Pick Westbrook

Chapter 300 10 points behind

11 month 4 day.

The Hornets and Bobcats officially announced a deal.

The Hornets sent the 2012 first-round pick + the 2012 Wizards first-round pick + a special case of 600 million transactions + Louis Amundson.

Get the 2012 first-round pick from the Bobcats + Boris Diaw + the Bobcats' 2013 second-round pick.

This transaction brings the total salary of the Hornets to 7000 million, but fortunately, it is still one step away from the luxury tax penalty.

Los Angeles.

Staples Arena.

"Boris Diaw has flown to New Orleans, and the soonest he can play for us is the next home game."

Du Feng has arranged for the staff to connect with Boris Diaw and help him settle down in New Orleans as soon as possible. At the same time, there will be a series of side and adaptive training waiting for him.

Du Feng was extremely cautious in dealing with the issue of new franchise players, and also sent Diao a general tactical strategy and style of play for the Hornets in advance.

Li Lai was extremely satisfied with Du Feng's serious attitude and actions, and at this time he also saw the embarrassing expression on Stevens' face.

"What's the matter, Brad?"

Stevens stretched his emotions and said seriously: "Coach, can Boris Diaw be suitable for us?"

"We are a team built on defense, but Boris Diaw has not been good at defense throughout his career, especially in interior defense."

"And we paid a lot of chips in order to get him."

Li Lai nodded, slightly surprised by Stevens' keen sense of smell.

Boris Dior, nicknamed the French magician, belongs to the ball-handling power forward. He has an excellent overall view and has the ability to shoot three-pointers. He can single out short opponents in low positions.

Scoring is not Boris Diaw's most powerful weapon. He is a team player who can play up to five positions on the court. He can control the ball, support and organize, and can also shoot from any position.

Defensively, of course, is a big problem for Boris Diaw, especially in the paint as Stevens said.

But Li Lai still believes that Boris Diaw's defense is underestimated.

His confrontation and movement are good away from the penalty area, especially in the defense of transpositions. Boris Diaw can top some players without completely losing their positions.

What Li Lai valued most was Boris Diaw's passing ability. He had already found that when Paul was off the field, the Hornets' offense was very chaotic.

JR Smith is a player of the nerve knife type. He may break out and score 20 points tonight, or he may only score single digits tonight.

If the Hornets hand over every ball to JR Smith during the bench stage, the fault tolerance rate is too low, and it will be difficult to gain an advantage when playing against those top teams.

So Boris Diaw's passing ability will give the Hornets more offensive possibilities at this stage. As for his good defense and three-point shooting ability, it is incidental.

It's better to have it, and it's not too bad without it.

Of course, there is one thing that Li Lai will not tell Stevens and Du Feng. This is not because Li Lai is deliberately trying to hide something, but if this is told to them, it will definitely cause unnecessary panic.

In this deal, what Li sees as important is actually the Bobcats' first-round pick. The Hornets want to truly become a strong team at the championship level, and they also lack the final piece of the puzzle to win the championship.

on the field.

The live screen displayed the starting lineups of the two teams.

Hornets regular starter.

Clippers starters: point guard Chauncey Billups, shooting guard Eric Gordon, small forward Caron Butler, power forward Blake Griffin and center Kenyon Martin.

Clippers head coach Pooh DeNagro looked at Jordan, who had already stepped onto the court, his face almost turned pale.

Because of Chris Kaman's injury in the middle of last season, Jordan was pushed to the team's starting center position. Originally, Pooh De Nagro was not very optimistic about Jordan. After all, his technical ability is too rough up.

It's just who would have thought that in those games where Jordan was pushed to the starting position, the Clippers were 20 wins and 14 losses, a winning percentage that far exceeded the team's previous performance.

At this stage, Jordan also gradually showed his ability to protect the frame inside, and the effect was extremely obvious when fighting the big center's offense.

In addition, there are no big fish in the league entering the free market during the off-season, so it is no surprise that Jordan will get a very impressive contract.

Although Chris Kaman is extremely skilled on the offensive end, he also has an obvious shortcoming, that is, his role on the defensive end is very limited.

Jordan's ability is exactly the opposite of Chris Kaman's. Coupled with his 23-year-old age advantage, Pooh De Nagro originally suggested that the Clippers' management try to win Jordan as much as possible.

Clippers general manager Neil Olshey did exactly that.

It's just that Pooh De Nagro never expected that the Hornets would offer Jordan a maximum salary.

That is one of the three maximum salary contracts in the free market this year, and it is also the only maximum salary among center players.

Even Tyson Chandler, who is generally more optimistic about the outside world, did not get such a contract in the Knicks.

"Do you Hornets have a money printing machine or something?"

Vinnie DeNagro glanced at the player stats handed over by the assistant coach.

DeAndre Jordan has averaged 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks per game so far. It is particularly important to note that his shooting percentage has reached 71%, leading the league!

Pooh DeNagello is sour.

"DeAndre Jordan's offensive efficiency is also too efficient. It is said that his offensive skills are very rough."

Game start.

Midfield jump ball.

In the fight with Kenyon Martin, Jordan Jr. grabbed the offensive ball without any accident.

Hornets attack.

Paul advances with the ball, and the team Chauncey Billups has been following Paul closely to prevent the opponent from easily launching a personal attack.

"Chris Paul's breakthrough is very sudden. He often rushes to the basket when the opponent thinks he is waiting for the pick-and-roll."

"Chauncey Billups is old enough to know Chris Paul's playing habits very well."

Barkley attaches great importance to tonight's game.

Regardless of the Hornets' three-game winning streak, this Clippers team also has a good record of 2 wins and 1 loss.

More importantly, the white monster Blake Griffin has grown significantly this season. In the first three games, he averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block per game.

"Led by Chauncey Billups, Blake Griffin is off to the best start to the NBA regular season."

"The whole country is talking about the pressure of the Western Conference playoffs for no reason. Look at the current Clippers lineup."

"The team also has Eric Gordon who averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game."

"With veteran Chauncey Billups combing the offense, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon are both entering their best seasons since their rookies."

Kenny Smith is extremely worried about whether the Hornets can survive the difficulty of the Clippers tonight. The team's reinforcements in the off-season are also extremely successful.

In particular, the joining of FMVP champion point guard Chauncey Billups directly promoted this team to a strong team at the playoff level.

Hornets coaching bench.

Du Feng said angrily: "Because of the trade, Louis Amundson has left the team, and Boris Diaw has no time to participate in tonight's game."

"This is equivalent to our already weak power forward position, which will encounter a more difficult situation tonight."

"Coincidentally, the Clippers have a very aggressive white monster Blake Griffin at the power forward position."

"It's going to be a huge challenge for us tonight."

Stevens nodded and strongly agreed with Du Feng's statement.

Since the opening game of the regular season, the Hornets have not encountered a strong team, and the Knicks are a very strong team.

At that time, the two points of Anthony and Stoudemire on the court also caused a lot of trouble for the Hornets.

It's just that in Stevens' view, the Knicks team has been completely restrained by the Hornets in terms of tactics and player habits.

Li Lai seems to be very good at arranging defenses to limit the two players Anthony and Stoudemire.

But now, because of Chauncey Billups' top ball intelligence, coupled with the extremely strong offensive capabilities of Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin, Stevens is very worried that the Hornets will play today. Lose the game late.

At this time, Stevens turned his head curiously and glanced at Li Lai.

hiss-

"The coach is laughing!"

on the field.

Paul, who didn't find an easy attack, took a step back and motioned for the pick-and-roll.

Leonard makes a quick cut to draw the defense's attention, and Lewis's high-quality empty-handed screen on the other side is followed by an air cut to the basket.

The Hornets still played the screen coordination that they are very good at. Jordan was very comfortable from the penalty area to the high post and Paul's pick-and-roll.

"Kenyon Martin's defense was changed in a timely manner, but he didn't give Paul a chance to break through easily."

Barkley is extremely satisfied with the Clippers' defense.

In fact, before tonight's game, the Clippers had Chris Kaman as the team's starting center. Coach De Nagro deliberately brought up Kenyon Martin, who is more flexible.

Barkley greatly appreciates the Clippers' early substitution adjustment.

"As the Hornets played more and more games, teams in the league began to understand their style of play and offensive tactics."

"In the future, if the Hornets want to continue to score easily in this way, I am afraid it will be extremely difficult."

boom! ! !
A slam dunk suddenly appeared on the court, and Barkley and Kenny Smith looked at the court in shock at the same time.

"Who is dunking!"

"This strength is probably a dunk by an inside player!"

on the field.

After Kenyon Martin switched defenses, Paul did not follow his usual style of play into the interior and mid-range to single out his opponent. Instead, he waited for Jordan to go to the interior to get a deep position before starting the outside pass.

At this time, Chauncey Billups is defending Jordan. Even if the opponent is a court brain, his ability on the defensive end should not be underestimated, but in this position, if he wants to defend the opponent's center player, even Paul himself can't do it. arrive.

After receiving the lob, Jordan succeeded in dunking with his back.

"Paul's pass was very smart."

"He didn't choose to hit the ground pass but to pass the ball high. DeAndre Jordan can complete the high ball the moment he catches the ball, without giving Billups any chance to steal the defense."

"That's what a top passer has."

After completing the assist cooperation, Paul and Jordan gave a high-five gesture, and at the same time he nodded to Li Lai.

Paul has become more and more trusting in Li Lai's offensive and defensive tactics. He has a very high basketball IQ and even wants to say that this is the first time he has met a coach of this level in his career.

Clippers coach.

Pooh DeNagro was a little surprised that the Hornets' offensive tactics changed so suddenly and without any warning, which made the countless defensive strategies he had arranged in advance for the Clippers completely empty.

Vinny DeNagro suddenly remembered at this time that the head coach of the Hornets team was Li Lai, who created the small ball tactics. The opponent's offensive accomplishments had already been recognized by countless coaches in the league.

So Pooh De Nagro was completely relieved at this time, and there shouldn't be any surprises at all that the opponent can play such a performance.

"However, even if the defensive tactics I specially arranged against the Hornets' offense fail, the Hornets will not be able to defend the Clippers' offense in turn."

Vinnie DeNagro is extremely confident in the Clippers' offense.

The reason is that this team has Chauncey Billups + Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin.

Although this combination is still difficult to be regarded as the lineup of the Big Three, it is not bad even in the entire West.

This is also the reason why the Clippers can achieve an excellent record of 2 wins and 1 loss after the start of the game.

Billups advanced with the ball, and Griffin took the ball two points long on the right.

Because of Griffin's good breakthrough ability and certain shooting ability, Lewis had to be pulled away from the penalty area.

At the same time, Kenyon Martin screened Eric Gordon off the ball at a 45° angle on the right, and the latter went straight to the basket after borrowing the screen.

"DeAndre Jordan and Lewis are both pulled out of the lane, and Eric Gordon going to the basket at this time will be completely in no man's land."

"Don't underestimate Griffin's passing ability. In the past few years, White Warcraft has been growing in an all-round way. He has already belonged to a more first-class level among All-Star players."

call!
Griffin passed the ball quickly, and after receiving the ball, Gordon made a layup.

Gordon, who was flying in the air, couldn't help laughing.

Facing Kenyon Martin's pick-and-roll Hornets did not choose to switch defenses, but still let Leonard continue to defend him closely.

It is good to use such a defense in one-on-one, but if you still use this defense in the face of the pick-and-roll, it will inevitably give Gordon a gap to break through.

Of course, just a pick-and-roll tactic is not so unsolvable. If there is a big center inside to protect the frame, Gordon's breakthrough will not be extremely easy.

It's just that Jordan and Lewis were both pulled out at the same time. At this time, there is no one in the Hornets' penalty area who can protect the frame.

Gordon couldn't help thinking in his heart: It is said that the overall defense of the Hornets this season is good, but now it seems that it is just ordinary, and their choice is too unreasonable in the face of such an offensive method.

boom!
"Capped!"

"Leonard blocked the shot!"

Gordon, who is 191cm tall and has a wingspan of 206cm, looks horrified at the big hands whizzing past his head.

"You can block my reverse layup?!"

On-site commentary desk.

Looking at Leonard's long arms visible to the naked eye, Barkley couldn't help but said: "Leonard is like a crab on the court, and his arms like a pair of pincers have nowhere to rest."

What both Barkley and Kenny Smith were shocked at the same time was Leonard's emotion after blocking Gordon.

With a blank face, he ran forward vigorously with both hands waving, actively making fast breaks, as if this stunning block had nothing to do with him.

"Don't be surprised by honor or disgrace."

This is Su Qun's evaluation of Leonard.

In 4 consecutive games, Yu Jia has seen Leonard's talent and performance on the defensive end, and he feels more and more that this player can become a top defensive leader on the perimeter like Pippen or Artest in the future.

Clippers coach.

Pooh, who has always been full of confidence, turned blue at this moment.

He didn't expect Leonard's personal defense to be so good. Leonard, who was a step slower after encountering a pick-and-roll, could still rush to block Gordon's counter-basket. This is simply a shocking performance.

"This player overflows with talent visible to the naked eye."

Paul made a fast break long pass to Vince Carter, who scored with a one-handed dunk.

Barkley shook his head, dissatisfied with the dunk.

"Vince's dunk didn't show his ability at all. No matter what, he should have a 360° tomahawk dunk."

The Clippers then adjusted their offensive strategy.

Griffin made the main attack on the inside, while Jordan was still taken out by Kenyon Martin's high pick-and-roll.

Facing Lewis' defense, Griffin scored three consecutive baskets.

Li Lai frowned slightly. Griffin's strength in this game was completely beyond his expectations.

The white monster Griffin has evolved into a top ten player in the league, and his individual offensive has become extremely threatening.

"Lewis can't guard Griffin."

Looking at the tied score at 15:15 on the court, Stevens reminded.

Du Feng glanced at Li Lai anxiously.

He really wants to say that the Hornets have nothing to do with Griffin at this time, and no player in the team can limit him.

What's more deadly is that after Lewis is off the court when the rotation time comes, the Hornets have no players who can replace Lewis at all, and the rotation will also have great problems.

"It's impossible to get a big and four small lineup so early. Jordan won't play at that time, and the Hornets' big and four small lineups will be completely meaningless."

What Barkley said at the on-site commentator touched Li Lai's heart, and he has been worrying about this issue.

"A white monster Griffin is not scary, what is scary is the later games."

The first quarter is over.

The Hornets led the Clippers by 26 point at 25:1.

The second game.

The Clippers' rotation is: point guard Eric Bledsoe, shooting guard Maurice Williams, small forward Bobby Simmons, power forward Trey Thompkins and center Chris Kaman.

Xiao Mo gritted his braces and walked onto the court. He glanced at Hornets coach Li Lai and remembered the first time he met him 4 years ago.

Now Xiaomo can no longer say that Westbrook is here to help me, because the latter is already the league's double MVP, the season's triple-double king, and is known as the next big O Robertson and magician Johnson.

Xiao Mo suddenly felt regretful in his heart.

If he hadn't provoked Li Lai and the Bucks back then, maybe he would have a championship ring now, and he wouldn't have played several teams in succession in his career and become a league bum.

"The Clippers' bench lineup is extremely strong. Eric Bledsoe is known as LeBron on the back line. This season, he averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game, with a strong impact."

"Maurice Williams averaged 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist per game, leading the Clippers in scoring off the bench."

"Chris Kaman was originally the starting center of the Clippers, but he was temporarily transferred to the bench in this game. So far, he has averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds per game."

"As far as the Clippers' bench lineup is concerned, it is almost on par with the starting lineups of other weak teams."

Stevens is a little worried about the team's situation at this time.

They had already lost one player at the power forward position due to the trade, and now they have encountered the Clippers with very fierce offensive firepower from the bench. If they are not careful, they will be opened by the opponent during this time period.

Paul on the bench also had a premonition of what was going to happen next, so he took the initiative to look at Li Lai and said, "Coach, give me more playing time. My ankle and wrist have already recovered."

Paul suffered from ankle and wrist injuries during the playoffs last season, and he is also playing in the playoffs with injuries.

Li Lai already knew this when he came to the Hornets, which is why he has been limiting Paul's playing time.

Li looked at Paul and said seriously: "We can lose this game tonight, but we can't let Chris Paul get injured tonight."

"Because we're two completely different teams with him and without him, and I'm going to limit your playing time until the playoffs start."

"Also, we don't necessarily lose this game tonight."

Paul was startled when he heard this, and he looked at Li Lai in disbelief.

Paul knew his vulnerable constitution, and knew that Li Lai was deliberately protecting him, but as a very competitive player, he hoped to win for the team even if he played overloaded games.

Stevens, who already knew that Li Lai wanted to hit the playoffs and didn't want to be just a first-rounder in this year's playoffs, patted Paul on the shoulder lightly.

"The coach told me that you are the top five point guards in history in the future, and I believe him."

"He also firmly believes that the playoffs are your stage. For this reason, the coach will do everything possible to ensure your health."

"Also, we don't necessarily lose this game tonight."

Hornets rotation: Beverley, JR Smith, Jimmy Butler, Jason Smith and DJ Mbenga.

Kenny Smith exclaimed: "The Hornets have taken the Twin Towers lineup!"

"This lineup can be regarded as an extremely retro and rare style of play in the league."

Because of the small ball wave of the Bucks, there is no longer a team in the league that is thankless, with extremely low offensive efficiency and a twin-tower lineup that occupies space on the court.

Even if there is, then these two centers must have a certain outside shooting ability more or less.

For example, Cousins ​​and Yi Jianlian of the Bucks both have the ability to shoot from beyond the three-point line. Even the double-plus combination of the Lakers, Gasol and Garnett also have mid-to-long-range shooting grasp.

In addition, the league is no longer as stupid as it was 10 years ago, putting up two giant twin towers, playing extremely retro inside pick-and-rolls and center support.

"This is a style of play that has already been eliminated, or a style of play that Li Lai personally eliminated. What I didn't expect is that now he will pick up such a lineup and tactics by himself."

Kenny Smith said extremely incomprehensible.

Barkley then shook his head.

In his opinion, Li Lai had no choice at all.

Because of the shortage of players in the team, the Hornets announced the reconstruction this season. Regardless of the team background or the strength of the bench players, it is difficult to reach the level of the Clippers that have been rebuilt for several years.

"Although everyone is talking about the huge pressure of competition in the Western Conference this year, the Clippers, Kings, Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Hornets are extremely close in strength."

"But I still want to believe that the Clippers are the strongest of the above teams."

"Whether it is the top strength of the core players in the league, or the ability and reserves of role players, the Clippers have reached a very good level."

"The Hornets hit the plate tonight."

on the field.

Eric Bledsoe tried the first wave of breakthroughs with the ball, and Beverly was always stuck in front of him. Because of Bledsoe's extremely aggressive body collision style, Beverly was directly knocked to the ground at the waist .

beep!beep!
The referee blows his whistle and a defensive foul is made.

Beverly was sitting on the floor, his legs were shaking non-stop.

"Did you make a mistake, you called me a foul on this ball?"

The referee immediately looked at Beverly with a whistle in his mouth, ready to teach him a lesson.

In his opinion, Beverly is a little-known kid. The league has never heard of his name. It seems that he is still a draft pick, so facing the opponent's doubts, the referee is completely resigned.

"Did you make a mistake, scare someone with a bell in your mouth, and you can't see the elbow during the breakthrough?"

"Come on, try to defend the ball just now, my players are all down, what a defensive foul you are calling!"

Seeing Li Lai throwing off the tactical board and rushing out of his seat to roar, Stevens on the side was almost terrified.

Is this something a champion bishop can do?
Is it possible that Popovich and the Zen master Phil Jackson will be as emotional as Li Lai because of a penalty?
Fortunately, Du Feng has experience and is very clear-headed at the moment, so he quickly dragged Li to persuade him to fight.

"Coach, there is nothing wrong with the bell, don't lose your temper with him, if you have something to do, come to that referee."

The referee looked at Du Feng in shock, then at Li Lai who was still dying, and quickly changed his mind and blew his whistle.

Whistle Hornets coach Li Lai for a technical foul.

Beverly on the side was a little dazed, with eyes that had nowhere to rest and didn't know what he should do at this time.

After getting the whistle, Li Lai immediately returned to his calm and calm appearance, and the change was so fast that the referee said that it was a long time.

Li Lai beckoned, motioning for Beverly to approach him.

"Man, that defense is good, I'll get you a technical foul and keep being aggressive on the court."

"Remember, defense is like your mother, offense is like your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend may be there today and tomorrow, but she may not be there every day, and she may even go to someone else's arms."

"That's the way the offense is going to be there and there's always going to be moments and moments where the shots are going to be made or not."

"But defense is something you can control! Just like your mom will always be your mom! It's all about your dedication and focus."

Hearing Li Lai's words, Beverly's eyes were filled with stares and his whole body trembled. Looking at Bledsoe on the court, he clenched his hands and gritted his teeth with excitement.

Beverly yelled, "Your mother is here!"

Bledsoe couldn't help shivering, thinking: This player is like a crazy dog.

Hornets coaching bench.

Stevens and Du Feng opened their mouths wide at the same time, and they didn't want to believe that Li Lai's sudden runaway was actually an offensive foul to help Beverly divert the referee. What shocked them even more was Li Lai's subsequent words.

Stevens swallowed and said: "Although the coach's words are rough, they are easy to understand and very reasonable."

Du Feng agreed and said: "In the world, only mothers are good, and a child with a mother is like a treasure."

Stevens knew that Du Feng was borrowing from Li Lai, and what he wanted to talk about should be defense.

on the field.

The game continues.

Facing Beverly's stalking defense that was even more aggressive than before, Bledsoe was in a dilemma. He hadn't grown into a starting-level point guard after all, so he took the initiative to pass the ball to Xiao Mo .

Compared with Bledsoe, Xiao Mo has a lot more experience.

As the most important deal for the Clippers last season, Xiao Mo's main task when he came to this team was to score on the bench.

JR Smith defends Maurice Williams alone.

After shaking continuously, Xiao Mo suddenly accelerated a step and passed JR.

The other Clippers players on the court also knew that Xiao Mo would not pass the ball at this time, so he returned to the defense and hit the rebound in the first time.

Xiao Mo chose the mid-range emergency stop jumper.

Swish!
Hit steadily.

After seeing this offensive round, Li Lai not only did not show any anxiety, but smiled in relief.

"Maurice Williams is still as good at scrambling as he was back then."

At the same time, Li Lai saw the edges and corners of Xiao Mo's body that had long been obliterated. The other party finally became restrained after several years of turbulent career.

After scoring the goal, Xiao Mo retreated to defend very calmly, and when he saw Li Lai's smile, he also smiled back.

Kenny Smith still remembers that incident that year, so he shared it with the audience friends at the scene at this time.

Barkley, who has seen too many stories in the league, said at this moment: "Smile away all grievances. For most players at the end of their careers, they will restrain all their hostility in the end."

"Maurice Williams is already 30 years old. Not every player can play until they are in their 30s before retiring, so there is not much time left for Maurice Williams."

Kenny Smith joked at this time: "I don't know if Maurice Williams and Li Lai will have a chance to work together again."

Li Lai smiled when he heard the voice of the live commentary.

No one can say for sure what will happen in the future, and not everyone can control it. It can only be said that it is possible.

It's just that Li Lai knows very well that the Hornets' current defensive style of play may be difficult to take over from Morris Williams when JR Smith already exists.

What Li Lai never expected was that Xiao Mo suddenly broke out in tonight's game, scoring 10 points on 6 of 13 shots in a single quarter.

Li Lai tried to switch Beverly and Jimmy to Xiao Mo, and even let them double-team each other, but they couldn't stop the opponent's fiery touch.

The Hornets were also hit with a wave of 11:2 offensive highs.

Then Li Lai had to quickly replace Paul, and at the same time took Jordan Jr. to protect the inside line, and called a long timeout to bring down Mo's fiery touch.

At halftime, the Hornets trailed 45:55.

"It's the first time the Hornets have trailed by 10 going into the second half."

(End of this chapter)