Coach: Coaching the Grizzlies at the beginning, playing the bantam

Chapter 118 An Unforgettable Summer; Lu Yong: I am very proud to be able to coach them!

In the third game of the Western Conference finals, Lu Yong relaxed the lineup rotation.

In order to prevent the main players from getting tired too early, the substitute players are given more opportunities to perform during the rotation time.

Lu Yong hopes that in this round of the series, more players from the Sonics will stand up and share the pressure for Durant. Only when everyone is a soldier, can the Sonics hope to beat the Spurs.

Regrettably, since Tucker and Teletovic entered the Western Conference finals, their shooting efficiency has plummeted. It is difficult to get open shots on the offensive end. In addition, they do not have the ability to attack independently.

Durant's catching and jumping style of play can also score against Bowen, but as a rookie, it is difficult for Adu to be online throughout the series. Compared with the elimination of the Grizzlies in the semifinals, his performance is not good.

Bowen, who keeps making small moves, always takes the initiative to find his body to fight, disrupt Durant's shooting rhythm, and show his unscrupulous defense to the fullest.

Bunch Wells has an advantage against Ginobili. In addition to the fast break and counterattack, his strong attack after the air cut in the positional battle is also effective.

It's a pity that Wells' advantage can't make up for the disadvantage of the Sonics' sluggish shooting. When an offensive team can't play a sharp long-range offense, the result is that the pace of the game is firmly controlled by the Spurs.

The shooting percentage of the core players is generally not high. The Supersonic G3 could not break through the Spurs' defense, and fell into a passive position from the very beginning.

Lu Yong was also helpless sitting on the sidelines. The disadvantages of team basketball still showed their flaws in the high-intensity match.

Just like the Eagles in the later generations who achieved the league's first record in the regular season and four players joined forces to be selected as the All-Stars, no matter how good the regular season is, it is difficult to go far in the playoffs without top stars. They were defeated by the Big Three Cavaliers 4 0 sweep, the disadvantage is obvious.

To make matters worse, the more the Sonics missed three-point shots from outside, the easier it would be for the Spurs to defend. They dared to double-team the star's help defense unscrupulously, and tried their best to limit Durant's singles scoring.

The final game was 91 to 98, and the Sonics lost another game, trailing 1 to 2 in total.

After the game, Lu Yong did not make excuses for the loss, but praised the players as always. "The young players in the team played very well. The fighting spirit they showed gave me hope. I am very pleased to be able to play this kind of performance against the Spurs, the top player in the Western Conference. I firmly believe that the future belongs to the Sonics."

Winning is important, but for a young team, cultivating team culture is the foundation.

Lu Yong does not want to put too much pressure on rookie players. The strong rise of the Sonics this year is a miracle in itself. No fans will question this group of young people who are doing their best, just as the loudest voices from the outside world are always praise and encouragement.

The next day, external media reported on this magical and indomitable Sonics.

Although G3 lost and fell behind by a big score of 1 to 2, there are actually more fans supporting the Sonics than the Spurs. The words of encouragement made Lu Yong feel happy and full of confidence in the future.

In the fourth game, the supersonic players who put down the pressure ushered in an explosion, and the outside touch recovered, and they gradually gained the upper hand in the confrontation with the Spurs.

Relying on the strong firepower of the team throwing 16 three-pointers, the supersonic shooters defeated the strong enemy, 116 to 94 to pull back a round.

In Game [-], even though Lu Yong enthusiastically encouraged the players before the game, the Sonics were still suppressed by the Spurs from the beginning.

The three-point rain on the field seems to have used up all the luck of the Sonics. From the very beginning of this game, they have been shooting hard, and they have not been able to play a wave of "Sonics-style" offense for a long time.

Collison and Watson were hidden by Lu Yong in this round of the series. Both of them play in the rhythm that the Spurs like. Staying on the court is to help the Spurs slow down the rhythm, and they can't win the ball with defense.

Noah was also educated by Duncan in this round of the series. He lacked experience and was hung up by Duncan on both offense and defense. The effect was far worse than the previous two rounds.

It is not surprising that Lu Yong was beaten by the Spurs in this matchup. Even Noah in his peak period is not Duncan's opponent, let alone Noah is still a rookie.

The star Duncan is very strange. He has a lot of personal honors and his ability to lead the team is not bad, but because of the dual reasons of personality and the market, his popularity is not high, not as good as Celtics star Kevin Garnett. special.

But those who dared to underestimate Duncan paid the price, and won the most dazzling honor with the most low-key style of play. This is the expressionless "paralytic" Duncan.

At the end, 109 to 100, the Spurs defeated the Sonics at home, rewriting the series' total score to 3 to 2.

When the Sonics can neither play a sharp fast-break counterattack nor shoot a precise outside three-pointer, this team with the strongest offensive power in the league is full of flaws, and its core players are still too young.

Returning to the home court in the sixth game, Lu Yong made a bold change and made a desperate move. He put Delfino, who was both offensive and defensive, in the starting lineup, and replaced Bunche Wells, who had an advantage in this round of the series but could not affect the battle.

When a giant stands on the edge of a cliff, only by taking the extreme edge of the sword can we hope to usher in the dawn.

Lu Yong arranged for outside players to make bold shots, four shooters + one supporting center, and his main focus was to give it a go and fight the Spurs recklessly.

The effect of this hand substitution adjustment was good. In the first three quarters, the Sonics gained an advantage by relying on the indiscriminate bombing of the outside line, leading the Spurs by 6 points and entering the final quarter.

It's a pity that the personal ability of a star will determine the upper limit of a team at a critical time. The mature and steady Duncan hit the basket one after another in the last 5 minutes. He scored 9 points and 4 rebounds in a single quarter, completely blasting the Sonics inside.

Durant, Delfino, and Delonte West missed their jump shots. The high-intensity confrontation caused the players to lose a lot of energy, which seriously affected the outside shooting feel.

107 to 112, the Sonics lost a good game at home and suffered the loss of not having a top star. The total score was 2 to 4 and they stopped the Western Conference Finals.

Delonte West felt terrible today. He made 11 of 3 three-pointers and shot only 27.3%. It is difficult to get a contract extension from the Sonics during the offseason.

His overall performance this year is very eye-catching, and entering the free market is definitely a piece of cake. Facing the poaching of other teams, the Supersonics want to keep the cost too much, so they can only reluctantly let go.

From now on, Lu Yong has to think about reinforcements in the summer, so as to avoid the team being passive in the new season after being poached.

At the press conference after the game, Lu Yong was not depressed in the face of the loss, and said with a smile: "The players have done a good job this season, and I am very proud to be able to coach them. Before the start of the season, no one believed that the Sonics could enter The playoffs, and now we not only fulfilled our promises, but also made it all the way to the conference finals.

The reporter asked again: "Which team do you think has a better chance of winning the championship this year? Will the championship stay in the West, or will it be taken away by the Eastern team?"

"From the perspective of strength on paper, the Celtics seem to have an absolute advantage, but their performance in the playoffs has proved that this team is strong on the outside and capable in the middle. It is difficult to predict the ownership of the championship, because I can't understand Celtic. People." Lu Yong shrugged helplessly.

He really can't see through the Celtics, saying that this team is the best in the league in the regular season, and before the Big Three got together, they were all the team leaders.Said that the Green Army is strong, two consecutive rounds of the series were dragged into the tiebreaker by the opponent, and the Eastern Conference finals against the Pistons were evenly matched. It always gives people the illusion that they are forced to open 55 no matter who they are fighting.

The coaching level of the head coach of the Green Army, Rivers, is also a mystery. If he is good, he won the best coach in the first year of coaching. In terms of speed, he is as ruthless as Lu Yong.

To say that he is strong, Lu Yong feels too ignorant, history has been reversed No.1, the only coach whose nickname has something to do with "pig", he can't say such words anyway
　The third update is here today!

　　Next is the offseason, which is a waste of brain cells. The most exciting part of a coaching article is the offseason operation. Fortunately, this is my strong point. Readers, please wait for the good show.

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(End of this chapter)