I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 431 The Assistant Coach of the Celtics (Part [-])
On January 1th, the Boston Celtics rested and adjusted their status.

After the start of the new season, the Celtics' situation was very bad. They suffered a five-game losing streak.

This is the team's worst start to a season since the formation of the Big Three in 2008.

The aging of the Big Three is getting worse, and the team's previous high-pressure defensive style of play consumes a lot of players.

Especially with the degradation of Kevin Garnett, the Hulk can no longer contribute to the strongest defense in the league as he did in his peak period.

The team needs to seek innovation and change, change the overall operational thinking, and continue to maintain competitiveness in the Eastern Conference.

Rivers' coaching staff has been under a lot of pressure recently, and they have to make adjustments.

Even though the Big Three have aged, the Celtics still have potential to tap after years of running-in and the remaining abilities of the players.

The goal of the Celtics this season is not to be bad, but to continue to go further in the playoffs.

Yesterday, the No. 18 Celtics finally won their first victory of the new season. They defeated the Toronto Raptors 96:73.

This score can't help but remind people of the NBA game almost 10 years ago, a high-intensity defensive battle that could suppress the opponent's score below 80 points.

However, such scores are becoming less and less in the current league. Only a few teams in the East, the Heat, Celtics, Bulls, and 76ers, still stick to the Eastern tradition and carry out tough defense to the end.

In the West, the Denver Nuggets, Spurs, Thunder, and Clippers have averaged more than 100 points per game.

The success of the Dallas Mavericks last season has inspired many people. All teams are studying pick-and-roll, three-pointers, and zone defense.

After the start of the new season, the Los Angeles Clippers' whirlwind-like super firepower, with more than [-] points per game, has made the teams feel the wind of the new era.

It's just that the west coast is too far away from the east coast. As the Celtics who benefited from defense, it is impossible to accept the new trend so quickly.

The trend is just a trend, and the atmosphere has not really formed. As a remnant of the old era, the Green Army must stick to their traditions.

In a conference room at the Celtics training center, Doc Rivers and his assistant coaches discuss the team's next steps.

The victory against the Raptors on the 18th allowed Rivers to breathe, otherwise he would really be on the verge of getting out of class.

The team's losing streak can't be completely blamed on the coach, but the opponent at the beginning is really too strong.

The Pacers, Mavericks, Bulls, and Thunder are all very strong teams.

After signing David West, the Pacers have become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Mavericks are the defending champions, the Bulls ranked first in the regular season last season, and the Thunder are even more talented.

The Celtics looked old in front of them, but they couldn't fight defense.

You let your opponent get 80 points, no problem, but you can only get 70 points?
How do you win then?

Therefore, Rivers hopes that the team can make changes in the offense.

The assistant coaches have their own opinions. Old partners like Armand Hill and Kevin Eastman think that the team can maintain the status quo and make minor adjustments.

"In fact, our defense is not a problem. We shifted the focus of offense from the inside to the outside, improved the possession of Rondo and Bradley, further played the state of Allen and Pierce, and eased Kevin Garnett's offense. Pressure, let him focus on defense, and finally, to ensure Jermaine's health, we are still fully competitive this season. Our team's tacit understanding and experience are the best."

"If Rondo hadn't been injured in the playoffs, Cleveland might not have won us."

"This season is very special. Just look at the statistics after the start of the season. The scoring and efficiency of each team are declining compared to last season. Seriously Doug, we have experienced 1999, like this This kind of shrinking season, in the end is a worse season. Whoever makes fewer mistakes will have the last laugh."

Armand Hill followed Rivers to the Celtics as an assistant coach in the 2004-2005 season.

He used to be an assistant coach for the Eagles before. He was one of the contributors to the Celtics' championship in 2008. He has followed Rivers for many years and is the first assistant coach.

His words carry weight and make sense.

The number one problem for each team in the shortened season is not tactics and configuration, but injuries and running-in.

Under the intensive schedule, injuries will definitely increase.

The cancellation of the preseason, the reduction of the regular season, and tactical running-in will be a big problem.

Last season, the league just set off some new tactics, but it didn't continue well because of the lockout.

The offensive data of each team has declined, obviously affected by the long suspension.

Kevin Eastman also said: "Look at the Los Angeles Clippers. I heard that Smart resigned as the head coach. Although they won 6 games and 6 wins, the team did not play anything special. Smart It’s just nonsense, making such a big lineup rotation. They can win because of the stability of the lineup and the running-in of many seasons. I think we should also focus on stability.”

The two assistant coaches have been Rivers' right-hand men, and both have a point.

But Rivers still looked at the others, asking if they had any other thoughts.

Jimmy Young and Longabadi are also veterans of the Celtics, and their opinions agree with Eastman and others.

The only one left who did not speak was Tyronn Lue.

Lu joined the Celtics at the end of 2009 as director of the Basketball Development Center.

Simply put, it is to provide guidance and help to newcomers on the team.

After two seasons as the director of the basketball development center, he started this season as the team's assistant coach.

Assistant coach is a very important position for a team, similar to the "management reserve group".

Once you become an assistant coach, it means you have the opportunity to become the head coach of the team or an executive of the uniform team.

It is a transitional position between working staff and leadership.

With Tyronn Lue's qualifications and championship experience in the league, his promotion is quite fast.

Tyronn Lue thought for a while, and said: "I...I think it's a good choice to put Kevin Garnett more on the fifth position. Maybe we can consider letting Kevin play the center completely and go One big and four small ones."

In the summer, the Celtics gave up Shaquille O'Neal, signed O'Neal Jr., and formed an inside partner with Kevin Garnett.

If placed seven or eight years ago, the Celtics' combination of insiders could have swept the league.

It's a pity that both O'Neills are late heroes, plagued by injuries, and their condition is really not good.

Garnett's state is still good, and occasionally Rivers will let him play center at the fifth position, and the effect is not bad.

Armand Hill immediately retorted, saying: "Kevin can only play center occasionally, and he will go crazy if he is allowed to play the fifth position, and it is not a good thing for his knee."

Tyronn Lu said: "I understand, but... But now the confrontation inside is not so intense."

"The risk of injury in the fifth position is much higher than that in the fourth position. We cannot afford Kevin to be injured again."

Garnett's reimbursement in 09 is the eternal pain of the Celtics Big Three era.

Besides, as we all know, Garnett doesn't like playing the five position very much.

So when he signed up for the NBA draft, he deliberately lowered his height.

Lu has a lot of ideas, but among the assistant coaches, he is the most junior and soft-spoken.

Rivers seems to just want to simply listen to different opinions to show his listening.

Without further arguing, Rivers decided to seek stability, and the team continued to maintain the current style.

Appropriately increase Bradley's playing time, allowing Rondo to control the team's offense more, and Kevin Garnett to further functionalize the defense and do a good job in the team's injury management.

It is a kind of fine-tuning that is unfavorable to the start. I believe that as the season progresses, the team's record will gradually improve.

Tyronn Lue doesn't have much else to say. As an assistant coach, he still needs to listen more, memorize more, and think more.

There is still a long way to go to truly become a head coach.

Coming out of the office after the meeting, Lu took out his muted cell phone and glanced at it, and received a text message from Jeff Bauer.

"Tyron, are you interested in coming to the Los Angeles Clippers as the head coach? If you have an idea, please call back."

(End of this chapter)