Chapter 792 Difficult
Li Liang's mind was really guessed by Bai Xiaoting, he really wanted to get a coach to do it.
The title of the best sixth man this season has basically been reserved by Li Liang. Among all the major honors, he has not yet won the title of best defensive player.
Li Liang will receive this award one day.
But being greedy, he has begun to be dissatisfied with the honor of the players, and has set his sights on the coach's bench.
He is convinced that since the system has given him a series of tasks of "bench life", then he must have the capital to be a coach.
Li Liang also hopes that his career will be more challenging.
To be honest, after winning his three consecutive championships last year, Li Liang somewhat understood Michael Jordan's mentality in 1993.
Invincible, lonely.
Jordan chose to retire, while Li Liang chose to go to the Thunder to spoil the entire league.
If there is anything that can greatly arouse Li Liang's interest, it must be a coach.
But will the Lakers agree to let Li Liang be the coach?
Li Liang himself didn't know either.
"Stop talking nonsense, rest early, I have a game tomorrow. I'm going back to Oklahoma City for Christmas, the game is over tomorrow, let's pass Christmas early."
Li Liang drank the last sip of beer in his glass and went to the guest room to rest and sleep.
Regarding the Lakers and about next season, he is unwilling to think about it, and he still focuses on the present.
...
On the night of the 23rd, at 19:00 Pacific time, at the Staples Center again, the Thunder ushered in another Los Angeles team, the Lakers.
The two teams just played a game a few days ago. The Lakers defeated the Thunder on the road, ending the Thunder's winning streak and giving them their second defeat of the season.
Just a few days later, the two sides ushered in another contest.
The Thunder will undoubtedly have revenge, and they hope to take away a victory at Staples.
Overall, the Thunder are still in very good shape, and it's been a smooth season for them so far.
There is no outbreak of injuries in the team, the atmosphere in the locker room is good, and the tactics are running smoothly.
Moreover, under Gan's command, Donovan and Mike Brown cooperated very well, basically creating the Thunder's tactical system.
This is a "two-headed monster" tactical system that may be unique in NBA history.
Starting with 5 players is one way of playing, and substituting 5 players is another way of playing, and the combat power of the substituting 5 players, because of the existence of people like Li Liang, is not necessarily inferior to the starting 5 players.
In practice, the backup five has sometimes been able to beat the starting five.
Especially Li Liang, who uses some weird props, such as afro heads, top hats, etc., can really play tricks in training, hitting Durant and Westbrook in a daze.
Is this guy so strong?
One team, two teams, two systems, and two cores can not interfere with each other, fit together and are powerful. If such a lineup wants to lose the game, it will probably lose to itself.
In the last game against the Lakers, the Thunder was in a poor state, too relaxed, and the audience was suppressed.
In this game, Donovan repeatedly emphasized before the game that the momentum must be seized from the beginning of the game.
Moreover, some changes have been made in the defensive matchup, allowing Kevin Durant to match Leonard and Robertson to defend Love.
Collison's defense against Love in the last game was not good, allowing Love to explode at the starting time and hit consecutive shots.
The Thunder have to learn their lesson.
In the starting lineups of both sides, the Thunder still lacks Li Liang's set, Westbrook, Durant, Adams, Robertson and Collison.
The Lakers started Kobe Bryant, Jordan Clarkson, Leonard, Love and Roy Hibbert.
The Lakers still adopt the tactical system of point guard + power forward that Byron Stern is good at, and at the same time have the support of a strong defensive small forward.
It's just that the Lakers' point guard is not Kidd, not Paul, but Kobe.
Kobe's transformation this season is very good. Although the iron king's true colors will still be exposed at critical moments, in most cases, his passing and organization are quite good.
At the same time, Love also has very good organizational skills. His long pass and support have greatly enriched the Lakers' style of play.
Of course, the most important point is Leonard, who has quickly grown into the Lakers' number one arrow.
The excellent defense and single defense on the defensive end make up for the weakness of Love and Hibbert's poor mobility.
At the same time, on the offensive end, he was guided by Kobe, and his mid-range jumper became more and more accurate. He already has the demeanor of Jordan and Kobe.
Jordan Clarkson, on the other hand, is full of energy and energy on both ends of the offense and defense. Although the defense is a bit weak, the victory lies in his hard work.
Kobe has always liked to partner with such guards. Back then, Shannon Brown and Vujacic were both mediocre in talent but full of hard work.
The insider Roy Hibbert was transformed by Scott into a thorough defensive insider, allowing him to lose weight and give up singles.
In the summer, Hibbert was exchanged by the Lakers with a future draft pick, some cash and two benches at the end, which is enough to show that his position in the league is already awkward and difficult to adapt.
Scott's positioning of him is still accurate. Anyway, he is copying the Nets and Hornets back then, with a big center inside to protect the basket, so he doesn't have to worry about offense at all.
To be honest, this lineup is a bit outdated.
But relying on the strong strength of the players, the Lakers still achieved a good record.
And Scott and the Lakers fans are convinced that their style of play can succeed in the playoffs.
The previous victory over the Thunder boosted the morale of the Lakers team. Kobe's resignation made everyone issue a statement, "I want to win a championship for Kobe this season."
Then, Thunder stood in front of him.
The game started, Hibbert and Adams jumped the ball.
Adams dialed the ball to Collison, who passed to Westbrook.
The Thunder's first attack was very simple. After receiving the ball, Durant went around the screen and directly pulled out a mid-range jumper.
But under Leonard's interference, he missed a hit.
Kobe picks up the rebound and dribbles across half court.
Love's high-position pick-and-roll, Kobe went around the pick-and-roll, found an opportunity at the top of the arc, and directly pulled a three-pointer!
Westbrook interfered in time, and Kobe's "duang" sounded the Lakers' first iron.
The sound reassured Staples fans.
If you don't hear much for a long time, everyone panics, fans panic, teammates panic, and opponents panic too.
Then, after halftime, Westbrook hit Kobe with his back, turned around and shot and caused Kobe's foul.
Westbrook played very hard tonight.
Lost in the last game, this one will take revenge.
Westbrook stood on the free throw line and made one of two free throws, helping the Thunder take the lead in scoring 1 point.
But what many people didn't expect was that after the Thunder scored 1 point in the opening game, they didn't score again in the next 5 minutes?
Durant missed a three-pointer after receiving the ball from the outside.
Adams missed the basket.
Westbrook missed a jumper against the zombie.
In comparison, the Lakers played extremely steadily.
Kobe assisted Love to score on the hook.
Kobe assisted Leonard with a mid-range jumper.
Kobe assisted Clarkson for a counterattack layup.
After playing shooting guard for 19 years, in his 20th season, Bryant proved that he could indeed play point guard.
The Lakers started off against the Thunder 10:1, but the Thunder never scored in sports.
Li Liang couldn't sit still, so he patted Donova, "It's time to call a timeout, otherwise it will be the same as last time."
Donovan was very calm and did not call a timeout, "I believe they can solve the difficulties they are currently encountering."
Before the words were finished, Westbrook made a mistake in possession of the ball and was intercepted by Kobe.
Bryant countered a one-stop, easy layup - 12:1.
Li Liang looked at Donovan and thought, no matter how much you pretend to be aggressive, can you still solve the problem?
Donovan couldn't hold back anymore, pinched his nose, stood up, and asked the referee for a timeout.
It is not easy for the head coach of the NBA. Calling a timeout is a university question.
Called late, said you would not make adjustments on the spot.
Call early, say you waste timeouts, don't trust the players.
Difficult, really difficult.