Almighty Coach

Los Angeles Clippers.

Assistant coach Kassel looked at the door of the head coach's office, and muttered in a low voice with disdain on his face: "It's just because of nepotism that you can become the head coach. If you didn't meet the new boss's daughter, you must Not this head coach. This room should belong to me."

Kassel cursed secretly in his heart, then calmed down, knocked on the door and walked into the head coach's office.

Dai Li is in the office. This is his first day as the head coach of the Clippers. When he saw Cassel, he put on a smile and asked, "Coach Cassel, what would you like to drink? Here's coffee and tea, or maybe some whiskey."

"The coffee is ready, thank you." Cassel looked very stiff.

Dai Li poured Kassel a cup of coffee, and then said, "Coach Kassel, from today onwards, we are colleagues. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation experience in our future work."

"Of course, it's my honor to be able to cooperate with Lawrence's best coach." Cassel still said a word of compliment, but he didn't express his dissatisfaction to Dai Li in person.

Dai Li handed a folder in front of Kassel, motioning Kassel to open the folder: "Look at this."

After Cassell opened the folder, he suddenly discovered that it was a new contract for an assistant coach.

"This is..." Cassel looked at Dai Li with some doubts.

"Look at the numbers above first." Dai Li pointed to the document.

Cassel turned back and saw the figure above, which was 50% more than the salary he was receiving now.

"Coach Li, what is this contract?" Cassel asked in confusion.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with this new contract?" Dai Li asked.

"New contract? Is this the new contract given to me by the team?" Cassel couldn't help feeling a little excited when he thought of the 50% increase in salary.

"Under normal circumstances, things like signing an assistant coach should be done by the experience of the team. This time, I, the head coach, will talk to you. I did this, after all, my relationship with the boss is not a secret. Coach Kassel, you are a smart person, you should be able to understand my intentions." Dai Li said.

How could Kassel not understand Dai Li's hint? Dai Li's subtext is: this salary increase was won by me as the head coach, so you, the assistant coach, should also know who is your "boss".

Li Dai continued: "Coach Kassel, I personally recognize your ability very much, and I also think that you are an indispensable member of the team in the future, so I propose to the team's management to give you Salary increase. I hope you can continue your excellent performance in my team, believe me, this is just the beginning, and you will get more in the future."

Dai Li's words were a bit reserved, but Kassel had already fully understood. Dai Li is nothing more than telling Cassel, just follow me and work hard, and I will guarantee that you will earn a lot of money.

After looking at the contract in his hand and thinking about the figures above, Cassel's dissatisfaction with Dai Li disappeared without a trace.

Cassell really wants to be the head coach, but he also wants to make money. Compared with the position of head coach, the green money is a real benefit.

"This Dai Li is the future son-in-law of the new boss. From this point of view, he is also the owner of the team. I can't compete with him for the position of head coach. It's better to make money while he is interested in recruiting me. A sum of money. And the current situation of the team also needs me, an assistant coach who is familiar with the team. If I perform well, I may be able to sign a multi-year contract extension with the team, so that my job in the next few years There is no need to worry."

After weighing the pros and cons, Kassel felt more and more that accepting Dai Li's kindness was the right choice.

...

Not only Kassel, several other coaches and support staff in the team have also received a certain amount of salary increase.

Dai Li knew that the team had changed owners and head coaches, and the most important thing now was to stabilize the morale of the army, and there was nothing easier than throwing money out to stabilize the morale of the army. In the face of money, all dissatisfaction will disappear.

Several new contracts are also equivalent to telling the team's staff that the team will not cause major personnel changes due to the change of the boss. Everyone can keep their jobs and work for the new boss with peace of mind.

The generous behavior of throwing money can be regarded as allowing Dai Li to gain a firm foothold in the Clippers, and next, he will start to perform his duties as the head coach.

Dai Li didn't intend to change the Clippers' tactics. In fact, a half-baked basketball coach like him didn't have much in his stomach, and it was impossible for him to change the team's tactics. So the Clippers still use the previous tactics.

This season, the Clippers have been using a tactical system of quick offensive and defensive transitions.

In today's small ball era, many teams are using offensive and defensive transitional style of play, but there are not many teams that really play positional warfare. Therefore, the Clippers' style of play can be regarded as following the trend of the NBA.

Moreover, the Clippers lineup is relatively weak, the inside players are lacking in standards, there is no first-class offensive organizer, the team's defensive efficiency is not high, and scoring depends entirely on nerve knives. This type of team really has no way to play positions In the battle, you can only score points by catching offense and defense transitions.

Dai Li still handed over the team's tactical matters to the assistant coach Cassel, while Dai Li observed from the sidelines, and it was also a learning process.

As for the team training, there are also their own professional coaches. The coaching staff of NBA teams is relatively complete. There are coaches who are responsible for instructing offense and coaches who are in charge of instructing defense. For shooting training and rebounding training, there will be dedicated personnel in charge, so there is no need for the head coach to worry about it.

For example, a player’s free throw percentage has declined recently and he needs to strengthen his free throws. Naturally, a shooting coach is in charge of the player’s free throw practice. Of course, if the head coach is very good at training free throws, or has a special preference for this player, it is not impossible to go on the court to train in person.

Li Dai obviously doesn't have very advanced basketball skills. Whether it's offensive or defensive training, or technical training such as shooting and rebounding, he can't get involved. The only thing he can do now is the physical training of the players.

When it comes to physical training, even if Dai Li thinks he is number one in the United States, no one would be dissatisfied. Track and field coaches are good at physical training. Dai Li once led the US track and field team to create miraculous results. Naturally, no one will question his level of physical training.

The NBA game is still going on. The turbulent Clippers lost two games in a row before Dai Li took office, and the record became 16 wins and 32 losses. According to the schedule, the Clippers have five days of rest, followed by four road trips.

So Dai Li had just become the head coach of the Clippers, and before he had time to get familiar with the team, he boarded the plane and started the four-game trip with the team.

The first stop of the Clippers' four-game streak is Portland, and their opponent is the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have entered the playoffs in the last five seasons. Considering that the competition in the Western Conference has always been fierce, the ability to make the playoffs for five consecutive seasons also proves the strength of the Blazers.

The Blazers currently have a record of 34 wins and 15 losses, with a winning rate close to 70%. They also rank third in the Western Conference and can be regarded as a strong team in the league. For the Clippers, this is an almost impossible opponent to beat.

The odds offered by the bookmaker also confirmed this point. The Blazers handicap 14.5 points, and the odds are 1.75. Seeing this odds, no one thinks that the Clippers can win the game.

...

In the Moda Center, the Blazers' home court, and the visiting team's locker room, the Clippers players were talking and laughing, looking very relaxed.

However, Dai Li could feel that this was not just a simple relaxation, but a kind of indifference to the game. The upcoming game seemed not to be taken seriously by the players.

The opponent is a strong team like the Portland Trail Blazers, and it is still at home. Even if the defending champion of the NBA comes here, it is impossible to ignore the opponent. But the Clippers players behaved like this. Of course, this is not because they think they are strong enough to ignore their opponents, but because the Clippers players think that facing a strong team like the Trail Blazers, they will inevitably lose the game , so there is no need for fearless struggle.

In fact, the Clippers' record is so bad, and they have experienced a six-game losing streak. Coupled with the turmoil of the team changing the boss, the continuous blows have already made the players forget the feeling of victory and make them no longer desire to win.

"For a team, it's not terrible to be weak, and it's not terrible to lose. What's terrible is that the players have lost their desire to win, just like they are now." Dai Li felt helpless, and more It is a sense of powerlessness.

"If that's the case, I can only gamble on luck. Winning or losing depends on God's will." Dai Li shook his head, and then equipped the title of "evenly matched".

...

In the commentary booth at the scene, before the game started, the two commentators began to introduce the situation of the two teams.

"In the previous four games, the Clippers were led by assistant coach Cassell, but Cassell did not give a satisfactory answer. During his leadership, the Clippers lost four games in a row. But I heard that, The new head coach of the Clippers has already taken office, and will lead the team to participate in this game, I don’t know how the arrival of the new coach will bring about changes to the Clippers.” A commentator said

"I don't think the Clippers will change much. Their new coach has just taken over, and he has never had basketball coaching experience. He will definitely continue to use the previous tactics without much adjustment. And with the current lineup of the Clippers, they don't have much room for adjustment." Another person said.

"Indeed, the core of the Clippers' tactics is now Ronnie. Although his statistics this season have improved a lot, they are not enough to be a team's responsibility. If it weren't for Naismith's 'nervous knife' If you play occasionally, the Clippers will probably lose more games."

"In this game, facing the Blazers, the Clippers may have to swallow a bitter pill. The Blazers have a high winning percentage at home. With the strength of the Clippers, it is impossible for them to beat the Blazers."

While the two commentators were talking, the players' entrance ceremony had already begun.

...

Tris, the head coach of the Blazers, walked up to Dai Li and gave Li Dai a hug with a smile on his face, showing a very friendly look.

"Lee, welcome to the NBA!" Tris said.

Dai Li didn't feel welcome from Tris's tone at all. He looked at Tris's smile and immediately remembered the smiling face shown by the big bad wolf in the fairy tale when he tricked Little Red Riding Hood.

"This Tris, who said welcome, is probably thinking about how to hang me!" Dai Li thought so in his heart, but then he said: "Coach Tris, this is the first time I have come to the NBA. I hope the Blazers can show mercy and don't let me lose too badly."

"You're smart." Tris thought inwardly, but the smile on his face was even bigger: "What did Coach Li say, the Clippers have always been a very strong team. We need to go all out."

The broadcast camera kept focusing on the two of them. The two did not appear to be at war, but greeted each other kindly, which disappointed the reporter.

I saw Tris returned to the Trail Blazers bench, and then called the players to his side.

"Looking at this game, your opponent is the five players on the field of the Clippers, and my opponent is the head coach of the Clippers. He is a coach who has never coached basketball experience, that layman! So I What you want is not just an ordinary victory, I hope you can bring a big victory! I hope you can crush your opponents!" There was a stern look in Triss' eyes, and he continued: "I am you My head coach, and you are my players, I hope you can use your actions to tell the world that my head coach is far better than that layman!"