Pick Westbrook

Chapter 343 Help Me Find Someone
Finally the game is over.

The Hornets won the game 110:98.

The Western Conference semifinals eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies 4:2.

The ribbons floated down from the FedEx Arena, and all the Hornets players rushed into the court frantically.

Beverly roared arrogantly at the camera in the reporter area, and pointed to the floor below him vigorously with both hands.

"This is our stage!"

Vince Carter blocked the cheers of his teammates and the surging crowd. He raised his head and took a deep breath, then took a long time to let it out.

He is 35 years old and has gone through 98 seasons since entering the NBA in the 99-14 season, but he has never reached the conference finals.

This is the first time.

Vince Carter looked at Li Lai, who once came to his home because he was afraid of being invited by a piece of paper from the league investigation, and then glanced at all the players of the Hornets.

"It's a dynamic team."

Butler embraced Leonard passionately on the court.

"I said we'd make it to the Western Conference Finals, sure."

Leonard looked at his good friend Jimmy Butler, who had always been outgoing and familiar, and couldn't help but smile at the same corner of his mouth.

He put his big arms around Jimmy Butler's shoulders, and said softly, "Definitely."

Paul shouted excitedly on the court, completely different from his usual leader.

This cry was his roar after holding back for 7 full seasons.

"I can touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals!"

Technical front.

Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins reached out and walked towards Lee from far away.

This surprised Li Lai.

Lionel Hollins held Li Lai's hand firmly and gave him a big hug.

"The Hornets played very resolutely tonight. We are not as good as you in terms of offensive and defensive tactics or player momentum."

"Congratulations on making it to the Western Conference Finals."

Li Lai patted Lionel Hollins on the back and also praised what he had done for the Grizzlies in this series.

If it weren't for his reasons, the Hornets might have eliminated the Grizzlies more easily.

Coupled with the fact that Lionel Hollins beat the Spurs with a weak victory, he is really a very capable head coach.

"By the way, what will the Hornets eat after the game?"

Lionel Hollins said with a sudden smile.

Li Lai remembered the joke he made at the post-match press conference of the previous game, and smiled back: "Maybe it will be Chinese food, maybe it will be Western food, anyway, I won't eat all of them."

at the same time.

Yao Restaurant.

Looking at the Chinese dishes in front of him, Wang Fei suddenly felt that they were not delicious.

Zhang Weiping applauded from the sidelines and said, "Damn it, what a wonderful series."

"The Hornets played really well, the Grizzlies played really well."

"Unfortunately, no one thought that the Grizzlies would lose to Tony Allen's offense in the end."

"It's really Xiao He who succeeds and Xiao He who loses."

"The Grizzlies beat the Spurs on Tony Allen's defense because they lost to the Hornets on Tony Allen's offense."

"I have to admit that the coaching staff of the Hornets is really amazing in their ability to grasp the opponent's weaknesses."

Wang Fei looked at Zhang Weiping with some dissatisfaction and said, "The Hornets successfully advanced to the Western Conference Finals, which also means that Li Lai will be able to finish the season even later."

"That is to say, we want to invite him to return to China to coach, and it will take a later time."

"But the Guojia team is waiting for no one!"

Zhang Weiping was startled for a moment before he realized it.

He just went to enjoy the game, and almost forgot the important task of the men's basketball team.

Guo Shiqiang has already called to urge him a few days ago, because the team's head coach has not yet been finalized, and the style of play and tactics have not been determined, so the player roster has not been officially finalized until now.

Wang Fei said: "Guo Shiqiang means to go to Li Lai to find out first. If he is sure to come to coach, then Guo Shiqiang will make a big list in advance, focusing on the flexible offensive lineup that the opponent is good at."

"If not, let's focus on the Chinese team's favorite inside tall group bombing in previous years."

Zhang Weiping directly shook his head and said, "If it was Li Lai last season, I believe he can only arrange offensive tactics and drill teams with flexible lineups."

"But you also saw this round of the Hornets-Grizzlies series."

"In terms of training the team's defense, Li Lai is also a top-notch coach."

"So don't jump to conclusions. How he wants to fight is still completely unknown."

Zhang Zhiyuan on the side did not speak at this time, nor did he plan to participate in this matter again.

During this time, accompanied by Wang Lishen, Zhang Zhiyuan learned about the operation of the two Li Ning branches in Milwaukee and New Orleans.

Because of such a long time of clear understanding, Zhang Zhiyuan was more and more satisfied with the completion of Li Laid's work.

Especially in the selection of factory locations, Milwaukee and New Orleans can basically cover and supply most parts of the United States.

This greatly saves transportation costs and labor costs. It is no wonder that Li Ning's American branch has developed so well in the past few years, and it is undoubtedly the best of all Li Ning's branches.

Zhang Zhiyuan is already preparing to leave for China tomorrow. He came here to bid farewell to Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping, and also meant to complete the mission of the Chinese basketball team.

"I have discussed with Li Lai's secretary, she will bring Li Lai to meet you tomorrow."

"However, I still want to remind you that Li Lai did not promise that you will coach the Chinese men's basketball team, so it is not yet the time to discuss the team's roster."

"Of course, Li Lai is not a difficult person to talk to. I also hope that you can reach a cooperation."

"I will watch the London Olympics at home."

Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping got up to see them off, and they glanced at each other before realizing it.

It is true that Li Lai has not agreed to coach the Chinese men's basketball team, he just promised to meet with Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping.

Of course, since they agreed to meet, it means that there are many possibilities for negotiation and coaching.

Both Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping knew very well that this meeting and conversation is the key to Li Lai's ability to coach the Chinese men's basketball team.

"It's a pity that the UAE game is not over yet. If he is there, we will have greater confidence in persuading Li Lai to coach the Chinese men's basketball team."

Wang Fei said suddenly.

Zhang Weiping nodded. The Bucks and Heat in the East had already tied 3:3, and the upcoming tiebreaker between the two teams was written as a battle between heaven and man by CCTV.

Whether the Bucks or the Heat win the last game, it will greatly change the future and destiny of the two teams.

If the Heat lose, their management has been noisy for a season, and the trade of Dragon King Bosh may be realized.

And if the Bucks lose, I am afraid there will be a lot of changes, because Curry's early contract renewal is coming.

With the current salary situation of the Bucks, it is impossible to give Curry a maximum salary contract.

Wang Fei withdrew his thoughts and no longer cared about the Eastern Conference playoffs, because at this moment the door of the private dining room was opened again.

Gong Luming, who was the leader of the Chinese men's basketball team at that time, came in from outside the house with a pale face.

Wang Fei got up in shock and was about to say something when Gong Luming raised his hand to stop him.

He said: "I probably already understand the matter. On the way to the United States, I also watched the game between the Hornets and the Grizzlies tonight."

"I like the Hornets' game style very much. This time I came here specially to facilitate Li Lai's coaching of the Chinese men's basketball team."

"We will do whatever it takes to invite him to join us."

Zhang Weiping on the side nodded excitedly.

Gong Luming is currently the deputy director of the Chinese basketball team and the chief technical advisor of the National Basketball Academy. When he was young, he was named the best stealer of the Chinese men's basketball team. He is an out-and-out defensive champion.

After retiring, Gong Luming transformed into a basketball coach and led the Chinese team to No.1996 in the 8 Atlanta Olympics, achieving a historic breakthrough.

In other words, the best result of the Chinese men's basketball team today is the first time that such an achievement has been achieved under the leadership of coach Gong Luming.

"The arrival of Gongjiao has shown our great sincerity. I believe Li Lai will be impressed by us and successfully coach the Chinese men's basketball team."

Zhang Weiping couldn't help but said happily.

Wang Fei nodded in agreement, now waiting for tomorrow's meeting.

5 month 25 day.

On Li Lai's way to Yao Restaurant, Hammond and Wang Lishen were traveling with him.

Hammond briefly explained to Li Lai the current situation of the Eastern and Western playoffs.

In the west, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks 4:1 early, waiting for the winner of the Hornets and Grizzlies to play.

Kobe played a better performance than last season in the playoffs, averaging 31 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from three-pointers.

Because of the current wave of small balls in the league, Kobe's number of shots and shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line in this year's playoffs have improved a lot.

At the same time, his body has been better maintained under such an offensive choice, and his career may be extended a lot.

Li Lai noticed from the data given by Hammond that Pau Gasol averaged a double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists in this round of playoffs, and his shooting percentage was 43%.

而36岁的凯文-加内特竟然在这赛季梦回巅峰，场均19分9篮板3助攻，投篮命中率48%。

More importantly, Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol jointly gave 6 assists. In terms of indirect assists, they also averaged 3 times per game.

Obviously, the Lakers have changed from the former Pau Gasol one-man axis to the two-man offense of Paul Gasol and Kevin Garnett.

This is certainly not a triangle offensive tactic.

But the effect seems to be very good.

Li Lai nodded his head with his fingers, only to feel that his head was very big.

The Lakers already have an extremely strong lineup, and there are many experienced veterans in the team.

They are not as easy to control as the Grizzlies players on the court.

So if the Hornets want to beat the Lakers in this round of the series, I am afraid they will have a lot of trouble.

Hammond continued: "In the East, the Knicks and the Hawks, the Bucks and the Heat, the two-round series dragged into the tiebreaker at the same time."

"It's just that whether the Knicks or the Eagles can stand out from this round of the series, they will hardly be the opponents of the winner of the Bucks and the Heat."

"These two rounds of the tie-break series also made countless fans call the new year, and they were even considered to have watched a round of the finals series."

"Whether the Bucks or the Heat win this series, they are considered the team most likely to win the championship."

After Hammond finished speaking, he took a special look at Li Lai, and finally heaved a long sigh of relief after finding that the other party was still calm.

"Don't worry, the Bucks have a foundation, whether it is a starter or a rotation player, they are better than the Heat as a whole."

"Tyron Lue has also made very good progress and growth by your side. I believe he will definitely help the Bucks overcome this difficulty."

Li Lai nodded, and then he didn't care about this matter anymore, and he also arrived at Yao's restaurant very quickly.

Gong Luming and Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping stopped at the door early to wait, and when he saw Li Lai finally arrived, he greeted him with a smile on his face.

"Coach Li Lai, thank you very much for coming, let's go in and talk."

Under the leadership of a group of people, Li Lai was arranged to sit on the top seat.

In line with the intention of doing what others want, Li Lai did not give in at this time.

Hammond disliked the way the people in front of him negotiated, because most Americans like to complete such conversations and gatherings in coffee shops or western restaurants.

For example, when Li Lai met Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Leonard, Jimmy Butler, JR Smith and others, he chose such a place.

So in Hammond's view, the few people in front of him want to invite Li Lai to coach the Chinese men's basketball team.

Gong Luming didn't think too much, he just entertained Li Lai with the highest courtesy he was most used to, and finished their conversation at the wine table.

So at this time, he took out a bottle of Moutai from the side cabinet with a cheerful face.

"This is a special product of China, which is very different from red wine. It is a fusion of three special flavors: sauce aroma, pit aroma, and mellow sweetness."

"Some people praised this, the taste is drunk from the next door, and the bottle is opened after the rain. Its aroma components are naturally formed during the repeated fermentation process, and the alcohol content has been stable at 52°-54°."

"It has the characteristics of no sore throat, no headache, can eliminate fatigue, and stabilize the spirit."

Hammond snatched the Moutai very vigilantly from the side, looked it over and over again and said, "This wine is not safe, we still drink red wine."

Li Lai, who hadn't tasted Moutai for several years, grabbed the wine and motioned Hammond to sit down.

"Try it too, this wine is very mellow."

Seeing that Li Lai liked Moutai so much, Gong Luming smiled even more happily, while Wang Fei and Zhang Weiping on the side also smiled happily, secretly thinking that this matter was about to happen.

Special dishes such as Jingbei Roast Duck, Sichuan Mapo Tofu, West Lake Vinegar Fish, Feilong Soup, Wuwei Smoked Duck, Dongpo Pork, Steamed Lamei, Spicy Chicken, Dongan Chicken, and Steamed Wuchang Fish soon appeared on the dinner table.

After drinking and eating, Zhang Weiping, who is not good at drinking, finally couldn't help but wink at the two foodies Gong Luming and Wang Fei.

Gong Luming was startled for a while, and quickly realized that he talked about the business tonight.

He held Li Lai's hand and said, "Brother, to be honest, I met you this time to invite you to become the head coach of the Chinese men's basketball team. I believe that Zhang Zhiyuan has already got through with you before."

"Now it depends on what you want, brother."

Li Lai had expected that Gong Luming would make such a request, and he would look to Wang Lishen who was beside him after he was silent.

At this moment, the little girl looked at him expectantly, and her small mouth seemed to say yes soon.

At this time, the whole dinner table suddenly became quiet, and both Zhang Weiping and Wang Fei looked at Li Lai expectantly.

In fact, in Li Lai's mind, he already had the answer to this question, so he said directly at this time: "I can agree to you, but I also hope that you can agree to my two requests."

"One of them, I want you to help me find someone."

(End of this chapter)