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

Chapter 36 Battle of Vengeance!League No. [-] VS League No. [-]!

Going into their first game in January, the Grizzlies beat the Cavaliers 109-105 at home.

Facing "Big Z" Ilgauskas, Gasol once again scored a triple-double, with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 blocks, playing the characteristics of a European insider.

The Cavaliers have played well this season and currently rank second in the Eastern Conference behind the Pistons, which knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

James played well in this game. Ariza suffered a disadvantage in defending James alone. Several close defenses were called fouls by the referee, and he graduated with six fouls with more than 4 minutes left in the final quarter.

Fortunately, Gay and Gasol played very well tonight. The two sides played until the last moment to decide the winner. Paul Gasol's high-level support assisted Gay to hit a key three-pointer, and the big heart attribute was full. .

The next day, the Grizzlies beat the Kings at home.

Even with Pau Gasol resting, the Grizzlies played with ease.

Under the overwhelming strength, they clocked in and got off work in three quarters, and beat the underdog Kings by 21 points.

In the next three games, the Grizzlies had 2 wins and 1 loss, with a total record of 29 wins and 6 losses, only two games behind the Dallas Mavericks.

At the press conference, Lu Yong said that the Grizzlies will secure the No. [-] spot before the All-Star Weekend, and the team is ready to fight the Mavericks.

The Memphis media commented that the game between the Grizzlies and the Mavericks will be the highest quality match of the season.

When No. [-] in the league meets No. [-] in the league, no one knows which direction the game will go.

On January 1th, the two teams will compete under the lens of the national live broadcast, and the ratings are expected to break new highs.

Many people regard this matchup as a warm-up for the Western Conference Finals. Whether the Grizzlies can succeed in their home revenge is also a major attraction, which affects the hearts of Memphis fans.

On the night of the game, players from both sides went to the locker room of the arena early to prepare for the game.

Before the game, Nowitzki specially hired a masseuse to relax his muscles and lay down on the rest bench to rest.

The basketball game is a sport that places great emphasis on on-the-spot status. Even if the superstar is not in good condition, he will become a blacksmith.On the contrary, when the hands of unknown role players became hot, the performance of this group of people was not inferior to Jordan.

Although Nowitzki has always been called a "soft guy" by fans, he is a player with strong mental strength, good at adjusting his physical condition, and is the dual leader of the Mavericks on the court and in the locker room.

"Little General" Johnson sat aside to discuss tactics with the assistant coach, looked at Nowitzki and whispered: "This is the second time you relax your muscles before a game this season. If I remember correctly, the last time was against the Spurs. .”

Nowitzki said sternly: "We must win this game, otherwise the win gap will only be widened. It will be difficult to find a better chance to overtake before the All-Star Weekend."

The Mavericks' current record is 29 wins and 8 losses, only two games behind the Grizzlies in front of them.

If the Mavericks win this game, the gap can be further narrowed, and it is expected to complete the overtaking in the record before the All-Star Weekend in mid-February.

But once the Mavericks lose, the records of both sides will increase, and it will not be so easy to overtake in a corner.

Nowitzki has become more mature after losing in the finals. This season, Nowitzki not only played well on the offensive end, but also tried his best on the defensive end.

除了场均25分9篮板3助攻的数据，还能交出0.8次抢断和0.9次盖帽，球场上拼劲十足。

In the locker room of the home team, the players looked very serious.

This is a battle of revenge about face. It is the first time in the new season against the Mavericks. No one wants to lose at home.

In last year's playoffs, Gasol's edge was overshadowed by Nowitzki. This year, the Grizzlies reborn and played the best season in team history. Whether they can cross the mountain of the Mavericks, tonight's matchup is particularly important.

Lu Yong and Fratello had another disagreement before the game. Lu Yong suggested that the defensive end double-team Nowitzki, and that the Mavericks' starting point guard, Devin Harris, could be appropriately shorted.

After all, his three-point shooting percentage this season is only 28.6%, and his shooting is not stable.

But Fratello is determined to defend alone. The reason is that the Mavericks rely on the team to play the league's third-best offensive firepower, not Nowitzki alone.

What's even more exasperating is that Fratello intends to win Rudy Gay's starting lineup, re-enable Swift as the starting power forward, let him defend Nowitzki, and strengthen the efficiency of single defense.

"Double-teaming Nowitzki is too risky. This season, he averaged 3.4 assists per game. Passing the ball can drive teammates to attack. I think it is safer to defend alone." Fratello said seriously.

Lu Yong shook his head and expressed his opinion: "My suggestion is that, except for the players responsible for defending Terry and Josh Howard, everyone else can find opportunities to double-team Dirk, and release Harris and Dampier. Isolation. Both of them have obvious flaws on the offensive end, even if they scored 20 points tonight, they would not be a threat to us."

Fratello said stubbornly: "Harris has also shot 33.4% of the three-pointers before. Who knows if there will be an accident if he is released tonight? I will not allow any unstable factors in this game. Single defense Definitely the safest way."

"Don't forget, our biggest advantage is mobility. Even if the defensive end adopts double-teaming, the players can complete the defense in a short time through speed, and there will be no obvious gaps on the court." Lu Yong frowned. "People like Harris and Dampier can be let go. The combined scoring average of the two of them is barely half of Nowitzki's. What if they let them go?"

"." Speaking with data, Fratello really couldn't refute it.

However, he wanted to seek stability from the bottom of his heart, and he was unwilling to make changes easily, especially in this kind of focus battle tonight where he could only win but not lose.

Seeing that Fratello lowered his head and fell silent, Lu Yong said seriously: "On the surface, the Mavericks are a full-playing team. In fact, only Dirk Nowitzki and Terry can really influence the game. We got one of them tonight and it's a tough game to lose."

Fratello sat in a chair and fell into deep thought. He found that he was persuaded by Lu Yong again.

It's too difficult for him who just wants to be a salted fish in peace, and the tactical adjustments from time to time run counter to his theory of yearning for the "dog way", which is really fucking exciting
Lu Yong's proposal can not only strictly prevent Nowitzki, but also prevent him from playing good personal data tonight.

Once winning, it will be a double blessing for the Grizzlies, which will help improve the morale of the team, make young players subconsciously feel that Nowitzki is no big deal, and greatly improve the cohesion of fans.

At seven o'clock in the evening, players from both sides played.

ESPN ace commentator Charles Barkley and his old partner Kenny Smith are responsible for the commentary.

When introducing the lineup, Barkley, who is playing with the wind, is more optimistic about the Grizzlies. "The Grizzlies are very strong this season. They have firmly occupied the top position in the league since the beginning of the season. Both offensive and defensive efficiency can be ranked in the top five. In addition, they are playing at home tonight. The Grizzlies have a greater chance of winning."

Kenny Smith nodded, talking about the changes in the Grizzlies, he mentioned Lu Yong by the way. "No one would have imagined that the young assistants signed by the Grizzlies during the offseason would bring earth-shaking changes to the team. From ranking 21st in offensive efficiency last season to ranking second in the league this season, Lu is very good at arranging offensive tactics. Talented, some media even called him the best academic coach of the new generation."

Barkley said with a smile: "Gasol's performance this year is also very brave. He has already scored a triple-double in 4 games. This season is expected to win the first regular season MVP of his career."

Kenny Smith said: "The Mavericks are a typical team that relies on offense to win. Their offensive efficiency ranks third in the league this season. On the other hand, their defensive efficiency can only rank fifth from the bottom. Today the Mavericks want to beat the Grizzlies. It's not easy, it mainly depends on Nowitzki's performance."

　The second one is delivered!I'm going to rest, guys, my head hurts so much.
　　I have the cheek to ask for a ticket, thank you very much for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)