start with scouting

Chapter 145 Playoff Imaginary Enemy
Playing as a complete star, Su Yang and his team flew directly to New York, and other Thunder team members also rushed to New York to gather.

Returning from the holidays, the players were in poor condition, so Su Yang intentionally lowered the training intensity and let the players play tactics more.

After a day of joint practice, the Thunder visited Madison Square Garden to challenge the Knicks, who had just completed a big deal.

Seeing McGrady debuting in a Knicks jersey, Su Yang was quite emotional.

At the beginning McGrady played in the playoffs in a closed game, only for the Rockets' theoretical probability of advancing. In the end, they ended up playing a few minutes per game, letting other teams see the goods, and then being traded after changing hands. Morey squeezed out only that point child value.

Talking about loyalty to capitalists is ridiculous. Even if he is as strong as Cuban, he planned to let Nowitzki play with injuries. If it wasn’t for the old Nelson’s threat of resignation, how could the fans see Nowitzki’s supernatural power? city.

The game kicked off at 07:30 EST. McGrady, who regained his starting position, seemed intent on proving that he could still dominate the game and that he was in good health. In the first few attacks, he forcibly broke through to the basket, successfully causing two fouls and making free throws. middle.

McGrady also worked very hard on the defensive end. Although due to knee and waist injuries, his lateral movement and agility were severely reduced, but relying on his rich experience in positioning, he successfully blocked Durant's breakthrough route several times and used his long arms to make Durant shoot. Especially uncomfortable.

In addition to offense and defense, McGrady also did a good job in organizing, with three assists to help David Lee easily get 6 points.

After the first quarter, the Knicks led the Thunder 31-25 with Tracy McGrady's outstanding performance.

关键第二节比赛，麦迪发挥依旧强势，7投4中贡献9分1助攻1抢断。

At first glance, Tracy McGrady is still at his peak, the Knicks made a lot of money in the deal, and the fans cheered.

After returning from the halftime break, Su Yang found that the generals of the Thunder had entered the state, so he adjusted his defensive strategy and arranged for Sefolosha to mark McGrady. He also told Sefoloza not to be contemptuous. You can show your power.

In that way, after Sefoloza came on the stage, he defended McGrady with the attitude of defending Kobe.

For several consecutive rounds, it was very difficult for McGrady to catch the ball. The Knicks could only find ways to attack from other positions.

Su Yang simultaneously reminded the generals of the Thunder how to defend, mainly because they are too familiar with D'Antoni's offensive tactics, and the generals of the Thunder are also very strong in defense. Point guards like Du Hong, when they encounter Westbrook who is calm and does not grab rebounds, Free.

After the three quarters, the Thunder overtook the Knicks by two points, and Su Yang dispatched the league's top substitute lineup.

Harden and Green, with Matthews and Jordan Jr., rushed wildly, causing the Knicks' already poor defense to fall into a collapsed situation. When the Knicks hurriedly arranged for the main players to appear on the field, the Thunder had completely taken control game rhythm.

At the end of the game, the Thunder won 121 to 113. Durant and Westbrook scored 67 points in total.

At the post-match press conference, Su Yang specifically mentioned McGrady: "Tracey performed very well in the first half, forcing us to pay great attention to the defensive end. He still has fuel in the tank. I wish him success in his future career." success."

Su Yang sincerely praised McGrady. Naturally, McGrady can no longer play the role of a core player, but he has the ability to play a substitute role, such as passing the ball to the center forward, or offensive skills, which can be taught to young players.

Anyway, say the words of praise first, in case there is a demand for recruitment at that time, it will be regarded as an extra bargaining chip.

After playing against the Knicks, the Thunder team flew back to Oklahoma and got a full four-day rest.

Su Yang took Durant and Harden to practice the dynamic offense with the wheels in the All-Star Game, as well as the dynamic offense separated from the two sides, trying to give full play to the abilities of Durant and others by 100% or even 120%, so as to make the scoring easier. more simple.

In his opinion, the tactics should not be too simple, as it would be too easy for other teams to see through. If they encounter high-intensity defense, the scoring efficiency of Durant and others will drop significantly, but the tactics should not be too complicated, lest Durant and others will be stunned first. up.

The three-day training ended quickly, and Su Yang was not very satisfied. The main reason was that Ibaka was not threatening enough to be able to provide scoring threats like Dirk Nowitzki. .

He was not in a hurry, he knew in his heart that it was the difference between a full-level number and a normal number, and he had to take his time.

NO.20, the Thunder flew to Minnesota to challenge the Timberwolves in an away game, striving for the second eight-game winning streak of the season.

The two teams played against each other for the second time this season. The new Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis is still vigorously promoting the triangle offense. Running gesture.

As strong as Al Jefferson, he can only undertake low-post scoring tasks, and his coping ability is two levels worse than Gasol.

Seeing the Timberwolves mechanically posing in a triangular offensive posture, Su Yang couldn't help but lament that the Timberwolves were fortunate to have Garnett, otherwise they would definitely sit firmly on the worst ball in the NBA with their crappy boss, rubbish management, and extremely poor location. Team.

What's particularly funny is that Kurt Rambis arranged for Love to play as a substitute, but Love scored the highest score in the team.

There was no suspense or ups and downs throughout the game, and the Thunder effortlessly suppressed them all the way to the end of the game.

Su Yang attended the post-match press conference, talked about the Timberwolves triangle offense, and said with a smile: "Many fans and even the coaches did not understand that it was not the triangle offense that made Michael Jordan great, but the year Michael Jordan won the championship. Powerful, and has stronger teammates. Therefore, there has never been the most powerful tactic, only the most suitable tactic.

As a coach, we can't always think about getting everything done with tactics, we must listen to the players' ideas. "

The interview was quickly published on Twitter, and many NBA players liked and forwarded it. Arenas, who was recuperating from his injury, wrote: "A few days ago, the All-Stars, I thought Durant's compliment was just casual talk, and now I agree, Su Yang is the best coach."

With eight consecutive victories, the Thunder team flew to San Antonio overnight to challenge the Spurs in back-to-back away games.

In order to meet the venue arrangements, the game started early at [-] pm, and it was difficult for the Thunder players to adapt.

However, with the efficient performance of Durant and Green, the Spurs still led by 4 points in the first quarter, but the Spurs had a double point guard lineup. Sefolosha couldn't keep up with George Hill's rhythm, resulting in two fouls on his back, and Harden also sent one. foul.

In the second quarter, Su Yang adjusted the rotation slightly to allow Durant to stay on the court to ensure scoring.

I once thought that the young Durant was tricked into two fouls by Manu, and the Thunder's rotation suddenly became chaotic.

Su Yang adjusted in time, and the Thunder still trailed by 7 points at halftime, and made 10 of 5 free throws, which was a big loss.

Back in the locker room, he pointed out Westbrook's 4-for-0 problem, and Westbrook patted his chest and promised to correct and improve.

In the third quarter, Westbrook did what he said and made all five free throws, quickly helping the Thunder recover 5 points.

It's a pity that the game entered the second half of the third quarter. The Spurs defended crazily. Richard Jefferson risked technical fouls to weaken Durant's shooting percentage. complain.

Not only did the referee ignore it, but he also deliberately raised the bar against the Thunder, calling Chandler two screen violations.

Between pros and cons, the Thunder's offensive and defensive rhythms were fragmented, and Westbrook's superb skills were useless. In the end, they lost 91 to 97.

At the post-match press conference, Su Yang bluntly stated that there is an urgent need to establish a penalty challenge mechanism and called on other coaches to join in the application.

Less than half an hour after the press conference, he received emails from Doc Rivers and others expressing their willingness to join him.

That night, the team flew back to Oklahoma in a hurry, preparing to face the mighty Dallas Mavericks at home.

Many NBA commentators believe that: based on the current record of the Mavericks, it is very likely that they will meet the Thunder in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. point.

Su Yang also issued a death order in the team and must win.

(End of this chapter)