unfinished glory

Chapter 217 Adjustment
Losing to any team is not the end of the world, let alone just the first regular season.

The top priority for the Grizzlies is to learn from their failures and optimize their lineup.

Although the team has not had major personnel changes this season, there are still many updates to the tactical system, especially the defensive aspect.

In last season's Western Conference finals, Yao Ming's attack on the inside made Carlisle learn from the pain and create a new defensive system that combines inside and outside to help each other defend and defend together.

In this game against the Cavaliers, it was true that the opponent's outside players were able to prevent the Grizzlies from killing the Grizzlies inside, but the fortress was breached from the inside, and O'Neal seemed to have returned to his peak state at the beginning of the [-]th century, directly defeating the Grizzlies. Sol, leading to a series of chain reactions behind.

The main job of the coaching staff now is to combine several insiders to form a whole. No matter which pair is on the court, they can complete the interaction with other players and ensure the continuity of the defense.

The opponents in the next few games were not strong, which happened to be a good time for the Grizzlies to run in.

The team won the Kings, Knicks, Wizards, Rockets and Heat in a row, achieving a five-game winning streak.None of these opponents can be regarded as a strong team, which just allows the Grizzlies to play inside.

The Grizzlies' interior defense is getting better every game. The cooperation and defense between several players is simply a nightmare for a weak interior team.

The Rockets in the away game did not get any good bargaining chips after cleaning up O'Neal, so players like Luis Scola and Joey Dorsey were still powerless to stop the Grizzlies' inside offensive.

This game was the game that Li Chongxiao played the least amount of time since he came to the Grizzlies. He only played 18 minutes in the first half, took advantage of the inside and scored 33 points, leading the team to an 81:37 lead.

The 44-point lead was enough for him to sit on the bench and watch the entire second half turn into garbage time.However, the strength of the Grizzlies' bench is still much higher than that of the Rockets. Today's game went smoothly, and the second half was another 77:46.

The third quarter was not over, and there were not many fans in the Toyota Center, and they had almost left.

The 75-point difference created an NBA record, so that in the post-game press conference, Carlisle apologized to the Rockets and fans.

Faced with this result, Li Chongxiao said helplessly to the media: "I only played for 17 minutes, what else can I do?"

Rockets coach Bickerstaff immediately dismissed get out of class after the game, and then Morey announced that no one on the team was not for sale.

The Rockets' 5-game losing streak at the beginning of the season completely disappointed owner Alexander. The team's market value has been falling all the way since Yao Ming left, and it has been counted down.

He has always been a businessman. If he didn't know that it was not appropriate to make a shot at this time, he would have sold the team long ago.

……

The Heat are also a soft persimmon now.The boss battle between Wade and Bynum seriously affected the strength of the team, and Beasley, who was taller than the sky, was inserted in the middle, and the locker room was in chaos.

Bynum was also intimidated by Pat Riley's majesty last season, so he didn't dare to be too presumptuous.After a season of adaptation, now he has gone his own way, and I am no longer afraid of the king of heaven.

Limited by the team's internal conflicts, the Heat's record is a mess.

In this game, the Grizzlies didn't have to worry about the opponent's cooperation at all, and their star players self-quarantined.

Bynum was locked up, and Li Chongxiao blocked Wade's breakthrough, allowing Beasley to play a brainless single. The Grizzlies easily won a [-]-point victory.

Immediately afterwards, the Grizzlies ran over all the way, extending the winning streak to 11 games in one breath.

With a record of 11 wins and 1 loss, they surpassed the Lakers to rank first in the Western Conference, second only to the Cavaliers in the league.

In the last game in November, they played against the Eastern powerhouse Magic.

This game will face the league's top center Howard, which is a big test for the Grizzlies inside.Judging from the current record, if they can reach the finals, the top three in the Eastern Conference may be their opponents.

The Magic reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. They fought the Celtics in 6 games, and finally lost due to lack of experience.

After spending a lot of money to keep the Turk Turkoglu and introducing Carter in the arms race to further strengthen the team's strength, the Magic made a comeback.

Carter's offensive methods and skills not only fit Van Gundy's tactical system very well, but also make up for the shortcomings of the Magic's lack of singles strengths.

Therefore, the Magic have achieved a very good record this season, second only to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.

Facing the menacing Grizzlies, the Magic are gearing up and down.This is their first game against BIG4, which is just a test of their quality and whether they are eligible to join the championship.

In the opening stage, the two teams played inextricably. The Magic team fired frequently on the outside, and the Grizzlies were tit-for-tat on the inside.The scores of the two sides rose alternately.

Facing the Grizzlies' twin towers, Howard played a bit aggrieved on the offensive end, and several opportunities for air cuts were destroyed.

But on the defensive end, he is too powerful.After Van Gundy asked Howard to focus on defense and suppress the Grizzlies' inside offense, relying on his excellent agility and extraordinary jumping, he alone supported the Magic's defensive system.

In the second quarter of the game, the Gasol brothers were destroyed by him several times, and he sent 4 blocks in a single quarter.

Relying on Howard's defense, the Magic took a halftime lead.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Carlisle made several adjustments to the inside offense of the Grizzlies, but several players were not in good condition and the offense has been weak.

In desperation, Li Chongxiao began to take over the team's offense again.His performance today is still very stable, but the Magic's offensive continuity is also very good, and he can always respond from the outside.

Especially Carter, a breakthrough and a three-pointer at the critical moment saved the team's lead.

The two sides were tied in the second half, but the Magic took the lead in the first half to give them the win.

After winning this game, the Magic team is like a child who has finished a single test and got a full score. Their ambitions began to overflow and they set their goals even higher.

……

Losing this game is not a big deal for the Grizzlies in terms of record, and they don't expect to break the record of 72 wins.

But judging from the year of the championship, this is not a good sign.When facing a strong team, the team's competitiveness seems a bit insufficient.

Fortunately, they will not meet the third strong team until the Christmas game against the Celtics, and there will be a second adjustment in nearly a month.

(End of this chapter)