Los Angeles Clippers.
Assistant coach Cassell looked at the door of the head coach's office and muttered in a low voice with disdain on his face: "I only became the head coach through nepotism. If you hadn't picked up the new boss's daughter, you would definitely be here." Not being the head coach. This room should be mine."
Cassel cursed secretly in his mind, then calmed down, knocked on the door and walked into the head coach's office.
Dai Li was in the office. This was his first day as head coach of the Clippers. When he saw Cassel, he put on a smile and asked: "Coach Cassel, what would you like to drink? I There’s coffee and tea, or some whiskey.”
"Coffee will be fine, thank you." Cassel looked very reserved.
Li Dai poured Cassel a cup of coffee and then said: "Coach Cassel, from today on, we are colleagues. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation experience in the future work."
"Of course, it's an honor for me to work with the best coach in Lawrence." Cassel still said a compliment, but he did not express his dissatisfaction to Li Dai in person.
Dai Li handed a folder to Cassel and motioned to Cassel to open the folder: "Take a look at this."
When Cassell opened the folder, he was surprised to find that it was a new contract for an assistant coach.
"This is..." Cassel looked at Dai Li with some confusion.
"Let's take a look at the numbers above first." Dai Li pointed at the document.
Cassell turned to the back and saw the number above, which was 50% more than the salary he was receiving now.
"Coach Li, what is this contract?" Cassel asked in confusion.
"How's it going? Are you satisfied with this new contract?" Li Dai asked.
"New contract? Is this a new contract given to me by the team?" Cassel couldn't help but feel a little excited when he thought about the 50% increase in salary.
"Under normal circumstances, signing an assistant coach should be done based on the team's experience. This time, I, the head coach, will talk to you. It is indeed a bit overstepping, but I only got the consent of the team management. After all, the relationship between me and the boss is no secret. Coach Cassel, you are a smart man, you should be able to understand my intentions," Li Dai said.
How could Cassel not understand Dai Li's hint? Dai Li's subtext is: I, the head coach, helped you get this salary increase, so you, the assistant coach, should also know who is your "boss."
Just listen to Li Dai continue to say: "Coach Cassel, I personally very much recognize your ability. I also think that you are an indispensable member of the team's future, so I proposed to the team's management to give you Salary increase. I hope you can continue your excellent performance in my team, believe me, this is just the beginning, you will get more in the future."
Dai Li's words were a bit implicit, but Cassel already fully understood. Dai Li is just telling Cassell, as long as you follow me and work hard, I will ensure that you are well-off and earn a lot of money.
After looking at the contract in his hand and thinking about the numbers on it, Cassel's dissatisfaction with Dai Li disappeared without a trace.
Cassel really wants to be the head coach, but he also wants to make money. Compared with the position of head coach, green money is a real benefit.
"This Dai Li is the future son-in-law of the new boss. From this perspective, he can also be regarded as the team owner. There is no way I can compete with him for the position of head coach. It is better to make money while he is interested in recruiting me. A sum of money. Moreover, the current situation of the team also requires me, an assistant coach who is familiar with the team. If I perform well, I may be able to sign a multi-year contract extension with the team, which will ensure my job in the next few years. There’s no need to worry.”
After weighing the pros and cons, Cassel increasingly felt that accepting Dai Li's kindness was the right choice.
…
Not only Cassell, but several other coaches and support staff on the team also received certain salary increases.
Dai Li knows that the team has changed its owner and head coach. The most important thing now is to stabilize the morale of the military, and there is nothing easier to stabilize the morale of the military than spreading money. In the face of money, all dissatisfaction will disappear.
Several new contracts also tell the team's staff that the team will not cause major personnel changes due to the change of boss. Everyone can keep their jobs and work for the new boss with peace of mind.
The generous act of spreading money allowed Dai Li to gain a firm foothold in the Clippers, and next, he would begin to perform his duties as head coach.
Dai Li has no intention of changing the Clippers' tactics. In fact, a half-baked basketball coach like him doesn't have much knowledge, and it is impossible to change the team's tactics. So the Clippers still use the previous tactics.
This season, the Clippers have been using a tactical system of rapid offensive and defensive transitions.
In today's small ball era, many teams are using an offensive-defensive transition style of play, but not many teams truly engage in positional warfare. Therefore, the Clippers' style of play can be regarded as following the popular trend of the NBA league.
Moreover, the Clippers' lineup is relatively weak. The inside players lack quality, there is no first-class offensive organizer, and the team's defensive efficiency is not high. They rely entirely on scoring. This type of team really has no way to establish a position. In battle, you can only score points by switching between offense and defense.
Regarding the team's tactical matters, Dai Li left it to assistant coach Cassel to take charge, while Dai himself observed from the sidelines, which was also a learning process.
As for team training, there are also professional coaches responsible for each team. The coaching staff of NBA teams is relatively complete. There are coaches who are responsible for coaching offense and coaches who are specifically responsible for coaching defense. For example, shooting training and rebounding training will all have dedicated people in charge, so the head coach does not have to worry about it.
For example, if a player's free throw shooting percentage has dropped recently and he needs to strengthen his free throw shooting, there will naturally be a shooting coach responsible for the player's free throw shooting practice. The head coach only needs to arrange the training work instead of personally coaching the players to take free throws. Of course, if the head coach is very good at training free throws, or has a special preference for this player, it is not impossible to go on the field for training in person.
Li Dai obviously does not have advanced basketball skills. He cannot get involved in offensive or defensive training, or technical training such as shooting and rebounding. The only thing he can do currently is the physical training of players.
When it comes to physical training, even if Dai Li considers himself No. 1 in the United States, no one would be dissatisfied. Track and field coaches are inherently good at physical training. Dai Li once led the U.S. track and field team to create miraculous results. Naturally, no one would question his level of physical training.
The NBA game is still going on. The turbulent Clippers lost two games in a row before Li Dai took office, and their record became 16 wins and 32 losses. According to the schedule, the Clippers have five days of rest, followed by four road trips.
So Dai Li had just become the head coach of the Clippers, and before he had time to get familiar with the team, he boarded the plane and started this four-consecutive road trip with the team.
The first stop of the Clippers' four-game road trip is Portland, where their opponent is the Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers have entered the playoffs in the past five seasons. Considering that the competition in the Western Conference has always been relatively fierce, being able to reach the playoffs for five consecutive seasons also proves the strength of the Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers' current record is 34 wins and 15 losses, with a winning rate of over 50%. They are also ranked third in the Western Conference and can be regarded as a strong team in the league. For the Clippers, this is an almost impossible opponent to defeat.
The odds offered by the betting company also confirm this. The Trail Blazers have a handicap of 14.5 points and the odds are 1.75. Seeing this odds, no one thinks that the Clippers can win the game.
…
In the Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers, in the visiting team's locker room, the Clippers players were talking and laughing, looking very relaxed.
However, Dai Li could feel that this was not just a matter of relaxation, but a lack of attention to the game. It seemed that the players were not paying attention to the upcoming game.
The opponent is a strong team like the Portland Trail Blazers, and it is at home. Even if the defending NBA champion comes here, it is impossible not to pay attention to the opponent. But the Clippers players behave like this. This is of course not because they think they are very strong and can ignore their opponents, but because the Clippers players believe that they will inevitably lose the game against a strong team like the Trail Blazers. , so there is no need to make a fearless struggle.
In fact, the Clippers' record is so bad and they have experienced a six-game losing streak. Coupled with the turmoil of the team's change of ownership, the continuous blows have already made the players forget the feeling of victory and made them no longer desire victory.
"For a team, it is not terrible to be weak, nor is it terrible to lose. What is terrible is that the players have lost the desire to win, just like now." Li Dai felt a little helpless, and more It's a feeling of powerlessness.
"In this case, I can only gamble on luck. Winning or losing depends on God's will." Dai Li shook his head, and then equipped the title of "evenly matched".
…
In the commentary box, before the game started, the two commentators began to introduce the situation of the two teams.
"In the previous four games, the Clippers were led by assistant coach Cassel, but Cassel did not give a satisfactory answer. During his leadership, the Clippers lost four games in a row. But I heard, The Clippers' new head coach has taken office and will lead the team to participate in this game. I don't know what changes the new coach's arrival will bring to the Clippers," a commentator said.
"I don't think the Clippers will change much. Their new coach has just taken over, and he has never had basketball coaching experience. He will definitely continue to use the previous tactics and strategies without making major adjustments. And with the Clippers’ current lineup, they don’t have much room to adjust,” another person said.
"Indeed, the core of the Clippers' tactics now is Ronnie. Although his data this season has been greatly improved, it is not enough to be a responsible player for a team. If it weren't for Naismith's 'nerve knife' If we perform occasionally, the Clippers may lose more games."
"In this game, the Clippers will probably have to swallow a bitter pill when facing the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers have a very high winning rate at home. With the strength of the Clippers, it is impossible for them to defeat the Trail Blazers."
While the two commentators were talking, the entrance ceremony for the players had already begun.
…
Trail Blazers head coach Terrys walked up to Dai Li and gave him a hug with a smile on his face, showing a very cordial look.
"Lee, welcome to the NBA!" Terrys said.
Dai Li didn't hear any sense of welcome from Tris's tone. He looked at Tris's smile and suddenly remembered the smile on the face of the Big Bad Wolf when he deceived Little Red Riding Hood in the fairy tale.
"This Tris said welcome, but in his heart he was probably thinking about how to beat me up!" Dai Li thought in his heart, but he said: "Coach Tris, this is my first game since I came to the NBA. I hope the Blazers can show mercy and not let me lose too badly."
"You know what's interesting." Tris thought to himself, but the smile on his face was even brighter: "As Coach Li said, the Clippers have always been a very strong team. We need to go all out."
The broadcast camera kept focusing on the two people. The two did not show any tension, but greeted each other in a friendly manner, which made the reporter a little disappointed.
I saw Terrys return to the Trail Blazers' bench, and then called the players to his side.
"Looking at this game, your opponent is the five players on the court of the Clippers, and my opponent is the head coach of the Clippers. He is a coach who has never coached basketball experience, that layman! So I What I want is not just an ordinary victory, I hope you can bring about a big victory! I hope you can crush your opponents!" A sharp look flashed in Tris's eyes, and he continued: "I am you I am the head coach, and you are my players. I hope you can use your actions to tell the world that I, the head coach, am far better than that layman!"