Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 123 LAC
No matter what everyone's attitude towards Li Sheng is in private, for example, Perkins and Reggie may be a little dissatisfied in their hearts, but on the bright side, when the team is booming and the situation is going well, no one will be stupid enough to jump out at this time and confront Li Yong.

In addition, it seems that he has been valued in the first season, has playing time and tactical status, and the four rookies are even more grateful to Li Sheng.

Westbrook, who has not played yet and is still recovering from his injuries, is quite depressed, but he will only complain to Li Sheng in private: "Coach, when will I be able to play? I think my body is fine, and I can't wait to play. Can you understand this feeling?"

To sum it up in one sentence: Coach, I want to play basketball!
Li Shengxin said that I am not a player, of course I cannot understand your feelings.

However, this kind of impatient mood was just to take advantage of, so Li Sheng smiled slightly, and instead of answering directly, he just asked: "How is your recent training? Has your shooting improved? Has your hand shape improved? Are you sure the injury won't happen again? Do you feel like you can beat Andre now?"

Li Sheng's series of questions made Westbrook unable to answer, especially the last one, which can be called murderous.

After the previous competition, Li Sheng specifically told Robertson that if Westbrook still wanted to compete with him, he would refuse, and let this victory be the only result of their competition.

Then until the end of their careers, Robertson can say "Westbrook lost to me."

Although Westbrook doesn't know Li Sheng's intentions, but with his character, if he loses once, he must try his best to win it back.

What's more, Li Sheng now deliberately links this relationship with whether he can play or not, but Robertson is a teammate. No matter how hot Westbrook is, he is also targeting his opponent, and he hasn't blush with his teammates yet.

If Robertson followed Li Sheng's suggestion and insisted on not wanting to compete with him again, there was nothing he could do.

On the one hand, he really couldn't afford to lose, but on the other hand, he refused to admit that he couldn't afford to lose, so he was very entangled.

Then he was easily blocked back by Li Sheng, and he could only sulk on the side.

Of course, Li Sheng didn't let him go and ignore him completely. In this case, he might not get the result he wanted. It would not be good if Westbrook had accumulated too much resentment in his heart. Naturally, Collins should play at this time.

Although Collins still studies with Li Sheng and the others most of the time, it is easier to get closer to the players because he has not retired yet.

The usual coordination with the players is also done by him. After all, the assistants also need to divide the work. The coach Li Sheng is not in charge of specific matters, but overall planning.

Attendance and rotation, tactics, and on-the-spot decisions must be made by him. This is also his "strength". After all, there is a system, and no one can be stronger than him in training and competition.

But other specific tasks are left to the assistants, especially Gentry and Udoka, who are typically one for offense and one for defense. It is with their help that the current lineup can be adjusted so quickly during the offseason.

According to their estimates, this lineup has not yet reached the upper limit, especially the rookies are making rapid progress. It would be better if they can adapt in a few more games.

However, the schedule in the first two weeks is good, and the league has already taken care of it.

"The next schedule will not be so easy." Gentry came to Li Sheng's side, looked at the players who were having fun around the swimming pool, and frowned.

Li Sheng nodded. For this brand new coaching staff and the team who are still running in, the next step is the real test.

Because Li Sheng has been sober, with him under pressure, the assistant coaches were not too excited about the winning streak at the beginning, and even felt that there were too many flaws in the previous game, and there was a lot of room for improvement.

It's just that although these are all trying to be corrected in training after being discovered, including Durant's bad defensive habits and defensive positions, it is not so easy to change them all at once.

Especially when it comes to playing against weak teams, the weaknesses of playing against strong teams will be more obvious, and once it hits a critical moment, it is easier to be targeted.

"There are still two days left, let them rest for one night first, and focus on training tomorrow and the next two days."

This is mainly to keep the players excited and not waste too much energy on training.

Especially when there is a back-to-back schedule ahead, you must recharge your energy to deal with it. Rest is the most important thing, and you can't waste too much energy in advance.

While the players can relax, the coaching staff is even more nervous. To be honest, in the previous games, when the strength of the lineup was the same, they could turn it into an advantage with a breakthrough point like Durant. Coupled with the outstanding performance of the rookies, the tactics were also relatively successful, so they gained a wave of winning streak.

In fact, those opponents didn't deliberately target them, it was more like they were connecting their own lineup, that is, Li Sheng himself simulated a little before each match, and didn't take it seriously.

The process was not unexpected, and it was basically taken down without any risk.

But then we will fight the Clippers first and then the Warriors. These two teams with star point guards as the core are both stable playoff-level teams in the past few seasons, and both have the strength to reach the second round.

The styles of the two teams are also different. This is mainly related to their core. The Clippers are relatively stable. Their core point guard Paul is known for his overall view and calm style of play. He is known as "pointgod" in the United States.

To put it bluntly, it means the ball-handling god. It means that he has good control skills and strong organizational skills as a point guard. Especially the assist-to-turnover ratio has always been amazing, and it is generally a compliment.

Judging from Paul's relatively stable performance in this long career, in fact, this title is not an exaggeration.

It’s just that after this was translated as “the god of point guards” in China, something seemed wrong. In addition, there was a “grandson of Sao Paulo” who was so fanatical and ignorant, which made many fans of the star at the same position in the same period feel unhappy about him.

If you are not happy, you will be unhappy. If you can really come up with real results, you can also stop Heizi's mouth.

But if you ask me if you are the leader in assists with one defense and one offense, and if you ask if you have an MVP, whether you have a championship, whether you have the best record in leading a team, the Western Conference Finals, and the Finals, you will be dumb.

On the contrary, titles such as the floor of the Western Conference finals, 58 city, and the king of the overturned were left behind, which attracted a lot of criticism.

This is actually the same as Durant. If your grades are not strong enough or convincing enough, then you have to use your actual performance and grades to beat back the reputation.

Just like Gasol, who led the team to a 12-game losing streak in the playoffs, met with the comparable Jinfengyulu, and won a second consecutive match. Since then, Jiasao has changed from a synonym for softness to a neutral nickname; there is also the driver's 11-year proof battle, and the single-core championship once washed away the impression of softness.

Kobe won the second consecutive championship to prove that he can win the championship without relying on O'Neal, Curry also proved himself by winning the FMVP, James went home... oh, forget it.

In addition to Paul, the Clippers also have a coach who has been overturned, and they have the effect of winning DOUBLE. This is probably the reason why the "aircraft carrier" has repeatedly failed to do anything in the playoffs when they are often favored in the playoffs.

However, in the regular season, this Debuff is not so strong, and the current state of the Clippers is not bad. If the Thunder wants to defeat them, they must first contain Paul's performance and must isolate him from his teammates.

It's not impossible to even let him shoot. Paul can rarely kill the game by himself. Although his mid-range is very accurate and indeed very lethal, the Thunder can shoot three-pointers here.

Why the Warriors were often able to teach the Clippers a lesson, and even let them lead by three games and then come back many times, relied on three-pointers to recover.

As for the inner and outer core of the Clippers, Paul and Griffin usually pull their hips in the fourth quarter, unable to attack or defend, and then lose the game inexplicably.

In the past two days of training, Li Sheng asked everyone to focus on three-pointers. At present, Sefolosha and Ennis are the most stable three-pointers in the team. As long as there is a chance, they will make shots with a high probability. Both of them have a three-point shooting rate of more than 40%.

Then Ibaka and Lamb are also efficient. Durant mainly needs to attack with the ball within the three-point line, and there are not many opportunities to get open.

Then Robertson, Antetokounmpo, and Reggie are all one-shots. When they can shoot, they must be encouraged to shoot, but they should not be placed on their heads. That must be the most difficult time for the team.

So if you want to use a three-pointer tactic, you have to create opportunities for good shooters, and then Durant himself can make a sudden shot.

According to the comparison of the lineups of the two sides, there is no doubt that Durant is the biggest or even the only breakthrough point for the Thunder, so it is natural to maximize his role.

It just so happens that the Thunder have been playing Durant-centered tactics since the start of the game, and the other is to let Antetokounmpo hold the ball and Durant as a bait. These are the two ways they are most likely to gain an advantage at present.

To some extent, this style of play actually beats the Clippers. After all, everyone knows that the Clippers have a problem with their striker.

Therefore, Li Sheng did not make any changes to the tactics, but emphasized that Durant has more opportunities to look at his teammates, and it is not necessarily limited to the opportunities outside the three-point line.

Now Durant's vision and passing have not improved significantly compared to last season. He has practiced more on a personal level. His organizational skills are indeed not as good as his third brother and his old opponent James, and of course not as good as his next opponent Paul.

But now that the Thunder have three more points that can handle the ball, Li Sheng can better match the lineup, and the burden on Durant's shoulders is much easier.

After a two-day rest, the Thunder team chartered a flight to Los Angeles on Wednesday to challenge the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Arena.

But just like New York is basically a Knicks fan, the basketball fans here in Los Angeles are attracted by the Lakers. The Clippers started late and have not had any good results, so they were overwhelmed by the Lakers.

If the two teams play, it can even be said that there is no difference between home and away for the Clippers.

And like now that they are coming to the away game, there are many Lakers fans in the audience who simply watch the game, and then there are Clippers fans.

In terms of momentum, they may not even be as good as the local Thunder fans, because these fans have a lot of Chinese faces, and looking at the signs raised, it is obvious that they are here to support Li Sheng, and they naturally support the Thunder.

When warming up before the game, Li Sheng also accepted an interview with ABC Sports. Today's meeting was scheduled to be broadcast live across the United States early because it was a strong dialogue.

Many people were still guessing whether Li Sheng would let Westbrook play before the game, but the news about Westbrook's injury has not been updated, and this speculation can only continue.

However, because the Thunder has been winning consecutively to stabilize the No. [-] in the Western Conference, and the young players in the team are performing well, many people have gradually changed their views on them.

The beautiful reporter who was interviewing came up and asked, "Are you confident to win today's game?"

Li Sheng immediately smiled and said: "Of course I have confidence. Generally, I am very confident in games that have not started. As for being happy or sad, let's watch after the game is over."

The reporter asked again: "If you win this game, you will have won seven consecutive victories. Did you think about such a record before the start of the game?"

"First of all, I will not loan today's victory or loss. As for our six-game winning streak, it is the joint efforts of the players and our coaching staff, and the support of the management behind it. This is not an easy achievement. Of course I also hope to continue the victory, but it is not easy.

"What we have to do is to do our best in every game. We can win a game, because I said it at the beginning of the game. Our goal this season is the championship. I hope we can work hard towards this goal. Of course, it has to be said that whether we can achieve it is another matter.

"However, people always have dreams, and they always have to dream farther. What if they come true?"

In this kind of pre-match interview, Li Sheng still doesn't speak loudly, it's better to be steady, otherwise it won't be good if he gets slapped in the face immediately.

The reporter smiled and said, "Do you think the team's current lineup can hit the championship?"

"Don't forget that there is a top ten superstar in the league sitting on our bench..." Li Sheng smiled meaningfully before continuing: "I believe that when we are fully integrated, we will have this strength. At present, we can only wait patiently and hope that something good will happen."

The reporter also wanted to ask about Westbrook's injury, but Li Sheng waved him down.

Before the game, the two teams each handed in their starting rosters, and there was no change on both sides. Li Sheng had to take a look at the strength of the Clippers first.

He remembered that although the Clippers still did not make it to the Western Conference Finals this season, they performed well in the regular season and finally ranked third in the Western Conference.

Well, the top two are the Spurs and Thunder...

So from this point of view, there is no reason for the Thunder to persuade the Clippers. At least Li Sheng feels that although there is no Westbrook, the current Thunder may be more difficult for the Clippers to some extent.

"Today's live broadcast is the most watched game of the game day, the Oklahoma City Thunder's away game against the LA Clippers. Let's take a look at the lineups on both sides. There is no change from expectations. It seems that the bishops of the two teams are choosing stability."

(End of this chapter)