He couldn't read tactics and was only good at attacking. He was an insider with distinctive characteristics.

Even if he understands the tactics, Louis can't let an interior offensive machine with poor rebounding and defensive black hole attributes partner with Ewing.

Originally, Ewing's rebounding was relatively poor. Without rebounding idiots like Oakley to help fill the gap, the Knicks' frequency of being blown out of rebounds would catch up with the Chinese team in world competitions.

For the next ten days, Louis would supervise the training every day.

Especially a few insiders.

You can rest assured on the outside. Even if Webb can't master the tactics, having Stockton is enough.

Big deal, let Stockton average more than 40 minutes per game. Anyway, this guy's durability is at a historical level.

Ewing still gets scolded every day.

There are three things he was scolded most by Louis. He likes to pounce defensively, just like a male dog who sees a bitch in heat. He has no habit of getting stuck when grabbing defensive rebounds. His strange habits reminded Louis of some discomforts from his previous life.

Memory. And, unexpected buttery hands.

Ewing often grabbed rebounds but lost the ball because he couldn't grasp it.

His palms are not small. If this problem occurs, Louis suspects that his hand strength is insufficient.

His suspicions were confirmed by strength trainer Dennis Dillon.

Therefore, Ewing had to practice hand strength for an additional hour every night.

At the end of the training camp, Louis organized a barbecue party.

His drink rarely changed from cola to wine. He sat next to Ewing and asked: "Patrick, do you hate me?"

"Hate, he absolutely hates you." Oakley shouted, "I have never seen any star player be scolded like this."

Louis didn't say anything, but Tomjanovich had a "you guys" look on his face, "That's because you haven't seen how Louis scolded Larry and Isiah in Boston."

"Are these two names Bird and Thomas?"

"Who else could it be?"

Tomjanovich suddenly became the focus of the barbecue party, and everyone pestered him to ask about the story of how Louis scolded Bird and Thomas in Boston.

Coincidentally, he was a witness to almost every time Louis scolded his mother.

There is so much "inventory" in his stomach that when he takes out any one, everyone will scream in surprise.

"Is it true, Kochi?" Bol asked in surprise.

Hearing Tomjanovich talk about his glorious deeds, Louis couldn't be modest even if he wanted to: "Rudy may have added some exaggerations, but the stories are all true."

After receiving confirmation from the person involved, everyone screamed in surprise.

Ewing felt better. It turned out that Bird and Thomas had also been scolded.

After more than a month of contact, he already had a clear understanding of Louis' qualities.

If he wants to scold, he must be very filthy.

Ewing felt better when he thought about this.

The No. 1 player in the league and the No. 1 point guard in the league have both been scolded. What is he struggling with as a rookie?