The conversation between Dai Li and Gray came to an end.
Dai Li feels that since Gray knows where his shortcomings are, there is no need to interfere too much. Players who can come to the NBA are not fools and should know how to correct their shortcomings.
For Gray, this foul problem is like a threshold, like the so-called rookie wall in the NBA. As long as he can successfully cross this threshold, it will be like a carp jumping over the dragon's gate and a dragon going out to sea.
As for whether he can successfully cross this threshold in the end, it all depends on Gray's own understanding.
There is a saying that with great ability comes great responsibility, and there is also a special phenomenon in the NBA, that is, the better the body, the easier it is to commit fouls. If you look at the NBA's fouls per game rankings in order, the top ten are definitely guys with incredible physical talent. Players who cannot run fast or jump high are less likely to foul.
This is just as Li Dai analyzed. This group of devilish musclemen can run and jump. When defending, they always feel that they can defeat the enemy with one blow. Originally, only a little interference was needed to make the opponent's offense hit a wall. They had to completely prevent the opponent, so there would always be relatively large defensive actions, and the number of fouls would also increase.
Although Gray has played in the NBA for several seasons, due to injuries, he has only played more than a hundred games. In fact, he can only be regarded as a high-end rookie, and it is impossible to get a "star whistle" from the referee. , many times for ambiguous fouls, or those that can be called or not, the referee will not give him face and directly call him a foul. If Gray becomes an All-Star one day, referees will be more lenient when calling fouls.
In fact, the problem of fouls is a necessary journey for every insider. Looking at the outstanding insiders in the league, whether they are active or retired, it would be embarrassing if they did not have the experience of leaving the field with six fouls several times every season. Said he was an insider.
…
In the next game, the Clippers came to Oracle Arena in Oakland to challenge the defending champion Warriors.
The Warriors are currently the strongest team in the league, and they belong to the same Pacific Division as the Clippers.
According to NBA schedule rules, teams in the same division must play four games a season. Under this competition system, once a particularly strong team appears in one's own division, it will not be good news for the other four teams in the division.
For example, in the Pacific Division, the Warriors are super strong. The other four teams, the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Suns, are no match for the Warriors. As long as the Warriors play hard and don't give in, the other four teams will definitely win four games. Defeat. When the record was calculated at the end of the season, it was clear that they had a few more losses than other teams. In the fiercely competitive Western Conference, a 0.5-game difference in wins and losses will result in a difference between two and three teams. If one or two more losses are made, it will directly affect whether one can enter the playoffs.
At Oracle Arena, the game had not yet started. On the bench on the sidelines, Warriors head coach Nicholas pouted and looked at Calabi who was warming up on the court.
"Calabi actually has a second spring, which is a real bargain for the Clippers! If we had this kind of player, this year's championship would be more stable." Nicholas said to himself.
This season, Calaby suddenly returned to his youthful form, which made him a favorite player for many teams, including the league's No. 1 Warriors. Calabi has height, bounce and movement. His shot-blocking ability is enough to protect the team's penalty area on defense. On offense, he has the ability to shoot and even shoot three-pointers, which is very suitable for the Warriors' style of play.
Calabi’s only shortcoming is that he is too thin, but this is not a problem for the Warriors. The most popular small ball style in the NBA today is brought by the Warriors. In the Warriors’ tactical system, traditional positional warfare There are not many opportunities, and the traditional meat shield big man is not as useful as the space-based inside line.
Nicholas couldn't help but glance at his substitute center. Although that guy is also a player with excellent physical fitness and very energetic in playing, his brain seems to be a little difficult. He is like a time bomb on the court. Who knows when Will stab myself.
While Nicholas was thinking about it, he looked at Dai Li on the visiting team's bench with some jealousy. He recalled Dai Li's previous experience. When Dai Li was the head coach of the US team, he had helped many very old athletes regain their second youth.
"It's great to be young!" Nicholas sighed softly, not sure whether he was talking about the athletes who have returned to their peak form or lamenting Dai Li's youth.
…
In the game between the Clippers and the Warriors, the two sides played back and forth in the first two quarters. However, in the third quarter, the Warriors seemed to suddenly have a touch. In the blink of an eye, they played a wave of 28 to 8, widening the lead to the Warriors. At 23 minutes.
The Warriors played their own characteristics. They went in waves in the third quarter. This is also the Warriors' traditional way of winning. They let the starters warm up in the first quarter, let the substitutes warm up in the second quarter, blew up in the third quarter, and clocked out in the fourth quarter. . Statistically speaking, the Warriors' front and back value in the third quarter was +130. Today, this method was also used against the Clippers.
The Warriors' tactical system cannot be cracked by so many outstanding basketball coaches in the league, and even more so by a half-assed basketball coach like Dai Li. Faced with this situation, the only thing Li Dai could do was to use the lottery box to see if God could help him.
"Lot the lottery!" Li Dai looked at the result of the lottery with some depression. If it was the lottery, the game could be reversed. Now it is just a lottery, which is of no use at all.
Dai Li didn't even bother to read the result of asking for a signature. He thought about it and decided to throw in the towel since he couldn't win. There are 82 games in a season, and it doesn’t matter if you lose one. Besides, the opponent is a powerful warrior, so there is no shame in losing to the warrior.
"Substitute!" Li Dai pointed to the "water dispenser managers" who usually couldn't play. Several players who usually couldn't be included in the rotation suddenly looked happy. They had more than one quarter. Time can be given to perform.
"Coach, I want to play a little longer." A voice suddenly sounded. Dai Li turned around and saw that it was Gray who spoke.
"Gray actually asked to play. Did the last conversation have an effect? He controlled the fouls well today. No, this is also related to the fact that the opponent is the Warriors. The Warriors players mainly rely on shooting to score, not too many. Attack the basket." Li Dai nodded, agreed to Gray's request, and at the same time said: "If Gray wants the ball, give it to him."
…
After a dead ball, the Clippers replaced the "water cooler manager".
"They gave up!" Nicholas showed a proud smile on his face. He felt that the game was all under his control. Then he turned his head and motioned for the substitute players to warm up.
After the next dead ball, the Warriors also replaced the entire substitute lineup. The main players and several major rotations all sat on the bench with smiles. They clocked out in the third quarter. This was the rhythm of the game they were familiar with.
…
There is still more than one quarter left in the game.
Gray ran to the low post to ask for the ball, and then relied on his skilled low post offensive skills to score the ball into the basket.
Regarding this very traditional low-post attack, the Warriors defender seemed a little stunned or a little acclimated. He didn't know how to defend.
American basketball culture pays less and less attention to low-post offense. There are fewer and fewer big men in the league who are good at low-post offense. There are only a handful of big men with top physical fitness. They are treasures in any team. The Warriors These non-rotation players usually don't have access to this kind of talent, so they don't know how to deal with this traditional low-post attack.
What's more, Gray is not a slow traditional center. His flexibility is outstanding, and he is comparable to a defender in terms of agility and speed. This kind of insider with long arms, excellent physical fitness, and not slow speed, in a He is inherently at an advantage when attacking against one.
In several consecutive attacks, Gray scored the ball. Although the score was not tied, Gray felt like a fish in water.
He likes the feeling of asking for the ball in the low post and then playing one-on-one. Every time he scores the ball, Gray can gain a sense of achievement.
The Warriors really can't guard Gray, and they don't bother to guard Gray. After all, the Warriors' offense relies heavily on three-pointers, and they have a lead of more than 20 points. They have plenty of opportunities to squander.
At the end of the third quarter, the game entered the fourth quarter. The Clippers had just closed the score advantage to within 20 points. The Warriors made two consecutive three-pointers and widened the score gap again.
Both sides have players at the end of the bench. In comparison, the Warriors' bench is stronger. After all, the Warriors are a championship team and can easily recruit stronger combat power. There are many players who want to come and embrace them. thigh.
Moreover, the Warriors are indeed superior in terms of tactics. The experience of several championship trophies has made the Warriors' tactical system more mature. As for the Clippers, Dai Li is like a hands-off shopkeeper, insisting on a "star ball" strategy, with no tactics at all.
When the game entered the last five minutes, the Warriors still maintained a 20-point lead, and there was basically no suspense about the outcome of this game.
However, on the Warriors' bench, Coach Nicholas was not happy at all.
"Gray has already scored 28 points and 17 rebounds." Nicholas looked at the latest statistics. He felt that if he continued to play, Gray could get a 30+20 double-double.
More importantly, Nicholas could feel that Gray was gradually gaining confidence. Looking at Gray running on the field, Nicholas seemed to see that a future super center was about to be born.
Nicholas couldn't help but think of the scouting report when Gray participated in the draft. Everyone believed that he would be the strongest center in NBA history, one that surpassed the four major centers.
"Super center!" Fear flashed in Nicholas's eyes.
He was also an NBA player, and had personally experienced the era of the four major centers. He knew the horror of the four major centers. Even when he thinks about it now, he still feels a chill down his spine.
Nowadays, the era of super centers has long passed. There has been no super center in the NBA for a long time. When the "small ball system" was born, there were no super centers in the league, so Nicholas didn't know about the Warriors' "Five Small Balls of Death" Whether they can handle the super center, but it is an indisputable fact that the "five small" lineup lacks height. Whenever the Warriors encounter a big man with both speed and height, they will always be given what they want.
The Gray in front of him is obviously the kind of big man with both speed and height, as well as excellent strength and excellent offensive skills. Faced with such an opponent, the only thing Nicholas could think of was double-teaming.
The game has entered the last two minutes. The Clippers closed the score to within 20 points, and Gray also successfully scored a 30+20 double-double.
However, this does not affect the result of the game. The Warriors can celebrate the victory in advance.
But Nicholas couldn't feel the joy of victory at all.
"We won a game, but our opponent showed up with a super center. How can we calculate that it's our loss!" Nicholas thought with malice.