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

Chapter 369 Where the dream begins! The old club is not up to expectations!

After a brief interaction with the fans, Lu Yong sat back on the bench with a smile on his face.

Even though the two sides had a honeymoon for a while, it still couldn't change the fact that they were opponents tonight.

The main defender Mitchell was rested before the game. This is Lu Yong's greatest respect for his old club.

If a main player is given up, the Sonics will still lose miserably, and there is nothing he can do as a coach.

You can't just take off your clothes to warm up and go up and fight by yourself, right?

During the warm-up session, two big men, Cousins ​​and Porzingis, were coaching three-pointers.

Adams, the Sonics' starting center, is a target. As long as he is moved out of the basket, the Sonics penalty area will have no frame protection.

Therefore, Cousins ​​will definitely be outside in this game and will not go to the basket for too many rounds.

Cousins ​​also felt good today, scoring consecutive three-pointers from the middle, which made everyone feel bright.

Kao Shen joined the Nets with a minimum salary and wanted to express himself. He cherished being made the starter recently.

Last season, while the media praised the Warriors, they often used Cousins ​​as a negative example.

Talent is always overlooked, but the sense of coercion against enemies on the court is everywhere.

Cousins ​​beat the Sea Kings with a jump ball to start the game.

Cousins ​​protected the backboard, passed it to Brunson, and slowly ran forward.

The SuperSonics management has no appreciation for Gallinari. He was only exchanged to improve the team's immediate combat effectiveness. The contract will definitely not be renewed after it expires. The core of the team is the younger Alexander.

Paul knew that he was old, so he played a pick-and-roll with Gallinari and got rid of it. Porzingis stepped forward in time to delay.

Barkley said: "If Lu was still with the SuperSonics, Ferguson would have performed better than he is now, or he would not have been selected at all. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same vision as Lu. Whether new players are suitable for training can only be used Time will confirm it bit by bit.”

Gallinari caught the ball from the outside and before shooting, Porzingis' defense was in place.

He is tall inside and plays as a small forward. He relies entirely on shooting to score, and his other skills are so-so.

Alexander received the ball and singled out LeVert. He used his speed advantage to make an emergency stop jump shot, which missed due to interference.

There is no way around this. Paul's height of 1 meters can only allow Brunson to face him, and even LeVert's defensive effect is not necessarily that good.

Seeing that the opportunity was not good, Gallinari did not force the shot and waited for his teammates to step forward and pass the ball.

To put it simply, he is a space-based insider who was pushed to the fourth position in the small ball era. When he first entered the league, he always played the three position.

Of course, this premise is that Alexander has not yet reached his peak, otherwise LeVert will really be unable to defend him one-on-one.

The game was broadcast live on TNT TV. Kenny Smith sighed softly: "Ferguson is a typical player who wastes opportunities. He started 69 games last season and averaged only a pitiful 6.9 points per game. This year, coach Donovan still chose to believe in him, but this season So far, Ferguson's personal statistics are only 4.2 points and 1.5 rebounds. He can't attack and can't defend, which is a waste of opportunities."

Adu and Cousins ​​​​played a pick-and-roll in the middle and broke through on the right.

It is difficult for LeVert to defend defenders like Paul, but it is much easier to defend Alexander, who is of the same size.

Brunson took the opportunity to pursue the defense from behind. The young man's footsteps were flexible and he did not lose his position.

He felt that instead of helping the Warriors, he had become a burden, which annoyed him very much.

Tonight, Lu Yong said that he would give Durant unlimited shooting rights, so he naturally launched an attack around him.

Adams failed to switch defense in time and asked Ferguson to chase. As a result, Ferguson ran into the arms of Cousins, and there was a defensive misalignment at the beginning.

When the SuperSonics attack, the Nets still guard man-to-man, and rarely practice zone defense.

Durant would not miss such a good opportunity. He made a jump shot with one step inside the three-point line. There was no interference for two points, and he hit it easily, 2-0.

The SuperSonics' defensive tactics are also man-to-man. Durant and Cousins ​​once again played pick-and-roll, and this time Gallinari changed the defense.

"Shh!"

Nets five: Brunson, LeVert, Durant, Porzingis, Cousins.

Adu still hit the mid-range shot in his second emergency stop, 4-0.

This year Cousins ​​​​will prove to those who have doubted him that even if he cannot return to his peak form, he is not a little shrimp who can be slaughtered by others. He is still a test god in this league!

Fortunately, Paul has gone downhill at this time, and his singles ability has declined. Winning depends on organizational offense and rhythm. Brunson will not become a defensive vulnerability.

Paul broke through and forced his way to the basket, attracting Porzingis to help defend and pass the ball to find his teammates.

"If we continue to play, I believe Ferguson will soon fall out of the starting lineup. He has not made any progress in two years. The Sonics are gradually losing patience with him."

However, although Gallinari is good offensively, he performs poorly on the defensive end.

Gallinari was traded from the Clippers to the SuperSonics in the summer. He is 2 meters tall and weighs 08 kilograms. He has good offensive skills and is good at shooting. This season he averaged 102 points, 19.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, and shot 2.1% from three-point range. He is the second-leading scorer after Alexander.

After the warm-up, the starting lineups of the two teams were announced on the big screen.

Brunson and Paul face off and have heavier defensive tasks.

Ferguson's reaction was not slow this time, but his height and wingspan were too different. He couldn't cover him when he took off with all his strength, and could only touch Adu's chin.

Durant broke through and sprinted on the right side, passed the ball from behind to his right hand while running, stopped suddenly to adjust the rhythm, and made another pull-up jumper at 45 degrees.

Brunson passed to Durant and the others pulled away.

He won't suffer any disadvantages in confrontation, his speed will not be blown up, and he can follow the defender to maintain interference.

SuperSonics five: Paul, Alexander, Ferguson, Gallinari, Adams.

If it were Paul in his prime, Brunson would most likely be taught a lesson today.

Cousins ​​is responsible for guarding Adams and Durant is guarding Ferguson. The people Lu Yong assigns to them are blue-collar workers, and the main scorer lets the other three guard.

Looking back, Paul chose individual singles after a pick-and-roll.

He moved sideways to distance himself from Brunson, and made an emergency stop jumper from the right corner. It missed due to interference from Porzingis, and the rebound was grabbed by Cousins.

With injuries, Paul's explosive speed is getting slower and slower, often forcing mid-range shots without getting rid of the defender.

In Lu Yong's view, this is his performance after his athletic ability has declined. In his peak period, Paul was rarely disturbed by others, and he was very proficient in making emergency stops.

It's a pity that no matter how outstanding an athlete is, he can't withstand the erosion of time. Looking at history, there are not many superstars like Durant who have stable output year after year.

In the Nets position battle, they still play pick-and-rolls in the middle. Durant's breakthrough attracted Adams and Ferguson to double-team and distributed the ball to the middle.

Cousins ​​followed Lu Yong's arrangement to take out the outside bomb, and took the ball from outside the three-point line. The rhythm was very good, and the ball went hollow into the net. Whoops, 7-0.

Cousins ​​​​and Adu high-fived each other when they returned to defense, and they worked well together this time.

Cousins ​​has shot 36.7% from three-point range this season, which is already excellent among big men.

It's not that Cousins ​​suddenly improved, but playing next to these two talented monsters, Durant and Porzingis, he can always get open easily, and his shooting efficiency is naturally not low.

Kenny Smith smiled and said: "Lou is indeed very thoughtful about the use of centers. Cousins ​​​​has played much better than last season after joining the Nets. It seems that it is not Cousins ​​​​that delayed the Warriors, but the Warriors delayed the test. Sins.”

Barkley said: "I heard that when Lu first joined the Grizzlies as an assistant coach, he asked Gasol to practice three-point shooting. As a result, Gasol won the only regular season MVP in his career that season. Lu was very good at transforming players. It’s really amazing, he always brings out the best in everyone and seems to understand them very well.”

Kenny Smith nodded and said: "The emergence of Lu has changed the trend of the league's insiders in a sense. Now insiders who can pull out to shoot are becoming more and more popular. Blue-collar insiders like Adams need a special lineup, otherwise It’s hard to get reused.”

When the SuperSonics attacked, Paul and Adams played a pick-and-roll, attracting help from the inside and passing to the center.

Adams squeezed the ball and didn't knock it away. He turned to the center and forced his way into the basket, trying to dunk with one hand.

As a result, Porzingis let go of Gallinari's defense, saw the opportunity, and jumped up from behind to block the ball.

Although Adams is tall and powerful, in fact, his explosive power is very average. He jumped one step ahead of Porzingis, but still failed to avoid the block.

Durant picked up the basketball and passed it to Brunson. The Nets' fast break was destroyed by Paul and they started a positional battle.

When Adams returned to defense, he signaled a foul to the referee, but the referee ignored him.

The referee saw this baseline ball clearly and it was a good shot.

Porzingis' right hand was completely on the ball, not even hitting his arm.

Although the league has unspoken rules for home whistles, referees will definitely not blow such whistles.

And Adams doesn't have enough spots. If he were replaced by Durant, he might be able to save face.

After halftime, Durant caught the ball and waved to Cousins, indicating that he wanted a screen.

Cousins's tonnage completely blocked Ferguson. Adu went to the right to accelerate the breakthrough, passed Ferguson and Adams, and suddenly made a pull-up jumper one step outside the three-second zone.

This kind of ball is the rhythm that Durant likes. The shot is very natural. Ferguson caught up from behind and only had time to stretch out his hand. The ball went in, 9-0.

Donovan saw that his team failed to score a point, and was beaten by the Nets in the opening game. He could only reluctantly get up and ask for a timeout.

Kenny Smith said: "SuperSonics' performance today is undoubtedly disappointing. They couldn't even organize an effective offense. They thought it would be a big battle, but it turned out to be a one-sided massacre."

Barkley smiled and said: "This is normal. The Nets have defeated the top teams this year. They have the ability to beat any team. Most experts are optimistic about the Nets in predicting the game. The support of the SuperSonics before the game The rate is only 11.2%, including the votes of local fans, otherwise the chance of winning will be even lower."

Kenny Smith also laughed: "There is indeed a gap in the strength of the two-server. Let us guess when the Sonics will be able to score?"

Barkley said: "I guess they will score soon. As long as they hold the ball and go to the basket, there is a high probability that they will get a whistle. This is the home court of the SuperSonics. If they don't score, even the referee will probably not be able to stand it."

"Hahaha, that makes sense."

After the timeout, Donovan chose to make a substitution. Adams came out and Darius Bazley, who was 2 meters tall, came on the court, adding a shooting point and playing small ball tactics.

Lu Yong didn't make any substitutions. This starting lineup started well, and he really couldn't find a reason to take the initiative to make substitutions.

It's just a headache that the Sonics are so unsatisfactory. If they don't score again, the game will probably enter garbage time soon.

As his old club, Lu Yong did not want to kill everyone and disappoint the SuperSonics fans at home.

But it was useless to resist him and let Mitchell go. The SuperSonics were hung up and beaten severely at the beginning of the game.

With the Nets' current strength, against ordinary playoff teams, Durant only needs to play three quarters to resolve the battle.

Only by encountering the strongest teams in the league can Adu play from start to finish, but there are still too few strong teams that can push the Nets to the edge of the cliff, and there are only a few in the entire league.

Lu Yong didn't expect the Nets to be able to exert such dominance in the summer. Durant and Porzingis are really powerful. It is no exaggeration to say that they are the strongest striker combination in the league.

Even the Clippers' Kawhi + George can't compare. James + Big Eyebrows can barely tie, but the gap in role players is something the Lakers can't make up.

Even if Porzingis doesn't perform well, most teams won't be able to withstand it just by relying on Adu to hold the ball in singles and outside shooters to catch and shoot jumpers.

Teams with strong defensive players who can guard Durant don't have a good interior configuration.

The inside line is well configured, but the back line has flaws.

In short, there are not many teams that can compete with the Nets in terms of lineup background, which is one of the reasons why the Nets have been attacking the city all the way.

The tactics arranged by Lu Yong are very similar to when he coached the Knicks. Durant played against Anthony, Porcelain played against Jokic, and Mitchell played against Butler. They were all three-core + outstanding players. .

However, the current strength of the Nets is much better than that of the Knicks. Durant has no suspense over Anthony, and Porzingis at his peak is easier to use than the young Jokic.

Mitchell and Gibson also have their own characteristics. Even if they have not reached their peak, they are enough to give other teams a drink.

Donovan's adjustment this time is to strengthen the offense, but at the same time, the protection of the basket will also become worse.

After Lu Yong saw the flaw in the lineup, he directly asked the players to hit the basket, and the two sides launched a fierce attack.

The SuperSonics chose to double-team Durant, and Adu attracted the double-team pass and assisted his teammates to score many times.

As soon as Adams came off the court, Durant had an opportunity to break in and score the ball. Cousins ​​turned around and dunked under the basket, which was unstoppable.

His tonnage advantage was too obvious. He turned around to the low-profile O'Neal on both sides. Darius Bazley, who weighed only 94 kilograms, had no way of guarding him and could only stare.

首节战罢，篮网38比26领先，考辛斯单节11分5篮板1盖帽，杜兰特10分3篮板5助攻。

Most of Durant's assists are due to being double-teamed. He doesn't need to have good passing awareness, as long as he finds an open teammate.

Cousins ​​scored more because Donovan took the risk of playing a small lineup. Facts have proved that he paid a heavy price for his choice.

When Durant is willing to pass the ball, the Nets' overall offense will not be too bad.

With 38 points in a single quarter, the Nets played smooth teamwork.

If he continues to play like this, it would be a little difficult for Durant to score high points. He would have no problem scoring double figures in assists, and he might even be able to set a career single-game assist record.

(End of this chapter)