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

Chapter 246: The offensive firepower tops the league! Eastern Conference Player of the Month for November!The number of votes is far ahead

At the press conference, Lu Yong became the focus of media interviews.

A reporter asked: "Today, the team's main insider Tyson Chandler only played 16 minutes in total. Has Chandler fallen out of the starting lineup?"

"Of course not. Tyson is an excellent inside man. He has the league's top rim protection efficiency. The Knicks need his defense. I am just used to adjusting the starters and using different starters to deal with teams with different rhythms. lineup, this can make the Knicks more targeted on both offense and defense." Lu Yong explained. "The Heat have been playing a small lineup this season, putting Chris at the fifth position. Tyson is at a disadvantage against him. This is just a normal lineup rotation."

Blue-collar centers like Chandler will become less and less attractive in the future small ball era, but at least he is still very strong. The Knicks need his height and frame protection, but only when dealing with certain teams. Chandler is destined to be difficult to reuse and can only sit on the bench and wait for opportunities.

Not only him, but also McGee. The space for traditional centers has been compressed. Even if he is as strong as Lu Yong, he cannot reverse the advent of the small ball era.

记者又问：“尼克斯今晚正面击败了热火，安东尼轰下32分6篮板4助攻1抢断，表现好过詹姆斯的19分7篮板6助攻，你觉得这赛季安东尼和詹姆斯谁更有机会获得常规赛MVP？”

"It's too early to discuss this topic. Personal data is only one of the player competitions. The final record of the Knicks and Heat is also very important. Of course, as the Knicks coach, I certainly hope that Anthony can win the MVP, but this is not something I can The decision depends on the votes of the judges.”

Lu Yong doesn't want to put too much pressure on Anthony. All he can do is lead the Knicks to win. As for statistics, Anthony can only strive for it.

When asked about the reason for defeating the Heat, Lu Yong said: "It's very simple. We played better at the end of the quarter. We suppressed the Heat both offensively and defensively. The players have an absolute advantage in physical fitness. The Heat had several three-pointers." None of the scoring opportunities were made, so in the end we won the game.”

On the Heat side, Coach Spoelstra appeared quite helpless during the interview.

The two have played against each other frequently in recent years, and even in the regular season it was not a disastrous defeat. However, Spoelstra has never won against him in the playoffs. This made him doubt his coaching level and he was about to be diagnosed with the disease. Lu Yong has a phobia.

He refuses to accept it. Lu Yong is more extreme than him in arranging offenses and is also good at discovering new players. The gap between him and Lu Yong will only widen in the long run.

Spoelstra did not comment too much on the game, but only praised Lu Yong a few words. By the way, he encouraged the players to play well tonight and he will definitely regain his performance next time they play against each other.

The next day, the news of the Knicks' victory over the Heat hit the headlines, once again refreshing fans' understanding of the Knicks.

The number of championships Lu Yong has won so far is far less than that of "Zen Master" Jackson, but most fans believe that he will most likely surpass Jackson in the future and become the basketball coach with the most championships in the NBA.

The reason is simple. The teams Lu Yong has joined have undergone earth-shaking changes since last season. Whether it is the SuperSonics, 76ers or Knicks, they have all risen too fast.

The Knicks lineup was not weak last season, but when they met the Heat in the playoffs, they were beaten violently. They were unable to fight back in the entire series. They were not a team of the same level at all.

But now, the Knicks not only defeated the Heat through key goals, but also displayed terrifying offensive firepower against other teams in the league, looking like the only team in the league.

It only took the Knicks one summer to complete their transformation. From hitting the playoffs to chasing the championship, the credit naturally fell to Lu Yong.

Without the addition of Lu Yong, the Knicks would definitely not have the best record in the league this year. This is the consensus of the fans, and even the always arrogant New York fans have never refuted it.

After a day off, the Knicks returned to their home court to face the Grizzlies. This was a contest between Lu's coaches.

Grizzlies head coach Tony Brown once followed Lu Yong to the SuperSonics. Facts have proved that he was right. Now Brown has become a winner in life at a young age. Not only was he invited back to Memphis by the Grizzlies management to serve as the coach, but he also has There are some rights that take the saying "choice is greater than effort" to the extreme.

The Grizzlies have had a good record in the past two years. Although they are not the favorites in the league, they have been able to secure a place in the playoffs every year, and their ticket revenue has been increasing day by day.

The Black and White Bears composed of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are very strong. Together with many outstanding players such as Gay and Tony Allen, the defensive efficiency ranks among the top five in the league all year round. It is a difficult piece to crack. of hard bones.

However, although the Grizzlies' twin interior towers are strong, the lack of firepower on the offensive end is a problem that has never been solved.

Tony Brown was originally a defensive coach. He only learned a little bit from Lu Yong in planning offenses. It was enough to deal with ordinary teams, but against Lu Yong himself, it was a bit like playing a big knife in front of Guan Gong.

Anthony continued to show off his power in this game, defeating Grizzlies small forward Rudy Gay one-on-one. He played 36 minutes and made 21 of 10 shots, 6 of 2 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 29 points and 5 rebounds. 3 assists and 1 block, leading the scoring list.

Felton, who came off the bench, was not to be outdone. He beat Grizzlies backup point guard Jerry Bayless many times, contributing 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal, with a shooting rate of nearly 60%.

In the end, 112 to 95, the Knicks easily won at home.

After the start of the game, they had 10 wins and 1 loss, ranking first in the league.

In the next few games, the Knicks defeated the Magic, Hornets and Kings, and lost back-to-back to the Utah Jazz, ending November with a record of 13 wins and 2 losses.

Anthony was undoubtedly elected as the best player in the Eastern Conference in the first month, leading the league with an average of 30.7 points per game, higher than second-ranked Durant.

Lu Yong is quite satisfied with the Knicks' performance in November and is ready to find opportunities to help Anthony improve his statistics to prevent Adu, James and others from coming from behind and stealing the regular season MVP.

Entering December, the Knicks suffered a defeat in their first game, losing to the Nuggets 12 to 104.

First-year rookie Evan Fournier had a fit. He played 32 minutes and made 14 of 9 shots, 7 of 5 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 25 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. He overwhelmed the sophomore. Jimmy Butler.

Fournier is not only accurate in shooting, but also very powerful in offense with the ball. He used his skills to pass Butler's jumpers many times and scored, seizing the opportunity when core players were injured and rested to express himself.

Butler's defensive style is relatively tough, and he likes to use a head-on approach to get close to the opponent, and actively seek physical confrontation with offensive players.This defensive method is easier to use against American defenders, but it is less effective against European defenders like Fournier who focus on technique and shooting. Too close to the opponent can easily get passed by the opponent.

After the game, Butler was reluctant to accept the fact that he was beaten by the rookie, and his mentality collapsed.

This season, he averaged 28 minutes in the starting lineup, scoring 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals. He shot 52.6% from the field and 33.7% from three-point range. His improvement was particularly obvious.Lu Yong knew that newcomers' self-confidence is easily frustrated, so he took the initiative to talk to Butler outside the locker room.

"Don't be discouraged, Jimmy. It's just a bad performance in one game. Everyone gets beaten sometimes. If you don't believe it, just ask Cameron. He has been beaten all year round, but this does not affect his pursuit of scoring champion and MVP. . Not only will this experience not bother you, it can even become a valuable experience for you to grow up. Cheer up, you are not a man at all like you are now."

Butler smiled bitterly: "But I can obviously guard him, but I always make some low-level mistakes, which makes me feel very frustrated."

"It doesn't matter, you just lack experience and need time to grow. You can usually discuss defense with Kidd. He is an expert in this area. I believe he will be willing to teach you defensive skills." Lu Yong said with a smile.

"Yes, coach, I will work hard to improve and learn more from Jason." Butler nodded with firm eyes.

On December 12, the Knicks and their team flew to Seattle to prepare for an away game against the SuperSonics.

The battle between two top small forwards, Kevin Durant and Anthony, caught everyone's attention. It was a very topical game.

The only regret is that the SuperSonics' overall strength has dropped sharply this season. During the offseason, they lost two stars, "Martial Saint" Jackson and David Lee, and acquired Russell Weis, the No. 08 pick in the first round of 4, through a trade. Brooke, Adu and Turtle finally got together.

Lu Yong wants to know how Adu feels at this time. Westbrook was not trained by the SuperSonics in this life. His status in the SuperSonics is definitely not as good as Durant. In terms of ball rights, Adu does not have to worry about Westbrook winning the title.

But the same thing is that Westbrook's playing style has not changed much, and his three-point long-range shooting is still terrible. This also leads to the Sonics' outside space being not very good. In tough battles, Durant can only be a father and a father. Mom, the fight was not easy at all.

As the second-leading scorer of the Sonics, Westbrook averaged 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. The performance is still very good according to the data, but the long-range shooting rate of less than 30% is a bit eye-catching, averaging 3.7 per game. The first mistake was also slightly flawed, making it difficult to provide Adu with stable firepower output.

In addition, after David Lee left the team, the Sonics' weaknesses were also obvious. There was no one available inside. The starting twin towers turned out to be the "two fat" Kendrick Perkins + PJ Tucker. They had no problem playing against top teams. With no advantage, they can only rely on Durant and Westbrook to take action, returning to the star singles mode.

After arriving in Seattle, Durant took the initiative to invite Lu Yong to dinner. The two went to a restaurant they usually go to, ordered some food, and chatted about topics that had nothing to do with the game.

In fact, during the regular season, the head coach rarely eats with the players, and being photographed by the media can easily lead to scandals, causing adverse effects.

However, Lu Yong never cares about this. The relationship between him and Durant is clear to the entire league. Adu’s ability to win two MVP+ championships is all due to Lu Yong. It is normal for the master and apprentice to have a relationship in private, even if it is reported by the media It's not a big problem to take pictures, it's not a tricky thing.

While Durant was cutting steak, he complained to Lu Yong about the current situation of the SuperSonics. "Lou, if I had known I would not have signed a long-term contract with the team. I really regret not leaving with you. I have been too tired these two seasons. I don't know when this kind of life will end."

Durant has been surrounded by helpers since he debuted as a rookie. The championship system Lu Yong built for him has a large number of role players to share the pressure for him. Now with the large-scale departure of the team from the championship season, the offensive responsibility on Durant's shoulders has changed. It was getting heavier and heavier, which made him uncomfortable.

"Have confidence in yourself. Even if your teammates perform poorly, don't complain unless you already have a goal in mind." Lu Yong said with a smile.

"I've always had the goal, but I'm having trouble winning the championship. I don't know how long I can last. I hope the management can find some help for me this year." Durant shrugged and said.

The two sat and chatted while eating until the afternoon before leaving. Durant was obviously not in a good mood, but the baptism of the championship made him more mature than in his previous life.It will not be easy for the Sonics to win the championship again, but there is a high probability that Adu will not join the Warriors in this life. At least it can be considered a good thing to be able to get rid of the hat of defecting to the enemy Du.

That night, Lu Yong sat on the sidelines and didn't emphasize tactics much. The players played freely and defeated the SuperSonics 116 to 104.

安东尼、杜兰特两位顶尖小前锋都交出了绝佳表现，甜瓜19投9中，三分球5中2，罚球6中6，得到26分7篮板3助攻，阿杜23投11中，三分球7中2，罚球4中4，得到28分5篮板4助攻。

The Sonics mainly lost in the paint. The twin-tower combination of Perkins and Tucker was severely beaten by the Knicks. The score in the penalty area was 46 to 20. The SuperSonics lost in a complete mess.

"Little Bully" Stoudemire wreaked havoc in the penalty area tonight. He played 32 minutes and scored 29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. He shot over 60% from the field and had his best game of the season.

Tyson Chandler also completed the important task of protecting the penalty area very well, scoring 8 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks, of which the blocks set a new season high, giving the "two fat" a hard lesson.

Butler was responsible for guarding Reggie Jackson and performed well. Jackson made 14 of 3 shots from the field and only scored 7 points and 2 assists, with a shooting percentage of less than 25%.

Westbrook and Durant ensured the Sonics' offensive firepower, but the huge disadvantages of the inside line and the bench still caused them to lose.

The Knicks substitutes JR Smith, Novak, and McGee scored in double figures, performing a "bench gangster" show in front of the SuperSonics with a strong lineup in the past.

The next day, the media reported the Knicks' victory over the Sonics.

Anthony's popularity skyrocketed with his superb performance over James and Durant. He completely overwhelmed the two superstars in the first All-Star voting and topped the vote list.

The fan market in New York is not something that is just blown away. When Anthony's personal data and team record are among the best, his commercial value is immeasurable. This season, he has the vague intention of becoming the No. 1 player in the United States.

The popularity of Deron Williams and Stoudemire has also gradually increased. Both of them received a large number of votes in the first round of All-Star voting, almost locking in All-Star seats in advance.

In the next few games, the Knicks easily won consecutive games against the league's underdogs. Until they reversed the Los Angeles Clippers by 9 points at home on the 13th, the Knicks had achieved an impressive record of 17 wins and 3 losses, ranking first in the league.

The Clippers showed their own characteristics in this game. Paul sent 14 assists to revitalize the team. But even so, the Clippers still lost because the Knicks' offensive firepower was too strong, and a wave of offense in the final quarter directly reversed the game.

安东尼砍下35分6篮板2助攻，德隆17分5篮板11助攻，斯塔德迈尔21分9篮板2盖帽。

Tyson Chandler had a double-double and had the upper hand against DeAndre Jordan, contributing 11 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Substitute JR Smith also scored 19 points and 2 rebounds, and hit 5 three-pointers. He played the role of "bench gangster" to the fullest and is the number one contender for this year's Best Sixth Man.

(End of this chapter)