Pick Westbrook

Chapter 301 The Road Trip Ends
Hornets locker room.

For the first time in the season, they fell behind by a full 10 points. The players lowered their heads and wrote their frustration on their faces.

Leonard sat by the closet, his eyes were blank, he didn't know what he was thinking, Butler wiped the sweat off his face and didn't speak, Beverly was still blaming himself for not defending Xiao Mo well.

"It's a process that young teams have to go through."

Li Lai said to Stevens and Du Feng before the locker room was about to open the door.

Both of them were at a loss at the moment, and didn't think of how to solve the team's current predicament.

The Hornets' starting lineup can't limit Griffin, and the rotation lineup can't compare with the Clippers' talent and deep bench background.

In Stevens' view, the Hornets don't seem to have any chance of defeating the Clippers at all.

At this time, Paul's voice sounded in the locker room.

"Don't be discouraged, everyone, we still have hope, and there are still two quarters before the end of the game."

"The defense is more aggressive. If we seize the opportunity on the offensive end, we will definitely win tonight's game."

Paul kept applauding to inspire all the teammates in front of him, but no matter how hard he tried, these teammates just couldn't get any enthusiasm.

Li Lai opened the door and walked in. All the players raised their heads.

They thought that the coach would explain the tactics to them at this time, but Li Lai rarely pushed the large tactical board in the locker room to the ground.

There was a clear sound from the locker room, and there was random silence.

"A difference of 10 points is nothing!"

"Does this knock you out of your wits?"

"Now there is nothing to think about, just fuck them."

"It's already 10 points behind, what else are you thinking about? Come on and act like a man!"

"Dare to attack, dare to shoot, dare to take responsibility, run, rush, attack, we must take the initiative!"

Li Lai's voice suddenly rose extremely loudly, and Du Feng who was beside him couldn't help but swallowed. He suddenly felt that the coach was a real man.

Li Lai stretched out his hand, and all the Hornets players surrounded him.

He said: "It is impossible for anyone to be successful all the time. Failure is the main theme of our life, but how to face failure will divide everyone into two kinds of people."

"Some people will be knocked down, and some people can continue to get up and face difficulties and move on."

"The real maturity of a person is not the growth of age, but the courage to pursue success and perfection in the face of any difficulties."

"Guys, remember, this is called growth."

Butler's eyes were full of hope when he heard this passage. Beverly still remembers that he did not complete the task assigned by the coach when he switched to defend Maurice Williams in the first half of the game, but at this moment he no longer blames himself.

Leonard was still expressionless, but there was something different in the way he looked at Li Lai.

Paul hugged all his teammates together. He has always made the choices Li Lai said when facing difficulties.

Three of the Four Heroes have reached the floor of the division finals, two have reached the finals, and one has won the championship. Paul has been trying to catch up with his brothers.

Watching the players' sudden change of mood, Stevens suddenly remembered something Li Lai had said in the training camp before the start of the season.

From Li's point of view, this team is far from becoming a strong team, such as spirit, confidence, unity and so on.

And here, for the first time, Stevens felt the Hornets' unity.

This is the first time all players have shown a united will since the team changed almost two-thirds of the players in the offseason and there was no tacit understanding and trust among each other in the training camp.

"It only took the coach four regular-season games to get this far."

"It's his power."

Stevens also recalled some news he heard when he was applying for the assistant coach of the Hornets.

Lilai was investigated in Dallas for some inexplicable reasons, and at the same time was forced to lose the Bucks because of some unannounced news.

"If it were changed to most people, after encountering such a blow and change, they would definitely be devastated and even have some bad thoughts."

"But coach, he chose to start over."

Stevens suddenly looked at Li Lai, feeling great admiration in his heart. He was thinking: Coach, how would you solve that difficulty.

Second half of the game.

Barkley was shocked to see the state of the Hornets' players.

"Paul, JR Smith, Leonard, Lewis, Jr. Jordan, all the players of the Hornets are fighting high, and they are all focused on the opposite Clippers."

It's not that Kenny Smith has never seen such a scene.

When Li Lai coached the Bucks back then, those guys were different, and each of them was like this.

Barkley suddenly had an ominous premonition and said, "The Clippers are going to be in big trouble."

Game start.

Hornets attack.

"start running!"

Paul, who was advancing with the ball, signaled his teammates to cut and destroy the Clippers' overall defense without the ball on the court as soon as possible. At the same time, Jordan came up to play the pick-and-roll.

"The position of this pick-and-roll is very high, almost two steps away from the three-point line."

Paul used the pick-and-roll to make a small hit and eat a big order to eat Kenyon Martin, a very detailed frontal change of direction, and then the crossover without changing hands went to the left and went straight to the basket.

"Kenyon Martin's defensive footwork is good and the ball still follows."

Paul was not afraid of Kenyon Martin's defense behind him, but took the initiative to fight against the opponent from the side, and then hit the board with his right hand.

Swish!
Go in!

The referee blows his whistle at the same time.

"This ball is beautiful!"

"Paul is worthy of being the master of small players in the league. His breakthrough skills and layup methods are a model for all small players, and they are at the textbook level."

Barkley couldn't help applauding Paul again and again.

Now the rising stars of the league's point guard position, such as Rose, Curry, Westbrook and other players, are all offensive-oriented. Only Paul still sticks to the most traditional style of play for point guard players.

With a solid dribbling rhythm and excellent breakthrough skills, while passing the ball as the main offense and supplementing it, Paul can also be called the top in the league in terms of field control rhythm, and belongs to the same category as legendary point guards such as Nash and Kidd.

Paul walked to the free throw line and made a steady hit, and the 10-point disadvantage was instantly reduced to 7 points.

Clippers head coach Pooh DeNagello had sensed the momentum of the Hornets' counterattack, so he stood anxiously near the center line and yelled at the players.

"Speed ​​up the offensive rhythm, don't let the Hornets play the defensive position they are good at, and focus more on JR Smith's defensive weakness."

Billups did it before Pooh DeNagello spoke.

As the same old-school traditional point guard, Billups praised Paul's skills very much, and even felt a sense of sympathy.

Billups knows Paul's story, and he also knows that the other party's luck after being selected by the Hornets is not very good.

He believes that such players should not stop in the playoffs or round of rounds every year. The stage for such players is the regional finals or even the finals.

Whether it is Billups, Nash, or Kidd, they have led the team to the conference finals or the finals. Traditional point guards can truly show their wisdom on the stage of the playoffs.

Billups knew that he hadn't had a few years of professional career, so facing the same type of point guard Chris Paul at this moment, he couldn't help feeling the desire to compete.

Billups advanced quickly with the ball, Griffin made a fast break with a rare speed among power forwards, Eric Gordon cut into the double line from the other side, and Caron Butler was positioned 45 degrees to the right Corners attract defense.

"It's a beautiful fast break."

The moment Barkley finished speaking, he found that Billups suddenly stopped the ball at the top of the arc.

Kenny Smith frowned and said, "What's going on?"

Just when Barkley and Kenny Smith were equally puzzled, the pictures on the field gave the answer.

Jordan, who was the slowest of the Hornets to return to defense, was following Kenyon Martin in a high position at this time. JR Smith failed to keep up with Eric Gordon's speed, but he was also one step behind the opponent.

Leonard took the initiative to switch to defend Griffin, limiting the opponent's chance to hit the basket, and Lewis turned to defend in front of Caron Butler at a 45° angle on the right.

"There's something about this defense."

Barkley finally reacted and couldn't help but praise.

The Clippers suddenly accelerated their offensive rhythm. It stands to reason that most teams have difficulty responding to such sudden changes in a timely manner, and they will inevitably be stolen by the opponent once.

But what Barkley never expected was that the Hornets seemed to have already had such an awareness, and they took the initiative to speed up their defense the moment Paul completed his free throw.

More importantly, Leonard has been standing in the backcourt defense when Paul executes free throws, so he can keep up with the opponent for the first time when Griffin makes a fast break.

As for the defense behind the Hornets, they are deliberately switching defenses.

Caron Butler is 32 years old. Although he still has good strength, his physical ability has declined significantly, so it will not be a big problem to let Lewis switch defenses.

Originally Eric Gordon's point should be the position where Griffin is most likely to have an opportunity after being defended, and JR Smith is indeed half a step behind the opponent.

The offensive advantage has been established.

"But who would have thought that JR Smith would turn passive into active, choosing a defensive pass route to block between Billups and Eric Gordon."

"That caused a lot of trouble for Billups' passing."

"Honestly, the Hornets' defense is beautiful."

Billups quickly calmed down his slightly surprised emotions. He no longer paid attention to how good the Hornets' defense was, but began to look for favorable offensive positions on the court.

After seeing Leonard's small defense against Griffin inside, Billups quickly passed the ball to the inside.

After receiving the ball, Griffin raised his back and played extremely fast.

boom!
Griffin made a customary little jump and looked up a little into the sky.

Due to Leonard's lack of height, he will inevitably take off after being so pointed by Griffin.

"There is still an opportunity."

But even so Barkley still wants to praise the Hornets' defense is great.

Even if this offense still allowed Griffin to find a chance, if it weren't for Griffin's outstanding personal ability, the Hornets would have a high probability of being able to defend this offensive round with their very disciplined defense.

"No! Paul shrinks the inside line!"

"The Hornets were aggressive on defense this time around."

Because Griffin was too far away from the basket, Billups did not choose to pass the lob, which also gave Paul the opportunity to shrink the inside double-team.

It stands to reason that with Griffin's ability to score and pass to Billups who is open, there should be no problem, but Paul's shot was too fast, and he cut in and slammed the ball the moment Griffin took the penalty.

boom!
"Paul's slap is hard enough."

The basketball was slapped by Paul and fell to the ground. Griffin rushed to save the ball, but someone was faster than him.

Jordan, who was near the top of the arc, rushed over to grab the basketball. At the same time, due to his huge body inertia, he slid on the floor for several meters, and finally collided violently with Griffin's body.

"DeAndre Jordan passes the ball to JR Smith, and the Hornets go on a fast break."

"Lewis catches the ball fast break, one-handed layup, score!"

"It's 5:0!"

"Director Su, it's 5:0!"

Looking at Yu Jia who was already excited, Su Qun couldn't help but smile.

Originally, in the first half of the game, the Clippers played a wave of extremely eye-catching high slots, and let everyone see the Hornets' disadvantages in the lineup.

At that time, Su Qun had already told the audience and fans in front of the TV that the Hornets had no chance of winning tonight, and there was no chance of winning.

As a result, the Hornets staged a 5:0 offensive climax in just a few minutes in the second half. It is too easy for them to recover the score according to this momentum.

next round.

Paul continued to play singles with the ball outside.

He still remembered what Li Lai said in the locker room.

"Dare to take responsibility."

The Clippers' defense also changed around this time.

Billups would not allow Paul to pick and roll at the top of the arc anyway, so he used consecutive steals and defense to drive Paul to the right corner.

"That's what a championship point guard experiences on the court."

"As the saying goes, an old family is like a treasure."

"The Clippers are lucky to have Billups, and they are destined to go far this season."

Kenny Smith praised.

Barkley nodded in agreement and said: "It is very difficult to play pick-and-roll tactics in the bottom corner."

"Don't look at the Hornets playing very well offensively during this time period, but compared to their already systematic defensive system, they are not that strong on the offensive end."

"Now that Paul is strangled, the overall offensive efficiency of the Hornets will drop by at least half."

Seeing this scene on the court, Li Lai stood up nervously.

He is equally aware of this.

Leonard and Jimmy Butler have not yet grown into reliable ball handlers. At this time, the Hornets' offense relies heavily on Paul's passing and personal ability, and of course the nerve knife attributes of the bench JR Smith.

So strictly speaking, as long as the offense of these two people is restricted, the overall offensive efficiency of the Hornets will indeed drop by more than half.

This is why Li Lai is willing to trade for a premium contract Boris Dior.

"No ball! Hand to hand! Partial attack!"

Li Lai yelled at the court, and at the same time made an offensive gesture with both hands.

JR Smith, who originally moved from the weak side to the top of the arc to catch the ball, stopped and quickly became a spot-up shooter.

Paul first passed the ball to Jordan at the waist, and then immediately cut in empty-handed. It stands to reason that he should also play Jordan's low singles at this time.

But what the experienced Billups and Kenyon Martin never expected was that the moment Jordan received the ball, he passed it back to Paul without sticking to the ball.

"It happened!"

"This is a big problem!"

Paul, who changed from with the ball to without the ball and then with the ball, has completely got rid of Billups' defense at this time, and is very close to the basket.

Billups couldn't keep up with Paul behind him, shouting for help.

Kenyon Martin, who was originally defending Jordan, quickly shifted his target and double-teamed Paul.

Just this moment.

Paul hit the ground and passed the ball, and Jordan threw his body into the sky excitedly after receiving the ball.

boom!
"empty link!"

"Another lob between Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan."

After dunking, Jordan squeezed his hands tightly to show off his bicep muscles, and at the same time yelled towards the court.

Yu Jia couldn't help but said: "The cooperation between Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan is too tacit, and the continuous back pass cut directly made the Clippers' defensive players unable to find North."

"This is a partial coordination tactic, the space is extremely narrow, and mistakes will occur if you are not careful."

Su Qun said: "This is the offensive tactic Li Lai designed for the Hornets. Although it is far behind the Bucks in terms of power, it is very effective."

next round.

Paul threw up with one hand after a breakthrough, and Jordan jumped in the air and dunked with both hands.

This shocking dunk directly aroused the exclamation of the Los Angeles fans at the scene.

Barkley even stood up and worshiped again and again: "Lob City!"

Su Qun translated to the fans in front of the TV and said, "The city of lobs!"

Su Qun's explanation quickly spread throughout the Internet media, and then the New Orleans Hornets' lob city name appeared on the forums of major sports media.

The third quarter is over.

The Hornets responded with a wave of 12-0 high slots, while limiting the Clippers to 20 points in a single quarter.

Game four.

Seeing that Li Lai was still replacing Paul, Leonard, and Jordan at the same time, Stevens said anxiously.

"Coach, we finally moved back to the score and re-established the leading edge. Now it is more appropriate to keep Paul and other main players on the court to ride the iron."

"And the Clippers' bench players are extremely strong, I'm worried."

"Don't worry." Li Lai interrupted Stevens with a smile at this time.

He also signaled the opponent to check the status of the players at this time.

Jimmy Butler has already been gearing up to continue the power of his teammates on the court. Vince Carter put his arm around Beverly's shoulder and has been teaching the opponent defensive and running experience.

The twin-tower combination of Jason Smith and DJ Mbenga will naturally bring a lot of disadvantages to the team's offense at this stage, but the two keep telling their teammates to trust them and just shoot from the outside. They're going to grab the damn rebound.

"Because of the words in the locker room at halftime, the players all chose to be the ones who never give up in the face of difficulties."

"Being behind by 10 points is nothing."

Du Feng murmured.

He thought that he had learned a very valuable ability from Li Lai in today's game, and it was also an extremely valuable suggestion in life.

The game continues.

During this period of time, Butler made continuous efforts to hit the basket. He knew his unstable shooting ability, so he didn't try to make a single shot from the outside.

Relying on a dead-brained breakthrough, Butler caused Chris Kaman's foul twice in a row and went to the free throw line.

Vince Carter helped open the floor with his three-pointer, and Jason Smith and DJ Mbenga grabbed an offensive rebound each.

While waiting for the Hornets' starting players to return to the court, the rotation led by Vince Carter and Butler not only failed to make the Clippers' bench lineup approach the score, but continued to expand the point difference by 1 point.

At the end of the game, the Hornets narrowly beat the Clippers 103:99.

At the end of the game, Paul and his teammates clapped hands one by one.

"Great job, it was a very tough game and we made it to the end."

Beverly was extremely excited and shouted cursing in the player's bench, and Lewis, who hit a key three-pointer in the last quarter, was crazily splashed with water by his teammates.

JR Smith ran and jumped to join the celebratory team.

He wanted to have a physical collision with Paul, but the latter managed to avoid it, and then he wanted to high-five Lewis, the key player of the game, but he was too lazy to pay attention to him because the half was full of water, so he was ignored again.

In the end, JR Smith had no choice but to go to Beverly, but the other party sat on the bench like a lunatic, refusing to listen to bastard chant.

Then on the way back to the locker room.

Paul sang, and behind him Lewis and Jason Smith covered their ears with their hands.

JR Smith, who failed to celebrate success on the court, took his teammates to high five one after another.

Beverly was still chanting sutras, but Butler on the side couldn't help but said, "I might as well listen to Chris Pao sing."

Leonard laughed and rattled behind him.

When all the players returned to the locker room, they found that Li Lai had already stood in the center, and the noise of play stopped abruptly.

Du Feng held back his laughter and did not dare to speak, while Stevens smiled and waited quietly for what would happen next.

Li Lai stretched out his hand with a straight face, and all the players quickly put their hands on it.

Li Lai immediately laughed and said, "Well done guys!"

"It was a very difficult victory and we had the last laugh."

"4 consecutive victories, the devilish road trip is finally over, we are about to return to New Orleans, let us wait for the cheers of the fans."

Seeing Li Lai's laughter, all the players jumped up happily.

Paul, the leader of the team, took the lead and jumped on Li Lai's body, knocking Li Lai down, and all the players jumped on him immediately.

In the end, even Stevens and Du Feng were not spared, and were rubbed wantonly by a group of players on the ground.

The Hornets started with a 4-game winning streak.

It was the team's best start since moving to New Orleans from Charlotte in 2002.

(End of this chapter)