NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 29 Goal: Send away the "good brothers"
On September 1996, 9, a young Jeff Van Gundy returned to the office after the Knicks practice session to discuss lineup issues with the coaching staff.

95~96赛季，尼克斯队打出了47胜35负的战绩，排在东部第4位。

Although ranked well, he averaged 97.2 points per game, ranking 22nd in the league.

The next seven teams, except for the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons in the East, are mostly bad teams.
If you look at the number of rounds, the Knicks averaged 77.8 rounds per game, ranking 25th in the league and fifth from the bottom;

The No.1 Dallas Mavericks averaged 90.6 rounds per game, and the two sides did not play basketball at all.

Looking at this list of team statistics, the interesting phenomenon is that the Knicks and the Heat are very similar. After Pat Riley left New York, he moved the "iron blood" basketball to Miami.

The Chicago Bulls had only 84.0 rounds, but averaged 105.2 points per game, ranking first in the league. The defensive end allowed opponents to score only 92.9 points per game, ranking second in the league.

From the data point of view, the Bulls are truly a combination of offense and defense, and their dominance is not blown out!
The reason why the Knicks are able to win is mainly due to defense, allowing opponents to score 94.9 points per game. The Knicks' defense ranked fourth last season.

The 3rd and 5th place went to the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat respectively.
The Pistons and the Heat can ignore the offense and continue to stick to their style of play, but the Knicks can't stand it anymore. Without the blessing of the championship, the picky New York fans have begun to get impatient.

People don't want to watch boring defensive battles at Madison Square Garden. New York fans expect the Knicks to play a smooth triangle offense like the Bulls. Fans think this should not be difficult!

General manager Grunfeld brought Larry Johnson to the Knicks without saying hello. After more than half a month of training sessions, Jeff Van Gundy still failed to solve the offensive problem.

Although Van Gundy is only 34 years old, he is suffering from hair loss these days, and is a little bald visible to the naked eye.
"We can also try to reduce the use of Ewing. The team added Larry, who is a good offensive player!"

Veteran assistant coach Don Chaney saw that everyone was discussing and avoiding problems, so he simply pointed out the situation at this time.

Patrick Ewing's usage rate came to 31.5% last season, ranking fourth in the league.

The Bulls Michael Jordan's usage rate is as high as 33.3%, ranking first in the league.

If you want to play a beautiful outside attack, you have to use more outside players. The reason is as simple as that. If you don’t give the ball, it’s useless for anyone
Tom Thibodeau noticed that Van Gundy was silent again, and smoothed things over:
"It will take more time, the team will make changes, it will not happen overnight!"

Don Chaney shook his head. He is an assistant coach, and he only said this because he has a good relationship with Van Gundy. If he continues to "iron blood" basketball and still fails to achieve results, within two seasons, the coaching staff may be wiped out
In this era, except for Michael Jordan, who is a special one, most teams start from the inside.

Shaquille O'Neal's usage rate is 32.8%, and Hakeem Olajuwon's usage rate is 31.9%. After Ewing, Karl Malone and David Robinson are also close to 30%.

Jeff Van Gundy continued to struggle, listening to the discussions of the assistant coaches, but still failed to make up his mind to make changes. The imprint of Pat Riley is still deeply rooted in the Knicks:
"We still have time to observe the status of the players through the preseason."

Hearing such embarrassing words, the assistant coach Brendan Malone, who has also worked for the Knicks for many years, couldn't help asking in a low voice at this time:
"Who will be the starting point guard? Lee is in the best shape and has the most stable shooting. Maybe we can trust him!"

Jeff Van Gundy shook his head again, and then everyone fell silent. There are three main scoring points in the starting lineup. It doesn't matter who plays the 1st position, they are all tools.

After more than half a month, Li You was finally able to go home early. Since the rookie welcome ceremony was held, the "good brothers" have taken good care of Mengxin.

Every night, everyone went to an authentic black nightclub to have fun together. With his extraordinary drinking capacity, Li You won unanimous praise from the "good big brothers".

But Li You really doesn't like black-style nightclubs, and he doesn't have any interest in the "gangster rap" that is about to pass away.

After listening to the rambling and chanting scriptures for more than half a month, Li You almost had his head twitching. Tonight, he was able to rest. The main reason is that the family members of the "good brothers" spoke up, otherwise, he would have to continue drinking to his heart's content
Mark Bartelstein didn't expect Li You to manage his apartment in an orderly manner, not at all like a single person should have.

Li You poured the manager a glass of iced Coke, and then held the bottle and drank it all:
"This stuff is what humans should drink!"

After taking a sip, Li You was completely comfortable.

"Some black players just like to go to some "black" stores. This is also a kind of team culture, reminding players not to forget their roots."

"It seems that you have adapted to life here, which is good news!"

Mark Bartelstein saw that Li You was living well in New York, and then thought of the unlucky Ray Allen in Milwaukee. Their lives were very different.

"Team culture? That's black culture. The Knicks are Ewing's team, and everyone revolves around him."

As for the internal situation of the Knicks, Li You has a thorough understanding, and the "four major centers" are indeed very popular.

Mark Bartelstein smiled, and then gave a different opinion:

"Patrick Ewing's team? No, New York is still Pat Riley's team. Your young head coach won't change much!"

"The media in New York loved Pat Riley, and the media in Los Angeles still miss the guy who created the Lakers."

"The broadcast conditions in the NBA are getting better and better. Pat Riley may be the first coach in the league to market himself. He pays attention to his image and he likes big scenes."

"Gorgeous back hair, stylish sunglasses, and always straight suits are all to attract the attention of the media. Of course, the most important thing is that he looks a bit like Al Pacino. The media likes such a head coach."

"Lee, the NBA is not just about basketball. Madison Square Garden is still the biggest stage in the league. You need to express yourself more!"

Li You stood up from the sofa, walked to the window, looked at the bustling night scene of Manhattan, and thought of the two "good brothers" in the main lineup who were pouting their buttocks and asking for the ball:
"Ewing is 34 years old, no one can resist the invasion of time, which is a good thing for me."

Hearing Li You's words, Mark Bartelstein laughed again, and the two thought of going together:
"If you want to make a name for yourself, the best choice is to send away the King of New York!"

　Thank you book friends for your collection ￣﹣￣
　　
　
(End of this chapter)