Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 129 Facing me with a heavy punch!Boss Fu, dream back to the top!

After the game with the Rockets, the Sonics got two days off.

Lu Yong did not arrange training, and gave the players a day off to recover their physical strength. On the 12th, they sat at home to meet the challenge of the Hornets. It was another game that was broadcast live across the United States.

The head coach of the Hornets is Byron Scott, who is severely biased and relies heavily on point guards on both offense and defense.

Scott has led the team to the finals twice in his coaching career, and was elected the best coach once. Some media compared him with Lu Yong, which made this nationally broadcast game full of gimmicks.

This season, the Hornets are a team that relies on defense to win. The average points allowed per game ranks fifth in the league, only a little behind the defensive Celtics and Spurs.

The Hornets averaged 95.8 points per game and ranked fifth, but it was fifth from the bottom. It is difficult to win by offense. This is another typical contest between spear and shield.

In addition, the two most popular stars among the new generation of players in the league are Durant and Paul. Among them, Paul not only became the leader in assists and steals last season, but was also selected to the double first team of the best team and the best defensive team.

Paul now has the nickname "Queen Bee". In terms of status, he is not as good as veteran stars such as Nash and Kidd, but in terms of strength, he has long been a player on the first tier of the league.

Of course, Durant is currently more popular, and jersey sales have steadily suppressed Paul.The reason is simple, because the Sonics' gorgeous offensive style has attracted countless fans, and Durant's popularity has also risen accordingly. Few stars in the league can have the luck of Adu.

The contest between the two is very attractive to fans, representing the highest combat power of the new generation of players, and no fans want to miss it.

However, Durant and Paul are not players in the same position, and the height difference is too large, so it is destined to be impossible to face each other head-on.So Lu Yong found Francis during training before the game, and planned to let him be the main attack point. As long as someone in the Supersonics can beat Paul, this is a joint victory for the Supersonics and Durant.

"Steve, how do you feel about your body? Do you feel any soreness in your knees?" Lu Yong sat on the sidelines and asked.

Francis' knee was seriously injured. This season, Ferguson has played very well. Lu Yong is also very concerned about his injury. If the situation is not right, he will manage the load and drive carefully.

"Coach, I feel very good now. My knee is an old injury. I have long been used to living with the soreness, and I am not so fragile." Francis laughed.

"If I put you against Paul in the next game and give you unlimited firepower, do you have the confidence to blow him up?"

Francis thought for a while and commented objectively: "I am taller and stronger than him. It is not difficult to score from his head with experience. But I think it is difficult to prevent his attack. Chris's explosive speed is too fast. He is only 1 meters tall, and his starting speed itself has an advantage. In addition, my explosive power has been impaired after I was injured. It may be difficult to catch up with him from behind if I pass by."

"I thought you'd always been a jerk, just like yesterday in the interview. I didn't expect you to let go of your star airs and show your sincerity." Lu Yong laughed.

Francis spread his hands and said with a wry smile: "Of course I want to build momentum for myself in front of the media, but I don't need to brag to you. I'm really going to be blown away by a rising star. I'm not the one who will be ashamed in the end?"

Lu Yong thought for a while and said, "You don't have to worry about defense. If you're only facing Paul on the offensive end, how sure do you think you can beat him?"

"Eighty percent. Although he was selected to the second team of the best defense last season, his height of 1 meters is too short, and his confrontation is also very average. I am best at bullying this kind of point guard. I have always been my strong point .” Francis said confidently.

He really didn't brag about this. Francis is 1 meters tall and weighs 91 kilograms. His playing style is exactly the same as Westbrook's, focusing on physicality and violence.

After Paul entered the league, his journey went smoothly, but the biggest sufferer in his career was "Little Fatty" Deron Williams, who was blown up in almost every matchup, and rarely gained the upper hand in statistics.

The reason is simple. Paul, who weighs less than 80 kilograms, has average resistance ability, and his height of 1 meters is also difficult to send out blocks.

Facing point guards like Deron Williamsou and Francis who rely on their bodies to play, they are destined to have no good fruit. It has nothing to do with strength, it is purely a lack of hardware.

Francis doesn't need to rush to the basket, as long as he is close to the basket, his turnaround jumper is very threatening, and he has absolute strength to blow up the Hornets outside.

In his peak season, Boss Fu is a man who perfectly combines technology and physical fitness. He often applies street basketball moves to the NBA. He has a strong back-hitting ability when bullying small guards, and few ordinary guards can defend him.

Today's Francis does not have explosive body and vertical jumping, but his skills and experience are even better. This is why Lu Yong believes in him, allowing him to serve as the team's starting point guard in the new season.

"With your words, I am relieved. I will give you unlimited shots in the end. I hope you can truly dream of returning to the top once and beat Chris Paul. Don't let me down." Lu Yong laughed.

"Hahaha, don't worry, coach, if you don't seize this opportunity, not only will you be disappointed, but even I won't forgive myself." Francis promised in a good mood.

Francis wants to prove himself more than anyone else. Lu Yong gave him the promise of unlimited shooting rights and gave him the opportunity to express himself. If he can't grasp it, the true-tempered Boss Fu will definitely be more frustrated than Lu Yong.

In the next game against the Hornets, even if he risked half his life, he would still smash Paul. This was the last stubbornness of a former top star.

Lu Yong watched a lot of "58 Cannon" games in his previous life, and knew Paul's strengths and weaknesses very well.

Paul's strength lies in his control of the rhythm. He can score by himself and connect with his teammates at the same time. He has a strong desire to win the game.However, his shortcomings are also irreparable. His height of 1 meters is flawed. He often suffers from defenders who rely on their bodies to play. There is no good way to single-handedly defend except for gambling steals.

Usually Byron Scott will install a defensive champion next to Paul to share the pressure for him.However, Lu Yong has already had a countermeasure against this, planning to send a formation that can attack with the ball per capita. Who can Paul defend in this situation?Can only passively choose Francis, who is the shortest, and the Hornets have no chance to switch defenses.

Lu Yong has no pressure to adjust the starting lineup. No coach in the league understands the characteristics of players better than him. For him, this is not an experiment, but a massacre with a different style.

Noah is scheduled to rest this time, and Gasol Jr., who has a three-point shot, is more suitable for the Hornets to start.

The Hornets are the potential opponents of the Sonics in the playoffs. Lu Yong will not be polite when they meet strong players. If they can win by 20 points, they will not win by 10 points. The main focus is to strike hard.

(End of this chapter)