NBA: I'm really just an ordinary coach

"Massacre! The most insane massacre in preseason history!" This is the headline of the sports section of the Portland Morning Post.

"Treat the preseason as the playoffs! The Trail Blazers don't play by the rules!"This is the headline of the USA Today sports section

"To prove to the world that they are not that bad! The Trail Blazers prepared for a whole summer and slaughtered the invading Utah Jazz!"This is the headline of the sports section of the Los Angeles Post

"The Trail Blazers who chose to run and gun will definitely pay the price for their choice!"This is the headline of the New York Times sports section

"The Trail Blazers have successfully angered the Utah Jazz! The next time the two teams meet, the Utah Jazz will definitely go all out!"This is the headline of the local media in Utah

"..."

The next day, the preseason game between the Blazers and the Jazz made headlines in major newspapers.

Suddenly, the Blazers, who had been silent for a while, became the focus of discussion again. On

October 10.

Two days later, the Blazers welcomed their second preseason opponent at home, the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Tang, the attendance rate for this game is obviously much higher than the last time. It seems that our victory in the last game has rekindled the hope of some fans. Sitting on the bench, D'Antoni whispered

"This is a good start. They are also part of the game. They can provide energy to the players on the court and cause some trouble to the opponents."Tang Feng responded.

After the voice fell, Tang Feng looked at the Clippers who were warming up on the other side of the court.

Seeing those familiar and slightly immature faces, Tang Feng said with emotion:"What a talented team."

The young Captain Brand, the young Maggette, the young Odom, the young Andre Miller, made Tang Feng jealous.

"The starting five has two No. 1 picks, one No. 4 pick, one No. 8 pick, and one No. 13 pick. On the bench, there is also this year's No. 8 pick. How can they not have talent?"Thibodeau curled his lips and said,"It's a pity that they made a mistake in 1998. Michael Olowokandi, who was selected with the first pick, failed to play.

If it was replaced by one of Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Mike Bibby, Dirk Nowitzki, and Jamison, they would have already fought in the playoffs.

"Centers are different from forwards and guards. Their training period is too long, especially for those centers with explosive physical fitness and rough skills. It is not a good thing for them to enter the league too early. After two years of precipitation in the college league and then entering the league, the success rate will be greatly improved."Tang Feng sighed.

The era of centers has gradually passed. Of the four centers in the past, only Shaq is still supporting the glory of centers.

"There is nothing we can do about it. Everyone knows the truth, but in the face of reality, how many people can resist the temptation? D'Antoni sighed,"Especially after Kobe and Kevin Garnett succeeded in the NBA, they couldn't hold back their restless hearts."

"The times are becoming more impetuous and there are more and more temptations. Under such circumstances, the decline of centers with long training cycles has become inevitable."Thibodeau also echoed.

When he said this, Thibodeau looked at Stoudemire who was warming up and sighed:"Many times, they have no choice. Many people come from poor families and play basketball to change their lives and their destiny. When this opportunity is in front of them, they will naturally grab it tightly."

"It's better to put the ball in the bag."

Tang Feng ended the chat between the three with five words.

The three were in a mood to chat before the game, which also showed their confidence in this game.

The Trail Blazers still attached great importance to this game and made sufficient preparations before the game.

Soon, the warm-up was over.

With the starters of the two teams coming on the court, the referee threw the basketball high up, and the game began.

Stoudemire once again won the first wave of ball possession for the Trail Blazers after the opening.

This time, Stoudemire did not take any more risks, but steadily passed the ball to Billups in the backcourt.

Billups quickly crossed half court with the ball and passed the ball to Larry Hughes outside the three-point line on the left.

Rasheed Wallace came up at the right time and made a pick-and-roll with Larry Hughes to block Larry Hughes' defender Maggette.

A high-quality screen.

Larry Hughes bypassed Rasheed Wallace and looked Seeing that Brand didn't defend, he didn't hesitate, took the ball and jumped, all in one go.

Swish.

With a crisp sound, the basketball went into the net.

The Trail Blazers players did not press the entire court, but returned to their own half like a tide, switching offense and defense.

It was the Clippers' turn to serve, and Andre Miller easily received the pass from Odom and slowly dribbled the ball across half court.

Seeing that all the Trail Blazers players were huddled inside the three-point line, Miller handed the ball to Odom.

Odom patted the basketball rhythmically, observing the situation on the court.

Brand was fighting with Rasheed Wallace in the low post, and one meter in front of him, Kirilenko opened his arms and waited for battle.

On the other side.

Maggette stood near the three-point line at the baseline. After passing the ball to him, Miller cut into the inside and slowly moved towards the direction of Olowokandi in the inside. Move.

Odom did not hesitate any longer, glanced at Brand, then suddenly started and broke through from the right with the ball.

Brand, who was fighting with Rasheed Wallace, gave up his position, understood what he meant and moved up to block Kirilenko.

After Odom easily passed Kirilenko, he did not rush to the basket, but took a step back, collected the ball and jumped.

Rasheed Wallace, who came to defend, stretched out his arm and pounced on Odom.

Seeing that Rasheed Wallace was tricked out of the inside by him, Odom changed his shot into a pass.

With a clever pass, the basketball flew past Rasheed Wallace, fell to the ground, and bounced to the inside.

At this moment, Brand, who had completed the pick-and-roll, suddenly turned around, took a step forward, and caught the basketball steadily.

Then, he stretched out his hand and pretended to make a layup.

Kirilenko, who pounced over, was caught by Brand Point fly.

Brand smiled secretly, suddenly jumped up, and was about to dunk!

At this moment, a figure suddenly rushed out from the other side, jumped high, opened his arms, and rushed towards Brand.

The appearance of this figure was completely beyond Brand's expectation. When Brand saw it, it was too late.

Bang!

In the dull sound, the basketball was hit on Brand's body and rolled out of bounds.

Roar.

Looking at the roaring Stoudemire standing in front of him, Brand's face turned cold.

In his heart, he was also angry and shocked.

This guy's physical fitness is really abnormal, with exaggerated bounce and explosive power, and his strength is not bad.

Olowokandi hurried over, patted Brand on the shoulder, and looked at Brand with an apologetic look.

As the No. 1 pick, although only one year apart, the status of the two in the team can be said to be very different.

Due to his own mistakes, he failed to block Stoudemire, so that the team leader was blocked. At this time, if he didn't express his opinion, I'm afraid that his days in this team will soon be over.

Brand didn't say much, just looked at Stoudemire deeply, then patted Olowokandi and prepared to retreat.

The next second, Brand's face changed and he shouted loudly:"Quick break!"

But Brand saw a figure running towards his own half.

No. 47 jersey! Kirilenko!

Wasn't this guy kicked away by me?!!

When did he run to the front?

On the other side, there were two figures running towards their own half, but the positions of the two figures overlapped.

Without any hesitation, Brand turned around and tried to interfere with the Blazers' serve.

Seeing Rasheed Wallace standing one meter outside the sideline and just taking the basketball from the referee, Brand cursed secretly. He could only watch Rasheed Wallace throw the basketball to the front court.

The force of this ball was a little strong, but it was harmless for Kirilenko who had just run through the midfield.

Catch the basketball near the three-point line.

There was no one in front except the basket.

Kirilenko slowed down and ran to one step inside the free throw line when he saw Larry Hughes running from the other side. Then, he threw the basketball into the sky.

When he saw Kirilenko slowing down, Larry Hughes knew what this teammate from Russia wanted to do.

He took a step forward, jumped high, and caught the perfect pass. Larry Hughes stretched his body to the extreme in the air and slammed the basketball into the basket.

After completing the slam dunk, Larry Hughes, of course, did not forget Kirilenko's kindness. He turned around and ran towards Kirilenko.

The two had a passionate collision in the air.

The atmosphere at the scene reached a climax at this moment. Many fans even stood up and gave their applause to the players on the court.

"Andre is really selfless. He could have completed the attack by himself, but he chose to assist his teammates. D'Antoni praised with a smile.

"This is undoubtedly a better choice. The relationship between them will become better and better in such an offense. No one on the court doesn't like selfless teammates."Vogel echoed

"His maturity on the court is amazing. Most players of this age love to show off. They would rather do a layup than a dunk, and would rarely assist teammates if they can dunk by themselves. Of course, if this teammate is the leader of the team, it is another matter."Thibodeau did not skimp on his exaggeration.

In fact.

Among the three assistant coaches of the Trail Blazers, Thibodeau likes Kirilenko the most.

Even though Kirilenko entered the training camp two months late, it was still the same.

Looking at Kirilenko and Larry Hughes celebrating, Tang Feng said:"Although he is selfless, his offensive desire is not strong. With his personality, he is not suitable to be the leader of the team. However, he is the most perfect lubricant for a championship team."

If it was Larry Hughes, he would have dunked without even thinking about it.

Larry Hughes has a very strong desire to perform.

In fact, when the basketball went out of bounds, in addition to Kirilenko and Larry Hughes, Billups also started, and even Billups was slightly ahead of Larry Hughes.

However, when seeing Kirilenko was closer to the front, Billups used his body and experience to hold back Odom who wanted to return to defense, and also created an opportunity for this alley-oop.

Otherwise, Kirilenko would not have chosen to slow down and wait for Hughes to come up.

Back on the court.

Brand, who was humiliated by Stoudemire, was also really angry. When Andre Miller pushed the ball to the three-point line, Brand had already blocked Rasheed Wallace in the low post and opened his hands to ask for the ball.

This situation Miller naturally would not make any other choice. He dribbled the ball to the left 45-degree three-point line, passed the ball to Brand, and then ran to the top of the arc again.

The moment he received the basketball, Brand suddenly half-turned around and pretended to rush to the inside.

Knowing that Brand's core strength is extremely strong, Rasheed Wallace took a half step back and blocked Brand's breakthrough route in advance.

However, after Brand half-turned around, he just patted the basketball once and jumped decisively.

Rasheed Wallace only interfered symbolically.

The basketball turned around the basket and fell in.

After scoring this goal, Brand glanced at Stoudemire, and the meaning was clear.

However, with the previous lesson, Brand did not dare to stay and retreated to his own half.

Offense and defense transition.

It was the Trail Blazers' turn to serve and quickly retreated. The Clippers did not give the Trail Blazers another chance to fast break, but after receiving the serve from Stoudemire, Billups still quickly advanced with the ball.

Outside the left three-point line, he made a pick-and-roll with Rasheed Wallace.

Seeing that Olowokandi, who was facing Rasheed Wallace, did not make up, Billups did not hesitate and shot decisively. With a flick of his hand and a drop of his knife.

With that crisp sound, the basketball went into the net.

Billups, who scored this goal, walked towards his own half with a calm face. If you look closely, you will find that there is a kind of fire burning deep in his eyes.

Offense and defense transition.

Brand received the basketball again in the low post, and with his solid basic skills, he put the ball into the basket.

It was the Trail Blazers' turn to attack. In almost the same position, Billups and Rasheed Wallace completed a pick-and-roll again. This time, Olowokandi Olowokandi did not allow Billups to shoot three-pointers as he did before.

However, fearing Billups' breakthrough, Olowokandi only took a half step forward and extended his hand symbolically to delay.

After bypassing Rasheed Wallace, Billups bent down and took a step forward, pretending to break through, and Olowokandi hurriedly blocked him.

Billups pulled back, and then jumped again.

The whole process was smooth.

Olowokandi didn't even have the chance to make any more moves, and could only watch the basketball fall into the basket again.

Brand walked up, patted Olowokandi, and whispered a few words.

Olowokandi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.

Originally, Olowokandi was against Stoudemire. After being blocked by that big block, Brand asked to defend Stoudemire to teach Stoudemire a lesson.

However, after two rounds, Stoudemire had no intention of fighting with Brand. The Trail Blazers used the pick-and-roll of Billups and Rasheed Wallace to widen the gap between the two teams.

The preseason was originally insignificant, but Brand, who was already angry, also ignited his fighting spirit and naturally did not want to lose the game.

It was the Clippers' turn to attack.

The basketball came to Brand again.

Assisting defense and backup defense are Rasheed Wallace's strengths. In comparison, top defense is a little worse, but the Trail Blazers did not make any adjustments in defense and still let Rasheed Wallace defend Brand alone.

It can also be said that this is the strategy arranged by the Trail Blazers before the game.

Give Brand a chance to play singles, and then let Brand immerse himself in personal singles. Although Brand's singles ability is good, it is far from being able to kill the game.

As long as the Trail Blazers' offense can continue, Tang Feng doesn't even mind letting Brand continue to play singles like this.

Of course, the premise is that Gentry, the head coach of the Clippers, allows Brand to play like this.

Rasheed Wallace, who was hit by Brand twice in a row, also took it seriously and took the initiative to increase physical confrontation.

Under the interference of Rasheed Wallace, this time, Brand's shooting arc was a little higher and hit the basket.

Stoudemire steadily received the rebound and handed the ball to Billups.

After receiving the pass from Stoudemire, Billups advanced to the front court with the ball.

With the lessons learned from the previous two times, Miller did not dare to relax this time.

Miller, one of the representatives of the floor flow, did not have an advantage in speed, so he did not dare to get too close. While interfering with Billups' rapid advancement, he retreated.

Under Miller's interference, Billups slowed down, stretched out his hand, and made a thumbs-up gesture.

Seeing this action, Rasheed Wallace did not come to pick and roll again, and the others quickly pulled away.

Obviously, this was a gesture for a single play.

Billups dribbled the ball rhythmically, advanced to half a meter outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, received the ball without any signs, and jumped up to shoot.

Miller's face changed, and he rushed forward with all his strength.

The basketball flew over Miller's fingers and flew towards the basket.

Swish.

Watching the blue flag go into the net again, Miller turned around and looked at Billups, who was retreating calmly, with a helpless look on his face.

He knew something about Billups.

Billups entered the league two years earlier than him.

When he entered the league, Billups, the No. 3 pick in 1997, was already playing for his third team.

As a No. 3 pick, he was traded in the middle of his rookie season and then traded again after the season ended. The fundamental reason was that Billups, as a point guard, had too strong a personal offensive desire and took a lot of three-point shots.

This style of play also made Billups once be called a fake third pick and a cancerous guard. It was not until he joined the Timberwolves that Billups' style of play changed and was recognized by the league.

Unexpectedly, Billups went crazy again this night. It would have been fine if he played one-on-one, but he actually shot a three-pointer against him when he was not out of position. Such a choice is undoubtedly very unreasonable.

However, this guy's touch tonight is indeed good.

At this moment, Miller heard a loud shout from the sidelines:"Chauncey, great job, keep this rhythm."

Looking at the sound.

The Trail Blazers' head coach this year, Tang Feng, has stood up from the bench and is shouting for Billups.

Miller also frowned.

Keep this rhythm?!!

Isn't this nonsense?

However, Miller did not say much. Anyway, Billups was not his teammate, and going back to the old ways had nothing to do with him....

This night belonged to Billups.

Billups, who was in hot form, fired shots from beyond the three-point line, disrupting the Clippers' defensive rhythm.

When Gentry called the first timeout, nearly five minutes had passed and the score on the field had reached 24-11.

Billups made 5 of 7 shots from beyond the three-point line, scoring 15 of the 24 points.

In the whole game, Billups played for 21 minutes, made 12 of 17 shots, including 7 of 11 shots from beyond the three-point line, and scored a game-high 33 points, leading the team to a big win over the Clippers at home.