Almighty Coach - Chapter 601 - Pass the Ball to Wood
The new season had officially begun.
The first game of the new season at the Staples Center was reserved for the LA Lakers. The Clippers, who were based in the same city, flew to Portland to face off against the Blazers for their first game of the season.
The Blazers were a strong team. They had been consistently made the playoffs in recent years. They had also been improving. In the fiercely competitive Western Conference, reaching the playoffs proved a team’s strength.
In comparison, the Clippers were not considered a strong team. They had traded away their key player, Ronny. They signed on some retired ex-stars who were making their comebacks. They had become a shelter for the old and weak. Commentators and fans alike were optimistic about the Blazers’ chance of victory.
In the predictions made before the game began, every commentator interviewed said that the Blazers would win. The betting odds by the gaming company verified this.
The fans at the Blazers’ home court were very excited. Although the game had not yet begun, they were thinking about how they would celebrate the first win of the season.
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In the Blazers’ locker room, the players were relaxed. All of them felt that the game could be easily won. The substitutes were eager to play. They felt that their team would gain a massive lead very quickly. Once that happened, they could get seven or eight minutes of playing time. For those players who had not yet entered the rotation, having the opportunity to play in front of the coach was something worth celebrating.
The Blazers’ coaching staff were also very relaxed. After all, their opponent was the Clippers. They were the shelter for the old and weak. The coaching staff did not believe that a group of retired veterans could be too strong. In addition, the Blazers’ backcourt duos were the best in the NBA. They could easily defeat the Clippers.
On the other hand, the atmosphere in the Clippers’ locker room was much more serious. Hall, Raymond, and Gray were all back after retiring. This was the first official game they would be playing since their comeback. Gray took it especially seriously. The former genius did not have much experience. He had only played about one hundred NBA games. Now that he had made his comeback and was starting for the Clippers, he felt nervous.
Dai Li sat alone on a chair. He held a clipboard in his hand. He seemed to be closing his eyes, but he was actually using the Prophecy Request Box.
To all the gods and goddesses on both heaven and earth, let me draw a good lot! Dai Li silently recited in his head. In the system, a sign came out of the Prophecy Request Box.
It is a good lot! Although it could be better, it can be considered to be a good one. Let me look at what is written on the sign quickly.
Dai Li immediately checked the sign. On it, it said, “Pass the ball to Wood.”
What does this mean? Dai Li thought about it. He eventually stood up, walked to the middle of the players and said, “Let’s talk about the game plan.”
The players immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to Dai Li.
Dai Li coughed and cleared his throat. “We have a very simple strategy this game. Pass the ball to Wood.”
The players looked at Dai Li, waiting for him to continue, but Dai Li had stopped.
Wood couldn’t wait any longer. He took the initiative and asked, “Coach. Then what?”
“Then what?” Dai Li asked.
Wood looked at Dai Li with a blank stare. “I mean, after the ball is passed to me, what should I do? Is it a pick and roll, a breakthrough? Should I create opportunities for the players outside the three-point line, or should I directly rush for the basket?”
“Well, you can decide that yourself,” Dai Li said casually.
“Decide by myself?” Wood blinked in confusion. He had played basketball for so many years and he had never seen a coach arrange such a strategy.
“Is there a problem?” Dai Li asked. “Wood, you are the point guard. You are the leader on the court. The organization of the offense is your responsibility, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but…” Wood looked a little hesitant.
“Are you worried that you can’t handle this responsibility?” Dai Li asked with a smile.
Wood did not answer, which was an admission that Dai Li was right.
“Do you think you haven’t recovered fully?” Dai Li asked. He did not wait for Wood to answer. “Wood, there are many excellent players in our team. They used to be superstars, but no one has recovered fully; that includes you.
“I know you need more time to find your rhythm and the rhythm of the game. However, the regular season has started, so we don’t have that much time. I need someone to take the lead and step up, to lead the team forward. I think that person is you!
“You started your rehabilitation training in May, earlier than everyone else. You have recovered the most. That is why I chose you. I think you can take on this responsibility. You don’t need to worry about it, as long as you do what you think is right, you should do it boldly.”
Dai Li looked at Wood trustfully as he was talking to him.
Wood was moved. He did not expect Dai Li to trust him so much. The effects of the Specter of Authority made Wood feel that Dai Li’s words were as right as the words on holy scriptures.
“Coach, I will definitely try my best,” Wood said positively.
When he saw the players walk onto the court, Dai Li tightened his face to conceal his sly expression. He thought, I’ve been able to put the sign from the Prophecy Request Box into motion!
…
Wood stood on the court and looked around the stadium.
The regular season was a bit unfamiliar to him. Due to his injuries, he had played less than 30 games in recent seasons. He had even forgotten how playing in the regular season felt.
The player standing opposite him was staring at him. This Blazers player was named Damian. He was the key player on the Blazers. He was one of the Blazers’ backcourt duos. He was named the best rookie during his rookie season. He was selected as an All-Star three times and was put on the All-NBA team once.
In terms of age, Wood was only two years older than Damian, but Wood had entered the NBA earlier. When Wood was named the regular season MVP, Damian was a rookie who had just entered the NBA. This player won rookie of the year had become one of the best backcourt players in the NBA. Wood, the youngest regular season MVP in NBA history, had become an injured veteran that had lost his luster.
Wood and Damian were the same height, 6 feet 3 inches. They also weighed about the same. One was 192 pounds, the other was 193 pounds. In terms of achievements, Wood and Damian were also similar. They both were named All-Stars three times. They both were on the All-NBA team once. Both had won an All-Star Skills Challenge. The only difference between the two was one of them was a regular season MVP.
Wood knew that his opponent would be very difficult to deal with. His stats were almost the same as Wood’s during his peak. He did not know whether he would be able to compete with this rising star.
On the opposite side, Damian looked at Wood with a provocative stare.
There was no shortage of provocations in the NBA. The younger generations were particularly bad. Provoking their seniors was very normal. Some of the seniors couldn’t wait for the younger generation to provoke them. They would bully the rookies and push them onto the ground.
Today, it was Damian who was obviously trying to push his senior, Wood, onto the ground.
As an All-Star backcourt player, Damian never felt that he was any worse than anyone, but when people talk about the best players in the NBA, they didn’t consider him as being one of the best. When compared with the defenders of several other strong teams in the Western Conference, Damian was put at the end of the list.
In the Western Conference, the Rockets’ defender once was the MVP of the regular season. The Thunder’s defender once was the MVP of the regular season. A Warriors’ defender was named the regular season MVP twice. Although Damian’s stats were those of a top defender, and his performance was good, he had never received the title of MVP in a regular season. This lack of an MVP title seemed to tell Damian, “In the Western Conference, you are still a rookie!”
Carrying the anger of having never been an MVP, he had to face off against Wood, the youngest player ever to be named MVP in a regular season. Damian wanted to defeat Wood for this reason.
Damian wanted to prove to the world that he was much stronger than a regular season MVP!
…
This was the first game of the new season. Both sides seemed to have not entered with the proper mindset. This was evident in the standard of the defense and the positioning of the players.
It was expected for the Clippers to be slow when it came to getting into the correct mindset. After all, the team was made up of comeback players. They had not participated in an official game for a year or two. They needed time to recover and adapt.
For the Blazers, it was simply because the new season had only just begun and the players were still in the “holiday mood.”
Besides the defenses, the two teams were pretty much neck-in-neck for most of the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers were 10 points behind.
Damian scored three of his five three-point attempts. Adding in his two free-throws, he scored 11 points in total.
Damian was good at getting points. He was accurate, especially on three-pointers. He had a good handle on the ball and he had a field goal percentage of 37%. He depended on three-pointers for his offenses; half of his shots were taken outside the three-point line. It was not surprising for a player like him to get dozens of points in a game.
On the Clippers’ side, Wood also shot three-pointers, but his were much worse than Damien’s. His best method of offense was to rush towards the basket and face off against the defense. This method was also known as the “knee killer.” None of the players in history who used this way to score had good knees.
It was because of this method that Wood had the knees a fifty-year-old.
With the help of Dai Li, Wood’s knees had returned to their previous state. Once he had the explosive power and speed, he started to score by using methods like rushing forward to attack.
There was a beautiful change of direction dribble. He made a sudden start-and-stop, with strong explosive power, then a quick rush, and a smooth layup. Wood’s signature attack could turn the defenders’ defense into a mess. If no one came to assist on defending, it was difficult for a single defender to stop Wood’s attack.
Still, the scoring rate of the last few throws was a bit horrible. Only one of the seven shots were made. It made Wood speechless. His field goal percentage for these kinds of rushing methods was close to 50%. This did not include free-throws. If the seven free-throws were counted, he would have a field goal percentage of 70% by using this method of attack.
…
“Our field goal percentage is a bit bad,” Cassel said with a worried look.
“I know,” Dai Li nodded. “Wood still needs time to get back the feel. I believe that he will get back his feel for the game soon.”
Dai Li turned his head and looked at Cassel as he spoke. Cassel still looked a little anxious. Dai Li continued to say, “Wood is a regular season MVP. If he is given enough opportunities, he will return to his prime condition. From my point of view, real competition is the best teacher for an athlete!”
