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

Chapter 35 The flying squirrel is back!Lu Yong being targeted?

After defeating the Knicks, the Grizzlies got a five-day break. The next game is after Christmas, and they will play against the Western Conference Sonics at home.

Considering the last record in the Sonics league, the coaching staff is very relaxed and can use this time to take a good rest.

On the 25th, Lu Yong and assistant coach Tony Brown spent Christmas together at home. The two bought a table of food and sat on the sofa to watch the annual Christmas game.

As a commercial league, the NBA is very good at hype. Usually, several games with gimmicks are arranged for the annual Christmas game as publicity.

This year, the Christmas War League has arranged a total of three games, Mavericks vs Heat, Lakers vs Suns, and Cavaliers vs Pistons.

Although the Grizzlies had the fifth-best record in the Western Conference last season, they didn't have a strong sense of presence in the entire league, so this year's Christmas game was a bye.

The Heat and the Mavericks were the division champions in the finals last season. This year, the two teams also have excellent records, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference and second in the Western Conference. Christmas Day attracted a large number of fans to watch the game.

Regrettably, "Shark" O'Neal's injury damaged the Heat's strength. Facing the Mavericks' defeat, they fell behind by as many as 17 points at halftime.

韦德独立带队惨遭吊打，全场空砍32分4篮板7助攻，被小牛客场114比92取得胜利。

The Mavericks' scoring average this season is second only to the Suns and the Grizzlies rank third in the league. Although they lost 2-4 in the finals last year, they beat the Heat without O'Neal with little effort.

After watching the game, Tony Brown said: "The Heat will definitely not be able to make it to the East this year. Wade and O'Neal were injured in turn. Up to now, they have only played 6 games together. What an unlucky defending champion."

Lu Yong nodded lightly. Brown's words are indeed correct. The Heat have been plagued by injuries this season. In a parallel world, the Heat were swept out by the Bulls 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs, becoming the first player in NBA history The defending champion who was swept out in the first round of the playoffs.

Heat coach Pat Riley is a ruthless person, and the devil training players he set in the regular season can't stand it.

Especially the 34-year-old O'Neal, who was injured by Riley abruptly, and his season attendance rate was only 40 games, setting a career low.

Excessive fatigue in the regular season will only increase the risk of injury for players, which is not good for the championship.

This is also the reason why Lu Yong persuaded Fratello to rest the main players when playing against underdogs. Only with a long-term perspective, the chances of winning the playoffs will be greater.

"The Heat really can't do it anymore. This year's championship belongs to the Western Conference." Lu Yong said with a smile: "Considering the current situation, as long as the Grizzlies can break out of the Western Conference this year, the team's championship is almost a certainty."

The Pistons, which ranked first in the East in the regular season, can only rank fifth in the West, and the Nets, which ranks sixth in the East, can't even make it to the top eight.

This season, the west is strong and the east is weak. It is the consensus reached by the outside world. If it is in the East, Lu Yong does not have to worry about whether the Grizzlies can advance to the finals.

The good news is that the core of the Spurs is one year older. The 33-year-old Michael Finley has not averaged double figures in points per game. The 35-year-old Bruce Bowen has slowed down in lateral movement. Small moves, averaging 6.2 points per game fell seriously.

The entire Spurs only have the "troika" to fight. The Grizzlies are not afraid to meet these traditional strong teams in the playoffs. As long as they play their own characteristics, no one wants to meet the Grizzlies in the playoffs .

After Christmas, the Grizzlies fought the Sonics again on the 28th, winning easily 112 to 90.

加索尔24分9篮板7助攻，打爆了超音速主力中锋威尔考克斯，让他14投4中，只得到9分5篮板。

Mike Miller also performed well, shooting 7 of 5 three-pointers, surrendering 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. He is very efficient and is the team's most stable outside scorer.

"Little Flying Squirrel" Stoudemire came back in this campaign, scored 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists from inside and outside. He was in a hot state and came out of the shadow of injury.

The Grizzlies' powerful team offense made the Sonics unable to parry, and they could only rely on Ray Allen and Lewis to continue shooting, losing a full 22 points.

After this game, the Sonics' record came to the bottom of the league with 6 wins and 23 losses. It is hard to find a win in an away game. They are the only team in the league that has not won an away game.

After the game, Supersonics manager Sam Presti hurried back to the office, called his assistant Saline into the room, and asked, "Saline, how is Lu doing? in contact with him?"

Saline replied: "Coach Lu has been in the limelight recently. He attended several press conferences and was praised by the players in the team. Even Mike deliberately pushed him to the front of the stage. I think other teams must have feelings for him. Interested, but because the alliance dare not recruit illegally."

"The Grizzlies' sudden increase in offensive firepower this season must have something to do with him. This is an opportunity." Presti frowned and fell into thought. "Saline, do you think the offense will get better if the team hires him as the head coach next season?"

"Lu Shuai is very talented in arranging offensive tactics. Not only the young players of the Grizzlies have mentioned this matter, but even the Nuggets coach George Karl has said it. But our lineup is too bad. Recruiting Shuai Lu He may not be willing to take over this mess, after all, he has a bright future, how dare he pin his hopes on Supersonic?" Saline smiled wryly.

Presti sighed. "Hey, this situation is really bad, but I still hope to get him. Lu is a rare talent. Just keep an eye on it for a while. After the season, I will fly to Memphis to talk to him in person, even if the result If you don’t like it, you have to work hard to get it back.”

Sa Lin paused for a moment, then reminded her: "Manager, have you really thought about it? Shuai Lu is indeed very capable, but he is still young after all. He has only less than a year of coaching experience in the NBA. Recruiting him as the coach of the team will be difficult Wouldn't it be too risky?"

"After following me for so long, you should be very clear that age is not a problem. Is there a general manager younger than me in the league?"

Saline was taken aback for a moment, and then she remembered that the person sitting opposite her was the youngest active general manager in the NBA.

If Lu Yong's ability is ignored because of his age, Presti will not sit in this position now.

On the 29th, the Grizzlies defeated the Houston Rockets led by Yao Ming back to back.

Gasol played 36 minutes and scored a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Yao Ming.

There is no advantage in low-post singles, so Gasol simply pulled to the outside to support. His main focus was Tian Ji's horse racing, which perfectly avoided Dayao in the penalty area.

Yao Ming played well in this game. He made 16 of 10 shots and 5 of 5 free throws. He scored 25 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. He shot 62.5% from the field and earned his reputation as a "little giant".

However, Tracy McGrady and Alston on the outside are too strong. They made 16 of 2 shots from beyond the three-point line, and their shooting percentage was 12.5%. The number is not as big as their jersey numbers combined.

The Rockets' poor outside shooting almost knocked the rim off, dragged Yao's hind legs to his heels, and was brutally taken away by the Grizzlies in the final quarter.

　I feel better today, the fever is gone, but I still have stomachache and headache.I took a painkiller, and I will update as soon as I feel better.

　　There will be another chapter later, and the new book asks for monthly support from the big guys!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)