Almighty Coach - Chapter 606 - Short End of the Stick
The conversation between Dai Li and Gray ended.
Dai Li felt that Gray already knew his shortcomings. People who could make it to the NBA were not fools. They knew how to solve their problems.
For Gray, his problem with fouls was a challenge he needed to overcome. This was Gray’s so-called “rookie wall.” If he successfully overcame this challenge, he would be like a bird that had just learned to fly; the sky would be his limit.
As for whether or not he could overcome this challenge, that would depend on Gray himself.
As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. There was a phenomenon in the NBA: players with the better physiques were more likely to foul. If one were to look at the players with the most fouls, the top ten would be made up of players with good physiques. Those who that couldn’t jump high or run fast were less likely to get fouls.
This was Dai Li’s analysis. These muscular players were able to run quickly and jump high. When defending, they felt that they could pin down their opponents. They only needed to harass them a little, but they always wanted to apply maximum pressure. In order to apply this pressure, they had to perform maneuvers that were technically difficult, increasing their chance of fouling their opponent.
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Although Gray had played in the NBA for several seasons, he had only played around 100 games. He was regarded as an experienced rookie. He wasn’t a superstar, so refs never looked the other way on his fouls. Whenever he committed a foul that was ambiguous, or that could be ignored, the referees didn’t hesitate to blow their whistles. If Gray became an all-star, the referees might be more relaxed in calling in his fouls.
In fact, every player who played inside the three-point line had to deal with getting too many fouls. Every player who played inside the three-point line had the experience of getting kicked off the court because they committed six fouls. If they didn’t have this experience, they were ashamed.
…
In the next game, the Clippers went to Oracle Arena in Oakland to challenge the defending champion, the Warriors.
The Warriors were the strongest team in the NBA. They and the Clippers were both in the Pacific Division.
According to the NBA’s scheduling rules, teams in the same division had to play four games against each other every season. Under this system, it was tough to be in the same division as a very strong team.
For example, in the Pacific Division, the Warriors were super strong. The other four teams (the Lakers, the Clippers, the Kings, and the Suns) were no match for the Warriors. As long as the Warriors played seriously, the other four teams would get four losses. By the end of the season, their record would be worse than teams in other divisions. In the fiercely competitive Western Conference, a difference of winning and losing one game could cause a shift in ranking by two or three places. If they lost another one or two games, they would not be able to get into the playoffs.
Before the start of the game, Nicholas, the Warriors coach, was at the bench. He looked at Karaby, who was warming up, and pouted.
“Karaby has gained a new lease on life. The Clippers got such a good deal! If we had a player like him, our chances of winning the championship would be much higher,” Nicholas said to himself.
Karaby had returned to his prime this season. This made him a favorite amongst many teams, and that included the Warriors. Karaby had height, ability, and speed on his side. He could guard the entire free-throw lane with his blocking. One, he could shoot well. He could even shoot three-pointers. He was very suitable for the Warriors.
Karaby’s only drawback was that he was thin. However, this was not a problem for the Warriors. The small ball playstyles that were currently popular had been popularized by the Warriors. Traditional tactics had no place in the Warriors’ strategy. It was better to have someone control the entire space inside the three-point line than to have a large player act as a single obstacle for opponents.
Nicholas couldn’t help but glance at his center substitute. Although his guy was also physically strong and had explosive power, he was a little slow. He was like an explosive. One never knew when he might blow up and hurt his own teammates.
Nicholas looked at him, and then jealously looked at Dai Li’s substitute bench. He remembered Dai Li’s record. When Dai Li was the head coach of the U.S. track and field team, he was able to give new life to a lot of older players.
“It is good to be young!” Nicholas sighed. It wasn’t clear whether he was referring to Dai Li or the athletes who returned to their youthful prime with Dai Li’s help.
…
The Clippers and the Warriors were neck and neck in the first two quarters. However, in the third quarter, the Warriors seemed to have found their footing, leading by 23 points.
The Warriors displayed their own unique characteristics when they played. They achieved the lead in the third quarter by employing their traditional method. The first quarter was for warming up, the second quarter was warm-up for the substitutes, the third quarter was for going all out, and the fourth quarter was for preparing to get off work. Statistically speaking, the Warriors had an APBRmetric value of +130 in the third quarter. The Warriors employed this method against the Clippers that day.
There were many excellent teams in the NBA, but none of them were able to crack the Warriors’ tactical system. There was no way it could be done by a half-baked basketball coach like Dai Li. The only thing he could do was use the Prophecy Request Box and try his luck.
I drew a bad lot! Dai Li looked depressed and looked at the result of the Prophecy Request Box. If it were a good lot, the game could be reversed. The bad lot was useless.
Dai Li didn’t even want to look at the result of the Prophecy Request Box. He thought about it. Since they could not win, he decided to give up. There were 82 games in a season. It didn’t matter if they lost one game. Moreover, they were losing to the Warriors. There was no shame in losing to the Warriors.
“You guys are up!” Dai Li pointed to the substitutes who usually didn’t get to play. They couldn’t get into the rotation in most games so, when they were called to play, they were happy. They had a quarter to showcase their skills.
“Coach, I want to play for a while longer,” a voice out of nowhere said. Dai Li turned to look. It was Gray.
Gray actually asked to play on his own. Was he affected by our last conversation? He was able to keep his fouls under control today. This may be because of his opponents. The players on the Warriors rely on shooting to get points. They tend not to rush underneath the basket. Dai Li nodded and agreed to Gray’s request. At the same time, he told his players, “If Gray wants the ball, pass the ball to him.”
…
The Clippers made a player substitution after a dead ball.
They gave up! Nicholas smiled smugly. He felt that the entire game was under his control. He turned his head and gestured to the substitutes to get warmed up.
The Warriors changed their entire lineup with substitutes during the next dead ball. The players on the starting lineup and the other key players in the rotation were all sitting on the bench, laughing. Getting off work after the third quarter was a routine that they were familiar with.
…
There was still a quarter left in the game.
Gray ran to the low post area. He got the ball into the basket using a technique for attacking from the low post area that he was familiar with.
The Warriors’ defenders were startled by this style of attack. They were unfamiliar with it and did not how to defend against it.
American basketball players were typically paying less and less attention to attacks from the low post area. The number of players in the NBA that specialized in attacking this area was very small. The top-ranking players with good physique were few and far between. They were prized by every team. The players who were not in the rotation didn’t usually have the chance to come into contact with such players. Thus, they did not know how to deal with such a traditional attack.
What’s more, Gray was not the traditional, slow-moving center. He had outstanding flexibility. He was comparable to the defenders in terms of agility and speed. With his height, wingspan, outstanding physical abilities, and speed in the three-point line, he definitely had the advantage when going one-on-one.
Gray scored on a few consecutive attacks. Although he did not lessen the gap, Gray felt like he was finding his rhythm.
He liked it when he got the ball in the low post area and went one-on-one. Every time he scored, Gray felt a sense of accomplishment.
The Warriors weren’t able to stop Gray. They didn’t bother to guard against him. After all, the Warriors relied on three-pointers for their offense. They had a lead of 30 points. They had the option to let him score.
The third quarter came to an end and the fourth quarter started. The Clippers had caught up to within 20 points. The Warriors made two consecutive three-pointers and widened the gap once again.
Both teams had their substitutes on the court. When compared, the substitutes from the Warriors were still better. The Warriors were the champions after all. It was easy for them to recruit strong players. Some players wanted to join them just so they could be part of the winning team.
The Warriors were better tactically as well. Their experience in several championships had matured the Warriors tactical system. On the Clippers’ side, Dai Li was a clueless newbie who kept insisting on the “all-star tactic.” They had no real strategy to speak of.
When the game entered the last five minutes, the Warriors maintained a 20-point lead. There was no suspense in the conclusion of the game.
However, on the Warriors’ bench, Nicholas was not happy at all.
Gray has got 28 points and 17 rebounds. Nicholas looked at the latest statistical data. If he continued to play, Gray could get an extremely high 30+20 double-double.
More importantly, Nicholas felt that Gray was getting more confident as he played. He looked at Gray, who was running on the court, and felt that a future superstar center was being born.
Nicholas couldn’t help but think of the scouting report on Gray when he played before the draft. Everyone thought that he would be the strongest center in NBA history, even better than the four great centers in history.
A superstar center! Fear flashed in Nicholas’ eyes.
He used to be an NBA player. He had experienced the era where basketball was dominated by the four great centers. He knew the horror of the four great centers. He got a shiver down his spine whenever he thought about it.
The era of the great centers had already passed. There had not been a great center in the NBA for a long time. When small ball playstyles were introduced, there were no longer any great centers left in the NBA. Nicholas did not know whether or not the Warriors’ “death lineup” could deal with a very good center, but the lack of height on the “death lineup” was indisputable. Whenever the Warriors encountered players who had big physiques and were fast, they got pushed around.
Gray, who was right in front of him, obviously had a big physique and speed. He also had excellent strength and excellent offensive skills. When faced with such an opponent, the only thing Nicholas could think of to counter him was surrounding him with multiple players.
The game entered its last two minutes. The Clippers had closed the gap to within 20 points and Gray had successfully achieved an extremely high 30+20 double-double.
However, this had not affected the outcome of the game. The Warriors could celebrate their victory before the game ended.
Nicholas could not feel any joy in achieving victory.
We have won the game, but the opponent has gained a great center. It doesn’t matter how you put it, we are the ones who got the short end of the stick! Nicholas was worried.
