After the confession failed, I went to the NBA to play and lose weight

Chapter 89 Recognize the location
In the first half, Howard only took 3 shots, but made 9 free throws, and only scored 3 of them, and even missed two free throws. He scored a total of 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 turnovers.

李成名6投2中只拿到了7分4篮板2助攻，还有2次失误和2次犯规。

魔术队这边表现最出色的是特科格鲁，8投5中，其中三分球4投2中拿到14分3篮板3助攻。

For the Eagles, Smith had 14 points and Joe Johnson had 11 points. In fact, their shooting percentages were not higher than [-]%, but through defense and constantly interrupting the Magic's offensive rhythm, they have been tightly controlling the score gap.

Chasing points all the time is a very torturous thing for players psychologically, especially when they are just a few points short, and they just can't catch up.

More importantly, it's not that they can't make a shot, but they make a foul every now and then, and then Howard can't make a free throw when he walks to the free throw line. This is a very morale-destroying thing.

Even for the home fans, it was torture.

Although they won the last game, and Li Chengming got a high score, the process felt a little ugly to the fans, and they didn't feel that the Magic had become a strong team. As a result, this time it came again, if it was back-to-back. Rest well and others said that the problem is that the interval between these two games is not short, and it is difficult to find excuses to say that they are exhausted.

During the intermission, the fans also went to eat and go to the convenience. The arena was noisy, but in the locker room it seemed very quiet.

When Van Gundy came in and saw the atmosphere, he first raised his eyebrows, then coughed lightly and said, "Why didn't you talk, you were hit?"

In fact, during the previous training, he felt that the team was still a little relaxed. This may not be the sequelae of the previous holiday, but that they seemed to look down on their opponents.

After all, they are only facing a team with a winning percentage of less than [-]% and are on the verge of the playoffs. It feels like they can play casually.

In fact, it is predictable that the players' attitudes are a little bit floating, although Van Gundy doesn't think it's because they fell behind in the first half.

Because they are indeed stronger than their opponents, it can only be said that the strategy implemented by the opponent today is correct. The most important offensive strengths of the Magic are now Howard uses foul tactics, and Li Chengming is interfered by assisting defense and double-teaming It was very uncomfortable, and Lewis felt that he couldn't help but be out of shape.

As a result, Turkoglu was the only one who could not support himself.

Turkoglu is not the kind of player who can lead the team to victory on his own, at least in games like Li Chengming's last game, it is difficult for him to play.

And today his state is not considered explosive, and what he is best at is organizing and sorting out the team's offense, but with his teammates stretching their hips one by one, Turkoglu's pass cannot be converted into an assist.

This also makes him very depressed, especially playing because Howard may have to interrupt the offensive rhythm, which is the most frustrating.

Seeing the eyes of the players all looking over, Van Gundy went on to say: "The opponent played harder than us today! To be honest, I am very disappointed in you."

The main problem for the Magic in this half is offense, not defense.

Not to mention Lewis and others, even Li Chengming, who had always been stable before, was out of order.

However, he can still be said to have been targeted by the defense, especially the front line defense of the two Williams+Smiths on the opposite side has greatly restricted him, and after the ball is scored, the others can't even grasp the open shot opportunities passed by. Just can't explain it.

As for Howard's free throws, that's an old problem, and it can't be improved all at once.

"Coach, I'm sorry, I..." Li Chengming raised his hand, wanting to stand up and take responsibility.

Unexpectedly, after Van Gundy glared at him, he suddenly sneered at the others: "You all think that you are fine, let a rookie come out and take the blame?"

Li Chengming felt a little embarrassed, and thought to himself, isn't this putting me on the fire?

But maybe this is also a reminder to let him clarify his position.

Li Chengming also has a faint understanding in his heart. After these few games, he seems to be a little confused about his position, and after he plays, the coach always arranges for him to be the main attacker, which makes him feel as if he has really grown up. The same as the first core of the team.

Even if he has been reminding himself before that he is not that good or strong, it is in this team that he can have so much room to play, but changes in personal mentality are inevitable.

To be honest, this embarrassment came in a timely manner, and a basin of cold water was poured on him, which was enough to wake him up immediately.

After waking up, Li Chengming immediately began to think about whether there was something wrong with his style of play.

To put it bluntly, the Magic's current lineup, whether offensive or defensive, mainly revolves around Howard, but Turkoglu is still at the core of the organization on the offensive end.

But when Li Chengming was on the court, the team leaned towards his tactics and gave up some things. Even Howard and others needed to make sacrifices to a certain extent.

And as Li Chengming played better and better, Van Gundy felt a little uncomfortable in the formation. After all, it is impossible to let Li Chengming, who is low-posted and can attract defense, become a role player of an outside shooter. Wouldn't it be a waste? his ability.

So when Van Gundy over there trained the others to the same extent, and then came to find him alone, he said without waiting for the other party to open his mouth: "Coach, should I add a little more off the ball?"

Van Gundy froze for a moment, looked at him in surprise, and then suddenly asked with a smile: "How did you think of this?"

Li Chengming said hesitantly: "I always feel that I am not playing very well, so naturally I need to change."

Van Gundy pondered for a while before saying: "Exactly, this is what I want to tell you, but we will talk about it later. For now, let's talk about it after the fight."

Li Chengming nodded, knowing that he meant that this scene would not change for the time being.

The victory or defeat of a regular season is irrelevant, not to mention that if the tactics are temporarily changed, the players may not adapt, and as far as Li Chengming himself is concerned, his performance may be even worse.

Although he has played some off the ball before, but only in some specific rounds, generally speaking, he still focuses on personal offense with the ball.

If you really want to say that you can play well off the ball, but it’s still barely there. After all, he doesn’t have the outside shooting at the level of Lewis, nor does he have the athletic talent and impact of Howard. It is better to play comfortably and confidently in your own rhythm.

If you really want to make adjustments, wouldn't it be easier to just replace Li Chengming?
Originally, Li Chengming was an unexpected surprise for the team this season, but in fact, Van Gundy did not include Li Chengming in the framework that Van Gundy set for the Magic at the beginning.

Nelson, Bogans, Turkoglu, Lewis and Howard, these are the main players that Van Gundy decided at the beginning. Among them, Bogans can be replaced at will, but he can either be replaced by a shooter or another 3D. It is impossible to replace him with Li Chengming.

Otherwise, the Magic's outside defense will drop a notch. Even if Howard is inside, if the opponent is allowed to break through the penalty area easily, Howard alone will be unable to support it.

This is actually because Li Chengming's growth is a bit beyond Van Gundy's expectations, otherwise he would not need to worry about employing people in this area.

This is also a happy trouble, and Van Gundy's choice before was to let Li Chengming become the axis for a short time when he played, but at present, Li Chengming's ability does not seem to be enough to carry this burden.

The most important thing is that he is now in an awkward position where he is just a rookie, but the tactics have to be played around him, which is obviously not a long-term solution.

However, Li Chengming was able to take the initiative, and Van Gundy still felt very happy. After all, for young people who can play well, no one is willing to give up the ball that they have finally obtained.

Li Chengming's ability to say this shows that he is mature enough and professional enough to put the team's victory above the individual.

Of course, this is also a kind of self-confidence. After all, no coach would be stupid enough to abandon him. It's just a question of how to make good use of him and integrate him into the team's system.

(End of this chapter)