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

Chapter 94 The defending champion is beaten again?17 three-pointers in a single game created team history! (monthly ticket plus update)
The strong rise of the Supersonics caused the media to change their tone.

From the beginning of questioning the Sonics trade Ridnour, now everyone thinks that this is a lucrative business.

No one doubts whether the Sonics can make the playoffs this year. These young people have answered this question with practical actions.

Stabilizing the second place in the West is far more difficult than rushing to the second place in the West. When the young Sonics can rank among the top three for a long time, this in itself is a manifestation of the strength of the team.

On the 25th, the Sonics team is on holiday, and players can use Christmas to go home and spend time with their loved ones.

Before the start of the season, no one thought that the Sonics could deliver this kind of performance, even the league president David Stern was no exception.

This year's Christmas game has nothing to do with the Sonics. The focus of the battle is the defending champion Grizzlies against the Big Three Celtics.

This fight was deliberately arranged by the league. At least in the offseason, the Grizzlies and Celtics are definitely the two strongest teams in the league.

It turned out that the defending champion suddenly dropped offline in the new season, and his offensive level was greatly reduced. He completely lost the demeanor of last year's playoffs.

Although the Grizzlies have recently returned to fourth place in the Western Conference with a wave of winning streaks, they are still weaker than the Celtics with the league's first record.

Lu Yong and Tony Brown sat at home and watched this Christmas game with a record high ratings. The result was as Lu Yong expected. The Grizzlies were hung up and beaten by the Celtics from the beginning.

The head star Pau Gasol did not have an advantage against Garnett, and made frequent mistakes in one-on-one low-post singles. Either Garnett took the ball from behind, or he was interfered by his long arms when turning over for a jumper.

The starting small forward Warrick was even worse. Tonight, he was blasted into a sieve by Paul Pierce. Pierce scored 27 points in the first half alone, and he was beaten helplessly.

Fratello stood on the sidelines and roared passionately, trying to revive the team's morale through encouragement.

However, the Grizzlies insisted on using this starting lineup to fight the Celtics. When Garnett teamed up with Perkins to stop near the penalty area, Warrick and Swift on the front line couldn't break through at all.

Forcibly rushing in is also looking for a hat. The space is too small, and positional warfare is doomed to be exhausted.

Mike Miller played well against Ray Allen, and it was one of the few bright spots in this Christmas game.

It's a pity that Gasol couldn't play the advantage inside, and the Grizzlies' offensive efficiency plummeted. Relying on their tough defense for three quarters, they still failed to reverse the situation.

At the end, 97 to 85, the Celtics defeated the Grizzlies away and won the Christmas War.

皮尔斯出战38分钟，面对哈基姆-瓦里克轰下41分5篮板4助攻1抢断，投篮命中率56.7%，打出了超级球星的水准。

凯文-加内特14投8中，罚球5中3，得到19分11篮板2助攻3抢断2封盖，用一份填满数据栏的表现压制住了上赛季的常规赛MVP。

加索尔17次出手只命中6球，贡献14分6篮板3助攻，命中率35.2%，再次被推到了舆论浪尖上。

Lu Yong was very enlightened after watching the match from the perspective of the audience. He found that he had underestimated the strength of the Celtics.

Although the three giants fight on their own, although there is very little cooperation, they can't stand alone and they are all players at the team's boss level. On the offensive end, they only need a simple pick-and-roll cooperation to play a huge threat.

Not long after, the Supersonics will challenge the Celtics in an away game. At first, Lu Yong thought there was something to be won, but looking at it now, as long as the team’s outside touch is not blown out and they perform supernormally, there is a high probability that the Celtics will only be able to deliver food against the Big Three. share.

There are many teams that can beat the Celtics in the regular season, but if they really want to enter the 7-game 4-win playoffs, only the Spurs and Grizzlies are the few hard-core Celtics in the league.

The premise is that Warrick is sidelined and the starting small forward takes Ariza or Gay, otherwise winning will definitely be impossible.

After the holiday, the Sonics ushered in a wave of devil's schedule.

The opponents in the last five games are all teams that are firmly in the playoffs, and four of them are ranked in the top five in the division. The overall strength is very strong.

The worst thing is that in these five games, the Sonics not only have to fly to away games in a row, but also have a back-to-back against the No. [-] Spurs in the West, which is extremely difficult to win.

Lu Yong has already made preparations for the team's losing streak. The rookie players are not as resistant to pressure as the veterans. Facing this kind of schedule, they are prone to weakness and hit the rookie wall to perform abnormally.

Indeed, after Christmas, the Sonics lost three of the Devils' five games, with a record of 2 wins and 3 losses, and suffered a two-game losing streak.

In the game lost to the Spurs, Delonte West was overwhelmed, and Parker suffered a disadvantage in speed. He was hit by this "French sports car" with 32 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.

In the second half, Lu Yong's arrangement for the team's zone defense was not effective, and Parker continued to score by chopping melons and vegetables. This is the embodiment of the star's personal ability.

The only thing that makes Lu Yong feel gratified is that the Sonics defeated the Suns in the third game and succeeded in revenge. The team threw 17 three-pointers to create a team history record, and the 138 points they scored were also a new high in a single game this season.

The Sonics and the Suns are both full-strength offensive teams, with fast counterattacks and high scores every time they play against each other, which makes the fans on the scene very happy, as exciting as the All-Stars.

Durant went crazy in this game. He played against the veteran Grant Hill with full firepower. He played 36 minutes, made 21 of 13 shots, 5 of 2 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, scored 35 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal , Refreshing the career scoring record in a single game.

Delfino, who came off the bench, also performed well. He made 6 of 4 shots from beyond the three-point line, scored 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.

The team suffered a losing streak after Christmas, but coach Lu Yong remained calm.

Because he knows the limits of this Supersonic team, and the lack of top stars in his prime is a flaw. Before Durant grows up, it is not easy to play against a strong team.

The score fell into a stalemate in the final quarter. If the supersonic pure offensive lineup can't play a wave of offensive, there is a high probability that they will send themselves away in the end.

After losing streak, Presti talked to Lu Yong. "Lu, has the team encountered a bottleneck recently? If there is something unsatisfactory in the lineup and needs to be strengthened, I can find a way. Although the team has a good record now, I am afraid that it will not have enough stamina. If it continues to lose, it will fall out of the playoffs." the risk of the game.”

"Don't be nervous, Sam, the team will definitely enter the playoffs this year. It's normal for rookies to hit the rookie wall in the middle of the season. You can't let them play as stable as superstars with rookie contracts." Lu Yong said: "A team formed by rookies does have the risk of lack of stamina, but the Sonics have veterans and core players who will play in their prime. They will solve many problems for the rookies and ensure the team's winning rate."

Presti has been afraid of losing in the past two years. The team managed to reach the second place in the Western Conference in the early stage. He is afraid that he will fall out of the playoffs in the end. That is really going crazy.

However, he knew that Lu Yong was right. The NBA was like a long marathon. Even experienced stars had a hard time stabilizing their form, and a rookie-led team would inevitably have ups and downs.

It's not fair for him to restrain rookie Durant with the standard of a superstar. He has already achieved the limit that a rookie can do.

"Okay, I was too worried. The team is counting on you to return to the playoffs this year." Presti sighed.

After a day of rest, the Sonics beat the underdog Timberwolves 114 to 90 at home, ending their two-game losing streak.

At the press conference after the game, some media pointed out the recent ups and downs of the Sonics. Lu Yong said with a relaxed smile: "You know, there are 82 regular season games in one season. There are naps. I believe the players will adjust quickly, and I believe that Kevin can lead the team back on track. He is a seriously underrated rookie. I think Kevin should not only appear in the discussion of the best rookie this season. .”

At present, the all-star voting channel has been opened, and Lu Yong used interviews to get votes for his disciples.

Although it is difficult for a rookie to be selected as an All-Star, there are not a few rookies who have performed miracles in NBA history.

The closest player is Dayao in the 02-03 season. Even if he is a monster, there is still Spurs star Duncan in front of him.

Considering the good record of the Sonics, the rookie Du may have the opportunity to be an All-Star substitute.

　This chapter is a monthly ticket plus change, and it is still owed to the third change, and I will go out for a meal in a while, brothers, don't wait at night.

　　Tomorrow morning, I will get up early to write and pay back the debt.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)