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

In late September, the Nets held a media day inside the arena.

Different from last season when no one cared about it, this year significantly more media came to Brooklyn to witness the Nets taking makeup photos.

Although it is still inferior to the Knicks, which owns the New York market next door, its popularity is not low, attracting a large number of reporters.

Lu Yong arrived wearing a light gray suit. After briefly greeting the players, he was surrounded by reporters who came after hearing the news.

There are four Nets players who have the honor of standing in the C position to take their makeup photos, Russell, Mitchell, Millsap and Lopez.

This is what Lu Yong means. The four players have higher strength and talent than other players and should enjoy core treatment.

Even if Russell and Mitchell have not yet realized their talents, no one doubts Lu Yong's ability to see people. These two newcomers will definitely attract the attention of fans in the new season.

Russell expressed surprise at this. In the Lakers, he was labeled as a parallel importer by the fans. He did not expect that after joining the Nets, coach Lu Yong would value him so much. This made Russell unable to restrain his excitement. stand up.

This summer he practiced hard and put in more effort than before, just to seize this opportunity to make a comeback and repay Lu Yong for his kindness.

After the players finished taking their makeup photos, reporters gathered around Lu Yong for interviews.

Some people are curious why Lu Yong values ​​​​Russell, who has not yet realized his talent in the Lakers for two years. Lu Yong chuckled: "In my opinion, Russell is a very talented player. As long as a suitable offensive system is arranged, he can Can play a huge role on the offensive end. The Nets need him to take on more responsibilities, and Russell has the potential to become an All-Star."

The reporter asked again: "Russell's performance during the Lakers period was not outstanding. He was mediocre in the first two years of his career. What do you think is the reason?"

"The overcrowded backline is one of the reasons why Russell failed to fulfill his talent. As a rookie, in the first two years, he was surrounded by teammates like Kobe, Lou Williams, Nick Young and Clarkson who needed the ball. . Ingram and Randall, who were selected by the Lakers, also need growth resources, and these have become shackles that bind Russell."

Another reporter asked: "The Nets also have many talented newcomers on the back line. Are you sure Russell can show his worth in a different environment?"

"Of course, the Nets back line has a terrifying lineup depth, but each player's playing characteristics are very different. I will arrange playing time reasonably and make adjustments according to the situation."

A reporter from Brooklyn asked: "Coach Lu, there are no top stars on the Nets team in the new season. Are you ready to play team basketball?"

"Yes, just like when I coached the SuperSonics, I am confident that I can turn the Nets into a strong team and use teamwork to make up for the lack of individual ability."

When Lu Yong coached the SuperSonics in 07, the team was composed of a group of newcomers who had just entered the league. Even Durant was still in the training stage. At that time, the SuperSonics had always been playing team basketball. By using war to support war, once the talents of young players were fully activated, the SuperSonics immediately became the favorite to win the championship in the league.

Compared with the original SuperSonics, the Nets' talent ceiling is lower, but the depth of the lineup is better, and the combination of multiple bench gangsters can ensure that they have fierce offensive firepower at any time.

The reporter brought the topic to Millsap again. As the only All-Star player signed by the Nets naked this summer, Millsap also attracted much attention.

Lu Yong said: "Millsap will be an important figure on both ends of the team's offense and defense next season. His playing characteristics can greatly enrich the Nets' tactical system. I think he has a chance to lock in the best lineup in the new season."

After receiving such high praise from Lu Yong, Millsap sat on the sidelines and laughed happily, thankful that he made the choice to join the Nets in the summer.

The Denver Nuggets once offered him a three-year, $3 million contract, but in the end Millsap accepted the Nets' two-year offer.

There is no other reason. Lu Yong is a magical coach. Millsap has no reason to refuse his personal invitation.

At the end of the interview, a reporter asked the question that fans are most concerned about. In the New York Derby against the Knicks, the Nets have a [-]% chance of winning.

Lu Yong shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "I hope the Knicks will not encounter the Nets in the playoffs. This is my advice to them."

"You mean, the Nets have the strength to beat the Knicks next season?"

"Don't be surprised, that's what I mean. The Knicks are very strong, but no one knows this team better than me. If the two teams meet next season, I am confident that I will lead the Nets to win." Lu Yong said easily.

On the surface, it seems that the Knicks have three cores of Jokic, Anthony, and Butler that are invincible. But as Lu Yong said, no one knows this team better than him, and Anthony’s status is a mystery after resting for half a season. , it’s hard to say who will have the last laugh in the New York Derby.

The best example of this is when Nelson led the Warriors to eliminate the Mavericks in the previous life. At that time, the Mavericks were in full swing as the Western Conference champions that season. Under the leadership of coach "Little General" Johnson, they defeated the old strong players with a record of 67 wins and 15 losses. The Suns and Spurs advanced to the playoffs as the top seeds.

However, the head coach of the eighth-seeded Golden State team was Nelson, who had been the head coach of the Mavericks from 97 to 05. He was so familiar with the team's style of play and weaknesses that even Mavericks star Nowitzki and The then coach Avery Johnson was discovered by him.

The result was as expected. In the first game of the series, the Warriors gave their opponents a slap in the face at the Mavericks' home court. After the Warriors returned to their home court, they won two games in a row without giving the Mavericks any chance, and won the match point with a 3-1 lead.

Although the Mavericks pulled one back in Game 6, G25 came to the Bay Area again. The Mavericks were defeated by the Warriors' crazy offensive and suffered a defeat with a [-]-point disadvantage.

Here I have to mention the role of Warriors head coach Old Nelson. He can only be described as insightful and knowledgeable to the Mavericks. If the Warriors head coach had been replaced by someone else that year, it would have been impossible to complete the Black Eight Miracle.

Next season, the Nets and Knicks will be like the Warriors and Mavericks back then. At first glance, there seems to be a huge gap in strength, but when they actually fight, the Knicks are more panicked than O'Neal's grandma.

The reporter asked again: "Which teams in the Eastern Conference do you think can create pressure on the Nets next season?"

"Currently, there are only the Celtics and Cavaliers. The Raptors have had a good record in recent years, but they are not afraid of the playoffs. I think there are very few teams in the East that can threaten the Nets. Even if they were hung up and beaten, not a single one would be beaten."

Hearing this, the reporters immediately became energetic and felt that there was another big news to write.

Lu Yong made it clear that he didn't take his old club, the Knicks, seriously, and even stepped on the Raptors. His arrogant and domineering attitude was exactly the same as before.

Lu Yong is not looking down on the Knicks, but he has confidence in the Nets.

Because of the butterfly effect, the Knicks did not get the "unicorn" Porzingis, which saved Lu Yong a lot of trouble.

If the Nets don't have Lopez, it's really hard to limit Jokic, but now the Nets' inside configuration is not afraid of Jokic at all. The 33-year-old Anthony has also begun to decline. Both efficiency and explosiveness are not as good as before. Lu Yong is confident to follow Don Nelson and give the Knicks a head start next season.

That night, several authoritative media outlets released news about interviews with Lu Yong.

Lu Yong, with his arrogant attitude, unsurprisingly made headlines.

While fans are always paying attention to the Nets, they are also ready to see the Knicks' jokes.

Because Anthony just told the camera not long ago that he will lead the Knicks to win the championship in the new season, proving that he is still the all-powerful number one player in the league.

Both sides made harsh words, and one side will definitely be slapped in the face. Fans are looking forward to how the New York Derby will end. Just thinking about it makes them feel interesting.

At this time, all the pressure is on the Knicks. As the defending champion of four championships in five years, if they are defeated by the Nets in the rebuilding period led by Lu Yong, James Dolan's expression will probably be as ugly as eating shit. In stark contrast, the Brooklyn fans were all proud and proud, finally able to raise their heads in front of the New York fans.

Throughout the history of the Nets, fans have never been so excited after moving to Brooklyn.

Now, Lu Yong's arrival has given Nets fans hope, and the home attendance in the new season will definitely be full.

In early October, the NBA preseason begins.

Lu Yong did not save energy this time like he coached the Knicks. The Nets are a team that has just undergone a major overhaul in the summer. The main core is mainly new players, and they need to seize all the time to break in.

The intensity of confrontation in the preseason is not high, which is just suitable for Nets players to familiarize themselves with tactics and enter a state of preparation in advance.

The starting five arranged by Lu Yong in the preseason are Russell, Mitchell, Joe Harris, Millsap, and Lopez.

This lineup can advance, attack, retreat or defend. All five players have the ability to shoot three-pointers. Daluo can grab rebounds and pass them to the defender to launch a counterattack, which is very powerful.

The five substitutes used by Lu Yong in the regular rotation are Dinwiddie, LeVert, Hardaway Jr., Tucker, and Wood.

The offense and defense are also integrated, and the battle space is very wide. When encountering a weak team, it is even capable of competing with the starting lineup.

Both lineups have good offensive firepower, with a clear division of responsibilities between the ball holding point and the ball-free point. Lu Yong is confident that he can complete the running-in in a short period of time.

LeVert is not in the starting lineup because Joe Harris, who is good at off-ball play, is more of a threat from long-range three-pointers. His partner Mitchell can do a good job of catching and shooting, so that opponents dare not double-team.

In addition, LeVert can help Dinwiddie and Hardaway Jr. on defense when he comes off the bench, balancing the strength of the two lineups.

There are not many teams in the league whose second lineups can match up with the Nets. With three sixth-man-level players, plus Tucker and Wood, unless the Nets are outplayed in the starting lineup, whoever comes up against them in the second quarter will have to lose. Headache.

Jeremy Lin, Ferrell and Hamilton have long been prepared to play on the fringes. Only when the Nets suffer injuries will they be able to get stable playing time.

Scola is here to be the leader of the locker room. He can help the team without playing and knows his position very well.

As for the second-round pick Monte Morris, his confrontation is too bad, his defense is terrible, and he is definitely not as good as Dinwiddie.

Lu Yong plans to find opportunities in the new season to help him improve his data, and then sell it at a good price next year.

The Nets' main offensive tactics are not complicated. They are similar to the SuperSonics team of that year, pass and cut + screen + three-pointers + counterattack.

A team without top stars is like this. Except for key rounds, it creates opportunities through running. There are fewer individual one-on-one rounds, so it is impossible to arrange for Jokic to act recklessly like the Knicks last season.

Fortunately, both Nets lineups have no shortage of three-point shooters, and the inside line can also reach the top of the key in the tactical system. Repeated passes, cuts and screens will not have a chance.

Lu Yong's first choice for pick-and-roll arrangements in positional battles is Lopez. Millsap plays more of a transfer station role and moves freely, giving full play to his pentathlon characteristics.

There is no way, Daluo's frame protection efficiency is top in the league, but his speed is not fast.

In positional battles, it is a bit wasteful to simply go outside and shoot three-pointers. When playing pick-and-rolls with Russell, he can choose two routes: downhill or outside, and the efficiency is guaranteed. He is more suitable for launching pick-and-rolls than Millsap.

Joe Harris' position is relatively fixed, responsible for opening up space in the bottom corners on both sides, and only doing one thing: catching the ball and shooting.

His three-point jump shot is particularly accurate. As long as his teammates attract double teams and successfully pass the ball to the bottom corner, Harris rarely disappoints.

As for Russell and Mitchell, they are the core of the Nets' offense. No matter who has the ball, the other can play without the ball. This is a perfectly compatible golden partner.

Facing the Heat in the first game, Russell did not disappoint. Against Dragic, he made a sudden outside shot and made 15 of 8 shots, 8 of 4 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws. He scored 25 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists. 1 steal.

First-year rookie Mitchell also performed well. His excellent athletic talent allowed him to penetrate the Heat's defense. He broke into the basket and performed many difficult layups after pulling the lever. He made 13 of 8 shots, 4 of 2 three-pointers, and 6 free throws. Hit 6, scored 24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

The only thing that surprised Lu Yong was that Millsap didn't seem to be getting along well with the team. He played 28 minutes and made 9 of 4 shots, 2 of 0 three-pointers, and 3 of 2 free throws. He only had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 assist. Blocked shots scored.

At first glance, Millsap's statistics are not bad, but his movements on the court are very chaotic in many cases. It seems that he has not found a way to get along with Lopez peacefully.

This kind of thing is not surprising in the NBA. It often takes time for stars to adapt to changing teams. It can be as fast as half a month or as slow as half a season. Oral speech does not play much role at this stage, and can only be achieved through actual combat. Break-in.

The reason why Durant is nicknamed "the strongest mercenary" by fans is because his style of play does not require adjustment no matter which team he joins. He can do it as soon as the tactics are indifferent. This is how he has achieved the dominance of a superstar.

However, not everyone can compete with Durant. Millsap obviously still needs time to adapt to the new style of play.

After all, in the Hawks, he was more likely to hit the basket and have three-point ability, but he didn't shoot many.

After joining the Nets, his tactical positioning changed dramatically. He no longer blindly cut to the basket and played post-up singles, but increased the frequency of face-to-face jump shots. It is understandable that he did not play well in the first game.

Fortunately, Lopez's performance was not affected. He made 12 of 7 shots, 9 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and threw 5 three-pointers over the head of "Big Whiteside" Whiteside, blasting 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks, integrating offense and defense.

他的低位防守给怀特塞德制造了巨大麻烦，11次出手只命中3球，仅得6分10篮板1盖帽。

The reason for the few blocks was that Da Luo was very smart and did not challenge his strengths, which made Da Luo very depressed.

The performance of the substitutes also surprised Lu Yong. In the second quarter, he directly hit a climax to stop the Heat, and each one felt hotter than the last.

After a day off, the Nets beat the Magic again 126-97.

Even though the Magic are not strong, the Nets scored 126 points in a single game and still showed strong offensive firepower.

After only playing two games in the preseason, Lu Yong firmly believes that the Nets can achieve a good regular season record.

I don’t dare to say anything about the offensive firepower of the starting lineup, but the offense of the Nets’ second team can definitely rank among the top three in the league.

As the regular season progresses and Millsap integrates into the tactical system, the Nets will only become stronger. (End of chapter)