unfinished glory

Chapter 276 Season
In the opening game of the new season, the Grizzlies awarded the championship ring.This matter is also quite embarrassing. The championship was won last season, but the boss has changed.

The new boss, Ellison, had little interest in presenting the award, saying that he did not earn the championship, but it was just to mark an end for Heisley, who was handicapped. This time next year, it will really be his night.

The Grizzlies player who got the ring still gave the new boss face, and won the Eastern upstart Nets at home and got off to a good start.

But in the following games, they began to show an unstable state. The team changed two main players, which brought about changes in the entire tactics.

In the defensive system, the inside core and the experienced Battier were replaced, so Carlisle had to rebuild a defensive system suitable for on-site players.

Drummond has no way to replace Gasol's role.Insufficient skills in defense, it is easy to be shaken and fouled.Throughout the two-month regular season of 12, he has been sent out 5 games.

Thompson's defensive ability is good, but there is still some gap compared with Battier, at least not in the same level of experience.

Therefore, in the new season, Li Chongxiao puts more energy on the defensive end. He will actively defend the opponent's outside offensive core every game, such as Kobe of the Lakers, Durant of the Thunder, James of the Heat, and Anthony of the Knicks. .

This reduces the pressure on teammates, improves the team's overall defensive level, and has the added benefit that he is again in the leading position in the prediction of the best defensive player.

Not only defensively, the offensive Grizzlies have also made great changes.Drummond's ability to attack independently is poor, his offensive skills are too rough, he can't make free throws, and he can't draw fouls. Compared with Gasol, he is far behind.

Although his physical condition is indeed good, with excellent jumping and quick movement, the team consciously cultivates him in the direction of Howard.But on the offensive end in a short period of time, Drummond didn't help the team much.In this case, the opponent's defensive attention is more on Gasol.

Knowing this problem, Carlisle shifted the inside offense a little and put it on Klay Thompson.

Thompson's offensive ability is much stronger than that of Battier, and he has played more offensive roles in the new season.After he took over, Butler also slowly emerged and gradually became the team's first substitute.

The offense of the entire Grizzlies is more distinct from the inside out.And the increase in outside offensive points has allowed them to average more points per game.The cake is getting bigger and bigger, but Li Chongxiao's scoring has dropped, and his average scoring this season has dropped by 1.5 points.

The main reason is not to adjust his shooting rights, but to reduce playing time.After Butler and Thomas Jr. grew up, the Grizzlies' bench offensive power increased greatly, and there was no need for Li Chongxiao to hold the lineup during the bench time.

In addition, the Grizzlies have lost a lot this season, but many of the games they won were big victories. Li Chongxiao often clocked out of get off work in three quarters, so his playing time was naturally shortened.

The impact of the lineup change is also great. After visiting the Knicks to win the Christmas game, they only lead the Lakers by half a game, ranking second in the Western Conference and 1.5 games behind the Thunder.

Entering 2013, the performance of the Grizzlies has not improved much.They are always behind the Thunder, and the Lakers are also up and down.

Before the All-Star Game, they lost one game to the Lakers and ranked third in the Western Conference.

……

Li Chongxiao has won the All-Star Game ticket for several consecutive seasons, and this time is no exception.

And he and Kobe always occupy the two guard positions, so that other players have no chance.Not only in the All-Star Game, but also for a while, for several years.

Paul is the most affected in this aspect. These seasons, his performance has been at the level of the league's top point guard, but he has been helpless for a while.In terms of team record and personal data, he can't compete with Li Chongxiao and Kobe, and can only be ranked second.

But this season Kobe decided to compensate him. Before the game, he greeted everyone and wanted to help Paul win the All-Star MVP.Li Chongxiao didn't have any opinions, and the Thunder Third Young Master could only keep them in his heart.

Yao Ming was the first to be replaced, and his offensive rhythm was too slow.Then on Paul, the stars in the West began to help him get assists.

In the first three and a half quarters, Paul successfully scored 20 points and 15 assists. In the last half of the quarter, the strongest lineup of Yao Ming, Durant, Li Chongxiao, Kobe and Paul defeated the opponent.

In the end, Paul got 18 assists, and the league took advantage of the opportunity to award him the All-Star MVP.

After the All-Star break, the Grizzlies finally got the hang of it and started sprinting, but their ranking didn't improve.

The Thunder showed their vision for the draft, and the three young players can add up to 70 points, with unlimited potential.They have achieved and have maintained the league's No. [-] ranking unchanged.

The Lakers are different. They follow in a leisurely manner, only thinking about the health of the players, and have no intention of taking the top spot.They are too strong this season, and they don't care who their opponents will be in the second round of the playoffs.

The Lakers have such confidence, but the Grizzlies can't.Even if they are not afraid of their opponents, they are not willing to meet the Lakers in the playoffs prematurely.

To avoid the Lakers, the Grizzlies can only compete for the first place or fall to the fourth place.

At the beginning, they naturally wanted to compete for the first place, but it was not until mid-March that they realized that something was wrong.In the direct confrontation with the Thunder, they lost two games.Facing the Lakers, they also lost two games.After these few games, the gap between them and the Thunder is 6 games away, and they are basically unable to catch up.

By the time they wanted to drop to fourth, it was too late.The Spurs may have been aggrieved by losing in other seasons, but this season they lost willingly.The last time the two teams met, they even had a rest.

The only thing that upset the Spurs was Leonard's performance, which did not meet their expectations.Leonard has grown rapidly this season, and he can perform brilliantly against Kobe, Durant, and James, but every time he encounters Li Chongxiao, he is deflated, and his offensive and defensive ends are greatly lacking.

In the direct match against the strong teams in the East, they did not take much advantage.They've lost twice to the Heat this season, one win and one loss against the Nets and Knicks.The Bulls and Celtics won both games, but lost one to the Pacers.

By the end of the season, the Grizzlies had a record of only 59 wins and 23 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference and fifth in the league.

雷霆队66胜16负排在西部第一，同时也是联盟第一，湖人队的60胜22负排在第二，马刺队57胜25负第四。后面是掘金、开拓者、勇士和小牛队。

东部第一的热火队取得了62胜20负的战绩，联盟第二。紧随其后的是尼克斯60胜22负、篮网队58胜24负和公牛队53胜29负。步行者、老鹰、凯尔特人和76人队也都挤进了八强。

This is the season with the most balanced strength between the East and the West after the new century.

(End of this chapter)